The Orc Seed
"I have five bags of this. If we throw them all at once, wouldn't they freak out and run out?"
"Squeak, even two bags would be plenty."
Jing and Lia's eyes locked onto me at my confident reply.
"What? How do you know that so well?"
"...Squeak, because I'm an Orc. I just know."
I couldn't exactly tell them I'd already thrown it a few times before, so I glossed over it. By the way, did Lia really only buy that much Orc Grass? As I wondered, her eyes sparkled with curiosity.
"Right, you'd know best since you're an Orc! Is the smell really that awful? Like, is it so unpleasant it paralyzes your nose? Is it different from other musty-smelling herbs?"
"Miss Lia, it would be best to save that for later."
Thanks to Jing calling out to Lia just as she was starting another barrage of questions, I managed to avoid having to answer. Lia looked slightly sheepish and suppressed her bubbling curiosity.
"This stuff has a really strong scent, so the ones with sensitive noses will notice the moment I open the bag. I'll throw it as soon as I open it. While they're in a frenzy, we'll slip inside. It'd be even better if they just ran out entirely."
Jing nodded at her suggestion.
"I'm worried about Lord Ran's horse outside. What if it gets caught?"
"Ah, you don't need to worry about that." Lia smiled brightly. "Just in case, I sprayed a bunch of it on that fellow earlier."
Jing stared at her blankly for a moment before smiling back. "Very well done."
Lia's face lit up at the praise.
"Squeak, if you're done praising each other, just roast it, fry it, throw it, or blow it up already."
I didn't feel like waiting around for the warm atmosphere between them to dissipate on its own, so I cut in.
The moment Lia opened her bag, the foul stench intensified. Even deep inside the Orc Den, I could see the ones with sensitive noses raising their heads and twitching their snouts. But Lia didn't wait for them to locate the source of the smell.
She threw the Orc Grass with all her might. It drew a neat parabola through the air and landed dead center, right in the middle of the Orc pack.
"Squeeeak?"
"Squeeeeeak!!!"
The beasts, who hadn't even realized what had just flown in, scrambled to their feet and shrieked as the terrible stench began to spread. The larger ones clutched their noses and began to thrash wildly.
The chaos that started in the center gradually rippled outward, and before long, the cavern of the Orc Den was filled with the panicked cries of the Orcs. The more they thrashed, the more the scent of the Orc Grass dispersed. Because of the poor ventilation, the stench lingered heavily in the air.
Before long, the smaller Orcs that had been occupying the outer areas came charging out of the cave. We pressed ourselves against the wall, watching them flee as they completely abandoned what little reason they had left.
"I-it worked," Lia muttered softly, pressing her back as flat against the wall as possible.
Although the larger ones in the center remained, a significant number of them had fled outside, leaving behind a number that Jing could easily handle on his own.
"Well done, Lia."
Lia beamed at Jing's praise. The three Orcs Jing had knocked down at the entrance had been rather unlucky. If they had encountered Jing just a little later, they could have been knocked out much more cleanly.
Having fully adjusted to the darkness, Jing's movements were incomparably cleaner than before.
"I really worried for nothing," Lia murmured, her eyes tracking Jing's silhouette as he moved like the wind.
It truly was a needless worry. Though he always called himself an old man, this was exactly what the head of the Fidus Family did best.
"Squeak, he's not even killing them."
"What?" Lia, who had been staring blankly at Jing, asked back.
"Squeak, he hasn't killed a single one. He's being considerate of you."
Indeed, unlike in the original novel, Jing had not killed a single Orc. Leaving aside the ones already dead, sparing the remaining Orcs until they could uncover the full truth of the matter was undoubtedly out of consideration for Lia's circumstances. It would leave a bitter taste in her mouth if they all died before the connection between the villagers' deaths and the birth of the Orcs was fully revealed.
It seemed Lia only realized that Jing hadn't killed a single Orc since entering the cave after hearing my words.
"Squeeeeeeak!"
Finally, the last remaining Orc collapsed. The beast, which had been raising its axe, was knocked unconscious before it could even swing.
With all the Orcs cleared, Lia approached Jing with relief, opening her bag to pull out something to light their way. Soon, a small candle flickered to life in her hand.
As a single ray of light pierced the darkness, Jing, standing tall among the unconscious Orcs, became clearly visible. Jing waved at me and Lia. As we drew closer, he pointed his sword toward the center of the cave.
"I don't really... see anything else?" Lia handed the candle to me, crouching down to inspect the area. After staring at the empty space for a moment, she slowly reached her hand out.
Jing gasped in alarm and grabbed her hand.
"Lia! Don't reach out so recklessly!"
"No, wait a moment. Doesn't it feel a bit warm here?" she said, quickly placing her free hand against the ground.
After confirming that Lia's hand was perfectly fine, with no signs of melting or cuts, Jing slowly let go of her other hand.
"Warm? Isn't that just the residual body heat of the Orcs?"
"No, only this exact spot is like this." Lia replied, shaking her head after touching another spot nearby.
Finding the stove-like warmth intriguing, Lia swept her hand across the floor and tapped it.
"You said this is where the Orcs are born, right?" Lia asked, her hand still glued to the floor as she looked back at me.
"Squeak, yes. Once a year, Orcs are born here."
"When you say 'born,' does the floor open up? Or do they just suddenly pop into existence?"
"Squeak, you can see for yourself soon."
Lia tilted her head at my reply.
"Pardon? What do you mean by th—Aaaah!"
No one could blame her for collapsing before she could finish her question. Because she wasn't the only one startled by the ground beneath her feet suddenly beginning to glow.
Jing hastily caught her as she flailed and nearly tumbled backward. But trouble found him as well.
"Whoa!" Even Jing, who had been on his guard against the floor, let out an uncharacteristic yelp and checked the sole of his foot.
"Jing? What's wrong?"
"Something squishy... beneath my foot..."
Jing's voice trailed off as he answered Lia's anxious question. He knelt, pressing the tip of his sword against the ground. At the same time, the light that had been illuminating the floor vanished.
Since the candle had gone out when Lia fell on her backside, the shape of the object rising from the floor was instantly swallowed by the darkness. Unlike them, who couldn't see a thing in the renewed darkness, it was clear as day to my eyes—a writhing mass of black flesh at Lia and Jing's feet.
Lia, after scrambling to compose herself, pulled another candle from her bag. She cast the light onto the floor, only to let out a small shriek and scramble backward.
"W-what is this?"
"Squeak, the thing that will become an Orc. It will take its full shape soon."
Lia gasped at my answer. But her shock quickly morphed into curiosity.
"So, this is like an Orc Seed? What happens if you touch it? Jing, is the sole of your shoe okay?"
A deep exhaustion washed over Jing's face as he looked at her. It seemed he had discovered a brand of annoyance in her that was entirely different from Ratel's.
Sensing Jing's sour expression, Lia tentatively reached out to feel the air around the mass of flesh.
"It's quite hot. What on earth does this have to do with the Holy Relic?"
"Squeak, well, that's for you two to find out. Though, it looks like only one was consumed this time, seeing as there's only one mass."
Jing's brow furrowed at my words.
"Miss Lia, you said there was someone else consumed besides Ran, correct?"
"Yes, another priest from the Temple was consumed."
Yes, that was the problem. More than one person had been consumed, yet there was only one result.
"Squeak, are you sure two people were taken? You didn't missee?"
"No, I'm absolutely sure! He was very thin, but another person was definitely consumed!" Lia protested, sounding aggrieved that I was doubting her.
"In any case, if we cut this open, wouldn't it at least prevent the consumed person from dying?" Jing pointed his sword at the black mass.
"Is it really one Orc born per consumed person? Does the victim have to be completely dead for this shape to form?" Lia spoke with a serious expression, bringing her candle closer to the black mass of flesh.
"Squeak, no. It has never formed with a time lag like this before."
Except for one of the consumed, it was clear that the sword had absorbed them in a very bizarre, non-canon way. The bizarre one was, of course, Ratel. Where exactly was that guy right now? The only saving grace was that he didn't seem to be alone.
Jing, who had finished his brief contemplation before me, spoke up.
"Whatever the case, it seems best to destroy it before it's too late."
"I suppose that would be best." Lia also nodded, putting her lingering curiosity aside. "If we cut this open, we might save a life."
With a tense expression, Jing drew his sword and plunged it into the writhing mass.
Squelch.
"Squeeeeeeeeak!"
Following the sound of tearing flesh, an ear-splitting shriek echoed through the cave. Jing kept his guard up, his eyes locked onto the black lump of flesh. Soon, a black mist began to rise along the blade.
"Everyone, hold your breath!" Lia cried out, hastily covering her nose and mouth.
Contrary to her fears, the erupting mist didn't attack anyone. It simply expanded slowly, steadily, right where it was. Finally, when it grew to the size of a small person, a faint sound began to emerge from within. The quiet murmur grew into a sob, gradually taking the shape of coherent words.
"Ugh... sob..."
"Save... save me...!"
Lia's eyes widened.
"It's the priest!" She recognized the voice.
In the original novel, Ratel's party, failing to destroy the first Holy Relic, kidnaps a priest and escapes the Temple. When I read the book, I thought it was a classic move for a guy like him, but experiencing this firsthand made me realize something. The only reason the incident in the original novel ended in a mere kidnapping was because he had spent time with his other companions. Because of that, I was now in a situation where I was the only one who knew what the other companions were supposed to know.
"There's a living person inside! But they can't get out! What do we do?" Stamping her feet in anxiety, Lia reached out to grab into the mist.
"Lia! Stop. We don't know what's happening inside, you mustn't blindly stick your hand in!"
"But it's the Temple priest..."
I stepped up behind Lia, who was reaching out with a tortured expression, and Jing, who was firmly holding her back.
"Hey! What are you doing?!"
And I grabbed Sierra's Sword, which was slung over his shoulder. Unfortunately, Jing was far faster than me, and my arm was instantly pinned.
"If you're trying to pull something in the confusion..."
"Squeak, are you just going to let Ratel die like this?"
Jing hesitated for a fraction of a second at my question. It was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for me. I quickly yanked the half-drawn sword the rest of the way out and threw it straight into the black smoke where the sobbing was coming from.