“Be careful!”
“Ugh!”
Together with the warning, a gush of blood splattered and soaked the young man’s back.
The young man was startled by the unpleasant sensation and soon became horrified.
Right behind him, a monster had fallen.
In its hand, the axe was enormous, larger than a human head.
If his companion hadn’t helped, his head would have been crushed by that axe.
Realizing he had narrowly escaped death, a chilling sensation ran across his entire skin.
“Th-thank you.”
“It’s not the time for such talk.”
The companion thrust his sword down onto the fallen orc’s head.
The orc then erupted violently before its movements ceased entirely.
It had been feigning death.
The young man recalled the stories he’d heard about orcs.
“Mad warriors obsessed with battle. They’ll fight as long as they have the strength to move a finger. Tough bastards.”
“Our senior knight warned us that orcs in the Great Forest are worse. He said not to relax until you’ve confirmed their life force is truly gone. Didn’t you hear that?”
“Yeah, I did. Damn it.”
Pushing his exhausted body, the young man stabbed the fallen orc’s heart with his sword one by one.
Only after that was he able to rest comfortably.
“I’m dead tired.”
“You’d really be dead if you loosened up like that again, just now.”
“Yeah, you’re right.”
They were newcomers in the Red Rose Knights Order undergoing their initiation.
Survive in the Great Forest.
A three-day trial.
Though they had braced themselves, it was proving to be no easy task.
“It feels like the three days are almost over.”
“We haven’t even finished the first day yet.”
“Surviving in this place seems impossible.”
The Great Forest is no place for humans to live.
It was a story they had heard often, but it was undeniably true.
“Running into an orc band at the forest’s entrance. And this being safer at the start? Seriously?”
“These are likely mere scouts. Further in, the swarms will be much larger. If we encounter the main tribe… it would be terrifying.”
They shivered just at the thought.
That was an insurmountable disaster for new knights.
Even if all the knights taking the initiation were to gather, would they stand a chance?
This last fight had only ended in their favor because it wasn’t a fair battle.
“And yet, even these orcs are considered weak compared to the true rulers of this region.”
In total, seven creatures in the Great Forest were classified by humans as ruler-level monsters.
Could a lifetime of training even hope to match the edge of their hair?
It felt like facing an insurmountable wall.
“Don’t be so pessimistic. The ruler-level monsters don’t leave the deepest parts of the Great Forest, right? We might not ever meet one in our lifetime as knights.”
“Speaking of which, wasn’t there someone among our batch who went deeper into the Great Forest?”
Senior knights recommended forming pairs for the three days of initiation.
Surviving alone wouldn’t be easy.
Everyone had paired up except one.
She had volunteered to be alone.
Since the group was of odd numbers, the others didn’t refuse, finding it convenient.
She even moved farther away from the designated area.
No one understood her guts.
Had she joined the Red Rose Knights to find a place to die?
“It’s fine. No matter how unlucky she is, she won’t come across a ruler-level monster. At worst, she might encounter the main force of an orc tribe, right?”
“You make it sound like it’s no big deal. That alone would warrant a funeral.”
“That’s true, but should we be worrying about her when our own situation is precarious?”
“Yeah, you’re right.”
Could they successfully complete this initiation and survive?
The knights’ concerns deepened as the days went by.
“Oh, so this is where you all live.”
Rena marked the orcs’ settlement on the mental map in her head.
It wasn’t so much a home as a village.
Although orcs were classified as monsters, they belonged to the Ain race in a broader sense.
The Ain race referred to species similar to humans.
A defining feature of humans was being social creatures, living in groups.
Orcs were the same.
They lived in tribal societies, similar to how humans had lived in prehistoric times.
“They’ve done good with what they have…?”
Rena observed the orc village in wonder.
Instead of clay huts, as she initially expected, she saw relatively sophisticated constructions.
They resembled crude cottages that Rena herself might have built early in her development process.
In fact, upon closer inspection, they seemed more meticulously constructed.
“Hmph!”
The orcs at the entrance laughed at Rena, who looked around with a curious expression.
She probably looked like a bumpkin from the country arriving in a big city.
To them, she was a monstrous, uncivilized creature.
Look at her marvel at our advanced civilization!
Little did they know the truth was entirely the opposite.
To Rena, orcs were rather like monkeys.
They walked upright and used tools.
They made efforts but remained just shy of achieving full humanity.
And yet! Monkeys building homes and forming tribes!
It was a spectacle that would have fascinated anyone from her hometown.
“Why are you all gathered here to greet me?”
Rena noticed the attention she was receiving.
There were many of them.
The whole tribe seemed to have gathered.
All this fuss must be for me.
She was reminded of the scenes at airports where fans throng to greet celebrities.
Embarrassing when it was her own situation now.
“Hmm, alright. I’m here to be your savior.”
With an air of confidence, Rena waved her hand in response.
The tense atmosphere and some of the mocking expressions of the orcs didn’t match a welcoming committee.
So what? Should I be intimidated by this? Me?
I’m the dignitary invited by your leader bowing deeply.
Rena’s confidence was built on this.
Even if this were a trap, so what?
If things went awry, she could always kill them all and make soda dispensers out of them.
In fact, that sounded more appealing… Swish.
The orcs shuddered simultaneously.
It felt like she was scrutinizing their necks as she swallowed her saliva.
Had she really given them the impression of being a monster?
Orcs, a ferocious race that took combat as a hobby, weren’t completely reckless.
One should only fight a worthy opponent.
Death without purpose was undesirable.
“Huh!”
“Ah, got it. Let’s go quickly.”
The leader emerged to remind Rena of her purpose.
Unintentionally having won the mental battle, Rena followed the leader closely.
The leader guided her to the deepest part of the village, where a building twice as large as the others stood.
The leader pulled aside a curtain-like cloth and led her inside.
The interior, framed by colossal pillars, felt more like a hallway.
The walls and ceiling, made out of natural stone and rough wood, were heavily aged, giving the impression of an ancient fortress.
Otherwise, it felt like an embodiment of raw primal strength.
The smell of beasts pungently invaded her nostrils.
The smoke from unknown herbs and plants burned all around filled the floor.
Tapestries, patched together with leather and cloth, hung about chaotically, while hunting tools and weapons caught her eye.
At every step, she stumbled over something.
It was meat, fruit, and sometimes bones.
Rena’s face twisted in distaste.
Filthy brats. Do they even know how to clean?
Leaving food scraps like this would only attract bugs.
Was that why they kept the smoke? To cover it up.
Disgusting. To think they just hid the trash from sight.
Considering it, they were at a level comparable to monkeys.
She was glad she left Baduki behind since it was unclear if pets were allowed.
If he had been here, his head would have been buried in the floor, looking for food.
Even though Rena had trained Baduki not to act this way, she couldn’t watch her own dog scavenge from trash on the floor.
Thunk!
“Aah, got it. I was just zoning out a bit.”
It kept poking me.
I deserve it for making a mistake, so I can’t say anything.
Rena brushed aside the elbow jabbing her ribs from the leader and focused forward.
Not a wooden throne but one made from assembled bones held an orc.
Wow, look at his stature!
The leader standing beside him was already large, yet it was embarrassing to compare this beast with the seated one.
Is that naturally possible? Is he a Loither?
She had this doubt.
Above the seated orc, letters floated.
Chief of the Frostwind Orc Tribe.
Rena came to realize.
“What? You’re not the chief of the orc tribes?”
It seemed odd that his title was the same as everyone else: ‘Frostwind Orc.’
Still, his appearance was different, which is why she called him the leader.
There was a real chief after all.
“Ah, you’re the Warrior Chief. Hmm? Are you the son of the tribe chief? Oh, so this was favoritism.”
Rena developed a prejudice that the leader was a result of connections.
But she didn’t think poorly of favoritism per se.
After all, there were capable individuals within connections.
For instance, a certain game company from her hometown had someone who rose through connections but placed the company on a solid foundation.
The Frostwind orc leader was also a warrior chief, and his size and abilities showed.
Cough!
The tribe chief cleared his throat audibly.
He couldn’t help but reveal his irritation after witnessing Rena’s frequent digressions.
“Uh?”
But the shining eyes of Rena, who looked delighted at having been caught, stiffened the chief’s expression.
The muscles in his entire body tensed instinctively.
Ah, so she was being scatterbrained to provoke a fight, testing whose dominance this was.
Animals were like that.
Even if they met for cooperation, they instinctively searched to establish dominance.
But even knowing her intent, the chief couldn’t act rashly.
Because if he acted first as the chief, it would tarnish his dignity.
The Frostwind orc chief rose from his seat.
It was an invitation to take the attack.
Rena grinned and walked up to the chief.
Soon, the room was filled with an oppressive atmosphere that made normal breathing difficult.
The palpable tension seemed like it would burst at any moment.
Rena reached the orc chief, passed by him, and sat on the chair.
…?
“Ah, this is comfortable.”
The chief wavered but did not relax his guard.
She’s cunning.
He couldn’t dismiss the possibility that this was a trick played on his negligence.
“When you have guests, you should offer a seat. I was waiting to see when you’d move aside since you were seated.”
Rena had no ulterior motive.
When a guest is welcomed, the host should offer a seat.
If there’s only one chair, it’s only polite for the host to stand and offer the guest the seat.
Though the lumps were a bit uncomfortable, thinking of it as a massage made it surprisingly pleasant.
“Alright, now explain everything. What kind of help do you need from me?”
Rena sprawled out on the bony chair as if it were her own living room, chatting freely.
