“Back when my original body was still around, I once saw those green pig guys treating their prisoners. At least it looked better than what happened to me. What do you think about that, Hero? Say something. Aren’t you all about freedom and equality?”
Akashi was still venting his dissatisfaction about the earlier incident, but since I also knew I hadn’t acted properly, I silently listened to him. Still, in this case, it’s mostly Akashi’s fault.
He keeps finding opportunities to insult us and trying to kill us over and over again. Considering all this, wasn’t this treatment already quite humane?
Hmm. This is already lenient if you ask me. After quickly justifying himself, I recalled what the village elder had said. They really didn’t raid without any reason.
That’s their claim at least… But even if they were right, it was a matter worth considering. Orcs usually don’t resort to pillaging unless absolutely necessary.
As nomadic people, they have nothing to gain from conflict with settled communities. Unless the tribe was on the brink of starvation, they wouldn’t engage in such notorious acts.
Then there must have been some external pressure involved. The question was, what exactly was it? If not hunger, what could be driving them to such savagery?
“…You’re not listening to me, are you? Well, how about a hint? Would you listen if I gave you one?”
“Is there anything that stands out to you?”
“Demons like them… What else could it be but money? If those bandits revere anything, it’s gold. Whenever orcs suddenly cause trouble, it’s usually because someone hired them.”
Hired, huh? But there doesn’t seem to be any reason for that. Unless it was a wealthy village or a merchant guild, the elder mentioned that they only targeted small villages in this area.
“…So you were the one who hired them?”
“Of course. You’re perfect as a mercenary. Strong, loyal, and protective of client information with your life. Though I rarely used you because I feared catching your ignorance. Ah, don’t worry. Your ignorance isn’t contagious.”
Even though we banned insults, he still knows how to get under your skin. Unfortunately, I learned something I’d rather not know.
Anyway, keeping the possibility open that they might have been hired by someone, we continued walking until we spotted the village in the distance.
They said it was burned and destroyed, but from here, it doesn’t look that devastated. There’s just a wisp of smoke rising, probably from a bonfire.
“Hmm… That’s strange. Didn’t they completely demolish everything?”
“Indeed, the villagers said so last time they saw it, but apparently not. It doesn’t look like plundering… What could it be?”
“I’m not sure. Looks like they’re digging up something… Can’t see from here. If you gave me a book, I wouldn’t need to strain my neck like this?”
Ah, forget it. Let’s just go check it out. Akashi clicked his tongue briefly and returned to sulking while muttering complaints.
On the other hand, Alterra was lying flat on the ground, her ears pressed against the dirt as if listening to something.
There was just one problem: for some reason, she had lifted her lower body while pressing her upper half into the ground. As a result, a certain part was prominently highlighted.
She did have underwear, and her tail provided some modesty, but…
Her backside was too noticeable.
I wish she’d show a little consideration, but she looked so serious that it felt awkward to interrupt.
“Something is definitely down there. It’s moving faintly… shaking. It’s dormant. If we keep going, they’ll soon find us. What do you want to do?”
After standing up from that embarrassing pose, she immediately informed me that the orcs were trying to dig something up.
Hmm. Useful information, but it seems like she has no awareness of being a woman. Growing up in the wild might’ve erased such notions, but…
“Are you hot? Come to think of it, was climbing mountains strenuous exercise for you humans?”
“T-That’s not it, never mind. Anyway, there really is something down there… let’s go…check it out!”
I quickly turned away from Alterra’s puzzled expression and focused on the orcs.
Nomads wouldn’t suddenly invade a village to excavate something. There’s a good chance, as Akashi suggested, that they were hired.
Whatever it is, we need to drive the orcs away first.
As we approached the village, we could clearly see overturned baskets and broken pottery scattered around. And the orcs.
“Human! What are you doing here?! Go away! We’re using this place now! Come closer and I’ll call my comrades! Go away! Go away!”
The orc rudely waved its weapon and threatened us in broken human language.
…At least they’re not charging at us to kill instantly. This means we can try talking.
“Akashi. As always, use only non-lethal magic. Yuna, Alterra. If things get weird… you know what to do?”
I mouthed “knock them out” and raised my hands in a non-threatening gesture as I slowly walked toward the orc.
“What are you doing, human?! Can’t you see this?!”
The orc wildly swung its spear, trying harder to scare us off, but when I spoke, confusion flickered across its face.
“Calm down, please. We merely intended to visit the village. However… Orcs don’t settle down, so why have you occupied this village? Could you explain?”
“…Do you understand our language? How can a human… Never mind. You seem to understand well enough! Then scram! This isn’t a place for you. We don’t owe you an explanation.”
Surprisingly, they were still just telling us to leave.
“Is that so? Actually, the villagers asked us to drive you out. Do you happen to know when you plan to leave?”
“I already said we won’t tell you! No more word games. Just get lost!”
They’re being tough. Maybe trying to resolve this through conversation was a mistake. Still, I wanted to gather more information, so I subtly probed further.
“Hmm. I noticed you’re digging up something… Are you planning to leave once you find whatever it is?”
“How do you…! We can’t disgrace our tribe! Intruder! Intruder has appeared!!!”
Hmm. I don’t know why it’s tied to their tribal honor, but it seems peaceful resolution is impossible. When the guard shouted loudly, more orcs came running out of the village, screaming.
“…Hmm. Things aren’t working out as planned. Haha. Guys, prepare yourselves!”
It’s clear they’re digging up something. Pulling out my sword instead of the holy blade meant for combat, I prepared myself.
Under normal circumstances, I would’ve run away by now, but now I have a very reliable companion, so I planned to break through with force.
Alterra started the fight. She ripped a huge rock from the ground and hurled it, scattering the orcs who were forming ranks.
She then plunged into the chaos, grabbing an orc by the arm and swinging it around like a weapon.
With one hand wielding a greatsword and the other holding the dangling orc, she unleashed a flurry of attacks.
I intercepted an orc sneaking up behind her and drove my blade deep into it with all my strength.
The orc froze momentarily, letting out a sharp scream, before its head was cleanly severed by Alterra’s tail.
Unable to withstand the force, Alterra dropped the orc’s arm carelessly and grabbed another fallen orc from the ground, attacking others with renewed vigor.
Despite there being dozens of orcs, she was single-handedly taking down 90% of them, practically massacring them.
Looking over, Yuna was using her iron bow to stab and slash, wielding arrows from her quiver like a sword, fending off orcs attacking her and Akashi.
Hmm. I guess I’m not needed.
Turning away from the brutal scene of flying rocks and flesh, I grabbed the back of a large, ornately decorated orc struggling with Yuna.
Noticing my attack, the orc blocked my strike with his own just before it could cut through.
“Ugh… Who are you guys?!”
Our intense power struggle ended abruptly when Yuna spun around and delivered a powerful uppercut with her steel arm.
Though he quickly regained his stance as if that wasn’t enough to knock him down, he soon collapsed to his knees after being struck in the groin by a bow staff.
Yuna hit him one more time on the back of the head, bound his arms behind his back, and signaled to me.
“Mungho! Holy Sword!”
Understanding her intent immediately, I pulled out my brush and inscribed characters onto the orc’s body.
Fall asleep.
The orc, who had been fiercely resisting with bloodshot eyes, immediately passed out as soon as the characters were written.
Because I recently fought something much stronger, this feels relatively easy. Probably because this orc isn’t particularly strong.
…Among the orcs I’ve encountered, there were ones like the current Alterra who would grab humans and swing them around as weapons. So this orc is probably average among orcs.
Still, judging by his ornate decorations, he must be the chieftain. Yuna likely knew this and wanted to capture him.
Meanwhile, Alterra was relentlessly pursuing fleeing orcs, throwing corpses of her kin at their backs despite exposing her own.
Since our primary goal of driving away the orcs had already been achieved, I called out her name loudly to signal the end of the battle.
“ALTERA!!! Come back now! It’s over! We’ve captured the chief!”
Only then did she stop chasing the remaining stragglers. Though covered in blood, none of it seemed to be hers. Moreover, her few wounds were healing rapidly before my eyes.
This… Is this what you’d call hitting the jackpot? Every time I witness her fighting, I feel more inclined to congratulate myself.
To put it simply, yes. It’s like obtaining a ‘cheat code.’ Her combat prowess was truly absurd.
Even an orc encampment rated at gold level shouldn’t be messed with lightly, yet she seemed capable of handling entire armies.
“…Is this the chief?”
Altera kicked the captured orc’s head with her foot and asked me. By now, Yuna had already tightly bound him with her bowstring.
“I haven’t done anything…”
Akashi was still grumbling, but perhaps now I could be more forgiving.
“Yeah. Now let’s extract some information. Why did they do this, and what were they looking for? Right…”
Like this. I added more characters to the unconscious orc’s body.
Answer my questions truthfully.
And wake up.
The orc jolted awake and began thrashing.
Alterra roughly stomped on him, eliciting a cry of pain as he slumped over. While I don’t intend to stop her, I hope she could be gentler.
“Alright, you lost. So, answer honestly. Why did you do this?”
“It was… Ugh…! There was a client… But I can’t reveal who!”
The orc winced in either shame or agony as he answered. However, it wasn’t satisfactory.
“…Fine. Moving on. What were you searching for?”
“Key… A key… Damn… My mouth…! A key to the ancient civilization… Needed by the Demon Tribe… Ugh… Ugh…!”
Demon Tribe? Unfortunately, I couldn’t get more answers from him.
Moments after mentioning the Demon Tribe, a blood-red hand sprouted from his neck and pierced through his chest.
About a hundred years ago, the mere mention of the Demon Tribe would’ve caused mass panic, but they aren’t that dangerous anymore.
Once, each member of the Demon Tribe could take on hundreds of soldiers during their prime, but not anymore. I’ve faced one myself, which says enough.
Through relentless and thorough hunting by entire nations, most surviving members are now low-level bosses in back alleys or mountain bandit leaders—mostly hybrids or remnants of little value.
…Hybrid. I glanced pensively at Alterra. No, I shouldn’t compare her to them. I shook my head to dispel the odd thought.
“Hmm. Typical Demon curse magic. The condition is obvious: don’t reveal their identity. Something like that. Hey, Mungho. Your ability really gives me chills every time I see it. You know that, right?”
Akashi observed the grotesque scene indifferently, continuing to mock me amidst it all.
…Honestly, even I admit it’s a terrifying ability, regardless of its utility. Writing with my brush allows me to exert near mind control.
But consider this: there are monsters that can recruit allies just by making eye contact. Compared to that, mine is almost cute.
Thinking about that, I looked down at the orc who had grown cold.
“…Well. Guess we’ll have to dig the rest up ourselves. Akashi, does anything come to mind when you hear ‘ancient civilization’?”
“Sorry, there are too many buried civilizations down there. I won’t know what the key is until I see it directly.”
Seems like we have no choice but to dig.
“Alterra. Can you help us unearth the moving thing below?”
“…Alright.”
Her horns glowed golden, and the earth split apart, revealing something beneath. What is this…?
