CH 181

Apparently, the hunter fled to the forest as soon as the yeti appeared. He couldn’t compare with the orc warriors when it came to battles, but the hunter possessed superior knowledge when it came to survival skills and the habits of beasts and monsters. As such, he was able to preserve his life.

“You’re lucky. What about you?” Eugene asked. Although Eugene’s tone had changed drastically from their first encounter, Maxenne could only bow his head while trembling. Eugene had appeared from where the orc chief escaped, and it only meant one thing.

“W-well… I was hiding among the dead warriors…” Maxenne answered.

Galfredik commented with a grin, “Kyah~ You’re quite skilled. You outdid yourself even in that mess.”

Maxenne’s face glowed even redder. They were calling the hunter lucky, but himself skilled. Anyone could see that the man was being sarcastic. However, Maxenne had already abandoned his pride as a warrior. There was nothing he could say.

Eugene turned his gaze away from Maxenne and spoke, “And what about the snow ogre and the other monsters? You couldn’t have killed them all, right?”

Romari answered with trembling legs. She had exhausted herself by using magic to charm a huge group of monsters.

“Well, it’s quite strange, actually. They killed all the mercenaries, started fighting among themselves, then started running away. It looked as if they were extremely surprised by something.”

“Just now?” Eugene asked.

“Yes. The yeti, so the snow ogre, was the first one to run away,” Romari answered.

“Hmm.” Eugene stroked his chin.

Romari carefully spoke, “Sir Eugene. This is only a hypothesis, but monsters who’ve lived a long time on a special mountain, just like this one, can develop some semblance of consciousness. In particular, I heard that stronger and higher ranked monsters evolve even further due to the spiritual nature of the mountains.”

“Like that wicked creature?” Eugene pointed to the greedy spirit, who was busy searching through the pockets of the dead mercenaries and warriors

“Kiee… they’re all beggars,” Mirian said dejectedly with a pout. A spirit of water searching for wealth in the middle of a bloody mess… It was an unexpected sight.

Romari’s expression turned very complicated and pitying as she observed Mirian. She explained, “Yes, yes. Well, it would be different from her, but it’s still similar in a way. In the case of the yeti, it would be more fitting to label it a mythical creature.”

“Hmm, anyway. You’re saying that the monster gained consciousness?” Eugene asked.

“Probably. That’s likely why it ran away as soon as you used your Fear. It judged that it couldn’t handle Sir Eugene as an opponent,” Romari responded.

“You make it sound so complicated, but you’re just saying that the monster ran away because it was scared of Master, right?” Galfredik came to a simple, clear conclusion.

Romari nodded. “Yes. That’s it.”

“No wonder it didn’t show itself when we were crossing the mountain. It’s smart for being such a big guy. Roamers these days… They have no spirit,” Eugene remarked.

“And how many monsters do you think could possibly even think to show off their spirit in front of an Origin?”

Indeed, even monsters residing in evil lands fled when they came to face Eugene’s Fear, despite having been consumed by the evil, chaotic energy of the evil lands. It was no wonder that roamers had fled as soon as they sensed Eugene’s Fear.

“Anyway, is there no chance that the yeti will attack us first?” Eugene asked.

“Yes,” Romari answered.

“Hmm. That’s a little disappointing…” Eugene licked his lips. He had been unable to participate in any subjugations recently due to the Brantian expedition. In addition, it was highly likely that a monster of the yeti’s caliber would possess a red mana stone.

As if noticing Eugene’s thoughts, Romari asked without hiding her expectations, “Sir Eugene. Are you going to kill it? Yetis are quite rare and precious.”

Eugene answered, “No. It’s a shame, but we’ll have to put it on hold. We have something more important to do.”

“Ah, yes…” Romari was dejected at Eugene’s answer, but there was nothing she could do. In the first place, they weren’t here to kill monsters.

“Hey…” Eugene called out.

“Y-yes!” Maxenne hurriedly responded while raising his head. He had been stealing glances at Eugene’s party with mixed emotions as they conversed in a foreign language.

“Let me ask you a few things,” Eugene started.

“Anything! Please ask me! I will tell you everything I know!” Maxenne answered.

“How many troops are there remaining in the Tolo family?” Eugene asked.

“T-There shouldn’t be more than a few dozen guards. The orc chief had called for all of the orc warriors and the mercenaries,” Maxenne responded.

“Hooh, is that so? So if someone attacks them now, they won’t be able to put up a fight, right?” Eugene asked.

“P-Probably,” Maxenne answered with a pale expression. He wasn’t an idiot, and there was no way he was oblivious to the identity of the ‘someone’ Eugene had mentioned. The knight had utilized monsters to completely wipe out hundreds of troops. Maxenne was certain they could handle a small group of guards.

“Are you going to take care of them right away?” Galfredik asked.

“Hmm. I’m thinking about it…” Eugene answered. He became lost in thought for a moment before turning toward Maxenne and asking, “How many direct descendants of the Tolo family are there remaining?”

“B-by that… are you referring to the sons and daughters of the chief?” Maxenne asked.

“Whatever. How many can represent the Tolo family?” Eugene clarified.

“Oh, well, there aren’t any,” Maxenne said.

“What?” Eugene asked with a frown, and Maxenne came to realize that the scary knight wasn’t very knowledgeable about the northern orcs.

‘Should I lie?’

He was tempted to do it, but he quickly shook away his thoughts. Eugene’s group would invade the home of the Tolo family anyway. If he lied, it would be discovered sooner rather than later.

“B-Both the tribal chief and his immediate family from a noble family have to participate in wars. Orc warriors cannot represent their tribes if they do not participate in wars. It was the same this time around,” Maxenne explained.

“Really? Then the direct descendants of the Tolo family…” Eugene muttered while looking around at the bloody aftermath of the battle.

Maxenne nodded vigorously, “Yes. All of them had been here, except the orcs who were too old or young.”

“Huh?! No matter how simple and ignorant orcs are, that’s just unbelievable. So he dragged all of his grown-up sons and daughters to the battlefield?” Eugene asked.

Maxenne responded, “Uh, well. It’s only natural for us.”

Even the stoic and seemingly unfazed Galredik looked to be in disbelief…

“So that’s why most orcs are short-lived. They’re real men who live their lives without regret,” Galfredik commented. Perhaps such an extreme way of life was natural for the orc rulers of the North. However, it was still quite difficult for humans to understand such actions, as they valued the preservation of their lineage.

“So it’s just the old and the young? Hmm,” Eugene said before falling into deep contemplation. When he first crossed the snowy mountains, his goal had been to identify the movements of the Bayman Orcs and to deal a small blow if an opportunity arose. However, various circumstances had led him to his current situation, leading to the collapse of the Tolo family. And since the Tolo family played a major role within the Bayman Orcs, their demise was a huge blow to the entirety of the Bayman Orcs as well.

Eugene had already well exceeded his original goal. However…

‘Something more… Couldn’t we make this into an even better opportunity?’

Even if the Tolo family, the strongest, collapsed, there were still six other families remaining in the Bayman Orcs. Although luck had been on his side this time around, he couldn’t guarantee that it would be the same in the future as he dealt with the other families.

‘They say it’s a union, but all of them are motivated by self-interests. That’s why they were competing to be the first to invade. If that’s the case….’

Eugen stroked his chin out of habit, and as he contemplated, he noticed Maxenne stealing a glance at him with nervous eyes.

‘That’s it!’

A brilliant idea came to mind.

“Oi, Sir Maxenne,” Eugene called out.

“Y-Yes!”

“You, do you know who I am?” Eugene asked.

‘I don’t want to know! Don’t tell me, please!’

That was how he truly felt, but he didn’t dare to voice his thoughts. He shook his head with an awkward smile. “I-I apologize. I am quite short-sighted.”

“I’m Duke Batla,” Eugene stated.

“Hiek!” Maxenne’s face turned ashen at Eugene’s immediate answer. He had been skeptical, but it turned out that the one responsible for everything was the vampire duke himself.

As expected, it would have been better if he was ignorant.

“Please spare my life! I only wanted to make accomplishments in the war! I didn’t join the vanguard out of my hate for the duke. I swear…” Maxenne pleaded.

“Oh, I know. Why would I blame you? If there’s any fault, it would be with the chiefs of the Bayman Orcs’ tribes,” Eugene responded.

“You’re so generous! You are so fair! It’s only fitting that someone like you should rule Brantia, Your Excellency! Of course!” Maxenne immediately fell to the ground and began praising Eugene.

Eugene became certain that his eyesight hadn’t failed him. He had predicted exactly the type of person Maxenne was. He was a man of honor, but he was a coward. He was faithful to his desires rather than his honor, probably due to his heritage as a half-orc.

“Sir, you joined the vanguard because you wanted to get ahead, right? You believed that you might have even gotten your hands on a piece of land south of the snowy mountain,” Eugene said.

“Ah, yes. Yes, yes. However, I promise with all my heart that I am not against the duke…” Maxenne started.

“Oh, yes, yes. I know. Anyway, your desire for accomplishments. Is it still valid?” Eugene asked.

“What?” Maxenne asked in return, dumbfounded.

“I’m asking you if you want to get ahead. Do you want to become a lord?” Eugene asked in a soft voice.

“Uh…” Maxenne eventually nodded.

“Yes. If it wouldn’t harm your interests, Your Excellency, then I would like to… get ahead,” Maxenne confessed.

“Then do it,” Eugene said.

“What?” Maxenne became wide-eyed, and Eugene turned his gaze away from him with a mysterious smile. He spoke while looking over the bodies of the fallen orcs, “Chief, elders, strong warriors. Moreover, I heard that all the sons and daughters of the Tolo family died, right? Won’t they need someone to lead the Tolo tribe then?”

“…!!!”

Although Maxenne was a coward, he also possessed a keen sense. His eyes widened at Eugene’s suggestion, and Eugene turned to look at him again with a cold smile. “You can lead the Tolo family. However, when you become the tribal chief… You know, right?”

Gulp!

Maxenne’s expression flitted between fear and desire for a moment. Soon, he nodded.

***

“Huh? Hey, look over there,” an orc guard said while tapping his colleague.

“Huh?” The other orc guard turned his gaze toward where his colleague was pointing.

“Isn’t that the messenger that Sir Kunderima sent?” the orc guard said.

“And the other one is the halfie who left with the chief,” his colleague added.

The two guards were startled to see Maxenne and the hunter. In the meantime, Maxenne straightened his back and shouted in a confident voice after arriving in front of the wooden fence. “I’ve brought the tribal chief’s message! Open the gates!”

The gates had been sealed tight after the departure of the warriors. However, they opened at Maxenne’s bold words.

“What’s going on? What about the chief?!”.

“The chief and the warriors have safely crossed the snowy mountain. We were ambushed by a group of roamers during our journey, but I fought them off with the other brave warriors,” Maxenne said before gesturing at the hunter.

The hunter stepped forward and opened the bag he was holding. All kinds of materials gained from the corpses of monsters fell from the bag.

Oohhh…!

The eyes of the guards sparkled after seeing definite proof, and Maxenne shared a gaze with the hunter before continuing, “There are even more that we killed. Anyway, there is a lot of news to deliver. Let’s start with disposing of the monster corpses. Ah, right, who is in charge now?”

“Lord Karuton. The chief’s uncle,” one of the orc guards answered.

Orcs burned as bright as the sun in their youth. However, they weakened as if their youth had been a lie as soon as they passed into their 40s. The dead chief and most of the elders were in their forties, which meant that the chief’s uncle was an old, feeble orc.

“I see. Will you show me to him?” Maxenne asked.

“Naturally…”

Monster byproducts were essential resources for the orcs, as they were always in need of supplies. The guards answered with a grin and let the two orcs through.

“Ah, wait a minute,” Maxenne spoke after coming to a stop.

The orc guards stared at him with curiosity.

Maxenne continued with an awkward smile, “Ah, well… B-back home, there’s a return ceremony to be performed after successfully killing monsters. C-call it a roar of victory. It’s like an offering of thanks to the spirits of the earth.”

“Kuhaha! Well, then. Sir half-orc has all sorts of weird things to do. Well, this is certainly enough to brag about and to give thanks, so do as you would like,” one of the guards said with a boisterous laugh.

Even if they were mere guards, they were still warriors of the Tolo family. They found the half-orc’s actions rather cute, though it was quite ridiculous.

‘I’ll pull out all of your fangs raw, you bastards. I’ll see you later.’

“Haha. Thank you for your understanding.” Maxenne calmed himself and smiled before climbing up a wooden post.

“Haaa… Wheeew…” After taking a breath, Maxenne took a large gulp of the North’s cold air, then shouted like thunder.

“Max-enn-e of T-o-o-o-o-olo! Invites! S-i-i-ir Eugene insideeeeee---!!!”

A voice filled with anger, fear, and ambition resonated to the far depths of the desolate fields. After a moment, Duke Jan Eugene Batla appeared with his group. He was equipped with all the equipment he had hidden in the depths of the snowy mountains.