Chapter 18.1

Chapter 18.1

And thus, the zombies within Siwanasi Forest were wiped out.

There would be sporadic undead outbreaks from time to time for a while, but it was safe to assume that they would be on a much smaller and manageable scale.

The Elven Army even sustained fewer casualties than expected.

It was partly due to their skills as elite troops and their tenaciousness, but also thanks to Bash mowing through the horde of undead while Zell healed the Elves along the way as she followed him.

“There I was, fatally wounded by a zombie and bleeding out when an Orc appeared out of nowhere and saved me.”

“Looks like that Orc broke through the undead lines to reach the Lich and also saved Lady Thunder Sonia’s life.”

Similar rumors were circulating among the troops of the Elven Army.

Others disagreed, saying, “Nah, no way Lady Sona had trouble with the Lich,” which was patently false, but since it was their beloved Hero that had previously said she would deal with the whole situation, it became a truth that permeated into the soldiers.

“We have the Orc Hero to thank for this. What should we do? Shall we write a letter of gratitude to the Orc Nation?”

“Hrm…”

When asked this by Aconite, Sonia crossed her arms and groaned.

She was grateful; that was a fact.

Her nephew, who was standing in front of her, also counted among those saved by the Orc and Faerie pair.

Following the battle, as the Elf Hero approached her seemingly deceased family member, he suddenly jerked up, still wearing a small mound of shiny white dust on the top of his head.

She still clearly remembered the prideful look on the Faerie’s face, as if she was fully satisfied after a job well done.

“Hmmmmm….”

They had rescued her precious nephew.

Not to mention that she herself might not have made it out had it not been for the Orc Hero’s help.

Of course, she was grateful.

So, what should she do…?

“Wait, so why did he come to this town in the first place?”

“Why? What do you mean, “why,” Lady Sonia?”

“You heard what I said.”

When she repeated herself with all the seriousness in the world, Aconite gave her a condescending, sideways look that wordlessly said, “ Good grief, do I really have to spell it out for you, you senile old lady?”

“Stop giving me that attitude. And stop with that stupid face. Geez…”

“Wait, you really don’t understand why he came here?”

“Do you?”

“Of course, I do.”

Sonia’s lips twitched in frustration as she lifted her chin to signal him to keep talking.

“He came here to stop the massive outbreak of zombie Orcs in Siwanasi Forest.”

“Really?”

“In a way, his former countrymen were causing trouble in another country. Of course, the Orcs couldn’t let that go unpunished, you know, for their Orcish pride and all….”

“Huh…”

“Doesn’t that all make sense? The first day they arrived, they gathered information. On the next, they began hunting zombies. As soon as they realized that the now zombified General Baraben had arisen, he charged through the horde of undead, unbothered by their numbers, and took his former superior’s head. I was barely conscious at that point, but I still saw how he challenged Baraben to an honorable, one-on-one duel and showed us all that Orcish pride was still alive and well! Truly the acts of a Hero!”

“Well…I guess…”

The Elf Hero slowly nodded.

It certainly made sense.

Back when she was in the middle of that battle, she caught herself having those same thoughts.

She also somewhat believed that that was why he had come here – to save his former compatriots from the hatred, shame, and resentment that they were subject to as zombies.

But a few questions remained.

Some aspects of this whole debacle were still bothering her.

For example, if she were in the Orc King’s shoes, would she have let Bash go out into the world on his own in the first place?

And in terms of escorts… a single Faerie? So technically he wasn’t alone.

If she were to go outside of Elven territory…Aconite would always be by her side, right?

So, what was so incongruous about the situation? Thought Sonia as she cocked her head.

“Apparently, in Human Country, there was a band of bandits that were exterminated in a similar fashion.”

“What was that all about? I didn’t hear anything about it.”

“They were just rumors I picked up here and there. Nothing too important, I’m sure.”

“You should tell me about those kinds of things. But there’s still something bugging me…”

Replied Sonia.

She recalled the events of the day of Bash’s arrival in Siwanasi.

That faithful night they crossed each other’s path in the town.

“Why did he tell me that he’d “come back” to see me? It’s funny. There’s no way he would have known back then that I would be fighting General Baraben, would he?”

“That’s…”

“And he even followed that up with “you’ll find out soon enough…”! Huh?! Haaah!? How the full was I supposed to find out anything?! Or was he saying that me facing off against that undead duo was completely orchestrated by him?! That can’t be possible… I didn’t see nor feel any magic coming from him. There’s no way he could have manipulated or created a Lich.”

“Hmm….”

Aconite stroked his chin.

Indeed, his aunt was right to point out that Bash’s behavior that day was strange.

His words insinuated that he was planning something.

However, looking at how he reacted when faced with General Baraben, it didn’t seem like he was a mastermind working behind the scenes to bring about this disaster.

Instead, his acts were more than befitting of his responsibilities as a Hero.

“Lady Thunder Sonia.”

Then, there was a knock on the room’s door.

“What is it?”

“Milady, you seem to have a visitor.”

“Who is it? Is it lil’ Cal? Tell him it’s my day off today. I worked so hard yesterday, and I’m completely burnt out. Completely and utterly exhausted. He can do the clean-up on his own at the very least…”

“No, Milady, it’s an Orc.”

Sonia and Aconite silently looked at each other.

The gargantuan tree where Thunder Sonia resided was also inhabited by other individuals of importance.

Therefore, there was a lobby at its base, staffed with receptionists and guards.

Further back, a crowd of onlookers had gathered, curious to see what the visitor would do.

Incidentally, whether it be the staff or the rubberneckers, all were wearing happy, friendly expressions on their faces.

And at the center of all this hubbub was a single man.

His skin was green, and his face was stern and rugged.

He wore an Elven-styled suit, in which he had somehow managed to squeeze his bulging muscles.

Yes, Elven clothes.

His outfit was dark green and accented with black stripes – the kind of attire an Elven man would wear on formal occasions.

The large greatsword he was usually seen with was noticeably absent.

And right next to the Orc was a Faerie, arms crossed and legs shoulder-width apart, pompously floating in the air.

It was Bash and Zell.

[Formal wear…? What are they planning?]

Thunder Sonia stepped up in front of the Orc Hero, shooting him a quizzical look.

Awed “Oh’s” and “Ah’s” rose from the crowd.

[Do they want to discuss the relaxation of the treaty we established with the Orcs…? That’s silly…they’re really trying to get credit for a problem that was their fault in the first place, aren’t they? Man, Orcs are trickier than I gave them credit for… Still, considering how much this guy helped us out, I’ve got to reply… Damn it!]

The Archmage put her hands on her hips and looked up at Bash.

He wore the most resolute of expressions.

But she could feel that he was nervous.

“So? What do you want? Are you sure this is the right place for this?”

“Yeah, here is fine.”

“Alright, just hurry and tell me your demands. I’m a busy woman.”

“Umu…”

For the first time ever, Thunder Sonia took a close look at Bash.

When she thought about it, she hadn’t truly had a chance to observe him carefully ever since their first encounter during the Nightmare of Siwanasi Forest.

She had her own preconceptions about Orcs.

Bash, the Orc Hero.

At the very least, he hadn’t caused any trouble from his arrival until now.

There wasn’t any lack of female Elves in Siwanasi, and she hadn’t heard reports of any of them being attacked.

On the contrary, his actions seemed to all be to the benefit of the Elves.

And even in that battle, they had both just gone through, he had been admirable.

A Hero.

This man was a true Hero.

That’s what he was called by his countrymen.

Just like her, the Elven Archmage Thunder Sonia.

In other words, his goal was to further protect Orcish pride and ensure the best possible future for his people.

In which case, wasn’t it natural for him to want to ease the treaty between the Elves and the Orcs?

Being bound by so many restrictive sanctions, they would inevitably fall far behind the rest of the continent in terms of rebuilding their nation.

“Elven Archmage Thunder Sonia.”

“Umu.”

Bash pulled something out from his pocket.

It was a small object that shone with a metallic glint.

The guards tightened their grips on their weapons, but Sonia didn’t move.

Would this man use a weapon small enough to fit in his pocket in the first place?

He would be faster and more effective striking with his bare fist than any dagger or short sword.

“Here.”

What he had taken out was a necklace.

An expensive, brilliant, glamourous, luxurious, and shiny necklace.

It was something an Elven man would gift to a woman as he asked for her hand in marriage.

“What’s this? What’s this all abo-…”

“Thunder Sonia, I have been attracted to you from the moment I first laid eyes on you. Would you marry me and bear my children?”