“My daughter left many days ago with a group of young people, saying that if there was a precedent, she could do it too.”
“Are you saying they are now in the dragon’s lair?”
“Perhaps.”
According to the schedule, they should have already returned, but they hadn’t. So, before the sun set, the leader of the reconnaissance unit told him that he had confirmed all the deaths. Since the number of confirmed deaths was apparently lower than the number of people who had set out, it didn’t necessarily mean that they were all dead, and the corpses were so burnt that they couldn’t be identified. Therefore, there was no chance she was still alive. Although she might still be hiding near the dragon’s nest. But the possibility of victory had already vanished…
Sequence thought it was foolish. The opponent was a dragon. They weren’t like demonic beasts. They were cunning, cruel, vengeful, and wise. There was no way they didn’t have a way to deal with the threat to their lair. Even if they were able to hunt them down, there was always the possibility that they had some secret trick up their sleeve.
He told his daughter and the young ones surrounding her, but they refused to listen, saying it was nothing more than a big lizard. So why didn’t it land in Fortress Gije? Why did it only breathe its fire from the sky? Because if it landed on the ground, it wouldn’t be able to defeat us, they boldly claimed. The result would be its complete annihilation.
“She’s so foolish that I can’t believe she’s my daughter. If you’re fine with a girl like that, I’ll introduce her to you. So, do you want to marry her?”
“Are you sure? Is it okay?”
“You’ll have my blessing. If she’s still alive.”
The wife of an orc. For demons, it was an unforgivable existence. For a noble demon to become the wife of a foolish orc, to be collared, to walk naked and bear their children, and to be treated like a dog, it went against the honor and pride of a demon. If such a thing were to happen, the entire demon army would go to destroy the orcs. But it was also unacceptable for a brilliant noble demon to misjudge the enemy’s strength and drag not only themselves but also their men into a battle they couldn’t win and let them die.
In the old days, honor would have taken priority…
Yes, in times of war, no matter how foolish the girl was, she wouldn’t have been handed over to the orcs.
But honor was only important in prosperous times. It was useless for today’s demons, who were fighting against their extinction. His daughter wasted a tiger cub called “human resources,” which they had to avoid losing if they wanted to fight against extinction, even if only a little. In that case, it would be an appropriately severe punishment to reduce her to the position of an orc’s wife. Although the truth was, it seemed she had already suffered a small punishment called death.
“I’m going to that mountain right now.”
“…Are you serious?” Sequence gave Bash an inquisitive look upon hearing these words. His daughter must already be dead. The orc must already know. Orcs could be stupid, but they had a surprisingly keen sense of smell when it came to battle. Many of them could somehow discern which battlefield was winning and which was losing.
“Mister, Mister… pshpshpsh…”
And then, there, the fairy whispered to him again. It was an unnatural behavior. There was no doubt they were planning something. Bash nodded with an “mmm” in response to the fairy’s words and looked directly at Sequence.
“If there are other survivors, not just your daughter, can they be mine?”
“…!”
Bash’s eyes showed no smile at all. They were very realistic and, to put it bluntly, serious.
Sequence had seen those eyes several times on the battlefield. The eyes of a man prepared to die. They were the eyes of someone who believed there was something more important than death.
The words “no way” came to Sequence’s mind. To take the survivors as his own. Not all of the assault team members were women; in fact, most of them were men. In other words, this orc was after something more than obtaining a demon wife. He was going to do something that would unite the survivors of the dragon-slaying party. But what could it be?
“If you go now, you’ll have to fight the dragon!”
“That’s right, but that’s why I’m here.”
That’s why. To fight the dragon? And he came all the way here for that? Really…?
Sequence, filled with questions, remembered the letter he had just received. It was wet and stained, rendering the letter unreadable. But perhaps there was a note to that effect?
Reinforcements, in other words. The reinforcements were sent by Nazar to defeat the dragon. But why would he do that? There was no benefit in it. No, then he remembered. Who proposed the truce? The prince. He spoke with him once during the ceasefire talks, and he was a kind, natural, and well-intentioned man. Unlike other humans, he couldn’t sense any faint intention to harm the demons for generations. However, he still thought that Nazar wouldn’t gain any benefit from this. Humans were a race that prioritized profit over honor.
“Why would Nazar do this? Why did you accept?”
“…? No, this was my idea. Nazar is just helping me.”
“What… did you say?”
And Nazar had nothing to do with it. Did this mean that this orc came to this place of his own accord? Nazar’s letter was at most permission to cross the border and a request to admit Bash as reinforcement. But why would Bash come all the way here to kill a dragon? Why try to help the demons?
“Are you trying to save the day? An orc, for demons?”
“…And if that were the case, wouldn’t that make the demons see orcs in a new light?”
Was he doing it so that the demons would think better of him? That was nonsense. Although the reason he couldn’t laugh about it was because this man was called the “Orc Hero.”
And he lived up to his title. He appeared on the battlefield to help where he could and aided in overcoming a war in which they were outnumbered. Sequence, like others, hadn’t recognized it at the time, thinking he was just an orc, but he knew. Thanks to him, the Lemium Highlands were saved. Thanks to his victory over the dragon and the Hero Leto, the Seven Races Federation could retreat, leaving their forces intact. His subsequent successes were also beneficial for demons as a whole. The same went for the succubus rescue. If the succubus had been destroyed, the strength of the elves would have been focused on the demons. If that had happened, they wouldn’t have been able to keep fighting until the ceasefire day. It was all thanks to Bash. That’s why Sequence held him in such high regard.
First and foremost, he was an Orc Hero. No Orc Hero had been born for a long time. He had heard that it was because there were no warriors worthy of that title, but orcs were foolish. They used to talk about pride and honor, but if they found a woman on the battlefield, they were despicable creatures who would take her into the bushes without hesitation. They were a vile race that flattered the strong, but deep down, they believed themselves to be stronger than them.
A group of such foolish people recognized Bash. They recognized him as their ultimate champion, the Orc Hero. They acknowledged that Bash was a warrior worthy of that title. So, it was no longer a matter of logic. This was a man who was willing to sacrifice himself for the honor of orcs. What more plausible reason could there be for him to want the demons to reconsider how they viewed orcs?
“I have just one question: Why do you take such risks?”
“It’s obvious.” Bash turned his back to Sequence, and he only half-turned his eyes towards him. “Because I want a demon woman to be my wife.”
Sequence burst into laughter at such a joke. It was the first time he had laughed since Gediguz was alive.
“My daughter left many days ago with a group of young people, saying that if there was a precedent, she could do it too.”
“Are you saying they are now in the dragon’s lair?”
“Perhaps.”
According to the schedule, they should have already returned, but they hadn’t. So, before the sun set, the leader of the reconnaissance unit told him that he had confirmed all the deaths. Since the number of confirmed deaths was apparently lower than the number of people who had set out, it didn’t necessarily mean that they were all dead, and the corpses were so burnt that they couldn’t be identified. Therefore, there was no chance she was still alive. Although she might still be hiding near the dragon’s nest. But the possibility of victory had already vanished…
Sequence thought it was foolish. The opponent was a dragon. They weren’t like demonic beasts. They were cunning, cruel, vengeful, and wise. There was no way they didn’t have a way to deal with the threat to their lair. Even if they were able to hunt them down, there was always the possibility that they had some secret trick up their sleeve.
He told his daughter and the young ones surrounding her, but they refused to listen, saying it was nothing more than a big lizard. So why didn’t it land in Fortress Gije? Why did it only breathe its fire from the sky? Because if it landed on the ground, it wouldn’t be able to defeat us, they boldly claimed. The result would be its complete annihilation.
“She’s so foolish that I can’t believe she’s my daughter. If you’re fine with a girl like that, I’ll introduce her to you. So, do you want to marry her?”
“Are you sure? Is it okay?”
“You’ll have my blessing. If she’s still alive.”
The wife of an orc. For demons, it was an unforgivable existence. For a noble demon to become the wife of a foolish orc, to be collared, to walk naked and bear their children, and to be treated like a dog, it went against the honor and pride of a demon. If such a thing were to happen, the entire demon army would go to destroy the orcs. But it was also unacceptable for a brilliant noble demon to misjudge the enemy’s strength and drag not only themselves but also their men into a battle they couldn’t win and let them die.
In the old days, honor would have taken priority…
Yes, in times of war, no matter how foolish the girl was, she wouldn’t have been handed over to the orcs.
But honor was only important in prosperous times. It was useless for today’s demons, who were fighting against their extinction. His daughter wasted a tiger cub called “human resources,” which they had to avoid losing if they wanted to fight against extinction, even if only a little. In that case, it would be an appropriately severe punishment to reduce her to the position of an orc’s wife. Although the truth was, it seemed she had already suffered a small punishment called death.
“I’m going to that mountain right now.”
“…Are you serious?” Sequence gave Bash an inquisitive look upon hearing these words. His daughter must already be dead. The orc must already know. Orcs could be stupid, but they had a surprisingly keen sense of smell when it came to battle. Many of them could somehow discern which battlefield was winning and which was losing.
“Mister, Mister… pshpshpsh…”
And then, there, the fairy whispered to him again. It was an unnatural behavior. There was no doubt they were planning something. Bash nodded with an “mmm” in response to the fairy’s words and looked directly at Sequence.
“If there are other survivors, not just your daughter, can they be mine?”
“…!”
Bash’s eyes showed no smile at all. They were very realistic and, to put it bluntly, serious.
Sequence had seen those eyes several times on the battlefield. The eyes of a man prepared to die. They were the eyes of someone who believed there was something more important than death.
The words “no way” came to Sequence’s mind. To take the survivors as his own. Not all of the assault team members were women; in fact, most of them were men. In other words, this orc was after something more than obtaining a demon wife. He was going to do something that would unite the survivors of the dragon-slaying party. But what could it be?
“If you go now, you’ll have to fight the dragon!”
“That’s right, but that’s why I’m here.”
That’s why. To fight the dragon? And he came all the way here for that? Really…?
Sequence, filled with questions, remembered the letter he had just received. It was wet and stained, rendering the letter unreadable. But perhaps there was a note to that effect?
Reinforcements, in other words. The reinforcements were sent by Nazar to defeat the dragon. But why would he do that? There was no benefit in it. No, then he remembered. Who proposed the truce? The prince. He spoke with him once during the ceasefire talks, and he was a kind, natural, and well-intentioned man. Unlike other humans, he couldn’t sense any faint intention to harm the demons for generations. However, he still thought that Nazar wouldn’t gain any benefit from this. Humans were a race that prioritized profit over honor.
“Why would Nazar do this? Why did you accept?”
“…? No, this was my idea. Nazar is just helping me.”
“What… did you say?”
And Nazar had nothing to do with it. Did this mean that this orc came to this place of his own accord? Nazar’s letter was at most permission to cross the border and a request to admit Bash as reinforcement. But why would Bash come all the way here to kill a dragon? Why try to help the demons?
“Are you trying to save the day? An orc, for demons?”
“…And if that were the case, wouldn’t that make the demons see orcs in a new light?”
Was he doing it so that the demons would think better of him? That was nonsense. Although the reason he couldn’t laugh about it was because this man was called the “Orc Hero.”
And he lived up to his title. He appeared on the battlefield to help where he could and aided in overcoming a war in which they were outnumbered. Sequence, like others, hadn’t recognized it at the time, thinking he was just an orc, but he knew. Thanks to him, the Lemium Highlands were saved. Thanks to his victory over the dragon and the Hero Leto, the Seven Races Federation could retreat, leaving their forces intact. His subsequent successes were also beneficial for demons as a whole. The same went for the succubus rescue. If the succubus had been destroyed, the strength of the elves would have been focused on the demons. If that had happened, they wouldn’t have been able to keep fighting until the ceasefire day. It was all thanks to Bash. That’s why Sequence held him in such high regard.
First and foremost, he was an Orc Hero. No Orc Hero had been born for a long time. He had heard that it was because there were no warriors worthy of that title, but orcs were foolish. They used to talk about pride and honor, but if they found a woman on the battlefield, they were despicable creatures who would take her into the bushes without hesitation. They were a vile race that flattered the strong, but deep down, they believed themselves to be stronger than them.
A group of such foolish people recognized Bash. They recognized him as their ultimate champion, the Orc Hero. They acknowledged that Bash was a warrior worthy of that title. So, it was no longer a matter of logic. This was a man who was willing to sacrifice himself for the honor of orcs. What more plausible reason could there be for him to want the demons to reconsider how they viewed orcs?
“I have just one question: Why do you take such risks?”
“It’s obvious.” Bash turned his back to Sequence, and he only half-turned his eyes towards him. “Because I want a demon woman to be my wife.”
Sequence burst into laughter at such a joke. It was the first time he had laughed since Gediguz was alive.
