Chapter 25: Memories

Bang, bang, bang,

Fergus pounded his hammer with all his might.

“Damn, you only take the best ones….”

Yesterday afternoon, the man and woman who visited Fergus’s blacksmith shop bought the best-made swords among Fergus’s with their excellent eyesight.

They paid a fair price, but Fergus somehow felt like they had lost money.

A financial loss?

No, he wasn’t happy at all about selling them.

-I should at least use this…. But it seems to be the best here.

His pride was shattered.

Fergus had such pride in his blacksmithing that he said that a person who should have been born a dwarf was born an elf.

But the woman who came to buy the sword ignored and looked down on him as she bought the sword.

-Okay, this is the best you’ve got here, right? This is good. Let’s do this. Is that okay, Master?

-This is enough. There’s nothing better in this town than what we have here.

He repeated the same words three times! It was as if he hadn’t bought anything better.

Of course, Fergus had the ability to make a sword that was better and more excellent than the one he sold, so Fergus was hammering hard in front of the flames.

“Whoa, whoa, let’s see…. Red-faced Witch…”

It didn’t matter that the other person knew Elder Leluna. All Fergus had left was his pride.

If he had been an elf who cared about the elders in the first place, he wouldn’t have settled down in the human world.

Creak.

The sound of a door opening was heard outside.

At first, Fergus was going to knock on the sword, regardless of whether it was a guest or not, but he put down his hammer at the familiar scent of fruit.

“Apple?”

“It’s been a while, Cherry.”

“Call me Fergus.”

Fergus—the elf who used to be called Cherry—pointed to his license.

The blond elf named Apple casually handed Fergus a piece of parchment.

“The elders have given orders. Do you know that all the elders of the forest have gathered?”

“Did you?”

“Yes. I don’t know the details, but the human world might be dangerous. So… come back to the forest.”

“Come back to the forest… Whew. That’s the worst word for me.”

Fergus kept hitting his hammer.

“The blacksmith is perfect for me. Don’t waste your time and go back.”

“Cherry!”

“I said Fergus. I’m satisfied with my life in the human world, and I’m making a lot of money. Just yesterday, I made one gold coin.”

“Still…”

“If you’re really worried, why don’t you look for someone else?”

“Someone else?”

“Uh.”

Apple seemed interested when Fergus changed the subject.

“I often see a little elf around Normans. I don’t know which forest it’s from, but it’s so wild that you never know where it’ll run off to.”

“… Wait a minute. A little elf?”

Apple suddenly became lost in thought.

“You’re not the elf with silver hair and purple eyes, are you?”

“Yes? Why? What’s the problem?”

“Oh my god….”

Apple covered her mouth with her hand.

“Princess….”

“What?”

“You’re the princess of the royal family.”

“…”

Fergus briefly stroked his face with his hand.

“Haven’t you heard anything like that?”

“You were born after I left.”

“… Why is the princess of the royal family here?”

“I thought you came to the area to train in spiritism….”

“Uh, hey, wait, wait.”

Fergus became lost in thought.

“A few days ago, the Adventurer’s Guild sent me on a mission to find a missing elf…”

I subdued the Taramia Orc.

It was a completely different Orc from the Orcs I knew, and I tried to have a rational conversation with it.

“What tribe do you belong to?”

“B-tribe? We don’t have that.”

“Ugh.”

A rotten smell vibrated from his mouth. It wasn’t just any rotten smell, it was a rotten smell that made my whole body feel uncomfortable.

‘This kid, really?”

Since I couldn’t continue to smell this smell from the front, I approached Lucius, who was aiming at the back of the Orc’s neck, and asked from behind the Orc.

“Where are your comrades?”

“I won’t sell my comrades!”

“They could die.”

“Instead of selling my comrades, squeak, I’d rather die…!!”

It seemed like the Orc species had changed from the Orc species I knew.

‘First, marking,” Saaah.

I secretly sprayed magic on the guy’s back.

In the form of, I secretly attached my magic so that he wouldn’t notice.

Now, he’s the bait. If I can find out where my fellow orcs are through this guy, I don’t know about the elves, but the orcs…

I’d rather die! Kkeu-ku!

Demon King! I cut my own throat with the sword!

-… Really? He won’t sell his comrades?

It might not work out.

Although their appearances have changed a lot, it’s the orcs’ racial characteristic to cherish their comrades and be willing to sacrifice their lives for them.

If they’re orcs, they’ll definitely die alone or fight until the end.

What I’m seeing before me is probably another race that uses the name orc.

“Then let me ask. Have you seen any elves recently?”

“EIE..?”

“Yes. Elf. We’re looking for the missing elves.”

Plus, the extermination of the orcs.

I put my index finger to my lips and signaled Lucius to be quiet, and Lucius silently threatened the orc by pointing his sword diagonally at the orc’s neck.

“Answer me. Have you ever seen an elf?”

“There, there is! Not long ago, Churp, I caught one.”

Of course.

When there is an orc subjugation and an elf disappearance, nine out of ten times these two incidents are definitely connected.

I thought that the missing elf was definitely taken by the orcs, and my hunch was right on the mark.

“If you guide me, I’ll spare your life.”

“I, really…?”

“Then. I promise with my warrior’s honor.”

“__….”

A true orc would know honor better than anyone.

“I, the Crimson Magician-”

“Chwiik!!”

Booah.

The sound of gas exploding rang out.

I quickly pushed Lucius away and turned to the side, and the orc slid forward and escaped.

“Kwiik!!”

“K, Kkeuk, Uwup…”

Lucius grimaced and gagged.

I quickly blasted the thing that had burst out of the orc’s body with flames.

Hwaak.

The flames of purification covered us.

“Lucius!”

“I’m sorry. What is this…”

“It’s something like mushroom spores. Calm down. It’ll only sting for a moment.”

The protection of the holy sword certainly protects against external wounds, but it cannot completely block this biological response.

“Can you chase after me?”

“Yes, yes!”

The orc had already run far away. As expected of an orc, he fled through the forest with his nimble and agile body, and I grabbed my staff and infused strengthening magic into both of his legs.

“Run!”

“Master, I’ll do it!”

“Just run, idiot!”

“Yes!”

Lucius followed me, sword in hand.

I ran forward with him, tracking the orc, pointing to his back.

“I don’t know what kind of behavior he’ll show, but I’ve already cast a tracking spell. Just pretend not to notice him and chase him.”

“When did he…?”

“You always have to be prepared for any situation.”

If you don’t know how to deal with a large orc, you should try to imitate the habits of existing orcs as much as possible. An orc running away from his pursuers.

If they think it’s too much, they’ll definitely ask their comrades for help. Although they’re orcs who aim to fight one-on-one, they’re not a race that thinks it’s shameful to fight together against a strong enemy. Therefore, the orcs will definitely run away to their comrades.

“You don’t know honor, but you know that your life is precious.”

Just like right now.

“Up, danger! Monster! Help!”

“Kreup, keuheu….”

The orcs in front of us looked to be at least thirty. How could they not know honor at all, and how they seemed to have nothing but scaffolding, I was getting sick of them.

“But I still had a hope.”

Was it just the first orc I saw that was strange? Weren’t the other orcs normally muscular warriors like I remembered? I chased after the orcs with that hope, but all I saw before my eyes were scaffolding, fat, and flesh.

“You really shattered my hopes….”

“Huh?”

“__Ah, I still had a hope.”

I pulled down my hat and aimed my staff forward.

“Those orcs, cannibals.”

“______!!”

I noticed it the first time I smelled their breath, but I could tell more clearly when I saw the state of their dwellings. Skulls embedded here and there. Bones piled up in one place. They were definitely human. There must have been some Ain, but most of them looked human. And…

“Kreuk, what are you?”

A gigantic orc that looked twice as big as the other orcs. His exposed belly fat looked like it had five layers, not three. I wanted to burn it to the ground right away because it made anyone who saw it feel fear and shock.

“This body is the Red Blood Orc Captain, Geth. What are you?”

“…”

Those aren’t orcs!! But just in case…?

“Rockta?”

“Hahaha! Who would’ve thought someone would know the ancient Orc language!”

“Do, you know…?”

“I don’t know! I don’t know anything else, but I do know that word. Isn’t that, this?”

Pat pat. The orc named Ges smashed one clenched hand against the open palm of his other hand.

“…The world has changed a lot, Lucius. Orcs weren’t like that back in my day.”

“Master…”

“Whew. But you’re not satisfied with threatening your comrades, and you’re even interrupting a ritual.”

Captain Ges pointed to an iron cage that looked like a ritual altar.

“Ah, ahh…!!”

There was a silver-haired elf trapped in an iron cage, and firewood was burning beneath her, as if trying to grill meat on a grill.

“Lucius.”

“Yes…!”

Free me.”

“Yes?”

Lucius looked at me in confusion.

“If you say free me…well…it’s difficult if others see me…”

“Because there’s an elf? It’s difficult to see me? Are you worried about being found out?”

Bam.

“Think about that later, you idiot!”

I hit Lucius’ thigh with my cane.

“In the face of a life-threatening situation, why are you hesitating now!”

“!!!”

Lucius stepped forward with a face that looked as if he was greatly shocked. And then.

“Wind-!!”