Chapter 56: The Edge of the World

The war was over.

The Orc Shaman, the root cause of the incident, had disappeared without a trace, and all the grimoires he used were burned in front of everyone.

As I silently watched the blackened ashes of the burning grimoires scatter into the wind, an Orc Knight approached me.

Kneeling on one knee before me, with thousands of Orcs as witnesses, his gesture conveyed profound respect and gratitude toward me.

“Ke a go hlompha.”

Although I still couldn’t understand the Orc language, someone beside me now served as a translator.

I glanced sideways, and Agul, who stood nearby, began interpreting the Orc Knight’s words.

“The Orcs say they will never forget this act of kindness.”

I smiled awkwardly at that.

For me, it was merely a matter of survival, a choice I made to stay alive.

I hadn’t fought to save the other Orcs specifically, so receiving such excessive gratitude felt somewhat burdensome.

The Orc Knight continued speaking to me in his language, incomprehensible as ever.

Fortunately, Agul’s real-time interpretation allowed me to understand his words without difficulty.

“He says they wish to call you the Great Warrior. Would you allow it?”

“Uh… what exactly does ‘Great Warrior’ mean?”

“It’s a title granted only to the most revered warriors. Even Gunther, the Orc before you now, has been bestowed with the title of Great Warrior.”

“Would it be fair to say it’s like a medal of honor?”

“Something along those lines.”

“Well then…”

I nodded, and the Orc Knight—no, Gunther’s—expression visibly brightened.

Considering his city was entirely destroyed, his ability to smile like that was remarkable.

Gunther raised his sword high and let out a loud shout, which was met with cheers from the surrounding Orcs.

The ruins of the fallen city were quickly cleared, and a temporary settlement of tents emerged.

The wounded Orcs, viewing their scars as marks of honor, didn’t let out a single groan.

The execution of the Red Orcs took place.

Bound in chains after their defeat, they accepted their deaths without resistance.

As the land, once drenched in war, now welcomed fresh blood, the decapitated bodies of the Red Orcs were thrown into a massive fire pit.

When night fell, Agul came to find me.

A private tent had been prepared for me, filled to the brim with countless gifts left behind by hundreds of Orcs.

“Seris.”

“Agul.”

“The preparations for the ceremony are complete.”

I frowned slightly at Agul’s awkwardly formal tone.

I had told him repeatedly to speak casually, but he refused.

He insisted he couldn’t speak informally to someone who had been granted the title of Great Warrior.

Outside the tent, preparations for a grand ceremony were already underway—or rather, as Agul mentioned, everything was already set.

The only sounds cutting through the solemn silence were our footsteps.

The place Agul led me to was the heart of the ruined city.

A large bonfire roared there, with Gunther, now unarmored, standing alongside an Orc Shaman, waiting for me.

Thousands of Orcs fixed their gazes on this location.

Swallowing dryly, I approached Gunther.

He silently watched as I drew closer, then handed me a large, leather-wrapped object.

I stared at it with a baffled expression. Though I hadn’t seen its contents, I could already guess what lay within.

“This is…”

“Eam ogele.”

“He wishes for you to accept it.”

The expectant gazes of thousands of Orcs bore into me.

While I had hoped for some kind of reward, this felt like too much.

Reinforcing my body, I took hold of the massive object and began unwrapping the thick leather.

As expected, Gunther’s sword was revealed.

The blade that summoned storms and rained lightning was now in my hands.

I didn’t know its precise name, but it was clear this was no ordinary sword.

“This seems… a bit too large for me to use…”

Holding the massive sword with both hands, I lifted it high.

Without reinforcing my body, it was too heavy to even lift.

Suddenly, Gunther broke into a broad smile and began stomping his feet.

Startled by his abrupt action, I almost dropped the sword.

My complaints, however, fell on deaf ears.

Thump! Thump! Thump!

As his stomping reverberated, a song began to echo.

I couldn’t tell who started it, but it didn’t take long for the melody to spread to all the Orcs.

As the grand chorus surrounded me, Agul spoke again from behind.

“They call it the StormBringer.”

“StormBringer?”

“It’s a treasure of the Orcs, said to hold the power of storms.”

“This feels like too much… Can I get something else instead?”

At my question, Agul silently turned his gaze toward the ruined city.

The burnt remains of buildings reduced to black ashes and the crumbled remnants left in the wake of the Bone Dragon’s rampage painted a stark picture.

“Unfortunately, there’s nothing else they can offer you right now.”

“What happens if I refuse?”

“They’ll probably keep following you until you accept.”

At Agul’s words, I hugged the sword called Stormbringer tightly.

Rather than dragging around those burly orcs, carrying this massive sword seemed like the better option.

After a round of orc songs, the next part of the ritual began.

Agul guided me to the orc shaman.

The shaman was holding a wooden bowl filled with a viscous, unidentified liquid that looked red—like blood.

“They’re engraving the mark of the great warrior. Choose a spot—your face, arm, or wherever you prefer.”

“Do I have to? Will it come off eventually?”

“Of course. It’s merely ceremonial…”

I nodded at Agul’s reassurance and held out my right hand.

The orc shaman dipped their finger deep into the bowl, coating it in the crimson liquid, and began to draw strange patterns on the back of my hand.

When the work was complete, the shaman raised my hand, now marked with the design, high into the air.

Cheers erupted from thousands of orcs.

I gave a sheepish smile as I looked at them.

A 140cm-tall girl, surrounded by countless orcs, being celebrated as a great warrior—it was quite an odd scene.

As the ceremony for the great warrior ended, a festival immediately began.

Though there was no alcohol, there was plenty of meat from monsters caught during a hunt.

The orcs sang loudly and danced exaggeratedly, as if trying to forget the scars of war.

By dawn, when the festive energy had begun to subside, the orcs, exhausted from singing and dancing, started collapsing one by one.

The strain of moving so energetically without fully recovering from the war must have taken its toll.

I tied Stormbringer to Nightmare’s side.

The creature swished its tail in displeasure at the heavy load, but there wasn’t much choice.

Carrying a sword taller than me on my back was out of the question.

“Let’s head out…”

Climbing onto Nightmare, I grabbed the reins.

While the war was ongoing, it had been impossible to traverse Storm Valley, but now, with the war over, the path should be clear.

Thud-thud-thud!

Nightmare’s sturdy legs kicked off the blood-soaked ground as it began to gallop.

The earth, drenched in blood, was soft and mushy, while the heavy air mingled with the morning mist, carrying a metallic tang.

I looked up at the sky.

The black smoke that had blanketed it was slowly dissipating as the sun rose.

The morning had arrived, signaling the end of the war.

The radiant sunlight began to illuminate the blackened land.

As the shadows receded, the grim aftermath of war was revealed.

Orc corpses lay scattered across the land, their bodies being feasted upon by various monsters, both large and small.

I silently turned my gaze away, looking straight ahead as I continued riding.

By the time the mark of the great warrior on the back of my hand had faded, I reached the city of Kaum.

Unlike the intact city I had seen before, it was now in ruins.

It seemed that some orcs had stayed behind instead of fleeing; the rubble was littered with gray orc corpses.

“Hmm…”

Frowning, I passed through the city and headed deeper into the valley.

The wide path grew narrower as I went.

The twin mountains cast dark shadows over the trail, and the sound of the wind rushing through them resembled a person’s wailing sobs.

After riding through the narrow trail for some time, a small light appeared in the distance.

The light signaled the end of the narrow path.

As I plunged into the brightness with Nightmare, a vast valley spread out before me.

It felt as if my view had completely cleared.

At the base of the twin valley lay a small altar.

It seemed to be a place where orc rituals were held.

But that wasn’t what caught my attention.

Standing in awe, I stared at the opposite side of the valley with my mouth agape.

“No way…”

I murmured blankly as I leapt off Nightmare.

It stomped in irritation, seemingly complaining, but now wasn’t the time to indulge its fussiness.

I walked slowly to the edge of the valley.

There was no ground at the edge, only a vast expanse of blue sky.

The sky beneath the earth—it was unbelievable.

And yet, I couldn’t deny what I was seeing.

With trembling hands, I picked up a small rock from the ground and threw it beyond the valley’s edge.

The rock flew swiftly before vanishing into the blue sky, sinking into the white clouds below.

At that moment, a breeze rose from the edge of the valley.

The cold, refreshing wind swept through my sweat-drenched hair, soothing me.

“The end of the world…”

Why had the mapmakers called the edges of each continent the “end of the world”?

The reason was simple—it truly was the end.

Greenfall was the edge of the world, and beyond this land, there was nothing but an endless expanse of blue sky.

After staring at the azure expanse for a long time, I turned and climbed back onto Nightmare.

The realization that this world wasn’t round but flat was shocking, but the shock didn’t last long.

I had merely been trying to impose my limited knowledge onto this world.

Once again, I was reminded that this place wasn’t Earth.