Chapter 62. Encounter (1)
Deep inside the Great Forest, in the territory of the Green Orcs.
Orc Great Warrior Suji was the young chief of the Kinniku Tribe.
He stood over two meters tall and was covered from head to toe in bulging muscle.
He possessed enough raw strength to tear apart a giant boar-type monster called a Foremaiale with his bare hands.
Yet despite his enormous body, he stared at the sky with sad eyes and sighed.
“There are so many clouds, yet not a single drop of rain falls. Have the gods truly become angry with us?”
A drought had continued in this region since the previous year.
The trees could no longer bear fruit.
Animals had left in search of food.
For ‘monster’ orcs who survived through hunting and gathering, this was devastating.
Suji touched the tree beside him.
It had lost so much moisture that it was shriveled and nearly dead.
At least enough leaves remained to give him shade.
“Damn it. This tree looks exactly like me.”
As Suji muttered, Warrior Captain Nitoo approached.
“Chief, we can’t continue like this. Let’s send the hunters west.”
“...The west belongs to the goblins. Are you trying to get every hunter killed?”
“If we’re going to die anyway, what difference does it make whether we starve or die fighting?”
He had a point.
Still, Suji could not throw his tribesmen into certain death.
Bang!
Angry, Suji punched the innocent tree.
The trunk exploded into countless fragments.
Splinters showered over the Warrior Captain.
Nitoo did not move.
He simply endured it.
“Did that calm you down? Now decide. You’re the chief.”
“Damn it. If those old fools hadn’t started that useless war...”
Suji closed his eyes and thought for a long time.
Finally, he made his decision.
“There’s no choice. At this rate, we’ll start eating each other. If we have to, we’ll eat goblins instead.”
“You made the correct decision. I’ll scatter the hunters toward the west.”
“But if they discover a large goblin tribe, tell them to avoid battle and summon our warriors.”
“Hunting belongs to hunters. The warriors must remain here and protect...”
“Shut up! Do as I say!”
“......”
Warrior Captain Nitoo turned away without answering.
Chief Suji complained internally about his own fate, and the fate of all orcs.
Why do orcs only eat other things? Are orcs truly a cursed race? Why did the gods create us?
No matter how much he thought, he could not find an answer.
Even when he wanted to ask the gods directly, they never replied.
Chief Suji once again looked toward the sky with sorrowful eyes.
* * *
Warm spring was coming to an end.
The sunlight was becoming hotter.
Raul came to my office.
“My lord, I met Goblin Chief Arguinata.”
It probably was not an emergency.
We had already installed beacon towers.
If another race had invaded our territory, smoke signals would have risen.
“What happened?”
“According to Arguinata, the orcs have begun moving. It doesn’t seem like an invasion. He believes they are hunting. They built huts in the mountains, but he doesn’t know exactly how many there are.”
Annoying.
Orcs were moving.
I wanted to confirm the situation myself.
If an entire orc tribe encountered our territory with its current military power, it could become a disaster.
“We need reconnaissance. Call three or four knights who are good at moving through mountains. I want to see the situation personally.”
“Yes, my lord.”
“By the way, did you eat a Link Mushroom too?”
Eating a Link Mushroom granted the [Forest Link] buff.
It allowed communication with nonhuman races living in the forest.
Raul had apparently spoken directly with Chief Arguinata without an interpreter.
“...Yes. It tasted fucking awful. Every knight and soldier who enters the Great Forest regularly has eaten one.”
I shuddered as I remembered eating a Link Mushroom.
It genuinely tasted like shit. The soldiers probably hate me.
“Tell Sir Axel to give a small consolation payment to every knight and soldier who ate a Link Mushroom.”
“What about me?”
“You endure it.”
“......”
* * *
At dawn, when the first pale light was beginning to appear, we were deep in the mountains of the Great Forest.
Five disguised humans and five goblins ran along a ridge.
The humans were me, Raul, and three knights.
The goblins were Bixby and four of his companions.
“Human Land Owner, this way.”
Bixby, who was guiding us, moved through the mountains extremely well despite being only eleven years old.
I had thought he was merely an unusual individual with high intelligence.
Apparently, his physical ability was impressive too.
For some reason, I suddenly wanted to teach him swordsmanship.
Before long, we found several huts built halfway up the mountain.
We hid at a distance and called Bixby over.
“Bixby, are those the huts?”
“That is correct. Those are orcs. They hunt all around this region. They hunt so much that wild boars and deer are disappearing. They know nothing of coexistence. Watching such rude orcs receive the protection of Artemis just like us makes me so furious that...”
“Close your mouth.”
“I understand, Human Land Owner.”
Even though it was dawn, several orcs near the huts were already working on dried animal hides.
They were probably preparing them for clothing.
I watched the orcs and tried to estimate their level of development.
They’re using bone needles. Hardly any metal tools. Are these just leftovers from some poor tribe?
Most of their tools were made from wood and bone.
I spread out my senses and checked their number and strength.
Around thirty. No warrior-class orcs. They aren’t much of a threat by themselves, but I can’t simply ignore them. It’ll be a problem if they bring others.
“Bixby, are these all of them?”
“I do not know. But orcs sleep at night. They hunt during the day.”
In other words, the thirty here were probably the whole hunting group.
I called Raul and the knights closer.
“I’ll create golems and attack. Watch from here. When I give the signal, rush in.”
One knight asked,
“Aren’t there too many?”
“All thirty are ordinary orcs. There are no warriors.”
Raul tightened his grip around his hammer.
“I’ll wipe them out.”
“Go wild.”
I placed my hand on a boulder.
“Golem Creation.”
Rumble!
Four Stone Golems, each around five meters tall, rose from the ground.
I could maintain only four golems at once.
The Wood Golems working elsewhere would have collapsed the moment I created these.
The frontier villagers were probably shocked, but this could not be helped.
