Felice heard Shane’s words and his expression twisted like a demon.
This was because he knew well that black mages were not to be associated with in the first place.
“…Wasn’t it just some crazy ritual?”
“I wish it were, but it wasn’t. While the other orcs were only temporarily enhanced, the one who drank the blood of its kin was different.”
The blood magic the previous orcs used was a method that employed the property of another being’s magical power that was trying to burst outwards.
And so, once all that magical power was expelled, they would return to their original form.
However, the orc that drank the blood of its kin showed signs of fully making that magical power its own.
“Though not as powerful as a cyclops, perhaps that orc will be able to exert similar strength now.”
“That’s crazy. How is that even possible? Shit, some people train for decades to increase their magical power, and those things can get that strong just by succeeding in one hunt?”
Shane shook his head.
“It doesn’t mean they can become infinitely stronger. Since the magical power they obtained is from another being, they can’t increase their total amount of magical power on their own. Even if they repeat the same act with the same monster, the result will be the same. Just as humans have different qualities of magic, so do monsters. This method can only be used once per orc.”
“Oh, really?”
That was a bigger penalty than expected. It meant that once they grew, there would be no further evolution.
“And just like we saw earlier, we also have to consider the sacrifice of the one who first drank the Cyclops’ blood. To purify the cyclops’ magical power, it sacrificed its own life force to allow its kin to absorb it.”
“Then, every time the others get stronger in the same way… it’s incredibly inefficient.”
“The problem is that orcs are experts at increasing their numbers.”
“Oh, right. That’s true.”
Unlike humans who rarely have twins, orcs give birth to five or six offspring at a time. In some cases, they can even give birth to ten at once, which means they have an insane reproductive rate.
That’s why they could become stronger through such inhumane and inefficient methods.
“My head hurts… those creatures come in waves.”
The reason humanity hadn’t been overwhelmed by the sheer number of orcs until now was that they could use magic.
However, if all the orcs used magic in that way, no matter how powerful the empire was, it was uncertain if they could maintain the upper hand.
Even Felice shuddered at the thought of the walls of Viduron collapsing under the orc attacks.
The other two seemed to be thinking the same thing as their faces turned as white as sheets.
“Isn’t the reason we’re here to prevent the future you’re imagining?”
“Hmm…”
“Th-That’s right.”
“Y-Yes, that’s true.”
Then Felice frowned and asked.
“But even if we know the orcs’ stronghold, do we have a solution? Sure, it would make attacking them easier, but this place isn’t exactly ideal for starting a war.”
Would the imperial family have abandoned this place for no reason?
Several armies had been deployed here, but they suffered near-total annihilation, leading to the current situation.
Just because they discovered the orcs’ base now didn’t mean the reasons for the past failures had disappeared.
“On the contrary, the empire might completely abandon Arunvida and withdraw the front lines to just below the mountains.”
Then Felice thought of an even worse scenario.
Even that might only delay things.
If they did that, Viduron Castle would completely collapse under the onslaught of orcs, and there would be a tremendous number of casualties in the process.
Then, the empire could claim they had tried their best to defend and also resolve the troublesome issue of the Arunbida refugees.
Considering the current state of the empire, this scenario wasn’t entirely impossible.
“We have already prepared for that. That’s what this scouting operation is for.”
“Wasn’t it simply about finding the orcs’ stronghold?”
In response to Kevin’s question, Shane briefly explained the goals of the special scouting team he had discussed with Mimir earlier.
“The main goal now is to locate the orcs’ stronghold, the second is to capture an orc using magical power, and the third is to discover how the orcs cause monster waves.”
“Tsk. That Mimir. He made such a heavy request, so we’ll have to make sure he pays for it later. Nothing ever comes easy.”
Felice muttered these words, but contrary to his tone, a sinister smile appeared on his lips.
“So, in any case, we have to fight those creatures. I like it.”
For the first time in a while, he felt his fighting spirit surge.
The three others looked at Felice as if he were crazy, but Shane slightly raised the corners of his mouth at his fighting spirit.
“We’ll soon be fighting to the point of exhaustion.”
Shane’s words soon became reality.
A few days after the bloody battle with the orcs and Cyclops.
After tracking the orcs, the group discovered that these monsters were establishing an outpost just like humans.
The orc’s stronghold was still incomplete.
They had built sentry posts to block external intrusions, but the interior was still under construction.
“Let’s break it down.”
“There are about 80 orcs inside. Of those, 40 look like slaves and are noticeably smaller than the other orcs.”
“They are handling all the minor labor tasks.”
“And in the center, there’s a building where an orc who seems to be their leader, the so-called ‘Centurion’, resides.”
“Our target is that Centurion orc.”
As Shane’s explanation flowed seamlessly, Felice asked.
“What’s the plan? You’re not suggesting we just charge in, are you?”
As the leader of this special scouting team, Felice posed a valid question.
“If our numbers are few, we should use the environment to our advantage.”
“……?”
Back when he was just a low-ranking member of the organization.
Shane had conquered countless dungeons under the organization’s orders.
In conditions even harsher than now, he had proven himself in the most extraordinary ways.
He was well-versed in handling a large number of monsters with a small team.
Shane turned to the trio.
“Can you run well?”
“.……?”
Why did the unease they felt when they were first selected for the special scouting team wash over them again?
The three of Kevin and the others felt a chill that was not just from the cold as they awaited Shane’s next words.
In a spacious room where the warm air lingered from the burning firewood.
Yulektar was pouring all its energy into suppressing the wildness trying to surge from inside it.
Meanwhile, an old orc shaman approached from behind and patted Yulektar’s shoulder.
“Hmm…”
“Kukuku. Yulektar, son of Warsword. You look like you’re struggling to endure.”
“Is the ritual almost complete?”
“Yes. The preparations are done. Now all that’s left is for you to endure.”
When Yulektar turned around with red glowing eyes, it saw the old orc shaman offering a mysterious piece of meat.
“Eat. And endure. Then you will become a true warrior of our orc race.”
“……”
At a glance, it was a piece of meat that looked nauseating.
Word had it that it was made from the heart of something.
But that was not something Yulektar would care about.
Chomp—
Yulektar bit into the meat offered by the shaman without a moment’s hesitation and swallowed it whole.
Not long after, it collapsed to the ground as if fainting.
“Kuku. The day when our race regains its freedom is near…”
The shaman looked down at Yulektar’s fallen figure as if it was seeing something other than Yulektar.
“They were right… our god will ultimately abandon us, and the future must be seized by our own hands.”
After saying this, the orc shaman grasped the totem hanging around its neck.
“For Urbulak.”
Just as the gods had controlled them until now.
They would use the gods until the very end.
And so the old orc shaman waited and abstained from food and drink until Yulektar opened its eyes.
At last.
After two days had passed, Yulektar opened its eyes.
“It seems you have overcome it, son of Warsword.”
“… This is nothing.”
“Kukuku. Considering that, you seem to be sweating quite a bit… but that doesn’t matter. Prepare yourself. We must go outside and perform the final ritual. Our 100 brothers are also waiting.”
“Has everyone arrived?”
“Yes.”
To become a centurion, to rise above the rank of decurion, was a glorious day for an orc.
As such, all the orcs belonging to the century gathered and today was the day for the centurion ritual.
“It’s going to be noisy.”
“Indeed… hmm?”
At that moment, the orc shaman turned its head with its eyes wide open and looked outside.
“What is that noise?”
“What’s wrong?”
“It’s noisy outside. It seems our brothers have brought some uninvited guests.”
“Good. I was getting restless from lying down.”
Bwoooom──!
Sure enough, as soon as Yulektar stood up, the horn signaling the arrival of enemies blared and the two headed outside at the same time.
“Monsters are approaching!”
“I see Cyclopes too!”
“Where is the mighty warrior, Yulektar?”
“We need a warrior to lead us! Yulektar’s ritual is not yet complete! We will hold them off!”
Beyond the busy orcs running around, a horde of monsters could be seen approaching from afar.
“This will be a perfect test to warm up.”
Rituals were one thing, but Yulektar preferred proving itself in this manner.
Yulektar grabbed its usual sturdy sword and stood up before unleashing its ferocious nature as it roared.
“Kuoooooo─!”
“Yulektar!”
“The son of Warsword has risen!”
“We can feel his strong spirit.”
“A new warrior has emerged. A new warrior has overcome the ritual!”
“Yulektar! Yulektar!”
The orcs, who had been moving about in a panic, began to gather around Yulektar, and the latter naturally started giving them orders.
“Who among you will leave your name in the history I shall write? Brothers who stand beside me, Yulektar, son of Warsword, step forward and prove yourselves!”
“Uoooooo─!”
With that, the orcs gripped their weapons tightly. Then they started shouting as they charged toward the approaching monsters.
Yulektar had no doubt that this battle would be the first step in the history it was about to write.
At this moment,
One of the two pairs of eyes that had been watching the situation from afar opened his mouth.
“Their enthusiasm is impressive.”
What would become a historic battle for one orc was met with such a scathing assessment from someone else.
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