A horde of orcs, led by an Orc King is currently on their way to a village, and as monsters whose whole purpose is to destroy and kill, the villagers' lives are in trouble. Because of that, Yuna and I received a quest directly from the guildmaster to stop it.
According to the Gido, the man who asked for help, when he was returning home from hunting, he saw a horde of orcs heading to the village. When he tried to evacuate the villagers, the orc horde already surrounded the village. He was too late.
Luckily, he was able to escape the orcs on a fast horse and ask for help in Galderia's adventurer's guild.
As for the situation of the villagers, he said that when he left, the villagers were hiding in the chief's house and the men were guarding it. There were also walls around the village that could buy us some time.
Since the horde is being led by a higher variant, the orcs wouldn't attack without the Orc King's order and the orcs' advance would be slowed down. Knowing this, we probably have less than an hour before the attack starts.
After receiving directions from Gido, we travelled east towards the village. We've been running at Yuna's full speed for about an hour, we should be arriving there soon.
I hope we're not too late.
「Grey! Smoke!」Yuna
In front of us was a huge column of smoke which stood out like a sore thumb in the luxuriant plains we are currently in.
When I looked at the smoke, it reminded me of the tragedy more than a year ago. I hope this won't be a repeat of it.
A few minutes late, the village was in sight. There were multiple orcs and orc variants ravaging everything they cross path with. The current state of the village was so similar to Yuna's village, it kept reminding me of that tragedy.
With just a single glance, it was easy to tell that the orcs' numbers exceeded a thousand. Though most of them are just normal orcs, there were also quite a number of high orcs and orc generals. And most importantly, there was the Orc King.
「Yuna, head to the village center and ensure the safety of the villagers. Once they're safe, come help me. For the time being, I'll intercept the orc horde.」Grey
「Understood.」Yuna
With our plan decided, Yuna and I split ways and started to move as quick as we can.
Seems like only a small portion of the horde has entered the village, and by the looks of it, only orcs and high orcs are invading. As for the Orc King, it is located some distance away from the village, guarded by the orc generals and a few high orcs.
If only the horde was a few hundred meters away, then I could use an advanced-level wind spell to annihilate the horde in an instant. But at this distance, the village will also be caught in it.
Tsk, this will be hard.
If I can't blow them all away at once then...
「I'll just slaughter them one by one! "Gale Waltz"!」
[[Yuna's Perspective]]
「"Icicle Shotgun"!」Yuna
Buhiiiiii
「That's another one down.」Yuna
In front of me, another orc has been turned to pork skewers and is slowly turning back into mana.
While I was on my way to the village, I've met countless orcs and high orcs on the way. Needless to say, I've annihilated each of them in an instant.
Now that the nuisances are all gone, I should quickly find the villagers and complete my task.
Now... where is the village center...
「Ahhh!!」???
「He-Help!」???
「!!!」Yuna
Villagers?!
Hearing those voices, I used my detection to pinpoint its origin and headed there without wasting any time.
When I arrived, I saw a group of men fighting with their lives to keep the orcs at bay.
There were many injured amongst them, but thankfully, there were no casualties from what I can see.
Looks like I made it just on the nick of time. Now, time to lend them a hand.
「"Frost Coffin"!」Yuna
Before the villagers even noticed my arrival, the orcs in front of them were already turned into ice cubes. The villagers, witnessing the scene, were frozen in shock and confusion, not understanding what just happened.
「Don't worry, I'm an adventurer from Galderia, I've come to help as requested by Gido.」Yuna
「Gido? He made it?」Villager 1
「So help arrived...」Villager 2
「Our efforts were not in vain.」Villager 3
Upon hearing my words, the villagers' eyes were flooding with tears. Their faces which were once filled with fear were now brimming with hope.
「Umm... This might be rude... but when are the others coming?」Villager 4
「Aside from my partner who is currently fighting the orc horde outside, there's no other adventurer coming here.」Yuna
「T-There's only two of you?」Villager 4
Just with a single statement from me, the faces which were filled with hope were now filled with worry.
「Don't worry. The two of us would be enough.」Yuna
Seems like they won't believe me without proof. Looks like I'll have to fire a high-level spell in order to assure them. Well, here goes nothing.
「"Icicle Shower"!」Yuna
The moment I casted the spell, the once blue sky was dominated by clouds, and snow started to fall. Moments later, hail started to form and converge to giant icicles which rained down to the ground.
In order to protect the villagers from my own spell and heal the injured men, I casted "Holy Barrier"in village center and its vicinity. Now all I have to do is wait and see.
The rain of icicles turned the already ravaged village into ruins, leaving only the barrier-protected village center intact.
When the spell ended, the orcs and high orcs were all skewered in ice, and none of the ones ravaging the village was left alive. And the villagers who watched the scene unfold were left in both shock and awe.
「All those orcs... in a mere instant... Ojou-chan... who are you?」Villager 5
「I'm Yuna, an F-rank adventurer.」Yuna
When they heard the words "F-rank", their faces were filled with disbelief. After all, no F-rank adventurer can lay a large number of orcs into waste in an instant.
But less about that, I should help Grey out.
[[Grey's Perspective]]
There seems to be no end to them, I've been fighting them for about 10 minutes now, but their numbers show no sign of decreasing. If only I could use an advanced-level spell...
No use thinking about it, I'll just have to slaughter them until none are left.
「"Magnum Caliber"!」Grey
With my gauntlet equipped, I delivered a fatal punch to every orc that comes into range. Even though "Magnum Caliber"is just a basic-level art, with my threat level as it is, all it takes is a single punch to kill orcs or high orcs alike.
But just using my fist wouldn't be enough. I need to use a wide-area spell that can kill a large number of orcs at once, but using my wind speー wait! I could just use other attributes! Then...
「"Tectonic Cemetery"!」Grey
The earth started shaking and the orcs were thrown off-balance. Then suddenly, large earthen spikes sprouted out of the ground and pierced every orc in the vicinity.
Heh... If I use earth-attribute spells, then the effect wouldn't reach the village. Though it's not as strong as my wind-attribute spells, it's still effective.
Now, come at me, you pigs!
After switching to earth-based attacks, the rate at which the orcs were killed was sped up by leaps and bounds.
About half an hour had passed and only the Orc King and the orc generals were left. Coincidentally, Yuna returned by the time I finished cleaning up the orcs and high orcs.
「How are the villagers?」Grey
「They're all fine, I've also casted "Holy Barrier"in order to ensure their safety. So what's the situation?」Yuna
「Orcs and High orcs all defeated. Four orc generals and the Orc King left. Does your 『Detection』sense any other living things around?」Grey
「Nope, all clear.」Yuna
「Then, what do you say we end this?」Grey
「That's why we're here after all.」Yuna
Without any plans whatsoever, Yuna started our advance towards the remaining orcs. When the orcs noticed us, they immediately attacked us head on.
One of the orc generals tried to hit Yuna with its mace, too bad for it, Yuna's speed was not something a monster of its caliber could match.
With great precision, Yuna severed the orc general's head in one clean cut. After killing it, Yuna headed to her next target.
I can't fall behind Yuna now, can I?
After pouring just the right amount of mana into my right gauntlet, I twisted my body and delivered a strike straight towards the ground. The force was strong enough to shake the vicinity and throw the orc generals charging at me off-balance.
Without wasting the opportunity I created, I fired "Megaton Shotgun"at the orc generals, and sent them to meet their creator.
「"Fatal Stream"!」Yuna
By the time I finished my opponents, Yuna was also done cutting up the last orc general, leaving only the Orc King as our last opponent.
Not wasting a single breath, Yuna charged directly at the Orc King, and in response to this, the Orc King lashed its chained mace around. The force from the chained mace was strong enough to destroy any boulder on its path.
But with Yuna's speed, none of the attacks the Orc King threw managed to hit her. Rather than having a fight, Yuna looked like she was dancing in the wind, gracefully evading each attack coming from the Orc King.
Irritated by Yuna's movements, the Orc King tried to imitate what I did to its generals and delivered a strong force to the ground in hopes of offsetting Yuna's movements. Too bad for him, even with uneven footing, Yuna's movements wouldn't be affected.
That's enough observing Yuna, I should act too.
With leg power greater than Yuna's, I dashed towards the Orc King ignoring the uneven terrain. When I reached in front of it, it tried to counterattack but...
「"Swift Guillotine"!」Yuna
... before it could, Yuna already delivered a fatal strike on its neck.
Seeing that chance, I gathered a large amount of mana in my left gauntlet and delivered a blow in its chest.
「"Phantom Caliber"!」Grey
Unlike "Magnum Caliber"which pierces my opponents,"Phantom Caliber"creates a shock which travels throughout my opponents body.
After receiving both mine and Yuna's attacks, the Orc King fell to its knees then collapsed to the ground. As proof of its defeat, the Orc King turned into mana and left behind a mass of leather, the Orc King's Necklace, and its mana crystal.
But... we'll also have to collect all those mana crystals and drops from the other orcs as proof of their subjugation. Haah... this is gonna take a while.
Thankfully, mana crystals emit mana, and by using Yuna's 『Detection』, locating and collecting them became much easier. But... it still took us almost 2 hours to collect them all, on top of it, it's almost high noon.
With the orc drops on our hands, our quest was finished. The only thing left was to report back to the guild. But first, we'll need to check on the villagers and release the barrier Yuna placed.
When we arrived, we immediately removed the barrier and delivered the news of the orc horde's annihilation to the villagers.
「I-Is that true?」Chief
「It is, and if you don't believe us, you can see for yourself.」Grey
「N-No, just confirmation from you is enough. After we witnessed Yuna-sama's powers, there's no way we wouldn't believe what you say.」Chief
Hm? Did I just hear something weird?
When I looked at Yuna, she shook her head slightly as if saying she's got no idea what's going on.
「Oh great savior, may we ask for your name as well?」Chief
I've got a bad feeling about this... I don't know why but I've got the feeling that they're going to build a shrine for us once they know our names.
Well, gut feelings are mostly wrong anyways, but just to make sure, let's ask them why.
「Umm... May I ask why?」Grey
「Why? It's so that we can build a shrine with your names on it. We will build it to commemorate the day we were saved by Savior-sama and Yuna-sama.」Chief
I bloody knew it!
And Yuna's already frozen from shock just by hearing that! She must be regretting telling them her name. She's already looking at me with eyes asking for help.
With their eyes dazzling like stars, I don't think a simple no will do the job. Since Yuna's and my dignity is on the line, I have no other choice but to use my secret techniques.
「Ah...」Grey
「Is something wrong, Savior-sama?」Chief
「The state of the village...」Grey
「Ah... So you're bothered by that as well.」Chief
Secret Technique #1: Topic Change
The ability to change the flow of conversation and turn it in your advantage. A secret technique created for the sole purpose of saving one from a dangerous conversation.
I feel sorry for using the village's destruction as the topic to change into, but there are times where one needs to use everything, no matter how underhanded it is.
I swear, after we escape this predicament, I would use the money earned from the orc drops to help rebuild this village.
「I'd be lying if I said everything's fine, after all, the homes which were built with memories can never be replicated no matter how much we try. As depressing as it is, I don't think the village can return to how it was.」Chief
Uuu... Now, I really feel bad. I shouldn't have said all that...
「But... After we rebuild the village, we could create new memories and live a better life! Furthermore, we will build a shrine so that what Savior-sama and Yuna-sama has done for us this day will never be forgotten by the generations to come. So, Savior-sama, please tell us your name!」Chief
It didn't work! Moreover, it got worse!
I take back my sorry for using this village's destruction as a topic to change to! Damn you, old man!
If it comes to this, then...
「Wh-What's happening?」Chief
「An earthquake?」Villager 6
The villagers were in a state of panic, the earth suddenly shook and a low rumbling sound echoed throughout the village. Of course, this was all due to my secret technique #2: Focus Redirection
A technique that was nigh impossible on Earth, but here in Merusia, one just needs to control magic to a certain extent in order to create a phenomenon to redirect the other party's focus.
When the earthquake stopped, the villagers were talking amongst themselves about what had just happened. Their focus was completely changed in a single move. But...
「Wh-What was that about? It almost gave me a heart attack. Now, where were we... right! Saviour-sama, your name!」Chief
... this old man is too persistent! And Yuna's soul is already out of her body!
I've already used two of my secret techniques! If this goes on, not only me, but also Yuna will suffer from this humiliation.
Since it has come down to this, I'll have to use the strongest secret technique I have at my disposal.
「Look! A bird!」Grey
After I pointed at the sky, all the villagers' attention shifted away from me and into the "bird" I pointed at.
Grabbing this opportunity, I grabbed Yuna's hands and ran away from the villagers. Witness, my strongest secret technique, secret technique #3: Escape.
If you can change the conversation then run away from it!
「S-Savior-sama!」Chief
When the villagers noticed, we had already escaped successfully. I swear, I'm never going to take a step back into this village.
After running for 10 minutes straight, we were finally at a distance where the villagers wouldn't find us even if they searched for days.
「Haah.., Haah... Grey, you saved me there.」Yuna
「Haah... Don't worry about it. Not only yours, but my dignity was also on the line, so it's only natural that I do the best I could.」Grey
「Still, I didn't expect that they would go as far as building a shrine for us.」Yuna
「I know...」Grey
「But I'm still grateful that we were able to save them...」Yuna
Yuna... It might have slipped out of my mind because of Yuna's attitude, but Yuna's village was also destroyed with no one at the village at fault.
The way she's smiling, it must be a relief for her being able to save that village, after all, she wasn't able to do anything when her village was getting destroyed.
I just hope that she has recovered from that painful past.
Well, as her partner, I guess I should also do everything I can to keep her smiling.
「Yuna, what do you want to eat tonight?」Grey
「Hm? Why so sudden?」Yuna
「I just want to celebrate us completing a special-rank quest.」Grey
「I see... Then I'll have curry!」Yuna
「Again...?」Grey
「You're the one who asked me. And my answer is curry!」Yuna
「I suppose you're right. Then curry it is.」Grey
「Then, I look forward to it!」Yuna
Yuna said with an energetic voice along with a bright smile that can cure one's fatigue just by seeing it.
Yep, smiling really does suit her. I guess I'll have to give it my all and cook her the best curry she'll ever have.
CHAPTER 11 END