The area Tom had been given was a tent with a bed, with all of his stuff on top covered with cloth. The Orcs were trying to emulate the way humans did things, but as they had no proper training with the techniques, they could only try to emulate the appearances of things. They had no deep understanding of the functions behind them.
Tom left the tent through its entrance. As it was currently nighttime, there were many torches lit near the tent. Also, the Orcs that didn't need much sleep had lit a campfire and were sitting around it. They had a beast's hide wrapped around them to stave off the cold as they roasted a freshly hunted beast whole.
Karakul, who had thought the movements of the humans suspicious, began to distribute some food and allotted time for leisure in order to raise morale while remaining vigilant.
"Hm? Ah, it's that Ain, isn't it?"
One of the Orcs discovered him and pointed.
"Ey, come this way! Aren't you hungry? Eat with us!"
Tom looked around before approaching the Orc pointing at him out of curiosity.
"Now, now, eat. Eat! You can drink too! This is a fruit drink made by crushing apples. How is it?"
The Orcs smiled wide as they urged him to sit. If only by the fact that it was a dark night, the smiling faces of the Orcs looked especially villainous under the light of the campfire. However, their personable attitude told a different story than that. Other Orcs that Tom had not seen before looked at him strangely and spoke up.
"Who's this guy? That's a strange outfit. There's an Ain with that style of clothes?"
"He's probably just a wandering Demon. Isn't he just from some place far away?"
"Ey, ey. This guy is surprisingly a big shot! I don't know exactly, but when he was sleeping, some kind of black liquid was seeping out of him! I was scared out of my mind; it was so thick!"
The Orc teased the others trying to scare them. The other Orcs burst in laughter.
"Can I eat this even though I'm an outsider?"
When Tom sat down, the Orcs nodded.
"Of course! You also look like a guest of Commander Karakul. We're actually sorry for our reception. Eat, eat! Ah! However, you have to pay up according to the amount!"
"Pay?"
The Orcs nodded.
"With a story!"
"… A story?"
"That's right. We want to hear stories! How Demons living in other areas are! How they live, and how they have escaped humans. Also, I'm a bit curious about the tools they use!"
They had simple questions. Orcs had no females, so they also had no reproduction cycles. They were simply born in dark boggy swamps. They were also taught how to hunt during childhood. They were taught how to hunt beasts and forage for fruits. As they were born without parents, they were taught how to do everything by instinct. From the knowledge on how to use tools, to knowing how to breathe. They also grew stronger through fighting. If they happened to meet like-minded kin as they did so, they formed a pack with them and grew together as they shared what they've learned. To these Orcs, the lifestyle of other Ain were a great curiosity to them as well as a life lesson.
"Well, if it's alright with you, I'll tell you what I know, but that will have to wait."
"Hm? Why?! We're curious about you! You're mysterious! So hurry and tell us!"
"Well… It's just that…"
Tom pointed toward the sky.
"…?"
The Orcs followed his finger and turned their heads toward the sky. There was a single crow circling the air over and over.
"What? A crow? It looks tasty."
"What's special about it?"
Tom smiled and answered.
"The soldiers are moving."
In moments, lights akin to meteors began falling from the sky.
***
"Maintain formation!" An order was called out.
"Maintain formation!" The order was echoed back by the soldiers it had been given to.
"Forward 10 paces!"
"Forward 10 paces!"
The siege unit continued to move under the commands of their leader. They were moving long and massive cannons over three meters long on wagons. The cannons were large, heavy, and had a hole big enough to fit a human head through it.
"Triangle formation!"
"Triangle formation!"
Each unit began to move as instructed. Thousands of soldiers moved in formation to form a barrier.
"Slaves in front! Don't fall behind! Those who try to run will be executed on the spot!"
The slaves were placed on the front lines to protect the regulars as human shields. They were given only underwear and simple daggers, and yet they were meant to block the Orc crossbows and exhaust them in order to lower their efficacy. The slaves that knew that they had to face the Orcs in such a state, trembled in fear.
"Just know this, slaves! Those that manage to survive in case of our victory will be granted freedom. However, if we lose, you'll be left as demon food!"
The slaves grit their teeth in frustration after hearing the shouts of the Holy Knight assigned to lead them. They could see the shabby Orc encampment and the battlefield littered with corpses in front of them.
"F-fine! Let's just do it!"
"We can earn our freedom! We can be free men with dozens of copper coins for life…!"
"That's right! And who cares about those Orcs! They're just bulky demons!"
Vigor lit up in the eyes of the slaves. They had been tempted by the word 'freedom'. To them, the idea of being freed from the cruelties that they had suffered through so far brought them much needed strength.
"… Please prepare yourselves."
The Hero Ludin could be found at the very rear, along with 300 Holy Knights, and about 100 priests all riding on horses in their own formation.
The army began to move. They ignored the corpses littering the field and pressed on. The siege unit composed of large Magic Cannons began to gather light and spewed explosive projectiles that looked like meteors. The blue balls of condensed mana rose high into the sky and exploded in the air. Bright light began to rain down in every direction and fall towards the ground, causing explosions upon the Orc campsite.
"Reloading…!"
The magicians were organized and used sticks to pull out the Magic Stones within the cannons and quickly replaced them with new ones.
"The Orcs are moving!"
Countless Orcs could be seen walking close to the barrier.
The slaves grit their teeth and glared at those Orcs. They began to breathe roughly. Their emaciated ribs rose up and down as they began to sweat profusely. They peeked over at the Holy Knight commanding them, waiting for his order.
The man began to swell with the idea that he was in charge of the slaves and smiled as he waved his sword.
"Charge-!"
"I-yaaaaaaa-!"
The slaves charged with a scream.
— Ω —