Hegel, who had cut off communication, took out a cigar from his pocket and began to light it.
Soon, the smoke from the lit cigar enveloped his surroundings.
The conversation with Adrias was somewhat meaningful.
"A refusal..."
Indeed, someone holding the position of an imperial count wouldn't easily set foot at a gathering.
Certainly, he understood, but it felt a bit vexing.
"Should I mess with Charon a bit?"
Certainly, Jester seemed like he would make a fuss, but it didn't matter.
From the start, Hegel's skills were superior to Jester's.
Even if there were complaints, there wouldn't be much to say even if they came in person.
Adrias seemed quite talented, so Hegel didn't want to meddle anymore.
As is the case in this world, if one couldn't easily crush a sapling, it was better to get along.
Since it was impossible to predict when the other party might become helpful or threatening.
'Adrias Cromwell is barely in his early twenties. Considering that he killed Kyle alone at that age, the probability of possessing exceptional talent and skill is high.'
Getting along with such a person would be advantageous in various ways in the long run.
However, that didn't mean he would just let things be.
Ordering the hierarchy was something that needed to be done right away.
"It seems I've been reaching out to various places after a long time."
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.
We greeted the first morning in the Grandis Kingdom.
Since he was planning to head straight to the bordering area of Great Forest, he had a simple breakfast at the inn.
While dipping a hard bread into the watery soup, Luna's figure descending the stairs caught his eye.
"Good morning."
Luna, greeting with a bright smile, still had a mysterious aura about her.
Her appearance was so unrealistically beautiful that one would wonder how a person could be born like that.
He had already told Luna that they would be entering the Great Forest beforehand.
Sitting across from him, she dipped her portion of bread into the soup and ate.
"Hmm, it's a bit bland."
She immediately picked up the soup and bread and headed to the counter.
"It's bland! Are you going to run the business like this?"
"I-I'm sorry. I'll bring it back soon."
Since she was so famous that almost no one didn't know her, the innkeeper hurriedly took the soup and bread to the kitchen.
I wonder how someone with that personality manages to hide in a residence.
'Come to think of it, Luna dies quite often in the game.'
There were hardly any cases where she died due to the player.
Mostly, she died due to other characters, with the kingdom being the biggest reason.
'The kingdom can't stand her.'
Even among the numerous black magicians, their antagonism was remarkable.
The connection traced back to her mother, Eve Millennium.
It was a longstanding feud that had carried on since ancient times, not something that could be easily severed, and there was nothing I could do right now to change that.
She came back with the bread and soup and set a plate in front of me.
"I brought yours too."
"Thank you."
"We're friends, after all. What's there to thank for, hehe."
I was reminded again of her unexpected consideration.
Looking at her like this, the title of "mad genius" didn't quite fit. Life is full of the unknown.
"By the way, friend, what did you talk with Hegel yesterday?"
"Weren't you listening together?"
"Yeah, but..."
Luna calmly spoke as she put the bread in her mouth.
Her cheeks protruding like that made her look like a chipmunk.
"He told me to join the assembly."
"Assembly!"
Luna, hurriedly passing the bread, looked at me with sparkling eyes.
I looked around nervously to see if anyone else could hear, but it was early morning and there was no one in sight.
"So? Are you going too? None of my friends of the same age have ever joined the gathering!"
"No. I declined."
"Why?"
I guess she won't really know, right?
No, knowing Luna, she might genuinely not know?
"There's nothing good about getting caught."
"Well, that's true. But I've been a part of the gathering since birth, so I'm not quite sure."
She said it casually, as if it were something pitiable.
Thinking about it, this guy seems to have quite an unfortunate life, so I feel a bit sympathetic.
From birth, she had been a case that drew public attention, and even though she hadn't actually committed any crimes, she was still wanted by the law.
Despite all kinds of rumors, she hadn't actually harmed anyone. Quite the ironic girl.
'People fear the unknown.'
Even just the innate ability to see souls is enough to stir human fear.
In addition to that ability, her mother is a legendary witch, and her appearance is mysterious, so people create unnecessary rumors when they see her.
Finishing the meal, I stood up immediately.
There was still a long way to go to the Great Forest, and I couldn't predict how long it would take to reach the Dragon's Tomb.
"Um, Luna. Are you heading toward the Great Forest?"
As I was about to leave the inn, the innkeeper called Luna.
"Yeah, why?"
"Well, I heard rumors recently, so I just wanted to ask if that's where you're going."
"Rumors?"
Rumors about the Great Forest.
By now, the orc packs that inhabit the Great Forest were likely causing a ruckus.
"Oh, you didn't hear, did you? The Orc Lord, who hasn't appeared for a whopping 40 years, has shown up. Because of this Orc Lord, the area near the borders of the Great Forrest is in chaos."
"The Orc Lord! That sounds interesting."
So there was an Orc Lord.
In the game, all I knew was that at this point in time, there was no reason for anyone to come here, so they were probably fighting orcs.
'Things are getting a bit complicated.'
As someone who needed to enter the interior of the Great Forest, it wasn't good news.
Orcs possessed naturally powerful bodies to the extent that ordinary individuals couldn't contend with them, but they weren't match for knights who used mana.
However, among the orcs, orc warriors and orc chieftains were formidable opponents even for knights.
'There are also the Red Orcs living in the desert. Those guys are even more difficult to deal with than the orcs living in the Great Forest, although their numbers are smaller.'
Anyway, the story of the Orc Lord's appearance meant that the orcs in the Grest Forest had rallied together instead of being scattered in small groups. That was a cause for concern as well.
If I happened to encounter an orc scouting party on the road, it was clear that I would be surrounded by numerous orc packs.
"The Grandis Kingdom is also extensively recruiting mercenaries. I thought you might be interested in this matter, Luna."
"Is it something good?"
"For starters, there's a reward of 2 billion wil on the Orc Lord's head, and the royal family is also offering a separate reward. Plus, there seems to be additional rewards based on your specialization, likely depending on the number of orcs you hunt."
If I were not an academy student but a mercenary, it wouldn't be a bad opportunity.
However, at this time, most playable characters would be busy strengthening themselves, so they probably missed this event.
'Still, the Dragon's Tomb takes precedence for now.'
It wasn't like leveling up through hunting in the game, so ignoring this was the wise choice.
The problem was whether I could ignore it and still be ignored.
"Friend."
Since I asked not to be called by my name, she always called me "friend." I quite liked that address.
"Yes?"
"You can't just ignore this when you have to enter the interior of the Great Forest. What are you going to do?"
"I'll try to avoid it as much as possible."
"Don't do that. We might as well go after the Orc Lord's head!"
Hmm? That's quite gutsy, isn't it?
No matter how strong the Orc Lord might be, he couldn't match Luna, who was a named character.
If her mind control worked, cutting the Orc Lord's head wouldn't be too difficult.
Of course, even if it were that easy, it probably wouldn't be so straightforward for the kingdom.
'After all, it's a war between orcs and humans. Just like going to a tavern to have a drink, we can't just crush the Orc Lord's skull and return.'
When I hesitated for a moment, Luna spoke.
"Why are you so worried? Are you scared?"
"It's not that easy for things to go smoothly. But we can't just fight the Orc Lord alone either."
"Anyway, we won't be able to enter the interior of the Great Forest since we're in the middle of a war, right? It would be easier to cut off the Orc Lord's head than to go inside."
If she wants to cut off the Orc Lord's head so much, she should just go on her own.
Even if it's to receive soul engraving, I wanted to match Luna's mood for the time being.
And as she suggested, killing the Orc Lord might actually be the right thing to do.
'It's an unexpected turn of events.'
For now, it seemed like the best thing to do was to head to the border area of the Great Forest to assess the situation.
If it was indeed as difficult as expected to enter the interior of the Great Forest, then the goal should be to cut off the Orc Lord's head, just as Luna said.
I could think these thoughts only because Luna was accompanying me.
'With Luna Pendragon, capturing the Orc Lord should be quite quick.'
After concluding my thoughts, I said to Luna.
"Let's go for now. Let's go and check it out."
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.
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Vayatra Fortress, bordering the Great Forest of Vayatra.
Among the outposts located in the border area, it was the largest in scale.
Ding dong ding dong!
"Multiple orcs spotted at 1 o'clock direction."
With the resounding toll of a massive bell, soldiers' alerts spread through the area.
However, as it had become routine, the soldiers and mercenaries preparing for battle didn't seem tense.
"Let us eat, you damn bastards."
A mercenary grumbled as he climbed up the fortress wall.
As always, the sight of the monotonous, muscular green-skinned creatures advancing was seen.
"Hmm? Hey, there's something odd about that."
People who considered it the usual provocation realized something was strange.
The orc's momentum was particularly fierce, and their eyes were bloodshot as if excited.
"Damn it! It's a shaman!"
The appearance of the shaman caused turmoil within the Vayatra Fortress.
For the first time, the orc shamans who had only shown themselves near the front lines, particularly around the nearby Endeavor Fortress, revealed themselves in this rear stronghold, which also served as a hub for distributing resources.
"Does the appearance of a shaman here mean that the front line has been breached?"
"There's been no news like that. It's probably one of the groups that broke away."
Despite trying to judge calmly, concerns about the possibility of the front-line fortress being in danger or breached lingered. Meanwhile, a force of several hundred orcs was drawing closer.
"Magicians, get ready!"
"Open fire!"
From mercenary magicians to Grandis Royal Court magicians,
Magicians with diverse abilities initiated bombardments.
Boom! Clank!
Their attacks, with longer range than arrows, crushed over the heads of the orcs.
"The shaman is confirmed."
The soldiers' expressions froze as they observed the nearly transparent barriers blocking the spells sent from the fortress.
Soon, while subsequent spells were being cast, a shower of arrows rained down toward the orcs.
Swish!
Thunk thunk thunk!
—Kraha!
Covered in tough muscles all over, the orcs only protected their vital points and marched forward tenaciously.
Sometimes, even if arrows pierced their bodies, they just laughed, casually snapping the arrows in their bodies.
"They're coming!"
"Stand firm and block them!"
With the shaman's involvement, a different kind of offensive was unfolding than what had been seen until now.
The wicked orc strategy was so overwhelming that the forces of the fortress, who had fought tirelessly in a battle of attrition for days, were staggered.
"Here come ladders!"
"Remove the ladders!"
Archers and magicians continued to fire projectiles, but the orcs, agitated by the shaman's sorcery, were unyielding.
Amid this tense moment of preparing for a close combat engagement,
Swoosh—
From the rear of the orc horde, something rapidly approached, and in an instant, it cut through the orcs and sliced the neck of what seemed to be the shaman.
Squelch!
Thunk, clatter.
As the shaman died, the frenzied orcs were suddenly released from their agitated state, falling into confusion without understanding the situation. The forces on the fortress walls were equally bewildered.
"What in the world...?"
The man who had severed the orc shaman's neck.
It was the appearance of Adrias Cromwell.