Iris, noticing Pete's gaze, frowned and quickly covered her face with a neck mask, leaving only her eyes visible.
Sofia, seeing Iris's reaction, frowned at her with slight anger directed towards her.
Pete unaware of this, turned to Sofia and asked, "How far is the city?"
Sofia replied, her tone measured, "The city is quite a distance away. If we rest for the night, we should arrive by tomorrow morning."
After breakfast, Jake led the group towards the city
Jake was at front, Iris and Chirs were at back and Sofia holding Pete's arm were in the center.
Chris glanced at Pete with a mixture of jealousy and anger, but he held back any outward display to avoid upsetting Sofia.
Iris, observing Chris's demeanor, spoke up, "Why be jealous? You couldn't have gotten her anyway. She's a priestess; she can't marry."
Chris's expression soured. "I'm not bothered about that. But why is she so affectionate and attached to him just because he's a hero?"
Iris shrugged. "She's been indoctrinated since childhood about her duties. She'll do anything for the hero."
Chris tightened his grip on his staff, his frustration evident as he shot an angry glance at Pete. The tension between them simmered as they continued their journey towards the city, each lost in their own thoughts and concerns.
Time passed, it was now noon.
Jake suddenly halted and signaled for the others to stop as well, spotting more than fifty orcs heading towards the city.
Jake exclaimed urgently, "They're heading for the city! We need to intercept them. Get ready for battle!"
Iris and Chris swiftly prepared themselves for combat.
Pete walked up to Jake, his expression confident. "I can handle them by myself."
Jake turned to Pete, puzzled. "I'm sure you can, but this isn't the time. We need to act quickly and warn the city."
Sofia interjected angrily, "If the hero wants to take action, it's our duty to support him. Don't stand in his way."
Jake, furious turned towards Sofia, only to see her watching Pete almost maniacally.
Pete, feeling a mix of fear and embarrassment under Sofia's gaze, blushed and shyly looked away.
"This is not the time, Sofia!" Jake snapped angrily. "We need to reach the city and warn them."
Sofia frowned deeply. "Are you challenging the authority of the Church? Disobeying the hero is akin to disobeying the Church."
Jake gritted his teeth, feeling conflicted and tense. He turned towards Pete, resigned and frustrated. "Do whatever you want."
Pete happily rushed towards the orcs, the orcs didn't even notice him coming from behind because of his speed.
He delivered a powerful punch to the first orc, sending it flying into the others and alerting the rest of the group who turned to attack him with a roar.
Using his speed and agility, Pete dodged most of the incoming attacks effortlessly. Those that did land had little effect on him.
However the more orcs surrounded him, it was getting unbearable to fight back as he didn't kill the orcs, he sent them flying several meters away with each strike, but they quickly regrouped and resumed their assault.
Pete looked towards the others, hoping they could held him take care of the orcs he knocked, but was taken aback to find them locked in their own battle. Another wave of orcs had ambushed them from behind, keeping them occupied and unable to assist Pete with the fallen foes.
Pete now overwhelmed by the orcs, don't seem to know what to do.
"Yaaa.. " In desperation he shouted with anger, hoping for someone to come aid him.
But a golden light enveloped his, the body was then fortified with mana and strength seem to fill his body,
Pete, with a big smile, punched an orc in stomach, causing his stomach to burst and green blood and guts of orcs to splatter everywhere.
The blood and guts also landed on Pete, causing him to want to vomit, but the attacks of other orcs managed to occupy his mind and didn't let him puke.
After some time, Pete is now killing the orcs with a single punch and with a big smile on his face.
Morsh, "Why are you killing them? You can let them live, they have a life!"
Pete countered firmly, "No, they don't... They are just brainless monsters."
Morsh, "They eat, sleep, reproduce, and do everything a human would do, so they have a life. It's just that their views are different from yours, so you are labeling them as monsters."
Pete now increasingly irritated, increased his force on the orcs, "I don't want to hear this from a murderer "
Morsh, "At least I'm not a coward who weeps in every situation."
"Argh!" Pete shouted angrily. "Don't you dare say something about me when you don't know anything about me!"
Morsh scoffed, "I know a lot about you. You're selfish and a coward, yet you blame others when they do what's necessary."
Pete's veins bulged with anger. "What do you mean by that? I'm a hero! I can't be selfish and coward. It's you who behaves like this!"
Morsh, "Then enlighten me. When did I do those things?"
Pete was left speechless, unable to recall any instance where Morsh had acted in a way that justified the accusations.
Pete, frustrated asked "Why don't you tell me when I did something like that "
Morsh replied sharply, "Firstly, you forgot about Emily and the villagers as soon as Sofia started clinging to you... "
Pete's eyes widened, nearly freezing in place, but an orc's attack snapped him back to reality, made him attack the orcs.
He attacked absentmindedly, his thoughts consumed by guilt. 'How can I forget something like this? Emily might still be alive, perhaps captured by the bandits '
Pete blurted out, "You were there. Tell me where they took Emily. I'll rescue her."
Morsh's response was blunt "She's no longer alive. You can't rescue her."
Tears streamed down Pete's face as he intensified the force behind his punches and kicks.
Through sobs, Pete asked, "Why didn't you save her? At least tell me you killed the person who did this."
Morsh replied solemnly, "I can't kill the person who killed her."
Confused, Pete questioned, "What do you mean? You killed the bandits... why can't you kill one more?"
Morsh's response was hauntingly simple. "Well, I can't kill myself, can I?"
Pete's mouth and eyes widened in shock, feeling his strength drain away as the orcs relentlessly pummeled him. Initially resistant, their blows began to take a toll on Pete.
Curled into a defensive ball, Pete choked out, "How could you kill a child?"
Morsh retorted coldly, "The same way you harbor strange thoughts about her... did you think no one would notice your gaze?"
Pete protested weakly, "It's different... It was her destiny... she was born for the hero..."
Morsh's words cut through Pete's defense. "Nope, her destiny was to be killed by me, with your hands."
Pete's mind went blank, his hands trembling as tears streamed down his face. The orcs continued to batter him relentlessly, but he was too numb to react, staring blankly at his own hands, oblivious to the pain.
Just as Pete seemed on the verge of collapse, Jake, Iris, and Chris arrived to aid them. Jake swiftly engaged the orcs, clearing a path to Pete. He lifted Pete gently and carried him back to Sofia, who was waiting nearby.
Sofia sat down, cradling Pete's head in her lap. She placed her hand on his forehead and began chanting a spell, a soft golden light starting to emanate from her hand and entered Pete's head.
Pete's emotional turmoil began to settle, and after a minute or so, he regained his composure. Tears still flowed from his eyes, but he was calmer now.
Sofia, noticing his distress, asked with concern, "What's troubling you, Pete?"
Startled, Pete looked up and inadvertently caught sight of Sofia's chest. He blushed deeply and quickly turned his head to the side.
Embarrassed, Sofia's cheeks flushed as well. She spoke softly, "You can tell me anything you want."
Pete, momentarily forgetting his grief, sprang to his feet with lightning speed. "I need to help Jake," he exclaimed, his face flushed as he dashed towards the orcs.
Morsh sighed deeply. "You're a narcissist and solipsistic too,"
Pete, oblivious to Morsh's comment in his excitement, attacked the orcs with a wide grin on his face. Together, they swiftly dealt with all of the orcs.
Jake spoke urgently, "We need to hurry to the city. Let's not waste time here collecting the tusks..."
Iris and Chris nodded in agreement, agreeing the need to return to the city as soon as possible.
However, Sofia interjected, "The hero defeated the orcs; we can't let his efforts go to waste. We should collect the tusks. With a hero here, what do we have to fear?"
Pete looked at Sofia with a bashful smile and replied softly, "Yes, I'm here. There's nothing to fear."
Jake, Iris, and Chris became increasingly frustrated with Sofia and Pete's actions.
Sofia, asserting herself, said sternly, "Are you challenging the authority of the Church? I warn you, I will make your life a living hell if you go against the hero."
Pete gazed at Sofia with admiration, as if he had encountered an angel.
Jake, feeling the urgency, intervened, "Let's quickly take out the tusks. They can serve as evidence."
Jake, Chris, and Iris swiftly began working on collecting the tusks while Pete relaxed with Sofia, who rested her head on his shoulder.
After gathering all the tusks, they resumed their journey, now moving at a faster pace.