There are those who have claimed a single region as their Holy Land, meticulously cultivating and protecting it for an eternity. They have remained there long enough to be remembered even by the ghosts that have vanished into the back alleys of history. They possess a justification for upholding their sacred traditions, and they have never caused harm to others while guarding this secluded place, far removed from the rest of the world.
Furthermore, instead of ruthlessly ambushing or taking the lives of those who trespass upon their sacred ground, they decide everything through a duel. How fair is that?
Considering that in the capital of the Steel Kingdom of Chervil, one can be found innocent for killing trespassers on private property regardless of the reason, these beings are practically more merciful than humans.
Now, here is a question.
On one side, we have the Orcs, who have stayed here for an overwhelmingly long time, possess a clear justification, and even maintain a sense of fairness.
On the other side, we have a human who knowingly trespassed into this Holy Land to target a Sacred Relic they hold dear, and even intimidated innocent Orcs into guiding him here.
Between the two, who is the villain?
In truth, one wouldn’t even need to ask to guess the answer nine times out of ten. In this specific situation, I was the villain. And not just any villain—I was a total son of a bitch who didn’t even know basic decency.
Fortunately, however…
“A duel!”
Orcs are not a race that dwells on right and wrong.
“Raise your sword, human!”
For these naive green folk, every problem is resolved through a ‘duel.’ They are a race that loves violence, where might is logic and the victor reigns as the law.
I looked at the Orc, who was huffing through his nose while gripping a savage axe.
He’s massive.
The Orc who had challenged me was significantly larger than I was. He was much bigger even compared to the Orc I had fought and defeated earlier. While I felt a momentary sense of intimidation from the difference in physique, Liam spoke.
「He is different from the one before.」
“How so?”
「That one is no young Orc. He is a proper warrior who has completed his coming-of-age ceremony.」
A warrior.
Yes, he looked valiant enough for that word to suit him. The sword I drew this time was the Dwarf-made blade I had received as a gift from Daisy. A monstrous weapon capable of slicing through ordinary steel in a single stroke.
「Be careful, young descendant. A true Orc warrior is never an easy opponent.」
“…”
「The creatures of the continent call Orcs a pathetic race that is ignorant and knows nothing but fighting. But tell me, if that were truly all there was to them, would they have been able to survive for such a long time?」
Thump!
The sound of the Orc’s footstep echoed.
“War-ghhh!”
A thunderous battle cry erupted from the Orc as his heavy green muscles bulged. The savage power bursting from those muscles was channeled entirely into his axe. Staring at the axe blade falling vertically, I let out a sharp breath. My second heart hammered, and the strength of a superhuman flooded my body. My sword, imbued with that power, swung to meet the axe.
At the same time, the 「Path」 unfolded. I could clearly read how the Orc before me would move within the 「Path」, as if looking into the immediate future.
And then…
…?
The Orc’s movements read by my 「Path」 split into two. It was as if the Orc’s body had momentarily become two. In that brief moment of hesitation, the Orc’s movement deviated from my prediction. The Orc let go of the axe he was swinging vertically and threw it. It wasn’t a vertical strike; it was a projectile.
“Hup!”
It was an unorthodox attack. I hurriedly tilted my sword to parry it, but the Orc, having thrown his weapon, had already closed the distance. Lunging like a beast, he snatched the handle of the axe as it spun through the air and swung it once more.
Clang!
The sound of metal clashing rang out. A heavy, undeniable impact weighed down on my entire body.
“A Sword Walker, I see, human. Chwik .”
Beyond the blade, I saw the Orc’s eyes, thick with savagery. His blue eyes smoldered like a roiling flame. Sword and axe remained locked. Rather than using petty tricks, the Orc was bulging his muscles, using every ounce of his strength to bear down on my sword. Power over technique.
It was ignorant. But it was valiant.
Above all, it was very Orc-like.
If anyone on the continent were caught and shown this battle, they would all say the same: it was very ‘Orc-ish.’ Unwittingly, the corners of my mouth curled upward. Always charging straight ahead. It was the Orcs’ exhilarating way of fighting.
“Even an Orc like me knows the fighting style of a Sword Walker. We have many among our warriors too! But an Orc does not fight like other Sword Walkers. Fighting like that is neither valiant nor cool.”
I gripped my sword and drew upon Petel’s memories.
「Twilight」.
A knight’s swordsmanship, useful in situations where blades are locked, unfolded. A sword that shook the center of gravity and swung with finesse. Instead of dodging my blade, the Orc took it head-on with his thick hide and swung his axe without pause. As if willing to give up his flesh to take my bone.
Exhilarating.
The moment I felt that, Liam spoke.
「You must not let your guard down when fighting a true Orc warrior. You might be able to predict their movements, but you cannot fully read the movements of the ‘Ancestors’ dwelling within their bodies.」
“…”
「This is why Orcs who have completed their coming-of-age ceremony are also called Knight Slayers. Half-baked Sword Walkers often crumble helplessly before those masters of combat. So, young descendant, do not be consumed only by what you see.」
I stared intently at the charging Orc.
「Do not stop the Doubt that is your greatest strength. Look at the world not just through what the Path shows you, but with your sensitive senses and an objective, cold gaze. Harbor suspicion toward everything and never be certain. Your attitude toward the world will soon become your Steel.」
I slid my foot forward.
I saw the Orc charging. Instead of retreating, I raised my sword and caught the Orc’s swinging axe with the very tip of my blade. A screeching sound echoed as the axe blade scraped against mine. The axe was parried as it slid along the blade, and I spun once, using that momentum to swing my sword. The Orc tilted his body sharply, dodging the blade.
His center of gravity was broken. I stomped hard on the Orc’s lead foot, swapped my grip on the hilt, and unleashed a long thrust.
It was the 「Needle」.
While leaning back, the Orc let go of his axe, planted his thick palm on the dirt ground, and flipped his body. He evaded the thrust that way.
But even that wasn’t enough. I stomped even harder on the Orc’s foot, let go of the sword in my hand, and drew the 「Fang」 from my thigh. I moved like a snake hunting its prey, stabbing the Orc’s knee joint, piercing his thigh, and striking at his flank and chest.
Stomping his foot, I reached out with my lead hand to grab the scruff of his neck, then fluidly slipped inside his guard to touch the tip of the Fang to his throat. It was the art of an Assassin. The Orc was completely suppressed by the techniques of darkness that were now fully integrated into my body.
The suppressed Orc froze for a moment, then turned his head and grinned at me.
“I have lost.”
“Yes. You have de—”
“Since I have lost, I must go to my ancestors’ side.”
And with that, the Orc leaned forward, driving himself onto the tip of the dagger I was holding. The sharp Fang pierced his throat. Viscous blood erupted, and in the next moment, the Orc warrior’s body went limp as his life ended.
What the…
It was bewildering.
I had intended to just suppress him and then devise a scheme to obtain the Sacred Relic, but to think he would throw himself onto the blade the moment he realized his defeat? He didn’t even show a hint of fear before he died. The moment he lost, he chose death coolly. As if it were the natural thing to do.
As I stood frozen in shock before the still-warm corpse of the Orc, the Orcs swarming like a cloud of insects in the distance let out a loud cry.
“Oohhh!”
It wasn’t a resentful shout directed at me out of a desire for revenge for their fallen kin.
“A valiant! Human!”
Their voices were filled with a frenzied excitement.
Covered in Orc blood, I faced their madness head-on. Watching the Orcs cheer in front of their comrade’s corpse, I felt as though I had come to understand the race known as ‘Orcs’ a little better.
To define them simply:
…They’re insane.
* * *
I had not only trespassed into another race’s Holy Land and ruined their coming-of-age ceremony, but I had also killed one of their warriors. And what was the reward for that?
“Orc beer! Drink it down and then we talk!”
Surprisingly, I was given the chance to have a private audience with the Orc Elder, the highest-ranking Orc in this settlement. I was even treated to their drink and food. It was a situation that made absolutely no sense by any logical standard.
“Yes.”
However, I was starting to realize something.
You shouldn’t treat Orcs with common sense. To these green lumps whose brains are made of muscle, this is common sense. I downed the yellowish beer in one go. Without a word of a lie, it was the foulest thing I had ever tasted in my life. Boiling a mixture of various food scraps would probably taste better than this. Fuck.
This is terrible.
I would have believed it if someone told me it was poison.
But seeing all the surrounding Orcs gulping down the same beer, I decided to believe that their sense of taste was simply broken. I slammed the mug down and looked at the Orc Elder, who was laughing boisterously in front of me.
The Elder wore a necklace woven from bones, had his ears laden with bone earrings, and was covered in skull-shaped ornaments on his eyelids and lips.
「A Shaman. You could probably consider him the high-ranking Shaman who oversees the ‘Ancestor Succession’ here. The spiritual ability I sense from him is quite high.」
A Shaman.
To put it simply, they were the Orcs’ version of a Mage. Beings who exercised mystery according to their traditional methods. Liam spoke.
「He could probably banish you to the spiritual world with a snap of his fingers. So, if he asks for a duel, just give up an arm and run.」
“…”
「Tsk, what a shame. If you had even a shred of spiritual talent, I could have helped you, but to have neither martial talent nor a lick of spiritual talent…」
I ignored Liam’s grumbling and looked at the Orc Elder.
“So! Why have you come all this way, human!”
The Orc Elder spoke in a voice so loud it felt like my ears would burst. He spoke jovially, but as Liam said, the Orc Elder was no ordinary being. My senses, sharpened by becoming a 「Sword Walker」, told me so.
The being before me was not an enemy I could handle.
He was someone who could crush me as easily as a bug. An indescribably vast gap existed between the Orc Elder and me. There was only one reason the Orc Elder was treating me with hospitality: because, according to Orc custom, I had won the duel and proven myself stronger than their warriors.
Because I had won the first duel according to their tradition, I was given the chance for ‘dialogue.’ In other words, if these had been humans or Elves instead of Orcs, I would have been in the afterlife long ago.
“If it is! For a trivial! Reason! You! Will have to duel! Every Orc warrior here! So speak! Human!”
Orcs are ignorant and simple.
That is why these green beings do not lie. I knew those words were the pure truth, without a hint of falsehood. The moment I said something trivial, the Orc Elder would make me duel every single one of the warriors swarming out there. He would ensure sufficient rest time, follow every fair rule, and keep them coming one-on-one…
Terrifying.
Being insanely simple was, in a way, frightening. That was why I had to craft my words carefully this time. My master was a natural-born powerhouse with a talent for violence, so he would have gladly chosen to fight every Orc warrior here. But I was not like him.
So, I had to do what I was good at.
“I heard news that long ago, my ancestor left a family heirloom in the Orcs’ Holy Land.”
Now then.
“That blade, which is like a treasure to my family, is as precious to me as my own life. My family’s honor is at stake, and it represents the conviction my family has protected for over hundreds of years. I heard that Orcs collect corpses to honor the souls of the fallen for the sake of tradition. I, too, have a duty to reclaim my family’s treasure and honor the unfulfilled grudge of my ancestor. To fulfill that duty, I braved the danger and came to these rugged mountains alone…”
Let’s see if I can deceive these naive Orcs with my silver tongue.
* * *
『Name: Orc』
『One of the seven races existing on the continent.』
『A nomadic race that lives scattered across various regions. Rather than living stably, they enjoy endless struggle and always take pleasure in achieving something through combat.』
