Orc Hero Story: Discovery Chronicles

Chapter 53.3

How long had the battle lasted? The dense clouds and rain had obscured the sky, making it difficult to gauge the passage of time.

However, considering Bash’s battle record, it would be safe to say that it wasn’t a very long battle. He had fought for three days and three nights against Thunder Sonia, the great elven Archmage, but this time not even a full day had passed. At most, just one night.

“…hah… haa…”

“… “

In that single night, the surroundings had changed drastically. The shell that had been called a sacred place was half destroyed, trees toppled, and it looked as if a massive tornado had swept through.

Amidst all this, two individuals stood.

“Lord Bash, do you still intend to continue?”

“Of course.”

Bash was covered in wounds. He had lacerations all over his body, some of which could have reached his arteries, and blood gushed out profusely. It was evident to everyone that no matter how strong the orc was; he would die if no one attended to his injuries.

But the woman wasn’t as fortunate. Her left hand was bent in a strange direction, and her head was bleeding. The only reason the wound wasn’t fatal was that she was a user of recovery magic. Nevertheless, she seemed to lack sufficient magical power to choose which part of her body to heal.

“If this continues, we will fall together.”

“I’m fine with that…”

They would fall together. This premonition was felt by both warriors. Their strengths were evenly matched. Neither of them could deal a fatal blow to the other.

The woman’s physical strength was not enough to pierce Bash’s vital points, and his strikes didn’t land directly on her. The woman’s injuries worsened gradually, and both of them grew weaker, but their relationship remained the same. For now, they could still heal themselves with fairy dust or recovery magic, but if they kept doing so, they would reach a point where their wounds could no longer be healed. And they were already on the verge of crossing that dividing line.

“An Orc Hero should not die in such a remote place with a nameless woman, without any honor.”

“…You, too, were a renowned warrior during the war…”

“Ah, but not anymore. Defeating me now will not bring you honor, and being defeated by me will only bring dishonor.” The woman looked at Bash. He was a great warrior, she had to admit. It was the first time she encountered an opponent for whom she felt a sense of respect merely from crossing swords. “Miss Lula Lula was a fine warrior, but do you really intend to die to avenge her?!”

“Why do you care?”

“Because a skilled warrior like you shouldn’t die in a place like this! You are a warrior who can match me! How many like you are there on this continent? You should die on a battlefield where you can be proud, fighting against someone more worthy than me!”

The woman looked up and glanced in a certain direction. Two faces appeared from the shadows of the forest, where the destruction had not yet reached. Ludo and Luka. The two of them, protected by a fairy, gazed at Bash and the woman with pale faces.

“Can you hear me? Are you watching, children? The Hero is going to die because you refuse to acknowledge Miss Lula Lula’s death! Is your revenge that important? Is Miss Lula Lula’s honor so significant that the Orc Hero must die to protect it?! I fought against Miss Lula Lula fairly and honestly! I swear by my past glory! I didn’t employ any sneaky and cowardly tricks as you imagine! And I left her corpse because I was in a hurry! Just like the Orc Hero did with Leto, the Beastman Hero! Can you blame me for that?! If you still want to come after me, fine. I’ll be your opponent! But what’s the point of letting others fight while you stand idle because you’re no match for the other person! How can you claim to defend Miss Lula Lula’s pride! What a shame!” It was a plea for her life. She didn’t want to die here, and she didn’t want Bash to die either. So she was bothered by the situation where the brother and sister, the masterminds of this revenge, merely watched the fight.

And Luka trembled at the words.

“I-I…”

She wanted to avenge her mother in her place. Having said that, Luka was completely paralyzed as she witnessed the battle unfolding. She didn’t want to make that request so lightly.

But the battle between Bash and her target of revenge was unimaginably fierce and tremendous. Bash should be able to defeat her easily. She couldn’t deny that was the feeling she had.

And the claim that Lula Lula and that woman had fought cleanly was also believable when she saw the combat. She had assumed that her mother was so strong that she must have died due to some completely cowardly tactic, but now she could believe that it wasn’t the case.

But even so, she couldn’t allow her brother to be the opponent of such a monster. That thought was stronger than before the fight. That’s why she couldn’t tell him to stop.

She didn’t know what to do. That’s why Luka asked Bash for help.

“I… I’ve had enough.”

Ludo was the one who said that.

“I was going to avenge her on my own from the beginning. I thought it was inevitable for my master to fight because I wasn’t strong enough and would never be able to win, but you’re right, this won’t protect my master’s honor, my mother’s honor, or our honor.”

Luka’s body suddenly relaxed. She knelt on the wet ground, tears welling up in her eyes.

“I was too hasty,” Ludo said, recalling the days when he felt his own powerlessness. “I’m sorry, master. I’m sorry for making you fight so much. I don’t know how many years will pass, but I will start my training again and defeat her. So, for now…”

“If-If Ludo says so…” Luka said as if she were trying to squeeze out her words. The reason she asked Bash for help was to protect her brother. If her brother changed his goal of defeating her right now, there would be no reason to rush. It was unimaginable for them to win as they were, but who knew what the future held for them. But over time, Ludo and Luka would gain more confidence. There would come a day when they had trained so much and gained enough strength to face the challenge, and yet they would feel that if they lost and died, it was inevitable. And at that moment, she was sure they wouldn’t hesitate. That’s what she was thinking.

“I see…”

And if that’s what they had decided, Bash had no choice but to sheathe his sword as well. Seeing this, the woman also let out a sigh of relief.

“Son of Lula Lula, you will be a good warrior. I thought I could let myself die at any moment… but I will be waiting for you while doing everything I can to live.”

The woman sheathed her sword, turned on her heels, and slowly walked away, casting a recovery spell on herself. Bash looked at her back and hesitated. He, of course, had nothing to object to regarding the twins’ decision.

It was fine if they hadn’t been able to avenge Lula Lula’s death. In reality, Bash didn’t have much desire for revenge either. If, as the woman said, it was the result of a fair fight, it would be foolish to try to avenge her. So the follow-up question was whether the spirit was satisfied with this. Would it be satisfied with such a half-hearted ending?

“Mm…” Suddenly, Bash felt a strange sensation. He no longer felt the torrential rain from before. He looked up at the sky with his palm held up and saw a gap in the dense clouds, and the light starting to shine through. The blue sky was returning to the Succubus Nation’s sky. “Hmm… that’s good, isn’t it?”

The rain had stopped, which probably meant that the anger of the water spirit had also subsided. In other words, he couldn’t be certain, but it seemed that the spirit was satisfied. So there was no reason for Bash to stay with the woman. The proposal had just been rejected the other day.

“Hey, woman.” But Bash called out to the woman’s back.

“Lord Bash, when addressing a woman whose name you don’t know, I recommend using ‘madam’ or ‘miss’ instead of just ‘woman’.”

“Hm, I see. I’ll remember that. Thank you.”

“You’re welcome. So, what can I do for you? I think you should also recover from your injuries…”

The woman shrugged and said this with a distant air, but with her hand still on guard over the sword at her waist. She had to be cautious. Of course, Bash no longer had any intention of fighting her. There was only one thing he wanted to say.josei

“I haven’t had a draw against any opponent since Thunder Sonia.”

“I feel honored to be placed alongside the Great Elven Archmage. Is that all?”

“I’m proud to have fought against you and survived.”

Upon hearing these words, the woman came to a sudden stop. She gripped the hilt of the sword at her waist, looked up at the sky, her mouth relaxed but quickly closed again. She opened it to say something, but stopped, then opened it again and said:

“Then I am also honored to have survived.”

The woman said this, and with a gesture of her hand, disappeared into the partially destroyed forest. With a somewhat lighter stride than before…

…The revenge of Ludo and Luka, children of Lula Lula, ended in a failed attempt.