Orc Hero Story: Discovery Chronicles

Chapter 69

Orc Hero Story

Frizcop: Well, people. Since we raised the money to buy the book in less than a day, what was promised is debt: the next three chapters of Orc Hero unpartitioned and in one sitting.

Also, my thanks to RomSquarEnix, Andy, Rhydec and AbimaelDeLeón for their help with the purchase of the volume.

The illustrations can be found in the following chapters 42, 43, 44, 45, 47, 50, 51, 53 and 54.

Also, although he probably won’t see it, I thank my friend KaiseR for his help in cleaning up the images, because thanks to him I was able to translate them.

Without anything else to say, I thank you again, and I hope you enjoy the reading ^_^

Bash found himself in the forest. To be more precise, it was more of a thicket than a forest. The dense trees, barely taller than Bash himself, made it a challenging place to traverse.

As far as he knew, this area had once been a scorched wasteland. It was the entrance to the Zarico Peninsula, a battlefield where countless battles had turned everything to ashes.

Plants were resilient creatures. In just a few years without fighting in this area, they had expanded their dominion to this point. However, this had caused Bash and Zell to lose their way. The grown trees made it impossible to distinguish a path.

“How strange… This should be the right way.”

Even Zell’s navigation skills seemed unreliable this time. The fairy had conquered forests throughout the continent of Vastonia. She often referred to forests as friends and trees as companions, but not even she could claim all the trees that had sprouted during her absence as companions. Well, that would probably be a story for after they crossed the forest. Once they made it through, they would be friends. Although the trees might not appreciate it.

“Anyway, if we keep walking away from the mountains, we’ll eventually get there.”

“You’re right!”

Despite their current uncertainty, Bash remained carefree. They had already crossed the mountains despite the landslide. Therefore, this was already the Zarico Peninsula. The peninsula narrowed, so they would eventually reach civilization. If not, they would reach the sea, and then they could simply walk along the coast. After all, the Blackhead Territory was at the tip of the peninsula, so they would get there this way. If they did reach the mountains instead, they could just turn right.

With that in mind, they continued walking cheerfully. However, they still couldn’t see anything beyond the forest. Even with Zell, a fairy, flying to inspect the surroundings, they couldn’t spot any cities or the sea. The cause was the characteristic of the Zarico Peninsula: the thick fog. This peninsula was prone to fog, and before humans began calling it the Zarico Peninsula, it was known as Mistland due to the frequent mist that enveloped it. Of course, Bash and Zell were unaware of these historical details.

“However, this area has changed quite a bit, hasn’t it?”

“Yes… but the scent of the air hasn’t changed much. It’s a nostalgic fragrance.”

“Heh, I wouldn’t know, but now that I think about it, didn’t we start working together around the Zarico Peninsula campaign?”

“Really?”

“Yes. It feels nostalgic… Back then, you weren’t as strong as you are now, Mister. You were a bit better than the others, but you still felt like an ordinary orc in some ways. You got stronger quickly in the midst of battles, and it surprised me.”

“I remember. You were the third fairy to join our squad. You acted all haughty and powerful, calling us kids and younglings…”

“Hey! It’s not like that! You see, back then, I was still a bit of a brat, and I wanted to act like a senior to the young orcs. Being a fairy, I didn’t want to be looked down upon. It was just youthful indiscretion! I’m more mature now! I’ve undergone a complete transformation from that arrogant me back then to who I am now! I respect you now, Mister! You’re a trusted comrade and a hero! I could kick my old self’s butt in less than a minute with the me I am now!”

“Really? Well, despite acting haughty, I always trusted you. Without you, we probably wouldn’t have made it to the Blackhead Territory.”josei

“That makes me very happy to hear, Mister!”

As they chatted, Bash and Zell walked through the underbrush, reminiscing about the past. It was a time when Bash had just graduated from being a new recruit and was making a name for himself as a full-fledged Orc. Zell had been assigned as a fairy adjunct to Bash’s squad back then. Both of them had taken part in the Blackhead Territory campaign, a massive operation conceived by the generals under Gediguz’s command.

The campaign had been meticulously planned, with troops strategically positioned, and everything under the control of Gediguz and his three generals. Zell had been assigned as a messenger and guide for Bash’s Boulder squad during the operation. It’s worth noting that Zell wasn’t the only fairy with such a role; there were many fairies in similar positions. However, Zell was the only one who survived.

The Blackhead Territory campaign was considered a flawless operation. They sent a large number of ships to block the sea routes around the Zarico Peninsula, used large-scale magic to bring down the mountain ranges leading to it, effectively sealing off the land routes, and then landed from multiple shores to launch their invasion. Despite Blackhead’s exceptional leadership, they had no escape route; everyone believed they would be quickly annihilated.

However, Blackhead displayed astonishing resilience. He had the Storm Knights, his subordinates. There were only ten of them, but each of these knights commanded over 500 soldiers and was a formidable leader.

The Seven Races Federation boldly attacked the ten fortresses guarded by these knights, using a mixed force of demons, orcs, fairies, harpies, and lizardmen. Succubi repelled the humans approaching by sea, while ogres pushed back the elves and beastmen advancing by land. The dwarves saw their massive fortress at the entrance to the Zarico Peninsula destroyed and couldn’t send reinforcements.

The encirclement around the Peninsula was perfect, but Gediguz made a mistake: he didn’t leave any escape route for the humans. Moreover, the mental strength of the humans, especially Blackhead and his Storm Knights, as well as all the soldiers of the Zarico Peninsula, exceeded the Demon King’s expectations. They had high training and morale since they had defended this region as a vital fortress for over 200 years, pouring all their tactics and experience into their defense. Even though they realized it was unlikely they would win and that they would eventually die in a desperate battle, they never surrendered. None of them despaired. Even if they were to die in the end, they were determined to prolong the suffering of the Seven Races Federation and take down as many enemies as possible.

Therefore, the main force, the demon army, couldn’t break through the fortresses. The Deep Mist Fortress, guarded by “Martinez, the Lightning Slasher,” who ranked third among the Storm Knights, couldn’t be brought down. Well, it could be taken, but it took time. One reason might have been that the demon commander aimed to minimize casualties in a battle they believed they could win. Blackhead gathered troops from other places because he knew this was the main target. However, the invasion didn’t go as planned, and the possibility of reinforcements arriving by sea or land began to emerge. This gave hope to the humans and anxiety to the Seven Races Federation.

In the midst of this situation, a turning point occurred. A fortress they had never expected to fall was captured. The White Mist Fortress, guarded by Raven, Storm Slasher; the highest-ranking Storm Knight, had fallen. Surprisingly, it was conquered by orcs, and not even by the main force of orcs but by a seemingly insignificant unit of soldiers. Although it took some time, the fortress fell quickly. From there, a massive horde of orcs infiltrated the entire Zarico Peninsula, plunging Blackhead’s army into chaos.

After all, they were orcs: they killed everyone, kidnapped and r̲a̲pe̲d̲ women. These marauders began attacking innocent people. The Storm Knights mobilized to stop them, but things fell apart. One by one, they were defeated, and very soon, the main orc army had reached Stormhill, the capital of the Blackhead territory. Furthermore, the main demon force that had defeated Martinez was closing in. It was a desperate situation.

As soon as the main demon force arrived, they rushed in, and Blackhead was defeated. The demon general rewarded a lucky common soldier who had taken Blackhead’s head with a sword.

…At that moment, this man was considered a fortunate common soldier. However, he would later be known as the “Orc Hero.” Yes, the one who defeated Raven of the Storm Knights and ultimately took down Blackhead in a one-on-one battle was none other than Bash, who had been nothing more than a foot soldier. Zell had dragged him across the battlefield and then separated him from the squad halfway, but he never stopped fighting. As a result, he unexpectedly defeated the enemy’s strongest fighters.

Most of the blame lay with Zell for leading him astray, but Bash believed that ultimately, Zell had saved him. He had survived and achieved great success. Without Zell, none of this would have happened. Zell’s words of “It’s this way, no doubt!” may have been mostly wrong, but for Bash, they had not led to bad outcomes.

“Hmm.”

As they reminisced about old stories, the landscape suddenly opened up before them. It was a lake. A large lake stretched out before their eyes.

“Oh, it’s Lake Smaza!”

“And there’s the White Mist Fortress!”

The White Mist Fortress on Lake Smaza was the first place Bash and Zell had aimed for when they arrived in this region. When they first saw it, the fortress serenely floating in the white mist seemed impregnable. In fact, to capture this fortress, numerous orcs had become drowned corpses in the lake. Zell hesitated and eventually found a “secret entrance” several kilometers away. Without that discovery, the fortress probably would not have fallen.

Now, the fortress was partially ruined and had become a moss-covered ruin. The fortress they knew had not suffered such damage. Most likely, it had deteriorated like this during the battle when humans reclaimed the Zarico Peninsula.

“If I recall correctly, there was a map in the fortress, right?”

“Yes.”

If their memories didn’t fail them, there should be a map of the entire area in one of the rooms of the White Mist Fortress. If they could confirm it, they should be able to find the place they were looking for. Maybe. Well, assuming it was still there.

With this in mind, the two approached the fortress while circling the lake.

“Oh? It looks like someone’s there, doesn’t it?”

“I see it too!”

Looking around, they noticed movement inside the fortress. Upon closer inspection, a faint plume of smoke rose from the fortress’s remains.

“Perfect. If someone lives around here, they should know the way.”

“That’s right!”

While having this conversation, the two continued to approach the fortress. Then, they noticed a strange light emanating from inside. It seemed to be some kind of magical light. Could there be a wizard inside?

Thinking this, they approached the fortress, and they could see that the remains of the fortress had been renovated. A two-story wooden structure had been added to the remains of the white stone fortress. Bash and Zell didn’t know the details, but it was probably a human architectural style. Near the entrance, white clothes were hung on a clothesline, swaying in the wind. Someone had settled in the place where the fortress had once stood.

“Hello! Is anyone here?”

In response to Zell’s call, hurried footsteps echoed from inside the house. The steps stopped at the door.

“Who are you?”

It was a man’s voice.

“I’m Bash, the ‘Orc Hero.’ We want to ask for directions.”

“And I’m Zell, the ‘Fairy Heroine’! We’re not suspicious, I promise!”

There was no such thing as a “Fairy Heroine.” In fact, they were quite a suspicious pair.

“Orc Hero…? It can’t be… Why are you here?”

“We were on our way to the Blackhead Territory, but the human guides who were showing us the way died in a landslide. Not only did we lose the way, but we don’t even know our current location! If you want to do your good deed for the day, it’s now! This is your chance to earn the gratitude of the ‘Orc Hero,’ Bash! Don’t miss it. Your fate could change with this choice you make right now!”

Whether it was due to Zell’s skillful persuasion or the mention of the “Orc Hero,” the door opened.

“Hmm…”  Bash’s eyebrows twitched at the sight that appeared behind the door. The man who emerged had a wrinkled face that looked like that of an elderly person, and his slender body indicated he wasn’t a warrior. The man had a familiar greenish skin tone.

In other words, an orc.

“Who are you?”

Furthermore, on his forehead, there was a recognizable emblem. The emblem, often ridiculed within the orc nation, was something that particularly disgusted Bash. He had no special feelings toward those who wore it, but he himself held it in complete contempt. It was the mark of someone who had remained a virgin until the age of thirty.

He was an orc mage.