Orc Hero Story: Discovery Chronicles

Chapter 70

Orc Hero Story

Orc Mage was a title an orc could achieve by remaining a virgin for thirty years. Among the various orcs, they were the only ones capable of using magic. Although their magical abilities were somewhat less reliable compared to those of elves or demons, their benefits were significant and indispensable for the army. However, this directly contradicted the values of their society, which dictated that “one became a true orc only after defeating their enemies on the battlefield, capturing and impregnating women.” Sometimes, some orcs looked down upon them. Despite enjoying the benefits, foolish orcs often viewed the existence of virgins with disdain.

Of course, Bash did not despise them. He had received help from orc mages on multiple occasions during battles. However, he made distinctions. He saw himself as a warrior, and the mages were magic users.

If there were another profession among the orcs, it would be that of magic warriors. Magic warriors were scorned. A magic warrior was essentially a warrior who had been unable to defeat a woman in thirty years of battle. Nevertheless, they had not died in battle either. If they couldn’t die in battle and couldn’t conquer women, it was safe to say they had been avoiding combat for those thirty years. Running from the enemy and spending a dozen years trembling in a quiet place led them to become magic warriors. Such cowardice was unacceptable among the orcs. They were not true orcs.

Of course, Bash was not one of them. He prided himself on being the bravest. However, if such a symbol were to appear on his forehead, he would be perceived as one of them. The actual circumstances would not matter. For orcs, it was the most humiliating label to bear. That’s how orcs were.josei

Bash felt respect for Orc Mages as his kin or comrades, but he did not feel contempt.

“Who are you?” Bash inquired sternly.

“Eh? Mister, don’t you recognize him?”

“I would be lying if I said I did.”

Bash did not remember all the orcs he had encountered during the war. However, an orc mage was a rare existence among orcs. Only a handful of children with great magical talent were isolated and raised as mages. Those who survived until the end of the war were even fewer.

Bash remembered all the surviving orc mages. However, the orc standing before him was unfamiliar.

In other words…

“Are you a deserter?” Bash asked him.

Someone who had fled from battle, lived in secrecy like a rat, and reached thirty years old was considered a detestable orc. An orc that no other orc would tolerate.

“No, you see… um, when I was young, I was captured by humans.”

“Hmm, were you a slave then?”

“Yes.”

“Poor thing. You became a magic warrior, got captured by humans in your first battle, and didn’t even get the chance to fight. Is that what happened?”

With that question, Bash suddenly felt deep pity for the elderly orc before him. Becoming a magic warrior without even having the chance to fight was the worst nightmare for any orc. If it happened to Bash, he might even beg for a merciful death.

“No, they captured me as a mage,” the orc clarified.

“Really?”

“Yes. So, I can use magic to a certain extent… Well, it’s not as pitiful as you may think.”

Bash wondered if the ability to use magic was the reason. Even orc mages, once they set foot on the battlefield, had to fight bravely, capture women and r̲a̲pe̲ them. For a moment, Bash thought about this, but decided not to say anything. Orcs didn’t care about details.

“In any case, it seems that Sir Bash and Lady Zell have lost their way. I have a map, but the sun will be setting soon. How about spending the night at my house?” suggested the old orc.

“You sound like a human,” commented Bash.

“I was held captive by humans for many years, so I’ve adapted. I don’t even know how other orcs talk anymore. Well, come this way.”

The orc elder smiled kindly and gestured for Bash and Zell to follow him. Without any reason to refuse, they obediently followed him into the house.

■

The house, a half-destroyed fortress, was picturesquely decorated. There were cozy chairs and tables. The roof was pitched, but the western sun shone through the round roof window, making it strangely luminous. On the table a crystal ball lined with a cauldron that gave the impression of being very wizardly, and on the wall were dried medicinal herbs. It was not orc-like, but wizard-like. Inside that house, something surprising was sitting.

“Dau.”

It was a child. It was a small child, not yet able to fend for himself.

A very small… orc child. His skin was red. A red orc.

“Why is there a child here?”

“Why? Because he’s my son.”

“Your son!?”

Bash’s voice grew louder at the unexpected answer. The Red Orc boy looked at Bash with a dazed look. There was a lack of confidence in his eyes. He didn’t know his age, but he didn’t look older than three years old.

“That’s right, why are you getting excited?”

“What…?”

At that moment, something flashed through Bash’s mind. It was a terribly ugly feeling.

“Didn’t you know that the Orc King forbade non-consensual relations with other races?”

Bash had endured a hard journey as an Orc Hero. He had followed the Orc King’s orders and had tried his best not to engage in forced sexual acts with women of other races. However, the orc mage before him had apparently r̲a̲pe̲d̲ a woman and left her pregnant. The fact that they were living together probably meant that he had captured her – a woman – here.

In other words, what had welled up inside Bash was anger and jealousy towards someone who had defied the Orc King’s orders. Bash, the Orc Hero, at the pinnacle of martial prowess, the envy of all orcs, had felt jealousy.

“I am aware of that,” said the orc mage.

“You are aware that you captured someone by force and forced her to bear your child!?” Bash’s tone became intense. Bash was usually quite tolerant of the actions of others, but after a year of hard work, he couldn’t help but feel indignant. Depending on the circumstances, he might even consider killing this orc mage.

“By force!? I didn’t do anything like that!”

However, the response he received in return was contrary to Bash’s expectations. Normally, an ordinary orc would boast about it, saying something like, “Of course! I also wanted to tell Sir Bash. She played hard to get while I was f̲u̲c̲k̲i̲n̲g her, but as soon as she found out she was pregnant, she turned pale and burst into tears.” But the orc mage in front of him claimed otherwise.

“So how did you make the child?”

To this obvious question, the orc mage answered as if it were the most natural thing in the world.

“Well, I courted her, of course.”

It was a totally unexpected answer for Bash.

“Did you woo her…? Really?”

It was so shocking that Bash, the Orc Hero, became nothing more than a puppet repeating what he was told at this response.

“Wait a minute!”

However, even though Bash had become a mere puppet, there was still someone who could speak. Bash always had his companion by his side. Yes, it was Zell, the self-proclaimed “Fairy Heroine.”

“So, you’re an orc, but you married a human woman in the human way!?” Zell’s keen understanding allowed her to see through what the orc mage meant. Indeed, that was exactly what Bash wanted to know.

“Hmm… Yes, well, sort of…”

It was a hesitant response, but the orc mage nodded. She hit the mark. It wasn’t difficult for Zell to understand the situation.

“I see… So that’s how it is.”

“That’s right. I didn’t force any woman. Understand?”

“Of course…”

“I’m glad the misunderstanding has been cleared up. Please, have a seat. I’ll prepare tea right away.”

Bash couldn’t hide his surprise but obediently took a seat. The chair was a bit small for an orc. The orc mage was using a small kitchen and utensils too small for an orc, boiling water meticulously and preparing tea.

It wasn’t very orc-like. In their society, such a display would be ridiculed as weakness. But why was it? Strangely, it felt convenient. It seemed strangely natural.

No, the reason was clear. Orcs didn’t lie. This man had said he courted a human woman.

With this knowledge, the house not designed for this orc started to look different. It was a house designed to cater to humans – a house that this orc mage had created to accommodate humans. The chairs, the table, everything was made to fit a human woman. Even his gestures and movements seemed adapted to a human woman.

The orc mage before him must have used every trick in the book to attract a woman. In other words, he knew how to conquer women. He was an orc with wisdom and knowledge. With this in mind, the slim orc with blue skin began to look like a sage.

“However, despite that, there’s no human woman here, right? You don’t live together?”

The orc mage’s hands stopped. He looked at the child and smiled with a slightly teary expression.

“My wife passed away before me.”

“I see, this area was also a fierce battlefield.”

“Yes, that’s right.”

Even those who had lived happily couldn’t escape the inevitability of death. It was a common story. Bash and Zell didn’t pay it much mind. In war, everyone had the same chances of dying.

“And the name?”

“My wife’s name? It was Saw…”

“Not hers. I mean your name.”

“Well, I am… uh, Druidor. That’s what I’ve been called.”

It was an unusual name for an orc, but Bash didn’t mind.

“I see, Druidor. I have a request.”

Bash stared intently at Druidor, who had introduced himself once again. There was a strong determination in his eyes. Bash was about to say something he had never uttered before.

“Currently, I’m on a journey to take a wife from a different race, but it’s not going well. I want you to teach me your way.”

“Oh, I see! This orc mage knows how orcs can get women from other races! I can’t believe it; I thought that Mister would be the first to get a woman using this method, but there was a predecessor! Certainly, if we can learn from this guy, you’ll easily get a woman, Mister! For a reason, you’re the Boss, Mister! As expected of the Orc Hero!”

Bash was the Orc Hero. It was inherently improper for the Orc Hero to seek advice from an orc mage on how to obtain a woman. Orc Heroes were the ones who were supposed to have the knowledge and experience to take women on the battlefield. They should be the ones teaching others, not seeking advice. That’s how it was supposed to be.

But the reality was different. Bash was a virgin who had never r̲a̲pe̲d̲ a woman on the battlefield, and he had been failing in his attempts to make up for it throughout this year-long journey. He had tried to get a woman in his own way and had achieved nothing.

If Bash were still around twenty-five years old or had lost his virginity a long time ago, he probably wouldn’t have asked for such help. An Orc Hero shouldn’t ask an ordinary orc mage for such assistance. Orc Heroes were supposed to be those figures for orcs.

“It might not be something you can teach just like that, but I’m asking you.”

Druidor seemed somewhat surprised. However, upon receiving Bash’s intense gaze, he turned his whole body to face him.

“Are you asking me for advice? An Orc Hero like you, who has defeated dragons? Do you want wisdom on how to take women from other races as wives?”

His expression tensed, no longer the somewhat fearful smile from before, now resembling that of a warrior facing a life-or-death battle. Indeed, this man, who had lived here for so long, been captive for a long time, and participated in wars, was fundamentally still a warrior. A man like that, when asked by another man known as the Orc Hero, couldn’t simply continue with a polite smile.

“Yes, that’s right. By the great Orc King Nemesis… well, it’s embarrassing to mention the Orc King’s name in these matters, but still, I request it of you.”

Druidor thought for a moment. He rested his chin on his hand, closed his eyes, looked at the ceiling, and seemed to have a hard time with something. However, when he looked back at Bash, he clearly had a different attitude than before.

“…Very well.”  He was no longer the frail-looking orc mage. He appeared full of wisdom, exuding an aura of unique intelligence that comes from those who have accumulated knowledge and sharpened their wisdom over a long life. He looked like a sage.  “If you, the Orc Hero, wish for it, then I will impart all the knowledge I possess to the best of my ability.”

“Are you sure!?”

“Yes. However, in exchange, please promise not to harm us… I mean, not to harm my son, no matter what happens.”

“I swear by the great Orc King Nemesis.”

And so, for the first time in his life, Bash gained a mentor.