Orc Hero Story: Discovery Chronicles

“…Why are they here?” The Sage murmured softly as he watched them. They weren’t supposed to be here. Few knew of the cathedral. Chancellor Crusader knew, but he wouldn’t never reveal it. Not to foreign dignitaries, and certainly not to his own prince. Because he was that kind of man. The more secrets he kept, the more power he believed it gave him. He wouldn’t reveal it to others unless he was truly cornered. And according to the Sage’s assessment, they weren’t in a desperate situation yet. So, he wouldn’t reveal it.

But the prince might have known, right? No, he shouldn’t. He might have known about the “Cathedral,” but not its location.

Nazar provided the answer.

“There was a man following you. He probably knew from the beginning… He was targeting a Human woman, approaching her covertly.”

“…I see!”

Although it wasn’t the answer the Sage was looking for, it was a story that now made sense. In the Sage’s mind, the image of an Orc, the one who had sought his teachings to win a wife, emerged. His eyes had been filled with determination and a clear vision of the future. Undoubtedly, that Orc would use the Sage’s teachings to achieve his goal.

But that might not be all. If those tied to the past obstructed those who sought to move forward and shape the future, then the teachings might also be valuable in that battle. However, the idea that they had discovered one of Poplatica’s agents hidden in the city… It seemed that the Sage’s last student was more capable than he had thought.

“Don’t worry. Your companions didn’t reveal your location until the end. She was a strong individual. That’s why it took me a little longer to locate you. But once I knew you were here, on the Zarico Peninsula, the rest was obvious. There is a “relic” here, and you’ve come to obtain it. The only question is where and when. There have been some developments along the way, but I don’t need to explain it all, right?”

“I’d like to know that part, but well, I guess it doesn’t matter. Both of us are quite busy.”

Although he couldn’t obtain the information he was looking for, looking at the people in front of him, he could roughly imagine how they had arrived here. The elven search party had captured a spy, beastmen had used their keen sense of smell to locate the relic’s whereabouts, the Dwarf deciphered the mechanism of the statue and opened the way to the cathedral… that’s one way to put it. And the permission to move freely in the Human castle town had been granted by the Human prince. He had the authority for that.

Although it might have made sense for someone like the Chancellor to intervene, he probably didn’t even care about the relic, and it was “convenient” for him that Nazar interacted with other races. When he thought about it, it was a sequence of events that could be understood, but he haven’t thought of it. Unlike the Seven Races Federation, the Four Races Alliance was not very skilled at cooperating with other races.

If there was a flaw in the Sage, it might have been that he knew nothing about the incident where the Beastmen’s Sacred Tree had withered. Of course, he had known it as information, but he hadn’t grasped the extent of the Beastmen Royal Family’s anger or understood it as a tangible fact. He had never imagined that the royal family would use their keen sense of smell to track down their hated enemies and provide their own guards to help them. The Sage had never imagined it.

However, the most unexpected development was the movement of the “Orc Hero.” His actions had set everything in motion. If he hadn’t found Poplatica’s ally, Nazar and Thunder Sonia wouldn’t have ended up here. If he hadn’t been there, they could have easily stolen the scriptures during the secret meeting.

“But still, it’s quite unexpected that the Sage would betray us… The information about your complicity with them will lend a lot of credibility to the story of Gediguz’s resurrection, don’t you think?”

“Well, I have to admit it seems absurd to me too. It’s theoretically possible though… but we won’t know for sure until we try it.”

“Right, but don’t expect me to allow it.”

Nazar’s words brought tension to everyone present. Eight against twelve. A small difference, but their opponents were not just riffraff like before; they were formidable warriors from various nations. Although there were men among them, Thunder Sonia wouldn’t overlook that Carrot used her “Charm” as before. There would probably be a battle, but if the individual forces were relatively equal, the side with fewer numbers would be at a significant disadvantage.

All eyes turned to the Sage. Poplatica, as a spokesperson, addressed him.

“Was this also within your expectations?”

“No… This was unexpected. I had the Chancellor’s movements perfectly predicted, but I never imagined that the ‘Elven Archmage’ or the ‘Orc Hero’ would be so proactive… It seems that I was the one who measured everything with my own yardstick.”

The Human Sage said, sounding regretful. He had underestimated the Chancellor while overestimating himself. He laughed at his own foolishness. But, in the first place, he had never proclaimed himself a Sage. The others just started calling him that.

“The ideal would be for everyone to surrender without resistance. It would be a shame to lose the greatest of the Human Sages. But maybe you taught Sir Bash your wisdom only for this occasion?”

“I never knew… that he intended to thwart the resurrection of Gediguz. He also shouldn’t have thought that I was on this side. If he had somehow known, that would mean he’s truly a genius beyond the reach of the orcs… But sometimes, Sir Bash can be elusive. Where could he be now?”

“Him? Well, when we captured your comrade, I asked him if he would come to the castle with us, but for some reason, he said he had something to do… I managed to have him brought here before we arrived, but this time, maybe he’ll allow us to shine. Or maybe…”

“Out of consideration for the master who imparted wisdom to him?”

Upon hearing the word “consideration,” Nazar burst into laughter. The Bash he had met the other day had become the embodiment of consideration. If the Sage had taught him to consider things, it would be natural for laughter to overflow. But now there was no time to discuss the magnificent orc with the man standing before him.

“So, what’s your answer?”

“Well, let’s see… At the very least, I should keep my promise.”

Poplatica and the other seven were already on high alert. However, upon hearing those words, they exchanged meaningful looks.

“A promise?”

“I…” Caspar handed the Scriptures from his hand to Poplatica beside him. Then he looked at his empty hand. “When I was a child, I wanted to become a dragon. I wanted to soar through the vast sky, free from any restrictions, an embodiment of violence but never controlled by it; the ultimate existence. But when I married a dragoness, I talked to her and unraveled her secrets, I realized. I didn’t want to become a dragon. I just admired them.”

“Is that all?” The incomprehensible monologue made Nazar ask with a perplexed expression.

“Now… I don’t want to become anything.” The appearance of the Sage quickly changed. Scales sprouted from his skin, his nails lengthened and sharpened. His head split into three, his limbs became thick and elongated, and his body expanded tremendously. “I’ll stop them here. You lot, run!”

“Oh no, this is bad, everyone, get out of the cathedral!”

The moment Nazar shouted, the Sage muttered the spell.

“Newt.”

A gigantic monster appeared in Stormcrest Castle.

Frizcop: I love that now Bash was like he was looking for the Sage’s teachings just so he could better identify the spy inside the city haha! Also, come on Nazar, the nameless woman is there! You tell her something!