Orc Hero Story: Discovery Chronicles

On that day, Bash was once again trying to pick up women. His attempts were going quite well. Thanks to the wisdom of the Sage, the human women seemed quite willing to open up to Bash, laughing and engaging in pleasant conversations with him. The atmosphere was becoming quite pleasant. Why did the smiles of human women excite Bash so much? He longed to take these women home and become a respectable orc, worthy of pride.

“I’m sorry, but becoming the wife of an orc is too much for me. I think you’re a good guy, but my parents and the rest of the humans don’t like orcs…”

“I see…”

However, in the end, it didn’t work out. Even when he asked them to become his wife, no one gave a favorable response.

“Do human women hate the idea of becoming an orc’s wife?”

“It’s not that. Interracial marriages are quite popular now, and if it’s a gallant orc like you, some people will be okay with it. But…”

“But?”

“This is the Zarico Peninsula. It’s a land where orcs committed massacres and atrocities, so most people here have negative feelings toward them. Although I personally wouldn’t mind, you also have to consider social pressure. Marrying an orc can make your family look down upon, and your own family might turn against you.”

“I see…” Bash nodded firmly to her words. In the past few days, he had felt a level of progress in his dating attempts like never before. Following Druidor’s teachings and many discussions with Zell, his flirting attempts were undoubtedly getting closer to success. However, he couldn’t seal the deal. If the reason was local circumstances, then it was a valid reason.

However, this place was part of human territory, but it was still an enclave. Getting from here to another human territory would still take a long time. That was the biggest obstacle.

“In retrospect, it might have been better to accept Nazar’s invitation.”

“Do you think so? But what would be the point of going to the castle?”

“Perhaps Nazar was hinting that there are women in the castle who wouldn’t mind orcs. Do you remember when he subtly guided us in the Beastmen Nation? He dropped hints back then too.”

“That’s true… he’s quite a subtle guy.”

Not that he was being overly subtle. However, when Bash looked at Nazar’s actions in this light, the invitation to the castle seemed more significant. He had invited Bash to the castle at night, suggesting they might find women who didn’t mind orcs there. But at that time, Bash was in the pursuit of another woman and feeling significant progress. So he responded to Nazar with a “I still have things to do” and stayed here. However, when Bash thought about Nazar’s actions in the Beastmen Nation, maybe it would have been better to go with him.

“Still, even if he said there are women in the castle who wouldn’t mind, what kind of women were there?”

“Hmm… it seems like, in general, the people of this city don’t like orcs, but there might be more humans in the castle who don’t dislike them as much. Oh, right, when it comes to castles, you often think of soldiers who are sent from far away to protect it. And it’s not uncommon that they’re not from around here!”

“So, female soldiers!”

Female soldiers had a lower rank than female knights. A female soldier becoming the wife of an Orc Hero might be considered lower status. However, Bash didn’t care about such things. Anyway, if they weren’t from this place, the odds were high. After all, even human women had given him their seal of approval, saying, “It will be fine.”

“Is it still possible to get there now?”

“Well… no, the humans are going to sleep already. It could be difficult.”

“I see… maybe it’s a good idea to leave this place. The nearest human territory around here is…”

Zell started thinking about the next destination as she looked at her mental map. However, moving from here would take quite some time. This area was adjacent to the Dwarven Kingdom and the Beastmen Kingdom. The territories of humans and elves were far away.

“…It doesn’t matter if they are dwarves or beastmen.”

“Druidor’s teachings weren’t necessarily limited to humans… Right, it’s true! They aren’t restricted to any particular race! It really is wisdom that could be called universal! So, should we consider going to a nearby country?”

As far as Bash was concerned, humans or elves would be preferable. That’s why he had given up on the demons and come back here. However, he didn’t dislike beastmen women, and dwarves like Primera he had met in the Do Banga’s Pit, were also fine.

“Well, we have plenty of time, so let’s take it easy!”

Zell didn’t know it, but Bash was starting to feel a real sense of urgency. He had reached a point where he felt like he was running out of time. He had received Druidor’s wisdom at the last moment and had come this far. Therefore, he wanted to make a safe decision this time. At this point, even dwarves would be fine.

“That’s right. I’ll go to the castle tomorrow, and if that doesn’t work, I’ll go to one of the neighboring countries.”

“From what it seems, a place where there hasn’t been a conflict with orcs would be good! I wonder where that might be…”

The two of them spoke as they looked towards the castle. In the misty haze, a large moon shone behind the castle.

“Eh?”

Suddenly, the castle was covered by a huge shadow. No, it was something else. Something enormous had suddenly emerged from inside the fortress.

With a slight delay, a thunderous roar echoed.

As people emerged from the houses around, someone looked at Bash and seemed to ask if it had been his doing, but they quickly realized it wasn’t. That was because the deafening noise was still coming from the direction of the castle, and that noise seemed to be gradually approaching.

“What’s… what’s happening…?”

When someone muttered those words…

“Graaaahhhhh!”

A roar resounded, the roar of a creature unlike anything they had heard before. It exuded overwhelming power. It instilled a primitive fear. Even those who had been born in the midst of war and constantly faced death couldn’t help but shudder before it. Perhaps it was even more terrifying than a dragon.

“W-What is that thing…?”

“Ah…”

The city walls crumbled. Amid the dust and dirt, that “something” rose slowly, illuminated by the moonlight. It was enormous. It was as gigantic as a dragon, or perhaps even more so. From a distance, it might look like a dragon. However, it was definitely not a normal living being.

“Ah, ah…”

“Uwaaaaahhhhh!”

Everyone present panicked. They felt that something they considered sacred had been horribly profaned. They had seen something they should never have seen and learned something they should never have known. Overwhelmed by such feelings, their minds filled with inexpressible frustration and anxiety.

“What is that, what is that!?”

“Run! Hurry, just hurry and run!”

“Wake up, it’s not time to sleep, wake up!”

“Oh no, oh no, ahhhhhh!”

Panic spread. People poured out of their houses one after another. In an instant, the streets were filled with people. They pushed and stumbled, and some were trampled. However, almost all humans had experience with this kind of “retreat”. Despite the chaos, they helped those who had fallen, offered their shoulders to those who couldn’t walk, and tried to escape the city together.

The monster seemed to be rampaging without a clear direction. No, upon closer inspection, it wasn’t random; it was engaged in some kind of battle. Figures danced in the air, and lightning pierced the darkness. It was natural. Even if they didn’t know where this mysterious creature had come from, if it attacked human lands, human soldiers and knights would not allow it to roam freely. But the monster was getting closer.

People noticed something strange… Some who knew understood it. Today, in that castle, dignitaries from various countries were present. There were individuals who should not die. Therefore, the castle’s soldiers were trying to keep the monster away from the fortress. Thus, civilians had to evacuate to avoid becoming unnecessary victims. Some were not aware of it, but none questioned it. Humans were a species that excelled in strength through unity. After thousands of years of continuous war, everyone had this principle etched into their souls. When the time came to flee, no one hesitated. Especially those who had never been known as warriors during the war understood their own powerlessness when they were without weapons or outside the chain of command.

From Bash’s perspective, it was a bit chaotic, but it wasn’t a disorganized retreat; it was a well-executed withdrawal. When it came to collective action, there was no one better than the human race.

“As expected of humans. Their retreat is swift,” Bash murmured despite the crowd’s pushing. However, he still saw that they wouldn’t make it in time. The monster was faster than the human evacuation.

“What are you going to do, Mister? Are you going to fight that thing?”

There was no reason to fight. Bash had no obligation to step up and fight for the humans. He had no reason to protect them. He wasn’t foolish enough to think that helping a woman could make her fall in love with him. However, Bash was an orc, the “Orc Hero”.

“Orcs don’t run from enemies.”

“That’s right!”

Amidst the crowd, Bash continued to stand firm. The monster approached. Bash raised his sword.

“Graaaaoooooowwwww!”

His war cry echoed. The battle between the “Orc Hero” and the monster had begun.