505 – Even A Village School Kid Can Learn Martial Arts In Three Years
The plaza of Obelisk. After the Orcs occupied Obelisk, this place, which had been noisy for a while, was now solemn. Not because the Orcs had retreated, but because news had arrived that would make even the Orcs shut their mouths.
Even Grull, who usually didn’t show up, was now guarding the place heavily. The Regressor stepped forward and spoke.
“The wolves have appeared.”
The Regressor doesn’t like to stand in front of people. Not because he’s shy, but because it’s annoying. So, for the Regressor to speak up in front of the plaza means that something has happened that goes beyond annoyance.
“Everyone at the outpost was killed by the wolves. The news was late because the wolves killed them without leaving a single trace of blood. From what I heard, the shepherds rang the alarm bell when the wolves appeared a few days ago.”
The news that the guards at the southern outpost had been wiped out. The news that several shepherds had lost their lives. The news that half of the sheep had been consumed as food to fill the wolves’ stomachs, and that the outskirts of Ende had been attacked before they even realized the wolves’ presence.
The Regressor, who had realized that the enemy had reached their doorstep, glared sharply at everyone present.
“You didn’t report anything, did you? Do you have anything to say?”
The crowd’s gaze turned to Urkpeng. Urkpeng rolled his eyes in embarrassment at the attention he was getting.
‘Why are you looking at me? I’m not an Orc. I’m the leader of the Fang Mercenary Corps, who used to work with the Orcs. I mainly took on requests from the pig-people in Ende, and I helped the Orcs quite a bit. But don’t expect me to act as the general of the city as if it’s my duty! You’re not even going to treat me like a real general!’
However, mercenaries live on their reputation. Even if the Regressor and Grull were watching, it didn’t seem like they would listen to him if he complained. Urkpeng answered meekly.
“…The Mercenary Corps did go out when we heard that the wolves had appeared.”
“And?”
“We didn’t find any wolf fur or even footprints, so we tentatively concluded that it was a misunderstanding by the shepherds.”
And a heavier silence enveloped the room. Those who had found the problem stared at Urkpeng with wide eyes. Urkpeng closed his eyes tightly at the expected reaction.
“Are you an idiot?”
And the Regressor began to question him.
“Didn’t I say that the Wolf King was approaching? That we would fight him? Then, at the very least, you should have paid attention to the wolves’ movements, shouldn’t you? What if you had taken the story as a lie without doing a proper investigation?”
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“I went there, but there was nothing there….”
“There was nothing there! You heard that the wolves had appeared! If you didn’t know, you should have at least told me or Grull!”
The Regressor wasn’t the only one questioning him. Even the other Orcs grumbled at Urkpeng. They said he was too complacent, and who was going to take responsibility. Urkpeng, who was feeling wronged by the unexpected criticism, shifted the blame for the responsibility that was being poured on him to others.
“What do you want me to do? My men and I have been working like dogs every day! We’re guarding Obelisk, tracking down goblins all night, and now you want us to guard the vast outskirts of Ende? Do we have ten bodies?”
“Obelisk was your job.”
“We’re just a mercenary corps. Not Obelisk! No, it’s worse because there are no guard dogs! In the first place, you were the ones who locked up Obelisk and kicked out the guard dogs!”
Oh. You came out. Until now, it was us. But this is the moment when the Orcs, who had been united with one heart and one mind, begin to crack.
“You? It’s thanks to the Orcs that you were able to be in that position!”
“What’s there to brag about if I have guard dogs and Obelisk under my command! What is this place now? My pigsty? You’re using me like a pig!”
“That’s harsh! Urkpeng. You have the freedom that we fought for! It’s different from the old days when you were overworked!”
“I’m being overworked right now!”
Their voices grew louder. Fearing that a clash would break out, Poina shouted.
“Stop it! This is not the time for us to fight among ourselves!”Poina, the chieftain of the Orcs, doesn’t actually have great abilities or experience. However, her loud and appealing voice can single-handedly calm the chaos of the Orcs. With that alone, Poina, who took the position of the Orc chieftain and spokesperson, has sufficiently demonstrated her abilities.
“Urkpeng. Please wait a little longer. I will gather the Orcs of Ende as quickly as possible and organize a new guard.”
Urkpeng, who seemed to have calmed down a little, grumbled.
“We can’t use those guys right away. They need to learn by rolling around for a while.”
“It’s necessary. Our Orcs never even had that opportunity. They need to learn and become proficient enough to take a position in Ende.”
“We don’t have the capacity to…”
I don’t know why they only choose Orcs as guards in the first place. Urkpeng, who had nothing good to come from fighting any longer, sat down. Internally, he was relieved.
‘Whew. Now, they won’t say anything to me, right? At least this has come to an end.’
They’ve all become politicians, really.
After Urkpeng sat down, Poina spoke to the returnee.
“Nothing will be solved by just blaming past mistakes. Let’s discuss countermeasures from now on.”
“I agree, but it feels shameless coming from your mouth.”
“…Hmph. Anyway. Since the experts to stop the Wolf King have come, I’d like to hear your opinions.”
Poina pretended to organize and sat Urkpeng down, subtly passing the ball to this side. Even though it wasn’t as complicated as humans, it was already excellent politics. The Orcs must be gradually learning politics as well. The problem is that they’re only adopting the bad parts of politics first.
“Hunting.”
Grull, who had been sitting down, slowly stood up.
Unlike when Urkpeng stood up, a different sense of pressure weighed down on the plaza. The Orcs who met his gaze instinctively flinched.
Grull spoke with an imposing aura.
“Wolves are beasts that hunt in packs. They each have their own roles. Scouting, threatening, driving, hunting. They harass their prey, circle around, gradually drive them in, and bite their necks at the last moment to cut off their breath.”
Even though the citizens of Ende are familiar with wild beasts, they can’t compare to the beasts that live in the wild.
“The guys who came looking for us now are the scouts. They come close while sneaking from afar, observe, and provoke their prey to see their reactions. Sometimes, when a beast pack is sick and their reactions are dull, they go ahead and bite a few of them. It seems Ende was looked down upon by the wolf pack.”
“But when the Orc mercenaries went looking for them, they said they didn’t see any wolf tracks. If they’re not using chi, then how did it happen?”
“Chi.”
Grull stated firmly. And the Orcs who realized the meaning of his words began to murmur.
Chi is the power of humans. Beasts that lack intelligence can’t use that power. Even pig beastmen know that common sense, yet words denying it came out of Grull’s mouth.
“Huh? But beasts can’t use chi….”
“Old beasts have spirits dwelling in them. You know the stories of the wolf lord Robona who made a territory of a human kingdom tremble in fear, the lion of Neima who ate an entire city, and the cannibal tiger of Banger, right?”
“But that’s just because they lived long and became a little stronger. Isn’t it impossible for them to systematically handle ki like humans and use chi?”
“Why do you think it’s impossible? I’ve seen many humans who are dumber than wolves. Especially recently. There’s nothing strange about wolves using chi.”
“But… how would wolves understand the principles of the universe?”
An Orc who at least vaguely knew what chi was asked. Grull answered.
“Because the King of Beasts is there.”
“Are you talking about the Wolf King? The King of Beasts who took on the appearance of a human?”
“It seems your head is working a little. That’s right. The King of Beasts is a bridge connecting humans and beasts. If the Wolf King conveys the chi that he understands in his own way, they’ll be able to learn at least part of that enlightenment.”
“Is that really possible? This is the first time I’ve heard of that.””Of course. It’s the first story I’ve ever told.”
“Yes?”
Orc, who had been listening attentively until now, let out a sigh of disappointment. Grull continued to speak, regardless.
“Our Beast Tribe has been feeling the changes in the beasts to the bone. They were originally threatening beasts, but after they started living together, the damage was reduced. However, at some point, they started to be manipulated by wolves and lost members of the tribe. Even warriors who had mastered the art of qi were found torn to shreds by claws and teeth.”
“What do you mean…?”
“Someone is training the wolves. That’s my conclusion.”
Grull finished speaking and looked around the square of Obely, warning them.
“That means someone is using wolves to attack Ende. Even we, who fight beasts on a daily basis, have come here to hide our tribe members in a safe place. If we don’t prepare ourselves, we’ll all be eaten.”
The other orcs may not have noticed. However, as the saying goes, a place is made by people. Poina sensed a great deal of discomfort in Grull’s words. Poina protested.
“I, we are also prepared!”
“What are you doing to prepare for the wolves?”
“We have asked the trap designer, Kito, to set traps. Using her unique magic, she can set and maintain a lot of traps without any cost. The wolves will have to break through the trap field before they can enter Ende!”
“…Hmph. I don’t know how useful it will be, but I don’t expect much.”
Grull, who didn’t know the city’s situation, swallowed his words with dissatisfaction, having seen Kito’s abilities several times.
‘It’s going to be useless. Kito’s unique magic, the rabbit trap, is only a trap in name. Its true nature is to maintain instability. The power to keep a tightly stretched thread in a stretched state for a short time. It might work in a complex city, but on the plains, it’s not even as good as tying a knot with grass.’
I can’t remember anything else well, but I can remember the little things well. However, this is knowledge from before the regression, and now the regressor has nothing to do with Kito. If he pretended to know, he would arouse suspicion, and since he didn’t have to go out of his way to set traps, the regressor decided to keep his mouth shut and return to his seat.
When neither Grull nor the regressor said anything more, Poina felt a sense of satisfaction, as if she had solved a difficult problem. In fact, it was only a matter of postponing an unbearable problem, but in these hectic times, there was no time to worry about it.
“Then, starting today, I will gather all the orcs of Ende and train them in how to deal with the Wolf King. Grull-nim, please be the instructor.”
“It’s better not to have any dead weight. They’ll just become wolf food. Call the guard dogs instead.”
“It’s better to gather a group of pigmen than guard dogs who don’t listen. This is something we need to do for the independence of our race…”
“What you need is to calm this chaos as soon as possible and gather the strength of the other races. Don’t leave me with your leftovers.”
Grull drew a clear line.
Poina’s appeal did not reach Grull either. He attacked the obelisk because several situations coincided, not because Grull was impressed by the orcma. Even now, Grull occupies a place in Obely with several different races. He watched the increasingly violent pigmen with displeasure.
“Then…”
“Call the guard dogs and send them to me. Wolves should be dealt with by dogs. Teach them how to fight wolves.”
“But they… are under house arrest for aiding and abetting a fugitive.”
“Are you just going to keep the guard dogs tied up?”
“That’s.”
Poina trailed off.
The orcma’s power comes from the fact that they occupied Obely. And the reason the citizens tacitly accept the orcma’s rule of Obely is because of Grull, who brought down the obelisk. It is natural for the glory of the pigmen to give strength to the pigmen.
However, the orcma himself knows. Grull is not on the side of the orcma, but is merely an ally for the purpose of dealing with the Wolf King.
But what if he sends the guard dogs to Grull with weapons in their hands? What if the guard dogs decide to return this city to its original owner, Ende, before they fight the wolves?
“Do it.”However, Grull declared as if he would never give in. Foina nodded helplessly.
The meeting was gradually reaching its end, but no issues had been resolved. Instead, a whole new set of problems had piled up. Everyone present could see the endless pile of problems. The delicate balance that had brought the Okma government to power was not working properly.
The sweetness of victory was gradually fading, and the harsh reality was closing in. As the Orcs began to feel a sense of unease, wondering if everything would be okay.
And soon, their unease became reality. An Orc rushed in, panting heavily, and shouted without taking the time to catch his breath.
“Foina! We have a problem!”
“We’re in a meeting right now. Unless it’s urgent, please come back later.”
“The Mal Suin are fleeing En De!”