Chapter 33 – Plains Rescue (4)

A university restaurant.

Everybody was eating their meals. The TV stopped at one channel.

-Hello. I am Giuseppe, a reporter from [Surprise! What happened in Elder Lord?]. I am now in the elven city, Arnin. There is a strange thing occurring here!

Behind her were the high walls of Arnin. The camera illuminated Arnin’s landscape before focusing on Giuseppe again.

–Arnin is famous for its beautiful elf mayor, but there is something more mysterious than her beauty occurring here. It isn’t here in Arnin, but in the Northern Arnin Plains, the place where triters are hunted to build up reputation.

She ran northwards towards the plains. The angle shook like the cameraman was chasing after her.

–What is going on here? This Giuseppe will go and check it out!

She discovered users walking out of the plains. Their faces were covered in mosaics.

-Hello. Did you just come from the Arnin Plains?

–So what?

–People are saying that a miracle is happening at Arnin Plains, is that true?

–Ahh…

A dwarf male nodded.

-That’s right. It is a very curious thing. I was pleasantly surprised.

–What is it?

–You will know if you go there. If you go now, then you will be able to meet him.

Subtitles appeared and there was a narrator.

-Who can she meet?

This time, Giuseppe asked the elf standing beside the dwarf. His face was also covered in a mosaic.

–Have you met him personally?

–Of course. We drank and ate together all night.

–Drank?

–That’s right. At first there was a misunderstanding, but he is a very kind and nice person. My eyes were opened.

–Wow, is he really that great?

–He is truly…a true ○○.

The last part referring to the character was beeped out. The camera cut to another scene. Giuseppe stood at the entrance of the plains as she stared into the screen.

–Now, shall I go and see the rumored person?

Then Giuseppe entered the plains. The spacious plains were filled with people struggling against the huge triters. Giuseppe lowered her voice and said,

–Now…let’s find out who the rumoured figure is.

Then she ran. She ran across the plains and found a user who had just killed a triter. Giuseppe moved cautiously.

–Here… Hello?

–Eh, what? Ah, Giuseppe! Aren’t you Giuseppe?

–Haha, do you recognize me?

-I’m a fan. A big fan of ‘What happened in Elder Lord?’.

–Thank you.

–But what are you doing… Ah! You came because of him.

The user nodded.

–Ah! Do you know who he is?

–Yes. I know very well. I thanked him for his help a few times.

–Thanked him for his help?

–Anyone who doesn’t know him here is a spy, a spy. One spy was frightened off by him. Hahaha.

Giuseppe looked at the screen with a coy look.

–Then…what type of person is he? I’m really curious.

She asked the user again.

–Where can I meet him?

–Hrmm… He…because he is so busy…

The user stroked his chin and pointed in one direction.

–Do you see that rock over there?

–That big rock?

–Yes. Wait over there. It is the place where his legend began.

–Legend?

Giuseppe trembled and made a big fuss.

–Legend! Truly? What legend? And he might be waiting for us! My heart’s already pounding! I’m looking forward to it. Would the viewers like to come along as well?

Then she bowed to the user and ran towards the rock. It was an automatic shot that didn’t require a heavy camera, but the screen waved once again like someone was chasing after her.

They arrived in front of the rock. It was a big rock. But as they approached it, they saw something engraved in the rock. Subtitles popped up.

[Do you want to know what is written on here…?]

Giuseppe breathed out and placed her hands on the rock and took a step back in amazement.

–There is something engraved here. This…?

At that moment, the focus blurred. The letters engraved on the rock couldn’t be seen. Subtitles popped up.

[It will continue in a moment!]

Then the screen switched to some ads. The customers watching idly in the restaurant started to complain as the advertisements appeared.

“Isn’t dragging it on like this annoying?”

“That’s right. That reporter, I don’t like her pretending to be so pretty either.”

“But what is it about? I’ve never been there before.”

“I have. I feel like puking every time I see a triter now. It was a few days of hard work. I even died once.”

“Idiot. You died to those cows?”

“They aren’t cows. You would turn out the same if you made a mistake.”

The customers in the restaurants started to tell their own stories about Elder Lord. For some time, the latest capsule and electronic devices from the Myeongsong Group were advertised on the TV. The advertising model was a prominent ranker in Elder Lord.

After the ads were over, Giuseppe appeared on the screen again. The eyes of the customers turned back to the television again.

–Carved here…what is it…?

It is coarse writing, like it was made with a blade!

The screen was close up so the full sentence didn’t appear at first. Giuseppe touched each of the letters by hand.

–Warrior…

The screen got further away and the sentence on the rock appeared.

-A warrior doesn’t…attack unarmed people?

Giuseppe was confused.

–Who carved this? Warrior? Somehow, I can feel the spirit of chivalry.

It was at that moment. Giuseppe suddenly turned her head. Her face turned pale.

–Uhh…?

The screen convulsed. There was a loud sound, like something had bumped into the camera. A triter. Giuseppe wasn’t a strong user so she ran away. The person recording her also ran. The screen kept on shaking.

The moment that the triter was about to reach Giuseppe.

–Kyaaaaah!

The screen was overturned. The blue sky of Elder Lord appeared on the screen. The silence continued.

The customers watching the video were confused.

“…Isn’t this a broadcasting accident?”

“But that isn’t a live broadcast.”

“Is she dead? Why would they broadcast a death? To show that it’s real?”

The customers in the restaurant murmured. At that moment, something appeared on the screen.

“……?”

It was a big hand. Thick fingers were seen first. The customers thought it was a dwarf, but the skin was green. The rough hands filled with calluses filled the screen.

–Heook…

A groan emerged from Giuseppe. The thick hand grabbed what was assumed to be the video recorder’s hand. Her body was pulled up and the screen shook again. The sight revealed before them was an orc.

“Orc…?”

The orc had an unusual appearance. First, the black bandana on his head. It was old and faded, like it had been used for a long time. The mark of the Blacksmith Company was engraved on the corner.

Below it was the face of an orc. Intense eyes that glared at them! A big nose, thick lips, and protruding tusks. Fierce tattoos spanned his entire body and there was a huge greatsword on his back. But the most unusual thing was the orc’s outfit. There was a red cloth vest over leather armor. In the middle of the vest, a clear cross was drawn with a word embroidered underneath it.

[R.E.S.C.U.E!]

What did ‘rescue’ mean? Giuseppe couldn’t speak and just looked at the orc. The orc looked at her and the person shooting. Then the orc raised a hand.

…..!

The orc raised his thumb and turned around. The back also contained a white cross with words underneath it.

[L.I.F.E.G.U.A.R.D!]

The orc disappeared into the triter hunting grounds. What did they just see?

Rescue, lifeguard. It was like the deep valley rivers, the beach at summer, and the snow-covered ski slopes.

Giuseppe muttered blankly.

–J-Just now, an orc saved us. What is this?

The odd situation where an orc that was treated as a monster saved them! But this wasn’t the end.

A user hunting a triter appeared on the screen. The user flew through the air. The moment that the triter was about to trample on the user, the triter suddenly bounced away, like it was hit by a strong impact.

Then a black figure jumped towards it. The triter that had just been trying to stand up fell back down as blood emerged. It was a perfect hunt.

The mysterious orc, who saved them previously, was standing in front of the triter with the giant sword. The sight of him holding the greatsword in the middle of the broken triter was magnificent.

Then the orc raised his thumb towards the user.

…..!

It was the coolest thumbs up that they had ever seen. The user bowed and also did a thumbs up. The orc turned around like nothing had happened and sat down on the ground. He watched the people hunting.

Giuseppe hurriedly approached the user who had just been saved.

-Hello User!

–Uh…? Ah, hello?

-I am Giuseppe, a reporter from [Surprise! What happened in Elder Lord?]. Please explain the strange scene that I just saw. What is going on?

–Ahh… You came for him…

He pointed to the orc. The orc was just sitting there silently.

–That..he is a mute orc warrior.

–Mute…?

–The thing that is occurring here…

The screen changed to a story. Instead of Giuseppe, the narrator started to explain the orc’s story.

The situation was this: He came to the city of elves because he wanted to enter Arnin, but was denied access because he was an orc.

An orc actor appeared for a retelling. Although it was sloppy, he somewhat resembled the orc. As soon as he was about to enter a castle, an elf actor appeared and stood in front of him.

–You can’t access.

‘Is it because I am an orc?’ The orc asked through gestures.

–An orc isn’t allowed to enter here!

-…….!

The orc made a despairing pose. The narrator explained.

–He was shocked to hear that he couldn’t enter because he was an orc. However, he found out that there was another way to enter Arnin…

The orc actor formed a fist and nodded. He headed to the Arnin Plains with a hopeful expression.

–It is nothing other than hunting monsters on the Arnin Plains. But what he saw was many people suffering while hunting the monsters.

The orc actor looked sad.

–He couldn’t speak, but he was still a tough orc warrior. He made a decision…

The orc actor decided something with a firm expression. He started running through the Arnin Plains.

–He helped those in danger.

-The orc saved people.

The pet pigs representing the triters fell and the orc warrior actor raised his thumb at the person who thanked him.

–As he can’t speak, this thumb is the best way for him to express himself.

All of a sudden, the atmosphere was reversed.

–Of course, things weren’t always good. One day, a user thought of the orc as a simple monster and struck…

The orc actor and human actor confronted each other with knives.

-He was victorious after some difficulty and was on the verge of killing the human.

The orc and the kneeling human were surrounded by four or five actors. All the humans called for the orc to kill his opponent.

Kill! Kill! Kill!

–But after all that, he made a difficult decision.

The orc shook his head. The other actors were shocked by his decision. ‘Why?’ They protested. The orc looked distressed as he wasn’t able to speak.

–Instead of answering with words, the orc inscribed his will on the rock with his sword.

The orc actor aimed the knife at a rock. Then the screen changed and illuminated the giant rock that actually existed on the Arnin Plains.

[A warrior doesn’t attack unarmed people.]

-It was this.

For a moment, it shone. ‘Ohhh’. The sound of an audience cheering was produced as an audio effect.

–This is all true.

It changed to an interview screen. All of the users had mosaics on their faces, but they all praised the orc.

–He is reliable. Really.

–I can’t even count the number of times my life was saved because of him. A truly great person.

–The name? Um, he can’t talk.

–I don’t know how it happened. But this much is clear. We were mistaken about orcs.

–He is…

-Genuine…

-Genuine…

-A true…

The interviewers all finished simultaneously.

–A warrior.

The screen was switched. Giuseppe followed the orc.

–Orc! Orc!

-…….

The orc seemed annoyed as Giuseppe followed him. In the end, the [Surprise! What happened in Elder Lord?] production team couldn’t get an interview with him. Giuseppe was forced to finish the program in front of the rock carved by the orc.

–Unfortunately, I was unable to interview him. It is a shame, but the sentence that he left behind tells us who he is on its own.

The sentence shone again on the screen.

‘A warrior doesn’t attack unarmed people.’

Many things were implied with the sentence.

–Although he is a NPC, it seems that we have a lot to learn from him. Especially at this time, when many ethical problems are being raised about Elder Lord. I hope you have enjoyed this wonderful, delightful and warm Elder Lord life. This was Giuseppe, a reporter from [Surprise! What happened in Elder Lord?].

She waved her hand. At the same time, the camera rose into the sky and captured both her and the rock. It continued to climb up until the rock looked like a toy, capturing the image of the plains and the blue sky of Elder Lord.

The narrator finished.

–The nameless orc. I hope his life as a great warrior will last for a long time.

The broadcast closed with this voice and some music. The program ended.

The restaurant’s customers rose from their seats.

“That was amazing. Was that really an orc?”

“Really. Aren’t there many witnesses on the Internet? It is more interesting to see it directly.”

“The orc is great.”

“Are you doing anything now?”

“Where did he go? People will come and watch.”

“Hey, do you want to try becoming an orc?”

“Yes.”

The university students left the restaurant. When they talked about the program they just saw, all of them usually asked one question.

“That orc, what is he doing now?”

***

“……”

Elwina, the elf guard at Arnin’s gate, looked at the orc in front of her in surprise.

This was the first time that someone had raised their reputation so quickly. It usually took a month of focused hunting.

In addition, his pass wasn’t just a permit. It was an honourary citizenship granted by the Arnin Plains administrator. It was an honourable title only given to those who did great achievements in Arnin. He would be treated as a citizen of Arnin.

Elwina’s heart started pounding. The orc had really solved the task he was given. He was much more wonderful than she had thought.

“I-Incredible. I’m not surprised so don’t be mistaken.”

Elwina tried to say calmly. The orc didn’t answer.

“What, are you ignoring people now?”

“……”

“Why do you keep…ah.”

The orc was pointing at his mouth.

Elwina blushed. “Ah, that’s right. I had forgotten. When I think back, I think I used too much strength. I didn’t know it would still last. Well, I’m sorry.”

She dismissed the magic. Silence was disabled.

“So now…”

“Hey, elf with no manners.”

“W-What?”

“Because of you…!”

She looked at Crockta with a hurt expression. Crockta looked at the beautiful elf and changed his next words.

“…So pretty.”

“Oh my god.”

“Well then, I’ll see you later. No offense, pretty elf guard.”

The Crockta confidently headed through the gates. Elwina stared blankly at his back. She felt a strange feeling.

Then someone spoke to her. “Young Lady.”

“…Don’t call me that. I am now a guard.”

“The mayor is calling.”

“Mother?”

Elwina was confused.

“She said to stop being a guard.”

“Please tell her that I will do as I want.”

“If Young Lady doesn’t return home right now, then she will sell all of your collection…”

“I understand. I will go back.”

Elwina sighed.