Chapter 147 – Great Duel (1)

“The emperor… one of them dot,” Tiyo muttered.

Crockta, who had been sleeping, listened to him.

“Either the king is crazy or the humans are dot.”

“Why?”

“A person can’t call himself an emperor unless he is crazy. If humans weren’t crazy, they would stop their king from calling himself an emperor dot.”

“I see.”

The status of emperor seemed to have special meaning in the world of Elder Lord. An emperor always appeared just before a great war between species would occur on the continent. The past war between humans and orcs that Leyteno Paklinche took part in also occurred because the humans had an emperor, and it stopped when the emperor died.

“Crockta.”

“Hmm?”

“Do you intend to fight in the proxy war?” Tiyo asked.

He thought about the words that Vigo, knight of Alaste, had said. It was a bit much to demand that Crockta help in a dangerous fight after they just met, but it was a sign of his urgency.

“I don’t know. I want to refuse but it seems to be that it will affect not only Alaste, but all of us.”

“Indeed dot. The dynamics of humans will cause the continent to fall into confusion.” The emperor stood for a military rule. Maybe the continent would be drawn into a species war after a long period of peace. “Ah…there isn’t a single day of quiet on our trip dot.”

The great chieftain in the north and the emperor on the continent. There was trouble wherever they went.

“Crockta, there is a reason for everything that happens to us dot.”

“What a religious remark.”

“Bah. Meaning is an attribute that all species with intelligence have dot.”

Crockta chuckled in a low voice, “Anyway, the great chieftain in the north and now this place. It is better to think of it as a given mission dot.”

“Mission…”

Crockta closed his eyes. He was a soldier who once killed people. He killed people but he didn’t know whether the world’s suffering was reduced, or whether he only increased the pain. The scale of reality was complicated and difficult to measure.

Compared to that, the missions given to him in Elder Lord were simple. It was so simple that he couldn’t afford to not do it.

“I should do the mission.”

“Hoh. You will do it yourself dot?”

“I can’t ignore it.”

“Adandator? Isn’t he famous in the south dot? Can you win? Aren’t you shaking dot?”

Tiyo started to subtly mock him. Crockta snorted and replied, “Not at all.”

The moon shining through the open window cast a soft light on the bedside. Reynolds was quiet at night. The sound of footsteps could occasionally be heard, but it was mostly calm with only the sound of the wind entering their ears. Anor’s breathing was heard from close by as Tiyo and Crockta whispered to each other. The spirit of sleep was entering their brains, making them feel drowsy.

“If you go further down from Alaste, the sea will appear and there is a beautiful resort village. The name…” Crockta whispered.

Tiyo’s voice gradually softened. “Gridori dot.”

“Yes. Gridori…”

“You want to go there dot…?”

“After the work in Alaste… it would be nice to go there.”

“Okay dot. The sea, it has been a long time dot…”

“Do you know how to swim?”

“I am the seal of Quantes dot…”

“That is an exaggeration.”

“Huhu…I will show you dot. My butterfly…”

Both their voices gradually subsided.

“Maybe my father is resting there dot…”

“That would be nice.”

Then the two of them fell asleep.

In his dream, Crockta was in the ocean. He was standing on white sand and turned around when someone touched him from behind. Next to him were Han Yeori and Yoo Sooyeon. Then a beach ball flew at his head. There was a sound and he saw Tiyo and Anor laughing while pointing at him. He entered the sea with them.

It was a pleasant dream.

***

Crockta, Tiyo, and Anor woke up early. Tiyo forced his eyes open as they headed to the dining room on the first floor.

Vigo was sleepily eating breakfast with matted hair. “Oh, good morning Brother!” He smiled and raised his hand. He was still in a state where his eyes couldn’t open properly. “Breakfast is important in Alaste. Brothers should eat as well. I’ll buy.”

“Hoh. Really dot?”

“Yes. The food here isn’t bad. Landlord!”

The inn owner was dozing off at the counter. Crockta, Tiyo, and Anor ordered breakfast according to what they liked. Crockta ate a steak in the morning, Anor had a salad, and Tiyo ate a sandwich.

“Now, eat a lot since we have a long way to go. Isn’t that right?”

“……”

“Let’s go to Alaste!” They were planning to go, but Vigo’s remark was so brazen that they didn’t feel like it. It was like there was no middle ground.

Tiyo shook his head. “Rather than Alaste, we are going to the kingdom.”

“I have the same thought.”

“The kingdom is a place where we can see many things dot.”

“Then let’s go quickly.”

“Brothers! Go!”

Anor frowned as he chewed on his salad.

“Phew, so noisy. Be quiet in the morning.”

“Yes…”

Vigo sat down at Anor’s scolding started to eat his breakfast again. The guests staying at the inn gradually started trickling downstairs. The dining room became filled with guests again. Those who were leaving this morning exited the door with their baggage.

“Isn’t there any knight in Alaste that can deal with Adandator dot?”

“There is one person, a grandmaster like Adandator.”

“Then why isn’t he dot?”

“He is old…”

Alaste’s grandmaster was an old, white-haired knight. His experience and skills were excellent but he was old, so many thought it was impossible for him to deal with Adandator. He was also hard at work training pupils.

“If you go to Alaste, you can see him once. Not only is his swordsmanship famous, he is known as the master of knights who trains other knights in the right way.”

“Hoh.”

“I am a knight because of him. Hahahat.” He laughed loudly. “Crockta is already strong enough, but I’m sure you can get stronger if you meet him. It is the same for the others as well.”

“Even if Anor is a necromancer dot?”

“That doesn’t matter. As I said, he is a special person. Magicians also learn from him.” Vigo spoke enthusiastically

“Then when are we leaving dot?” Tiyo asked.

“Oh! You’ve decided!” Vigo jumped up.

Crockta laughed as he said, “I will go there and decide if I will fight or not. I want to look at the situation.”

“Hahat, that is enough. You’ll know when you come to Alaste. The reason why I want to protect Alaste.” Vigo shouted, “A drink over here! Give me a drink!”

“It is too early in the morning dot!”

“We have to go a long way and riding while drunk is the best! We have to celebrate you going to Alaste! Hahahat!”

The owner brought Vigo a beer as he requested. Crockta eventually followed him by drinking a glass. The other guests became enthusiastic once they saw Crockta’s group drinking in the daylight. It was a rampage in the daytime. Thus, they left the inn smelling of alcohol.

***

“Hah! Hah! Haah! Hut!”

The yells regularly rang out, “Bul’tarrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr!”

A gigantic roar shook the training grounds.

“How are the warriors these days?”

“Not enough.”

“It is like talking to Lenox.”

This was the cradle of orc warriors, Orcrox. Orcs were training to become warriors. After the death of the great warrior Lenox, another warrior became the new instructor. Hoyt, Lenox’s disciple and the one who mastered the hammer, undergoing many fights.

He had spent a long time recovering from his injury but after he recovered, he started enthusiastically teaching the orcs. Now the orcs who came to Orcrox learned from Hoyt, not Lenox.

“Do your best!”

“Yes!”

“Don’t just shout! Wield your weapon! One more time! Think of it as the best strike of your life!”

“Understood!”

“This is your greatest attack! Do you want to bet your life?”

“No!”

“Then swing again!”

“Bul’tarrrr!”

Every time Hoyt shouted, the orcs’ momentum changed. They squeezed out more strength, surpassing their limits. Although he was originally a warrior, Hoyt wasn’t any less stringent than Lenox as an instructor.

“What brings you here? Tashaquil.”

The one who came to see him was the great shaman Tashaquil, the orc shaman instructor at Basque Village.

“I had a dream.”

“A dream.”

If any other orc had talked about their dream, Hoyt would’ve ignored it. But the other person was Tashaquil. The dream of a powerful shaman was like a prophecy in itself, as it contained a clue to the future. He wouldn’t come here because of an ordinary dream.

“What was the dream?”

“I saw a warrior.” Tashaquil smiled. “He is fighting to become a great warrior.”

“Who?”

“I won’t reveal it to others. It is unfair.”

“I can guess who.”

“Really? Well, I wonder…” He chuckled in a low voice.

“Fighting to become a great warrior…” Hoyt looked at his hammer on the ground. A masterpiece from Golden Anvil. The name of the hammer was ‘Mountain Slasher.’ As the name suggested, anyone hit by this hammer would die.

“It is very dangerous.”

“That is a warrior’s life. Die or become great.” Tashaquil chuckled. “So I came here. Give me that.”

He pointed to one side. Hoyt’s expression changed. This wasn’t something he could give to Tashaquil.

An old helmet. It was Lenox’s legacy, the steel helmet he had used. It was hanging from a bar on one side of the training grounds and watching the orcs, just like Lenox during his life.

“I can’t do that. It is Lenox’s.”

“He is gone. I will give it to someone who deserves it.”

“But that…it can’t be anything else?”

“Yes.”

“I’m reluctant to give…” The moment that Hoyt was about to refuse…

A blast of wind shot through Orcrox. It was strong enough to cause the sand scattered on the ground to rise. Hoyt and Tashaquil covered their faces with their hands.

“……!”

An incredible thing happened. Lenox’s helmet was caught by the wind and fell off the bar to the ground. The steel helmet tumbled towards them. It was rare for heavy steel helmets to fly in the wind.

Tashaquil laughed. “Lenox seems to think he needs it.”

“……”

Hoyt didn’t answer. It felt like Lenox’s response.

“Hoyt. Can I send it to the warrior who needs it?”

“Are you going to bring it directly to him?”

“I need to stay in Basque Village.”

“Then…”

Tashaquil whistled.

Something emerged. A huge shadow appeared.

Hoyt laughed at the sight. “King of the Forest.”

“Yes. This guy will bring the helmet.”

“Now I know for sure who the other person is.”

A giant tiger. He was 1.5 times bigger than a normal tiger. The ruler of Orcrox Forest, the one who created fear in the creatures of the forest! The tiger who was the king of the forest, Simba. The tiger Simba, who defeated the mutant wolf with Crockta, had now matured and reigned as king of the forest.

He became a friend of the orcs due to his relationship with Crockta, and came here following Tashaquil’s call.

“Simba.”

“Grrrung…”

“Give him this.” Tashaquil placed the helmet into a sack and tied it around Simba’s neck. Simba shook his head and stretched lightly. “Can you go?”

“Grrrrung!”

“Yes. Now go. There is no time.”

“Kuaang!”

Simba roared before turning around and running out of the training grounds. The orcs were aghast at the sudden emergence of a tiger.

Hoyt spoke in a despondent manner.

“The tiger and Lenox’s helmet. I wonder what type of dream you had.”

Tashaquil grinned. He shook his staff and blessed the warriors in the training ground. Some of them would give up and others would continue to walk this path until they eventually became warriors. Maybe one or two might become great warriors.

“The king of the humans is calling himself the emperor.”

“Yes. Humans always make the same mistakes.”

Tashaquil looked at the distant sky and said.

“He will soon meet a warrior.”