EPILOGUE

Bash was making his way through the forest.

His destination: the Shiwanashi Forest in elf country.

The forest was thick and overgrown, but Bash picked his way through, sure-footed as ever.

Relying on the fairy to navigate, Bash simply placed one foot in front of the other in pursuit of his destination.

“Shiwanashi Forest is pretty close! We’ll be there in no time.”

“Right!”

Bash and Zell, reunited.

Both had made names for themselves in the war. As a pair, they went together well.

During the war, they had survived countless battles by working together. While there had been some crushing defeats, they had always made it through.

So even though Bash’s first attempt at wife hunting had ended in failure, they were confident the second time would go better. But even if they failed again, there would be another chance after that.

After all, things had always been that way.

Their destination, the Shiwanashi Forest.

Both believed Bash would find a bride there, and then their journey could come to an end.

They still had no idea.

No idea how long a journey this would really turn out to be.

Around the same time…

An elf made an appearance at a human party.

A glamorous party for the human aristocracy.

Everywhere you looked, gorgeously dressed ladies and gentlemen were engaged in pleasant conversation.

A man and a woman were laughing together. During the war, the man had barely ever cracked a smile. The woman had bared her teeth and bellowed war cries on the battlefield. Now they chuckled loudly.

In the midst of the party, a certain elf was deep in conversation with the son of a nobleman.

They were discussing the future of the human race.

“Hmm. I believe that this era will place a higher value than ever before on commerce and education, as well as the arts.”

“I see… Well, I’d like to establish schools all over the human country, but all we have are ex-soldiers and knights. We lack cultured individuals who would make for good teachers…”

“And those who are cultured are already in pursuit of their own career interests.”

“Right. Actually, I’m working to consult with them on creating materials, some sort of handbook to be used in training up a new generation of teachers. I was hoping we might be able to get the elf input on that.”

“A primer for educators! Actually, we elves were thinking of something similar. It is so like humans to seek to preserve knowledge in tangible form, isn’t it? Ah, but I meant no offense! How about meeting up this evening to discuss the future of education in further detail?”

“Ha-ha-ha. I appreciate your proposal, but won’t people get the wrong idea if a man and a woman meet after hours, alone?”

“What?! I mean… Heh… Surely, Lord Merz, the Battering Ram, isn’t concerned about idle gossip?”

“Oh, I am concerned.”

“You… You are?”

“Don’t test me, please. We’re not all out to make enemies of every elf alive, you know.”

“Ah, of course, of course! Ha-ha, yes, yes, of course! Ha-ha!”

The elf laughed as well. But her laugh was somewhat sardonic, not at all like the innocent laughter of the guests around her.

She still had no idea.

No idea that another would soon come to share her objective. A Hero of the orc race.

A young female dwarf was sharpening a sword in a workshop somewhere.

The workshop was filled with the scraping sound of the sword being worked upon.

After working on the sword for a few moments more, she plunged it carefully into the bucket she had beside her. As the sword sank into the red water that filled the bucket, something like black dust rose to the water’s surface.

She withdrew the blade from the water and admired it.

“…Good!”

“What’s good?”

“…!”

The girl whirled around to see another female dwarf standing there.

“I thought I told you never to come into my workshop uninvited.”

“It’s your fault. You should have locked the door. What are you working on? What’s with that bright-red water? Did you put paint in it or something?”

“My work is secret. I can’t have people stealing my techniques.”

“Pah! You assume your techniques are even worth stealing. If you’ve got the time to mess about with silly things like that, then you could spend a few minutes more sharpening your creations properly!”

“Tch! You’re always acting like such a supercilious snob! Is that really what you came in here to say?”

The intruder sighed as the young dwarf’s rage bubbled over.

“I’d rather not have to say it at all. But who could stay silent, seeing such shoddy work?”

“How dare you mock me! Don’t expect any sympathy when I see you crying at the next God of War Festival!”

“Ha, the festival? That’s way beyond your pathetic abilities!”

With that final snooty remark, the other woman stormed out of the workshop.

The young girl left behind gnashed her teeth for a moment, gazing at her sword.

She still had no idea.

No idea that one day, that very same sword of hers would be wielded by a Hero of the orc race.

The beastkin princess was in her chambers, gazing listlessly out the window.

Below her window, she could see the new town.

After the war, the town had been built within a mere three-year timespan. Everything was still so new, but the old customs remained. It was a mishmash of a town, to be sure, but it was lively and exciting.

The beastkin royal family was keen to make the town prosper.

The princess didn’t know much about it all, but this town was built on holy land that had once been stolen away from the beastkin.

Until the Beastkin Champion Rett had taken it back.

Every resident of the town felt a great sense of pride toward him.

In the battle to take down the Demon Lord Geddigs, Rett had died a hero. They had each dealt a killing blow simultaneously.

Rett was the greatest legend in all of beastkin history, the pride of their race…

“If they really respected Rett as much as they claim, then why must they spew these lies?”

The truth was different.

Oh, the part about Rett being a hero was all true, of course.

But the facts behind the history differed in one key area. In order to preserve the good name of the hero and protect the pride of the beastkin race, they were all required to lie about that.

It did not sit well with the princess.

“The truth must be dug up and exposed.”

The princess stared out the window, her expression twisted with hate. But it was not the town she was seeing in her mind’s eye. She was focused inside, ruminating on the dark sentiments of her soul.

“I must have revenge. As tribute to Uncle Rett.”

She still had no idea.

No idea that the truth she clung to was actually false.

Nor did she ever dream that all would come to light with the help of an Orc Hero.

A girl watched her twin brother.

He was doggedly swinging his sword.

She had always watched him practice, but it was plain to see that he had no skill with the sword. That’s not to say he didn’t have the potential. But self-study would not lead him to greatness; that much was clear.

“Hyah! Hyah!”

“Have some water, Brother.”

“Thanks.”

The boy took the canteen and gulped down the contents. Then he resumed swinging his sword.

The twins had a foe they needed to defeat. An enemy of their father and mother both. A powerful enemy.

That was why the boy was practicing.

His mind was singularly focused on striking down their enemy with his blade of vengeance.

“…Brother, the sun is setting.”

“Just a little longer.”

“…I’m heading back first.”

The boy continued to swing the sword, not answering.

The girl sighed a little, watching him.

She had given up. Their enemy was far too powerful to be felled by someone like her brother, even if he practiced the sword for months or even years straight.

Of course, she wanted revenge for her parents as well. But she had managed to repress such emotions. Now all she feared was losing her brother, her only remaining blood.

Never was she able to ask him to give up, however.

“If only someone out there would kill them so we don’t have to…”

She still had no idea.

No idea that their quest for revenge would be brought to an end by an Orc Hero.

A succubus was lying down in a wasteland beneath a sky full of stars.

Below, the lights of a town were twinkling. But she wasn’t looking at the town. She was simply gazing at the sky.

She was thinking of long ago. Of those who had fought so many times during the war.

It was better back then. You didn’t have to think. You just fought to the point of exhaustion and then slept like a log. But not too deeply, of course. And then you would be jolted awake by reports of impending enemy attacks.

She had always been tired. But at the same time, fulfilled.

Now, though, I have entirely too much time to think.

She thought about the events that led her to having to sleep outdoors like this.

She had been driven out of the town, denied lodgings for no other reason than because she was a succubus.

“Peace sucks.”

She pictured the face of the mayor, the faces of the townspeople, who could barely hide their looks of disgust the moment they spotted a succubus in their midst.

Their words had been all scorn and mockery.

The war was over. The world was at peace.

That was what people said. But there was no peace for the succubi. Peace was a privilege that only certain races got to enjoy.

“They all deserve to die.”

The succubus gazed up at the stars.

At that very moment, in a desert somewhere, a certain orc was gazing up at the stars as well.

She still had no idea.

No idea that real peace would soon be brought to the world by an Orc Hero.

Dragon had a friend, Bones. They were always together. They were together even now.

Bones was a peculiar dragon.

Bones was very interested in people and would often go down to the villages and scare them.

Dragon did not know why Bones did this. People were tiny, with barely enough meat for a decent snack. It was better to leave them alone.

But Bones was very, very interested in people. Eventually, Bones even mated with one and sired an egg.

In the past, such dragons had existed, or so went the tales. But it seemed impossible to understand.

Still, Dragon didn’t mind odd folks.

And Bones’s tales of the people’s funny doings were amusing to listen to.

Even if the stories themselves weren’t very interesting, Dragon liked to see Bones talking with so much enthusiasm.

Then one day, Bones died.

A puny person had come by and persuaded Bones to follow them somewhere.

After that, Bones came back as…well…bones.

Bones had fought with the people soldiers in the war and died.

Bones’s body was collected by the ones who had slain him. Apparently, people found dragon bodies very valuable.

Bones came back to Dragon. But the puny people who had taken Bones away brought back only the skull of Bones.

The people apologized to Dragon.

Dragon felt sadness for the first time in her life. Never before had she experienced the passing of one of her own. She did not fully understand. But seeing how deeply the little people apologized to Dragon, Dragon eventually realized that something had happened to Bones that could never be undone.

Dragon spent a full year in sadness. Every now and then, to soothe her pain, she would fly to the towns and gobble up some of the little people. Why had Bones gotten involved in their insignificant people war? It did not make sense to Dragon.

Then, all of a sudden, Dragon began to experience something she had never felt before.

Curiosity.

Dragon started to get curious about people. How had these tiny, weak beings, who ran screaming from Dragon, managed to kill Bones?

She still had no idea.

No idea that the one who had slain Bones was an Orc Hero.