4

THE KNIGHT ARMY GENERAL, HOUSTON

Houston was the leader of Krassel’s Order of Knights.

He had a long and interesting history.

Around twenty years prior, Houston had entered his first battle as an apprentice foot soldier. He was only thirteen years old. Sent straight to the front line of battle on his first day in the war, he experienced a bloody defeat. His entire platoon was wiped out, but miraculously, Houston survived. Following that, he fought in countless battles, and within the space of ten years, he became a commander.

His first battle as a commander had been a complete disaster. Just getting back alive was like walking through the flames of hell.

It was a truly terrible battle.

All the officers in charge, from the general to the battalion commander, were either killed or fled the battlefield. With the chain of command changing by the moment, the troops were in a state of complete confusion and turmoil. When around 60 percent of the troops had already been lost, command fell to Houston, then just a lower-ranking troop commander.

“There’s nobody left who ranks higher than you.”

When his orders were delivered by a combat medic, Houston had been sure it was someone’s idea of a bad joke.

But as it transpired, Houston was born for the role.

He rallied his troops and managed to withdraw with only minimal losses among the 40 percent of soldiers left standing.

Houston had found his calling. It was like he was destined to command a great army.

Even though his miraculous safe withdrawal from battle had been more or less a matter of sheer luck…

Regardless, this deed won him the respect of his people, and he was assigned the position of Orc Response Force lieutenant. The Orc Response Force mainly fought against the orc-fairy alliance.

Five years after Houston had become a lieutenant in this division, the general was killed. Houston automatically succeeded him as general and continued to fight until the war ended.

In other words, Houston spent ten years of his life continuously fighting the orcs.

Houston devoted his entire being to the war effort.

He gathered as much information on orcs as he could and educated himself as much as possible. Many times, he risked his life on the front lines of battle.

As a result, he racked up more orc kills than any other human.

And so the humans gave him an honorary title.

That title was Houston the Pig Slayer.

Even after the war, Houston remained on high alert when it came to all things orc related.

He was especially fierce whenever he encountered a rogue orc. He would execute them without even listening to what they had to say, his ears deaf to their screams as they pleaded for their lives. Seeing this, the young folk who had become soldiers after the war viewed Houston with equal parts respect and fear.

Yet despite his incredible nickname of Pig Slayer, Houston’s feelings about orcs were extremely neutral.

He was not prejudiced against them. He did not discriminate against them. He did not hate them.

The reasoning for this was that Houston knew orcs.

In his ten years of battle, he had become something of an expert on them.

After he became a lieutenant, he’d made it his business to learn everything he could about orcs. This was necessary in order to kill them more successfully and to reduce the number of human casualties.

During those wartime years, Houston had studied up on orcs until he knew more about them than anyone else. He would observe their movements, read up on their history, and even question orc prisoners of war.

Thus, Houston learned.

He learned that orcs had their own moral code and customs, known only among themselves, and that they were proud warriors.

But Houston never came to admire or even soften his heart toward orcs.

No, these beings had slain many of his friends and compatriots. His feelings toward the orcs were dark and complex.

But the war was now over, and he respected the orcs enough that he felt no need to bear a grudge.

His harsh treatment of the rogue orcs was down to them being the scum of orckind.

They refused to abide by even the most basic of orc laws and chose to live in pure selfishness. They intruded into the land of the humans and still refused to respect their rules.

Those who could not conform to the laws of society were no better than wild beasts.

Even worse, they killed indiscriminately.

At any rate, after the war, Houston was promoted to knight and was immediately nominated to be the leader of the Krassel Order of Knights.

With Houston at the helm, another war with the orcs seemed an unlikely prospect, at least for many years to come. Even if another war did happen, the plan was to protect Krassel with everything they had.

“What’s that? Have you apprehended a suspect in the highway ambush case?”

One of his subordinates had come to him with this news out of the blue.

“Yes. It appears to be an orc.”

“A rogue orc? Didn’t I tell you to just have all the rogue orcs killed?”

Houston frowned, displeased by the messenger’s tale.

Houston had special permission from the Orc King to execute rogue orcs at will.

He would have preferred it if the orcs would step up and do the job themselves, but they had their own set of societal rules. So Houston had no alternative.

“Um, well apparently, this orc was very well-spoken and clean-cut. It doesn’t seem to be a rogue orc at all.”

“Then release the poor fellow.”

“Um, about that… Judith had some reservations, and…”

“Damn that whelp. If she sparks another war with the orcs, she’ll wish she’d never been born…”

Judith was the knight in charge of investigating the highway ambush case.

She was a rookie knight who had only been on the job for a year. At long last, she had finally been entrusted with a mission of her own. It was the kind of mission that should have been wrapped up almost immediately, but there had been no leads. Either the criminal was far craftier than had been expected, or Judith really was that useless.

Recently, Judith herself had been increasingly panicked by her lack of results.

She was desperate to do anything she could to prove she wasn’t entirely useless.

“Well, what do you think?”

“Um, well… Judith is right. There are a lot of strange factors at play here. The orc refuses to tell us the purpose of his travel, and he also has a fairy with him. Neither seemed at all concerned to find themselves surrounded by our platoon. If you ask me, I think they might be…spies.”

“Pfft!”

Houston snorted dismissively.

This soldier was young and hadn’t even been in the war.

So he knew nothing of the orc race.

Anyone with basic knowledge of the orcs could tell you that coming across an orc spy would be like finding a needle in a haystack. As a rule, they didn’t exist. Orcs just weren’t suited to espionage.

“Lord Houston, this is no laughing matter! No doubt they allowed themselves to be arrested by us so they could gather intel on us from within!”

“Fool! An orc would never be so ingenious. If spying was the objective, the fairy would have come alone.”

From all Houston knew of orcs, they would never allow themselves to be captured.

If it was intel they really wanted, then the orc would have fought every enemy to the death, whether he had backup or not. Then he would have thrown Judith to the floor and extracted the required information from her through means of carnal torture.

An orc would never be capable of the kind of subterfuge needed to infiltrate an enemy camp and gather intel from within.

Sending a scout ahead was about the extent of an orc’s advance preparations.

Getting the measure of an enemy’s position, estimating the number of warriors and how they were armed—how many swords, how many bows—and so on…yes, the orcs often scouted ahead, just like other races.

Indeed, while they lacked any prowess in spying, the orcs actually had a wide repertoire of secret battle tactics, the likes of which would make any human’s head spin.

But this orc had capitulated and allowed himself to be captured—from that alone, it was clearly impossible that they had a rogue orc on their hands.

No, this was a rational orc, capable of abiding by the Orc King’s rules and making nice with humans. And yet Houston had never heard of an orc traveling alone. Orcs were a highly sociable, tribal race. Still, he supposed every race had its outliers. An orc traveling alone wasn’t really so shocking.

No, Judith had merely panicked and detained an innocent orc. That seemed to be the extent of the situation.

At least, that was the conclusion Houston had already come to.

But it is odd that he’s apparently being accompanied by a fairy.

During the war, orcs and fairies had worked together. Did this mean the two of them were engaged in some sort of combat operation?

Even though the war was over, Houston was always on alert for the faintest whiff of discord on the air.

“All right, I suppose I’ll simply have to go and take a look for myself.”

Houston slapped his knees before getting to his feet.

The jail was located in the basement of the Order of Knights HQ.

During the war, its cells had been filled to the brim with POWs, who were often tortured to death for information. During the last months of the hostilities, a plague spread among the prisoners. Houston had always refused to set foot in the place.

Post-war, though, the jail had been fully cleaned, and now it was mostly used to detain minor offenders.

These days, it was so clean that even a faint hint of citrus wafted on the air.

“Just cut the crap already and tell us the reason for your journey! Why were you walking through the forest? What are you doing in Krassel? And what the heck is with the fairy?!”

As Houston descended the stairs to the jail, he could hear Judith yelling.

Wow, she was really going for the all-out intimidation method. Unexpected of a rookie knight.

How was a captured orc supposed to speak openly in the face of such hostility?

Orcs loathed being looked down on by anyone. Being looked down on by a woman was probably more than they could stomach.

Your average orc’s sense of pride would never permit him to crack under the interrogation of a woman, even if he had nothing to hide.

Houston smiled dryly.

This was surely the cue for the orc to bark: If ya wanna know so bad, ya gonna hafta beat it outta me!

If things got that far, then the interrogation as a whole would be a lost cause.

Judith’s approach was absolutely the worst possible mode of interrogation for an orc.

“The objective of my journey is a private matter. In short, I am in pursuit of something. I was walking through the forest, as that is the fastest route. And I have come here because I believe what I seek is likely to be found here. As for the fairy, they’re a friend. They are aware of my objective, and they have come along to assist me.”

The orc’s response was calm and firm. How unusual.

Houston gave a snort of amusement. A passionate, hot-blooded orc would inevitably explode under questioning. But the more established ones, the veteran warriors—there seemed to be more of them about after the war. They were much harder to rattle.

Their senses were perhaps dulled by the sound of so much roaring and bellowing during battle. A mere interrogation may have sounded like a pleasant conversation to them.

But if this was a veteran warrior orc, then that raised further questions.

Why would such an orc be wandering the lands outside of his own country, searching for something?

“What is this thing you’re looking for? And why do you need it?!”

“That…I refuse to say.”

“Why?! That’s highly suspicious! What are you hiding, you wretched orc?!”

Perhaps something that, if identified, may be at risk of being stolen?

Or could it be something the orcs had lost that they did not wish the other races to know was lost? Houston weighed these two possibilities in his mind. He had reached the jailhouse door now, but all of a sudden, a deep, dark sense of foreboding washed over him.

That voice…haven’t I heard it somewhere before?

Houston’s intuition was correct.

He had always placed a great deal of faith in his hunches, and as a result, he had always come back alive from the battlefield.

Actually, I don’t think I’ll go in there after all…

He often got this prickly sensation in his chest when he was faced with certain dangerous situations. The sensation would come and go, like an internal whisper, keeping Houston safe from harm.

But even if his senses were telling him to withdraw, this was peacetime. There was no threat to his life waiting for him down in that jail cell.

Besides, if he left Judith to her own devices, it would only prolong this pointless interrogation. If there was one thing Houston really hated, it was wasting time.

So Houston carried on, opening the door to the interrogation room.

“Judith, don’t overdo it. If you turn this into a diplomatic issue, it will be… Eeeek!”

Houston let out a cowardly scream.

He felt a tingle running down his spine, and his heart began to hammer against his ribcage. He was overtaken by an immediate urge to run.

All of a sudden, his mind was back on the battlefield, a battle that had taken place shortly after he was appointed general of the Orc Response Force.

The battle should have been an easy win for them.

They had the greater power, the craftier tactics.

But despite that, their vanguard was unable to break through the enemy line. Their squad was scattered by a surprise sidelong attack. While their reserve platoon then rushed to the front line, their main unit had been besieged by orc warriors.

Had the orcs predicted their battle plan? Or had it all just been a coincidence? The orc brigade that had besieged their main unit had been composed of their best warriors. The sight of one orc in particular was burned into Houston’s mind. He could see him on the front line whenever he closed his eyes, swinging his mighty sword.

That orc killed the Response Force’s lieutenant, a proud soldier.

While the lieutenant was in the process of being slain, Houston had retreated as fast as his legs could carry him, gasping for breath. He managed to make it back to base safely, but the battle had been like something out of a nightmare. He’d never quite gotten over the trauma of it.

It wasn’t a nightmare, though.

Because it kept on happening after that.

Houston encountered that same orc over and over again on the battlefield. Maybe it was just his imagination, but Houston always got the feeling the orc was trying to kill him in particular.

Maybe the orc was targeting him. He was the general, after all, and if he was slain, the battalion as a whole would be weakened.

Houston had never engaged in direct combat with that orc, however.

He always ran from every encounter, as fast as his legs would carry him. Even so, it was a miracle he’d managed to escape with his life each time.

The orc would show himself on even the most grueling battlefields.

No matter how strong and numerous the human army, the orc always showed up. And he would always fight to the last man standing.

At the battle of Remium Plateau, for instance, the wise human elders had the ingenious idea to bring a dragon onto the battlefield. And while this dragon turned the demons and ogres into charcoal, the orc stood firm, continuing to fight the dragon along with his surviving comrades.

Houston couldn’t help admiring the orc as he watched him in battle.

Indeed, there was something about the hideous orc’s skill that made him seem almost beautiful to Houston.

That’s why the memory of that particular orc had stuck with him.

Ordinary green orc skin. The standard large tusks, though still a bit small for an orc. A brawny, muscular physique.

Eyes like a hawk. Purplish-bluish hair.

His appearance was unremarkable, that of any green orc, but Houston knew he was not mistaken.

The last time he’d been this close to him, it was at the peace treaty signing ceremony.

No, he wasn’t this close even then. There must have been at least sixty-five feet of space.

But the orc standing before him now was a mere sixteen feet away.

Close enough to grab him.

He apparently wasn’t carrying that sword of his, the one that was as long as he was tall. But Houston knew…

Yes, Houston knew the orc was capable of moving at speeds that would match even the wild beastkin race and that he could pulverize dwarven black-steel armor with only his bare hands.

He’d seen these feats with his own two eyes, after all. He was not mistaken.

Nobody had quite believed him when he’d told the tale later, but that was how the last adjutant had been killed.

Yes, this was an orc worthy of all the titles the people assigned to him.

The Mad Warrior, the Destroyer, the Annihilator, the Raging Bull, Steel Arm, the Nightmare of the Shiwanashi Forest, the Green Disaster, the Dragon Decapitator…

There were many more…but all of them were an accurate summary of this fearsome orc.

And in the country of the orcs, they called him…

The Orc Hero Bash.

Houston was in the presence of the most fearsome specimen to be found among the entire orc race.

“…”

On closer inspection, Houston noticed the fairy. It looked to be the same one that had always accompanied Bash on the battlefield, but right then, it was wrapped up tight in a rolled napkin, lying helplessly on the table.

Houston knew all about this fairy, too.

Fairies have valuable healing properties, so they’re rarely ever killed once they’ve been captured. Knowing this, this particularly shrewd fairy often allowed itself to be captured on purpose so that it could, through some unknown magical means, transmit the humans’ positions to the most dangerous orc and call him right to the spot.

As a result, this fairy had earned itself the nickname of Fake-Bait Zell.

“J-Judith…”

Despite his tremulous voice, Houston was somehow managing not to turn tail and run screaming. His subordinates were watching, you see.

Houston was the general of the armed forces. He commanded both knights and foot soldiers alike. He was proud of this and the respect he received from his troops. There was no way he was about to throw away their trust.

Besides, it actually looked like Bash was cooperating with Judith, a mild, calm expression on his face.

His hunter’s eyes shone with a sort of warm light as he nodded along to Judith’s interrogation like a benevolent old man listening indulgently to the babbling of a young child.

How unexpected. So this demonic killer had a softer side to him. He wasn’t all anger and violence. And why would he be? The war had ended. This was peacetime, wasn’t it? Yes, even the orc’s eyes spoke of peace.

But he was still Bash. The Bash of whispered, fearful legend.

Houston took a deep breath to center himself. Then, with extreme caution, and keeping as much distance between himself and the orc as possible, he turned to deal with Judith.

“What…? Just what is it you’re doing here?”

“Sir! We received reports of an orc ambush in the western forest region. Upon investigation, we discovered that an orc had been seen recently entering the town. We tracked him down and arrested him at the inn he was staying in. Right now, I am conducting an interrogation!”

“Ah. Hmm…”

Houston immediately knew this was an arrest based on misidentification.

Bash would never leave any eyewitnesses alive after an ambush. And if he was at all guilty of this crime, he would simply have broken free of the arrest, killing whoever stood in his way and fleeing.

An orc of this caliber could escape with ease, even if he was surrounded by a hundred soldiers.

As to how Houston could think this with such conviction… Well, he’d seen Bash break free of his own troops that way during the war.

“He’s given up most of the information, but he still won’t tell us the purpose of his journey. Hey, you! Spit it out, you filthy warthog!”

Judith grabbed Bash by the collar and pushed her face up against his, eyes flashing menacingly.

Houston shuddered with sudden terror.

“Ah, don’t do that! Stop! No violence!”

He wanted to sound commanding, but his voice came out in an awkward shriek.

Peacetime though it was, who could blame the orc for being angered by this interrogation? Here he was, accused of a crime, dragged down to the jail, and now some wet-behind-the-ears rookie knight who hadn’t even been in the war was harassing and disrespecting him.

Yes, Bash had every right to be angry. Furious, even.

“I have nothing further to say.”

But Bash didn’t appear to be even slightly perturbed.

Instead, he merely twitched his nose, his expression serene.

Perhaps the citrus fruit scent wafting through the jail was having a calming effect on him? Orcs would eat anything, but surprisingly, they had a special appetite for fruit.

Houston felt a rush of gratitude toward the soldier who had suggested freshening up the jail with citrus fruit oil. Perhaps he would even give them a raise.

“Ahem… Judith. Let go of him at once, then step back here with me. Slowly.”

“What…? What’s wrong with you? What happened to Houston the Pig Slayer? Why are you acting so feeble and—?”

“Do not address me by that name!”

An orc would surely find Houston’s nickname insulting…

Whenever his nickname was mentioned around the rogue orcs they brought in, it always caused a stir. The orcs would become very abusive indeed. “So you’re the one they call Pig Slayer! I’ll rip out your guts!”

That’s how much weight the name Pig Slayer carried among the orcs.

Or maybe it was just that they didn’t take kindly to being called pigs. Hard to say for sure.

“But, sir, this pig of a rogue orc needs to know who he’s dealing with here—the great Houston! Listen, orc-hog. This man is General Houston, and he slayed more orcs than any other during the war! Yeah, while orcs like you sat around picking your foul noses, he—”

Houston suddenly let forth a scream.

“Shut up! Shut your mouth or I’ll shut it for you! Now get back in line this instant!”

Houston’s roar sounded almost demonic.

“Huh…?”

Judith stiffened with shock, bewildered by Houston’s threat. Nevertheless, she did as she was told.

Her shoulders were slumped, her head drooping. She’d been scolded by the army general but had no idea why. She would need him to explain later on.

Right now, though, there was the orc to worry about.

“Whew…”

Houston let out the breath he’d been holding and turned back to Bash.

Bash had his hawklike eyes fixed on Judith, now standing in her position in line. Houston’s lip twitched spasmodically.

“I… I apologize for the rudeness of my subordinate. She’s supposed to be in charge of investigating the carriage ambush case, but so far, she’s failed to find any leads. I’m afraid she’s grown a bit desperate. Oh, excuse me, I should have introduced myself earlier. I am the army general of this town’s defense force. My name is Houston Jale.”

“Bash.”

“Ah yes… I know your name…”

“You know of me?”

“I had the opportunity to observe you on the battlefield many times…”

Bash suddenly leaned in, eyes focusing on Houston’s face. Would he remember him and leap forth to attack? No, surely not. He was a reasonable sort of orc, wasn’t he?

Houston had to trust his initial impression. If the orc was going to attack, he would have already done so. His men would all have been slain, and Judith would have been left lying in a dead faint, eyes glazed over, cloudy liquid dripping from in between her spread legs.

Reassuring himself, Houston manufactured a smile.

In his thirty years of loyal service, Houston had never smiled at an orc this way.

Hell, he’d never even smiled at another human this way.

“A great chief of the humans…”

“Um…sure. Something like that.”

“This takes me back to the war… How have you been?”

Suddenly, Bash’s tusks were fully exposed.

It was an expression that could easily be mistaken for a threatening grimace. But Houston knew more about orcs than anyone around. He knew that savage expression was simply an orc’s approximation of a friendly smile.

Houston felt slightly relieved and much more confident as he continued the conversation.

“This situation is entirely a result of my lack of attentiveness. I very much appreciate your patience during this matter.”

“Oh, I’m not bothered at all.”

Actually, Bash almost seemed bored, but he was looking at Judith with an odd expression on his face.

Houston narrowed his eyes. Does this orc mean, he thought to himself, that as much as Judith’s impudence enrages him, he does not intend to kill her…?

That was the conclusion Houston came to, at least.

He was a tolerant orc, to be sure, taking Judith’s insults on the chin without batting an eye.

Any other orc would have already handled the insult by seizing Judith and tearing her limb from limb.

And yet the orc could still blow his top at any second.

Houston raised his voice, hoping to wrap up this conversation as soon as possible.

“Um… At any rate, may I ask you a few questions? I promise not to take up too much more of your time.”

“What? Just how many times do you intend to make me repeat the same thing?”

“Please, if you would just cooperate with us for a few minutes more…!” squeaked Houston.

He shot Judith a sharp look. Was that what her interrogation had amounted to—endless repetition of the same questions?

Judith quickly looked down at the floor, chewing her lip out of guilt.

“Well, let’s see…”

Then Houston proceeded to question the orc about the ambush in the western forest region they’d received reports on.

Naturally, Bash’s answers did not change.

The carriage had been besieged by bugbears. Bash, who was simply passing by, had stepped in to drive them off.

He had spoken to the two women to see if either would consent to intercourse. And his explanation for why he had not simply pounced on them was that the Orc King had forbidden mating with other races without first obtaining consent.

While Bash had merely been complying with the Orc King’s wishes, the women had seen it as a sign that they were about to be attacked.

Houston nodded sagely as he digested this information. Those rogue orcs couldn’t be trusted, but he found he could easily believe Bash.

It looked like he really did just happen upon the carriage ambush by pure coincidence.

Yes, Houston had predicted as much.

If he really had meant to attack those two women, they would never have been able to escape to tell the tale. Houston knew better than anyone else that fleeing from Bash was a near-impossible feat. To get away from Bash when he really meant to capture you…that would require countless heavily armored subordinates to use as convenient human shields. Not to mention a good deal of luck as well.

Therefore…

“Just one more question, then.”

This was the most important question of all.

“You said you’re searching for something. Is the Orc King aware of this?”

“Of course.”

“I see.”

Now Houston’s curiosity was satisfied.

He knew why Bash was here.

He knew the purpose of his journey.

He was on a mission from the Orc King. Nemesis had given Bash a direct order. Obediently, Bash had set out on the Orc King’s quest.

The command? Go forth and search for this object/person.

“Oh dear, that’s quite troubling. In that case, you really should have gone through the proper governmental channels…”

“It is a personal matter. I do not intend to cause trouble.”

And yet it was something he felt the need to conceal from the humans. Or someone.

It must have been something very important indeed to have an orc of Bash’s caliber sent after it.

Something that, once obtained, would lead to great profit for the orcs. Or conversely, something that would lead to great losses if they could not obtain it…

At any rate, it was clear that the orcs placed a great deal of value on whatever it was.

Otherwise, they would never have sent their finest orc out into the world alone.

Houston supposed he had this mysterious mission to thank for Bash not tearing him and Judith limb from limb.

Human carnage could have really upped the difficulty of Bash’s mission.

But Houston was desperately curious to know what it was Bash sought…

“All right. I understand the situation.”

Houston had decided to ponder Bash’s mission no further.

He only hoped this thing, whatever it was, wasn’t something that might cause harm to the human race.

“Well, that’s all we needed you for. I apologize for taking up your valuable time.”

No, it was none of Houston’s business.

Getting involved, sticking his neck in where it didn’t belong…that could prove dangerous. Life-threatening. No thanks.

On the battlefield, there was nothing more precious than human life. At the same time, there was nothing more expendable…

Bash’s arrest was a simple case of mistaken identity. He had come along quietly and cooperated with their inquiries, more or less.

As far as Houston was concerned, this matter was dealt with.

Case closed.

Of course, Houston would send a message ahead to the homelands, warning them that the Orc Hero Bash had been by, looking for something. But after that, whatever happened…that was somebody else’s problem.

“Hmm.”

Bash nodded mildly, starting to unfurl Zell from the bindings that had been used to restrain the tiny fairy.

“Take care on your journey and be careful not to leave any belongings behind.”

Houston breathed a sigh of relief as he spoke these parting words to the orc.

Finally, the orc was leaving. Seeing him up close and talking to him, he had to admit that Bash really was a fine figure of an orc and well worthy of the Hero title.

But an orc like that could go on a wild rampage at any moment.

Houston knew much about the orcs. Enough to know that there was plenty more he did not yet know.

He had to get this orc out of here before something set him off and sent him into a rage. After that, all he could do was pray the orc wouldn’t cause destruction in the town.

He wouldn’t send soldiers after the orc to monitor him. No, his subordinates’ lives were precious. He would adopt an entirely hands-off approach.

That was what Houston decided.

Houston’s intuition had kept him alive this far. He refused to risk his neck now, when peace was finally here.

“Hmm…”

As Bash unbound the fairy, though, he was frowning.

And he kept glancing at Judith every few seconds.

Huh?

Houston watched Bash sneaking furtive peeks at Judith. Something was setting his intuition senses tingling again.

Bash was free to leave, and yet he was lingering.

What could be the reason? Why was he looking at Judith? Did he still bear a grudge against the knight? But only moments before, Bash had claimed not to have been all that bothered by her interrogation. So why, then, did he seem so fixated on her? What dirt did he have on Judith?

She was a knight. She conducted a search in the western forest region. The road…in other words…

The gears began turning in Houston’s head, leading him right to the most logical conclusion.

“Could it be that the carriage ambush case is somehow connected to this thing you seek?”

“…?”

Bash froze for a moment.

His face was blank, and it was impossible to tell what the orc might have been thinking.

But at that moment, the fairy Zell tumbled free of its wrapping and zoomed into the air, taking hold of Bash’s ear and whispering into it. All of a sudden, Bash’s eyebrows shot up.

Then he turned to Houston, his expression composed. Slowly, he nodded.

“Hmm. You may be right there.”

“I thought so!”

Houston grinned, pleased that his hunch had proven to be correct.

Houston was a smart man. In the span of a few seconds, he’d already come up with a way to get the orc in his debt, while at the same time preventing any disturbances in town and making sure he kept himself out of harm’s way.

Houston Jale wasn’t exactly a saint, you see.

And he never hesitated to seize any opportunity that might improve his own fortunes later down the line.

“In that case, I’ll send young Judith to accompany you. She was the one in charge of the carriage ambush investigation, after all. If you’re off investigating it, she’s the best person to have assisting you.”

“What?”

Judith was standing by the entrance with an extremely displeased look on her face.

“Hold on just a minute, General Houston! You seriously intend to send me off with this wild beast who thinks of nothing else but violating every woman he sees?!”

Judith took an enraged step forward, jabbing an accusatory finger at Bash.

Bash gazed coolly at the finger, responding in a low voice.

“We orcs are forbidden from nonconsensual relations by peace treaty decree. I have no intention of violating you.”

Houston looked on, nodding, feeling deeply inspired all of a sudden.

Now that he cast his mind back, he recalled that Bash was never known for dragging women away after battle, even if the entire enemy unit had been wiped out. The other orcs would ignore direct orders and take women right there on the bloody battlefield. But not Bash.

Indeed, it was in an orc’s nature to want to ravish as many women as he could.

But this frank, seemingly decent orc clearly intended to hold out against the innate urges of his race and uphold the law of the Orc King.

“See? There, you have the word of the orc himself.”

“Seriously?! You of all people should know, General Houston, that orcs are a race of indiscriminate brutes! No matter what he may say, it’s obvious that the moment he gets me alone in a dark corner, he’ll show his true, despicable colors!”

Houston grabbed Judith by the collar and drew her close until his face was up against hers.

“Shut your mouth, knight. Now listen here. This gentleman is nothing like those rogue orcs. He is the Orc Hero Bash.”

“Huh? Hero? Says who?! He’s probably just the Orc King’s favorite nephew or something!”

Houston was getting a headache.

The Orc Hero Bash was known to every single soldier in the Orc Response Force during the war.

Houston was aware that Judith was a novice knight who’d only joined the service after the war was over. Even so…how could she be so uninformed?!

“…”

Houston fought hard to suppress a sudden urge to scream at the stupid young knight.

The war had been over for three years.

Those who had been soldiers during the war had mostly all returned to their hometowns. To live a peaceful life, away from fighting.

The majority of the soldiers in this town had never even tasted war.

And while most knew of the existence of the Orc King, few knew his name—Nemesis.

What’s more, there was still hardly any trading going on between the Fortified City and the orc country. Judith—in fact, all of his subordinates—had only ever encountered rogue orcs. Detestable criminals with no respect for the rules. So Houston supposed her ignorance couldn’t be helped.

“He is exalted among orcs, a fact which remains true despite your ignorance. He is an elite, the likes of which a stupid, lowly knight of your ilk could never even hope to converse with.”

“What…seriously? But he’s just an orc…”

“He has come to Krassel in peace, but make no mistake, if you had truly angered him, you would already be dead.”

“Huh…?”

Judith still didn’t quite seem to understand.

Houston decided to change tack.

“If you end up sparking another conflict with the orcs, your head will roll. I’ll see that you end up executed for it. Do you really want to go to the guillotine during peacetime?”

“The guillo…? But… I mean… He’s an orc…”

Houston knew he was a coward, an opportunist.

During the war, he had managed to evade Bash, and he carried an odd sense of pride within himself for that achievement.

But the others didn’t know about all that. Judith and the rest of his subordinates—they all thought Houston was a ruthless, fearsome warrior.

So she was taking his words not as sage advice, but as threats and intimidation.

Judith was still young and inexperienced, and she could not help quaking in her boots.

“Oi.”

Bash intervened. There was an angry edge to his voice for the first time, and he was glaring at Houston sharply.

“Unhand the woman.”

Houston let go of Judith instantly, hands opening wide as if to say, I wasn’t even touching her, I swear.

“Is… Is something amiss?”

“You brute…”

Bash paused for a moment, as if weighing his words, before continuing.

“Harassing a woman like that, barking orders at her. Are you not ashamed?”

“I… But…”

Houston’s cheeks burned red.

Judith had hauled in Bash, an innocent orc, put him in jail, and interrogated him, all under human jurisdiction. And now she had the nerve to insult Bash right to his face.

Houston could tell what Bash was thinking. Obviously, he was infuriated. But he was trying not to show it. Instead, he was speaking as if in sympathy with Judith’s situation.

If it had been any other orc, Houston would have scoffed aloud.

It doesn’t matter that she’s a woman; she’s still my subordinate. It’s none of your business, so piss off, he might have said.

Or he might have mocked the orc. So you got caught, pissed your pants, but then managed to swing the interrogation in your favor, so you decided to get a little too big for your boots, hmm?

But no, this was no ordinary orc. This was an orc who could disembowel every human in the vicinity before you’d even blinked.

An orc had no need of words. He could demonstrate to the humans just how weak and puny they were through use of his mighty fists.

But Bash hadn’t used his fists. Even despite all the humiliation he’d endured.

From where did he get such self-restraint?

Bash was clearly thinking from a loyal orc tribesman’s perspective. If Bash attacked any of the humans present, he would be in violation of the wishes of the Orc King. And if Bash turned against the Orc King, many hot-blooded young orcs would follow suit.

That would lead to another war between the orcs and one of the other races. During the long war, the orcs had lost so many of their number. If another war came about, this time, the orc race might go extinct for real.

And so Bash controlled himself.

For the sake of duty, for the future of orckind, Bash could sacrifice his dignity a hundred times over.

For all the power Bash possessed, he refused to use it for his own selfish means, instead devoting himself in service to his race.

What a fine orc he was.

So much more magnanimous, so much more tolerant than could even have been imagined…

Houston felt increasingly ashamed in comparison.

Bash was right. What must the orc have thought of him, haranguing a woman in this way? How pathetic!

As a general—nay, as a man—he could not act like this.

And so Houston made up his mind. A decision that might end up enraging the orc, and yet…he knew what needed to be done.

“You’re right, of course. Yes. In that case…I shall accompany you in searching the forest!”

Bash’s eye twitched for a moment, but Houston, overwhelmed by the greatness of this mighty orc, failed to notice.