Chapter 4: Changing Fate

“That guy’s the demon who steals light, oiiink!!!!!!!!”

“Which idiot was the one who said that we could defeat him if we all combined our powers, oink?!”

A “demon.” That was what the orcs called the slaughterer who had appeared out of nowhere in Huzak.

He harmed his fellow man and was a harbinger of death and darkness who was likely to attack the orc village one day. The village had been ready for such a day, for when the man would come and tear apart any order there was. They made the most flawless preparations they could, or so they had thought. They purposefully set it up so that the battle would be one human versus a giant army, and their overwhelming advantage in numbers would leave them standing strong.

However, the stench of blood permeated the area. Monsters wore twisted expressions of anger and fear as they confronted unavoidable, certain defeat.

“Slobe! Where did you go?! Save us, oink!”

“Slobe went to White Castle! Lady Elyas and the others will surely soon bring the demonic monster in charge there back here with them, oink!”

As the man watched the orcs scramble for escape, he thought back to the aim of his expedition.

The order which Nanatrij had given him was to determine the power of the south. It was going to be the determining factor for whether or not she would start a war with them and she declared that she would heavily lean on the opinion of a single man.

As for how the man met that fickle girl... It all started on a certain day.

Back at that exact moment when he had tried to assassinate the Great Spirit of Darkness, Nanatrij, and had his life spared on a whim.

“Wow, that surprised me. How long has it been since someone aimed for my life in broad daylight like this? A few decades? You’re pretty skilled, but you should really be more careful about whom you target... Why do you look as if the apocalypse is going to happen? Come on, just leave. Shoo, you’re in the way... You want me to kill you? Are you suicidal or something? Listen here, someone showing up trying to kill me is trivial to me. I don’t care at all. Just how many humans...ah, I guess monsters and elves too, do you think have tried to kill me? But, well... True, even one failure at your job would mean that your existence is worthless. Then...do you want to come with me?”

She had said it was a spur-of-the-moment decision. This had irritated the man and he felt like she was messing with him, but he had nowhere to go. He didn’t have anything else to do back then, so he had dealt with the various plots that tried to kill her. That became a trend, and before he knew it, he’d been given a post in the army.

By the fickle girl’s own discretion, he became a soldier. He had been reluctant since this was the Dustour Empire they were talking about, but he’d also thought that this was a chance to be closer to her. The man had already taken an interest in the girl, and those Three Musketeers had sworn fealty to her as well.

He’d wanted to know the reason why she, a Master of Wandless Spells, had chosen to live on. Hardening his resolve, he’d asked her that once, and she replied easily.

He’d laughed at her answer, calling her a fool.

However, at the same time, he’d also thought her ideas were noble. Indeed, her dream was a pie in the sky for a human, so he could easily understand the reason she chose to stop being one.

“I want to establish a free country in the north where nobody can interfere with my goals. And it’s my chance right now. Real heroes, only seen once in a generation at best, have appeared in the empire, and not one, but three of them at that! I’m prepared to make sacrifices for the union of the continent, but I’d hate to walk into a swamp full of obstacles and find myself at a standstill. So, Rooney, probe them for me. I don’t care how. Whether we should start a war with the south or not... I’ll give you the full authority for that decision.”

He had even begun to feel ecstatic at the level of trust Nanatrij had bestowed upon him. It was the first time that she had ever given him such an important mission. In the past, I was an assassin who sought her death. Yet now, I’m an undeniable fanatic.

At first, he had chuckled, and it grew into a roar of laughter. “To think that I, of all people, would live for someone else!”

With a sickening leer on his face, he had walked forward into this battlefield, one which most adventurers would likely shrink away from.

Even though he was one single human, he was the one who controlled the scene.

A typical adventurer would probably hesitate to walk in this battleground. However, this man didn’t stop.

An orc shrieked. “Why are you laughing?! I’m an Orc King! I’m a cut above the orcs that you norma— Oiiink!!!!!!”

The orc in question was an adult who was noticeably larger than the rest, and it had the symbol of the king species tattooed on the left of its chest.

“Ah! He sent Oinkus flying! Weakling!” a monster roared.

There were no monsters left that could meet the man’s gaze. They had already lost their will to fight.

“Ooioi’s not hurt, but he fainted from fear! Someone help, oink!”

“This guy’s heavy, oink.”

Another orc snorted in agreement.

The great number of orcs gathered in the village were the first ones to be trampled on.

But that was to be expected. No matter how much they evolved, orcs were the smallest of small fries, at the bottom of the monster food chain. They were so weak that they were like slugs that would be sent flying by a flick to the forehead from an ogre.

Orcs often found themselves groaning from stomach pain after picking up meat from the ground and eating it without a second thought. If anyone dug a pitfall, they would definitely fall in, and they would never fail to find themselves ensnared in any kind of trap. In other words, they were completely foolish monsters.

That was all the more reason why the Orc King, who only had his cheerfulness going for him, wanted to become stronger than anyone else.

“It huuurts. I want Slobe to cast Heal on me, oink...” he muttered.

In this world, there were the strong, and then there were the weak. Orcs were clearly the latter, the lowest of the low.

The orcs lived in fear of those with power, and because of that, it was unthinkable for them to settle down in one place. That was why the creation of a peaceful village like the orc village had been a miracle to Oinkus.

Every day had been full of joy, and he had his fill of peaceful times. However, it was time for that miraculous time to end.

It was all over. The orc village would be destroyed today.

The man’s tone was mocking. “Orc King. I will now destroy everything that you monsters have built up from the ground—”

Oinkus was a foolish Orc King, but he desperately wrung his brain for ideas. However, he couldn’t think of anything.

Elyas had said that if the demon appeared, there was a high chance that they would have to abandon the orc village. She had told him to brace himself for the worst possibility.

There’s no way I’d let anyone break the kingdom we built, the young Orc King had thought as anger took over. He could just attack the demon first. Thus, Oinkus headed towards the demon all by himself, and...he came back running. With just one look, he realized that he couldn’t win against that thing.

That was why he gathered more to come with him. If he had more comrades, there might be a slim shred of possibility of winning. There may have been a chance that he might not have to throw away the orc village.

However, Oinkus bit down hard on his lip as his vision was blotted with the darkness of despair.

“I’ll tell you one last thing. In truth, I had planned on killing the demonic leader of White Castle first. However, this village became too big to ignore. I couldn’t let this go on any longer.”

Lady Elyas, that awful griffin, and even Slobe went to White Castle. They’ll probably be sad if they found the orc village gone after they come back.

Fearsome darkness began to wrap around Oinkus’s body as he lay on the ground. He was probably only still alive thanks to his tough body as the Orc King.

The man was approaching.

Even though it was noon, Oinkus could only see a world that was dark like the night before him, and the demon was closing in to deal the final blow.

“I don’t want to die.” Oinkus wailed. “I don’t wanna, oiiink.” He coughed in pain.

“As I thought, the monsters led by the Blue Light are completely different from you bunch. Did you think you could live a happy life if you ran away from the north? You can’t even hope to match the vampire clan that destroyed Huzak in the first place. If I had known you were this weak, I wouldn’t have even needed to crush you.”

Oinkus coughed and hacked pitifully.

However, in his few remaining moments, the thoughts on the young Orc King’s mind happened to be silly, trifling things that went way beyond the man’s expectations.

I’m hungry because I moved around a lot. Which reminds me, I left some food just waiting there. How many times will Slobe ask for seconds today? Will the weather be clear tomorrow? I would hate for there to be rain. Is that cat going to make a fuss again tonight?

“So this is the downfall of more than a thousand orcs, and even an Orc King that managed to command other species as well.”

These thoughts were way too silly for someone on the brink of death. But all that came to his mind were trivial, everyday things.

The orc village still has room to grow. I wanted to make lots of shops like human countries. In that case, what kind of monster should I assign to run weapon shops? An orc weapon shop seems weak, so I don’t want that. That’s right, I guess I’ll ask a golem. For the item shop, hmm... Yeah, orcs don’t fit that either, oink. In that case, I must live at least for another few decades. I don’t wanna die. I still wanna live.

Despite his barrage of thoughts, no words would leave the Orc King’s mouth.

“So you’ve even given up on living, huh?”

The Orc King’s desire to live swelled without limit. His sadness wouldn’t stop, and neither did his complaints.

Like the punch line of a cruel joke, when Oinkus opened his mouth wide, a black something flowed in and he started to choke. And that darkness, which beckoned to death, was only driven away by the pain of being no longer able to breathe.

But then there was wind. A gust of wind blew away the darkness surrounding the Orc King’s body.

Surprised, Oinkus lifted his head. “Oink?”

“Don’t ‘oink’ me. Do you know just how noisy you were? Your screams were really shaking everyone up! You were way more than just a nuisance to your neighbors, you hear me?”

A barrier of wind, which seemed so fragile compared to the man’s darkness spell, was protecting Oinkus...and the girl who cast the spell in the first place. Shocked, Oinkus couldn’t even speak. It was because the voice was a monster that Oinkus knew very, very well.

It was the pixie who loved gossiping. She was a monster who led a life far away from strength, battles, and all that rowdy stuff. Oinkus knew that very well too.

“Don’t!!!” Oinkus wailed, choking as he spoke. “You’re weaker than me, Lady Elyas! Oink!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!”

“So you’re the pixie who had run from place to place trying to escape from me, yeah? Surely you didn’t think you had a chance of winning if you gathered the ogres which occupy White Castle?”

“Oh dear,” the pixie began slowly. “They are strong, you know? After all—”

“Don’t look down on me. The ogres that destroyed the vampire with the Blue Light aren’t around, not even a single one of them. Those ogres in White Castles are all failures. They don’t even have horns.”

The darkness emitting from the man swirled and mixed with Elyas’s wind barrier. Unfortunately, the wind barrier didn’t seem like it could endure it for much longer, and just one look at Elyas’s face twisting in chagrin was enough to show the clear power gap between the two.

Elyas hardened her resolve as she did her best to keep up the barrier. Behind her was Oinkus, more dead than not. Her wind barrier seemed like it could give out at any moment, but there was no way she could run and leave the stupid Orc King coughing up smoke lying there.

This man is a demon, she thought. Even though he was just a human, she felt her whole body tremble like a leaf in the breeze. Even though he was outnumbered vastly by the surrounding monsters, the possibility of his own defeat didn’t even seem to cross his mind.

This human’s power was at a level where she could never reach. In terms of ability, he was close to the realm of the Three Musketeers, who were so powerful that even the Demon King of the North was said to have her hands full keeping them at bay. Elyas didn’t know why such a powerful person was in Huzak, but since he was here, he was her problem now.

If she didn’t want to die, her only choice was to fight back with all she had.

Beads of sweat slid down from her forehead. Perhaps because she was fueling everything into her spell, her stamina was depleting at a shocking rate. She could already start to feel her limit approaching.

Elyas gritted her teeth.

If her barrier fell, she’d probably be finished in an instant. She didn’t have a sturdy body like the Orc King to protect her. The heat of the man’s spell blazed with more fervor. Her two outstretched arms that held up the barrier were already starting to feel weak. Elyas slowly closed her eyes, bracing herself for her very last moment.

The man’s darkness was so powerful that it could deplete the mana reserves of someone like Elyas in no time at all. She gradually lost feeling in her two hands that stopped the blow, and she was almost entirely paralyzed now. Her mana could dry up and the barrier could fall at any moment. The wind barrier, which was probably still upheld before her right now, was surely becoming very thin and undependable.

She hesitated to open her eyes. Elyas kept them shut tight as she waited for the end to come.

However, no matter how long she waited, the darkness never scalded her body.

“...Huh?” Elyas let out.

The spell had been called off.

Not only that, but the bloodlust aimed towards Elyas and Oinkus had also disappeared.

Nervously, Elyas turned to look at the place she last saw the man and she finally realized what had happened.

That terrifying man no longer even looked at them, almost as if a mere Orc King and pixie were now beneath his attention.

“What a surprise. Why did you come back? I remember telling you that there wouldn’t be a second time!” the man shouted.

The man fixed his eyes on a boy with crimson hair like flames, and a savage grin formed on the man’s sharp features.

The man couldn’t help but find it all so hilarious. Someone who wasn’t supposed to be there had shown up. How could he resist laughing? After all...

The Daryth noble, whom the man clearly remembered beating into a pulp one night, charged at him once again.

The monsters had been crushed one-sidedly by the man and didn’t know anything about the boy who approached the demon. They didn’t know why these humans were fighting amongst themselves.

“I told you, Shuya, that you shouldn’t be a slave to your magic. I also told you how to figure out when you’re out of your depth. Shuya, your power is far inferior to mine, but you had the sprout of potential within. I could see a chance of exponential growth in you, so I spared you. Don’t you think you should use your precious second life more wisely?!”

“Shut up!” Shuya hissed. “I’m going to drag you back to the guild! I swear it!”

“You’re just an insignificant kid without power, without knowledge, without comrades! What can you do?!”

“Shut uuup!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!”

The man dealt with the young fire mage as if it were a game. Their difference in power was obvious.

However, Shuya had a reason why he couldn’t let it all end yet.

On that night, Shuya had realized the truth. The man who had saved him, the man whom he had admired, was actually a mass murderer. He couldn’t believe it. He didn’t want to believe it. However, the man recited everything he had done in Huzak for Shuya to hear and announced that he had been the one who was killing the soldiers and adventurers in this country.

“You should thank the fact that you were born in the south because men like you are the first to die in the north. You should have used the life I saved to head to Zenelaus obediently and get more powerful there! And what about that girl? Did you leave her somewhere to die?!”

“That has nothing to do with you!” Shuya yelled.

On that night, Shuya had been beaten up but was spared. The man hadn’t taken his life, and Shuya had run away with Alicia. However, in the middle of their journey to the Freedom Union, they saw many corpses along the way. The adventurers that lay there had all accepted the special quest in Zenelaus and attacked the man, leading to their deaths. The magical parchment Shuya had found had listed the numerous, uncountable crimes of the man.

Shuya couldn’t just walk on towards Zenelaus with his mouth closed, ears shut, and eyes looking away from reality. There was no way he could.

And on top of that, though he didn’t have any evidence to back it up...

The current-day Denning wouldn’t pretend he saw nothing if he were in Shuya’s shoes right now either.

“What are you spacing out for, Oinkus? Let’s run to a safe place while we have the chance.” Elyas paused. “Oinkus, what are you looking at?”

“Lady Elyas, that human... He’s crazy. He’s way too tough, oink...”

Just like the Orc King said, the scene before them was abnormal.

No matter how many times the red-haired boy was knocked down, he still got back up. It was almost as if he was declaring that he wouldn’t die unless someone broke his spirit.

The man hesitated. “Shuya. You... Aren’t you in pain right now?”

“I won’t forgive you. I definitely won’t forgive you...” Shuya muttered deliriously. “How dare you deceive me... I trusted you...”

“You aren’t making sense... You’re the one who went to be deceived of your own accord.”

However, a wave of unease washed over the man’s heart.

Rooney had immediately realized that something was off with Shuya. Shuya’s spells were too skilled and fluid. And just now, Shuya...looked like he moved in a way that’s impossible for a human, Rooney thought. Not only that, I can’t even see his lips moving to chant the incantations for spells.

“Even still, Shuya... I don’t even have to use magic to deal with the weakling you currently are.” Shuya was still clearly outclassed. Rooney seized Shuya by the hair as the boy came close and then slammed the boy’s body hard against the ground. “I take back what I said earlier. I said that there wouldn’t be a second time, but I’ll make an exception.”

The man had a bad habit of letting promising youths run free, but he had never let the same human off twice. However, Shuya today was almost like a stranger compared to a few days ago.

The boy lunged at him repeatedly like a starved beast. It was easy for Rooney to guess that the boy had been bound by some kind of compulsion. Rooney forced the berserk Shuya into unconsciousness and took a breather himself.

“If you manage to survive this lair of monsters, that is,” Rooney muttered. “However, that girl wouldn’t have left you behind either. If you two work together, you might still be able to escape from this battlefield.”

However, Rooney’s verdict that the union of the continent would be a swift endeavor was unchanged. They didn’t need the power of the Three Musketeers, who were busy with the elves. Taking on the continent with the spare might of the empire was more than enough.

A sense of accomplishment filled him. It had been a long mission.

He had stayed in hiding in this country for several months, all by himself. Moreover, since his real identity was starting to be exposed, it was about time to retreat. He had learned enough about the average power of soldiers in the south. If this was all they had, then there wasn’t a need for Nanatrij nor the Three Musketeers’ powers to take over the area. He would end this by annihilating these monsters and returning to the empire, thus completing his operation.

“...Hm?” He had been too focused on his fight with Shuya and had been negligent about being vigilant of his surroundings.

Something was out of place. Something was off. And then, he realized what it was.

All those defeated monsters that had been terrified of his power were returning. One after another, the number of monsters continued to increase.

“What, is the circus coming into town? Did you think the likes of you Huzak monsters could win against me as long as there’s enough of you? Did you find an ogre with a horn or a surviving vampire in White Castle? Or maybe you managed to find and bring a headless dullahan who lost its lord?” Rooney sneered. “I let this human off the hook because he has talent. However, it’s a different case for all of you.”

He felt annoyance grow within him. Why aren’t they running? He was sure he had instilled fear in them. Weaklings should just act like the weaklings they were.

Right at that moment, the crowded rows of monsters shifted, parting of their own accord to make a path.

The man wondered what kind of big shot would appear at the end of the path. He assumed it would be the demonic leader from White Castle, but the scene made him question his own eyes.

“Who would have thought that of all people, it would be the great anime protagonist who helped to buy time...?”

An orc. A completely ordinary orc approached him from the sea of monsters.

If the man had to pick one defining characteristic about the orc, it was the fact that it was chubby. An orc with a potbelly held a thick twig— No, wait, that thing was a wand. The orc tightly gripped a mage wand and approached the man.

So the rumored orc mage finally appears. I see. But...what in the world is this?

“Slobe! Yer late, oink!”

“Make that human go somewhere else! He’s way too scary, oink!”

The orc village is becoming much more hopeful.

Even though I, the person who caused this terrible scene, am right in front of them, ordinary orcs are approaching without fear overtaking them.

It’s not like the situation has changed at all. However, clearly, the atmosphere changed after that thing appeared.

The orc spoke. “It seems like you had lots of fun, but have you ever heard of picking on someone your own size?”

The monsters all cheered excitedly in agreement, and the man felt his forehead twitch.

“...More importantly, Elyas! Leaving me behind like that was mean. Did you doubt what I said to you before we went to White Castle?”

“Slobe, how did you...?”

“Your bodyguard is more faithful to its duties than I thought. It gave in once I talked to it.”

“Wait, you don’t mean...!”

Elyas looked up into the sky and was taken over by shock. Eagle Eye, who had supposedly forsaken the orc village, was there overhead. And looking awkward, at that.

“Oops. Elyas, seems like the demon is about to flip out because we left him out of the loop for too long. You can just wait there until it’s your turn. Remember what I said before? Defeating that human is my role, you see.”

Now then, it was time to raise the curtains.

Of course, the boy couldn’t say that everything had gone according to his plans—not at all, in fact, but... The preparations to change the future were now all set.

“...I suppose I should say, nice to meet you?” the boy mused.

All of his outrageous hardships until this point had led to this one moment.

Did that orc just say that it would defeat me?

“I feel as if my entire life has just been spat on,” the man muttered.

The orc was short in stature and was a mere shadow compared to the Orc King. So that’s the orc mage that the monsters have been spreading rumors about. It seems pretty calm, but that’s all there is to it.

However, the man didn’t know that under the surface, the boy was actually a little moved by this meeting with Rooney Blough. Though the man had been a villain in the anime, this charismatic, attractive man had been a vital part of Shuya’s growth.

“A mere orc, saying he’ll defeat me? How amusing. I’ll let you have the first mo—”

“Oh, gladly—”

Together with words from a quiet voice, something aimed towards the man and passed right by him.

Moving quickly, the man had evaded it, but a prickle of pain brushed the man’s cheek. Something dripped onto the ground. He immediately realized what it was. It was his own blood, which he hadn’t had many chances to see in some time.

In other words, the orc had attacked him and nearly landed a blow.

The moment Rooney came to that realization, a burst of heat spread through his entire body.

An orc? An orc? Orcs were beneath my attention even back when I was just a novice adventurer. That pig caused an injury? To whom? To me? The one trying to challenge the Three Musketeers? The one whom the Great Spirit of Darkness trusts immensely?

“I will slaughter all of you,” the man swore slowly, dragging out each syllable.

This was the first time the man’s blood had been shed since he had infiltrated Huzak, and it was enough to make him take things seriously.

A swing of a knife from a long distance. One hit should have been enough to end it all. It was a combined spell of fire, darkness, and wind. The orc received a blow from the invisible blade, and—

It still stood there, as if nothing happened.

Did it manage to defend itself against my spell? However, the man then noticed that his spell hadn’t gone off at all. Why? His right hand holding the knife, which was one movement short of the trigger spell, hadn’t swung down. It’s bound to the space around it. No. Not just my arm. My legs, my mouth... I couldn’t move a muscle. That orc mage attacked faster than I could! But the magic items I’m wearing should have deflected any mere spell an experienced mage can cast!

“Slaughter all of us? How?”

After receiving the attack, the man understood. That orc is in a completely different league from the pixie. In that case—

“I’ll...do this!” the man exclaimed.

Mustering up his strength, he twisted the magic to its breaking point...but it wouldn’t budge. At that realization, he shuddered in fear. Just how much mana did that orc use? That was just the first blow!

“Fascinating!” the man yelled. His next blow was to send a wave of destruction with a dual-element spell of wind and darkness, which he hadn’t named. The orc’s spell, missing its target, blew away a house. The other monsters screamed in surprise.

“Don’t tell me...that’s all you’ve got?” the orc muttered.

“Don’t you worry! I haven’t even used half of my strength!”

The man decided that he would need to break through from one point. The momentum was already beginning to shift in the orc mage’s favor. He had to change the atmosphere hanging over the battle. If this many monsters are riled up with hope and charge, it would be a sticky situation, even for me. He had to defeat the orc mage, who was the driving force behind all of this. His course of action decided, the man took the initiative and made his move.

Invisible blades of wind came flying down from above the man. Abbreviating his incantation, I see. An injury couldn’t be avoided. However, the only thing to do was to travel the shortest path to his goal.

Still, not bad at all, this orc variant. Its power as a mage... It compares to the lich guards of the Ghost King, the half-human, half-fiend member of the Three Musketeers... The orc mage’s power even reminded the man of that other pixie, the Demon King of the North.

He would break through the tempest of light even if it meant getting hit in the process. Tearing it all into pieces with his knife, he carved a path that would lead him straight to the orc.

It seemed that the farther he advanced, the thicker the magic became. A sturdy defense was the sign of a mage that was poor at close-ranged combat. Like I thought...I must close the gap between us.

“I can see your panic, orc mage!” he yelled.

The man had absolute confidence in winning combat in close quarters. When he had fought a match against the half-fiend Ghost King, the man had managed to take down two of his liches. The power of the mere orc mage couldn’t even hold a candle to his own.

The blades hailed down from above like rain. The downpour of projectiles was like a relentless storm. Rooney’s mind was about to go crazy from the pain and effort of trying to avoid as many as he could.

Still, the man took pride in his abilities and the fact that he had overcome many experiences that nearly led to his end.

There were now only ten steps between the orc and him. He kicked the ground hard, and—

“I’ve got yo—” And immediately, something felt wrong. “What?!” The man gasped. “Don’t tell me... You bastard!”

The man’s face twisted until there was no way it could warp any further. Just now, he saw something he couldn’t believe.

However, he’d had underlying doubts about his opponent from the beginning.

In the first place, he had never heard of an orc that could use magic. On top of that, for an orc, its attacks were too intelligent. Even now, Rooney’s potential escape paths were being cut off one after another. If he gave up on piercing through and fell back, he knew that a serious blow was waiting for him. Despite being a mere orc, it was able to read two, no, three steps ahead. The fact that it had been able to use a spell strong enough to fix him in place only added to that oddity.

However, the deciding factor was the ring. The man couldn’t tear his eyes away from the black ring on the orc mage’s left index finger.

“The Galalion?!” he hissed, incredulous.

Thus, the man suspended his offense and jumped aside. He used his full strength to guard against the furious attack of the wind that repeatedly pounded at him. Using a darkness spell, he negated it.

His pulse jumped, his heart pounding audibly in his chest, and he used everything he had to try to piece together the truth in front of him.

“Why? Why?! Why?!” That shape... There was no way he could mistake it.

Regaining his breath, the man roared. “Orc mage, where did you obtain that ring?! That was the last piece I had searched for! The magical artifact that Lady Nanatrij had once lent to a Daryth noble with extraordinary talent!”

The man was directly under the command of the Great Spirit, and he gladly retrieved magical artifacts she had once crafted if she wished for their return.

There were three such magical artifacts scattered around the world. They were the relics she had created back when she had been a pure pursuer of magic and nothing more. However, he could never find the last one.

I have searched long and hard for it. There’s no way in hell I could mistake it for something else!

“Why are you able to master it, you swine?! That thing’s— Damn it, shut up, you stupid monsters! Do you trash understand what this means?! The ring on that orc mage’s hand, created by Lady Nanatrij, houses the power of transformation! Are you all too blinded by your faith in this orc mage to see its real identity?!”

“As expected, when I’m in this body, the spirits don’t recognize me,” the orc mage muttered. “Sorry, Oinkus. But I didn’t lie, ya know? I told you from the very beginning that I only came here to defeat the demon.”

Alarm bells rang in Rooney’s mind. He was opposing someone he couldn’t understand. It was an abnormal caution that had also gone off when he had once clashed with the Three Musketeers.

He couldn’t understand his opponent’s motive, and an uncomfortable feeling overtook his heart. That orc is a human.

The next move that the orc mage made was completely unexpected.

The ring the orc mage wore began to shine. A black mist suddenly appeared, one that shared the same nature as the darkness born from the man’s knife. The orc mage was enveloped in it, and in the next moment...

“Transformation Release.”

This human, who had disguised himself as an orc, had managed to gain many monsters as his allies.

The man had thought that the human wouldn’t throw away that advantage. After all, Rooney was a formidable opponent. He had that self-awareness and the track record to back it up. Against someone like me, it’s more reassuring to have them as allies, even if they are monsters.

Therefore, who in the world could have considered the possibility that the orc mage would voluntarily change back into the form of a human?

There was silence in the village.

As the mist dissipated, a human was left standing in the orc mage’s place.

Not only that, but the human even seemed like he was around the same age as the red-haired Shuya whom the man had been with for a few days.

The monsters, who had fervently cheered for the orc mage, were also at a loss for words.

Without a moment’s delay, the boy took off his magic cloak and waved his wand once again. A muddy stream of earth ran amok and the ground writhed, trying to entangle the man. This wasn’t an exaggeration: the ground was indeed shaking.

The man also recognized that the display of power in the battle had moved up a gear. The trade of blows and defense of the two were now reaching otherworldly territory.

However, the ones that were most surprised were the orcs. After all, the orc mage had turned into a human!

“Slobe became a human, oink?”

“Oink?”

“What is that, oink?”

“Slobe! Gramps fell over and got injured!” The orc paused. “Ah wait, he was a human, oink.”

They had been deceived. Without realizing it, they had let a human into the fold.

However, at a time like this, the only thing that mattered to these orcs was whether the human was an enemy or an ally. There were a lot of monsters from other races who were still grappling with that fact, but orcs were simpleminded through thick and thin.

“Won’t you hurry up and defeat the demon, oink?!”

“Hurry up and beat him, oink!”

He had claimed he came to defeat the demon, and that clearly hadn’t been a lie.

If he truly did come to defeat the demon, then how was there any problem with all this?

After all, the orc village had accepted many monsters from all kinds of races. Wouldn’t it be fine for there to be one human at least? or so they thought. The orcs continued to cheer on the orc mage and were so happy-go-lucky that the other monsters were exasperated.

“...I-I noticed from the beginning though, oink.”

The Orc King’s moment of sour grapes was drowned out by the voices of the orcs rising in excitement once again.

●

What? Are you serious?! He managed to dodge that spell?! What kind of crazy reflexes does he have?!

“Losing is unforgivable, oink!”

“Slobe! Drive that demon away, oink!”

Ugh, you’re all so loud!

Do y’all know how strong that guy is?! This is an event that’s obviously set up for me to lose! I’m nearly using my full power! Damn it, if I put everything into evading, I won’t be able to hit him!

I sighed inwardly. Yeah, this is definitely an event with a predetermined fate. There’s no way Shuya could win against such a strong guy in the first twelve episodes of the anime!

“Aren’t you that bothered by the fact that you borrowed my lady’s power and deceived the monsters?” the man asked.

“Nope, not really. I just thought that the orcs are especially noisy.”

On the sidelines, monsters were making a racket, and orcs were the loudest of the lot as they snorted. Huh. It’s kind of a weird sight to see that many giant monsters being so scared of a single human.

But are you all really okay with this? I deceived you guys, you know? You’re still going to cheer for me? I am a human! I duped you!

Haaah... If you’re all going to act like that, I guess that means I must win against this guy, no matter what.

I noticed that Rooney wasn’t dressed in the military uniform I usually associated him with. I see. During this period, he even changed his clothing so that his identity as a soldier wouldn’t be revealed. He’s a tough opponent without oversight.

However, this guy... He hasn’t abandoned his humanity as much as the Three Musketeers yet.

“That crest on your wand... It seems familiar, but I guess I can just force you to spill the information later.”

“Or can you? You’re just a depraved guy who has fun bullying orcs,” I taunted back at him.

I still can’t imagine it, though...

Maybe it’s because we’re an equal match for each other at the moment, but I can’t see a future where I crush this guy one-sidedly.

“You’re nauseating. I can’t read your mind at all. How did you learn to hide your emotions at such an age?”

“My family background is rather unique, you see. Even in my earliest memories, they hammered methods of controlling emotions into me. That doesn’t mean what I’m showing you is my real self, though. More importantly, hey! It’s about time we end this, don’t you think?”

All of a sudden, I found Shuya’s crumpled form at my feet. I really can’t predict what this guy does... Jeez, my plans were all ruined due to you! Plus, after I defeat Rooney, I also need to go find Alicia. I bet she’s probably hiding somewhere.

“It’s a travesty for me to share the same opinion as a depraved guy who disguised himself as an orc, but indeed. Let’s end this,” declared Rooney.

...So it’s finally going to come to this. It’s my first time experiencing that spell firsthand. Now then, it’s the start of crunch time.

“Would you be able to stay standing in the Darkness, I wonder?”

What happened next reminded me of those times when your television screen suddenly turns black with a flash.

Without warning, my world was dyed pitch black.

I couldn’t see anything, hear anything, or feel anything.

The light was gone.

So this was the power of the demon that the orcs feared: the power to steal light.

There wasn’t anything other than the man’s voice.

“It’s difficult for me to expand this darkness over such a broad area, but it seems that at least this much is necessary to kill you.”

I had braced myself for this, but it still caught me off guard for a moment. Now that I’ve experienced this for myself... Jeez, this spell is nuts.

First, the light was gone, and all sounds went with it. My sense of orientation was the next to go, and it was even enough to make me mistakenly think I had died for a moment. Normally, if someone was unable to see, they would rely on what they could hear to decide on their next action. However, even sound was completely absent. Only that demon’s voice remained.

I see. He is indeed the demon that steals light.

“You, mage, whose name I don’t even know,” Rooney addressed me. “The fact that you were able to draw out the ring’s power means that you probably had something you must accomplish, even if it meant disguising your appearance.”

Despite my completely powerless state, I could still hear his voice. You’re a scary guy, Rooney. I get why the Great Spirit of Darkness took a liking to someone like you.

You can’t lose. There’s no way you would.

This spell, Darkness. This is a spell that can mean certain death, and it’s one that even I can’t copy.

The monsters are probably in a huge panic right now.

But I do know something, Rooney. Under these circumstances... You can’t use magic either.

Not only that, this darkness is an absolute power that you use when you want to make sure you succeed at your mission without fail. The fact that you chose to rely on this special power is absolute proof that you’ve changed your target.

Your loyalty to Nanatrij... I’ll take advantage of it.

●

Rooney could tell the boy’s skills were at the top tier.

Though he was still green, he didn’t let his talent get to his head. He understood his own weaknesses. The boy wasn’t a warrior. Unlike Shuya, he didn’t aim so high on his quest for strength that would melt his wings of wax. If Rooney had to choose, this boy was probably more inclined towards being a commander. And if this battle dragged on, Rooney knew that his own victory would be set in stone.

However, Rooney purposefully chose to use this spell.

I just don’t understand. This thought echoed in his mind.

This boy has obviously been waiting for me. His camouflage as a monster wasn’t a fleeting fancy, but rather, part of his plans. Judging by the enormous amount of trust the monsters had in him, he probably kept up the charade for many days. Any normal human’s spirit wouldn’t last that long.

The more Rooney thought about it, the sharper the chill up his spine seemed to bite. It was an icy dread, as if he had landed right into his enemy’s trap.

That was why Rooney decided to use this spell to finish the boy off.

“I can’t see anything, oink.”

Another orc snorted out a question. “Very scary. Where did everyone go, oink?”

Using Darkness meant that Rooney could easily pick off people who were thorns in his side and slaughter them one after another.

This man was the assassin who terrified the north. If this man wanted to, wouldn’t he be able to even sneak into the emperor’s bedchamber? That was the type of rumor that followed him.

Failure was a word that just couldn’t be associated with him. The only blemish on his perfect record was when he had met the Great Spirit of Darkness—his only failed assassination attempt.

He had been shaken to the core that day. He had known that it was finally his turn to die. However, the girl had instead told and taught him her noble duty. She asked for a filthy, foul human like me. Before I knew it, I began using my power for her sake.

“Ah, I just hit someone’s arm. Is someone there, oink?”

“I’m scared so I’ll squat down here. I don’t wanna move, oink.”

Under Nanatrij’s wing, the man had taken his Darkness spell to further heights. In here, the wind gave him a heightened sense of hearing, which only he was able to use. He listened to the way they all breathed and moved, matching it up thoroughly with the information he had memorized about his opponents. Even while he had been fighting, he had been paying careful attention to his surroundings.

Failure is impossible.

That boy will definitely be a wall standing in the empire’s way. I should kill him without fail here. However...

While the man slipped through the gaps between the monsters, he let his thoughts wander. The boy’s presence had disappeared. Perhaps he had somehow blended in with the darkness. He really is a strenuous opponent. A boy with that much power means that his name must be just as widespread. And he’s still young, at that. From experience, the man knew that this boy would become a difficult opponent in the future if he was allowed to gain even more experience in battle. Right now, the empire juggled too many battlefronts at once, and they didn’t have a lot of leeway.

And then, the unexpected happened. Overflowing light took over the darkness in a single moment, revealing everything that had been under its veil. A light spell, the man thought. However, darkness immediately painted over it again. What was that? It was light from the accessories the monsters were wearing, and it was especially bright on the orcs... But it was only for one moment. The man didn’t put too much importance into it. His ears picked up the boy’s breathing once more. He could neglect the light from earlier. Something trivial like that couldn’t affect anything.

Taking both of them out is too reckless.

In that case, which one? Which enemy should I prioritize here?

●

“Is someone there, oink?”

A snort. “That light just now let me see everyone, so I’m not as scared now, oink.”

We had gathered many monsters in this orc village. Some of them depended on their hearing to sense the world around them, and there were others who didn’t rely on sight at all.

Even a guy like you wouldn’t be in complete control of the situation if you had to deal with me and this many monsters surrounding you. My plan was to force you into a position where you had to use Darkness to achieve your objective. So far, everything has gone accordingly.

The light spells which I had set up in advance in the orcs’ belongings also activated successfully. The emerging light sources were immediately shrouded by darkness, but in your line of sight... Yeah, it was just like I thought.

“I’ll admit this, orc mage. You’re strong, and you are already a formidable warrior in your own right, with no need for more guidance.”

In this darkness, you’re singling out one person from the rest and have your sights only on them. You’re able to make out the movements of the enemy you chose to target.

I couldn’t even begin to describe how fearsome his spell was. Like I thought, you’re way too strong, Rooney. Even the Royal Knights wouldn’t have a chance against something like this!

Rooney was the absolute overlord of this abnormal instance. As I listened to him, I began to take action.

“Running is futile,” he continued. “I have grasped you in this Darkness.”

It was true, I was powerless. If I couldn’t use magic, I couldn’t do anything.

However, the same could be said for my enemy. This was an abnormal instance in time and place where nobody was allowed to attack.

Rooney’s tone was steady. “No matter where you go, I can see your movements. All of them.”

I ran frantically in the darkness. I had very little time left now. Bumping into monsters the whole way, I hurried desperately to my destination.

I did this all to prevent the war.

But that isn’t my only goal.

Many times, I have asked her to trust me.

And so, I will trust that she really is over there.

Rooney, you probably think I’m being overtaken by fear.

In the darkness, I arrived at my intended destination.

I held someone’s hand. It was small, slender, and warm.

I clutched her hand. I wanted to thank her for believing in me. However, I couldn’t do anything. My voice wouldn’t reach her in this darkness. Thus, I let go of her hand again.

The most important thing was that she was in the right place within this darkness.

“Surprisingly, my time here hasn’t been too bad. I was able to enjoy an unexpected encounter, and I was even able to meet you at the end of my mission. In that case, I suppose I shall return to the Dustour Empire with your head as a souvenir.”

My destination had been the statue that the orcs had made, the one based on a certain foolish guy they looked up to.

“I see that you’re finally done moving around. Have you given up?”

I took a step forward from where I was standing, shielding the girl behind me.

From directly in front of me, a burst of bloodlust was sent in my direction.

The fear that seized her was probably devastating. And yet she chose to trust me anyway.

The darkness finally cleared away. All the limitations on this space were now removed. I could see the silhouettes of spirits.

Rooney had a tasteless, sadistic preference, and that was to see his enemy’s face distorted with despair in their last moments.

She would die here. That was the only fate the anime had in store for her.

Thus, this exact moment was a crossroads where I could change the future.

There was a confident shout from ahead of me. “Your life is mine, El—”

However, I knew what was going on in Rooney’s head. You’d be wary of this situation, and with a sea of monsters gathered in one place, you’d decide to change your aim from me to Elyas. You’d kill Elyas to divert the Demon King of the North’s focus to the south, and then conspire to break away from this area!

“—ya—!”

“Too bad for you, Rooney Blough,” I began.

The man right before my eyes, brandishing his knife, twisted his face in astonishment.

Even you wouldn’t have ever imagined that after the darkness disperses...

“It’s my win!” I yelled.

...you’d find me in front of Elyas, your assassination target, with my wand pointing at your head.

●

“The orc mage defeated the demon. Sure enough, it’s the dawn of the age of the orcs now, oink!”

“No, woof. Slobe is actually a human. That argument doesn’t make sense.”

Ridiculous.

How could a man like me lose?

I have smashed countless talented mages and all my experiences from those encounters... No. That’s not where the issue stems from.

With the appearance of the orc mage, monsters that had run away returned here one after another. Taking the reinforcements from White Castle into consideration, killing Elyas without fail while dealing with the orc mage would have been difficult.

Even if I could ignore the power of the orc mage, which I completely misjudged in the first place, the number of monsters here is still staggering. However, if I killed Elyas, I could cause great emotional pain to the Blue Light. And on top of that, if that Demon King turned her focus on the south, it would be of tremendous advantage to the empire. Thus, I thought that it was time to quit playing around. To eliminate Elyas without a doubt, I changed my aim from the orc mage to her.

But now, looking back... That mage actually wanted me to use Darkness.

“The demon’s looking this way. Why hasn’t Slobe finished him off, oink?”

“Because they’re both humans. We’ll do it in his stead. We’ll take revenge for everyone, oink.”

“And times like this are exactly why we have an Orc King!” The orc paused. “Oh. Is Oinkus scared too, oink?”

When I used Darkness, there was a sudden manifestation of light that shouldn’t have been possible. Back then, I didn’t care much about it, but...was he able to confirm that my aim was Elyas with that?

And after I called off my spell, Elyas was huddling close to that weird clay statue. Wait...did she tell him where she would be in advance?

Rooney’s thoughts ran wild as he tried to figure out just what had happened. To gain the trust of monsters, that boy disguised himself as an orc, and he stayed here in this village. Not only that, but he also managed to gain Elyas’s trust, and it was a bond so strong that it wouldn’t break even when his identity was revealed. How did he do it? Isn’t she one of those pixies that despise humans?

The man cackled. If that’s the case, then he’s crazy!

“I’m going to look for Slobe since he’s missing. Oh, look! The demon’s laughing, oink.”

“Yeah, we should really get Slobe to deal the last blow, oink.”

That’s it. No more. No matter how much I think about it, I can’t figure it out.

The boy knew all about me, but I didn’t know the first thing about him.

How unfair. However, as the defeated party, I should accept the consequences without complaint.

After the battle, the fake-orc boy picked up Shuya and disappeared. Elyas and a few orcs chased after the orc mage. And that left me here, tied to the earth with a Bind spell, and an abundance of monsters.

“So I was spared, just like back then...!” Rooney was both a soldier of the empire and a favorite of the Great Spirit of Darkness, Nanatrij. This man, called a “demon” in Huzak, easily slipped out of his binds and began to laugh. “Who would have thought that I’d face this much humiliation in the south?!”

All of this is so hilarious.

Who in the world did I fight? Someone with that much strength... Perhaps he’s a Royal Knight of Daryth, or a direct descendant of House Denning? Surely he isn’t the next Guardian Knight...or is he? No, there’s also the chance that he’s from Cirquista. I killed way more people hailing from Cirquista than Daryth. Considering his abilities as a mage though, there’s also the possibility that he’s an Archmage from Minerva!

I am dying to know the truth.

However, my first priority now is to report to her about what happened in these lands as soon as possible.

“Be proud, orc mage!” the man shouted with slight glee. “Just like you want, the war is going to stop!”

After all that had happened, the man sent to Huzak was convinced that, somehow, the boy knew everything.