Chapter 358

“I think it’s better if Lith acts as our scout together with Vipli, Sir . ” Nhilo said .

“Why do you ask my permission, Corporal? Your mission, your rules . ” The Sergeant replied .

“How many orcs can you face at once on your own?” Nhilo asked Lith .

“Depends . Three if they are as weak as those you just killed . Two otherwise . “

Hearing Lith referring to the orcs as ‘weak’ sent a shiver running down the Cadets’ spine . Tepper was really curious to see the corpses of those Lith had killed by himself, but it could wait until the end of the mission .

“Based on the information we have and how fast the orcs spotted us, their camp should be nearby . Feel free to engage the enemy, but don’t get too far from us . If you spot anything suspicious, your first priority is to warn me . Are we clear?”

Lith inwardly smiled . Seeing Nhilo acting tough reminded him of Phloria . The two girls couldn’t be more different, since Nhilo was just 1 . 6 meters tall with red hair and green eyes . Yet something in her tone made him recall a few happy memories .

“Yes, Sir . ” Lith replied before disappearing into the woods .

‘Judging by the Sergeant’s reaction, what we have seen so far isn’t anything special . ‘ Solus thought . ‘I wonder why the bestiary was so vague about the shaman’s powers . ‘

‘Probably because the author never met one . ‘ Lith shrugged . ‘At the academy, we focused more on copying everything we could about specializations and magical ingredients rather than worrying about monsters .

‘In the four years we spent there, we barely managed to get everything we needed about magic . Copying the whole library would have taken me a lifetime . Not to mention that Soluspedia isn’t that big . ‘

The magical space that Lith called Soluspedia and that gave him instant access to all the knowledge stored inside, had kept expanding as Solus regained her strength . Yet it was never enough .

Between all the books Lith owned and his own grimoires, Soluspedia was always full to the brim .

‘What really bothers me is how they managed to find us so far from their camp . I didn’t notice any array on our path . What about you, Solus?’

‘Me neither, but I can’t keep mana sense always active . It consumes too much mana . I prefer to keep it for battle and perform sweeps from time to time . ‘ She replied .

***

Meanwhile, at the orcs’ settlement, Ragh’Ash the shaman was deeply worried . About an hour ago, his holy crystal had warned her about twelve humans closing in to their position . After blessing six of her best warriors with the power of the gods, she had eagerly waited for their return .

Human meat was a delicacy and the women needed all the food they could get to increase the orcs’ numbers . Their Grey Wolf tribe had almost been wiped out by the Red Worm tribe whose shaman wanted Ragh’Ash’s hoy crystal for himself .

Their victory had cost the Grey Wolf most of their warriors, so they had been forced to run away before the other tribes could exploit their weakened state .

When the warriors returned, it wasn’t in the way Ragh’Ash was expecting . One after the other, the blessings she had bestowed upon the three greatest warriors of the tribe had reunited themselves with the holy crystal .

Something had slain them like they were flies . Before Ragh’Ash could seek the holy crystal’s guidance, the remaining three warriors she had sent had followed their war-siblings in their travel to the afterlife .

<“this doesn’t=”” make=”” sense!”=””></”this> (AN: translated from orcish) Testa’Lhosh the war chieftain couldn’t believe his own eyes .

<“six lives=”” were=”” sent=”” to=”” slay=”” our=”” enemies=”” and=”” six=”” lights=”” returned . =”” are=”” you=”” sure=”” they=”” are=”” humans?=”” only=”” magical=”” beasts=”” can=”” slay=”” orcs=”” that=”” fast . “=””></”six>

<“quite sure . “=””></”quite> Ragh’Ash replied . <“an hour=”” ago=”” they=”” were=”” still=”” quite=”” far,=”” so=”” my=”” readings=”” weren’t=”” that=”” accurate . =”” let=”” me=”” try=”” again . “=””></”an>

Ragh’Ash put her hands on the holy crystal, letting her mana flow into it . The holy crystal wasn’t actually a gift from the gods . It was simply a huge violet mana crystal the size of an adult human man .

It was also the most sacred relic an orc tribe could possess . Before their Fall, orcs shared a deep connection with the mana crystals . So deep it survived even the self inflicted disaster that destroyed their ancient civilization .

Through the violet crystal, Ragh’Ash’s mana was focused and amplified, to the point her Life Vision could sweep dozens of kilometers at once . There was only so much information her brain could process at once, so she would mistake her own perceptions for a vision sent from the gods .

Over the centuries, their science had turned into superstition . Their bloodlust clouded their minds, leaving them forever crippled as a sentient race . Yet when a shaman was born, they would always be Awakened ones .

Ragh’Ash now could perceive their enemies with much greater clarity . They were ten humans and two…

<“demons!”></”demons!”> Ragh’Ash screamed in panic, almost fainting due to the shock .

<“demons?”></”demons?”> Testa’Lhosh shuddered in fear . According to the lore, nondescript cruel demons had caused the fall of the orc race . It was totally not their fault . They were certain of it because their elders said so, before being eaten for dinner by their own grandkids .

<“you were=”” right!=”” two=”” of=”” them=”” are=”” disguised=”” as=”” humans,=”” but=”” they=”” are=”” not . =”” neither=”” they=”” are=”” beasts=”” or=”” other=”” races . =”” they=”” can=”” only=”” be=”” demons . =”” one=”” is=”” the=”” blackest=”” night,=”” with=”” no=”” stars=”” or=”” moon=”” to=”” light=”” the=”” way . =”” the=”” other=”” is=”” the=”” brightest=”” day,=”” so=”” pure=”” and=”” dazzling=”” it=”” almost=”” blinded=”” me . “=””></”you>

Ragh’Ash’s eyes were bloodshot from the effort of withstanding Solus’s light . Testa’Lhosh was a proud chieftain, there was almost nothing he was afraid of . Ragh’Ash’s words left him unfazed . For almost ten seconds .

<“there’s no=”” time=”” to=”” lose!=”” we=”” must=”” run=”” for=”” our=”” lives!”=””></”there’s> Testa’Lhosh screamed when his brain realized the meaning of the shaman’s words . The chieftain had never met a demon, but he knew facing one meant death .

It was what his own father told him before Testa’Lhosh turned him into a new pair of pants . The chieftain was really fond of them . He wore that skin just like his father did . It was practically a family heirloom .

<“no, we=”” must=”” stand=”” our=”” ground=”” and=”” kill=”” them . =”” the=”” humans=”” are=”” weaker=”” than=”” our=”” newborns=”” and=”” both=”” demons=”” are=”” lesser=”” ones . =”” the=”” black=”” one=”” is=”” weaker=”” than=”” me,=”” while=”” the=”” white=”” one=”” is=”” even=”” weaker=”” than=”” you . “=””></”no,>

Ragh’Ash shook her head while a cruel smile revealed her jagged teeth .

<“by feasting=”” on=”” their=”” flesh=”” and=”” blood=”” we’ll=”” be=”” able=”” to=”” break=”” the=”” curse=”” that=”” plagues=”” our=”” race!=”” the=”” grey=”” wolf=”” will=”” devour=”” the=”” whole=”” world . =”” with=”” our=”” ancient=”” might=”” back=”” and=”” the=”” holy=”” crystal,=”” we’ll=”” be=”” unstoppable!”=””></”by>

<“are you=”” sure=”” eating=”” demons=”” can=”” cure=”” our=”” curse?=”” it’s=”” the=”” first=”” time=”” i=”” hear=”” such=”” a=”” thing . “=””></”are> Testa’Lhosh scratched his head in confusion . According to the lore, there was no cure . The demons had made sure of it .

<“of course=”” i’m=”” sure=”” of=”” it!”=””></”of> Ragh’Ash screamed in frustration .

<“my own=”” mentor=”” told=”” me=”” about=”” it=”” on=”” his=”” death=”” bed . “=””></”my> Before Ragh’Ash turned her into a bedside rug . It was more a dying curse than the passing of knowledge, but that’s another story .