The Duchy of Forys (1)

Things had been going too smoothly.

I’d gotten too comfortable with our leisurely journey.

I’d forgotten there was a time when what seemed natural wasn’t natural at all.

Orcs are rare.

Most ordinary people die without ever seeing one in their lifetime.

That only changed when the armies of Belial, the King of Darkness, began their full-scale attacks on humans.

Craig Khan, the king of orcs whose young son was murdered by half-demons.

His participation in the war as humanity’s ally wouldn’t happen until about 7 years from now.

Until then, orcs were beings that could only be encountered through literature or rumors.

In other words, the fact that Titan is of a ‘different race’ called orc is something difficult for ordinary people to accept.

“Didn’t we say we’d attack if you move?! Calm that beast down!”

They speak as if we’re taming some wild beast.

They don’t even consider the possibility of communicating with Titan.

Unlike the rural village, their half-baked knowledge makes them act this way.

“Is there any reason I should endure further insults?”

The hostile atmosphere isn’t just coming from the duchy’s soldiers.

Titan, who’s been receiving clear hostility since earlier, feels the same way.

I bear some responsibility for this situation. After all, it was my decision to bring Titan to Forys territory.

According to the original history, since Titan couldn’t ride the carriage, he likely headed somewhere other than Forys Duchy.

At least during my time in the duchy, I never heard any rumors about orcs.

Titan probably went to another city, and while I can’t guarantee whether something like this happened there, the situation would have been different.

Though I only saw him when he was eliminating bandits, Titan has considerable combat prowess.

Even if something unfortunate happened, Titan could have escaped.

But not in Forys Duchy.

The lord of this territory, Duke Edge Forys, is one of only five grand mages in the Empire.

While Titan might not care, if we get entangled with the wrong people, we could be in danger too.

Given my position, I’d prefer not to draw too much attention, but I have no choice.

“Wait…”

Just as I was about to rise from the carriage to resolve this situation.

“Hello there, gatekeepers.”

Someone stepped forward before me.

“Would you please hear me out? I am Linea Spirin of the Spirin County.”

Linea, who had been trying to hide her identity all this time, removed her hood and revealed herself.

In her hand was a noble’s insignia, and her demeanor was dignified.

“……”

The one most bewildered by this situation wasn’t the gatekeepers at the wall, the children in the carriage, or Titan who was being defended, but rather me.

The Linea I knew didn’t draw attention to herself like this.

Even when she fought the bandits, it was only because the situation left her no choice.

She fundamentally didn’t step forward unless there was a compelling reason.

At least, that’s how the Linea I knew behaved.

Even if I twisted the original fate, this is too dramatic a change.

“I-I’ll go verify this!”

Recognizing that Linea’s insignia was genuine, the gatekeeper frantically sent several messengers.

Meanwhile, Linea put her hood back on with a wry smile.

“Is this alright?”

“Pardon?”

“You looked troubled, or was I mistaken?”

“No… you’re right.”

“That’s good. Would you say this settles my debt?”

Linea sits demurely back in the carriage with a bright smile.

I can’t make sense of her at all.

She seems to both suspect me and want to help me.

The fact that her actions don’t feel like simple noble obligation…

Is it really just my imagination?

While we waited for the duchy’s superior in such an unsettled atmosphere.

Creeak.

Finally, the castle gate opened and.

Thud.

An elderly man appeared, leaning on a staff.

I’m dumbfounded by the sight. Linea is a noble. It’s natural for someone of appropriate rank to respond.

But the person who appeared before us now is clearly excessive.

“Well now. I heard there was a commotion and came to see for myself.”

I never imagined that monster would show up in person.

One of only five grand mages of 7th circle or higher in the Empire.

The ruler of this vast duchy.

Duke Edge Forys.

He abandoned whatever he was doing and came down to the gate. Even with Linea being noble, this doesn’t match up.

No matter how renowned House Spirin might be, there’s no reason for him to come personally when neither Count Spirin nor his successor is here.

It was the same before my regression.

Edge Forys never appeared until after Linea’s suicide.

So why now?

Too many inexplicable things have happened in this short time.

Edge Forys is walking steadily right up to our carriage.

Then he appeared before us and said with a grotesque smile.

“It’s been a while, Prince Titan.”

“I don’t know who you are.”

To Titan, not Linea.

*     *     *

Two years ago,

that is, eight years from now, this happened.

It was a day like any other, dark as usual, and I was on edge monitoring the constantly changing battlefield situation.

-■■■, have you heard? They say the king of orcs himself is coming to become our ally in the war.

-That’s welcome news after so long. So when is he expected to arrive?

At a time when connections with the elves were cut off and Nidavellir had fallen, the emergence of a new ally was nothing short of hope that couldn’t be unwelcome.

-He’ll be here in about 3 hours. So hurry and prepare!

-Why are you only telling me this vital information now?!

-I forgot.

And this was also the moment when that ray of hope flickered precariously.

What kind of national discourtesy is this?

The Saintess was leisurely by nature.

So leisurely that she would forget even international matters like this.

Most of the cleanup was handled by Claire and me.

Anyway, since it was too late to prepare a banquet, we decided to prepare rooms where the king and his envoys could rest.

Just as we barely finished preparations. Right then, Craig Khan, the king of orcs, appeared.

-Pleased to meet you, Saintess of the Pantheon Temple. The mask suits you well.

-Yes, pleased to meet you too, King Craig. It’s a treasured mask.

The two exchanged greetings and lightened the mood with idle chat.

My first impression was that he was a figure befitting the title of king.

Not only did he have the intimidating presence that came with an orc’s massive frame, but he was also someone who exuded gentleness even in his gravity.

While the lineup of warriors around him was enough to make ordinary people’s knees weak just by looking, Craig Khan was different.

I thought that even an ordinary person would probably think of him as a ruler before noticing he was an orc.

-We don’t have many of our kind, so I hope you understand we couldn’t bring many troops.

-That’s different if all those troops are elites. Welcome to the Pantheon Temple, King Craig.

The Saintess might have been careless in some ways usually, but she was different when it came to doing what needed to be done.

She responded to Craig in a manner worthy of her reputation as the Saintess.

-However, I hope you can understand that we must ask the reason for this sudden visit?

-I understand your confusion and that of your people, it was practically a unilateral notification, surely you must have been perplexed.

-Honestly, yes. I wondered more than ten times if this might be a trap.

-You’re honest.

-If even I speak falsely, who would believe in the gods?

Craig smiled gently at the Saintess who spoke while looking straight into his eyes.

Though it could have been seen as a somewhat discourteous question, he appeared as magnanimous as he looked.

-I had a son. A treasure left by my wife.

-……

-I only recently learned he was dead. Some bastard dared to raise my son’s corpse with black magic right before me. Only after I tore off that bastard’s limbs did I learn what had happened on the continent.

A quiet rage overwhelmed the surroundings.

Only the Saintess could remain composed in the face of that.

Even Claire and I held our breath in tension, yet she withstood that pressure head-on.

-The being that bastard believed in was called ‘Belial’. Have you heard of it?

-Yes, since you mentioned black magic, he must have been ‘Mez’, one of Belial’s elite force known as the ‘Seven Blades’.

-Yes, and do you know what that bastard said? That no matter how much I struggle, I could never defeat that demon.

Crack!

Along with that rage-filled voice, cracks appeared in the marble floor where Craig stood.

He hadn’t moved his posture or exerted force. It was the effect of the aura flowing from Craig.

The king of orcs with overwhelming physical abilities, wielding aura that was the exclusive domain of knights.

-He was just, just a child! Just a child throwing tantrums! After killing my son, that’s all he could say to my face?

It wasn’t mockery.

Nor was it an apology.

Mez, one of Belial’s Seven Blades, had simply calmly displayed his fanaticism.

-So to show what I can do! Know that I am here now!

Before Craig Khan’s clear anger, no one could doubt that fact.

And the power of that anger showed its results on the battlefield.

-Amazing. Such tremendous power.

-Indeed it is.

The Saintess and I watched Craig fight on the frontlines of the battlefield.

BOOM!

With one punch dozens of demons and half-demons were sent flying, and with one kick the battle lines would reverse.

Like the epicenter of an earthquake.

Everything around him crumbled and shattered.

And deep emotion of rage was imbued in all his attacks.

Seeing this, people praised Craig and mourned his murdered son as the ‘ill-fated young prince’.

A ray of hope had appeared.

An individual had appeared who could single-handedly reverse the tide of this battlefield.

However, sadly, that ray of hope disappeared exactly half a year later.

When the king of orcs, Craig Khan.

Developed dementia and lost the ability to distinguish friend from foe.

He became a walking calamity and became a new trial for the continent that hadn’t grown in a long time.

*     *     *

When I heard Titan was a prince, what surprised me most wasn’t his status.

That I could accept. He had shown that much power after all.

I could naturally accept that he was Craig Khan’s child too.

But…

“You, your age?”

“Fourteen.”

“……”

That face being fourteen years old was something I just couldn’t believe.

Looking at the situation, I could tell it wasn’t a lie, but it was a truth I simply couldn’t accept.

“Um… right.”

So I decided not to believe it.

What ‘ill-fated young prince’? Far from being killed by an attacker, he looks more like the attacker himself.

At this point, it seems more likely the other party wasn’t killing Titan but fighting for survival.

“Shouldn’t a thank you come first? Thanks to me, you could enter so easily.”

“If it weren’t for you, we wouldn’t have been stopped at the entrance in the first place.”

Duke Forys seemed to smirk while looking at Titan’s face before going inside. It was a cold response for someone who had called Titan a prince.

It meant he would allow entry but wouldn’t invite him to the lord’s castle.

An unspoken pressure to behave and not cause trouble.

“What a narrow-minded fellow. Doesn’t even know how to say thanks.”

“……”

I was speechless at his boldness.

More than that, I felt it would be impossible to make this guy understand with any words.

So I decided not to waste effort on the impossible task of making Titan understand. He’d manage somehow.

As long as he doesn’t die.

“So? What are you going to do now?”

Honestly, I didn’t want to be involved with Titan for too long.

However, if he’s Craig Khan’s son, that’s different.

His status, power, appearance.

Everything about him is sufficient to draw others’ attention.

I need to get involved with him.

“I’m traveling to master aura, so I plan to challenge that factory fellow.”

“It’s duke, not factory.”

“Not my concern.”

Put him on the brightest stage. So that everyone’s attention will be focused on him.

Draw in Belial like that and.

Strike with the dagger I’ll prepare beneath the surface.

“Why are you trying to master aura in the first place? What, is it something like wanting to surpass your father?”

“That’s natural. But there’s another reason I decided to act so urgently.”

Titan answered my question with a serious expression.

“Father’s memory has been failing frequently lately. It’s time for him to step down.”

Learning that the timer on the Craig time bomb was already ticking made my blood run cold.

“I intend to succeed the throne. For that, I need to become stronger than father and force him down.”

“Can’t you just ask him to pass it down?”

Or is this some orc culture I don’t know about?

Of course, his thinking is admirable.

If a warrior with the power to surpass Craig also has a sound mind, nothing could be better.

But whether that’s possible is the question.

There’s so much to do, can we really focus solely on such an unrealistic goal?

“Hmph, what if the day after he passes it down, he says ‘Why are you sitting in my seat!’ and tries to crack my head open?”

“That’s a compelling reason.”

It was such a plausible reason that I couldn’t argue further.

I plan to make the orcs humanity’s steadfast allies this time too.

And if I plan to bring in the orcs, I need to do something about the time bomb that is Craig.

“So I need to train myself in battles against the strong. At least I need to reach father’s level for a fight to be possible.”

“But that won’t be so easy, you know? The strong ones you’re looking for won’t accept your challenges.”

“Why not?”

“That’s human custom. You’ll need to learn a lot more to achieve your goal.”

The strong often hold impressive status.

Isn’t it natural? Those who start from different points and receive all sorts of privileges are strong.

Sure, there are exceptions, but between those with the same talent, one who receives support and one who doesn’t, there’s no need to compare who would be stronger.

Prodigies created by wealth and power. And those prodigies accumulate more wealth and power to strengthen their houses.

They’re fundamentally the haves.

And those who have much don’t readily take risks.

To make them put that aside requires appropriate methods.

“Want me to help?”

I’ll teach him those methods. Create a debt with Titan this way.

To bring the orcs in as allies, I need to somehow turn this foolish guy before me into a bomb disposal unit.