Ch.114Chapter 114: Legend.

Despite the orc threat, Valt’s expedition had some breathing room now that the orcs had been dealt with.

The original plan had anticipated that stopping the 30,000-strong orc expedition would take at least five days.

No matter how aggressively orcs attack, they are still living beings who naturally need rest.

But with Valt’s appearance, the orcs were annihilated in just one day, leaving them with unexpected free time.

This operation involved expedition forces from various regions defending their assigned areas while defeating orcs, so they couldn’t easily leave their positions.

However, they couldn’t just sit around doing nothing either.

Eventually, the unit commanders, including Valt, gathered at the commander-in-chief’s tent for a meeting.

The meeting would start shortly after information was compiled.

Valt and Captain Martina from the same mage unit were waiting to attend the meeting.

Bursting with curiosity, Martina took the opportunity to ask Valt some questions.

“Excuse me, Prince Valt. That magic you used to destroy the cliff was enhancement-type magic, wasn’t it?”

She wasn’t asking about the avalanche magic as he’d expected, but about the spell that had made Valt’s arms swell enormously.

“That’s right. I layered several spells to enhance my arms.”

“If it’s not too presumptuous… could I see it once?”

Apparently thinking it would be rude to ask for an explanation of magical theory, Martina simply requested a demonstration.

That was no big deal for Valt.

“No problem at all. Hup!”

As Valt instantly gathered magical energy, his arm expanded as if it had been waiting for this moment.

Moreover, it was surrounded by blood-colored metal, which left Martina wide-eyed with astonishment.

“T-this is!”

Martina, an exceptional 7th-circle mage, recognized that Valt’s arm enhancement magic consisted of multiple layered spells.

But she couldn’t comprehend it at all.

How could magic be layered so easily without any resistance?

Besides, while the magic certainly enhanced his arm’s power, honestly speaking, it seemed impossible that this alone could bring down a mountain.

After pondering for a moment, Martina muttered as if something had occurred to her.

“The ancient Barbarians were said to have strength that could rival dragons… so the legend was true.”

Valt’s ears perked up at this interesting old tale.

“Oh? Is there such a story?”

“Yes, there’s a tale that when the gods created dragons as regulators at the beginning of time, they combined the strengths of all races. The elves’ agility, the beastkin’s senses, the fairies’ magic, the dwarves’ endurance, humans’ adaptability, and so on. Among these, Barbarians were said to symbolize strength.”

“Hmm… there was such a legend?”

“It’s a very ancient oral tradition. You probably wouldn’t know it since it’s a legend from small villages.”

“I see. That’s interesting to learn.”

This was the first time Valt had heard this story.

The idea that dragons, the continent’s strongest creatures, were divine creations made by combining the strengths of each race was new to him. Valt had never been particularly interested in this world’s legends or history, so he hadn’t bothered looking for such books in the library.

Come to think of it, his race, the Geruntu, was indeed known for exceptional physical strength.

“But they say all races have weakened over time. That’s true for every race.”

“Hmm? Why is that?”

While he disliked history, this kind of old tale was intriguing. Martina had successfully captured Valt’s interest.

“Because the Demon King once ruled the continent.”

“Wasn’t that the one defeated by the Sword Saint and the allied forces thousands of years ago?”

But Martina shook her head.

“No, much earlier than that. It was during the mythical age when all races lived without discrimination. Perhaps tens of thousands of years ago? They say all races declined tremendously from that point. That’s why today’s races are much weaker than their ancient counterparts.”

Lisa, who had been listening nearby, joined the conversation.

“Eh? Isn’t that just a hypothesis? There are many theories—the Demon King’s rule, a giant star falling on the continent, thousands of years of prolonged cold, and so on.”

Martina nodded at Lisa’s words.

“That’s true. But considering the ancient ruins discovered here and there, we can’t dismiss it as mere hypothesis. Or perhaps all these reasons contributed.”

Arias added her thoughts as well.

“Elves have a similar story. Ancient elves were truly guardians of the forest, but a great disaster uprooted the World Tree, causing elves to decline. They say elves flourished again because someone of unknown identity replanted the World Tree.”

“Huh, really? That’s pretty vague though.”

“Well, that’s how legends are. Even for long-lived elves, this is an extremely ancient tale.”

With legends being discussed, Lilis couldn’t help joining in.

“Vampires have something similar. Vampires weakened because the First Ancestor lost power due to an overwhelmingly powerful enemy. Only the bloodline barely continued. They say even ordinary ancient vampires, excluding the First Ancestor, could live under sunlight.”

Everyone seemed to enjoy contributing interesting stories on the topic.

“Hoho, these are fascinating tales. Another legend about Barbarians says they split the continent by punching the ground. That place is now called Majes Canyon.”

Lisa made a sour face at this clearly exaggerated legend.

“Come on… that’s too much. Creating a canyon with a punch? Really…”

“Hoho, that’s what legends are like. But seeing Prince Valt’s punches, I wonder if it might not be impossible with a hundred Barbarians like him?”

At the mention of a hundred Valts, Lisa, Arias, and Lilis looked at him in shock.

“Kuk, i-indeed! It m-might be possible! If ancient Barbarians were like Valt, it would definitely be possible!”

Valt chuckled and asked Martina:

“You seem to know quite a bit about Geruntu legends?”

“Oh? Didn’t I mention? I’m from a desert tribe.”

That explained her appearance, which retained distinctive southern features.

“I came to the central continent before I came of age, but the southern desert tribes have many interesting legends about the Geruntu.”

The southern region consisted of plains, canyons, and deserts.

Besides the Geruntu, there were also desert tribes living there.

They were fewer in number than the Geruntu and lived completely tribal lives, so Kwan didn’t pay much attention to them.

They weren’t particularly warlike and only concerned themselves with their families’ well-being.

Though they lived in regions adjacent to the Geruntu, it was somewhat difficult to classify them as a distinct race.

The desert tribes were almost identical to the people of the central continent.

Apart from their resistance to heat and sunlight, they weren’t much different from the humans of the central continent.

“Hmm, interesting. It’s amusing that desert tribes know legends that even the Geruntu aren’t familiar with.”

As he said this, Valt considered visiting the desert someday.

‘When I return home, it might be worth visiting the desert. I might gain unexpected insights.’

As they continued talking, the meeting time approached.

Despite not being unit leaders, Valt’s companions were specially permitted to attend the meeting.

***

“We need reinforcements.”

The commander-in-chief spoke to the unit leaders with a troubled expression.

‘Hmm, so that guy was the advance unit commander. No wonder he was skilled.’

Among the gathered leaders was Ivan, with whom Valt had a connection.

“Is the situation that serious?”

The question came from a man carrying an expensive-looking bow on his back.

Judging by appearances, he seemed to be the captain of the archer unit.

The commander-in-chief sighed at his question.

“Sigh… The orcs are stronger than we anticipated. And we shouldn’t have underestimated a force of 30,000 orcs. It seems Orc Lords have appeared elsewhere.”

Everyone looked surprised at the commander’s words.

“O-Orc Lords, you say?”

If not an Orc King, an Orc Lord was a being that could lead countless orcs and bring calamity wherever it went.

The idea that each orc army had an Orc Lord was inconceivable.

“W-why? No Orc Lord appeared on our side…”

Suddenly, Lilis interrupted.

“That Orc Lord… I think I saw it…”

“What did you say?”

Lilis was the only one who had been with Valt.

Moreover, Lilis had delivered the finishing blow to an unusually large orc.

“Is that true?! There really was an Orc Lord?!”

“If an Orc Lord is three times larger than regular orcs with lower tusks reaching up to its cheeks, then yes, there was one.”

At Lilis’s description, Valt snapped his fingers.

“Oh? So that one was an Orc Lord.”

“……”

The people gathered in the meeting room could only stare at Valt’s reaction with dumbfounded expressions.