Ch.209Episode 11 – All Quiet on the Northern Front
by fnovelpia
In the cold gaze that settled, the woman’s figure was reflected.
Hormoz narrowed his eyes and slowly scanned the gathering with his cool golden irises.
“…Black magic. Black magic.”
“……”
“…May I ask why you’re inquiring about such sinister information?”
Francesca pulled at the corner of her mouth. Her lips were smiling, but her eyes conveyed the opposite.
“I didn’t realize merchants question the reasons when selling their wares.”
“Of course… as a merchant, I should simply take the money and be done with it. For ordinary matters, that’s always been my approach, but…”
The dark elf’s gaze settled on the window. The cat, which had been yawning as if about to fall asleep, was lying on the windowsill with its belly down, watching Hormoz.
The once vibrant voice lost its energy. Hormoz’s voice, now drained of vitality, reached my ears.
“Today, I cannot help but ask for a reason.”
Violet eyes and golden eyes became entangled with each other.
“You’ll need to tell me why you’re seeking such information. If you cannot speak of it, then I have no other options.”
“……”
“……”
Observing the situation, I pulled my hand from my pocket. The cool sensation of the trigger guard against my fingertips felt particularly vivid today.
I exchanged glances with Camilla, who was looking on with anxious eyes. I had instructed her to be ready to flee immediately if things went wrong.
In that brief moment, numerous thoughts and glances were exchanged. Francesca and Hormoz were staring at each other as if in confrontation, while Camilla and I were prepared to break out of there at any moment. It felt like a bomb that could explode at any time had been thrown.
Just then,
“Wait.”
Ferretti broke the silence, stepping between Francesca and Hormoz.
“I will explain the circumstances.”
Episode 11 – All Quiet on the Northern Front
“…Hmm.”
By the time the newly filled teacup was half empty, Ferretti had finally finished his explanation.
Francesca and Ferretti were waiting for an answer with expressionless faces, while Hormoz muttered, placing his interlocked hands on the desk.
“I had no idea there were such circumstances behind the terrorist attack in Abas… A barrier with traces of black magic…”
Ferretti added:
“A cleric from the Order witnessed it with his own eyes. There’s no room for doubt.”
“Ah, I don’t misunderstand your words. Despite the differences in religious views between our races and humans, I’ve never once doubted the Order’s capabilities.”
Hormoz gently tapped the table with his interlocked hands to clear the atmosphere and continued:
“I understand that you need information about the black magic items used in the terrorist attack and those who dealt with them for your investigation.”
“Can you find that information?”
“Of course I can find it for you. If you pay the right price.”
“……”
Well, well. He’s as money-hungry as those dwarves who’d sell their souls for gold.
While I was thinking that and looking at the dark elf, he began to smile with gentle eyes.
“You may think of me as materialistic, and that’s fine. Perhaps our race is destined to share a similar fate to those dwarves who were blinded by shiny stones and chained by alchemists.”
“…Actually, she’s an alchemist.”
“…Oh.”
As I pointed to Francesca while scratching my head, Hormoz momentarily looked flustered and examined her expression.
Although she was a mage from the Magic Tower, Francesca was indeed an alchemist. Having mentioned the atrocities committed by alchemists from other continents in front of her, it wouldn’t have been strange if Francesca, taking it as an insult, had immediately doused the dark elf’s face with a magical concoction no less potent than deadly poison.
However.
“Hmm…”
Francesca merely hummed and waved her hand dismissively.
“Don’t worry about it. We don’t have enough solidarity with the alchemists of the Red Desert to care about what they do…”
“I’ve committed a discourtesy. Please forgive my rudeness.”
“If that’s the case… I’ll forgive you.”
“I’m grateful for your broad-mindedness. Now, back to the main point. I understand what information you’re looking for and why you need it. But there’s one thing I’m curious about…”
Hormoz’s eyes narrowed.
“Where are you from that you’re looking for such things?”
The answer came from both Francesca and Ferretti.
“Magic Tower.”
“The Order.”
Looking at the two who had revealed their affiliations as if there was nothing more to hide, Hormoz’s eyes widened slightly. When Francesca also showed him her Magic Tower identification, Hormoz wore an expression like someone witnessing an unexpected twist.
After the brief commotion, the golden eyes gleaming between gently folded eyelids shone brightly.
“Magic Tower and the Order… quite an impressive combination. I’m not sure if I’m slow with news or if I’m simply unable to keep up with the rapidly changing world. Haha.”
“……”
“Thank you for sharing your affiliations. This is information that shouldn’t fall into the hands of the wicked… Even though I’m a dark elf, I’m still an elf—how could I not fear the blade of the Inquisition?”
Though his words suggested one thing, his eyes conveyed something entirely different.
To an observer, he appeared to be lamenting his inability to keep up with the times, but the dark elf’s distinctive golden eyes were gleaming with insatiable greed.
If I listened carefully enough, I could almost hear the sound of a calculator being pounded in Hormoz’s head.
“May I ask your name?”
“Francesca.”
“…Francesca… Francesca… Come to think of it, I heard there was someone with that name among those dispatched from the Magic Tower to the north recently. Perhaps…?”
Francesca didn’t answer Hormoz’s question. Her silence was affirmation.
That seemed to be enough of an answer, as Hormoz rose from his chair and bowed respectfully to Francesca and Ferretti.
“It’s an honor to meet a seeker of wisdom and truth, and a warrior who fights like a dragon. I am Hormoz of the Saria tribe from the Black Continent. I apologize for not recognizing such distinguished guests.”
“Saria…?”
Camilla murmured in a small, puzzled voice. I whispered softly in her ear as she watched Hormoz conversing with the two.
“In the language of the Moritani Continent, ‘Saria’ means ‘night traveler’ or ‘dawn cloud.’ That’s the name of that dark elf tribe. Interestingly, there’s a word in Arabic with the same pronunciation and meaning, though the script itself is different.”
“That’s fascinating…”
After paying his respects to the mage and the holy knight, Hormoz raised his deeply bowed head. Watching him, Ferretti scratched his eyebrow with an expressionless face.
“Why are you greeting me as if I were a holy knight? I’m merely a priest.”
“……”
A moment of silence fell over the office. Who would dare think that this giant over 2 meters tall was anything but a holy knight?
Regardless, Hormoz’s gaze soon left Ferretti and landed on us. His eyes, still filled with greed, looked at Camilla and me sitting quietly in the back.
“Then those people… Are they the ones I heard about before…?”
At that moment, Francesca stepped in.
As if she had peered into the calculating mind of the dark elf, Francesca, who had returned to her seat, met Hormoz’s gaze with a slightly arrogant expression. Like someone who didn’t want to waste any more time.
“So, when can we expect to receive the information?”
Hormoz slowly closed and opened his eyes. Then, in a leisurely voice, he began:
“Well… I cannot give you an exact date, but I believe it will be difficult to obtain the information within a short period. The north is vast, and the shadows grow darker with each passing year. I estimate it might take about a month to find a lead.”
“In that case…”
“But!”
Cutting off Francesca mid-sentence, Hormoz smiled enigmatically.
“Even if I do find the information you desire, I’m not sure if I can sell it to you.”
“…What?”
Ferretti, who had been listening quietly, rose from his chair. An ominous aura, unbecoming of a holy knight, was emanating from him.
“What did you just say?”
“As you heard. It’s the position of our Palm Tree Trading Company that it would be difficult to trade the information right away.”
“What do you mean!”
Just as Ferretti was about to raise his voice, Francesca, who was sitting in front of him, raised her hand to stop him. She rolled her eyes to glance at me, and I stood up to calm Ferretti down.
Seeing this, Hormoz spoke with a relaxed, smiling face. His manner remained impeccably polite.
“Please don’t misunderstand. It’s just that before trading the information, we need to first verify whether that information is related to the company’s business.”
Hormoz’s response made my head turn involuntarily. This could be interpreted as saying that if the identity of the merchant who traded the items used in the terrorist attack was revealed, the Palm Tree Trading Company might be in danger.
Even if the dark-skinned elf didn’t mean it that way, there was a holy knight present.
And not just any holy knight, but one from the Inquisition.
“That sounds exactly like saying the company has connections to black magicians.”
Sure enough, Ferretti, who had just calmed down, was now glaring at Hormoz with fierce eyes.
But despite the holy knight’s gaze, Hormoz continued to smile.
“That couldn’t be further from the truth. Our Palm Tree Trading Company has no connection whatsoever to black magic. If we did, it wouldn’t be the Inquisition coming for me, but the elders of my tribe to punish me directly. Besides, the benefactor who allows us to stay in the north wouldn’t tolerate such dealings.”
“……”
“But there’s always the possibility of a rare exception, isn’t there? If the information you request turns out to be harmful to our company, the Palm Tree Trading Company cannot sell that information. Of course, we would refund the full amount.”
“Do you think I’m concerned about money?”
The implication was clear: forget about the money and just sell the information. At the same time, it was a threat that if the information wasn’t handed over willingly, bloodshed might follow.
An ordinary person might have immediately prostrated themselves and spilled everything they knew, but unfortunately, this seemed to have no effect on the dark elf. Hormoz instead looked at Ferretti with a smiling face.
“Of course, money might not be important to you. But I am a merchant. A merchant. How could I call myself a merchant if I conducted business at a loss? A merchant would give up his life for even a single coin.”
“You…”
“Given the unfortunate incident and the fact that this is your first visit, distinguished guests, I won’t ask for an advance payment. I’ll send word as soon as the information comes in.”
The cat that had been sitting by the window jumped down. Using its short legs, it crossed the office, stepped on the chair, and climbed onto the desk.
After making a large circle as if examining each person, it lay down in a demure posture and looked at Hormoz.
Shifting his gaze from the cat, Hormoz glanced at the clock. Then, with a sigh as if there was no other choice, he announced in a regretful voice:
“Time has already passed so much. Dawn is approaching. It’s time for us to close.”
“……”
“Our deputy guild master will personally guide you out. He will escort you safely to the outskirts of the city, which should help you avoid checkpoints.”
The guild master of the Palm Tree Trading Company, Hormoz, dismissed us in a gentle voice.
“Take care.”
As we left the office, the dark elf bid us farewell in an exceedingly friendly tone.
“I hope you haven’t suffered any losses.”
*
Leaving the black market wasn’t as difficult as I had expected. We were guided by the deputy guild master, a goblin, through underground waterways and out of the city.
Emerging onto the frozen river and climbing a hill, we could see the ruined city in the distance. The sun, perched on the horizon, cast a warm glow over the broken and shattered city, as if trying to wrap its wounds in gentle sunlight.
We talked as we watched the gradually brightening dawn.
“…What should we do?”
“…That’s the question.”
Our original purpose for visiting the black market was to gather information and supplies. Unlike Camilla, who was just sightseeing, or me, who was dragged along after losing a bet, Francesca and Ferretti had entered the black market with clear intentions.
We had achieved only half of our planned objectives. We had found the item Ferretti was looking for and exchanged Francesca’s money, but we had failed to gather information, which was our top priority.
“Isn’t this not really a failure? Even if things had gone well, we wouldn’t have gotten that information right away.”
“Camilla, we agreed to call this ‘screwing up.'”
“……”
Camilla’s lips protruded like a duck’s. She looked cute.
Of course, Camilla’s point wasn’t wrong. Strictly speaking, this wasn’t a case of not receiving something we should have, but rather the other side postponing their decision on whether to give it to us or not. I personally didn’t care whether the dark elf provided the information or not.
But that was just my perspective.
For Francesca and Ferretti, it was a different story.
“What are you two planning to do? Will you wait?”
“Well… The guild master seems very cautious, so whatever we do won’t be easy.”
Francesca smiled enigmatically. Though she trailed off as usual, her expression suggested her thoughts were quite complex.
“For now, the guild master has set two conditions. One is the risk of the information, and the other is time.”
Hormoz had declared that he wouldn’t sell the information if details about black magic items and the merchants who dealt with them would harm the Palm Tree Trading Company’s business.
He also said it would take a month to find a lead for the information we requested in the vast northern region.
Francesca, with her slender fingers spread out, pointed out exactly that.
“Regardless of whether the guild master sells the information or not, we don’t have the luxury of waiting a month. The situation in the north changes constantly, and no one knows if that information will still be valuable a month from now.”
“You mean the value of the information might be lost?”
“Yes. You probably know this better than I do, Officer.”
I nodded.
The term “black magician” is like a scarlet letter for the Magic Tower.
Not all mages are black magicians, but all black magicians are mages. There are plenty of mages in the world who have been expelled from magical society for serious offenses—experimenting with human lives, grave-robbing to raise the dead, or committing serial murders by unleashing magic in urban areas.
Therefore, the Magic Tower must absolutely uncover the source of the cargo to avoid the stigma of “the Magic Tower being behind the terrorist attack.”
“We can’t just sit around and wait.”
“What about having the Magic Tower investigate directly? Black magic is still magic, after all…”
“The Magic Tower is already investigating the cargo found in the department store. There are specialized personnel from the magic battalion dispatched to the north who are investigating, but…”
“But?”
“There are limitations. You know about the relationship between the Magic Tower and the Empire.”
“Ah…”
Francesca let out a small sigh, barely audible. Come to think of it, this was the first time I’d seen her sigh.
“I’ve heard that even police need the cooperation of local authorities to conduct criminal investigations in foreign countries. The magic battalion isn’t police, but… the Imperial family wouldn’t allow mages from the Magic Tower to search for black magicians within Imperial territory, would they?”
“That’s right. They’d rather mobilize the Imperial Magic Department…”
“So the Magic Tower can’t do anything right now.”
“Have you inquired with the Military Government Command? They currently hold all administrative and judicial rights in the north.”
“Can military generals defy the Imperial family? Without the Emperor’s permission, neither the Prime Minister nor the Commander can do much.”
“…So the only ones who can investigate directly in the north are the Imperial Magic Department or the Inquisition…”
I glanced over to see Ferretti’s rock-like figure. Though he sat with his back turned and said nothing, he seemed quite heated.
The Magic Tower’s magic battalion, which is well-versed in magic, has no investigative authority, and the Inquisition, which excels at hunting black magicians, is short-staffed. All that’s left is the Imperial Magic Department, which may not be capable of conducting a proper investigation.
But we can’t just wait and rely on a dark-skinned elf who may or may not provide information. If we wait a month and he either fails to obtain the information or refuses to sell it, we’ll have wasted precious time.
So can I gather information myself in the north, or torture the elf to extract information? That’s not an option either.
If I get caught doing something the Military Intelligence Service didn’t order, a written apology or pay cut won’t be the end of it. Moreover, the north is an area where counterintelligence units are keeping a vigilant watch.
Of course, I understand the elf’s position too.
How can a merchant engaged in smuggling in a conflict zone conduct business cleanly?
To smuggle, one must bribe officials and negotiate with criminal organizations controlling the area to establish distribution channels. No matter how hard the Military Government Command tries to maintain order in the north, there are certainly areas beyond their reach.
What if among the individuals the Palm Tree Trading Company has partnered with for business, there’s someone connected to this terrorist attack? If handled poorly, the entire Palm Tree Trading Company could be wiped out.
The Inquisition never turns a blind eye to matters related to black magic. And among the victims of the terrorist attack was a saint from the Order. Although it wasn’t made public, Camilla and Francesca were in the same position as Lucia.
The Military Intelligence Service is in an ambiguous position. While they are tracking the perpetrators of the terrorist attack, they’re not actively intervening in the north to avoid compromising my safety. Besides, the Imperial branch has been destroyed. So they’re indirectly gathering intelligence through branches established in other countries.
Therefore, neither the Magic Tower, the Order, nor the Palm Tree Trading Company can easily back down. And at the end of such a standoff, there’s always a collision.
After briefly assessing the situation, I let out a deep sigh.
There’s no solution.
Why did I even come to the black market, hoping for wealth and glory…
“Why are you so worried?”
“…Huh?”
Camilla, who had suddenly appeared, was staring at me intently.
“Can’t we just find out ourselves?”
“…That doesn’t make sense. Tracking black magicians is difficult even for professionals.”
“No, that’s not what I mean.”
Camilla added:
“The guild master, or rather, that elf, isn’t going to collect the information himself, right? He’s going to get it from someone. If it’s as dangerous as you say, he wouldn’t say he’d find the information in a month; he’d just say he doesn’t know. Right?”
“…So you’re suggesting we intercept the information before it reaches the elf’s hands? By finding the informant who’s bringing the information?”
“Yep.”
“…Hmm.”
It sounded plausible. It sounded plausible, but…
“It won’t work.”
“Why not?”
“How are we supposed to find someone who trades with the company, and among them, identify those connected to black magic?”
Camilla blinked her eyes. Her blank gaze poked at my face.
“Um… you can’t do that?”
“No, I can’t.”
“Why not?”
A slightly dumbfounded, questioning response came back. If Camilla had asked this question, I would have just sighed and answered kindly, but unfortunately, the one who asked wasn’t Camilla but Francesca.
I suppressed something rising from deep within my chest and slowly opened my mouth.
“Look, information doesn’t just fall from the sky. How could we possibly gather such information in the north? Please think logically, Administrator.”
“So you’re saying you lack the ability to collect information?”
“That’s not it, the situation is…”
“Incompetent.”
“Your tongue is sharper than I expected, Officer.”
“……”
I looked up at the disgustingly clear and blue winter sky, holding back tears that threatened to spill. It was the first time in my life I’d been called incompetent by a civilian.
It felt like tears would pour out at the slightest touch, but thankfully, Camilla and Francesca didn’t torment me further. Camilla left, saying she needed to find a bathroom, and Francesca sat beside me, gazing at the scenery. At least I wouldn’t have to show an unsightly appearance.
Having thoroughly teased me, Francesca smiled gently as she looked at the dawning light. Thanks to the snowstorm that had raged through the night, the morning sky was exceptionally clear.
“Still, what you said isn’t entirely wrong.”
“…What do you mean by that?”
“Think about it, Officer. How many people do you think smuggle goods into the northern Empire from outside?”
Posed with the question, I fell into thought for a moment.
“…Almost none, right? The north has no nearby sea and is far from the border, so the profit would be minimal compared to the business costs. Of course, there are valuable commodities that smugglers might target, but…”
There are many valuable commodities that can be obtained in the north.
Strategic resources like magic stones, monster by-products, items from demon tribes, and Imperial military supplies.
But the rifts where magic stones are found are strictly managed by the Military Government Command. Similarly, to obtain monster by-products used in potions and various magical items, one would need to approach the Naroda Mountains where battles are taking place. Venturing there incorrectly could be fatal even for Imperial citizens.
The situation is similar for items from demon tribes. While collectors of unusual items, true demon worshippers, or scholars seeking forbidden knowledge might pay a fortune for them, obtaining such items requires evading the surveillance of the Inquisition operating in the north.
The most easily obtainable items are various equipment used by the Imperial army. But in reality, only warlords or foreign intelligence agencies would be interested in these. And unlike warlords who need weapons, intelligence agencies targeting military secrets in the weapons would typically analyze Imperial military equipment provided to dictatorial states rather than sneaking into the north to steal equipment.
In other words, the north is not a particularly nutritious market for smugglers.
“Looking at it this way, it’s strange. Why are they even here?”
“I don’t know that either, but the important thing is that there are few foreign smugglers operating in this area…”
“Skip the introduction and get to the point.”
“Hmm… Should I?”
When I started glaring at her, Francesca’s eyes curved like a crescent moon. With a bewitching smile, she revealed her hand in a gentle tone.
“How about we completely take over the northern black market?”
“Who?”
“Us.”
“……”
Francesca began to hum and mutter:
“The black markets in the north are limited anyway… there are almost no foreign smugglers operating here… I don’t know who’s backing the Palm Tree Trading Company, but it means people without that backing can’t do business here right now, right?”
“…I suppose so.”
“But what if suddenly foreign strangers appear and start doing business… wouldn’t people who trade with the Palm Tree Trading Company come looking out of curiosity? Maybe even that backer who supposedly makes even the Emperor powerless might show up… and that person might know something about black magicians…”
Though she was beating around the bush, the bottom line was that nothing was certain.
We might not gain any information even if we stir up the northern black market. And if we don’t obtain information, we’ll have to bear all the risks ourselves.
“But unlike you, who have a lot at stake, sitting around doing nothing doesn’t suit my temperament…”
“……”
“Want to make another bet…?”
I sat on the ground and tilted my head back. Dark clouds were gradually moving into the piercingly blue sky.
After a long silence, I posed a question to Francesca.
“Do you have trading contacts in the Empire?”
“Well… embarrassingly, no…”
“Sigh…”
Francesca looked at me with seemingly sad eyes. It was a playful smile, both sad and full of mischief.
“It’s not my fault the Empire and I don’t get along…”
“Your tongue is quite long, Administrator.”
“That’s what I said to you…”
“Anyway, this means you have no way to smuggle goods into the Empire, let alone the north?”
“Yes.”
After briefly meeting Francesca’s eyes, I looked back up at the sky and let out a deep sigh.
Zip. Inside my tracksuit. The inner pocket, modified with a lining to carry heavy items. I reached into the pocket with hands frozen from the cold and pulled out an object.
It was a phone.
“…A phone. What are you planning to do with that?”
“If there’s no path, I’ll have to make one.”
“What…?”
To Francesca, who looked as if she was asking what I meant, I waved the phone.
“I’ll arrange a smuggling route for you. I’ve smuggled people before, so smuggling goods should be easy.”
“……”
“Consider this payment for losing the bet.”
A smile appeared at the corners of Francesca’s mouth.
“And can you take responsibility if you fail?”
“Come on…”
I confidently held the phone to my ear. The dial tone cut through December’s biting wind.
“With my experience, how could I not handle something like this?”
*
“…Hmm.”
An elderly man’s hand was placed on a box.
A box of frozen seafood from the Empire, fished from the North Sea. The hand tracing the old, grease-stained box was covered in wrinkles that bore the traces of time.
The old man’s back was severely hunched, unable to withstand the passage of time, but the intelligence in his eyes remained alive.
With those keen eyes, the old man looked at the box and opened the lid.
Inside the box, which bore the logo of a small Imperial seafood company, were metal objects that could hardly be considered seafood.
A man approached the old man who was examining the items.
“General. These are the military magic batteries needed to operate the armored vehicles you requested last time.”
“……”
The old man’s sunken eyes turned toward the stacked boxes. He was wearing a military uniform.
A uniform that had been phased out not only from the continent but also from the Empire for at least 20 years. It was a uniform that not even the regular Imperial army or reserves would wear if given, yet it was in pristine condition, as if freshly unpacked.
The man in a suit standing next to the elderly man, addressed as General, read from documents clipped to a clipboard. Though they were in the Moritani Continent, the documents were filled with Kiyen language, and the reader spoke fluent Kiyen.
“We’ve also prepared machine gun bullets and rifle ammunition. The potions as well. However, the shells you requested…”
“I understand. The Empire is at war with the demon tribes.”
“Thank you for understanding our country’s circumstances. Once the situation in the north stabilizes, shell exports will certainly become possible.”
The General’s eyes slowly closed.
“Exports… I see even smuggling conducted under economic sanctions can be called exports.”
“……”
“…Damn those Abas people.”
There was clear anger in the General’s voice as he spat out the words. But the man in the suit merely looked at the General with an expressionless face.
After confirming the contents, the General gave instructions, and soldiers wearing the same uniform as the General entered the warehouse and began moving the boxes. Though in uniform, they were not regular army but warlords.
As the man in the suit watched the warlords shouting in the language of the Moritani Continent, the General asked him:
“Where is the Lieutenant?”
“…General. He is no longer a Lieutenant. He’s a retired person.”
“I apologize. It’s a habit. So where is the man who always brings me precious supplies?”
The man in the suit, letting out a small sigh, directed his gaze to a corner of the warehouse.
In the corner of the old military warehouse filled with boxes, a large man, at least two heads taller than an average person, was holding a phone and talking. His bulging suit seemed to scream in protest with every movement he made.
After being engrossed in the call for a while, the man chuckled, seemingly unaware that others could hear him, and kept nodding. Finally, after ending the call, he trudged back to his place, and the elderly General greeted him with a smile, arms outstretched.
“It’s been a while, Jamer-Victor!”
The large man embraced the old man with open arms. They held each other, made kissing sounds with their mouths, then grabbed each other’s forearms and separated. Their faces were full of smiles.
The old man’s skin was black, and the large man’s skin was green.
The warlord leader looked up at the large man and greeted him warmly.
“Being an orc, you’re still full of strength even as you age. I’m envious. Truly envious.”
The large man, Jamer-Victor, with his green skin and protruding sharp tusks, looked down at the General.
“It’s been a while, General. Have you been well?”
“I came all this way to see you. I’m still in good health.”
“That’s truly fortunate.”
With his hands behind his back, the General looked at the orc with a gentle smile.
“You’ve come a long way. I’ve prepared a feast for you. Shouldn’t we loosen our belts and enjoy ourselves all night? Hmm?”
“Of course I’d like that. How could I refuse your kindness, General? However.”
The orc, revealing his thick tusks, grinned.
“Today doesn’t seem to be the day.”
“What do you mean? Has something urgent come up?”
“Yes.”
In a warehouse in the Moritani Continent, filled with military supplies, the orc in a suit turned his head and gazed into the distance.
To a place far, far away that could never be reached.
“An old friend wants to meet me.”
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