Chapter 30

〈 Episode 30 〉Negotiations with the Chief

Asha, having parted ways with Walter, followed Georg into the village. Unlike the chaotic exterior where they were still clearing away the Tentacle corpses, the inside of the village was pristine, without a single broken spot.

‘To shrug off that many Tentacles so easily…’

“Were there any deaths this time?”

“In the battle just now, there were injuries but no fatalities, but four warriors who were guarding the vicinity in pairs haven’t returned. They’re probably dead.”

Georg spoke bluntly, but a bitter expression lingered on his face. Asha, who knew that he was a deeply affectionate person despite his gruff manner, comforted him.

“Um, sorry… Still, it’s a relief that there were no deaths in the battle earlier.”

“I saw you helping in the fight earlier. You’re better than most of our warriors. Thanks for helping.”

At Georg’s words, Asha shrugged as if it were nothing.

“I couldn’t just stand by and watch. But do you think the Chief will help us?”

“It’s a difficult thing to know and a hard decision to make. If your request is reasonable, he will comply.”

Even while chatting, Asha had to almost run to keep up with Georg. Since they were of vastly different sizes, Asha had to move her feet busily just to keep up with Georg’s long strides. However, she didn’t want to waste any time, so Asha followed him without complaint.

The Chief of the Heidelberg Tribe was at the place where they were burning the Tentacle corpses. He was giving instructions to the orcs beside him, and he was shorter than Asha had expected. However, even while speaking to the orcs who were a head taller than him, the Chief’s aura was no less imposing than theirs. The Chief was talking to an orc warrior.

“So, did you find the bodies?”

“No. The forest is just covered in Slime.”

“So they died without leaving even a finger behind… How gruesome. So, this is Georg’s guest?”

When the Chief looked at Asha, she bowed her head in greeting.

“Hello, Chief. I’m Asha, representing the human village this time.”

“What brings you here? Are the humans experiencing the same thing as us?”

Asha readily admitted to the Chief’s question.

“Yes, you’re correct. There was a first wave of attacks before I came, and now they’ve probably gone to the village. As you know from experience, it’s nearly impossible for humans alone to fend off the Tentacles. I’ve come to request an alliance or support.”

After listening to Asha’s request, the Chief thought for a moment and then asked.

“So, you want our military strength?”

“To put it bluntly, yes. That’s right. Even a few of you coming to support us would be a great help.”

“To answer you right away, it’s difficult to provide support.”

Asha was taken aback by the Chief’s uncompromising answer.

“Uh, why? If it’s because the relationship with the humans isn’t good…”

“It’s more that we can’t know the situation in the human villages. If the Tentacles have attacked as much as our village has, we would have to send a large number of warriors to avoid pointless deaths. We can’t leave our village empty because we don’t know if this is the end of the attacks or if there will be a second or third wave.”

“I see…”

“And our orcs don’t have a hierarchical relationship. I can’t give unilateral orders. Since there are many of my kind who don’t particularly like humans, it’s doubtful whether they would agree to provide support. You may have brought items to trade, but it’s difficult to compare that to the safety of the tribe. I hope you understand that we can’t help our neighbors in their time of crisis.”

“Ah…”

The Chief’s explanation was so logical that even Asha, who had come as a representative of the village, had to agree. However, Asha, who had abandoned the defense and left the village to come here, could not return without any results.

“Um, would you at least like to take a look? It’s fabric I brought from the village. I thought it would definitely be needed here…”

The Chief touched the fabric that Asha had brought.

“Hmm, excellent. If it were peacetime, I would definitely send support to the village. But it’s difficult. My thoughts are the same as before. I can’t compare a mere convenience to the safety of my people.”

“Ugh…”

As her efforts to come all this way were in vain, Asha felt a dizzying sensation, as if she were being pushed backward off a cliff, but the feel of Lucia in her arms kept her from collapsing. Georg, who had been watching the conversation between the Chief and Asha, joined the conversation.

“Chief, if a conscription order hasn’t been issued, may I go?”

“It would be reassuring to have you here, but I can’t stop you from doing everything you want. Georg, you may help her if you wish.”

“Huh? Georg, why…?”

He looked at Asha with his characteristic indifferent gaze and replied.

“Asha, it is right that I respect you as much as you have respected me.”

Even though she had become a little closer to Georg, it was really dangerous for just the two of them to go to the village. Asha didn’t want anyone else to risk their lives with her again.

“You could die, Georg. You don’t have to do that much for me…”

“That’s something for the Chief to worry about.”

Georg’s words didn’t seem to disregard the Chief, but rather conveyed a feeling of disgust for troublesome matters.

‘Ugh…’

The fact was that even one helper was desperately needed, so Asha eventually welcomed Georg.

“Thank you! Just having you will be a great help.”

“It’s a little unsettling to send just the two of you. I’ll go with you too.”

“Walter?”

Walter was standing behind Asha without her noticing. Asha was sweating at his silent movements.

‘Stealth with that size is nonsense…’

“What do you think, Chief?”

“It’s a little unsettling for you to leave…”

The Chief showed reluctance, unlike when Georg said he would go, because one of the most powerful forces in the tribe, the most powerful force in slaughter, would be leaving.

“Georg is a warrior with endless potential. If I go, I can at least get out of the way in an emergency. Isn’t that right?”

After pondering for a while, the Chief finally agreed with Walter’s opinion.

“If you say so, I can’t help it. Go ahead.”

Asha’s face brightened as two more helpers were added. Georg was undoubtedly a much stronger warrior than Asha, and Walter was a great Sorcerer who was able to flip the ground over just a moment ago.

“Ah, Asha. I’m only saying this because you seem to be expecting too much, but things like what happened earlier are only possible near the village. The Spell will probably weaken as we get further away from here.”

“No! I’m just grateful for your help!”

Asha shook her head. Compared to the situation of returning to the village alone, this was like heaven. Asha was relieved by the addition of Georg and Walter. She asked the Chief.

“It would be difficult to ask for help from anyone other than these two, right?”

“Georg and Walter have met you before, but the other members of the tribe don’t know you. It’s free to ask for help, but I think it would be better to go back quickly during that time.”

Walter also agreed with the Chief’s opinion.

“The Chief’s opinion is right, Asha. Even if you pay the price, your fellow tribesmen won’t follow you, whom they’ve never seen before, when the village is in such a mess as it is now. I think it would be better to hurry up and prepare to return now.”

Since the opinions of the two were valid, Asha agreed with their opinions.

“Yes, I’ll do as you both say. Let’s go, Georg! Chief, it’s a shame this time, but I hope we have a better meeting next time.”

The Chief nodded heavily at Asha’s words, which were tinged with regret.

“I’m just sorry that I couldn’t help. I wish you good luck on your way. Walter, please take care of yourself…”

“Yes, goodbye, Chief.”

After saying goodbye to the Chief, Asha returned to Walter’s house because he had something to take care of. Walter, who had returned to his house, picked up a square, palm-sized stone from his laboratory.

“What is that, Walter?”

“It’s a Return Stone. It’s a pair with the large monument in the basement of my house. If we’re going to fight nearby, we can move short distances without this, but we need this when we’re going far away like this time. Even in an emergency, we’ll be able to get our bodies out of there.”

“Is there anything else you need?”

“I’ve been equipped since the battle earlier. Let’s go!”

Georg had nothing to prepare, so he was wearing armor and carrying only a backpack. Having finished their preparations, they quickly headed towards the human village, following Asha’s guidance.

Asha’s party, hurrying back to the village, encountered a swarm of Tentacles on the way. Walter, who was the first to notice the group, raised his hand to stop the party. He whispered to the party behind him.

“It’s a bad idea to fight here right now. It’s better to pass by quietly.”

“Yes…”

Georg also followed his words without objection. The direction the dozens of Tentacles were heading was the same as the direction Asha was heading on the map.

“Walter, the direction they’re going is the same as ours. If it’s difficult to break through, should we detour?”

“No. Detouring in a place like this would take too much time. There’s an easy way.”

When Walter closed his eyes and put his hands together, a gust of wind blew and the party’s bodies slowly began to float. When her body floated up, Lucia looked at Walter with wide eyes.

“Mama, Lucy, fly??”

“We can get ahead of them with this. Asha, which direction is it?”

“Come here, Lucy. We can go in that direction. Yes, that direction.”

When Asha looked at the map and answered, they began to fly as fast as the wind. Asha suddenly had a question and asked Walter.

“Walter, if you could do this, why didn’t you use it?”

“It’s not difficult to do, but it becomes difficult to use Wind magic afterwards. Fire and wind always go well together, but I wanted to save it as much as possible. But I think it’s better to go this fast now.”

“Um, I see.”

Asha soon agreed and concentrated on watching the precious scenery of the sky, which she could not normally see.