Chapter 89: Duel (2)

While waiting for the duel with Elaine, Glaka, who had gone to the village, reappeared, leading his kin as the conversation seemed to have concluded.

As Glaka had mentioned, there were no women among them, just a group of large, burly male orcs, each with varying styles of beards. The number could be counted in the dozens, maybe more.

‘I can see why his eyes look so bad.’

Despite the poor food supply, their large, muscular builds weren’t due to emaciation, but they all looked unhealthy with tired, sunken eyes.
I’d heard somewhere that hunting dogs are purposely starved before going on a hunt to make them more ferocious, and though I wasn’t sure if that applied here, it certainly seemed like an extreme case.

‘Come to think of it, the novels often describe orcs as berserkers.’

I hadn’t gotten the impression that Glaka was that kind of orc during our conversation. That’s why negotiations were even possible.
Had they grown more desperate and berserk due to hunger? Or maybe it was because they were in the middle of a war back then, and the bloodshed had excited them?

Just as I was pondering the connection, Glaka stepped forward and spoke.

“Our tribe has decided to accept the duel.”
“Will you, Glaka, be the representative?”

Seeing that Glaka was now holding a massive axe, unlike before, I asked, and he nodded in response.

“I will participate.”
“Me too?”
“I have something to say about that. Our orc tribe currently doesn’t have a single high chief leading us. Instead, each clan leader forms a union to move together. This matter is crucial to our tribe’s future. Therefore, in addition to myself, other clan leaders will also participate in the duel.”

So, while Glaka had come as the representative, it seemed that other clan leaders wouldn’t just watch if we lost. They were going to participate as well.
It was like orc-style democracy.

“You’re changing the terms suddenly. Isn’t that a bit underhanded?”
“In return, I will accept one of your demands.”
“Hmm, how many will be participating in total?”
“Four, including myself.”
“Four…”

That meant I needed three more participants on our side.
Who could I bring?

Maybe I could appeal to Grace about this. Would Gunther come if I explained the situation? Weasel, being the captain of the fourth division, would be strong too.

“Human, will you be participating?”
“It looks like I will.”
“Good. I’ve wanted to fight you.”
“Why’s that?”

It was surprising that he wanted to fight me. I didn’t think I looked like someone who could catch an orc’s interest.

“Human, your name was Luke, right? Just like your tribe’s name, you seem to have the confidence to settle things with a duel. I like your warrior’s spirit, especially your eyes.”

Glaka’s eyes, as he looked at me, conveyed both determination and a hint of goodwill.

Grace’s reputation was likely well known to them, as they had probably fought her before.
Thanks to me stepping up and voicing my opinion, the orcs had been able to avoid an one-sided massacre, so they probably saw me as both impressive and grateful.

Despite orcs being simple-minded and battle-hungry,

From the orc perspective, unlike Doragon, who had schemed against them, I was trying to recruit them into my faction in accordance with their own traditions. I likely appeared in a more favorable light.

“But what about the female?”

As Glaka asked while eyeing Elaine, she seemed unfazed by the term “female,” likely because she understood orc culture better than I did, and she answered without a second thought.

“I am Elaine, the commander of the Northern Duke’s personal guard. I originally came to attend as a witness, but since you need four participants, this works out. I’ll participate in the duel as well.”

When Elaine expressed her intention to participate, Glaka turned to her and asked,

“Human, what’s your relationship with the male next to you?”
“He is Sir Luke’s superior.”
“Then that’s not allowed.”
“Why?”

It was unexpected that Glaka would refuse her participation.

“Our orc tribes send out clan leaders to represent them. You humans should send a male warrior who’s responsible for his clan, not just any ordinary soldier. That’s the tradition of the duel.”
“Orc traditions are quite strict.”
“Indeed. Duels must follow rigid rules. The only way a female warrior can participate is if she is the representative of a clan or closely related to the clan leader.”

So in other words, since they had sent out their clan leaders, they expected us to send someone equivalent, like the head of a noble family.
I had received full negotiating authority from Grace, so I would be the exception in this case.

We needed to proceed with the duel since the benefits were too great.
That meant Grace, as the head of the Northrain family, qualified, and Gunther, being a noble and head of his own family, qualified as well.
If Elaine couldn’t participate, Weasel probably wouldn’t either. As for the remaining candidates…

“Heh, then it’s no problem at all.”

Elaine straightened her shoulders proudly and replied confidently.

“What you’re saying is that a representative’s family can participate, right?”
“That’s right.”
“I’m his wife, so I have the right to participate.”

“!?”
“?!?”
“!!”

At Elaine’s declaration, both Glaka and I, as well as Grace, who had been watching, were all taken aback. Everyone within earshot was surprised.

“Wow.”

Grace murmured in astonishment with wide eyes. Glaka nodded and responded.

“If you’re his wife, it’s allowed. Female human, I recognize you as a duelist.”

Elaine, now suddenly part of the competition, gave me a subtle wink. Ah, well… well done. Yes, it’s not exactly a lie either.

I could feel dizziness creeping in as I caught sight of Weasel in the corner of my vision, wondering when they had gotten married, but since this wasn’t the time to go over what Elaine might have mumbled, I ignored it.

With Elaine now in the competition, only two more needed to join. Since the number of participants was a condition unilaterally set by them, I thought maybe I could coax Grace into joining or perhaps even convince Gunter.

“Then I’ll step forward as well.”

“Huh?”

A familiar voice reached my ears. It was a woman’s voice, but the tone and relaxed manner were unlike Grace’s.

A wizard, wearing a wide-brimmed hat and a flowing robe, came forward with a staff in hand.

“I am Sophia Xenon, daughter of the Snowflake Tower Master Dariel. I am also a candidate to be the next Tower Master.”

Glaka, upon hearing Sophia’s introduction, asked:

“Candidate for the next Tower Master… Human female, what is your relationship with this male?”

“Does it matter? You should be able to figure it out from the situation.”

“Mm.”

Sophia curtly muttered, and Glaka, alternating between looking at me and Elaine, seemed to understand. It seemed he had mistakenly assumed Sophia was my concubine, but I didn’t feel the need to correct him. Instead, I whispered to Sophia in a low voice.

“What’s this about being a candidate for Tower Master?”

“All elders are candidates for the Tower Master position, so it’s not a lie.”

“But you’re not an elder yet.”

“Well, wizards are always future-oriented.”

Although I was a bit surprised by her sudden participation, Sophia’s involvement was definitely a positive addition. She’s an elder-level wizard, and although she lost to Lowe, she can still compete. In terms of power, she might be stronger than me.

“I’ve been wanting to test out a new magic I developed after the last incident, and I can’t let this opportunity slip by. Heh.”

Besides, with the lingering ember from her fight with Lowe still itching at her body, it’s a fitting choice.

‘The last one…’

I was considering whether I should bring Grace or Gunter, the commander of the elite troops, into the fray. When I glanced at Grace, she seemed completely uninterested in offering any help, and it looked like she was only there to observe. Just then, my eyes met with someone standing next to her.

‘Hmm?’

An interesting thought occurred to me.

“We’ve chosen our last duelist.”

“Who?”

Elaine asked out of curiosity, and when I pointed, the person I indicated was none other than…

“?!”

As my finger pointed directly at him, Rigrid’s eyes widened in surprise. He had been standing guard right next to Grace, and when she nudged him slightly, he was inadvertently pushed forward and came up to me, asking:

“Commander, did you call me?”

“Yes, you.”

“Why? No, why?”

“Well…”

I scanned the faces gathered for the duel. This wasn’t originally my plan, but looking at the group, it was a surprising coincidence that they were all part of Grace’s direct guard.

“I think you can handle it.”

I smiled and patted Rigrid on the shoulder.

Since joining the guard, I had tossed this enthusiastic one’s training to Squad Leader 3, and with Sophia in the same team, I had also arranged for him to learn magic manipulation. Moreover, after personally testing his abilities, I found his swordsmanship to be seriously impressive. As an archer, he was above average too.

However, unlike Elaine, I wasn’t entirely confident in his victory yet.

‘Maybe it’s possible if I lead them right.’

Since this wasn’t a single duel but a 4v4, an interesting idea came to mind. Moreover…

“This is your first outing, right? If you keep going like this, you’ll end up doing nothing and just head back. Can you let that happen?”
“!”

Rigrid’s face lit up in realization at my whisper. He was the kind of guy who would heat up a room just from his desire to perform well. However, since it seemed like the situation wouldn’t turn into a battle, he must have been secretly disappointed. But with Rigrid’s talent and passion, combined with my plan, and maybe a bit of beginner’s luck…

‘This is the perfect chance to give this kid some praise.’

Not just any praise, but enough to fill him up like a grandmother’s holiday meal, so he’d be living in contentment for a while.

“There’s nothing to fear. You think a guy who wants to be the hero of the North would back down from a starving orc?”
“Yeah, that’s right!”

He was the kind of crazy guy who rebelled against the ‘strongest knight of humanity’ in the novels. It’s his first real battle, but he’s got the guts not to be afraid of facing an orc chieftain, even more than I do.

“Are you confident?”
“Of course.”

Rigrid, quickly regaining his confidence and fighting spirit, stepped forward and declared loudly.

“If I must introduce myself, I am the second son of the prestigious Deep Snow family of the North, Rigrid Deep Snow! And…”

At that moment, Rigrid pointed at me and shouted.

“Here, I am the sworn brother of Lord Luke!”

What the hell?
Oops, I slipped and cursed out loud.

Now, it was my turn to be surprised. I approached Rigrid, narrowed my eyes, and whispered softly.

“Hey, what’s with the sworn brother thing?”
“I thought it’d be weird if I just said I was the second son of a noble family. I figured it would be better if I had some connection to you. Oh, and by the way, are you married?”
“No, that’s… I’ll explain later.”

As a headache started to creep in.

“Not bad.”

Grace, who had been watching from the sidelines, commented.

“Let’s see how well my direct guards perform.”

Her smile towards me solidified my decision.

Grace seemed intent on winning. If she had any doubts about Rigrid, she would have stopped him earlier. The fact that she nudged him forward meant she thought he had at least some chance. After all, if he was too weak, he wouldn’t have become one of the Northern Duke’s direct guards.

The orcs accepted him because he was from a prestigious family and, technically, part of my family. But what’s up with them? Why does everyone keep granting things as soon as I mention family? Weren’t the traditions supposed to be more stringent?

‘Alright, let’s give this a try.’

Despite the situation not turning out as I had originally planned, I couldn’t help but feel intrigued. I had once joked that the four members of my guard team looked like a fantasy party, and now I was about to work with them on a real mission. The excitement was palpable. The reason I had noticed Rigrid in the first place was because of this.

I had been mistaken for a hero, and now those involved in this situation weren’t just standing by; they were going to do something too.

But right now, I couldn’t afford to worry about others.

‘I’m not even sure I’ll win myself.’

I didn’t immediately recognize the name Glaka, but seeing his weapon triggered some faint memories. In the novel, there had been a description of a specific orc during a battle with Aran and his group that seemed to match his features.

“The duelists are all gathered! Let the sacred duel between orcs and humans begin!”

With the orcs shouting, the duel began. The first match was announced.

“Our warrior is the chieftain of the Vine Swamp Clan, the shaman Zenora!”

A hunched orc wearing a mask and holding a crooked staff, looking like it was made from old wood, stepped forward.

“A shaman, but a warrior?”
“Maybe ‘warrior’ is just a metaphor.”

I thought about who to send out to face the shaman but quickly abandoned the idea. Someone had already stepped forward as if it were obvious.

“Heh, I’m glad you showed up. I’ve always been curious about orc magic.”

Shamans are typically something a mage should face, I thought, as Sophia, with her characteristic greedy gaze, smiled widely, eager to explore a fascinating subject.