episode_0015

Ranger.

They patrol dangerous areas like border regions or forests where monsters appear, detecting danger early and informing the headquarters—a specialized breed.

Regardless of their location, Rangers each write a farewell letter before heading out on a mission.

When they go on a mission, what’s important to them is not their lives but the information they carry.

Like scouts sacrificing themselves like pawns, with each piece of intel shared, many others find a path to survival.

Hence, Rangers are always respected.

Leona, one of the Rangers from the Doolieo family, was currently out on reconnaissance.

As the vanguard of orcs reached the walls of Doolieo and battle ensued, one might question the value of reconnaissance. But that’s a thought for the ignorant.

Information has always been valuable, no matter where or when.

If one can locate the headquarters and obtain coordinates?

If one can roughly estimate the enemy’s troop numbers and plan defenses accordingly?

If risking their lives means contaminating food supplies with poison?

Many casualties could be prevented.

With such determination, Leona supported reconnaissance instead of defending the walls and was pleased with the results.

Her assigned location was the forest.

Her squad consisted of a few mercenaries, Miss Ellis, and Noisdan’s youngest daughter, Yeong-ae.

It’s easy to guess what happened.

Miss Ellis and Yeong-ae must have wanted to help in the sudden unprecedented crisis.

While it might be acceptable for Miss Ellis, if Yeong-ae were to die or sustain severe injuries, it would be a disaster.

That’s why they inserted them into the forest reconnaissance, where no traces of orcs had been found.

Leona understood perfectly.

Proud and honorable as it may be, she couldn’t help but feel sorry for the superiors who made that decision…

Why was she appointed as the leader of that squad?!

She was sure she hadn’t done anything wrong to the major or lieutenant colonel!

Even if she pondered over possible mistakes during informal gatherings, breaking the major’s favorite cup was undoubtedly Saharin’s doing, not hers!

Thinking of raising objections, she opened the major’s office door, only to nod at the lieutenant colonel’s face resembling a demon and leave.

“Am I really stuck with this responsibility…?”

She even started having such thoughts unintentionally.

In the midst of war, they couldn’t afford to allocate too many resources to escort them, so they probably sent the reconnaissance to a relatively safe place with minimal protection.

Thinking this way, Leona sighed and began the uncomfortable reconnaissance.

As time passed, her thoughts changed drastically.

Strangely, the mercenaries from the south displayed exceptional skills, and both Miss Ellis and Yeong-ae were remarkably talented.

Only then did I recall Noisdan’s current duke and his eldest daughter’s reputation, realizing my own foolishness.

Sword King and Sword Star.

Being the younger siblings of those renowned figures, could they possibly be weak?

At the age of 12, I had underestimated them greatly.

Even at a young age, a Hetchling could easily kill most trolls.

Along with this pleasant realization, the outcome of the information gathered through reconnaissance gradually shifted.

In the forest where only monsters had appeared instead of orc traces all this time.

They encountered an overwhelming number of orcs.

How did this happen?

An orc patrol.

A patrol consisting of one warrior and nine regular orcs, encountering Leona and her team every ten minutes, gradually darkened their expressions.

Orcs.

In the forest?

In such numbers?

Doesn’t it feel like this place could be their main base?

After dealing with the fourth patrol, Leona called her squad members together.

“Let’s try capturing one or two next time.”

Everyone agreed with her statement, and Leona asked the spirits to widen their vision to find the next target.

And there it was.

A larger orc, one head taller than the regular orcs, dominating the others like a predator.

Seeing the clear difference in behavior from the orcs she knew, Leona muttered unconsciously.

“What is that?”

He was actually from a rural area with quite a strong dialect.

…

I couldn’t contain my anger.

Is this crazy orc trying to flirt with me because he’s horny?

I managed to endure even the female orc, his crush, but I couldn’t bear it when this lunatic winked at me with his nostrils flaring.

Who in the world could tolerate this?

In reality, even if half the world could, I couldn’t.

I raised my heavy fist and struck various parts of his groin.

“[G-Gah! Why are you doing this?!]”

He tried to block me with his arm and shouted at me, but I had lost control and relentlessly hit him.

“Block? Your arms are for blocking, right? And this spot here is empty, you bastard!!!”

“[G-Gah, what are you saying?! Ouch, that hurts!!]”

Of course, it hurts when you can’t block properly, you orc.

Shouldn’t you have learned parrying earlier!

As I pummeled the orc to keep him from dying, I slowly folded my hand that was raised to cast a knockout punch.

-Thud

I caught an arrow with that hand.

Uh… What is this?

Was this how someone felt when wiping sweat and grabbing a badminton shuttlecock?

As I stood there bewildered, suddenly several humans emerged from the forest shouting.

“..!! We’ve caught them! We need to strike now!”

“Got it!”

“Charge!”

“Let’s go~”

“One or two subdued, unless there’s danger, no need to subdue!”

” “Okay!” ”

I was amazed as the men with crossbows divided and attacked the orcs without hesitation.

What on earth is this..?

At least until a muscular man with long hair covered in tattoos swung an axe at me.

“Ugh!”

I couldn’t hide my astonishment at the sight of the axe coming down on my head.

Didn’t they just say they wouldn’t subdue me?

I haven’t done anything to warrant a threat to my life, have I?

But regardless of my bewilderment, the barbarian warrior’s axe didn’t stop, and I took a breath and timed my hand to meet the descending axe.

If I mistimed it, I might lose an arm… Now!

【Parry】

-Kwaaang!

If the timing was perfect, theoretically, using the ultimate technique 【Parry】, I could deflect even a Solar Punch from Solara. I used this technique to deflect the axe and looked at the surprised barbarian warrior.

“Ahrok.”

“..!?”

Ahrok was visibly shocked when I called his name.

I breathed heavily and said to him, “It’s me, your employer.”

I mean, I paid you well, so why swing an axe at my head?

Except for the fallen comrades, all the orcs were dead.

Why?

…

Leona was dumbfounded.

Truly, extremely, incredibly dumbfounded.

Being a ranger, she had seen all sorts of things.

She had endured 40 days in one place to gather information, encountered rare animals, conversed with trading orcs, and even witnessed crazy creatures without being elves sticking their lower bodies into tree trunks.

But Leona swore she had never experienced a situation like this before.

Apart from the fallen comrades who had been beaten by their own kind, the only one left standing was an orc with a larger head.

When that orc skillfully deflected Ahrok’s axe, everyone tensed up.

Leona aimed her crossbow, Rain summoned a spirit, pointing an arrow, while behind them, the mercenary Ment and Miss Elise brandished their swords, and Lady Leyana knelt, ready to leap forward.

The moment the orc moved his hand to harm Ahrok, his fate would be sealed.

Amidst such tension, everyone was swallowing hard, but the orc, after taking a breath, eloquently spoke in the human language.

“Ahrok.”

“..!?”

Due to his tusks and distinctive intelligence, the orc found it extremely difficult to speak human language with such eloquent pronunciation. Moreover, how could he possibly know Ahlak’s name?

As Ahlak pondered whether entering while calling out his name had caused this confusion, a more shocking statement burst forth.

“It is I, your employer.”

” “?????” ”

In response to those words, everyone could only express their bewilderment.

An employer?

An orc?

Ahlak’s?

Everyone was taken aback by this revelation, alternating their gazes between Ahlak and the orc.

Layana and Ellis exchanged nervous glances.

“Sister, what on earth is he talking about?”

“I have no idea!!!”

After a brief, hellish silence, Ahlak slowly spoke up.

“I am Ahlak, an employer of humans, not an orc.”

Of course!

Everyone nodded in agreement at his words.

There was no way Ahlak had entered into an employment contract with an orc.

They had all fallen for the cunning ploy of the orc.

It was said that when the chieftain appeared, the intelligence of the orc race as a whole increased, and indeed, it seemed to be true.

As everyone nodded, preparing to subdue the crafty orc, he sighed once again and spoke.

“Ahh… Ahlak, would you like to have 50 gold coins taken away from you again for violating the contract of using the [Orc Skull Crusher]?”

At his words, Ahlak stiffened, set down his axe, and nervously asked, sweating, “A-Are you really my employer?”

“Well, wouldn’t I be? Shall I tell you where we met? Third table in the left corner of the Mercenary Guild in the Western Clocktower District.”

Upon hearing this, Ahlak bowed deeply at a ninety-degree angle.

“I-I’m sorry!”

As his face turned pale while apologizing, everyone thought, ‘Why did he suddenly become so fluent?’

Before they could even question if this was his usual way of speaking, the orc continued.

“Ment, 75 gold coins and [Dragonfire Whiskey].”

“I didn’t know!”

“Rain, 50 gold coins and [Intermediate Spirit Stone].”

“I apologize, please, Employer, do not take the spirit stone…”

With each of the orc’s statements, the mercenaries bowed their heads and apologized.

Seeing these skilled individuals fall one by one, Layana stared blankly, while Leona and Ellis remained vigilant.

What on earth was happening?

Why had the orc hired the mercenaries, and how had he ended up here with them?

While some speculated the possibility of the orc being a different race, they dismissed that notion.

If it wasn’t an illusion spell, then that orc was not using illusion magic.

When Ahlak dropped his axe, nothing changed, ruling out illusions.

If not that, the only other being capable of such a feat would be a dragon.

Why would a dragon casually be here?

Therefore, they judged him as a peculiar orc and remained cautious.

Unlike the dazed youngest member of Noisden and the mercenaries who bowed their heads, Vihan scratched his head and said as he looked at the two.

I didn’t want to say this.

“Ellis Duori.”

“…What?”

“I am your fiancé.”

Vihan closed his eyes and stated.

He had done quite a few bad things in the past, but now it was a crisis.

He needed to quickly lower his guard and move on to the next step.

First, save everyone, then sincerely apologize…!

No, wait, it’s not even my fault… No, let’s not think like this.

Does Vihan have such complex thoughts?

After Vihan regained his composure and looked around, silence once again enveloped the surroundings, just as before.

What’s going on? Why is this happening?

As a bewildered Vihan looked at those around him, including those who had bowed their heads, the woman who stood there dumbfounded, and the ranger holding a crossbow, they all gazed at Ellis with astonishment.

Why are they reacting like this?

Vihan’s question was answered when he saw Ellis’s trained fist coming towards him with his own eyes.

Trembling, turning red, Ellis shouted as she swung her fist at Vihan, “My fiancé is still a human, not this orc scumbag!!!!!”

“Oh.”

【Pairing】

Realizing that I might faint from a direct hit based on my stats, I parried, sat down, and watched Ellis cry loudly.

Am I… in orc form right now?

“L-Lies, if you’re going to tell them, at least keep your human form intaaact…. That crazy orc guy…!”

“Sis! Are you okay..? But, it’s not reaally..?”

“Of course not!!!! Intaaact… an orc… waaaah….”

Beehan covered his eyes with his hand as he watched Elise cry and Leiana try to comfort her.

It was a day that unintentionally made his fiancée shed tears once again.