Variant Orc

The village was in chaos, with lights illuminating the darkness, screams, and shouts, to the point where it was impossible to find the tranquility of the night that had been there just moments before.

I ran past the fleeing people, and as I ran in the direction they had come from, I heard the clashing of weapons, a sound I had only heard during training at the academy.

Passing through the alley, I saw a variant orc with brown skin, unlike the common orcs, and seemingly twice the size of Roel. It was clashing with Roel, wielding a huge warhammer that matched its massive size.

Ellie was nowhere to be seen, and as I was about to turn around to look for her, I saw a sphere of condensed mana being fired from the opposite alley towards Roel, who was locked in a power struggle with the variant orc.

Instantly, I pulled my body back and swung my sword, cutting the orc’s hand that was holding the hammer. Roel unleashed sword energy to block the black magician’s magic and was about to charge at the black magician, but-

The orc, having rapidly regenerated its severed hand, swung its hammer, forcing Roel to retreat.

Feeling a sense of self-disgust at not having the power to help Roel, who was in a troublesome 2-on-1 situation, I bit my lip. Then, I saw the black magician emitting a dense aura of mana around himself, creating another sphere.

Roel seemed to notice it too. He desperately swung his sword to try and break away from the orc, but the variant orc, with its monstrous strength and regenerative abilities, continued to block Roel’s sword, refusing to back down.

Originally, it was going to be a 1-on-1 fight against the variant orc, which Roel would win, but the unexpected variable of the black magician’s collaboration made me anxious that Roel might lose.

As I was running forward to support Roel in any way I could, the sphere of condensed mana left the black magician’s hand and was fired towards Roel.

Roel tried to respond, but the variant orc sacrificed its shoulder to block Roel’s sword.

In that instant, Roel was about to be helplessly hit by the black magician’s attack.

Kwaang-!

Ellie appeared, wielding her staff, and created a barrier right in front of Roel, blocking the black magician’s attack.

Surprised by Ellie’s sudden appearance, Roel spoke to her without taking his eyes off the variant orc.

“Why are you here! I told you to stay with Ross because it’s dangerous!”

“That’s not important right now! I’ll buy as much time as I can, so hurry up and take care of the orc!”

No sooner had she finished speaking than Ellie wielded her staff, conjuring magic and pouring it onto the black magician. Roel and the variant orc began to clash at such a rapid pace that they left afterimages.

I, who had been running to help Roel, could only watch with a spear in my hand. It was obvious that if I joined them now, I would only be a burden.

My meager spearmanship would be of no help in the fight against the variant orc, and I might even be captured by the black magician.

Even after consistently training in spatial magic and physical fitness since entering the academy, my efforts of a few days were not even enough to help those two.

It was a known fact. It was impossible for an ordinary person without talent or innate abilities to catch up to a genius with just a few days of effort.

Yet, when I realized the reality that I couldn’t be of any help, why was I biting my lip until it bled with rising feelings of inferiority and self-disgust?

As I was suppressing the surging emotions, the situation began to change rapidly.

At first, Ellie was overwhelming the black magician by pouring out magic, but as time passed, Ellie’s magic was being thwarted and defended against by the black magician, and the magic that the black magician was conjuring gradually increased.

A sphere of condensed mana appeared through the gaps in Ellie’s magic. Ellie desperately wielded her staff to create a barrier, but as she raised her staff high for the next attack-

The black magician, who had foreseen her move, fired magic into the air, causing it to explode and crush Ellie to the ground. She spat out blood and collapsed.

“Ellie!”

Roel, who had been overwhelming the variant orc, hurriedly blocked the magic flying towards Ellie, but the variant orc, who was aiming for his back, attacked with its hammer, tearing his flesh and crushing his left arm.

As the variant orc raised its hammer high, about to strike Roel’s head, who had lost his balance, Roel bought time by defending against the spear I threw at the orc’s eyes. He regained his balance and desperately swung his sword to block the attack, creating distance between himself and Ellie.

When Ellie was injured, I was already running towards her and supported her as she struggled to get up.

“Ro, Ross….”

“You really…!”

Seeing the blood flowing endlessly down her chin, I gritted my teeth. Ellie gave an awkward smile and hurriedly wielded her staff to block the black magician’s attack.

It was a mistake. I lost my reason at the fact that Ellie was injured and forgot that we were in the middle of a battle.

Realizing that we both would have been hurt if Ellie hadn’t blocked it, I quickly regained my senses and took out the potion that Rosaline had given me as a gift from my spatial storage.

I wanted to give it to Ellie right away, but it was right to give it to Roel for the sake of victory.

“Ellie, can you buy Roel some time, even just for a moment?”

Ellie, who was puzzled by my words, saw the potion in my hand and quickly understood the situation. She nodded.

Seeing the orc losing its balance from Ellie’s magic, which flew in at the timing when the variant orc was putting its weight into swinging its hammer, and crashing into a house, I hurriedly ran to Roel.

“This is a potion Rosaline gave me.”

Roel, while wearing a puzzled expression at my words, planted his greatsword into the ground and hurriedly received the potion, pouring it on his crushed left arm and drinking the rest.

Watching Roel’s left arm, which had been crushed and torn, regenerate in an instant, I said in a hurried voice.

“I’ll buy time somehow. Don’t worry about this side and take care of the orc first.”

“Okay. I trust you.”

Feeling a strange emotion at Roel’s appearance, who sincerely believed my words without any doubt, even though I was practically useless, I ran to help Ellie, who was struggling to block the black magician’s attacks.

Just as Roel trusted me, I had to repay that trust by stopping the black magician at all costs.

The only thing I can do right now. I quickly organized my thoughts and hid behind Ellie, who was creating a barrier, and whispered softly.

“To stop the black magician, we need the strongest destruction magic.”

“The strongest one I can use is synthesis magic. But the black magician has already thwarted it several times, so it won’t work. And after using it, I won’t have any mana left to create a barrier.”

At Ellie’s negative words, I put my hand on her shoulder.

“Will you trust me?”

I couldn’t see her face because I was behind her, but I guessed that Ellie was probably making a troubled expression.

It was strange if she didn’t hesitate when ‘Ross,’ who had no abilities, no talent, and not even a single friend, was asking her to trust him.

If she was a mage who maintained her rationality even in a life-threatening situation, she would think that it was more likely to survive by hoping that Roel would take care of the orc and return while she held the black magician back with a barrier.

But it was also questionable whether the injured Ellie could buy enough time against the black magician for Roel to deal with the variant orc.

If things went according to my plan, I could weaken the control of the variant orc even for a moment, and I thought Roel wouldn’t miss that opportunity.

Just as I was about to open my mouth again to persuade Ellie-

“I trust you. There must be a reason why you said that.”

Contrary to my expectations, Ellie answered that she trusted me without hesitation.

Rather than wondering why, I was filled with a sense of joy from deep within my heart. I wanted to repay that trust at all costs.

“I will definitely repay your trust.”

At those words, an unexpected message appeared before my eyes.

[ A Geas is activated due to the oath. ]

– To repay Ellie’s trust.

I didn’t know why the Geas, which hadn’t been activated no matter how hard I tried, had appeared now, but the black magician who was shooting magic right in front of me was more important. I hurriedly waved my hand to dismiss the message and said to Ellie.

“Listen carefully, Ellie. Do you see the stone on the left floor? Use magic targeting that spot.”

“A stone…? Al, alright. I’ll do it as soon as I block the next attack.”

Perhaps her faith wavered for a moment at my absurd words. She stammered as if she was flustered, but Ellie eventually trusted my words.

As the synthesis magic combining the elements of fire and wind drew a formula at the end of her staff, I immediately gathered all the mana within my body.

I can do it. No, I had to do it. I wanted to show Ellie and the Ross within me that I hadn’t been standing still all this time.

Just before the fireball, possessing formidable power, shot from the end of Ellie’s staff, touched the stone-

I recognized the spatial coordinates of the stone on the floor and used mana to create a dimensional passage.

Erase everything.

I have to concentrate everything at this moment.

Even natural breathing and emotions disappeared for a moment.

Finally, the end of the dimensional passage created using planes and lines in my mind was directed towards-

The back of the black magician who was conjuring magic.

Kwaaaang-!

As the fireball exploded, the wind magic surrounding it amplified its power, creating a pillar of high-temperature fire that melted the surroundings, burning away the very space where the black magician was standing.

The sheer power of it reminded me of Ellie’s setting.

A genius magician who entered the academy with her brilliant talent despite being a commoner like Roel. She manipulates all elements, and later integrates all elemental magic to build the Black Magic Tower, becoming a great magician and one of Roel’s lovers.

And the only person who makes Ross feel the emotion of love.

As I was looking at my childhood friend with new eyes-

Ellie, on the other hand, with her eyes wider than usual, was drooling blood and saliva from her chin due to the exhaustion of her mana, but she looked at me with a blank stare, her mouth agape.

“Yo, you just now, what kind of magic was that….”

Perhaps she was excited to see a new magic. I chuckled at Ellie’s surprised appearance as she stuttered, but-

Seeing the black sphere fired towards Ellie, I hurriedly wrapped my arms around Ellie’s body and threw myself to the side.

Kwaaang-!

I tried to protect Ellie as much as possible, but the mana that erupted burned my back as if it had been touched by hydrochloric acid. An intense pain came over me as my flesh melted.

“Keueuk…! A, are you okay?”

“Ro, Ross! Your back, your back…!”

There was no time to answer that I was okay. To protect Ellie, who was out of mana from the sphere flying towards us again, I pulled her into my arms and gritted my teeth at the pain that would come.

Kwaaang-!

Even though I heard the explosion, I didn’t feel any pain. Puzzled, I turned my head back and met the gaze of blue eyes filled with anger.

He must have taken care of the variant orc. Roel’s blonde hair, which shone brightly even in the moonlight, was soaked with red blood.

Just looking at the blue eyes that contained emotions different from usual made me feel fear for some reason.

It felt like I had glimpsed a small madness hidden beneath the emotion of anger.

Roel, who had been glaring at me and Ellie, turned his body with an angry expression and charged at the black magician.

Before long, the black magician realized that he couldn’t stand up to Roel. He unleashed magic indiscriminately and fled.

Hearing Roel’s shout of anger at the black magician’s escape, I let out a sigh of relief at the fact that the variant orc attack was over. Then, I realized that I had been holding Ellie in my arms until then and hurriedly pulled my body away.

“Ellie, are you okay?”

“U, ung. I’m fine except for running out of mana…. Ro, Ross, are you?”

Perhaps it was the aftereffects of mana exhaustion. Ellie’s face, which had been snow-white, was flushed red. It was obvious that she was different from usual, but it hurt my heart because it seemed like she was pretending to be okay so I wouldn’t worry.

Without realizing it, I raised my hand and wiped away the mixture of blood and saliva flowing down her chin with my sleeve. Even though it was an action that would have horrified her normally, Ellie only trembled all over as if she was having a seizure, but she didn’t avoid it.

She must be in a lot of pain after all. Remembering that rest was the most important thing for mana exhaustion, I said.

“Let’s go back.”

Would it be hard for her to walk? As I unconsciously worried and lowered the hand I had reached out, feeling embarrassed after regaining my senses, I was very flustered by Ellie’s actions of hurriedly grabbing my hand and leaning on me.

As if reading my gaze, Ellie stammered as if making an excuse.

“S, sorry. My legs gave out….”

Was it because of the soft sensation I felt from the hand I was holding, or was it because of me reflected in Ellie’s obsidian-like eyes looking at me?

I felt a strange embarrassment for no reason at the sound of my heart pounding so loudly that I mistook it for someone beating a drum next to my ear.

It might just be a fleeting moment that Ellie wouldn’t remember, but I had a feeling that I wouldn’t forget this moment for a very long time.

Because this feeling wasn’t the kind that could be easily forgotten, it would become a very precious memory.