Death March — Fixed

POV: Ga Hou

 

I am of the Ancient, almost extinct Race--Ga Hou the Orc.

 

The descendant of fools who followed the Demon Lord, made an enemy of the whole world, and got themselves destroyed several hundreds of years ago. There should be several groups hiding around the world even now, but we don’t exist as a unified race.

 

Even though the Orc Empire was destroyed more than 600 years ago, the world never forgets the crime committed by Orcs. Since we have very long lives, we have learned wisdom and techniques that allow us to survive in the deepest, darkest corners of the world--we can no longer reappear in the world.

 

“Ga Hou.”

 

“Ru Heu, what’s wrong? Did a guest come to the shop?”

 

“Yup, it’s the usual masked guest.”

 

This place is rarely visited by Humans, even for a place situated in the downtown, outside of the Duchy Capital’s Great Wall. Since it’s located beside the sewage filtration facility, the stench is quite terrible--Beastkins, who have sharp noses rarely come near it.

 

When I think so, I can forgive this stench--no, sorry, this stench is unbearable after all. I put on my usual perfumed mask, wear my hood and go to the front of the shop.

 

“How long do you intend to make me wait?”

 

“I, I’m sorry, then de requests, here are all the sleep inducing drugs.”

 

When I’m talking to a guest, I always talk with a stutter, and use a strange accent--if the other person looks down on me, it’s a success.

 

I wonder why this man is always exasperated whenever he comes here. I think he should relax his mind a bit more, but there is no need to give him advice. He’d only snap back if I tried--I will not do useless things.

 

I begin explaining the small bottles that I have taken out and lined up on the counter--even though he probably ignores it, I don’t want to forgo my work ethic.

 

“O, One small bottle ish, six silverr coins. Dhere are three bottles, how many gold coins ish that?”

 

“Hmm, you savages, can’t you count? It’s three gold coins.”

 

Well, he didn’t lower it too much--since it’s just by three silver coins, I’ll let it off.

 

“A, as expectedd of noble. Y, you can count fast, heu.”

 

“Hmm, these kinds of things are easy for those who are nobles of the Shiga Kingdom.”

 

Even though the thing about him being a noble should’ve been a secret, but he plainly admitted it. But, well, this guy’s wallet is adorned with his metal family crest, so there’s no need for him to imply it. Since the man himself seems like he wants to hide his identity, I’ll keep silent.

 

The man lined up three gold coins on the counter, put the bottles into a leather case, and went out. He’s probably not going to use them for anything decent, but I stopped worrying about such things 400 years ago.

 

I guess I’ll give these gold coins to Ro Han’s community. I don’t need anything like money for living in the sewer of the Duchy Capital.

 

***

“Ga Hou, them.”

 

There is certainly a suspicious group of people where she’s pointing.

 

I have seen those clothes before--they were the same people who shouted a crazy doctrine: ‘We should become Demons in order so as to not get destroyed by the Demon Lord!’, in the main square of downtown.

 

They’re called the Wings of Liberty--a group of fanatics.

 

The Ruin of the labyrinth should be up ahead. The labyrinth is completely dead anyway, and the teleport device to the underground labyrinth should be sealed off. A High-Level Cipher has been applied on the Seal that no normal Humans can possibly solve. Yes, let’s believe they cannot enter.

 

Ru Heu leaves, and I approach the group.

 

When I check them with the Appraisal Skill, there is one with ‘Abnormal Status: Demonic Possession’--I don’t know what kind of Demon it is, but I am bad at fighting.

 

I will flee from here.

 

I managed to leave the scene before the effect of my Invisibility Skill wore off.

 

***

“Let me hide here, Ga Hou.” Ro Han falls down as he enters the shop--he is covered in blood.

 

It looks like he quarreled with a Wolfkin man--of all the things to do as an Orc, how pitiable. A young man who hasn’t even lived for 50 years doing whatever he wants, truly sad.

 

Right now is the season of the Martial Tournament that opens once every three years. There are a lot of rowdy people strutting around, so someone who can’t restrain himself shouldn’t have gone out.

 

I will leave Ro Han’s treatment to Ru Heu, and go outside the shop--it’ll be troublesome if the authorities come.

 

 

***

Hmm, I haven’t seen a Wolfkin in 200 years, do they have four arms now?

 

They should only have one head, if I’m not mistaken, but isn’t there another head beside the hairless one.

 

Now then, let’s cancel my self-concealment around here.

 

Apparently it’s a Lower-Class Demon called a ‘Short Horn’ Demon, it has a poison on its claws which causes Decay, which can be rather bothersome. It also has a powerful acid instead of saliva--I wonder how the body doesn’t get dissolved.

 

I can’t let it run amok in front of my shop, right in front of my eyes. I’m bad at fighting, but let’s push it to some place away from my shop.

 

Putting on the Magic Activator Ring, I consecutively chant Shell Armour, and Light Boost, in a low voice. They were Low-Grade Magic, but I gave priority to the length of the Chanting--the shorter the time, the higher priority they were.

 

I pull out a nearby wooden pillar and get ready. The Demon, who’s been playing around with one of the mercenaries, is turning towards me. Before it finished its rotation, while still in an unnatural stance, I strike it with the pillar with all my might--pushing it away to an open space at the opposite of the street.

 

People are running from the open space, tripping over each other.

 

There are Demi-Human mercenaries nearby who are assaulting the Demon in succession. What a brave thing to do, I guess I’ll go against my principles and help them. Alas, I don’t want to see those brave young men fall victim to the Demon’s claws.

 

“********* *** ****** *****--” I drank a Magic Augmenting Medicine, which rapidly works--increasing the damage of my spell and shortening chant time, “--***, Draig Ignis!”

 

The mercenaries who were holding the Demon down got rolled up in the Magic slightly, they should get off with fairly large burns--I will give them a discount on HP Potions.

 

The Demon is dying after being burned by the Advanced-Grade Magic Draig Ignis. Even though I’ve become weaker since I haven’t leveled to renew my youth, and I am reaching the upper-limits of the 350 years of a normal Orc’s lifespan--for the Demon to not die after being hit by such a strong Magic, it’s quite resilient.

 

I pick up a spear that had been dropped, and throw it at the Demon, who’s still inching towards me, despite its burns. The spear thrown, with the power of physical reinforcement in effect, pierces deep into the Demon--killing it.

 

Ugh, my body reacts badly to using Advanced-Grade Magic for the first time in 100 years. I should have used several Intermediate-Grade Magics to defeat it after all. I’ll get Ru Heu to massage my lower back when I return to our dwelling.

 

I take the Magic Core out of the crumbled remains of the Demon, and toss it to the leader of the mercenaries who were fighting the Demon as well. A Magic Core this big is valuable, but none of the Potions I make can use a Core of this high quality--you guys can drink to your heart’s content tonight.

 

While the leader is thinking about picking up the Core I tossed over, I pick up the Demon’s Horn that fell near my feet. It’s an item called a Short Horn, according to my Appraisal Skill.

 

Since the explanation that floats into my mind is written in the Demon language, I’ll check what it says with the dictionary when I return.

 

The explanation that I eventually deciphered was shocking--it’s an item that transforms a person into a Demon. The Demon that I defeated was probably the young Wolfkin that had been transformed.

 

Dreadful.

 

I’m worried that people won’t be able to retain their reason if the existence of this item becomes known--the deepest wish in my heart is that the nightmare of the Demi-Human hunting from 400 years ago, won’t be repeated.

 

***

Around three days after I defeated the Short Horn Demon, I felt turbulent waves originating from under the ground.

 

Don’t tell me that the Ancient Great Demon Lord will revive--I prey that it’s just an unfounded fear.

 

***

I have been feeling intense tremors since a while ago.

 

There shouldn’t be a Hypocenter in this land--if this is caused by someone’s fight, it must be between the Hero and the Demon Lord--however, at the very least, I hope it’s not Dragons.

 

Ru Heu, who finally couldn’t keep still, went to the underground passage which the Wings of Liberty group occupied for reconnaissance. It’s not like I’m not worried, but there’s probably no Human that can see through Ru Heu’s Invisibility, although it’s not quite at my level.

 

A few minutes after the underground tremors had stopped, Ru Heu returned, sprinting up.

 

“Oh no, Ga Hou--my face might have been seen!”

 

From her story, I understand that her face was seen by a masked man, who was flying at high speed, as she was moving through the underground passage.

 

To see through Ru Heu’s Invisibility?

 

I should be surprised at that, but why was he flying in an underground passage?

 

“If he was flying at a high speed, then it should just have been for an instant--I don’t think your race could have been discovered that quickly. However, as a precaution, you should approach the underground passage for a while.”

 

Just to be sure, I guess we should go to a different continent for at least 100 years, until everything cools down.

 

I also have to contact the Clan Ri Fuu at the Royal Capital.

 

I go to the basement of my personal dwelling, where the Portal is. This artifact is in the shape of a set of three red arches, constructed from some kind of stone, and it can connect to the same kind of portal that has been connected with Space Magic.

 

I gaze at the Portal that has been booted up after spending three days of collecting Magic Power from the surroundings. The vermilion stones are truly beautiful.

 

“So, the gates do look like ‘Torii,”

 

A voice came from a place where no one should be--my heart skipped a beat, feeling like it would fly out of my chest.

 

Ridiculous.

 

Ridiculous--an Invisibility Skill that can surpass my Perception Skill?

 

There wasn’t any report from the conspicuous white crocodile Familiars that I had made to lurk around--where they all eluded?

 

Impossible.

 

A man wearing a silver mask is there.

 

However, I talk calmly to the intruder, who I would normal have eliminated--that’s because I’ve seen his Title, “Do you have any business with me, Hero?”

 

Yes, he is the Hero. The warrior of one of the gods, of Parion, who can even match the Demon Lord--a Transcender whom an ordinary person will never exceed.

 

Since I’ve been discovered by that being, the Hero, eliminating the intruder is impossible.

 

“Ah, it’s nothing much. It looks like I surprised your Orc friend in the underground passage a few days ago--so I’ve come here to tell you that I don’t intend to spread it around.”

 

What a useless consideration.

 

“Also I don’t intend to tell others about this Portal, so please, be at ease. I won’t talk about it to a third party either.”

 

“Is that alright?”

 

“Isn’t it a secret?”

 

“Well, I cannot let them get abused, they are our race’s inheritance after all.”

 

“I see, so the broken gate from before was your creation too, huh.” The masked man tilted his head.

 

Around here, there’s one around Seryuu City--which should be a simple Portal for monitoring the Dragon Valley. There should be only one abandoned Portal in this continent.

 

Since the Portal that was in the small group of countries near the Saga Empire was completely destroyed without a trace--young Humans can’t possibly know it.

 

“May I hear where it leads?”

 

“I’m sorry, but I cannot tell you. My brethren are on the other side of this Portal. I cannot disclose that information--for their safety.”

 

The Portal is going to disappear soon.

 

The Hero will probably survive, but everything in the radius of several hundred meters around this Portal will be ejected into Sub-Space, and get annihilated.

 

Farewell Ro Han, Ri Fuu--please forgive me for entering Samsara, together with Ru Heu, before you.

 

The <<Overdrive Ray>> from the Portal fills the open space--it abruptly disappears.

 

Death is quite disappointing.

 

Darkness and silence enfold me.

 

“I’m sorry for ruining the mood--but since it was dangerous, I dispersed the Magic from the Portal. If I let it release, it might affect not only this Capital--but even the Royal Capital, or the entire continent.”

 

He said it extremely easily. But, dispersing Magic from a Portal with an activated Overdrive procedure--isn’t a technique that a Human should be able to wield…Maybe a coven of several tens of Orc Mages could do it--maybe.

 

Moreover, for him to recognize the destination of this Portal, that I have tried to protect with my life, regrettable.

 

“Right then, I’ll vow in the name of the Hero, and the god Parion, that I will not tell this to others.”

 

To even promise in the name of god!

 

It’s impossible for him to break a vow that he made in the name of his god. My See Through Skill also tells me that he’s not lying--let’s believe in, the Hero.

 

This is how I met Sine Nomine, the Hero with a strange name.

 

***

While drinking the liquor and eating the snacks that he had brought with relish, I begin to talk about the old story of the Orcs.

 

When I tell him that this sewer and the water facility are the heritages of the Orcs, he seems to admire us. I even take him to the facility so he can study the construction.

 

After drinking quite a bit of the liquor the Hero brought, I begin to tell stories--like an old man--about my various past successes, boastful stories, schemes, and even hardships.

 

He listened to the end, without looking tired.

 

A strange youth.

 

“However, what the Wild-Boar King did is surely a crime--to fight the whole world…even to the extent of dragging down its own race.”

 

“It couldn’t be helped, Sine Nomine. At that time, excluding our Orc Empire, the Saga Empire, and the Elves--all Demi-Humans were enslaved by the Humans. The Wild-Boar King, despite knowing that he couldn’t win, turned on the world. He managed to reduce the power of the Humans--but got annihilated by the Hero.”

 

The Humans at that time ruled around 90% of the world. When the ancient empire, which controlled the majority of the world, was destroyed--the Orcs’ battles were over. The Wild-Boar King, who had become the Demon Lord and couldn’t maintain its Ego, probably marched towards the Saga Empire to seek its own death.

 

I won’t forget the sight of the Hero who tried, until they shed tears of blood, to stop the Death March of our brethren--who had been manipulated by 5 Upper-Class Demons. The Hero ordered for the Heavenly Dragon’s Light Breath with a trembling, crying, voice.

 

It was because they ended up founding a nation, as a form of penance--they always hated to lead, but they created another nation which would house Demi-Humans--we lay dormant under ground, in secret sanctuaries created by the Hero.

 

The masked Hero left us a single Great Sword as a proof of our friendship when he was leaving the Duchy Capital.

 

There is no inscription on the sword, no name for it. So I name it ‘Sine Nomine’. it will be our treasure that we will hand down to later generations, until the final moment--when the Orc race finally perishes.