Chapter 151 : Chapter 151
Chapter 151 - Legend and Truth
Even at the very moment Ran noticed the secret between the leader and the half-wit, Jing was diligently following the unknown royal through the darkness.
Even with one human slung over one hand, his breathing never once became disturbed.
Clicking his tongue anew at that monstrous stamina, Jing moved his feet.
How much effort had he spent trying not to let the distance widen between himself and the royal, who climbed cliffs as if walking on flat ground?
At the end of the second cliff, the unknown royal finally stopped walking.
Jing, who had set foot on flat ground after following him, looked toward where his gaze was directed.
A deep ravine not far away and a huge hole opened in the wall on the other side entered his eyes.
He did not know where it led, but in any case, he could tell that entrance was the destination of this journey that had wound round and round through the cave.
Probably, judging by how the royal threw the man he had been carrying like luggage onto the ground.
The man, who rolled across the ground with a thud, soon came to his senses.
-......What happened?
The man raised himself with a face so composed it was hard to believe he had been unconscious until just a moment ago, then looked around.
-What do you mean, what happened? I carried you all the way here with great difficulty.
-Wasn’t that because it was more convenient than waiting for my slow self?
-Does the thought of simply saying, “Thank you,” and ending it there not occur to you?
-I was unconscious, but I did not forget my final memory. The impact to my stomach is still vivid too.
Jing felt the royal’s strong gaze as he looked down at the man, who found fault until the very end.
Jing watched the two nervously, wondering whether the man might lose his life at the royal’s hands at any moment, but what he feared did not happen.
-......Forget it. Get up and do your work.
It was an act of tolerance so excessive that it was strange.
Jing could not tell what this man’s role was that the royal showed him such leniency.
Jing wanted to inspect the man’s face more closely, but he could not even touch the man’s robe.
As if mocking Jing as his hand passed through the man’s clothing, the royal moved his feet toward the entrance without hesitation once again.
***
The moment he stepped inside, Jing felt that this place was different from the other places in the cave.
The cool and dry wind touching his skin was one thing, but the rough breathing mixed into it revealed someone’s presence.
-Kkwek, what did a liar come all the way here for?
At the same time Jing recognized that presence, a dull and slow voice spoke from inside.
It did not take long to realize that the thing speaking in the darkness was a massive orc sitting inside the cave.
So huge that Jing felt an instinctive revulsion rise within him, it was calmer and quieter than any orc Jing had ever faced in his life.
Calm and quiet. Jing laughed hollowly, finding it ridiculous even as he thought it.
He had never imagined he would end up giving such an evaluation to an orc.
To him, orcs were noisy and violent beings that moved in groups.
But it seemed he was the only one inside this place surprised by the orc’s intellectual appearance.
Judging by how naturally both the royal and the man following behind him began conversing with the orc.
-What reason would I have for coming all the way here?
The royal slowly looked around the cave, then met the orc’s eyes again.
-I came to take back the sword.
The sword?
The moment he heard the word, what naturally came to mind was Sierra’s sword.
It was not simply because Jing himself had been devoured by Sierra’s sword.
Cave, orc, royal.
There was one story that anyone born and raised in Abalan would think of at once when hearing those three things.
Feeling his heart pound fiercely, Jing looked at the royal before his eyes.
Even as he thought surely, that cannot be, he could not help his heart from stirring.
Because he could not stop the heart that had offered adoration and loyalty his entire life from reacting out of habit.
What settled Jing’s excitement and pulled him back to reality was the eerie voice echoing through the cave.
Of course, calling this reality was difficult when neither time nor space remained in reality.
-Kkwek, take it back?
A bottomless anger turned toward the royal.
-Kkwek, you, who failed to keep the promise, now intend to take even that token away?
The orc who had been guarding his place until now rose to his feet.
His massive body seemed about to fill the cave, but the royal watched him without moving an inch.
-Yes, it is unfortunate that I could not keep the promise, but I need it again.
From that shameless demand, Jing felt a familiar arrogance.
The royal did not make excuses.
There was no need for such things for royalty, who grasped gold when they stretched out a hand and left radiance in the wake of their steps.
Inside Jing’s head, two desires crashed into each other.
The desire to leave this place immediately and the impulse to continue watching the end of this story surged over one another.
Before Jing, who stood as if nailed in place, the two continued their conversation.
-Kkwek, I have nothing to give you. Kkwek, if even that is taken from us, we will have nothing left.
-I am not relaxed enough to concern myself with that as well.
Contrary to his claim that he lacked leeway, there was no trace of urgency in the royal’s movements.
The orc, stiffened with tension, stepped forward to stop the royal from approaching him.
At that brave, or perhaps foolish, response, the royal silently raised his right hand.
Jing could easily understand what that small action meant.
ROOOOOAR------
From inside the cave blocked by the orc, the sound of water rang out as if pounding against his eardrums.
Along with the sound of water like a massive waterfall pouring down, there were also the screams of orcs mixed into it.
-Kkwek, stop!
Even at the massive orc’s shout, the royal did not stop.
The orc rushed at him, but it could not even become a threat to the royal.
When the royal stretched out his opposite hand, a small droplet of water formed from the orc’s nose and soon grew in size, covering his entire face.
Before he could even launch a proper attack, the orc crashed to the ground.
As the screams inside gradually died down, the royal’s hand finally lowered.
At the same time, the water bubble wrapping around the orc’s face also vanished.
The royal leisurely passed beside the fallen orc.
-Live as you did before, stealing glances at humans. I can forgive that as often as you like.
As if showing mercy, the royal spoke, and the orc squeezed out the last of his strength to grab the royal’s leg.
The orc lifted his head and glared straight at the royal.
-Kkwek, you will pay the price for betrayal. Kkwek, not only you, but everyone......!
Perhaps feeling no need to listen to that bitter curse any longer, the royal shook off the orc’s hand as if annoyed.
He moved deeper into the cave as if nothing had happened.
As Jing followed him as if bewitched, a large cave connected to the room the orc had been guarding revealed itself.
Inside, with waterfalls on both sides, what stood out most of all was the round structure in the center and the familiar sword embedded within it.
The orcs that had lost consciousness from the royal’s attack a moment ago were gathered around the round structure.
Jing stood dazed for a moment at that bizarre shape, then chased after the royal as he moved toward the center without hesitation.
Soon, the royal arrived at the center and slowly stretched out his hand toward the sword, gripping its handle.
Then the orcs who had lost consciousness began waking one by one, like hunting dogs sensing danger.
The orcs who found the royal at the center could not control their excitement and began shouting and kicking off the ground.
As if they could not let the sword be taken like this, there was even desperation in their movement as they surrounded the royal.
Inside the cave mixed with confusion and commotion, Jing swallowed his breath and looked at the royal.
To be precise, it would be more accurate to say he could not take his eyes off the royal’s mouth, visible beneath the robe.
The thin smile that did not fit the situation looked chillingly innocent.
He swept his gaze over the orc horde surrounding him as they approached.
His hand moved toward the sword embedded in the ground.
-A mere monster cannot block my path.
This time, his hand gripped the blade hard, and his blood ran down the sword, wetting the ground.
As if life were being born, light began blooming around it.
***
Jing blankly took in the sight of him drawing the sword that had been embedded in the ground.
It was a sight both unfamiliar and not unfamiliar.
There was a book he had read since childhood, from so long ago that even the beginning had grown faint.
A thrilling legend and history about Emperor Sierra fighting monsters and opening a world where people could live more easily.
All people of Abalan grew up hearing the heroic tales of god.
Together with the lesson that they must always be grateful and revere him.
It was as if the old legend Jing had read as though engraving it into his head had just unfolded before his eyes.
But in none of the books he had read was there anything written about the promise between the protagonist of the legend and the orcs.
Nor was there any content about him breaking his promise and slaughtering the orcs.
It was the moment Jing unconsciously took one hollow step toward the royal.
His vision went dark in an instant.
Before Jing could even grasp the situation, the sensation of the ground collapsing beneath his feet dragged him downward.
Jing fell into the endless darkness.
Once again, the pain of having his whole body torn to shreds covered him.
Above him as he sank without even being able to groan, a low laugh rang out.
“This is as far as I can help you, child of Piteos. From now on, you must overcome it yourself. If I may offer a small piece of advice, you must never let go of consciousness.”
With that playful tone, ill-suited to such frightening content, as the last thing he heard, Jing vanished into the darkness.
The voice left alone murmured lowly in the returned silence.
“He went deeper than expected, so I might suffer a bit outside.”
But the worry did not last long.
“Well, it happened while saving the child of Piteos he cherishes so much, so he cannot get angry.”
***
Left alone with the leader, Ratel held tightly onto the swaying rope and did not take his eyes off the bottom of the cliff.
He knew the two orcs that had already entered the entrance could not possibly be seen.
But if he took his eyes off even for a moment, there was no telling what unexpected and bizarre thing that unpredictable royal bastard might do again.
“Kkwek, no matter what happens, there is nothing you can do.”
The leader, who had approached at some point, picked a fight without fail with Ratel, who was not taking his eyes off below.
Ratel, as always, ignored him without fail.
“Kkwek!! You damned human bastard! Kkwek, do you think you can save that bastard if he falls down there?!”
This time as well, Ratel ignored the leader as he flew into a rage.
If the leader had any capacity to learn, he would have accepted that Ratel would ignore him again after this.
But the leader was stubborn, and there was something persistent about him.
With a thump, the leader sat down two steps away from Ratel.
Ratel thought for a moment.
Should he endure and listen to the leader’s squawking, or should he knock the bastard unconscious once and gain a little peace?
The one-armed orc, who had no way of knowing the savage thought taking place inside Ratel, did not stop rambling.
“Kkwek, do you think I don’t know your true intentions? Kkwek, ”
Seeing that he is still lost in that delusion, it seems the half-wit hasn’t done anything stupid.
Thinking that leisurely, Ratel thought of the half-wit who would be together with the royal bastard.
It was simple to a degree hard to believe this was the moment he had waited six years for.
He knew thanks to whom things had become this easy.
If the strange royal beneath him had not served as a guide so thoroughly, they would have wasted no small amount of time inside this complex cave by now.
It was something to be pleased about, but logic and mood moved separately.
He also knew very well that the reason for this unpleasantness was that royal bastard too.
It was not because that bastard had deceived them with all kinds of lies until now.
From the moment they first met until now, that prince bastard had been suspicious every single moment, to the point that it was harder to find a part of him that was not suspicious.
What annoyed Ratel was not that sort of thing.
It was not because the bastard had suddenly turned into an orc using an ability he had been hiding, nor because he, despite that, shamelessly decided their route as he pleased again, nor because he stared at his opponent with those eyes that seemed to know everything.
......No, thinking it over, perhaps some of that was true.
“Kkwek!! Are you listening to me?!”
Ratel, who had not listened carefully to a single word, turned his head and looked at the leader.
But what angered him more than anything else was that the prince bastard found staying with that orc comfortable.
As if he were someone who would not care even if he spent the rest of his life here.
Though it had now become ambiguous whether he could still be called a person.
He seemed comfortable with the leader having hostility toward him.
Put the other way, that meant he was uncomfortable living together with Jing and Ria.
Cowardly bastard.
Recalling that shameless face made Ratel angry again, and he squeezed the rope in his hand tightly once before opening his hand.
As long as I don’t kill him, wouldn’t it be fine to dunk him in the water once and pull him out?
That impulse came for a moment, but Ratel changed his mind.
If the frightened bastard ran away again, it would be a loss.
“Kkwek!! What an arrogant human! Kkwek!! Are you not afraid at all?! Kkwek, soon, orcs will come swarming to devour you!! Kkwek, do you really believe the bastard below will help you even in that situation?!”
Finally, Ratel rose from his seat.
The leader’s intention to scrape at Ratel’s nerves had succeeded.
Because with that just now, Ratel had decided to respond to his provocation.