Chapter 57.1
Orc Hero Story
The “Dark General” Sequence was in the operations room, at the far end of Gije Fortress.
“…” He closed his eyes, rested his hands on the armrests, and drowsily pondered his life, his fallen comrades, and the fate of the demons. Sequence was an old man. Especially old among the demons, who lived as long as the elves. To be more specific, he was only surpassed in longevity by Thunder Sonia. His life had been marked by battle. Starting as a young man who knew nothing, going through the era of “Resourceful General Sequence,” witnessing the rise of Demon King Gediguz, receiving the title of “Dark General” for his achievements on numerous battlefields, leading the retreat in the defeat of the Lemium Highlands, and continuing to fight without dying, even though he had lost every battle since then.
How many years had passed since they told him he was too old, that he could no longer fight, and that it was time to make way for the next generation? Sequence stayed on the front lines and continued to live. His comrades died one after another. He had many wives, but they all died. He also had many daughters, but only one remained. After the war, he had three left, but one died in the chaos of the post-war period, another left the country, and just yesterday, he received news that the other one was likely dead. The one remaining might also be dead, as nothing was known about her.
His family had disappeared. In contrast, Sequence had no strength or time left. He could only use the little brain power he had left in this operations room. They would gather every few days to contemplate the future of the demons, for which no solution was in sight.
Isn’t it ironic? That’s what Sequence thought. When Gediguz said he was going to build a fortress here, Sequence was the one who opposed it the most. What was the point of building a fortress in a place like this? He told him that he was wasting their limited resources.
He didn’t regret his opposition to Gediguz at the time, and he didn’t believe he was wrong in anything he had said. But without the fortress here, the surviving demons would have been lost in their escape and would have been annihilated. Yes, it was also Sequence who decided for them to flee to this fortress at the moment of their defeat. He thought that there would be no pursuit here, and even if there were, they would be able to endure it.
Gediguz didn’t build this fortress with that in mind. Sequence knew that. That’s why it seemed ironic to him. He had always said it was unnecessary, but now he had to rely on this fortress more than any of the demons.
And yet, to this day, Sequence still wondered: Where would the demons’ future be? It had been three years since the war ended. No, it had already been four. The demons had been trapped in this land for four years.