Chapter 68.1
Orc Hero Story
Richter Hausen, the Commander of the Foreign Expedition Knights, was an experienced knight who had survived the war. While he had indeed survived, he was not a knight with particularly outstanding qualities. However, he excelled in everything he did, hailed from a respectable middle-class noble family, and had a wife and children. He had earned some wartime merits during his long service on the battlefield.
His usefulness led him to be assigned to the Foreign Expedition Knights after the war—a relatively autonomous unit that also meant he was easily deployable—and he received a considerable salary. However, he lacked specific skills or knowledge. Despite his long experience on the battlefield, most warriors probably didn’t even know his name. He was the kind of man you only noticed when he was nearby, maybe thinking, “I’ve seen that guy somewhere before,” or “Oh, he’s still alive?” He was that unassuming.
Perhaps it was precisely because of this that he could boast of having survived that war.
The task assigned to him this time was the investigation of an incident at a checkpoint located on the border between the Beastmen and the Demons’ territories. There were no signs of a fight or altercation; it seemed as if the people had simply disappeared. The only thing left at the checkpoint was a single note, written in messy handwriting, which read:
‘The Orc Hero Bash passed through here.’
It was a baffling incident. It was possible that the “Orc Hero” Bash had annihilated all the humans at this checkpoint. Anyone who had been on the battlefield four years ago, especially during the final battle against the orcs, knew how formidable Bash was. Orcs didn’t leave notes like this; they couldn’t write. But if they could, it wouldn’t be surprising for them to leave a boastful note. That was the nature of their race.
However, if asked whether Bash would commit such an act without leaving signs of a fight or disturbance, the answer would be no. If Bash had been involved, the checkpoint might have been partially destroyed, and there should have been traces of female soldiers who had been r̲a̲pe̲d̲ somewhere in a small room. This place wouldn’t have been so neatly clean.
Therefore, it was certain that Bash was not responsible for this. But then, why would he leave such a note? What was the meaning behind this message?