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Watching the orc village from a distance—the same place that had given me a spicy dose of culture shock—I started noticing a few peculiar things.
First, the orcs. To be exact, the female orcs.
Even at a glance, these bipedal creatures had far superior physiques compared to humans.
They were supposed to be smaller than their males, yet most of them stood over 180 centimeters. I even spotted a few over two meters tall. Clearly, no ordinary human could hope to beat them in raw strength.
Their skin was pale green.
At first, I’d called their faces “like someone smashed together a human and a pig,” but that was only because the “faces” I’d seen so far—angels and Demon Kings—had set the bar so high. Looking closer, they weren’t as disastrous as the name “orc” might suggest.
By human standards, sure, they were ugly, but not unbearably so. Aside from their upturned noses and heavy bone structure that gave them a wild, rugged air, they weren’t completely intolerable to look at.
Next, the human men. They looked similar to Earth’s Hispanic types, though smaller, probably due to poor nutrition growing up.
With dead-fish eyes, they trudged around with half-orc children, looking pitiful.
‘So the gender roles are reversed here. The orc females hunt and gather, while the human males take care of childcare and housework.’
I asked Akathastasia, still bouncing on my shoulders.
“You said this village was made about ten years ago, right?”
“Yeah.”
“There’s something I don’t get… where are the male orcs? Why would the females split off, kidnap humans, and build a separate village?”
“Because all the males were killed by me.”
“…Huh? You killed them?”
“Strictly speaking, they were killed by monsters under my command while they were out hunting. Not that I ordered it, but they were still mine, so it’s not wrong to say I did it.”
“Hmm…”
“The females who lost their males fled south to escape monsters. Then they settled here, in an empty village, and abducted nearby human men to reproduce. A common story.”
“A common story? Wouldn’t it be easier to just join another orc tribe instead of going through all that trouble?”
She shook her head firmly.
“Orc aesthetics aren’t that different from humans. In other words, both male and female orcs prefer other races, humans included, as partners. So why join another tribe and be treated like leftovers?”
“Ah, I see. By the way, Akathastasia, you’re pretty smart.”
“Heh heh. Now you see my greatness. So don’t you dare abandon me. If you do…”
“If I do?”
“I’ll cry. I’ll bawl my eyes out until the whole world hears me, wailing as I circle the entire continent.”
I chuckled quietly and steadied her wobbly little body on my shoulders.
“…Now that’s a terrifying threat.”
“By the way, Hero! Stop calling me by that unnecessarily long name.”
“Unnecessarily long? You mean ‘Akathastasia’?”
“Yes. Of course, it’s a name worthy of my greatness, but I’d rather have something more familiar. And shorter.”
“Really? Then what should I call you? Aka? Tata? Atashi? Kata? Kashi? Sushi?”
She scrunched her nose.
“…You’re doing that on purpose, aren’t you?”
“Not a fan? Then you pick one.”
“Just call me Shia.”
“That’s not much different from Sushi.”
“Sushi smells like fish. I refuse.”
“Fine, fine… Shia.”
The girl squirmed happily on my shoulders.
“Ooh, ooh! I like the sound of that. Now that my title’s settled, it’s your turn to tell me your name.”
“Huh? You already know it. When I told the angel, you were right there.”
I thought back to my farewell with the angel.
After handing me everything she could, the angel added some final advice, then placed a hand over her chest and bowed deeply.
“Lastly… on behalf of myself, my superior, and the gods and angels of the Celestial Realm, I, Yuribel, sincerely express our respect for your devotion and sacrifice, Hero.”
“…”
“We won’t forget the debt we owe you. For now, all we can give is this pitiful package, but even now we’re working on ways to give you further rewards—either within the rules or by bending them. Please wait a little longer.”
She explained that even this so-called “Hero’s Package” was the result of nearly a hundred years of research and effort, proof of how difficult it was to bypass the rule of non-interference.
“So you’re saying, for the past hundred years, every hero you summoned was thrown in without even this package?”
“Yes. All we could give them back then was a new identity vouched for by each temple and the barest bit of protection.”
“Hah…”
“As I said, just wait a little longer. Next time we meet, I’ll come bearing gifts.”
She extended her hand. I clasped it and nodded.
“Alright. Well… I’m retired, so I probably shouldn’t say this, but… good luck.”
“Retired, you say. Hmph, well… you’re free to think that.”
“…What was that?”
“Nothing. I didn’t say anything.”
She left me with that irritating comment, then suddenly exclaimed, “Ah!”
“Hero!”
“What?”
“My name is Yuribel.”
“I know. You just said it.”
“No, I mean my name is Yuribel.”
“Yeah, I get it.”
“When someone introduces themselves, isn’t it polite to introduce yourself in return? Hm? You virgin loser.”
“Excuse me? I didn’t ‘fail’ at dating, I just didn’t want to.”
“Heh. That’s what they all say.”
“You little— And anyway, you already know my name, don’t you?”
“Of course I do. But hearing it directly from you makes all the difference.”
“You’re not gonna pull a trick where saying my name lets you steal my soul, right?”
“Geez, do you really take me for a demon? Of course not!”
“Ugh… not that I’m thrilled about it.”
Truth was, I had a bit of a complex about my name. That’s why I almost never said it out loud.
“Eh, don’t tell me you’re embarrassed by the proud name your parents gave you? No way….”
This girl, pulling the oldest trick in the book….
I sighed and finally let the words out.
“Go Geom-shin.”1
“…”
“…”
“…Pfft!”
The angel’s serious face cracked into laughter. Damn it. I knew this would happen.
“It doesn’t mean what you think it does, alright? It’s ‘sword’ Geom, ‘faith’ Shin. Not whatever else you’re imagining. How the hell do you, an angel from another world, even understand Hangul this well… ah, forget it.”
“No, no, I get it. I know what it really means. It’s just… hearing you say it yourself, it fits you too perfectly. Geom-shin, hahaha! If only your family name were Na, then you’d be Na Geom-shin!2 Pffft!!”
My fist clenched tight.
“If I ever do undo that seal, I swear you’ll be the first reason why. Honestly, killing you right now would probably be for the world’s peace. Don’t you think your boss would clap through tears, telling me I did well?”
“Eek! No violence! Look! A self-proclaimed Sword God beating up an angel! Ow, my bones! That was a clean hit!!”
The girl yanked on my hair, dragging me back out of my memories.
“Are you listening to me?!”
“Yeah, of course I am.”
“Then say it! Like the angel wench said, it only matters if I hear it directly from you! Don’t tell me she gets to know and I don’t? Was I just her sidekick to you?!”
“Fine, fine. Yeah, I’m Geom-shin. Go Geom-shin. Nice to meet you. Satisfied?”
A radiant smile burst across her face like the sun itself.
“Geom-shin, Geom-shin. That low-grade angel wench told me your name means ‘Sword God’ or ‘the pinnacle of the sword’ in your tongue, didn’t she? What a marvelous name. A name truly befitting the one who defeated me, the Demon King Slayer!”
“…That’s not what it means.”
I sighed, looking up at the girl humming happily, hugging my head tight just because she’d finally heard my name.
All that joy… over something as simple as hearing it from me.
“I mean, I did give you freedom, but isn’t your affection climbing a little too fast? We’ve known each other for a day, and you’re already at the childhood-friend-next-door route of a dating sim.”
The girl nodded without a shred of hesitation.
“That’s right! I like the Hero—no, the Sword God—very much!”
“And what part of me exactly do you like?”
“I don’t know.”
“…What?”
“I just do. Sure, I could say I admire your lofty rank, or that your face is my type, or that your strong, well-trained body is attractive. But even if none of that were true, I’d still like you. Do you really need a reason to like someone?”
Her straightforward confession made me scratch my cheek awkwardly.
“Well… fair enough.”
“And you? What about you?”
“Huh? What about me?”
“What do you think of me? I told you, so you should tell me. Fair’s fair, isn’t it?”
She slid down my back and clung to my arm, looking up at me with blue eyes like a lake, faint ripples of anxiety spreading within them.
What do I think of her?
I realized I hadn’t properly defined what this cute girl was to me. She’d been more of a ticking time bomb I had no choice but to keep close.
So I asked myself.
—Do I have a reason to hate her?
—No.
Some might bring up the fact that she used to be a Demon King. But honestly, what did that have to do with me?
I wasn’t a saint who weighed everything on a scale of good and evil. And she herself said she’d been forced into the role, a corporate slave to the system.
—So then, do I feel goodwill toward her?
The answer came immediately.
—Yes.
But why? Because she was cute? Because she was pretty? Because her speech patterns were charming? Because her clinginess was kind of endearing?
…No. That wasn’t it.
I turned my eyes toward the vast snowy plain, snowflakes swirling down.
A world of solitude, where my parents, brother, and sister didn’t exist—everything frozen cold.
And yet, the only warmth in this lonely world was… her.
Comforting.
Yes. Her warmth had become a quiet kind of salvation for me without my realizing it.
“Hah… so I do feel loneliness after all.”
I reached out and stroked her round head. Her silky hair flowed softly through my fingers.
“Akathastasia. No… Shia.”
“Y-Yeah?”
Afraid I’d say I disliked her, she looked up at me nervously. I spoke honestly.
“You kinda remind me of my little sister when she was a kid.”
Her expression turned uncertain.
“Is that… a good thing?”
I let out a small laugh.
“Idiot. You don’t say whether you like or dislike family. You just stay with them.”
She blinked blankly for a moment, then broke into a wide smile.
After spending some time like that with the girl, I remembered what I still needed to do.
Where to? The orc village.
At first, I thought about skirting around them because of their strange looks. But on second thought, I had no reason to avoid them.
Right now, my strength was exactly the same as back on Earth.
Which meant: orcs or whatever—if they picked a fight, they’d just die.
I drew my sword from the Hero’s Backpack.
“…Orcs, huh. Wonder if we can talk this out.”
Crunch, crunch.
Leaving deep prints in the snow, two sets for me and the girl on my shoulders, we approached. Finally, the orcs spotted us and began shouting.
“Ungabatana Gasta! Monda! Manda!”
“Guta Korda! Guta ausanda! Zeg nema os!!”
“Lassa os das Dorg gemona tela! Zeg vora rika sa do svaka Monda!!!”
Hearing their chaotic cries, Shia tugged at my hair with a smirk.
“I understand what they’re saying. Want me to translate?”
“…I understand too.”
How?
Because the angel’s upgrade package had included a “Northern Continent Language Translator.” I hadn’t been sure it would cover orcish, since they were half-classed as monsters, but luckily, it did.
Just one pill, and I could speak dozens of languages. Fantasy world perks, I guess.
Anyway, the gist of their shouting was:
—It’s an intruder! A human! A male!
—He’s strong! He’s handsome! He’s mine!!
—Let’s share him for the village! He’ll be way better than our pathetic husbands!!
I sighed and gripped Shia’s ankles where she sat on my shoulders.
“…Guess talking’s not an option.”
She tilted her head.
“Talking? With orcs? Why bother, when you’ve got violence?”
“Point taken. Thanks for the advice.”
“Manda! Manda! Fanga os!! (Male! Male! Catch him!!)”
“Hota Nakt ist das Festa do Vansina! (Tonight is a feast of frenzy!!)”
“A feast? Sounds fun.”
Schwing.
I grinned and drew my blade, ready to meet the charging female orcs head-on.
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