Chapter 9

Crack!!

“Guaaagh!!”

The orc woman’s teeth flew through the air as I smacked her across the face with my sheathed sword. One blow, and she collapsed, lights out.

Another orc snatched her up like a shield and charged forward. Wasn’t she her neighbor or something? That’s one way to treat your own kind.

Dozens of ways to counter flashed through my head, but I went with the simplest.

I just met her head-on.

Boom!!!

The two orcs flew backward like tin cans kicked by a boot.

“…Huh? I was only aiming to crack a few ribs…”

Even I had to blink at the force of that hit. Sure, I prided myself on body control that no one could match—but that was skill, not raw muscle. I knew my own physique, and this wasn’t normal.

From what I’d experienced before, this kind of output should only be possible through mana circulation and body reinforcement—the angel called it Steel Body. But right now, I couldn’t even sense mana, let alone use it.

Something was off.

Then the girl on my shoulders squeezed my cheek between her thighs and called out. “Geom-shin. Behind.”

“I know.”

I spun like lightning, slamming my blade into the onrushing orc’s body.

Crunch!!

The female orc, crazed enough to rush me barehanded, folded in half like a snapped ruler as she went flying.

Thud!

“Gyaaagh!!”

…Still too much power.

It was useful, sure, but the fact that my body was doing things even I didn’t understand left me unsettled.

In any case, by the time I casually crushed more than half the thirty-odd orc women, the survivors finally hesitated, their charge faltering.

Apparently unhappy with that, a towering figure—easily 2.4 meters tall—roared as she stomped forward.

“Graaaaaaaah!!”

“…Damn. Look at the size of her…”

Her massive chest muscles flexed as she lumbered closer, eyes bloodshot with rage. The giant orc’s bellow rolled over the snow as she charged like a dump truck.

“Intriguing human warrior! The more I see, the more I want you! I am Kututu, once the fifth warrior of the Kiklakun Clan! I’ll defeat you myself and make you my husband!!”

“…The hell is she on about.”

I tuned out her slobbering declaration and swung my sword.

“Storba! (Die!!)”

With one sidestep, I avoided her rush, then smashed her knee, followed by a slash that caved in her ribs.

Crack! Crunch!

“Kweeaaaaagh!!”

And then, while she staggered, I sent her jaw flying with a clean home run swing.

Whack!!

“…!!!”

She didn’t even scream—just rolled backward, eyes rolling white.

Crash!!

The strongest warrior and leader of the orc village hit the ground without a sound. The rest froze, their eyes flashing with fear. Terror. Killing intent.

One by one, they picked up the weapons they’d dropped—stone axes, clubs, even rusted swords and glaives stolen from unlucky travelers.

I grinned, and thanks to the Northern Continent Translator I’d swallowed, the orcish words flowed naturally from my mouth.

“I fought you barehanded out of courtesy. But now you’ve picked up weapons. That means you’re ready to die, right?”

Schiiing…

The nameless sword Yuribel gave me slid free of its sheath, gleaming with a sharp light that sent chills down my spine.

I drove it slowly into a boulder at the edge of the village.

Ka-chunk!!

Then split it clean in half.

Craaaack!! Boom!!

The orcs’ eyes widened as the stone split like tofu.

“Choose. Drop your weapons and surrender… or die.”

“……”

“……”

Clang. Clatter. Thud.

One by one, the orc women dropped their weapons.

Thirty-some orc females. Over fifty human men.

And between them, more than a hundred and fifty half-orc children.

I frowned.

“They said this village has only been around ten years. How the hell are there this many kids already?”

Shia chuckled atop my shoulders. “What’s the problem? A hundred and fifty in ten years isn’t even much.”

“…What?”

“Orc pregnancies last only half a year. And each birth? Anywhere from three to six at a time. If food had been plentiful and the land less harsh, there’d be over a thousand half-orc brats running around here instead.”

“…Good god.”

“That fertility and toughness—that’s the orcs’ greatest strength. Of course, their stupidity cancels it all out.”

I scratched my head, then beckoned a few of the human men forward.

“Y-yes, sir?” They stumbled out nervously, their speech rough and nasal from years of orc influence.

“I’ll ask directly. Do you want revenge?”

“…R-revenge?”

I gave the men a quick once-over.

Hair bleached white.

Faces lined with wrinkles.

A sour stench clinging to their unwashed bodies.

Considering the orcs had captured them for breeding, they should’ve been in their prime. Yet not a single one of them looked younger than fifty. That alone told me how much hell they’d endured.

“You were dragged here and exploited for nearly ten years. If you want, I can help you take revenge on those orc women—or return you to where you came from.”

For the record, I wasn’t trying to punish the orcs or save these men because they were human.

I didn’t feel any special loyalty to the human race.

I was acting because they were victims.

“R-revenge…?” one of them stammered.

“And freedom,” I added.

“Uh… uhh….”

They looked dumbstruck, as if the thought had never crossed their minds. Then, almost in unison, they sighed deeply and shook their heads.

“No, sir.”

“We’re fine.”

“We’ll just… stay here.”

“Please, don’t kill the orc women.”

I tilted my head.

“Why? Do you… care for them?”

The men grimaced. At the sight of my sword, they quickly forced their expressions flat again.

“Of course not. How could anyone have feelings for such hideous beasts?”

“Then it’s because of the half-orc children? They’re your kids, aren’t they?”

“Don’t even suggest such a thing. Not once have we considered those creatures our children.”

“Look at those pig snouts, that greenish skin… how could those dung-faced brats possibly be human offspring?”

“Then why beg me to spare them? Why stay here?”

Their reply came calmly.

“Because at least here, we won’t starve.”

“…What?”

“As long as we care for the half-orc whelps and serve the women, we get fed.”

“Exactly. If we’re too weak, they can’t vent their urges properly. So they keep us well-fed. Compared to the outside, it’s a blessing.”

“You wouldn’t understand, sir, but for lowly folk like us… humans are far more terrifying than these monsters.”

The unexpected answer left me stunned. Then I let out a hollow laugh.

“…This is dizzying.”

After resupplying them with a bit of gear, I left the orc village behind as quickly as I could.

“Unbelievable. I didn’t think they’d respond like that. Feels like I just stirred up trouble for nothing.”

Shia tugged on my hair from her perch on my shoulders.

“It’s not your fault. If those orc women hadn’t gotten cocky and tried to jump you, none of this would’ve happened. It was self-defense.”

Her words only replayed what the men had told me:

We’re peasants from the Sinan Barony, under the Salt Kingdom.

It’s a living hell. The baron, nobles, and officials all collude to squeeze us dry.

Nine out of ten parts of our harvest is taken. The rest? Gone to endless taxes and levies. Even childbirth doesn’t excuse us from forced labor.

One of us watched his wife and children butchered by nobles.

Another was forced to kill his own neighbor because the tax collector threatened to slaughter his kids otherwise.

So we fled—seeking the northern “free villages” that escaped serfs whispered about.

We survived ten days in Monsterland without a single attack, by some miracle.

But soon after reaching one, the orcs captured us. At the time, we thought our lives were over… but now, we realize this is better. Better than the barony. Better than the free villages, even.

So please, sir, let us live quietly here. That’s all we ask.

Their stories alone were enough to make me dizzy.

“…How rotten must a place be for people to prefer being slaves to orcs?”

“And why hasn’t anyone stopped it? Even if nobles run things, isn’t there supposed to be a line that can’t be crossed?”

Shia yanked my hair again.

“Because the Sinan Barony is one of the northernmost territories, bordering Monsterland.”

For context, the Northern Continent can be split into five zones, from top to bottom:

-The Demon King’s Castle.

-The Demon Territory, swarming with her monsters.

-The Black Lands, where Demon Territory beasts mix with Monsterland creatures.

-Monsterland itself, overrun with monsters and savage orcs.

-And finally, the Human Realm—where proper civilization begins.

The higher you go, the harsher and deadlier it gets. The further down, the more livable.

And Yuribel had dropped us right in the middle of Monsterland.

“So what does being a borderland have to do with it?”

I asked.

“Simple. Sinan Barony serves as a wall against monsters and orcs pushing south. As long as they hold that line, no one dares interfere with what goes on inside.”

“Ah…”

“Salt Kingdom and the other lords turn a blind eye. They provide just enough supplies to keep the barony standing, but otherwise leave them alone. Because if Sinan falls, the monsters come for them.”

“…So the barony is a buffer. They pay with human misery so the rest can live in peace.”

“Exactly.”

“And what about the churches? Aren’t the temples of the gods supposed to expose corruption like that?”

“Surprise—there are no temples in Sinan. Not to the Earth Mother Kanan, not to Lumina, not even to the War God Baltrak.”

“…What?”

“The former baron expelled them all under the excuse of corruption. Unthinkable, yes—but the Salt Kingdom looked the other way.”

“……”

“Without temples, the people lost their only connection to the outside world. With entry and exit already tightly controlled, the barony became nearly as isolated as an island.”

…So this world has its own version of North Korea. What’s next—Kim’s pig-faced descendants reincarnating as barons?

“Don’t misunderstand, though. Not every northern land is like that. Some are worse. Others are as comfortable as where you came from. It all depends.”

“Case by case, huh…”

I smirked bitterly, dropped the subject, and started south again. Shia tugged my hair.

“Ow. What now?”

“Since we don’t really have a destination beyond ‘south,’ why not swing by this Sinan Barony on the way?”