The Indomitable Martial King

Chapter 196

“Ha ha ha!”

“Oh! Robert! Have a drink!”

“You too, Utunun!”

The dwarves, who were a race known for their love of alcohol, were drinking merrily alongside the priests.

“Priest Darlos! Have a drink!”

“Sure! Give me as much as you want!”

The comrades, who had already become quite close, were freely sharing camaraderie and thoroughly enjoying the feeling of victory, regardless of race. Among them were the excited figures of Kalken, Kinzir, Hadatoum, as well as Russ and Azrael.

Hadatoum, whose gray skin had turned red from drinking, extended his glass towards Russ.

“Karuga Russ! You strong! I respect you! Take my drink!”

Out of respect for Russ, Hadatoum spoke in awkward common language. Unlike Kalken, neither he nor Kinzir had received a Necklace of Translation yet.

Russ shook his head, indicating he declined.

“Mm, I’ve already had a lot.”

Hadatoum tilted his head.

“Do you dislike alcohol?”

“Yes, I do.”

Since Russ truly did not enjoy alcohol, he answered honestly.

If a human had received such a response, their expression would have immediately hardened. However, Hadatoum simply nodded.

“I see. That’s unfortunate. Not knowing the joy of this. But you are strong, so it’s fine.”

Russ smiled faintly.

Orcs were simple-minded; if someone said they didn’t like something, the orcs would just accept it without assuming they were being insulted. How easy it was to get along with these folks!

This time, Kinzir, holding a large chunk of meat, asked.

“Do you like meat?”

“I’ve had plenty.”

“Then I’ll eat it.”

Chomp chomp!

Kinzir bit into the meat and took a hearty swig of his drink. Azrael extended his glass.

“I like alcohol.”

Hadatoum, pleased, poured him a drink. As Azrael drank, he smiled faintly.

He had initially been quite surprised by the orcs’ attitudes. But now, he had grown accustomed to it. Unlike humans, these orcs did not put on pretenses or care about social appearances.

When Azrael smiled, the other orcs followed suit and laughed. Kinzir raised his fist and said.

“Warrior Azrael. You’re a bit weak, but you can hold your liquor. I like it!”

Then, as a joke, he threw a punch at Azrael’s face. In that instant, Russ instinctively reached out and effortlessly blocked the punch.

“You shouldn’t do this to a human, Sir Kinzir.”

“Huh? Why?”

For a moment, Russ struggled to answer. How could he explain the obvious to those who didn’t consider it obvious?

Azrael answered first.

“Humans have high pride, and they would see this as an insult.”

Unlike the aloof Russ, Azrael made considerable efforts to build rapport with the Orcs. He believed it was a natural duty as a knight under Repenhardt.

Because of this, he had often experienced such incidents. Initially, he felt angered, but he had now become accustomed to it and maintained a calm demeanor.

“Ah, I see.”

Sure enough, Kinzir nodded obediently.

“I apologize, Warrior Azrael. I made a mistake.”

Despite being a chieftain of a tribe, he apologized immediately when he thought he had made a mistake. The Orcs didn’t have any ‘complicated’ thoughts about worrying whether admitting a mistake would make others look down on them.

“It’s alright. By the way, I need to check on the prisoners, so I will step away for a moment.”

Azrael waved his hand as he stood up.

Currently, the management of the Fetland prisoners was entirely his responsibility. No matter what, he couldn’t leave them to the Orcs since they were fellow humans.

They didn’t particularly capture those who tried to escape, but even so, the number of prisoners held by the Duchy of Antares’ army was approaching two thousand. After paying the price through forced labor for a while, these prisoners would live as free citizens of the duchy.

Even after Azrael left, the rest continued to enjoy the victorious atmosphere. They were happily passing around drinks.

“Hmm?”

Suddenly, Kalken raised his right eyebrow.

“Huh?”

“What’s this aura?”

Kinzir, Hadatoum, and Russ simultaneously turned serious. They all turned their heads toward the darkness beyond the barracks.

A faint aura was coming from beyond the plains, far from the camp. Even though it was faint, for it to be felt from such a distance, it was no ordinary aura.

Russ frowned. It was a very recognizable aura.

‘An Aura User? Is there another Aura User around here besides us?’

Moreover, while the aura was intense, it bore no hostility. It simply felt as if it was calling to them?

Although he couldn’t explain why, Russ, as an Aura User, could instinctively feel this.

It seemed Kalken, Kinzir, and Hadatoum felt something similar.

“Who is it?”

“Are they calling us?”

Kinzir and Hadatoum looked toward the darkness with curiosity shining in their eyes. Kalken grinned, revealing his tusks, and stood up abruptly.

“Let’s go check it out.”

Other Orc warriors grinned and got to their feet.

“Let’s do it.”

“If he’s a warrior blessed with the spirit of battle, he’s worth meeting.”

Without knowing whether the person was a friend or foe, they were ready to leave the barracks just because he seemed like a strong warrior. They were indeed simple-minded characters.

However, Russ, who had become quite influenced by them over time, also stood up with a laugh, holding his sword.

“I’m curious too. Let’s go.”

* * *

The four of them left the camp at a leisurely pace. Despite the leaders suddenly leaving the barracks, none of the Orcs showed any curiosity or concern. With four powerful warriors roaming together, what danger could possibly threaten them?

The aura was emanating from Wolf Mountain, about a kilometer away from the camp. Standing at the entrance of Wolf Mountain, which resembled the forepaw of a wolf, Kalken raised his head.

A narrow canyon revealed itself between the rocky mountains, and within it, a distinct presence could be felt. Kalken drew his greatsword and shouted.

“Come out! The one who called us, blessed with the spirit of battle!”

A vivid green aura flowed along the greatsword and pierced the air. The radiance illuminated the darkness, lighting up the surroundings.

From the darkness within the canyon, a shadow appeared. A clear voice was heard.

“Are you the Orcs of the Duchy of Antares?”

“Yes!”

In response to Kalken’s answer, the figure revealed itself.

The figure was a beautiful woman with snow-white skin and blue eyes. She wore a shiny, unknown material of white cloth, with fur gauntlets and boots made from animal pelts on her arms and legs. Without any armor, the soft curves of her body were clearly visible.

Slim limbs, a slender waist, and a voluptuous chest. She had a cold yet alluring impression.

Even Russ, who usually had no interest in women, felt his heart skip a beat at her stunning beauty.

The woman stepped forward and spoke.

“Amazing. An Orc who speaks the common language so fluently.”

Russ, noticing her long pointed ears peeking out from her violet hair tied tightly behind her head, muttered in surprise.

“An Elf?”

It wasn’t that he was surprised an Elf was an Aura User. Almost involuntarily, Russ’s gaze drifted to the woman’s chest. Though he knew it was impolite, he couldn’t help himself.

How could an Elf have such a voluptuous chest? Surely she’s an Elf, but her chest is so large it makes one doubt if she’s a Dwarf. Typically, Elves, regardless of gender, are slender and rarely have such large chests.

Kalken, Kinzir, and Hadatoum also had astonished expressions. Although their surprise differed slightly from Russ’s perspective.

“Hey? An Elf.”

“Ho? Are there warriors among Elves too?”

“I heard Elves are timid and rarely have warriors.”

Without a word, the woman approached the four and drew her sword from her waist. It was a sharp rapier with no particular decorations, emitting a cold aura of silver blade aura.

Wooong!

“Haah!”

Suddenly, the Elf woman let out a sharp cry and attacked Kalken!

“Hup!”

As if expecting it, Kalken also swung his blade aura in retaliation. He didn’t look surprised, as if he knew the opponent would respond this way. The silver aura and green aura collided, sparking an explosion of light.

Kwaaaang!

The clashing auras created a shockwave that shook the cliffs of the canyon. Kalken, pushing back the opponent’s sword, shouted cheerfully.

“This level of attack cannot break my sword, Elf warrior!”

In the contest of auras, Kalken had the upper hand. The green aura quickly penetrated the woman’s aura, cutting deep. The woman flipped in the air to dodge and thrust her sword repeatedly. The silver blade aura rained down like arrows, blocking Kalken’s advance. Regretfully, Kalken withdrew his sword and took a defensive stance.

At that moment, Russ hurriedly placed his hand on the hilt of his longsword.

“Is she an enemy?”

Then the woman looked back at him and sharply shouted.

“This is a duel between us! Do not interfere!”

“What, what did you say?”

Russ was momentarily dumbfounded, his eyes wide. It was absurd; she attacked first and then told them not to interfere?

However, Kinzir and Hadatoum seemed to understand.

“Of course, we shouldn’t interfere.”

“It’s a duel.”

“…But, is this really okay?”

Not knowing who she was or even exchanging names, wasn’t it strange?

To Russ’s question, Hadatoum and Kinzir responded as if wondering what was so unusual.

“She must be a wandering Elf warrior.”

“An Aura User isn’t a common profession to just run into by chance….”

“She’s not bloodthirsty. She just seems to want a good fight.”

“Well, you might feel that way, but Elves usually don’t have such belligerent personalities…”

Russ trailed off, deciding to keep his mouth shut.

Come to think of it, it made sense. An Elf becoming an Aura User without a fighting spirit was unlikely. Most Elves might not be belligerent, but there was no rule saying this beautiful Elf couldn’t be an exception.

Meanwhile, Kalken and the Elf woman were enthusiastically exchanging blows.

“Shell Slicing!”

With a roar, Kalken swung his greatsword left and right around the woman. The continuous slashes, usually used to peel the shells of large Drakes or Hydras, targeted the woman’s limbs.

“Hup!”

Holding her breath for a moment, the woman drew circles with her rapier. The sword light flowed in a circular motion, smoothly deflecting Kalken’s attack. She used his strength to change the trajectory of the attack.

Russ, who was watching, let out an exclamation.

“Amazing swordsmanship!”

To deflect Kalken’s greatsword imbued with Aura, especially a continuous slash, so cleanly?

It was proof that her swordsmanship was extraordinary. Russ himself wasn’t confident he could deflect Kalken’s attack with just swordsmanship. He would have used Aura to dissipate the attack’s power. While the effect would be the same, it would be a method that consumed much more stamina and Aura.

The woman launched a counterattack, skillfully thrusting her rapier. The silver blade Aura danced, drawing a trail of light in the air. The rapier weaved around Kalken, pressing him from all sides.

“Haaah!”

Dozens of silver blade lights blossomed like flowers over the meadow. Each time Kalken struck a powerful blow, knocking down a blossom, another sword flower bloomed to block his attack. The Elf woman’s technique, exploiting weaknesses and redirecting blows to strike at vital points, was markedly different from the Orcs’. It was much more intricate, refined, and complex.

In terms of pure swordsmanship, the Elf woman surpassed not only Kalken but also Stalla.

With great anticipation, Russ’s eyes sparkled. He had been pondering swordsmanship for some time now.

“Oh! Could today be my lucky day?”

Oblivious to the fact that a thief was covertly learning her swordsmanship, the woman continued to unleash her attacks.