novelraw Chapter 158
Chapter 158
Chapter 158
A secluded corner of the Great Jungle. Yuwon and Mukwiam stood side by side.
“...Don’t misunderstand. Mukwiam. I never intended to make you a slave to begin with. What I’m proposing is nothing more than strategic cooperation.”
“That’s what you’d say. But I don’t trust the words of humans. You humans are all the same. You wag those crafty tongues, speak words that sound pleasant to the ear, then sow discord among those of us who are united, split us apart, and in the end capture us alive and throw us into the arena. That’s what you humans do, isn’t it?”
Every single word Mukwiam spat out was steeped in deep-seated hatred toward humans.
“...Whether you believe me or not is your choice. I’ll make this clear again. I have no interest in putting orcs beneath my feet or ruling over them. I simply need your strength and the strength of the orcs to stand against the enemies that will soon pour in from the continent over there.”
“Even if you crush me with force, even if you spew pretty words, nothing will change. Enough already. Kill me.”
Despite Yuwon’s persistent attempts at persuasion, Mukwiam’s rigid, unyielding attitude did not change.
‘Hoo... I’m not sure I can digest this properly...’
After a brief moment of deliberation, Yuwon chose an extreme measure. Yuwon, who had intended to persuade Mukwiam through gentle means if at all possible, finally brought out his last resort.
“...Hah, fine. If you’re that desperate to die, I’ll kill you. When someone’s so eager to die, there’s no reason I can’t oblige.”
Those weren’t empty words. Yuwon immediately raised his dagger and aimed its tip at Mukwiam. Black mist clung to Yuwon’s dagger, writhing ominously.
“...”
Sensing something in Yuwon’s sudden change in attitude, Mukwiam’s brows twitched. As if none of that mattered anymore, Yuwon continued his provocation.
“I didn’t want to see blood if I could help it. But now I finally understand. Filthy orc bastards with green blood aren’t opponents you can reason with. Thinking I could talk things through with idiots like you was a mistake to begin with.”
At Yuwon’s violent words, Mukwiam’s eyes flew wide open.
“You bastard...! I knew it! You’re finally showing your true colors!”
“Think whatever you want. I gave you a chance, and you kicked it away. Since things have come to this, I’ll become the kind of human you want me to be. I’ll kill you and turn every last orc in the Great Jungle into battle slaves, using them as living shields on the front lines of the battlefield.”
The horrific declaration of turning all orcs into arrow fodder. At the end of it, a chilling smile hung on Yuwon’s lips.
“Ridiculous! Even if I die, the brave will of the orcs will be passed on. If I fall, another great orc will appear and lead the horde. Do you think he’ll be any different? It’ll be the same every time. You’ll never be able to persuade us or make slaves of us!”
Mukwiam, the great orc chieftain who had been ready to accept defeat and meet death quietly, now had eyes brimming with vitality. Fueled by rage, the heat of life and will blazed fiercely as he glared sharply at Yuwon.
“The young whelps and the women... no, ‘females’ suits you better. If I capture all the whelps and females and make them hostages and slaves, what choice would you have? I’ll use them as arrow fodder during the war, and when it’s over... let’s see... Even if they’re too stupid for other work, they could at least replace livestock for plowing fields.”
“You vile monster...! You human bastard...! You’re not just some monster—you’re a true monster yourself!”
“If they resist, I’ll just kill random whelps and females. I should’ve gone with this easy method from the start. I almost insisted on a more difficult path for nothing. Thanks, Mukwiam. For enlightening me.”
Yuwon subtly twisted his words, making it sound as though Mukwiam himself was the reason he had come to this decision.
Only then did Mukwiam recall that the one he was facing was not merely a human, but the monster who had slain the ‘River Serpent’ and taken its place.
“Keugh...!”
A monster wearing human skin. One who possessed both the cold, ruthless intellect of a human and the merciless violence of a monstrous beast. That was Yuwon.
For an orc warrior, dying in battle against someone stronger than oneself was the greatest death. Just minutes ago, Mukwiam had believed his own death would be adorned in such a way. But now he realized that the human standing before him was more vicious than any human he had ever known.
‘I can’t die peacefully while leaving a monster like that behind. I can’t go like this...! Even if I can’t kill him, I have to take at least one arm! That’s the best I can do!’
Mukwiam’s gaze burned fiercely as it locked onto Yuwon. Yuwon did not avert his eyes and met that gaze head-on.
“That look in your eyes... what is it? Regret, now? Sorry, but it’s already too late. The only reason you’ve been alive this whole time is because I didn’t intend to kill you. But now, I no longer have any reason to let you live.”
For some reason, Yuwon chuckled gleefully as he spat out those chilling words. Ever since his previous life, where he had worked as an assassin and honed his acting skills in spare moments, Yuwon’s ability to act had been well-trained. Add to that the refinement he gained while living as Yurion in this life, and his performance had reached its peak.
“Go on ahead and wait for me. It won’t be long before I send plenty of your kin to join you so you won’t be lonely.”
With those words, Yuwon spun the dagger in his right hand and gripped it in a reverse hold. If Yuwon moved his hand as it was, Mukwiam’s life would be forfeit. But Mukwiam had no intention of accepting death quietly.
“You bastard—!”
The Mukwiam who had calmly accepted death just moments ago was nowhere to be found. With a ferocious roar, Mukwiam hurled himself forward, launching a desperate, all-or-nothing attack with his fist.
Flash—!
A sharp trajectory was carved through the Great Jungle. They overlapped as if one, yet there were two—one created by Yuwon leaping up and striking down like lightning, and the other by Mukwiam meeting the blow head-on.
Kkadeudeuk—!
The collision of two daggers and a massive axe sent sparks flying and produced a harsh, grinding noise.
Slash—!
At the end of that fierce exchange, the sound of something being severed rang out.
Thud—
The axe blade, cleanly split in half, fell to the ground and struck the soft earth. Until now, Yuwon had merely humored him, but this time he swung with genuine intent to cut down. The axe blade that had never budged no matter how sharp the sword aura had been cleaved cleanly in two.
‘...It’s over. With my strength, I can’t stop him.’
If Yuwon was serious, Mukwiam had gone all out. When that all-out effort, swung with everything he had, came to nothing, Mukwiam stared vacantly at the axe handle that had lost its blade and been reduced to nothing more than a club.
Now all that remained was for his head to fall to that monstrous human, and for his surviving kin to be sacrificed in a human war.
‘I couldn’t stop it...’
The moment he thought of the countless kin who would bleed because of his own helplessness, the eyes of Mukwiam, the great orc chieftain who seemed as though he had neither blood nor tears, reddened.
Step. Step—
The Great Jungle, frozen without even the sound of wind after the clash between two monsters, Yuwon and Mukwiam. Cutting through that suffocating silence, the sound of Yuwon’s footsteps echoed ominously. Yuwon was approaching.
Mukwiam, who had truly resisted Yuwon with all his strength, no longer had any way to oppose him. Mukwiam, who had stood at the apex of tens of thousands of orcs as one pillar of the Great Jungle, instinctively realized that his life had reached its end. At the moment when he could not move even a fingertip, Mukwiam spat out the words he would say to Yuwon as if chewing them out.
“Human. Do not be mistaken.”
“...?”
“Though I failed to stop you, this is the defeat of me, Mukwiam—not the defeat of the orcs. Even if I die, things will not flow as easily as you think. We are not slaves, but great warriors!”
With those words, instead of closing his eyes and meeting his end like a coward, Mukwiam squeezed his eyes shut once, then opened them wide and stared straight at Yuwon. As if he intended to watch even beyond death. At that sight, Yuwon drew a faint smile and replied.
“Yeah. I suppose so.”
“...What’s so funny?”
“I wasn’t laughing because it was funny. What you said matched my thoughts exactly. That line about orcs being great warriors. That’s precisely why I want you and the orc tribe.”
There were times to tighten and times to loosen. Thinking that this was enough, Yuwon flipped his palm and immediately changed his attitude. The act was over.
“...What?”
“Do not forget the feeling you just held toward me, Mukwiam. If you lose this war, it won’t be me clumsily acting it out—there will be those who would truly carry out such things and oppress the orcs. You might not easily accept becoming slaves either, but do not forget that humans are far more cruel than you think.”
Mukwiam blinked his eyes in disbelief.
“...Then was all of that just acting?”
“Yes. I, too, am a resident of this Great Jungle. If it were the Great Jungle fighting among itself for survival, that would be one thing. Enslaving orcs? I have never even considered it, nor do I have any interest in it. So, if possible, let’s work together. I haven’t even thought about the next move yet. If I kill you, I’d have to go cling to a new orc Great Chieftain, and I’d rather not. Have some consideration for my pride as well.”
“Human, you bastard...”
What had he been about to say? Mukwiam did not finish his sentence. Yuwon quietly nodded, as if he already knew exactly what Mukwiam had intended to say.
“Mukwiam. I—no, the Great Jungle—needs your strength and the strength of the orcs.”
The day after the battle between Yuwon and Mukwiam, at noon. A welcome face returned to the Great Jungle after a long journey.
“Lord! This humble one has completed the mission and returned.”
The return of Hastings, who had headed south! Yuwon welcomed Hastings with a satisfied smile.
“Ah, yes. You worked hard, Hastings. You were so late that I was worried something might have happened.”
That was no empty talk; he truly had been worried. For an escort mission involving only Renania, the delay was excessive. Of course, Hastings had his reasons.
“Well... the situation in the south changed rapidly, and some variables arose. Because of that, I was delayed. I apologize.”
Hastings spoke awkwardly, clearly troubled that the task had taken longer than expected.
“Well, protecting one honored guest and bringing along dozens—no, over a hundred civilians wouldn’t have been easy.”
“...You already knew. Since when did you know?”
“You were taking too long, so I borrowed the eyes of the scattered serpents in the southern desert.”
“Ah...”
Hastings let out a brief exclamation at Yuwon’s unfathomable supernatural ability.
“Even so... I wonder if I overstepped. If I had left them alone, it wouldn’t have ended with mere conscription, so I ended up—”
“That’s all in the past. The Valaris young lady must have complicated matters. I don’t even need to see it to know.”
“...Hearing you say that finally puts my mind at ease. As for the Valaris young lady you mentioned, she is resting together with those who came with her. Would you like to see her now?”
Since Hastings had gone south because of Renania, it was a natural question. However, Yuwon shook his head.
“I’ll personally go see her and decide what to do about her and the refugees a bit later. More importantly, there is somewhere you need to go with me first.”
“A place to go?”
“Yes. Follow me. They should be waiting for us not far from here.”
“Yes! I will follow.”
A sudden destination. Yuwon increased his pace with an unhurried expression and went ahead, while Hastings followed behind him without understanding what was going on. Shortly after, the two stood before a large tent inside the shamans’ village.
Right there, Terrien, who had been waiting for them, joined the group and exchanged greetings.
“You worked hard, Hastings.”
“Worked hard? It’s been a while—your face looks better. Looks like the special training paid off?”
“Of course. I received one-on-one instruction from His Majesty. I had to improve.”
There were no extra words, but the camaraderie between comrades dripped from their expressions and tones. Watching with a pleased look, Yuwon urged them on.
“Let’s save the greetings for later and go inside right away. Many are waiting for us.”
“Yes, Your Majesty.”
“Yes. Please go ahead.”
As the three lifted the tent flap and entered, the figures who had been waiting for Yuwon and Hastings revealed themselves.
“Welcome. King of the River. We have been waiting.”
Herran, the tribal chief of the Thunder Bird Tribe, whose long, white-braided hair was striking, greeted the three with a gentle smile.
“So that’s the crow? Then everyone’s here now, right?”
Beside him stood Kahaad, who had pushed both magic and shamanism to their utmost limits. Right next to Kahaad, Bernid stood quietly, his atmosphere noticeably changed, offering a greeting with his eyes.
At the end of their line of sight stood the figure of a giant, alone occupying the space of four or five people. His identity was none other than the orc Great Chieftain, Mukwiam.
“...You succeeded.”
Hastings showed clear surprise at seeing Mukwiam here, something he had never imagined. Yuwon shrugged playfully.
“Yes. Barely.”
Mukwiam sat hunched over, looking somewhat pitiful for someone bearing the title of orc Great Chieftain. With a seated height easily exceeding two meters, there was little that could be done. The seat clearly seemed uncomfortable, and Mukwiam’s expression was dark.
The apex figures of the Great Jungle, who had been too busy fighting one another, were now all gathered in one place. All of this was the result of Yuwon’s efforts. After gazing contentedly at what he had achieved, Yuwon raised his voice to begin the meeting.
“Very well. Everyone is here. Then, from now—”
At that moment, noise arose from among those seated together, drowning out Yuwon’s voice.
“Before we start, do something about that Mukwiam bastard. My house is about to collapse. Can’t we just do this without him?”
It was Kahaad’s voice. Naturally, Mukwiam, who heard it, did not stay silent. Mukwiam slowly looked around the tent with a scoff and snorted.
“Human, you call this a house? As far as I know, humans don’t call something like this a house.”
“What? You lot lay down a piece of matting and call that a house and a bed, and you dare comment on our place? You couldn’t make something like this even if you wanted to!”
Without anyone able to stop them, a hostile atmosphere formed between the two—no, between one orc and one human.
“Our orcs are not as weak as humans, so we have no need for such cumbersome things. There is a difference between being unable to do something and choosing not to.”
“This bastard, I’ve had it—!”
It looked as if a fight might break out at any moment. At that, Yuwon let out a hollow laugh, as if he had expected this.
‘Getting them together was one thing, but the road ahead is long.’
The Great Jungle alliance, barely formed through Yuwon’s efforts. The path ahead still seemed a long one.