Chapter 178: Tombstone of Flames

Lutz, the one who made the proposal, had a troubled look on his face for some reason.

“You see, Orc-san, you must understand. We can’t just let you go like this. But killing someone who answered our questions doesn’t feel right, you know?”

“…Do whatever you want. Are you trying to impose your own rules and act all self-righteous about fairness? It makes me sick.”

“That’s true. Well then, should we both kill you right now?”

Lutz pointed his enchanted battle-axe, “Shirayuri(White Lily),” at the Orc while giving him a cold stare. The Oak hastily waved his hands.

“No, no, wait, wait! Why would it come to that? Just let me go as it is!”

“I can’t just let an orc like you go without considering the consequences for ordinary citizens.”

“These hands won’t do anything bad anymore. I promise! I’ll go back to the countryside, work the fields, take care of my mother… Isn’t that good enough?”

“I don’t trust empty promises. We haven’t developed a friendship or trust to believe in a verbal agreement.”

“You want to be friends now? What should I do, kiss you?”

“I’m already married, so I can’t really cheat…”

Lutz was unresponsive to the provocations. He had made up his mind to have a duel.

“Alright, Orc-san. I believe I’ve made a reasonable proposal within the limits of my position. Even if you don’t like it…”

Lutz raised the tip of his axe towards the Orc.

“Your only way forward is over my dead body.”

The Orc looked around nervously, not surrounded but with escape routes aplenty. He had a better sense of the terrain than his opponents. He could walk in the mountains with his eyes closed if need be. The darkness of the night was on his side.

The problem was his leg. Several of his toes on his right foot had been crushed. Though the wound on his knee, inflicted by Josel’s dagger, was nearly healed, he wasn’t sure if he could trust it entirely. Escaping was impossible, and it seemed that fighting these fools was his only way out.

“Fine. I’ll kill you and then have my way with your wife!”

The orc raised his spear and shouted to encourage himself.

Was it a provocation or just a light-hearted remark? Either way, it did not mean much to him. But he had unwittingly stepped on a spot where he should not have stepped.

“Hmm….”

Lutz muttered in a voice devoid of emotion, and pity flashed in Josel’s eyes as he looked at the orc. The orc and Lutz confront each other, weapons in hand. But the orc with the spear was cowed.

“Deeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!”

The orc held his spear long and thrust it out. However, rather than taking advantage of his reach, this was due to his fear of not wanting to get close to the enemy.

Lutz, however, skillfully dodged the attack using only his body movement, evading the thrust with ease. With a downward swing, the axe struck the Orc’s ankle, cutting it deeply. The Orc fell to the ground, and flames spewed from the wound.

“Iiiihhh! Iiiihhhh!”

The orc hits the flames with his hand. He grabs some dirt and sprinkles it on the flame. The magic flame didn’t go out just like that.

Lutz looked down at the screaming and flustered orc with cold eyes.

The orc who had seen the battle with the leader would have known that cutting off his leg would save his life. But he couldn’t make that decision. He once grabbed the tip of his spear, but he just looked frightened and couldn’t do it.

..That’s normal. I’m not sure if I would be able to cut off my leg if I were in the same situation. No, it’s probably not possible.

Lutz and Josel don’t mess around. They don’t help, they don’t put a stop to it.

While lost, the flames spread to his shin and then to his thighs. The orc cried out and struck the flames, but it had no effect..

“Help me, help me!” 

The Orc screamed, reaching out his hands for divine intervention. But there was no savior in sight. Was this punishment for his actions or simply because the gods had no interest in him? No one could say.

Lutz and Josel silently looked down at the charred remains of the Orc. The blackened, lifeless body, which had been moving and alive just moments ago, was a gruesome sight to behold.

“Surprisingly cruel, indeed,” 

Josel said in a cold voice. Lutz had originally left the impression of a friendly blacksmith’s older brother, but now he seemed like an entirely different person.

“I don’t want to lie, and wanting to be fair is one thing, but whether I like or dislike this guy is a separate matter,” 

Lutz replied while organizing his feelings.

“This guy may have had his reasons, but personally, I still think it’s a no-go to burn little girls alive.”

Lutz no longer had any interest in the Orc and turned away from him.

“Josel, can you shine your light around that area? I believe that’s where the giant axe was.”

“Well, we can’t just leave it there, can we? Are you planning to take it back?”

“I was thinking of having Gerhardt-san buy it.”

“…Are you sure you’re not mistaking him for a magic sword dealer or something?”

“Is there a difference?”

Josel avoided giving a direct answer. If he brought it, Gerhardt would show interest and probably pay for it, that was for sure.

The axe was lying a bit further from where Lutz had expected, covered in mud. Lutz tried to lift it with both hands, but even he, who should have been well-trained from his blacksmithing work, was surprised by its weight.

“What the heck is this? Was he swinging this thing around like it’s nothing?”

“Perhaps we should be grateful that we managed to retrieve it before more giant orcs appeared.”

“That’s right. If my weapon weren’t ‘Shirayuri,’ I might have been in trouble.”

They imagined facing an opponent like that with regular weapons. It was impossible to see a way to victory. While they didn’t say it out loud, joking about it might have made Josel angry. If there were a hundred of those giant orcs, the country might have been in ruins.

Lutz and Josel carried the axe back to the wagon and triumphantly returned to the town, waiting for the dawn.

And so, for now, this case was resolved.

As a side note, this incident had a significant impact on the little girl’s view of life, and the once quiet girl began playing with sticks alongside the neighborhood boys.

And ten years later…

“Dad, I’m going to become an adventurer.”

And that statement caused a lot of trouble for Dennis.

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