Intermission: Orc Alchemist

I am of the ancient perished race--Ga Hou the orc.

The descendant of fools who followed the demon lord, made an enemy of the whole world and got themselves destroyed several hundreds years ago. There should be several groups hiding around the world even now, but no race would probably accept us. Even though the orc empire has been destroyed more than 600 years ago, the world never forgets the crime committed by orcs. Since we're long lived, we have learned the wisdom and techniques to survive with subsistence on the corners of the world, we are already unsuited to appear on the world.

"Ga Hou."

"Ru Heu huh, what's wrong. Did a guest come to the shop."

"Yup, it's the usual masked guest."

This place is rarely visited by human even for a place situated at the downtown outside of the duchy capital great wall. Since it's located beside the sewage filtration facility, the stench is quite terrible, beastkins who have sharp noses also rarely come near it. Although, if this filtration facility that was built at the time of orc empire didn't exist, the mother large river would have been more polluted. When I think so, I can forgive this stench--no, sorry, this stench is unbearable after all. I put on the usual perfumed mask, wear the hood, and go to the shop's front.

"How long do you intend to make me wait!"

"I, I'm sorry, then de requests, here are all the sleep inducing drugs."

When I'm talking to a guest, I always talk with stutters, and use a strange accent. If the other person looks down on me, it's a success.

Wonder why is this man always this exasperated whenever he comes here. I think he should relax his mind a bit more, but there is no need to give an advice. He'd only snap back if I gave him one. I will not do useless thing.

I begin explaining the small bottles that has been passed passed to and lined up on the counter. Even though he probably ignores it, I don't want to forgo my work ethic.

"One small bottle ish, six silverr coins. Dhere are three bottles, how many gold coins ish that?"

"Fuhn, you savages, can't you count. It's three gold coins."

Fumu, he didn't lower it too much. I'll let it off if it's just by three silver coins.

"A, as expectedd of noble-sama. Y, you count fast heu."

"Fuhn, this kind of things are easy for those who are of Shiga kingdom nobles."

Even though the thing about him being a noble should've been a secret, he plainly admitted it. But well, this guy's wallet is adorned with his metal family crest, so there's no need for him to imply it. Since the man himself seems like he wants to hide his identity, I'll keep silent.

The man lined up three gold coins on the counter, took the bottles into a leather case, and went out. He's probably not going to use them for something decent, but I have stopped worrying such thing 400 years ago. I guess I'll give these gold coins to Ro Han's community. I don't need thing like money for living in the sewer of the duchy capital.

◇

"Ga Hou, that."

There certainly is a suspicious group at the place she's pointing. I've seen those clothes. They were the same people who shouted crazy doctrine, "We should become demons in order to not get destroyed by the demon lord.", on the downtown's square. They're called Wings of Liberty--a fanatic group.

The ruin of the labyrinth should be up ahead. The labyrinth is completely dead anyway, and the teleport device to the underground labyrinth should be sealed off. High level cipher has been applied on the seal that no normal humans can possibly solve. Yes, let's believe they cannot enter.

Ru Heu leaves that place, and I approach the group.

When I check them with appraisal skill, there's one with [Abnormal Status: Demonic Possession]. I don't know what kind of demon is it, but I'm bad with fighting. I will flee from here.

Before the effect of invisibility skill wears off, I've left the scene.

◇

"Let me hide here, Ga Hou."

Blood-stained Ro Han falls down into the shop.

Looks like he quarreled with a wolfkin man. Of all thing to do for an orc, how pitiable. A young man who hasn't even lived for 50 years doing as he pleases like this, truly sad.

Right now is the season of the martial art tournament that opens once every three years. There are a lot of rowdy people strutting around, so someone who can't restrain his arms shouldn't have gone out.

I leave the treatment of Ro Han to Ru Heu, and go outside the shop.

It'll be troublesome if the authority comes here.

Fumu, I haven't seen a wolfkin in 200 years, do they have four arms now?

They should have one head if I'm not mistaken, but isn't there another head beside the hairless one.

Now then, let's stop the self-concealment around here.

Apparently it's a lower class demon called short horn demon. It has decaying poison on its claws, a bothersome thing. Its saliva is a strong acid huh, how's the body doesn't get dissolved.

I can't let it runs amok in my shop right in front of my eyes.

I'm bad at fighting, but let's push it out to some place away from the shop.

I put on the magic activator ring, and consecutively chant [Exoskeleton (Shell Armor)], and [Physical Reinforcement (Light Boost)] in low voice. They were lower class magic, but I gave priority to the shortness of the chanting.

I pull out a wooden pillar nearby and set it up. The demon who's playing around with the chivalrous mercenary man is turning toward me. Before it stopped turning, and in unnatural stance, I strike it with the pillar with all my might, and push it away to an open space at the opposite side of the street.

People are running from the open space like they're rolling.

There are demi-human mercenaries nearby who are chivalrously assaulting the demon in succession. What a brave thing to do. I guess I'll go against my principle, and help them here. Alas, I don't want to see those brave young men fall victim to the demon's claws.

"■■■■■■■　■■■　■■■■■　■■■■――"

I drank the reserved magic augment medicine. It's working.

"――■■■ Exploding Flame Dragon (Drag Ignis)"

The mercenaries who were holding down the demon got rolled up on the magic for a bit, just for a bit. They should just get off with large burns, probably.

The demon is dying after getting burned by the Drag Ignis of advanced level magic. Even though I've become weaker with ages, to not die after it got hit by that much magic, quite resilient. I pick a spear that has fallen below and throw it to the demon who's inching forward despite its burn. The spear that was thrown with physical reinforcement in effect pierces deep into the demon, killing it.

Fumu, my body reacts to the first advanced magic since 100 years ago after all. I should have shot several intermediate magic to defeat it after all. I'll get Ru Heu massages my lower back when I return to the dwelling.

I take out the magic core from the crumbles of the demon, and toss it to the chief-like man of the mercenaries who have fought just now. A magic core this big is valuable, but this much quality isn't needed for medicines that I make. You guys can drink to your heart contents this night.

While the chief is thinking over picking the magic core, I pick up the demon horn that's fallen near my feet. It's an item called [Short Horn] according to the appraisal skill. Since the explanations that float in my mind are written in demon language, I'll check it on the dictionary when I return.

The content that I got from checking the dictionary was shocking.

That thing is an item that transforms a person into a demon. The demon that I defeated was probably the form of a young wolfkin that had been transformed.

Dreadful.

Demon--no. I'm worried that people will not retain their reason if the existence of this item becomes known. I can't help but wish that the nightmare of demi-human hunting from 400 years ago won't rampage on this land once again.

◇

Around three days after that, I feel turbulent waves from the underground.

Don't tell me that the ancient great demon lord will revive. I hope it's just an unfounded fear.

◇

I can feel intense tremors since awhile ago.

There shouldn't be a hypocenter in this land. If this is caused by someones' fight, it must be between the hero and the demon lord. However, at the very least, I hope it's not dragons.

Ru Heu who finally couldn't keep still in the dwelling went to the underground passage where the wings of liberty group occupied for reconnaissance. It's not like I'm not worried, but there's probably no human that can see through Ru Heu's invisibility, although it's not quite at my level.

A few minutes after the underground tremors had stopped, Ru Heu returned like she was tumbling.

"Oh no Ga Hou. My face might had been seen."

As I understand, looks like her face was seen by a masked man who was flying at high speed when she was moving in the underground passage. To see through Ru Heu invisibility!　I should be surprised at that, but why was he flying in an underground passage!　I'm a bit lost at whether I should question that or not.

"If he was flying in high speed, then it should just have been in an instant. I don't think your race was known within that instant. However, as a precaution, you shouldn't approach the underground passage for a while."

Just to be sure, I guess we should go to a different continent for at least 100 years until it's been cooled down.

I also have to contact the family of Ri Fuu on the royal capital.

I go to the basement of my dwelling, where the teleport gate (portal) is. This artifact in the shape of constructed stones can connect to the same kind of portal that has been connected with space magic.

I gaze the portal that has been booted up after spending three days. The vermilion stones are truly beautiful.

"Torii has to be like this after all."

A voice came out of the place where there shouldn't be anyone, my heart felt as if it would flew out of my chest.

Ridiculous.

Ridiculous, ridiculous. Invisibility technique that surpasses my perception ability?　There wasn't any report from the conspicuous white crocodile familiars that I had made to lurk. Were them all eluded?!　Impossible.

A silver masked man is there.

I calmly talk to the intruder whom I normally would have eliminated.

That is because I've seen his title.

"Do you have any business, hero-dono."

Yes, he is the hero. The warrior of god that matches even the demon lord. A transcendence being whom an ordinary person will never exceed. Since I've been found out by that hero, elimination is impossible.

"Ah, it's nothing much. It looks like I have surprised your orc friend in the underground passage some times ago, so I've come here to tell you that I don't intend to spread it around."

What a useless consideration.

"I also don't intend to tell others about this teleport gate, so please be at ease. I won't talk about it to a third party either."

"Is that alright?"

"Isn't it a secret?"

"Umu, I cannot let them get abused, they are our race's inheritance after all."

"I see, so the broken gate from before was your creation too huh."

Around here, there's one around Seryuu city. There should be a simple teleport gate for monitoring the dragon valley. There should be only one abandoned teleport gate in this continent. Since the teleport gate that was on the small country group near the Saga empire was completely destroyed without a trace, young humans can't possibly know it.

"May I hear where it leads to?"

"I'm sorry but I cannot say it. My brethren are ahead of this teleport gate, few in numbers they are. I cannot disclose it for the sake of their safety."

This teleport gate is also going to disappear soon. The hero will probably survive, but everything in the radius of several hundreds meters around this teleport gate will be ejected beyond the sub-space, and get annihilated.

Farewell, Ro Han, Ri Fuu. Please forgive me for going to the samsara together with Ru Heu ahead of you.

The <> from the teleport gate fills the open space.

It abruptly disappears.

Death is quite disappointing.

Darkness and silence wrap this body.

"I'm sorry for ruining the mood, but since it was dangerous, I've dispersed the mana from the teleport gate. If I left it on rampage, it might affect not only this duchy capital, but even the royal capital, and this continent after all."

He's said that extremely easily, but dispersing mana from a rampaging teleport gate isn't a technique of human. Moreover, for him to recognize the destination of this teleport gate that I have protected with my life, regrettable.

"Right then, I'll vow with the name of hero, and the Parion god that I will not tell this to others."

To even promise in the name of god!

It's impossible for him to break the vow he's made in the name of his god. My see through skill also tells me that he's not lying. Let's believe on him, the hero, here.

This is how I meet Nanashi, the hero with a strange name.

While drinking the liquor and eating the snacks he has brought with relish, I begin to talk about the old story of the orcs after he begs for it. When I tell him that this sewer and the clean water facility are the heritages of orc, he exceedingly admires it. We even purposely go to the clean water facility for him to study the construction, what a diligent man. I begin to involuntarily talk like an old man about my various past successes, boastful stories, schemes, and even hardships. He listened to it to the end happily without looking tired. Truly a strange youth.

"However, what the wild boar king did is surely a crime. To fight the whole world that even drag its own race."

"It couldn't be helped, Nanashi. At that time, excluding our Orc empire, and the Saga empire, all demi-humans were enslaved by human. The wild boar king, despite knowing that he couldn't win, turned on the world, reduced the power of the human, and got annihilated by the hero."

The human at time that were ruling 90% of the world. When the ancient empire which controlled the majority of the world was destroyed, the orcs' battles were over. The wild boar king who had become the demon lord and couldn't maintain its ego probably marched toward the saga empire, which was the only empire that protected demi-human, to seek its own death.

I won't forget the sight of the hero who tried, until shedding tears of blood, to stop the death march of our brethren who had been manipulated by the five upper class demons. The hero ordered for the heavenly dragon's light breath with trembling voice while warped with crying voice. Exactly because he(?) found a nation that we didn't harbor our meaningless ambition, and lay dormant underground.

He left a single great sword as a proof of our friendship when he was leaving the duchy capital.

There is no inscription.

Thus, I will give it the name.

"■■ Name Order. Holy Sword 『Nanashi』"

We will hand down our treasure until the final moment when Orcs perish.

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