Chapter 164 : Chapter 164

Chapter 164: Circumstances

Did ‍​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌‌‌​​‌​‌​​‌​‌​​‌‌‌​​​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌​​‌​​‌​​‌‌​‌‌​​‌​​‌​​‌​‌‌​‌​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​‌​‌​‌​​​‌​​​‌​​​‌‌​​​‌‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​​‌‌​​‌‌​​‌​​​​‌‌​​‌​​‌​​‌‌​​​​‌‌​​‌​​‌​‌​‌​‌​​‌‌​​​​​‌​‌​‌​‌​‌​​​​‌‌​‌‌‌​‌​​​‌​​‌‌‌‌​‌​‌‌​‌​​​‌‌​​‌‌​‌‌​‌‌‌‌​‌‌‌‌​​​​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌​‌‌​​​​‌​‌‌​‌​​‌​​​‌​​​‌​​‌‌‌​​‌​​‌​​​​‌‌​​​‌‌​​‌‌‌​​‌​‌​‌​​​​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌​​‌​‌‌‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌​​‌​‌‌​‌‌‌​​‌​‌‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​​​‌‌​​​‌​​‌​​‌​​​​‌​‌​‌‌​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌​​‌​​‌​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌‌‌‌​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​‌​​​‌‌​​‌​‌‌​‌​​‌‌‌​​​‌​‌​​‌‌‌​​‌​‌​‌​‌​‌​​‌‌‌​​‌‌‌​‌​‌​‌​‌​​​‌​‌‌​‌‌​‌​‌‌​‌‌‌‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​‌‌‌​‌‌​‌​‌‌​‌‌‌​​​​​‌‌‌​‌‌​​‌‌​​​‌‌​‌​‌​‌​​​‌​​​​‌​​‌​​‌‌‌‌​‌​​‌‌​​​​‌‌​​​​​​‌‌‌​​‌​‌​​​​‌​​‌​‌​​​‌​‌‌​‌‌​‌​‌​‌​‌‌​​‌​​​​‌​​‌​​‌​‌‌​​‌‌​​​​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌‌​​‌​​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌​‌​‌‌‌​‌‌​​‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌‌​​​​​‌​‌​‌‌​​‌‌‌‌​​‌​‌​‌​‌‌‌​‌​‌​‌​​​‌​‌​‌​‌​‌‌‌​‌‌‌​‌​‌​‌​​​‌​​​‌​‌​‌‌‌​​​​​‌‌​‌​​​​‌​‌​‌‌‌​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌​‌​‌‌​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌​‌​​‌​​‌​‌‌​​​​‌​​‌‌‌​​‌‌​‌‌‌​​‌‌​​‌​​​​‌‌​​‌​​‌​‌‌​​‌​​‌‌​​‌​​‌​‌​‌​‌​​‌‌​​​‌​‌​​​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌​‌​‌​​‌‌‌​​‌‌‌‌​‌​​‌​‌​​​‌​‌‌‌​‌‌​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌‌​‌​‌‌​‌‌‌​‌​​​‌‌‌​‌​‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​​‌‌​​​​​​‌‌​​​‌​‌​​​​‌‌​‌​‌‌​​‌​​‌‌​​‌​​‌​‌​​‌​​‌​‌​​​‌​‌​‌​‌​‌​​‌‌​​​‌​‌​​‌‌‌​​‌‌‌​​​‌​‌​‌​​‌​​​‌‌​​​​​​‌‌​​​‌​‌​​​‌​‌​‌​‌‌​​‌​‌‌​‌‌​‌​‌‌‌​‌​​​​‌‌​‌​​​‌‌​​​​‌​‌‌​‌‌​‌​​‌‌​​​​​​‌‌​​​‌​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌​‌‌​‌​‌‌​‌​​​​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​‌​​​‌‌‌​‌‌​​‌‌‌​‌‌‌​‌‌‌​‌​‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​​​​​‌‌‌‌​​​​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌‌​‌​‌‌​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌​​​‌​​​‌​​‌‌‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌​​​‌‌​​‌‌‌​​​​​‌​‌​‌‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌​‌​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌​​​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌​​​‌‌‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​‌‌​‌​​‌​​​‌​​​‌​‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​​‌​​‌​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌​‌​‌​‌​‌​‌‌​​‌​​​​‌‌​‌​‌​‌​​​‌​​​‌​‌​‌​​‌‌‌​​​‌‌​​​‌​‌​‌​‌​​​​‌‌​​​​​‌​​‌​‌​​‌​‌​‌‌‌​‌​‌​‌​​​‌​‌​‌‌​​‌​‌‌​‌​​‌​​​‌‌​​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​‌​‌​‌​‌​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌​‌​‌​‌‌​​​​‌​‌‌​‌‌‌​​‌​‌‌​‌​​​‌‌​‌​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​‌‌‌​​‌‌​‌​​​​‌‌​​​​‌​‌​‌​​​‌​‌​‌​‌‌‌​‌​​‌​‌​​‌​​‌​‌‌​‌​‌​‌​‌​‌‌​‌​‌‌​​‌‌‌​​‌​‌‌‌​​‌​​‌​​‌​‌‌​​‌‌​​​‌​‌‌​​‌​​​‌​​‌‌​​​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌​​​‌​‌​‌​‌​​‌​​‌​‌​​​​​‌‌​​‌​​​​‌‌​​​​​‌‌​‌​​​​‌‌‌​​‌​​‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌‌​​​​​‌​​​‌‌​​‌​‌‌​​​​‌‌​​​‌​​‌‌​‌‌‌​​‌​​​‌​‌​​‌‌​​‌​​‌‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌‌‌​​‌​‌​‌​​​‌​​​‌‌​​‌‌​‌​​​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌​‌‌​​‌​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌​‌​​‌​​‌​‌‌​‌​​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌‌‌‌​‌​​‌​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌‌‌​​‌​‌​​​​​‌​‌​‌​​​​‌‌​​​​​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌​​‌‌​​​‌​​​​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌​​‌‌‌​‌​​​‌​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌​‌‌‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌​​‌‌‌‌​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌​​‌​​‌​‌‌‌‌​​​​‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌‌​​‌​​‌​​‌​​‌​‌‌‌​‌‌‌​‌​‌‌​‌​​‌​​​‌​​​‌​​‌‌‌​​‌‌​‌‌​‌​‌​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌​‌‌‌​‌​​​‌​‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌‌‌​​‌​‌​‌​​​‌‌​​​‌‌​‌‌‌‌​​​​‌​​‌‌‌​​‌‌‌‌​‌​​‌‌​​‌‌‌​‌‌‌‌​‌​​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​‌​‌‌‌​‌​​​‌​‌​​‌‌​​​‌​‌​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌​‌​​​‌​‌‌​​‌​​‌‌​‌​​​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​‌​‌​​​‌​​​​​‌​​‌‌​‌​​​‌​​‌‌‌​​‌‌‌‌​‌​​‌​‌​​​‌​​‌‌​​​‌​‌​​‌‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌‌​‌​‌​​‌​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌​‌‌​​‌​​‌‌​​‌​​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌‌‌‌​‌​​‌​​‌‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌‌​‌​​‌‌‌​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌​​‌‌‌​​‌‌‌‌​‌​​‌​​​‌​‌​​‌‌​​‌​​‌​​‌‌‌​​‌​​​‌​​​‌​‌​​​‌​‌‌‌​‌‌‌​‌​‌‌​​‌​‌‌‌‌​‌​​‌​‌‌​​‌​​‌‌​​‌​​‌​​‌‌‌​​‌​​​‌​​​‌‌​​‌‌‌​‌‌‌‌​​​​‌​‌‌​​‌​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌​​​‌​‌​‌‌‌‌​​​​‌​‌‌​​‌​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌​‌​​​‌​​‌‌​​​​​‌​​‌‌‌​​‌​​​‌​​​‌​​‌‌‌​​‌‌​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌‌‌​​‌‌​‌‌​‌​‌​‌​​‌​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌​‌‌​‌​​‌​​​‌​​​‌​‌​​​‌​‌‌‌‌​​​​‌​​‌​​‌​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌‌‌​‌‌‌​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌‌​​‌​​​‌​​​‌‌‌​‌​​​‌‌​​‌‌​‌‌‌​​‌​​‌​​‌​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌‌‌‌​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌​​‌​​‌​‌‌​‌‌‌​​​‌‌​​​​​​‌‌‌‌​‌‍the leader know?

That ‍​‌​‌​‌​​​‌‌​‌​​​​‌‌​​‌​‌​​‌​​​​​​‌‌​‌‌​‌​‌‌​​​​‌​‌‌‌​​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌‌​​‌​​​​​​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌​​‌​​​​‌‌​​​‌​‌‌​​‌​​​​‌‌​‌​​​​‌‌​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​​​‌‌​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌​​​​​​‌‌​​‌‌‌​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​‌‌‌‌​‌‌‌​‌‌‌​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌​​‌​​​​‌​​​​​​‌‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​​​​‌​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌‌​‌‌‌​​‌‌‌​‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌‌‌​​‌​​‌​​​​​​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌‌​‌‌‌​​​‌​​​​​​‌‌‌​‌​​​‌‌​‌​​​​‌‌​​‌​‌​​‌​​​​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​​​​‌​‌‌‌​​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌‌​​‌​‌‌‌​‍there had been a bastard secretly watching the bastard who secretly watched humans?

And ‍​‌​‌​‌​​​‌‌​‌​​​​‌‌​​‌​‌​​‌​​​​​​‌‌​‌‌​‌​‌‌​​​​‌​‌‌‌​​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌‌​​‌​​​​​​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌​​‌​​​​‌‌​​​‌​‌‌​​‌​​​​‌‌​‌​​​​‌‌​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​​​‌‌​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌​​​​​​‌‌​​‌‌‌​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​‌‌‌‌​‌‌‌​‌‌‌​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌​​‌​​​​‌​​​​​​‌‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​​​​‌​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌‌​‌‌‌​​‌‌‌​‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌‌‌​​‌​​‌​​​​​​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌‌​‌‌‌​​​‌​​​​​​‌‌‌​‌​​​‌‌​‌​​​​‌‌​​‌​‌​​‌​​​​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​​​​‌​‌‌‌​​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌‌​​‌​‌‌‌​‍that this stalker-like bastard had even made a plan to kidnap me for his sake and use me as a substitute human?

That ‍​‌​‌​‌​​​‌‌​‌​​​​‌‌​​‌​‌​​‌​​​​​​‌‌​‌‌​‌​‌‌​​​​‌​‌‌‌​​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌‌​​‌​​​​​​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌​​‌​​​​‌‌​​​‌​‌‌​​‌​​​​‌‌​‌​​​​‌‌​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​​​‌‌​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌​​​​​​‌‌​​‌‌‌​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​‌‌‌‌​‌‌‌​‌‌‌​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌​​‌​​​​‌​​​​​​‌‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​​​​‌​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌‌​‌‌‌​​‌‌‌​‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌‌‌​​‌​​‌​​​​​​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌‌​‌‌‌​​​‌​​​​​​‌‌‌​‌​​​‌‌​‌​​​​‌‌​​‌​‌​​‌​​​​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​​​​‌​‌‌‌​​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌‌​​‌​‌‌‌​‍someone who liked him that much had been right beside him?

“Kkwek. ‍​‌​‌​‌​​​‌‌​‌​​​​‌‌​​‌​‌​​‌​​​​​​‌‌​‌‌​‌​‌‌​​​​‌​‌‌‌​​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌‌​​‌​​​​​​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌​​‌​​​​‌‌​​​‌​‌‌​​‌​​​​‌‌​‌​​​​‌‌​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​​​‌‌​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌​​​​​​‌‌​​‌‌‌​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​‌‌‌‌​‌‌‌​‌‌‌​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌​​‌​​​​‌​​​​​​‌‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​​​​‌​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌‌​‌‌‌​​‌‌‌​‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌‌‌​​‌​​‌​​​​​​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌‌​‌‌‌​​​‌​​​​​​‌‌‌​‌​​​‌‌​‌​​​​‌‌​​‌​‌​​‌​​​​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​​​​‌​‌‌‌​​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌‌​​‌​‌‌‌​‍S-so, you come with us and r-run away too.”

That ‍​‌​‌​‌​​​‌‌​‌​​​​‌‌​​‌​‌​​‌​​​​​​‌‌​‌‌​‌​‌‌​​​​‌​‌‌‌​​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌‌​​‌​​​​​​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌​​‌​​​​‌‌​​​‌​‌‌​​‌​​​​‌‌​‌​​​​‌‌​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​​​‌‌​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌​​​​​​‌‌​​‌‌‌​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​‌‌‌‌​‌‌‌​‌‌‌​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌​​‌​​​​‌​​​​​​‌‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​​​​‌​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌‌​‌‌‌​​‌‌‌​‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌‌‌​​‌​​‌​​​​​​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌‌​‌‌‌​​​‌​​​​​​‌‌‌​‌​​​‌‌​‌​​​​‌‌​​‌​‌​​‌​​​​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​​​​‌​‌‌‌​​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌‌​​‌​‌‌‌​‍bastard was now persistently asking me to play the role of a substitute human.

“Kkwek. Let’s say I go with you. Kkwek. Then what are you going to do? Kkwek. Do you think you can keep fooling the leader by pretending you can’t say anything, like you’ve done until now?”

When I pressed him, the half-wit’s expression hardened, as if he had not failed to worry about that part either.

“K-kwek. B-but if the leader f-finds out, kkwek, he’ll g-get angry.”

I quietly watched the half-wit mutter gloomily, then rose to my feet.

“Kkwek? Wh-what is it?”

“Kkwek. What do you mean, what? Kkwek. We have to go back.”

I had no intention of listening to the bastard’s empty-headed worries.

It would be better to worry about how to find Ratel and the leader.

But I could not move more than a few steps before I had to stop.

Because the half-wit blocked my path with a fairly firm expression.

“K-kwek......! You can’t go!”

“Kkwek. How are you going to stop me this time? Kkwek. Are you going to drop me into the river again?”

“Kkwek. I-I didn’t know you’d d-drown then. Kkwek. I won’t k-kill you. Kkwek. If that s-scary human finds out, it’ll be bad.”

Come to think of it, since earlier, he had been firmly believing that if I died, Ratel would kill him.

“Kkwek. Did that bastard say so with his own mouth? Kkwek. That he’d kill the leader if you killed me?”

The bastard, who had been trembling as if even imagining it was frightening, shook his head at my question.

“Kkwek. N-no. Kkwek. But he told me to w-watch you. Kkwek. Until y-you got s-sick of living with orcs.”

Come to think of it, he had said there was a deal like that.

Recalling the threat Ratel had once confessed to, I took one step toward the half-wit, who still did not seem to have any intention of moving aside.

The bastard flinched, but held his place rather firmly.

“Kkwek. A-anyway, he said he’d k-kill the leader. Kkwek. That he n-needed the leader’s n-neck. Kkwek. So, kkwek, if I d-don’t eat the leader’s n-neck, the leader keeps living. Kkwek. If you’re there, that human won’t k-kill the leader either.”

After rambling on about his reason for stopping me, the bastard secretly watched my reaction.

“Kkwek. That’s completely useless. Kkwek. It’s not like you can spend your whole life running away.”

At the strong premonition that rose in my head, I looked at the half-wit.

“Kkwek. Th-that’s...... true.”

The half-wit rolled his eyes, then nodded once.

“Kkwek. And by now, the leader should be alone with that human. Kkwek. According to you, if I die, the leader dies too. But from that human’s point of view, wouldn’t it look like I drowned in the water? Kkwek. And because you grabbed me, at that.”

“Kkwek!! Th-that’s true too! Kkwek!! Th-the leader is with the h-human!! Kkwek!! He’s in danger!!”

Only then did the bastard seem to remember that he had left the leader alone with Ratel, because he jumped and screamed.

But the momentum that looked as if he would run off at once soon shrank.

“K-kwek. Still, he w-won’t kill him. Kkwek. He said he w-won’t kill him until I e-eat the leader.”

The half-wit suddenly crouched down like a balloon that had lost its air and muttered weakly.

What is it this time?

When I asked, wondering if there was yet another problem I had not thought of, the half-wit rolled his eyes.

“Kkwek. What now? Kkwek. Why did you suddenly change your mind?”

At my urging, the half-wit slowly opened his mouth.

“Kkwek. D-do you think the leader noticed?”

“Kkwek. Noticed what?”

“Kkwek. That I f-fooled the leader. Kkwek. Th-the leader is scary when he gets angry.”

It was an issue I had not expected.

An unimaginably trivial issue.

“Kkwek. Wh-what if he scolds me?”

What do I care about?

I felt not the slightest bit of sympathy for the bastard looking up at me with such a pitiful face.

“Kkwek. The leader won’t scold you.”

When I said it flatly, the half-wit’s face brightened.

“Kkwek. Because by the time you make up your mind to go back to the leader, he won’t be in any state to get angry at you anymore.”

“Kkwek!! Wh-what does that m-mean?!”

“Kkwek. It means there are plenty of ways to retaliate even without killing him. Kkwek. Humans can become more cruel than you imagine.”

I lowered my voice as I looked into the bastard’s eyes, which were trembling with anxiety.

“Kkwek. I can’t even imagine what that human with the rotten personality might do to the leader.”

In the half-wit’s imaginative head, it seemed the leader’s funeral had already unfolded.

I quietly watched as the bastard’s face turned pale.

The bastard, who had found something more frightening than having the leader discover his secret, eventually rose to his feet.

I had said that, but I did not truly think the leader was in danger.

I was also certain that whatever Ratel did to the bastard, at least he would not kill him.

After all, he had noticed this rare relationship between the two orcs faster than I had.

He would not kill carelessly.

Yes, if anything, that was the problem.

The possibility that another reason might get mixed into why the bastard did not kill the leader, beyond the simple reason of absorbing the holy object’s power.

If that bastard decided he did not want to kill these two orcs......

“Kkwek!! Th-this way!! Kkwek!! Hurry up and c-come!!”

The half-wit shouted at me, not giving me time to sink into ominous thoughts.

As if he had already forgotten that he had been crouching down because he was afraid of being scolded by the leader, the bastard was already far away, waving his hand.

When I chased after him and narrowed the distance, the half-wit began guiding me as if he had been waiting.

As I watched his confident back, one emotion slowly raised its head.

Calling it betrayal would be too grand...... Yes, it was irritating.

“Kkwek!! You’re s-slow! Kkwek!! Hurry up and come!!”

You knew the way from the beginning after all.

The half-wit’s steps were so unhindered that it was strange he had been quietly following behind me until now.

“Kkwek. The leader didn’t seem to know all the paths either, so how do you know all the paths inside the cave?”

The half-wit, who had been urging me on, twitched his shoulders at my question.

“Kkwek. Th-the leader has a good n-nose. Kkwek. If I d-don’t want to get caught, I have to hide well and follow him.”

The half-wit mumbled.

As expected, my guess that the leader had secretly observed humans was right.

But if so, that made it even stranger.

If he had gotten good at finding paths inside the cave by chasing after the leader, then the leader should have known the internal structure as well as the half-wit did.

“Kkwek. If you chased after the leader, shouldn’t that bastard know as much about this place as you do?”

But the bastard had clearly been ignorant enough about the cave that he needed my guidance.

“Kkwek. Did the leader know the paths like you and just pretend not to know?”

“Kkwek. D-different. Kkwek. The leader d-doesn’t know this path well. Kkwek. The path was t-taught to me.”

There was no way the omitted subject was an orc like him.

Regardless of whether an individual knew the path that well existed, there was no way there would be a bastard kind enough to do that in the first place.

“Kkwek. Who? Kkwek. Who taught you the path?”

“K-kwek. S-so, so......”

The bastard, who had been answering while turning his body into a narrow path, suddenly stopped speaking.

At first, I thought his words had simply slowed because he was squeezing out unfamiliar speech.

But the half-wit’s eyes, wandering through empty air, reminded me of an experience from the recent past.

The conversation with the leader, who had suddenly lost an entire memory.

“Kkwek. Hey, hey!”

I grabbed the half-wit’s shoulders, which had gone limp as if his soul had left him, and shook them roughly.

Before long, life returned to the half-wit’s eyes, and he turned toward me as if nothing had happened.

“Kkwek. Th-the leader has a good n-nose. Kkwek. If I d-don’t want to get caught, I have to hide w-well and follow him.”

The bastard repeated what he had said, as if the conversation in the middle had been cleanly carved out of his memory.

“Kkwek. Do you not remember what just happened?”

I asked to try to catch any trace of memory that might remain, but the half-wit only looked at me with a puzzled face.

“Kkwek. Wh-what are you talking about?”

“Kkwek. Just now, you said someone taught you the path......”

“Kkweeeek!!!”

The half-wit had not suddenly had a seizure.

Because the scream, which was similar to the sound of a pig having its throat cut, had come from far deeper inside the burrow.

“K-kwek!! Th-the leader!!”

The half-wit instantly came back to his senses, shook me off, and ran.

I pulled back the hand that had been holding the bastard and followed behind the half-wit as he wedged his body into the narrow path.

Yes, right now, quickly rejoining Ratel and the leader was important too.

Because not killing him did not mean not touching so much as a hair on him.

The leader might lose one more of his remaining arm or legs.

Still, as long as the most important breath remained, it would not matter.

***

He could not breathe.

The leader thought that as he looked up at the human who was twisting his neck with one hand.

That he might die by strangulation before losing his neck to the other bastards.

He had thought he never knew when he might meet death, and he had prepared himself for many things to that extent, but this kind of humiliating death had not been included among them.

The leader tried to escape the human’s hand, but it was not very useful.

The fact that the human grasping his neck was calmly looking down the cliff only wounded the leader’s pride even more.

“K-kwek......! Looking like that is useless! Kkwek! If it’s those bastards, they must have already been washed far away long ago!”

The leader, who had barely secured an airway, raised his voice.

And immediately regretted it.

Because all he had done was realize the even more humiliating fact that the reason he had been able to breathe until now was the human’s mercy.

“Kkwek......!”

When the force pressing down on his neck grew stronger, the leader instinctively grabbed the human’s hand.

Then the human’s eyes, which had been turned down the cliff the whole time, turned toward the leader.

At that cold gaze, the leader shuddered without realizing it.

But the leader did not close his mouth and merely watch the human’s mood.

Because he could not send this monster-like bastard down below.

“Kkwek!! Chasing them now will be useless! Kkwek. All you can do is wait for that insolent bastard to come back!”

When the human moved back from the cliff, the leader let out a small sigh of relief.

Although he nearly bit his tongue at the rough treatment that followed, when the human threw him to the ground.

The leader, who had tried to rise with a low groan, had to lie back down at the force gently stepping on his neck.

Because he could not ignore the fear that his neck might break under the foot of a human smaller than his own hand.

The leader’s hand trembled as he gripped Ratel’s leg, which was gradually gaining strength.

“K-kwek......! If you kill me now, you won’t get the leader’s neck!”

In the end, the leader could not endure any longer and shouted desperately to survive. Looking down at him, Ratel put strength into the leg trampling his neck.

He knew the leader was bluffing to stall for time.

He also knew that the prince and the half-wit who had been washed down below were not dead.

Had the orc-turned prince not said it with his own mouth?

That Sierra’s power did not kill him.

Just as the bastard had said, he had been swept away by water several times until now, but not once had it ever threatened him enough to kill him.

So he could understand in his head that right now, waiting for the bastard was the best way not to miss each other, rather than moving.

This was why his heart was unsettled.

The fact that he knew everything.

And yet there was nothing he could do.

“Kkwek! Stop taking your anger out on me and move this!”

Ratel, who had been putting strength into his leg without realizing it, lowered his head.

The leader, whose face had turned dark green, was gasping for breath.

So this was just killing time.

After all, he had no idea how long it would take until the bastard came back.

Ratel loosened the strength in his leg a little.

“How do you feel right now?”

“K-kwek......! You crazy bastards! Kkwek!! Why the hell are you curious about something like that?!”

The leader, who had been desperately drawing in breath, glared at Ratel with bloodshot eyes.

There was no need to borrow the leader’s mouth to know who that other bastard was.

“So, what did you answer about the other crazy bastard?”

When Ratel did not give up on hearing the answer, the leader looked at the calm madman with a sickened face.

He could not tell whether weird bastards had gathered together, or whether that orc bastard had grown weird because he was hanging around a weird human.

One thing was certain: both bastards were madmen who would not give up until they heard an answer.

The leader shuddered at the kindness of leaving him just enough airway to speak, and opened his mouth.

“Kkwek. What are you asking?! Kkwek. Of course I feel like shit!!”

“Why? Because the half-wit abandoned you and ran?”

At Ratel’s question, which stabbed a sore spot, the leader felt the strength drain from his body.

He had not realized it until now, but the bastard’s words were right.

No, since he was the one who had pushed the half-wit away to make him run, perhaps abandoned was not the proper word.

At any rate, there was no doubt that the half-wit had run away, leaving him behind.

If he had been in the same situation, he probably would not have left the bastard behind.

So if he calmly thought about it, getting angry was right, and feeling wronged was also right.

“......Kkwek. No, that doesn’t matter.”

But strangely, he was not angry.

Whether it was because his head had gone wrong from not being able to breathe, or whatever else.

While he lay unable to move a finger, what suddenly came to his dizzy mind was the confident face of the bastard as irritating as the human before his eyes.

-If it’s that bastard, then I don’t mind being fooled once.

“Kkwek. It doesn’t matter.”

Without realizing it, the leader gave the answer of the unlucky bastard ringing in his head.

“......Kkwek. It must have been that important to him.