Chapter 5 (2/2)

Luke decided to ask Viscount Max a question.

“Has something happened? The soldiers seem to be on guard as well and in disarray.”

Viscount glanced at Luke, before opening his mouth.

“To tell you the truth, something unusual has happened.”

“Something unusual?”

Luke had an idea, but he feigned innocence and waited for the viscount to finish his explanation.

“Most of the Orcs at the hideout were discovered as corpses.”

Luke feigned a surprised expression at Viscount Max’s words.

“Is that so?”

“Something even more unusual was the fact that the corpses did not have any wounds. And all of their chests were bared.”

Viscount Max’s face contorted in confusion.

To both Orcs and humans, the chest was a critical area to protect. A st.u.r.dy chest plate was a necessity for all soldiers. The discovered Orc corpses had all been bare-chested and unarmored.

Orcs usually liked to wear the armor that they pillaged from human soldiers, forcing prisoner blacksmiths to modify them.

“There were only about fifty Orcs alive that resisted. All of them were fully armored. Of course, my subordinates exterminated them.”

Luke frowned slightly.

‘Looks like their souls were taken into the spirit sword. The Orcs were unlucky… They would have had time to put their souls into human bodies had the a.s.sault time not been pulled ahead.”

The chances that Kurotan had survived the a.s.sault seemed low.

“Were there any survivors amongst the resisting Orcs?”

“You think that’s possible? Orcs are a race that do not surrender under any circ.u.mstances.”

“You killed them all then.”

“Of course.”

Viscount Max still looked uncomfortable. The plan had succeeded, as they had captured the Orc hideout, but the fact that most of the Orcs were already corpses was sure to bring about problems.

He and his subordinates had only killed a mere fifty Orcs.

“Anyways, thank you for saving me. I would have died in there otherwise.”

“You were lucky. I have heard that you are retiring. Build towards a brighter future, and forget about the tragedy here.”

Exchanging soulless remarks, they were about to leave when a soldier came into the headquarters.

“We think he is too suspicious, sir. I think we may need to put him under torture.”

“Is that so? Bring him here.”

Luke had been about to leave the building when he heard these words and hesitated.

“What is it, commander?”

Viscount answered with a smile.

“We were able to rescue one other prisoner besides you. He was a soldier serving as a draftee, but his behavior was reportedly very suspicious.”

“Suspicious?”

“We put him through some simple questioning, but his story was a bit all over the place. He also seemed to be avoiding my soldiers. He will be here soon, you can see for yourself if you are familiar with him.”

Luke’s face paled.

“No… It can’t possibly be?”

A possibility rose to Luke, but with a bit of effort he ignored it.

A little while later, the prisoner was dragged into the headquarters by soldiers. It was Hal, the cook who had been ambushed along with Luke.

Luke’s mind fell into confusion the second he saw Hal’s eyes.

‘f.u.c.k… it’s just as I worried!”

Hal’s appearance had remained the same as when they were in the carriage. The look in his eyes, however, had definitely changed.

The sly, despicable eyes of Hal that Luke remembered were gone.

The eyes that Luke now saw in Hal, being fierce and wild but also somehow simple, were most definitely the eyes of the Orc Great Warrior, Kurotan.

‘No doubt about it. Kurotan has taken over Hal’s body using the divine artifact.’

Hal seemed to be in a state of full panic. He thrashed around endlessly in an effort to escape, causing the soldiers to sweat profusely in an effort to restrain him.

“Hey b.a.s.t.a.r.d! Just come along quietly.”

“Why are you trying to run away?”

Hal’s eyes found Luke’s. Hal immediately became still and relaxed.

Hal gazed into Luke’s eyes, seemingly trying to say with his eager eyes that he was asking for an answer.

‘I’m going to go crazy. Looks like I have to make a decision after all!’

Luke swallowed. He did not know which decision to make.

Viscount Max observed the strange interaction between Luke and Hal and seemed intrigued.

“Do you know him?”

Luke had fallen deep into his thoughts and did not seem to hear him. Viscount Max frowned and approached Hal.

“What is your name?”

Hal could not answer the question. Hal’s squirming movements were identical to that of a criminal, and Viscount Max’s eyes narrowed.

“Looks like we will be needing the torture specialist after all. You will be tortured until you tell us the truth.”

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