Chapter 1.3: A Hero's Departure

When Bash woke up the next morning, he picked up his beloved sword, and slung it over his shoulder.

It was a well-built sword, gifted to him by a Daemon General as thanks for rescuing a Daemonic unit on the battlefield in his sixth year participating in the war.

The blade was imbued with magics. It was thick, sturdy, never rusted, and never dulled.

Thanks to its ruggedness, Bash was able to keep on fighting without ever needing to replace his weapon.

It was his one and only true partner.

With the sword securely strapped to his back, he started to don his leather armor.

As Orcs rise in military rank, they are permitted to wear progressively heavier armor.

As a Hero, Bash could wear full-body steel armor, the highest quality and heaviest ensemble of equipment the Orcs had access to, but he preferred the lighter leather suit he was more familiar with.

Either way, to Bash, the type of armor was a moot point. He thought material bodily protection was near useless anyways since it would be broken, destroyed and unusable after a single day of fighting.

After getting himself ready, he briefly cleaned his home.

Surprisingly, many Orcs have neat and tidy lifestyles.

This stems from the fact that on the field of war, there are many situations where a soldier needed to cover his tracks.

And a good warrior is a warrior that leaves not even a single footprint behind when tricking the enemy.

Bash himself is pretty good at cleaning up.

Though, this time, he did not intend on making everything shine.

After a moderate amount of cleanup, he left the house.

As he walked out of his home, he turned around and looked up at the building that he used as a residence.

His house was the second largest in the Land of Orcs.

It was nearly a mansion, and far too big for a single man like Bash to live in by himself.

If Bash had the temperament of a regular Orc, he would have guests over every day and night to awe and entertain them tales of his conquests. Not that Bash didn’t want to do this, of course, but telling stories of himself during the war meant taking on the risk of revealing his greatest secret.

Wanting to keep his virginity under wraps, Bash could never allow himself to throw or even attend such a party. If he were prompted to talk about his saga, he would have to open up about his experiences with women, like any Orc would.

Bash turned around and began walking down the road, heading towards his destination.

“Oh, look, there’s Mr. Bash…”

As Bash walked down the path, orc warriors that were idling around gave way, letting him through, their cheeks turning red in admiration.

Were it any other Orc coming through, those proud warriors would have reacted differently, “What? You want me to clear out the way for you? Over my dead body, dumbass!”

“Man, the Hero is looking as good as he always does today…”

“Hey, doesn’t this street lead to the Chief’s place? What do you think he’s going to do in there?”

“Maybe… could it be that they’re talking about who will take on the leader’s mantle?”

“Whoa… Mr. Bash as the next Chief, huh. I swear, if this is serious, I’ll be the first to pledge allegiance!”

“Yeah right idiot! I’ll be the first to give him my loyalty!”

As he listened to the voices of the awe-struck Orcs around him, Bash finally came to a stop in front of a humongous structure.

It was this Orc Village’s landmark. Built out of gargantuan bones and millennium-old tree logs, it stood as the largest building in the town.

Inside was a large hall with several lit bonfires.

At the far end, several Orcs were sitting on the ground, eating together.

“Mr. Bash!”

“Dad, it’s Mr. Bash!”

“Mr. Bash, would you like to join us for dinner?”

The people sitting on the ground warmly welcomed Bash into their home with open arms.

They were all the same age as the Hero, but without exception, they all admired him.

Some of them had disliked Bash when he first started to be active on the battlefield, jealous of a new rising upstart, but now everyone was trying to emulate him.

Bash is the Orc Hero.

“Bash…”

In the center of all this cacophony, there was a man glaring at Bash.

He was a huge orc sitting on the only luxurious chair, his throne, at the far end of the room.

He was an elderly orc, a thick white beard adorning his chin. Despite his advanced age, he was almost twice as big as Bash. A warhammer as tall as he was rested at his side.

Nemesis was his name.

Orc King Nemesis.

He was a resolute, stoic, and brutal man.

A true Orc among Orcs, he kept swinging his hammer on the frontlines until the last seconds of the war. He was a father figure to all Orcs and recognized by all as their King.

Bash had immense respect for him and had previously given him his allegiance.

“What are you doing here?”

Nemesis’ gaze was intense.

Were it directed at a normal Orc, the poor victim would froth at the mouth and faint on the spot.

“…”

But Bash was no ordinary orc, and he remained steadfast and unfazed.

He looked straight back at Nemesis, his eyes burning with determination.

Seeing Bash’s strength and composure, Nemesis broke out in a deep laughter.

“My sons, excuse us for a moment.”

Nemesis he sent his children, who were eating seated around him, into the room next door.

The sons hurriedly picked up their food and left without complaint.

A conversation between a King, and a Hero.

As much as they wanted to stay and listen in, they were also orc warriors who had fought during the war. It was a warrior’s code to obey when a superior ordered.

They looked reluctant to leave but walked out all the same.

“…”

Once the two of them were alone, Bash sat down in front of Nemesis.

A few dishes were left between them, remnants of the King’s son’s hurried retreat, but none of them would be touched.

“…”

“…”

For a moment, they stared at each other in silence.

The emptiness lasted longer than one would expect from two Orcs, who usually enjoyed being loud and outgoing.

But it didn’t last forever.

At the same moment the bonfire crackled, Nemesis started speaking.

“It looks like you’ve made your decision. I can see it in your eyes.”

“Yes, I’ve made up my mind…”

“Don’t tell me otherwise. I know what I need to do.”

“Don’t worry. I’m aware of it. I know it all.”

“I’ve heard that you’ve rarely been seen at the breeding grounds…”

“It wasn’t hard to conclude that you’re leaving to look for it,” he said, shooting a sharp look at Bash.

“You’re going to go look for your wife, aren’t you?”

“!”

Orcish society is a never-ending orgy.

It was common for many Orcs to share a single woman, and for her to bear multiple children from different men.

However, to preserve the best blood and ensure the continuity of the strongest Orcish lineages, warriors who have distinguished themselves in battle are given the right to take wives.

A wife is a woman that is dedicated to a single man. A woman that wouldn’t be shared.

A wife is a woman who takes care of her own personal needs and gives birth to only her husband’s children.

It wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say that obtaining a wife is the ultimate goal of an Orc’s life.

Having a wife was an exclusive privilege for Orcs.

It was an honor that only a few orcs were permitted to have.

Therefore, only the finest, most exquisite women were sought out as wives.

Only a princess hailed as the most beautiful woman in three different nations, or a female Knight Commander, or a one-in-a-thousand-years genius female mage would deserve to be selected as a wife.

The more exceptional the wife is, the more desired she becomes.

In Orcish society, it was said that the more extraordinary the wife, the more powerful the Orc that would become her husband/

And Bash, Bash was a hero who has left an indelible mark in Orcish history.

If any woman were to be his wife, she had to be a woman of incomparable beauty and talent.

She could not be a slave or a foreign criminal who had been locked up in the breeding grounds.

If Bash, the Hero, were to take someone of such low stature as a wife, it would be a blow to the pride of Orcs everywhere.

Which is why Bash was saying that he was going to leave on a journey and find a wife himself.

He was doing all that in order to avoid damaging the Orc’s pride.

That was the Orc King’s thought process.

He had seen this coming from a mile away.

All and any Orcs would praise him for having a good eye. For his amazing insight.

Though the reality was that Nemesis was a bit… slow – a bit of an idiot.

“You… did you see this coming?”

Bash turned down his eyes in shame. He could feel his face burning up.

His cheeks turned a deep red.

He had no idea that the King would see through him like this. That his esteemed leader would know that he was a… a virgin.

And that wasn’t the end of it.

The King even mentioned Bash looking for a wife.

[No way, the King’s wisdom is incredible. He knew…he knew that I was planning on leaving this village and secretly lose my virginity elsewhere. That I ideally wanted another virgin as my first partner, and even make her my wife to have a regular practice partner. He saw straight through me…]

How could Bash not be ashamed?

The Hero of the Orcs, the strongest man in a thousand miles, was leaving on a journey with such beta male goals.

And to top it all off, to have the father of all Orcs know all about it.

It wouldn’t be a surprise if the King condemned him on the spot. That he would be slandered and accused as being a disgrace to all Orcs.

Though, the fact was that the King knew nothing about Bash’s virginity issues. It was all in Bash’s head due to his warped perception of Nemesis as a wise old ruler.

“My King, please don’t try to stop me, I have to…”

“I’m not gonna stop you.”

Nemesis held up a hand to interrupt Bash’s excuses.

He smiled warmly, closed his eyes as if in deep thought, and said: “Go.”

“You may go. Don’t worry, I won’t tell anyone.”

Nemesis had always felt sorry for him.

If only the war was still going on, or at least the peace treaty didn’t forbid non-consensual sexual intercourse with other races, as chief, he could have given Bash a chance to find himself a wife.

He could have given the Hero a life that was truly worthy of his accomplishments.

But now, the war was over, and the Orcs lived under the treaty’s laws.

Under these circumstances, it would be no small feat to find a woman of the highest caliber to be his wife.

Orcs, without exception, have never embraced a woman outside of rape in the last 5,000 years… ever since beginning of the war.

It was going to be a difficult ordeal.

A true test of grit and determination.

But Bash is a Hero.

The Hero of the Orcs was embarking on a quest to become a legend.

He could live comfortably in his own land alongside other Orcs, but he has decided to go on a journey.

He wanted to prove that, even though they lost the war, the Orcs have not lost their pride.

What kind of King would Nemesis be if he stopped him?

“Thank you…”

Bash quietly bowed his head.

Even though he was now a Hero and the world’s strongest Orc, he still didn’t feel like he could defeat the king.

Perhaps he was more powerful than him.

If they fought, he would most likely win.

[He would instantly see through my shallow thoughts, yet he would never ridicule me. He would give me the opportunity and time to regain my honor.]

No other Orc was so thoughtful, considerate, and kind.

[He is truly the Orc King, the only man worthy of that title. I will be loyal to him until he dies.]

Bash thought once again.

And thus, Bash set out on his journey.

He embarked on a long and arduous quest to finally lose his virginity.