Chapter 9.4.1 - Epilogue (LN content)

Sorry for the lack of updates boys and girls, I had one hell of a month.

Big thanks to my latest Ko-Fi supporters Muhammad, SRTExceed, OrangeNath, Deathsu, Ito8 and an Anonymous Supporter! Thank you so much for contributing and reading my work!

And EXTRA SPECIAL THANKS to Prognar, Boomhauer and Reni2425! Broskies you guys have no idea how much it warms my heart to see your names again and again on my Ko-Fi feed. Really kept me going when I was stuck doing nothing in bed.

Sorry for not being able to respond to each of your Ko-Fis individually like I usually do, but I promise that I’ll get around to it soon!

Anyways, here’s the chapter – WARNING THIS IS LN EXCLUSIVE CONTENT, FAT SPOILERS/TEASERS AHEAD.

Bash was walking through the woods.

His destination was Siwanasi Forest, within Elven territory.

The dense, root covered forest ground would have been a challenge for anyone to thread through, but Bash’s steps were light.

Following the Faerie’s lead, he leisurely walked towards his goal.

One step after another, full of confidence.

“Siwanasi Forest is pretty close by, so let’s move quickly!”

“Yosh!”

Bash and Zell.

Two individuals that came to prominence during the war.

The pair had survived countless battles at each other’s side. Although they had tasted defeat several times, their victories outnumbered their failures.

This chance at love ended in a loss, but surely, there was light waiting just around the corner. And even if that failed, there will be more opportunities waiting.

That’s how it’s always been.

With this feeling is their hearts, they headed towards Siwanasi Forest.

There, they will find Bash’s wife. They firmly believed that this journey would end right there.

However, they didn’t know it yet.

They weren’t yet aware that this journey would be long and arduous.

Around that same moment, an Elf was attending a Human celebration.

A luxurious gathering of Human nobles.

Left and right, gorgeously dressed ladies and gentlemen were leisurely chatting away, smiling and laughing.

In their midst, an Elf was chatting away with a Sergeant from a noble family.

They were discussing the future of Humanity.

“Hmmm. If that’s the case, the future of Humanity will depend on the development of commerce, learning, and the arts.”

“That’s right. Which is why I’m thinking of building schools all over Human territory. Unfortunately, the lot of us are nothing but warriors and knights, good only at fighting. We don’t have much of an education. So few among us have the qualifications to become teachers…”

“The ones with an education are already off doing their own thing, huh.”

“Yes, but I’m currently trying to convince them to help create some sort of guide for training teachers. I’m hoping the Elves might assist me with that.”

“Ah, a drill manual for teachers! I’ve been thinking about making coming up with something similar for a while now as well. How about we discuss all this education business together this evening?”

“Hahaha, I’m glad to hear you want to entertain this idea further, but won’t there be rumors if a man and a woman spend time together in the same room?”

“Hm? Since when does Sir Merz “The Battering Ram” care about what people say about him?”

“Just trying to cover my bases.”

“Really? I wouldn’t mind, you know?”

“Don’t test me. No man, no matter how foolish, would want to make an enemy out of all Elves.”

“Hahaha, of course, of course…”

The Elf also laughed along, but hers was empty and dry, unlike that of the partygoers around her.

She wasn’t yet aware.

She did not yet know that one day, the Orc Hero’s goal would line up with hers.

A Dwarven girl was sharpening her sword within a workshop.

The room was quiet except for the sound of steel grinding on stone.

After a while of working on the blade, she dipped it into a vat filled with red fluid that was sitting beside her. A black, powdering substance floated to the surface.

Looking satisfied, she pulled out the sword and brought the edge close to her eyes.

“Nice!”

“What’s nice?”

“!”

The girl turned around in a jolt, and finally noticed a Dwarven woman standing there, observing her.

“I told you not to enter my workshop without knocking…”

“It’s your fault for not locking the door. So, what’s this process? What’s that red liquid? Are you dipping your sword in paint?”

“Trade secret.”

“Ha! You think you’re good enough to have trade secrets worth stealing? If you have the time to make up these strange methods, you’d be better off working on your fundamentals.”

“Tsk! You’re always looking down on people. Did you come here just to say that?”

The woman sighed at the girls agitation.

“I really came in here just to take a look. But then I saw your work and…I just couldn’t help but comment on something so…shoddy.”

“Yeah, save your breath. You’ll need it to yell in anguish when I wipe the floor with you at the next Weapons Festival.”

“Pft! Sure, you will.”

The woman muttered a few words in mockery as she walked out of the room.

The girl, now alone, looked down at her sword and grit her teeth in frustration.

She wasn’t yet aware.

She didn’t know that one day, the Orc Hero would wield one of her creations.

The Beastmen Princess was looking out from the window of her room.

From there she could see the newly erected town.

I had been built in the three years that had followed the end of the war. Everything was new and vibrant, yet the old traditions still persisted.

A settlement that was as lively as it was rife with inequality.

The Beastmen Royal Family was doing it’s best to fix this place up and revitalize it, pouring in tons of ressources.

Leto, the Beastmen Hero, reclaimed this territory.

Everyone who is anyone was proud of their Hero.

He was a brave man who valiantly died in battle against the Demon King Gediguz, sacrificing his own life to wound the enemy.

He was the pride of the Beastmen Tride, and was considered their greatest Hero.

“If you’re really proud of our Hero…If you were truly proud of him, why would you lie like this?”

But the common populace wasn’t aware of the truth.

It was true that Leto was the pride of the Beastmen.

But the facts about him had to be…embellished, somewhat, as to not tarnish the honor of the race.

And so, the princess thought:

“Looks like I have to erase all of it.”

The princess looks out the window with hatred in her eyes. However, her gaze is not directed at the town. It was directed at the sordid feelings within her heart.

“I need to get revenge. I need to redeem Uncle Leto.”

She was not yet aware.

She still did not know that her own facts were also untruths, and that the lies would eventually be exposed by the Orc Hero.

Asanagi sure as hell delivers, doesn’t he…