Chapter 13.5: The Great Eagle's Nest

Venti sized thanks to my latest Ko-Fi contributor, the great Voraguard! Thank you so much brother!

Here we go, chapter 13 finale!

She immediately got into a fighting stance, her hand laying on the wand at her waist.

In response, Bash crossed his arms.

That was the Orcish way of telling a potential opponent he had no intention to fight.

“…”

She was a beautiful Elf.

Her nose was tall, her eyes a magnificent blue, her chin as fine as they come, and her ears long and slim.

She was on the short side when it came to height, and her chest was modest, as was typical of Elves.

Her silky blonde hair shone in the moonlight, flowing down all the way to her waist.

Of course, Bash was familiar with this Elf.

She was the one who helped him out when he was on his way into the country.

In addition, the man next to her was the coachman back then.

A beautiful Elven woman.

Of course, as much as Bash was interested in her looks, something else was attracting his attention.

(Mister! Mister!)

Zell whispered into the Hero’s ear.

(Look! Look at her head! She’s not wearing a flower! She’s single!)

(Oh yes, I saw!)

What truly caught Bash’s attention was the top of her head.

Had she been wearing a flower, it would have meant she was married or otherwise taken, but there was nothing there except her hat.

This beautiful Elf.

She was unmarried.

(What’s our next move?)

(Alright, alright…phew, calm down. You can’t be rash. Let’s stay on the safe side here… How about you start by thanking her for helping you enter the country?)

(Got it.)

Bash nodded in response to the Faeries advice, and then bowed to the woman, who seemed rather confused by this turn of events.

“You took care of me when I was trying to enter the country. Thank you once again.”

Bash kept his eyes on the potential target of his quest, even while he was quietly convening with Zell.

The woman had witnessed the whole silent conversation as well.

Although the Hero had indicated he didn’t want any trouble, she was still on alert, not averting her eyes for even a second.

The Elven woman was confidant in her abilities, and yet she didn’t dare relax.

There was no way she would let her guard down.

“Hmph! That’s only natural! Orcs are welcome in Elf Country. The war is over, you know?”

“It’s she says, sir.”

The man accompanying her bowed his head in return.

However, he kept his gaze firmly on the Orc, watching for any sudden moves.

A stare that wordlessly said: “do anything suspicious, and I’ll kill you.”

Of course, Bash was used to being looked at in this manner, so he barely noticed.

To him, it was no different from being looked at normally.

“But I am a little curious!”

The woman’s words made Bash’s heart skip a beat.

“You’re curious? About me?”

“Yes, about you!”

Bash’s heart nearly beat out of his chest.

Even on the most dangerous of battlefields his heart had never beaten this quickly.

Hearing a woman tell him she was curious about him nearly made him faint.

Then, he quickly glanced at Zell.

(This is it! That’s the sign! She’s definitely interested!)

The Faerie gave him two thumbs up.

“What are you curious about?”

“I want to know what the hell you – … ahem. I want to know what you came here for.”

“What do you mean?”

“Uh-huh, yeah, keep playing dumb. I already know who you are. You’re the Orc Hero, Bash, a real major figure among Orcs. What are you trying to do, leaving your country and coming here, huh?! What’s your goal here!”

That last sentence was an outright threat.

Unfortunately for the Elven woman, Bash was an Orcish warrior and completely desensitized to the suggestion of violence.

Whether it was an attempt at intimidation or just normal conversation, it was all the same to him.

Rather than fear, the Orc Hero felt outright bliss at the idea that a woman would be this interested in him.

“Hm, that’s…”

The other party was not only interested in him, but even showed signs of being attracted to him.

There was no need to hesitate.

He wanted to propose to her right this second, and bed her as soon as possible.

However, Bash knew better now – it was too early for something like that.

He had just been rejected by ten Elven women due to his lack of money.

It was blatantly obvious that proposing out of the blue right here would not go well.

So how should he answer…?

(Psst, hey, mister, mister.)

Zell whispered to the uncertain Orc.

(What is it?)

(Hey, so I was thinking, how about you target only this girl here?)

(Only target? What do you mean?)

(So, you know how Elves are monogamous, right? A woman can only be with one man. Naturally, she wants the man to be completely devoted to her as well.)

(What are you trying to say?)

(Starting right now, instead of calling out to a bunch of girls, you just keep chasing after this single girl, who looks like she might like you a bit! You’ll definitely have a better chance if you do!)

(I see!)

The Elven woman in front of him was unmarried and had even shown signs of liking him.

The conditions were more favorable than ever.

It would make sense to increase the success chance of a proposal with this person as much as possible.

(Alright! But It’d be better to not ask her to marry you right now. You don’t have a shiny gold necklace yet. First of all, you should let her know you’re also interested in her, but don’t say why. Then, you’ll save up the money, buy a shiny gold necklace, and then when you’re all set, you’ll propose!)

(Got it!)

[That’s Zell for you.]

Thought Bash.

On the battlefield, Zell’s quick thinking had saved his life more times than he could count.

Of course, she had gotten him in trouble just as often, but the Orc Hero was a forgiving man, and he didn’t care about such minor, trivial things.

“My goal…”

“Yes, your goal!”

“…I will just say one thing.”

He needed to let the other party know that he was interested in them.

But how?

Bash’s brain was firing on all cylinders the cylinders of a magic powered carriage, duh, cars don’t exist here, trying to find a solution.

Making use of the lessons he learned during his short stay in Human lands, he choose his words carefully.

“I’ll come back for you. Expect me.”

‘Huh, wha – ?! You’re coming ba –? … for me?!”

The Elf’s eyes widened at these words.

“What?!! What do you mean?!”

“You’ll find out soon enough…”

Then, he about-faced and silently walked away.

Faerie’s Guidelines to Attracting Humans Elves 101 – Seducing for Dummies : To be both mysterious and dignified.

That was what he had learned in the Fortress City of Krassel within the Human Country.

On top of that, he showed her his interest in her without revealing his true purpose.

(Nice! Mister, that was excellent!)

His execution was pure, unadulterated seduction perfection.

Bash thought so.

And so did Zell.

The pair, feeling good about their encounter, hurried on their way back to the inn to prepare for the zombie hunt.

The woman watched Bash disappear into the darkness, and then spoke, her voice tinged with fear.

“What the…”

She didn’t understand.

The woman just couldn’t wrap her head around what just happened.

It was frustrating.

She clenched her fists and stomped on the ground, digging her heel into the dirt to let out some anger.

“What the fuck was that?! What the hell is going on?! Is he really up to something? Then he should have hid it properly, right?! Why did he have to say it like that?! He could have just said he was just here to travel! Lie properly! Hey, you think so too, right?”

“Yes, yes… but given that the Orc Hero is moving incognito, he probably has a reason why he couldn’t reveal what he was doing. But the way you asked him… he most likely felt like he couldn’t just dismiss you. And so, that roundabout answer was the best he could come up with. Orcs aren’t known to be good liars.”

“What? Are you saying this is my fault?!”

“No, no, of course not.”

The man shrugged, trying his best to bear the woman’s stare.

“Anyhow! Now that we know he’s planning something, you better keep an eye on him!”

“Hah, I understand. But realistically, if he were to come back, wouldn’t it be to kill you, Lady Sonia? You’re the only one that knows anything about his plans. Well, me too, I guess…”

At those words, the woman’s face went pale.

The Orc Hero, Bash.

Anyone who knew of his nightmarish strength would go white in the face knowing he was so close.

But she shook her head to clear her thoughts and clenched her fists to strengthen her resolve.

“But I can’t just run away. After all, I’m Thunder Sonia, the Elf Hero…”

Said the woman – Thunder Sonia, as he looked at her fist in the moonlight.

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