CH 4.3

“…”

Looking closely at the situation, the Faerie that used to accompany Bash on the battlefield was there too, bound and tied up in a padded bag, laying on the table.

Houston was familiar with this Faerie.

After being taken deliberately taken prisoner by the enemy, she would use some kind of strange magic to inform Bash of her, and thus her captor’s, position.

Faeries were prized for the restorative properties of the dust they gave off, so they were rarely killed, even when captured.

Taking advantage of the Humans’ behavior, she would intentionally get trapped, giving her would-be-jailers a nasty green surprise.

“Zell, the Master Baiter BOOBYTRAP-BAIT ” is what they called her.

“Ju… Judith…”

His sense of duty towards his subordinates, who were attentively watching him, was the only thing holding Houston back from succumbing to his trauma and run away screaming.

He was the Knight Commander of Krassel.

He was the one at the head of all the knights and soldiers of the city.

He was their leader.

Moreover, he was proud of the fact that they looked up to him – that they admired him.

He didn’t want to betray their trust.

Besides, if you paid close attention, you would notice Bash didn’t seem angry towards Judith.

Those weren’t the eyes of a murderous Human slaughtering monster. His expression was more akin to that of a good-natured old man listening to his grandchild’s selfishness.

It was incredible that an entity that brutal could make a face that gentle.

He couldn’t always be filled with an unquenchable thirst for blood just like he was on the battlefield, right?

Yes, because the war was over. There was peace now.

That was the impression that Houston got from Bash’s eyes.

But none of that changed the fact that they were dealing with Bash – THE Bash.

Taking a deep breath, Houston spoke to Judith with the utmost caution, mulling carefully over each of his words.

“Hey! What are you doing?”

“Oh! Sir, I was informed that an Orc attack had been reported in the Western Forest, and upon investigation, I found out that a suspicious Orc had recently entered the town. We immediately tracked him down to the inn where he was staying and put him under arrest. We’re currently interrogating him.”

“Ah, I see… Hmmm.”

Houston immediately understood the situation – there was no way this was a legitimate arrest.

Bash wouldn’t leave any witnesses.

If he really wanted to not get caught, he would have already escaped.

Even a hundred men wouldn’t have sufficed to capture him – let alone the Judith’s tiny squadron.

Why did Houston believe that?

Because he had tried it before.

“I’ve gotten him to give up most of his information, now all we need is to find out the goal of his journey! Hey! Spit it out, you fucking pig!”

Grabbing Bash by his collar, Judith got all up in his face, threatening him.

A chill ran down Houston’s spine.

“Oh, no, no, no, no, none of that! Don’t be violent!”

His tone and attitude were absolutely pathetic.

Why was that?

Even in times of peace, there were situations that would definitely make someone angry.

Like, for example, if you were taken to jail for no good reason, grabbed and jostled by a little girl who had never known war, who then proceeded to arrogantly threaten you.

In other words, now was the time.

He should be angry.

“I have nothing more to say.”

But Bash was not angry.

Rather than looking upset, his face was relaxed, his nostrils twitching once in a while.

The citrus scent wafting in from various parts of the prison must have soothed his soul.

Orcs were omnivorous. They would eat nearly anything but had a particular preference for fruit.

Houston inwardly thanked his men for implementing the use of citrus scented oil in the prison, thinking about giving them a pay raise.

“Ahem… Judith, please take your hands off of him, slowly back away, and come stand next to me.”

“What’s the matter sir? What’s wrong? I can’t believe Sir Houston, the Swine Slayer, would be so.. so timid!”

“AHHHH, no, no! Don’t use that nickname!”

Houston’s nickname was of… particular interests to the Orcs.

Mentioning it while arresting a stray Orc would inevitably end up with him glaring at you, hatred burning in their eyes, cursing you, “You… you’re Swine Slayer! I’ll kill you! Fuck, I’ll kill you!”

That’s how much the name “Swine Slayer” riled up the Orcs.

Well, maybe they were just angry at being called pigs.

“What are you going on about, Sir Houston? Now listen carefully, swine. Let me tell you about Sir Houston’s feats, you fucking pig. This right here, standing right in front of you, is the man who has slain the most Orcs during the war – Commander Houston of the Anti-Orc Army! He could take care of a little porky Orcy like you with a hand behind his back and a finger up his nose. And…”

For more,

However, Bash looked reluctant to leave as he was meticulously untying the Faerie.

His gaze kept wandering towards Judith, who was watching him from afar.

[Oh…?]

Seeing the look on Bash’s face, a sudden thought appeared in Houston’s mind.

Bash hesitated when he was told to go.

Why?

Why look at Judith?

Was he angry with her? No, just a second ago he said that he wasn’t. So why?

What information did this Orc have on her?

She’s a knight… She’s in charge of a case in the Western Forest… The highways…in other words!

Houston let his hyperactive mind run at full throttle and made a conclusion.

Hello everyone, BAD MACHINE here!

Whew this chapter is a grind to translate. One part left, coming up tomorrow.

This chapter will be the last release before next year, after which I’ll be taking a long, well deserved break from translation.

Hope you all enjoy!

And as always, thanks for reading, and happy holidays!

BAD MACHINE, out!

P.S. pls gib money if you like my translations, KO-FI link is in the novel description.