Chapter 177: Chapter 176: The Beginning of the Action

The next morning, Kase began organizing the Orcs to pack their things.

It was mostly weapons, food, and clothing. To travel light, they discarded anything unnecessary.

It couldn’t be helped. Such choices had to be made in the name of survival.

Colin watched the busy Orcs, then turned and walked back into the cave chamber where they had stayed the previous night.

The Half-Elf was still sitting in the corner, reading her book.

"Ale, you should go with the Orcs. We’ll take the sled to deal with those Skeletons," Colin said. "I’m sorry, I didn’t make arrangements for you yesterday. It didn’t cross my mind."

"The blood of a Golden Dragon flows in my veins, Mr. Colin."

Ale snapped her thick book shut. "Just as the world has evil Five-Colored Dragons, it also has noble creatures like Metal Dragons. No Golden Dragon would ever refuse a mortal’s plea for help.

I have witnessed it myself. Although these Orcs are motivated by the need for survival, this is the first step toward goodness. It is something to be affirmed and guided. I will absolutely not stand by and do nothing!"

"Uh... thank you."

Colin was a bit bewildered by her speech.

But in any case, another pair of hands was always a good thing.

"So, should we set off now?"

"Could you give your luggage to the Orcs first, then? Our sled must travel light," Colin asked.

"Of course."

With that, Ale shouldered her pack and walked out of the chamber.

’What a strange person,’ Colin thought, ’but she seems like a good one, too.’

The two of them then left the chamber and helped the Orcs take stock of the baggage.

Once everything was taken care of, Colin and Ale followed the last Orc out of the cave.

It seemed to have snowed all night. The layer of snow on the ground was much thicker, and it felt loose and soft when stepped on.

All the Orcs had gathered at the cave entrance. Most of them were Half-Orcs, with a small number of Pure-blooded Orcs.

To be honest, this group of brawny, two-meter-tall hulks standing together was quite intimidating. It was hard to imagine they were actually refugees, driven to this point and unable to survive where they were.

It was worth noting that this Orc Tribe was, in the truest sense, a tribe of warriors.

While there were only about fifty Warriors in the formal sense, every one of them—be they female or elderly—could put up a fight. Even many of the younger Orcs looked sturdier than Colin.

Just as Colin was standing at the entrance, the members of the Black Giant Root Squad approached, each seated on the shoulders of an Orc Warrior.

These Orc Warriors wore Armor pieced together from thick plates of bone and metal. The weapons in their hands were standard, crude Orc equipment, making them look quite frightening at first glance.

"We can handle the Skeletons around the wooden wall. You guys just follow behind and wait for the main course," said the Halfling Ranger, who was holding a small Short Bow.

Colin nodded.

The Adventurers of the Black Giant Root Squad were then carried to the front of the column by the Orc Warriors. The Orc party also began to move out, one after another, treading across the thick snow.

Colin stood in place and waited for a moment.

Kase, who was at the rear of the group, then slid over, driving the sled.

"Ale has decided to come with us," Colin said, pointing to the Half-Elf beside him.

Ale said nothing, simply hopping onto the sled herself.

"Huh? Wasn’t Ale coming with us from the start?" Orelia asked, sitting down quite naturally beside the Half-Elf.

"She’s just a guide, not a member of our squad," Colin said as he too climbed onto the sled. "There was no need to drag her into a life-or-death fight with us."

"I came to fight because the Orcs are decent people," Ale explained with a deadpan expression.

Kase was silent for a moment, seeming a bit hesitant.

Only after seeing the Orcs ahead move out did he urge the sled dogs to follow the column.

A light snow began to fall from the sky.

There was no wind today, so you could watch the little white things slowly drift down before your eyes.

Also, because it had snowed all night, the snow wasn’t packed down, which slowed the sled’s progress.

Colin looked at the things his squad had brought.

Most of their luggage had been given to the Orcs, but they had brought the [Climbing Rope] and the [Dimension Bag]. He wasn’t sure what use they would be, but they were Magic Items, after all. He’d brought them on the off chance they might come in handy.

Of course, the dog food and loot inside the [Dimension Bag] had been cleared out and handed over to the Orcs.

After a while, Kase’s voice drifted over from the front.

"Sorry, Half-Elf," he said. "To be honest, I didn’t think much of you before."

Colin saw Orelia, who was sitting opposite him, give him a look of relief. He shrugged in response.

"Is that so? I didn’t notice."

"That’s because..."

"No one should be expected to apologize for a disagreeable thought, Half-Orc. If that were the case, every intelligent being in the world would have to apologize to a multitude of strangers they’ve never met."

"I get it."

Speaking of which, Colin was reminded of what he had seen and heard back in Mokewick and Holy Tear City.

Orelia, thinking along the same lines, said, "We saw a Half-Elf in Holy Tear City who set fire to someone in front of a tavern. It must have been someone else, right? After all, Miss Ale would never do something like that."

"That was me."

"Huh?"

"At the time, a gang member was demanding protection money from a dockworker at the tavern entrance. The dockworker was out of money.

But the gang member was relentless and had already drawn a knife, ready to strike. So, I used a small flame to scare him off. When he turned to deal with me instead, I increased the firepower a little."

"What about the arsonist in Mokewick?"

"That was also me."

Ale said matter-of-factly, "I was lost in that city at the time and happened to find a large stash of ’Stardust’ in a dockside warehouse. That stuff is a well-known addictive substance.

Many Mage Apprentices and artists are harmed by it. But when I demanded it be destroyed, the dock master said it was legal. So I snuck into the warehouse that night, dragged the crates to a deserted spot on the coast, and burned them."

"Is that so?"

Orelia tilted her head, not quite sure what to make of Ale’s actions.

’What she did was probably a good thing... but it feels like she goes about things in a rather reckless way,’ Colin grumbled to himself.

The sled continued on its way, and soon the Orc party came to a halt again.

This had been planned in advance. A few Orc Warriors would lead the charge with the Black Giant Root Squad to take care of the Skeletons around the wooden wall. 𝘧𝘳𝘦ℯ𝓌𝘦𝒷𝘯𝑜𝑣𝘦𝓁.𝒸𝘰𝓂

They had deliberately given the elite Orc Warriors extra food yesterday, so they still had enough strength for today.

Besides, the members of the Black Giant Root Squad were up front, too. While those little guys weren’t skilled in close-quarters combat, they were adept at long-range fighting with bows and Magic.

「A moment later.」

The party began to move again.

The sled slowly slid up next to the wooden wall, and Colin looked around it.

Shards of bone were scattered across the white snow. Judging by the number of skulls, the Skeletons had reinforced their guards here; there must have been more than a dozen Skeleton soldiers.

After passing through the wooden gate, Kase shouted something ahead in the Orcish tongue.

The party immediately picked up the pace.

The snow falling from the sky grew heavier, but still, no wind stirred.

Colin caught a snowflake as it drifted down.

’How strange,’ he thought, watching the snow melt in his palm. ’This big, white snowflake is almost the size of my palm. Does snow this large really fall under natural conditions?’

Not long after they followed the valley out, Kase’s voice came again from the front.

"Colin, the Skeletons are coming."

Colin turned his head to look at the Skeleton army appearing above them.

It looked like they had just gathered their forces and caught up.

In this snowy terrain, the living could never outrun these tireless dead things. If they didn’t deal with them, it was only a matter of time before the Orc Tribe was overtaken.

"Then let’s begin."