Craig (1)

We narrowed down the personnel going to the Malachite Kingdom to the bare minimum.

Since the enemy might be monitoring our movements, we decided to move with only an elite few.

The selected members ended up being me, Titan, Ilina Crowley, and Ratatoskr, for a total of four.

That’s how it was decided, but…

“Haha!”

Ilina Crowley’s smug expression is extremely irritating.

She’s flaunting to Eve and Línea that she’s the most useful person. I thought she’d been behaving lately, but when will this power struggle ever end?

Fortunately, Línea dismissed it as beneath her notice, while Eve remained indifferent.

A situation where she’s being ignored by both sides.

Despite this, Ilina Crowley was confident that she was just a cheetah that hadn’t started running yet.

Well, if it makes her happy, I don’t have much to say about it.

Let good things be good, I suppose.

“Are you mentally prepared?”

“Hmph, I naturally finished that back in Alfheim.”

“That’s good then.”

“You’re the one who should be preparing yourself. The Malachite Kingdom has a harsh environment.”

“Well, at this point, we’re a bit past being affected by environments.”

We’ve already made a round trip to Skadi, so would heat and humidity really be a problem?

It would just be uncomfortable, not like we’d freeze to death.

Thinking about what Titan said, we should be careful about heatstroke, but my physical body transcends humanity. That means I won’t have issues with body temperature.

The only one who might have problems here is Ilina Crowley, right?

“Hahaha!”

Well… I’m sure she’ll manage somehow.

*     *      *

Malachite Kingdom.

Surrounded by swamps, tall slender trees, reeds, and ferns, the place looked like a natural fortress in every sense of the word.

With nowhere proper to step, movement is difficult, and the trees sprouting everywhere make it even harder to determine direction.

Because of such an environment, orcs must have remained hidden from human eyes.

Swamps are sometimes called the cradle of life, but it didn’t feel that way at all.

The weather was hot and humid, with unpleasantness felt just by breathing.

“Titan, can you find the way?”

“It’ll take some time, I think.”

Teleportation magic originally requires calculating coordinates.

But since there was no exact location of the Malachite Kingdom marked on any map, we had no choice but to teleport based on the location Titan had pointed out.

The result is our current situation. We’ve been stranded in the middle of a swamp.

Ilina Crowley said that even if we knew the exact coordinates, recklessly entering the middle of the kingdom would be impolite, so there’s nothing unusual here.

What’s strange is that despite targeting as close as possible, the kingdom isn’t visible. I tried flying up to look around, but due to the trees sprouting everywhere, I ultimately failed to locate the kingdom.

I heard there are trees that rise higher than the castle walls.

So they’re perfect for hiding.

Unfortunately, even though Titan is from the kingdom, finding the way didn’t seem to be an easy task.

Well, in a swamp where you can’t even tell front from back, and with nothing that could be called a path, how could one find the way?

Unless we first find some kind of structure that exists in Titan’s memory, it would be difficult to even determine a direction.

“I see. Princess Ilina.”

“I’m… dying…”

I conveyed that disappointing news to Ilina Crowley, who was starting to half-die in the hot and humid weather.

I was concerned about the fever she originally had, but she seems to be struggling more than expected.

Surprisingly, she couldn’t use any ice-based magic at all.

She said she could use a little before, but it seems to be a side effect of absorbing Phoenix’s feather.

“Ugh… it’s hot. Isn’t there any holy magic that can cool me down?”

“There is, but as you’ve already experienced, it doesn’t seem to be very effective for you.”

It’s not like I wanted to leave her be. I’m a priest, after all.

I had ways to deal with heatstroke, which is why I confidently decided to go to the Malachite Kingdom.

But her constitution doesn’t accept that type of holy magic.

Since I can’t overcome her constitution, we’ve ended up in this situation.

“Just open a teleport gate and go back, I told you.”

“I can’t be the one holding everyone back.”

“You’re holding us back in real-time right now. You can’t even walk properly on your own.”

“That’s just me giving you the role of a knight protecting a delicate princess.”

“You’re absolutely insane.”

Of course, Ilina Crowley, who was complaining of dizziness due to heatstroke, couldn’t walk on her own.

Though it was a request full of ulterior motives, I decided to carry her on my back.

But is that really a good idea?

When two people are pressed against each other in hot weather, it would only make things hotter, not cooler.

She revealed her desire, but she didn’t look pleased.

Honestly, I’m not that pleased either. I’ve taken precautions against heatstroke through holy magic, but the day is too hot and humid.

Holy magic is merely a light to endure hardship, and if it’s used to affect the environment itself for one’s comfort, its power is reduced.

“Still, isn’t it nice to have a beauty like me on your back?”

And above all, carrying someone as slight as Ilina Crowley wasn’t particularly pleasing.

Maybe if it was Línea or Eve, but not her.

She’s someone who doesn’t possess what those two have.

Of course, I didn’t point that out, knowing how discouraged she would be if I said such things.

But one thing is for certain.

My heart isn’t racing at all. Other than the weight difference from carrying a man, there’s not much difference.

“Should I just strip down to my underwear? Hmm? What do you think?”

Wow, she’s relentless, truly relentless.

Even in this half-conscious state, she doesn’t stop her seduction.

Seeing how she’s whispering subtly into my ear, it seems she’s made up her mind, and I’m scared of what’s to come.

“Princess, you should maintain your dignity.”

“My dignity, like my chest you’re comparing right now, has been ruined for a long time.”

“……”

“Did you think I wouldn’t notice? You jerk.”

How did she know?

I didn’t even give any sign, so is this a magician’s insight?

Even though she’s dizzy from heatstroke, being at such close proximity allowed her to perceive even my subtle expressions.

“Be good to me.”

“Huh? Oh, yes.”

“Then I’ll be even better to you. So be good to me.”

At first, I thought it was an arrogant princess’s command, but now I see it was a confession. She seems to confess about three times a day; I wonder if she could tone it down a bit.

Somehow, she’s become entangled with me, that’s a fact. I’m not without feelings for her either, so we just need time to get to know each other.

“You’ve changed my life. You must take responsibility.”

“I understand. So stop worrying and rest comfortably.”

“Mm…”

Only then did Ilina Crowley start breathing evenly.

They say the brave win the beauty, but it seems the persistent also ultimately win love.

She’s been helping me without asking for much in return until now.

It’s all because she has feelings for me.

Well, what can I do? It’s my fault for not being able to push away someone who likes me.

No, I did push her away… but she pushed back using her power, strength, and the situation, so I couldn’t resist.

In other words, I lost.

I have no choice but to treat her well from now on.

“Hmm, I think I’ve found the way. That statue is something I decorated here when I was young.”

In the place Titan pointed to, there was a bizarre statue.

If he hadn’t called it a statue, I would have thought it was a strangely shaped rock formation.

I mocked Titan sincerely for the first time in a while.

“Your taste when you were young was quite awful. What did you even make?”

“My mother.”

“That wasn’t my intention…”

In the instantly somber atmosphere, Titan smiled faintly and began retracing his steps.

I really couldn’t say a word.

I’m the crazy one here.

If Titan hadn’t been so generous, my head might have been flying off by now, and it wouldn’t be strange at all.

“We’ve arrived. This is the Malachite Kingdom. My homeland.”

“Oh… it’s more…”

As I was walking with my head bowed to the ground like a criminal, we reached our destination.

Once he found the way, we arrived instantly.

Well, that’s why Titan used to escape the swamp when he was young.

“It looks like a proper kingdom.”

“What did you think, that we’d built some village and pretended it was a kingdom?”

“Honestly, I did have that impression somewhat. I apologize.”

The first surprising thing was the existence of walls.

Walls made of pure white bricks, rare to see in a swamp.

Following them, we headed toward the entrance. Of course, the kingdom wasn’t particularly large.

As we moved along the wall, we soon arrived at one of the only two entrances to the kingdom.

“Where did that one hunt some strange… Prince Titan?”

An orc soldier who seemed to have spotted us from afar and was chatting with a smirk, widened his eyes in shock.

More than that, did this guy just treat us like hunting prey? Being an orc, he must not know much about humans.

I already had a feeling that life in the Malachite Kingdom would be tough.

It would be a big problem if passing orcs saw us as prey or livestock.

Is this how Titan felt when he was treated like a magical beast all the time?

“I-I’ll call someone!”

“No, it’s fine. I’ll head straight to the kingdom. Just report that I’ve arrived.”

“Yes!”

But royalty is royalty.

One of the two orc soldiers ran off in a hurry, and the remaining one resumed guarding the wall.

Though he seemed to want to ask about us, he didn’t say a word after seeing Titan. It’s both familiar and unfamiliar.

I wonder how long it’s been since I’ve breezed through a checkpoint like this while traveling with Titan.

“Let’s go in. Everyone stay close; humans will be unfamiliar to them.”

“Yeah, experiencing you taking the lead is a first for me too.”

“That’s true. Hehe.”

Titan, finding the current situation strange even to himself, chuckled along with me.

After walking for a while, we were greeted by a welcoming party.

“The pressure is no joke.”

Most of them were orc warriors.

Each one looked so robust that it felt like multiple Titans had multiplied.

Probably among them are orcs who can handle aura.

According to what I heard from Titan, some of the kingdom’s elite warriors can handle aura like Craig, so my sense isn’t wrong.

Even Titan, who can’t handle aura, was close to a monster.

“Welcome back, Prince.”

“Yes, I’ve returned, Todd.”

“Hohoho, you said you were going to explore the outside world, and it seems you’ve grown up. To think you’d call me by my name.”

“Don’t say things like that. Wasn’t that from my immature days?”

“I wonder. The memory of you smashing my head because you didn’t want to learn how to read is as clear as if it happened yesterday.”

Based on Titan’s story, this person seems to be Todd, supposedly the wisest among orcs.

Indeed, he looks strong, as befitting an orc.

As for his wisdom, I honestly can’t tell yet. All I see are muscles.

“Did you achieve your goals?”

“Yes, but I’m still not confident that I can inherit the throne. The more I experienced the outside world and grew stronger, the more I realized how formidable a warrior my father was.”

“Of course. The Great King is the strongest warrior among all orcs in history. No matter how talented Prince Titan is, it’s not easy to catch up to the experience and time that he’s gone through.”

“That’s true. Father has been running diligently every day without rest, so the gap is still large.”

“Then, would you like to confirm?”

“Let’s do that. Where is Father now? How is his condition?”

“That… it would be better for you to see for yourself.”

Todd seemed to nod, then quietly stepped aside.

Then, the orc warriors who had gathered parted to the sides, creating a path.

A straight line to the palace.

Beyond that stood an orc, arms crossed, looking composed.

Even though I could see with my naked eyes, I would have recognized him immediately even if it was my first time meeting him.

There was a pressure that could be felt just from him standing still.

Yes, that’s the leader of the Malachite Kingdom and the strongest warrior in the kingdom.

“You’ve come?”

“Yes, I have.”

Overlord Craig Khan appeared before us in perfect condition.