Chapter 14

9 THE PROPOSAL After the battle, Bash and the others went through the cave, gathering up everything that looked like it might have been stolen by the bandits. Everything matched the itinerary of stolen items Judith had compiled. It seemed there was no mistake. These were the bandits who had directed the bugbears to attack merchant wagons on the highway. They even found sales records in one room, proving the bandits had been making a profit on the stolen goods. With this proof in hand, they would even be able to arrest the trading company that had been in cahoots with the bandits. The case had been completely solved. Taking the evidence with them, Bash’s company left the cave behind. “It’s so bright…” As they emerged from the dark cover of the forest, the sunlight was dazzling. Dawn had broken at some point. Bash narrowed his eyes and surveyed the surrounding area. The foot soldiers were in a terrible state. Thanks to fairy dust, their health had been stabilized. Still, they needed to lean on one another just to walk. Judith’s heart was heavy as she gazed at the soldiers. Her beautiful translucent skin and golden hair were both dirty. Her eyes were puffy from crying, with tear streaks visible through the dirt on her cheeks. And yet she seemed to have discovered a new resolve within herself. To Bash, she was a peerless beauty. “…” Judith turned to look at Bash, perhaps sensing his gaze upon her. But she said nothing. Instead, she pursed her lips and turned away. Usually, this would have been her cue to snark at him or give him one of her patented evil glares. But now, she seemed almost embarrassed. “Boss! Boss!” As Bash gazed at Judith, Zell appeared by his ear, whispering excitedly to him. “I have a hunch that you might be able to bed the fair maiden if you strike now!” “…Really?” “You saved her from a sticky situation. She saw your strength. I’m not one hundred percent certain, but this is the best chance you’re gonna get, I think! And look! Check out her finger!” Bash looked at Judith’s hand with curiosity. Her ring finger was bare. “It’s your chance, Boss! You gotta take it!” The word chance made Bash’s mind start running a mile a minute. Suddenly, he saw himself back in the cave. Judith was there, too, in all her half-naked glory. Translucent skin, exposed breasts, glistening eyes. Bash began to snort and pant. He had spent the last twenty-four hours denying himself. After learning about how difficult human women were to win over, Bash had splashed himself in cologne, held his tongue while being harangued, and restrained himself when confronted with the sight of a juicy naked woman… But now, after so much self-restraint, the lovely female knight he longed for was actually within his grasp. Bash clenched his fists in excitement. Then, still gazing at Judith’s hand… “Judith…” Still snorting and panting hard, Bash spoke to her. “…Wh-what?” Judith turned around, an annoyed look on her face. At the sight of Bash, who was panting hard, she gulped a little, her face tensing up. Ignoring this, Bash took hold of Judith’s shoulder with one of his meaty hands. Then he asked her: “Woman. Do you want to have my babies?” The standard orc proposal. “…!” Judith’s eyes widened. Anger flashed across her face. But the anger only lasted for a moment. Then it cleared. She stared at Bash for a few seconds and then giggled. Aha! That’s a good sign! thought Bash, his spirits rising. But then Judith spoke. “You can’t scare me, orc. You said, ‘The Orc King has strictly forbidden nonconsensual coitus with members of other races,’ right?” Her response was neither a yes nor a no. Bash’s nose was whistling now as he continued to pant. Confused, Bash decided to consult with his brain. “Oi, Brain. What does she mean? Was that a yes or a no?” “Hmm…” The brain crossed its imaginary arms thoughtfully, weighing the meaning behind Judith’s words. Yes or no? Bash’s tiny mind lit up with a mental image. Here was a fairy carrying a placard that read: YES. And here was another fairy holding one that read: NO. The YES and NO fairies suddenly began to fight each other. Fairy dust flew as they punched and kicked. In the end, the brain shook its head solemnly as it judged the winner. “Hmm, it was close, but I’m afraid you’ve been rejected.” The brain lifted the fist of the NO fairy high in victory. The fairy blew kisses to the spectating crowd. It was a close call indeed. “I’ve been rejected… It’s a no…” “It’s a no, Boss.” “So what do I do now?” “When you’ve been rejected, the standard response is to give up and move on to the next woman. That’s considered proper etiquette. If you continue to push, that’s when things move into nonconsensual territory.” “Hmm. I see…” It didn’t look like Bash would be getting what he wanted this time. “Oh well. It is what it is.” Still, Bash didn’t feel too downhearted. During the war, Bash’s side had sometimes lost, no matter how hard he himself had fought. Not every opportunity led to victory. Sometimes, you had to take the loss on the chin. And you wouldn’t last long on the battlefield if you allowed defeat to shake you. You had to pull yourself together and move on to the next battle. That was what it meant to be a warrior. But… But Bash was filled with regret. After all, this had been Bash’s first battle on the field of romance. He wished he could have stuck it out a little longer, even though he knew that stubborn inexperience was the downfall of many a warrior. “I see. That’s a shame. I was quite fond of you.” “Wow, you’re handling rejection pretty well for an orc. Out of curiosity, what is it that you see in me? Not only did I openly disrespect you to your face multiple times, but I also disgraced myself by getting captured by the enemy. Then you had to rescue me as I lay there, a blubbering mess. So…why?” “Well…you’re pretty.” “Heh.” Judith laughed. She thought he was making a joke. “Heh, thanks for the compliment.” Judith smoothed back her matted hair as she spoke. Bash didn’t feel like being polite. His stomach made a funny flipping motion as he watched Judith pull back her golden hair. Oblivious to Bash’s continued lust for her, Judith shrugged. “Anyway, thank you for saving me. Really. If you hadn’t come along, I would have ended up like my older sister…” “You have a sister?” “Yeah. She was captured and detained as a war criminal by you orcs. And then she was used as breeding stock and abused until there was nothing left of her…”