Chapter 22

The woman tilted her head and studied Bash. Well, Bash wasn’t going to argue with her. Instead, he answered honestly. “I want to make you my wife.” “Ha-ha-ha-ha-ha!” The woman laughed out loud. Not a calm laugh. It was slightly hysterical, like a dam bursting. “Ah, my bad. Your sudden proposal made me laugh, but I didn’t mean to mock you. When all this happened to my face, I gave up on the thought of ever being someone’s wife. Actually, no one’s even looked my way since I got scarred. So this is a first, I’d say. The first time a man’s ever approached me with sincerity in his eyes since my face became like this.” “…” “And yet I actually considered it for a second. That’s what made me laugh. I was laughing at myself, you see.” That was the best initial response Bash had gotten yet. Viewed from a certain light, you could even interpret that as an enthusiastic yes. “So then…” “But, orc, you can’t save people and propose at the same time. Especially not when you’re proposing to the adversary of the ones you’re saving…” The woman looked away as she spoke. Looking toward the two ogres. The ogres were watching Bash, anxious expressions on their faces. “…” “Still, you are an orc. I guess you could just as easily save them and then go ahead and have me for dessert, if you wished.” “As I said earlier, mating without consent is outlawed in the name of the Orc King.” “Yeah, you do look like a well-bred orc who faithfully follows rules to the letter. I can’t really tell what would qualify as ‘handsome’ for an orc, but your face isn’t so bad, either. Or could it just be your sweet-talking swayed me a little? All that aside, orc, you may be earnest, but it’s never good to be a slave to rules. My philosophy has always been, ‘If you can beat me, you can have me.’ Wouldn’t that be agreeable to you as well?” That was a difficult question. If Zell were here, he would have consulted with the fairy right away. Zell would have been able to tell Bash the right answer. “So come on, then.” The woman turned her palms upright and beckoned to Bash. “…Why do you challenge me?” “Because you killed my griffin. That was my mount, and now I have to walk back home. In all honesty, I should kill you where you stand. But I’m a complex woman. I can’t bring myself to slice up a man who just called me beautiful. I’d rather you attack me first. At least then, killing you would feel more like self-defense.” “…So that’s how it is.” “Yep, that’s how it is. Don’t worry too much about the griffin, though. I wasn’t too attached to it. We were only acquainted for a short time, so this won’t be a grudge match or anything.” Bash was very confused. He didn’t understand the meaning of the woman’s words or the turn the conversation was taking. He could barely comprehend the conversation as is. How could he explain what it was he wanted? “So what are you going to do, orc? If it’s all the same to you, I think I might just head out. Those two are a pain, so I was going to kill them. But if you really plan to get in my way, I’d rather just not bother. You called me beautiful, so I don’t wanna kill ya.” Finally, the woman gave Bash a choice. “…Ngh.” Bash’s mind was a whirl of confusion. He had two options. He could continue his proposal to the woman and take her as a wife… …Or he could forget about proposing and save the boy and girl, fulfilling the desire of the water spirit… Erm, probably. I don’t know what to do! If only someone else was here… Houston the Pig Slayer, perhaps… He would have warned Bash not to be swayed. There had to be a middle ground. A way to accept the woman’s nice proposal of “If you can beat me, you can have me” and save the kids, too. If only someone had been there to back Bash up and help him think straight. But Bash was alone, and the woman’s way with words had Bash at a complete loss. Two choices. Normally, Bash would have chosen the former. The lady herself had said she wasn’t particularly opposed to the idea. He didn’t have Zell’s support, but if he could just say the right things here, then he might actually be able to snag a wife. He’d had many opportunities so far, but surely this was one of the best of them all. After all, the woman had reacted positively to his proposal. And the entire point of Bash’s quest was to secure a wife. What did the lives of two ogre urchins matter, if Bash could achieve his heart’s greatest desire? Still, a water spirit had saved Bash’s life mere minutes ago. The water spirit was trying to convey some kind of wish to Bash. It wanted Bash to do something. It might have only been a hunch, but Bash thought that hunch was right. Otherwise, there would have been no reason for the water spirit to help Bash. Bash had certainly never been blessed by spirits in his life, to the extent that one might actually transport him here for the purpose of finding him a wife. So then the spirit’s desire must have been that Bash would save the two whelps. If Bash ignored the wishes of the spirits, great misfortune would befall him… In that case… “I will help these two.” “In that case, I’ll leave this place. I’m still busy, and I have things to do.” “Right.” “Then it’s farewell. You two, return to your hometown and let this be a lesson to you.” With that said, the woman ran off through the downpour. She disappeared into the deep forest in seconds, seemingly unhindered by the sucking mud. She was fast. No doubt she was a worthy warrior, just as Bash had thought. “Ah… Wait…” The boy reached his hand out in the direction the woman had gone but then dropped it limply down. The fist, resting in a mud puddle, was clenched with frustration. The boy slowly lifted his head and looked at Bash. “Um, thank you for your help…” Bash nodded. Perhaps the boy was annoyed at Bash for intervening. Because even though the boy was hanging his head, he was trembling. The girl crouching next to him was also looking at Bash with a slightly disgusted look on her face. Like the orcs, most ogres were warriors. Sometimes, like rogue orcs, they go afield, seeking battle… Or seeking a noble death. Perhaps Bash had interfered with some sort of plan. However, the boy soon rose to his feet. “The swordsmanship you displayed earlier was most impressive! Please, take me on as your apprentice!” Those sudden words were drowned out by the sound of the rain and were barely audible. But Bash knew he had not misheard.