Chapter 83: Orcs and a Female Knight 3
TL/Editor: Raei
Schedule: 5/Week Wed-Sun
Illustrations: Posted in discord.
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Perhaps it was because we had just defeated a large group of orcs, or maybe it was because we were hauling an unconscious Orc Shaman like a prize, but we didn't run into any more Orcs on our way back to the safe zone.
We did meet a few adventurers who curiously watched us as we dragged along the unconscious beauty and the Orc, but fortunately, there were no disputes, possibly because most of our party were women and Irene was dressed in nun's robes.
"I'll leave the traces. I picked it up from being a mercenary."
"Thanks, Kaiden."
After I slung the Orc over my shoulder, and the woman, who seemed to be a Knight, was carried by Maid Mari, we reached the safe zone, leaving a trail beneath the trees.
The guards gave us puzzled looks as we dragged the unusually colored Orc shaman and began to treat the unconscious woman.
It was indeed an unusual sight for those who weren't part of our party.
Irene was a 5 'Saint Candidate', but as she had said herself, she wasn't very good at healing spells.
Her talents lay in creating a strong protective shield, above-average purification, subpar healing, and no ability at all for enhancement.
Inevitably, healing the unconscious woman will take some time.
"Her clothes are dirty. We should clean her up."
"We should step outside, Kaiden."
"...Oh, right."
At times like this, there was nothing a mere male vanguard like me or Kaiden, who was disguised as a man, could do.
We sat down to rest in chairs while the rest of the party busily attended to their tasks.
Should we say there was nothing for us to do as vanguards, or rather as men?
Unlike Charlotte, who had whisked away the shaman to the lab, Mari stayed with us.
She was planning to remove the woman's dirt-covered clothes and wipe her body with a wet towel.
She cast a quick glance at Kaiden and me, who were both male.
"I'll make some light soup. Hanna, can you lend a hand?"
"Of course. We should have something ready for when she wakes up."
Grace and Hanna gathered pots, bowls, and flour from their inventory and headed to the kitchen.
At the same time, a flood of chat messages started coming in.
-Don't just stand there, help the maid clean up too.
-Whether you're boiling soup or simmering bones, don't forget the camera!!!!
-You crazies who are obsessed with women... No, just crazies...
-Honestly, it's a little disgusting.
-Seems like the number of people risking harassment lawsuits are growing?
This is an 18+ virtual reality game, and the stream is also rated for adults, but still, Han Se-ah had no intention of showing a woman's naked body.
Most of the viewers were aware of this and were only half-joking in their criticisms.
...Most of them, that is.
"Wow, the bans are flying by the hundreds, and it's not even mosquito season. For those who might not know, I'm not managing the chat alone, okay? You didn't think there wouldn't be a chat moderation system, did you? The chat moderation bots are now way more advanced. So, go ahead and chat away."
Han Se-ah's words weren't for nothing.
Messages in the chat were being blocked at an amazing speed, a pace that far exceeded human ability.
Everything was being moderated.
Time passed and the woman who had been unconscious finally woke up.
No matter how weak Irene's healing ability was, the woman had no injuries other than hunger, so she woke up faster than expected.
"Ahem, uh...uh...where am I?"
"You're in the safe zone on the 20th floor. You were captured by orcs, but an adventuring party rescued you. Can you tell us who you are and how did you end up captured by orcs?"
"Charlotte, before asking questions, let's help her regain her strength. Here's some soup, cooled down. Try sipping it slowly."
Irene, with a gentle smile, handed a bowl of soup to the woman who was barely conscious on the bed.
The soup had been diluted to accommodate someone who had gone days without food - it was like feeding an infant.
Irene's kind act briefly, very briefly... stopped the bustling chat.
But, naturally, it wouldn't completely stop.
As the chat filled with inappropriate comments, a flustered Han Se-ah stepped back and began to reprimand the viewers.
"Uh, thank you... What happened to the others...?"
"You're the only one who survived."
"Ah, I see
The woman, having regained some energy after sipping the lukewarm soup, looked somewhat stronger.
Curiously, upon hearing they were all gone, she appeared more resigned than upset.
Everyone waited for her to explain, watching her intently.
Perhaps feeling no need to hide anything, she set down the empty soup bowl, cleared her throat, and began to introduce herself.
"I'm Josephine, from the Kingdom's Second Knight Division. I was on a mission investigating the orcs' strange activities with hired adventurers."
Maybe she wasn't upset because she didn't know them personally.
And so, Knight Josephine's story began.
According to her explanation, a mob of orcs had suddenly appeared near the royal palace.
Like the Full Moon Wolf incident, the orcs inside the tower had somehow teleported outside.
However, the impact of this incident was on an entirely different level.
A monster appears in a lord-less free city, harming the citizens.
A monster appears near the royal palace, threatening the nobles and royalty.
Naturally, the latter had fewer casualties since there were royal knights and noble guards.
But in a world with a social hierarchy, the harm to citizens and the harm to royalty were on completely different scales.
"Because of this, I hired adventurers for the investigation and confirmed that some orc shamans were gathering wandering orcs to establish a base in Obernu Forest.
And then... the rest is as you see it, but I never entered the tower. You're saying you rescued me from within it?"
Everyone's faces turned stiff at the words of the knight, who smiled awkwardly.
Of course, except for Han Se-ah, who knew little of this world's circumstances.
This was a more horrifying story than simply being kidnapped outside and then being taken into the tower.
Most of it was fine, but the words 'Obernu Forest' resonated ominously in my ears.
"Are the orcs freely coming and going in the tower like the Full Moon Wolf? If they're knowingly using it, it seems the orcs are smarter than the Full Moon Wolves and Horned Wolves... But why is everyone reacting like that?"
"Miss Josephine, did you say the Obernu Forest?"
"Yes. The Forest is why we started an investigation so quickly in the first place."
Han Se-ah, lacking knowledge about this world, looks confused.
Grace softly attaches herself to Han Se-ah's side and begins to whisper an explanation.
Even Grace, a hunter from a rural village, had heard of Obernu Forest.
Obernu Forest is a private hunting ground for the royal family, blessed by the Goddess herself.
If it were merely a Horned Wolf popping out, it wouldnt have mattered.
The problem is that the orcs are clearly intelligent, with shamans forming strategies.
That the orcs have settled in the Royal Family's forest, killing adventurers and specifically kidnapping a Knight
"...Are the orcs targeting the Royal Family?"
"...Unbelievable."
It means they can clearly differentiate human classes.
Orcs who can differentiate between commoners and nobles have invaded as far as the Royal Palace, hiding in the Royal Family's forest.
Kaiden's dismayed mutterings finally made Han Se-ah realize the gravity of the situation.
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Raei Translations
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The female knight, having regained her strength, went back to the orc base with the guards from the safety zone, collected her equipment, and left the tower.
As much as I wanted to hold onto her and ask more questions, the barrier of social status wasn't something that could be easily dismissed.
Could I hold back a female Knight, who was carrying out a mission under royal orders, just because we adventurers were curious?
After the female Knight, who promised to reward us later, left, I spoke half-jokingly to Han Se-ah.
"Hey, party leader, we're in big trouble."
"What is it?"
"We'll have to compete not only with the furious Rebecca but also with the Royal Family and Knights of the Kingdom."
The main quest was progressing strangely, to the point where I wondered if others would also be subjected to this kind of time attack quest.
Although Rebecca's intervention could be chalked up to coincidence, the involvement of the Knights was probably for everyone.
If Knight Josephine reports back to the Knights, they would undoubtedly issue a subjugation order.
After all, mere orcs dared to defile a forest of the Royal Family, blessed by the Goddess herself; there was no reason not to draw their swords.
'Is the quest reward divided into two parts? Like a normal clear and additional rewards?'
It was the same with the Full Moon Wolf and now this orc incident.
If the player successfully completes the time attack on their own, there are additional rewards.
Such as free gate usage, receiving equipment in exchange for monster loot, or gaining skill points.
On the other hand, if the player fails the time attack, external forces intervene, like adventurers and mages hunting down the Full Moon Wolf or the Knights subjugating the orcs.
Convenience facilities for users, like gates on every 10th floor, are always open, but it seems that opportunities for free usage, equipment, and additional skill point acquisition are only available to those who succeed in the time attack.
From the outset, the game heavily emphasizes conquering the top of the tower in the shortest possible time.
"Well, what can we do? We can only hope that Charlotte will discover something useful."
-So, in the end, it all comes down to luck, huh?
-Orcs and a female knight appeared, but in a weird way.
-The royal assassins (orcs) lololol"
-Isn't this whole orc and a princess thing a little clich?
-An orc, a (doomed) princess, and a lady knight? The plot is thickening.
Viewers were excitedly speculating about the existence of a beautiful princess based solely on the two words: 'Royal Family.'
As far as I know, there should only be princes in the kingdom.
There might be noble ladies, but no princess.
I felt a pang of regret that I couldn't tell them this myself.
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