Dawn was approaching. The enemy survivors were being rounded. The Raretooth tribe members who were still alive were all bound using runic ropes. The soldiers who guarded the village were not bound except for Hasimu Angryfeet, but their weapons were confiscated.
"You will have a lot of explaining to do," Four Winds said to Hasimu. He had received Jack's report about the conversation between Hasimu and Nadra at the underground chamber.
"My lord chief will have your head for this!!" Hasimu hissed.
Four Winds chuckled. "I think your lord chief will be very anxious once he learns about this. Grand Chief Kabaka is heading here as we speak. My guess is, Lord Chief Kusema will most likely deny his involvement in all this. You know what that means, right? That means he will be throwing you under the bus."
Jack was amused hearing it. He wondered if these natives knew what a bus was. But from how Hasimu's face turned pale, he figured the native understood the idiom.
"I suggest you cooperate and tell us everything you know," Four Winds told Hasimu. "We will consider lightening your punishment for your cooperation. Otherwise, you will be the fall person for your tribe leader."
Four Winds left Hasimu alone to ponder the offer. From Hasimu's expression, he knew the orc would break sooner or later. Hasimu's proclaimed loyalty to his tribe was just a fa?ade.
"How about giving these captives to me for the interrogation?" Jack asked Four Winds.
"They are orcs. They will be tried in their own country," Four Winds replied.
"They committed crimes in my country," Jack argued.
"You will receive a formal apology, as well as any intel we can get out of them," Four Winds didn't give in.
"Tsk. If it was not you, I wouldn't have believed that. Fine, I will wait for your info," Jack said.
"Hopefully, I can tell you about it when I go to your guild for training. My master said your guild headquarters have a very beneficial room for training martial arts. What kind of room is that?"
"Why ruin the surprise? You should just come and see for yourself," Jack said.
Four Winds chuckled. "In a few more days perhaps. This incident here will have political matters that need my attention."
*
On the other side, Hans was standing before the rubble of a house. During the battle, a stray AOE spell caused damage to the house and it collapsed. A couple of civilian orcs inside the house were killed as a result.
Four Winds had demanded a full investigation into who had cast this AOE spell. Water Lily was leading the investigation. If it was their members, that member would be expelled and punished. But from all the chaos during the battle, it would be difficult to find out conclusively.
"Such is the sad thing if we invade a settlement," Umeza said. "There will always be collateral damage. Unfortunately, we are not allowed to let this village evacuate its civilians before we attack due to our mission objective."
"Why do you save me?" Hans asked Umeza. "You know I have a grudge against you. You could have just stayed back and done nothing. No one would blame you if I die. You will have one less threat on your life."
Umeza chuckled. "Threat? You are overestimating yourself… I've said it before, I don't wish for James Orline to lose his descendants."
"But… He is your enemy… He killed your brother…"
"And I killed him. I thought that was the end of that. But no, it created new hatred. It created you. And if I kill you, it will create a new hatred for your son, and so on. It will never end. I've told my son," Umeza pointed at Mkulme, who was by Four Winds' side. "If I happen to be killed by the descendants of James, or any descendant of the people I've wronged in the past. He was not to go on a revenge quest for me. It's just a waste of time. I am old and I have lived long enough. If someone comes and takes my life for what I've done in the past. So be it. I probably deserve it."
Hans didn't know what to think about that.
"So, how do you feel?" Umeza asked.
"What?" Hans didn't quite understand the question.
"You killed quite many orcs in the battle. Do you feel any better after doing that?"
"… No, I don't."
"I suppose it doesn't," Umeza remarked.
"I don't even know which one is the one who killed my son… I guess I will never know," Hans uttered.
"The one who killed your son is not in this village," Jack came over to them.
"What do you mean?" Hans asked.
"The murder took place just one day ago. They are not using the town's zone portal, which means they are crossing through the border to get here. It took an average steed one week to do that. Even if the murderer has rare-grade steed, which he most likely has for his mission. It will still only reduce his traveling time by one or two days. He is still on the road, together with the murderers from the other towns."
"Then… We won't be able to capture them then? We can't bring them to justice?"
"We can. I don't believe they were given a message transmission device. Those things are too valuable to be handed to a peon, even for one that is on an important mission. No, I believe those murderers are still on their way here, oblivious of what had happened to their hideout. We made sure that no Raretooth tribe escaped during the battle, so there would be no one to warn them."
"So, if we go in the direction of Thenitsa, we might catch the murderer who murdered my son?" Hans asked.
"Yes," Jack nodded. He then asked, "Want to join me on a hunt?"
There was a pause before Hans answered, "Let's hunt this son of a b*tch."
Jack summoned Pandora and gestured for Hans to climb. Hans hesitated for a bit because of Pandora's uncomfortable aura, but he soon felt that aura receded.
Jack bid the others farewell before he took to the sky. They flew in the direction of Hans' hometown, Thenitsa, just as the sun started to rise.
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