Orc Hero Story: Discovery Chronicles - Chapter 76.2

“There’s something I’d like to ask of you, Lady Thunder Sonia.”

“Is it urgent? Just spit it out. If it’s nonsense, I’ll kick you out myself.”

Thunder Sonia was annoyed and impatient, but Silviana proceeded to calmly present the facts.

“Well, for a while now, there’s been a nauseating odor that prevents me from sleeping.”

“Can’t you sleep because of a smell? Get some nose plugs or something then.”

“It’s the smell of Succubi and Demons, as well as the scent of blood.”

“…Carrot and Poplatica! That’s what you mean… right?”

Silviana remained expressionless. When Thunder Sonia looked at her face, her anger began to subside.

“Oh, I’m sorry about that. I even mentioned nose plugs. Thank you for letting me know. You’re still bothered by what happened, aren’t you?”

Thunder Sonia knew that Silviana regretted causing the Sacred Tree to wither. For her, this was an opportunity to redeem her past mistakes and regrets. Thunder Sonia understood.

“I was allowed to come as an attendant to this summit, but I’m not free. Technically, I’m not even allowed to have this conversation with you, but… I hope you can help me find the source of this odor. I ask for your assistance.”

Silviana was the most hostile toward Poplatica than anyone else in this place, but she couldn’t act on her own. That’s why she turned to these people.

“You need a ‘nose’, right? If that’s the case, why don’t you take these people?”

Upon hearing this, Thunder Sonia noticed three Beastmen individuals standing behind Silviana. They all had black fur and looked much more beastly than Silviana herself.

“The famous ‘Shadow Wolves’, huh?”

The Beastmen warriors who had come this time as guards for Queen Silviana were part of the “Shadow Wolves Unit.” The leader of this unit, “Shadow Wolf” Romulus, was a renowned and experienced warrior.

“We’ve memorized the scent. We will definitely be of help.”

“Good. Bougainvillea, go find Nemesia and Consolida. Nazar, you have your men, right?”

“We have about three men ready.”

“We’ll also contact the Dwarves on the way. We don’t want to leave anyone out; we don’t know what they might say later if we do.”

“And what about Sir Bash?”

“I’ll go wake up Judith to fetch him. I doubt he’ll arrive on time, but if we end up losing, he can handle everything for us!”

And so, Thunder Sonia and the others set their plans in motion.

■

Let’s go back in time for a moment.

It was nighttime, and the shadows were in motion. These shadows moved from one dark alley to another, under the moonlight, in complete silence. It was a quiet night, with no witnesses around. Even if someone had noticed, they might have thought it was an illusion or simply shadows moving due to the wind.

The shadows traversed the city and infiltrated the castle. Moving from one shadow to another along the walls, they had a single destination in mind: the eastern end of the castle, where a recently constructed building stood out with its vibrant blue roof, differing slightly in architectural style from the rest of the castle. It had stained glass windows that gave it a unique touch. The shadows silently glided inside.

Passing through a chapel with rows of chairs, they arrived in front of a statue representing the sun and the moon. Here, the shadows came to a halt. Among the shadows emerged a man. This man grasped the moon part of the sun and moon statue and, with a slight twist, the statue moved silently, revealing a hidden passage behind it. The shadows, accompanied by the man, continued deeper inside.

Once they passed through, the statue returned to its original position without making a sound.

After traversing a long hallway, they reached an open area: the cathedral where the human priests worshipped. It was a sanctuary of human faith that ordinary people could not enter.

One by one, individuals started emerging from the shadows: first one, then two, and finally eight in total. These eight individuals remained still. They all stared at something deep within the cathedral.

In the darkness, a faint white radiance emitted from it. It rested on an intricately carved pedestal and looked like a slightly curved stone tablet. Strange characters were engraved vertically on its surface, and, along with the divine light it emitted, it was evident to anyone that profound truth was inscribed there. Surely, many of the first to set their eyes on it shared the belief that reading what was written there would allow them to ascend to the heavens. They believed they could become a superior being, a step above mere mortals.

However, the Sage thought differently. The man who had married a great dragon reflected, drawing on his knowledge and the various ancient tales he had heard from his wise wife. These were not “sacred scriptures,” as many believed. It was a claw from an ancient dragon, a dragon that might have looked different from today’s dragons. It was a relic left behind by a being that possessed divine and terrible power, which once roamed this continent, and this was just one of its remnants.

In front of these “sacred scriptures,” there was a man. He wore white armor and a cape adorned with symbols of the sun and the moon. He was Sir Fixer Mont, the head of the Cathedral Knights. Around him were four knights dressed in similar white armor and over thirty men and women whose appearance clearly deviated from typical church members: soldiers, it seemed.

“Caspar, I can’t believe you’re betraying us…”

Among them, there was a man who clearly was not a warrior. He wore a dazzling outfit and appeared middle-aged. His face was familiar, as he had been frequently seen with the Human Chancellor. He was his assistant and, of course, an acquaintance of the Sage.