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“It seems the talk went well, brother.”

“Yes, they finally decided to support us.”

After much discussion, Kalken and the others agreed with Repenhardt’s proposal. The harsh environment of Deathland was already causing the numbers of the Blue Bear Tribe to dwindle. Although this led to a smaller but elite group, their future seemed bleak.

Repenhardt’s proposal was indeed risky. If things didn’t go as planned, the Blue Bear Tribe might disappear.

There were two choices:

To slowly die out here?

Or to boldly challenge the future of their tribe?

Brave Kalken, wise Stalla, and prudent Gralta. The three mentors leading the Blue Bear Tribe.

True to their orc nature, they chose the latter.

“After moving the tribe to a safer place, Kalken, Stalla, and a hundred orc warriors of the Blue Bear Tribe will join us.”

Despite forming an alliance, Kalken couldn’t immediately lead his warriors to follow Repenhardt. If the warriors left, the remaining orcs of the Blue Bear Tribe would be endangered. Thus, relocating the tribe to a safer place was necessary. Crossing Deathland with the tribesmen was extremely dangerous, making it impossible without the warriors.

“There was also the issue of food shortage if the warriors left, as there would be no one to hunt. But that was easily resolved.”

The meat from the monsters hunted by Tassid and Kalken was immense. Were the Turtle Lion and Elder Drake particularly large? The Blue Bear Tribe had enough meat to last at least three months.

The only issue was preservation, which Repenhardt resolved with a long-term preservation spell. This ensured they wouldn’t face any food shortage for a while. Although some orcs were wary of magic, seeing Repenhardt and Kalken eat the preserved meat reassured them.

“Anyway, I wasn’t very confident, but the results exceeded my expectations.”

Repenhardt said cheerfully. Holding the reins, Russ glanced back.

“But why is that guy following us?”

A green-skinned orc with a greatsword on his back was following them on a massive direwolf, slightly apart from the group. It was Tassid, who had joined them that morning.

Repenhardt shrugged.

“Don’t we need to send someone to greet the orcs when they come to find us?”

Though they could circle around through the northern part of Deathland to reach the Gloten Mountains without encountering any humans, they would still need a guide from there. A messenger was necessary to facilitate communication between Repenhardt and the Blue Bear Tribe, and Tassid was chosen for this honorable role.

From a human perspective, a messenger is just a swift soldier or a good rider, but for orcs, it is different. The orc chosen as the messenger must risk their life traversing the dangerous human world that treats them as monsters. This job required not only physical and mental endurance but also the ability to hide from human eyes and fight their way out if needed.

In this regard, Tassid was an experienced hunter, skilled in sensing and concealing his presence. Besides Kalken and Stalla, he was the strongest warrior of the Blue Bear Tribe. Tassid, who was expected to become the third warrior of the tribe, was perfect for this perilous role. More importantly, Tassid had volunteered for this role after meeting Repenhardt again.

Russ tilted his head in confusion.

“It’s not that I don’t understand the need for a messenger, but why put an orc in such a dangerous position when I could do it?”

Repenhardt replied with a wry smile.

“I’d prefer that too, but you don’t know Orcish, do you? To communicate details, the common language skills of the orcs aren’t sufficient. Plus, I can’t go back and forth myself every time something happens.”

“Hmm, that’s true.”

Russ nodded, finally understanding. Apart from Repenhardt, none of the others were fit for the role of a messenger.

Repenhardt gave Russ a complicated look.

He knew that using Russ as a messenger would be much more convenient. The excuse about not knowing Orcish was just that, an excuse. The orcs’ lack of fluency in the common language was due to their oral structure, not a lack of understanding.

But Repenhardt still felt uneasy about letting Russ out of his sight. He acknowledged that Russ, who he had met again in this era, genuinely followed him, and he felt a brotherly bond with him. However…

‘Damn, I keep seeing Cyrus the Swordmaster’s image overlapping with him…’

Considering Russ had been one of his strongest enemies in his previous life, it was still hard to fully trust him. Though it seemed unnecessary, given how Russ had changed to the point of worrying about orcs…

‘No, the truth is, it’s just an excuse. I simply wanted to be with Tassid.’

Repenhardt inwardly smiled wryly.

In his previous life, Tassid had been one of the Four Heavenly Kings.

Tassid had been with Repenhardt and Siris even before they founded the Antares Empire.

Those carefree days of adventuring across the continent with the three of them together were some of Repenhardt’s fondest memories. Now that Tassid was back by his side, those feelings had been rekindled, making him feel incredibly joyful.

Tassid rode his direwolf, Black King, to join Russ at the front. He beat his chest as he looked at Russ.

“Karuga Russ! Even if not you, I am strong! Humans do not scare me!”

It seemed he had overheard their conversation. Russ, flustered, waved his hands.

“No, Sir Tassid… Sir? How should I address you? Anyway, I don’t doubt your prowess as a warrior. I apologize for my rudeness.”

Russ, slightly blushing, waved his hands. Seeing this, Repenhardt thought to himself,

‘Come to think of it, this guy’s personality has changed a lot too.’

Tassid laughed heartily and beat his chest again.

“It’s fine! I appreciate your concern! I look forward to working with you, Karuga Russ!”

“I also look forward to it, Sir Tassid.”

After a brief hesitation, Russ decided to address Tassid with the title of ‘Sir.’ If Kalken and Stalla were considered the king and queen of the Blue Bear Tribe, then their warrior ranks were similar to human knights.

Laughing, Tassid focused on riding Black King again. Russ, in a joking tone, said to Repenhardt,

“Elves, dwarves, and now orcs… I wonder if trolls will join us soon?”

‘Hmm, sharp fellow…’

Russ might have said it as a joke, but Repenhardt couldn’t help but smile wryly again. He was already planning to seek out Guru Attila, the great shaman of the trolls, when circumstances allowed. In a way, it was indeed foresight.

Smiling inwardly, Repenhardt urged his horse forward. Russ and Tassid followed, riding side by side on their horses and direwolf.

Seeing his old nemesis, whom he had fought to the death with in his past life, now riding amicably alongside him felt surreal. It made him realize just how much everything had changed.

‘Yes, I must change everything.’

With renewed resolve, Repenhardt spurred his horse on. Siris, Sillan, and Tilla also quickened their pace.

“Let’s hurry. We need to return to the Kingdom of Crovence. Hiya!”

Five horses and one direwolf began to gallop across the plains of Deathland.

* * *

A vast, dark hall filled with shadows.

This hall did not exist in reality. It was an infinite space created using the relics of the Silver Age.

In the darkness, a young man with black hair stood. Wearing a pure white robe with a silver holy symbol on his chest, he bowed his head with a solemn expression, waiting for something.

Suddenly, a pillar of light shot up from the center of the hall. Within the pillar, a human figure clad in a white robe appeared. It was an old man with a long white beard reaching down to his chest.

The old man, revealed through a magical projection, addressed the young man.

“I commend you for your hard work, Sage Restin.”

Sage Restin, known in the mortal world as Teslon, bowed his head respectfully.

“Thank you, Guardian Daos.”

Guardian Daos, the overseer of humanity and a Sage of the Silver Age, was among the highest echelon, one of the thirteen Guardians who managed all secrets.

Daos looked at Teslon and continued speaking.

“You handled the matter well. I am satisfied.”

A month ago, under Daos’ command, Teslon had been tasked with eliminating those who had explored the Salkana Dungeon. Following that, he spent the month erasing all known information about the Salkana Ruins and fabricating evidence regarding the exploration party. Now, he was reporting to Daos after completing everything.

“It was nothing,” Teslon replied modestly, handing over a report on his recent activities. Instead of paper, the report was stored in a magical purple crystal.

As he accepted the crystal, the old man spoke in a gentle voice.

“Dangerous knowledge must be maintained under proper management. You may think it was nothing, but it is also a part of protecting humanity.”

“I understand,” Teslon answered seriously. Daos held the crystal, closed his eyes, and began reading the information within. Watching this, Teslon clicked his tongue inwardly.

‘Hmph, even if I can’t reach that level, I need to quickly rise to a position where I can influence them at least.’

He had gathered power and information to confront the Demon King. He had recruited the Golden Knight Eusus, as well as Stefan and Philanence, enhancing their swordsmanship and magical abilities with relics from the Silver Age.

But it still wasn’t enough. Repenhardt, with Teslon’s own physical body and the Demon King’s intellect, was a truly terrifying existence.

He needed more power, stronger allies.

Thus, Teslon was highly dissatisfied with his current status. The higher his rank within the Sages of Silver, the greater his authority. Instead of managing top-tier artifacts, he would gain access to relics of absolute power, forbidden in this era. He wished he could grab the old man and give a speech about the dangers of the Demon King right then and there…

‘But talking about reincarnation would just make them think I’m insane. For now, I have to protect the hard-earned position of Sage of Silver…’

Remembering the time he reincarnated into this era and joined the Sages of Silver, Teslon clicked his tongue in frustration.