The Orga tribe is excellent as combatants due to their large bodies, and they tend to live in colonies with hunting often serving as the foundation of their livelihood. However, when interacting with other races, they are employed as construction workers. Similarly, the Dwarf race, which excels at power, specializes in blacksmithing and craftsmanship. In cities, this leads to a division where Dwarves handle metalwork while Orgas take on building projects. Agriculture, fishing, and livestock farming fall under the domain of humans and Elves. While they are highly suitable as construction workers, their architectural skills can only be improved through collective accumulation and cooperation. Therefore, in each city, there are several construction unions made up of Orgas. Given that these unions involve organizing a large number of inherently warlike Orga tribes, their organizational nature tends to be muscular, or one might even say mafia-like. If an organization is adept at channeling the overflowing energy through work, events, and shared ideals, it can function well. However, depending on the charisma of its leaders and management practices, such organizations could also have a negative impact on local governance. This presents a challenge for Celesta’s mercantile state, which prides itself on tolerance towards races but strictness in matters of profit; these unions are not easy to control. Fortunately, in Oasis City Tark, there are several well-controlled construction unions. The two most powerful ones are: “Trident,” composed mainly of three-horned Tricorno Orgas; and “Tower Emblem,” mostly consisting of one-horned Monocorno Orgas.
Each of them had their fingers in finance, sake brewing, and retail to some extent, giving them enough clout to be among the top ten in Tark’s Chamber of Commerce.
Their headquarters were on opposite sides of Central Street, symmetrically positioned, and since they competed in several businesses, they often fought over dominance. This rivalry had become something like a local attraction in Tark, with their underlings frequently brawling at street corners.
The fact that the boss of the “Trident” side was a middle-aged woman was well-known among Tark’s citizens.
“Boss, wouldn’t it be better to send some young guys out?”
“You don’t know about Sieg Becker, do you?”
The second-in-command, Orga, nodded in agreement with the female boss. “I’m not familiar with the world of soldiers. I’ve heard that he’s become something of a hero.”
She shrugged her shoulders nonchalantly and put on a thin sun-shielding cloak. “Swift, unpredictable, cunning and deceitful. If I sent out people to search for him, they’d just get caught in his tricks and waste time. It would be better if I went alone.”
“But the young men of the Tower Emblem are rather reckless. If one of them were to find you wandering around the back alleys…”
“Goodbye. I’ve waited ten years for this… Don’t follow me. That man is sharp.”
The female foreman of the trident, Rose Alderia, brushed aside her worried second-in-command and left the estate with a brisk stride.
Her character—once she sets her mind on something, nothing can stop her—was an excellent trait to manage the rough orcs, but it also made her dangerously reckless. The second-in-command held his head in his hands and prayed that everything would be all right.
“Still… lightning-fast, unpredictable, sneaky, and cunning… those traits make him seem like a petty person.”
“Well then. That’s quite an interesting number of them.”
Before Sieg stood a growing crowd of one-horned orcs, numbering around twenty. They were dressed in shabby work clothes, some with hammers slung at their waists—clearly young members of the construction guild.
It wasn’t unusual for construction guilds to lend money and even more common for them to handle debt collection on the side. So it was within expectations, but still, while two or three might be manageable, twenty was a different matter altogether. Especially since he had someone to protect; outnumbering him would not be wise.
“Enough now, sir.”
Ariel tugged at Sieg’s sleeve with a tense face and whispered, “They won’t take my life. I’m their money cow, so it’ll be fine… but the customers will have to be replaced.” “Yeah, you look like you’re ready to replace them.” “So hurry up and run away. I don’t know where you came from, but if you’re alone, you should be able to get away. And leave the south as soon as possible.” Sieg laughed. “I’m not in a hurry to leave until you agree to spend some time with me.” “When things cool down, come back to my shop and I’ll give you two hours for forty coins, whatever your fancy is.” “Ah, that’s quite professional of you.” Sieg pressed on, “Forget about the forty coins for two hours; I want you to manage all my money.”
“…” Ariel rolled her eyes. “You’re a hundred years old and you get hot for a prostitute from another race? Don’t you think that’s embarrassing?” “I admit it’s just a little bit, but I’m a centurion so I make pretty good money.” “You can’t trust someone who picks such a cheap inn in the morning. ” “Just a bit unlucky, though to meet someone as nice as you is lucky enough.” “I don’t get what you’re saying.” Ariel sighed and tried to push Sieg into an alley. Sieg poked Ariel’s ear. “Eek!?”
“Back in the day, I was a Dark Elf’s subordinate. …I know all about ear expressions. You just got excited, didn’t you?” “You’re so annoying! Stop acting like you know everything!” Ariel’s expression hit the nail on the head; she looked resentful. She had quite a bit of confidence in her ability to read women’s expressions. Sieg lightly hugged Ariel and then let go before picking her up in his arms. “What are you doing?!” “By trade, it burns more when I’m with someone than if I were alone.” “What kind of job is that?!” “A princess rescue business.” “…Sieg Becker… wait, could it be?”
“That’s Sieg Becker.” Sieg jumped. He could easily carry a girl and climb onto the roof of a single-story house. While he couldn’t completely vanish from sight even if he ran at full speed, he was confident that he could shake off an ogre’s wide strides.
“Let’s go!!”
Sieg Becker. His heroic ballad sung by wandering minstrels had become popular several times. The third time it became a hit was during his great adventure in the Lapar Islands. The second time was when he saved the noble princess who’d been kidnapped by bandits. And the first time, it was due to his tragic love story with an enemy spy.
Depressed, I had drunkenly blabbed about a terrible breakup at Quica’s tavern, and the bard there turned it into a poem. Thanks to that, Celeste became famous as an intelligence agent. Well, even if they wrote a ballad about me, my face isn’t going to get broken or anything; besides, I always use a pseudonym so it’s not really a big deal.
That bard still occasionally hears stories of my exploits at Quica and turns them into poems. He adds tall tales now and then for dramatic effect. For example, the girl who was kidnapped by bandits wasn’t actually a noblewoman but an ogre boss’ daughter. And that parting didn’t happen like in the poem, where I left her under a tree with a lingering kiss as if it were a dream. It turned out she was cuter than expected, and after almost getting intimate—she looked strangely happy about it—I remembered my first love’s bad memories and ended up throwing my waistcloth at her face while half-naked before running away.
I think I’ll keep that part from Ariel.
“Wait, you bastard!” The ogres were chasing me through the streets as I ran across the rooftops.
But running around was exactly what Sieg had in mind.
“Found you… uooh!!”
An Orga fell into a simple pit trap made with a thin board over the sewer drain.
“Running around on top of roofs… I can’t take it anymore, dohwaah!?”
Another Orga tried to jump onto a roof that couldn’t support its weight and got stuck halfway down.
Because they were only looking up, an Orga ran into a rope stretched between two palm trees and fell over, kicking a beehive in the process and getting stung badly.
The pursuers were quickly dwindling.
“…Wow, you managed to trap all of them with such pranks.”
“If I could use instant-death traps it would’ve been easy. But even though they’re just gangsters, setting up traps for citizens isn’t right.”
“…Instant-death traps?”
“Explosives, blades, vital points, poison. Those things are very effective when you take your opponent off guard and strike them down.”
“That’s scary.”
“There are missions that require such actions.”
I changed direction to shake off the remaining few orcs completely.
Then I gently put Ariel down in a secluded alleyway and looked into her eyes as I confessed earnestly.
“Well, anyway. I want to be with you… You see, I have some trust issues. But you just now made me feel better somehow. Even though it might seem simple… I want to spend more time with you.”
Of course, there were other reasons too. Her willpower reminded him of Diane, the goddess of his heart, and she was a dark elf.
There was also the fact that she felt good in his arms.
But for Sieg, who was sinking into self-loathing, her smile and way of living were worth falling in love with at first sight.
“Liar. There’s no one who can fall in love so easily. You just want something from me, don’t you?”
But Ariel was also distrustful of people. More accurately, she distrusted men. She had fallen in love with someone who deceived her and made her a prostitute. So it wasn’t surprising that she couldn’t be moved by such an easy confession from a man who came to her as a customer and started talking about love. “Of course I want you for free.” “I see.” “And I want you to go on a date with me for free, live in my Quicksand house, and if possible, have my child.” “…Ah.” But she was intimidated by Sieg’s relentless assault. Fundamentally, dark elves were not good at being alone. And Ariel ended up falling easily for a bad man who got her into debt, proving that she was still an innocent girl.
“I want a free kiss, I want you to hold me in your lap for free, and I want you to wear an apron for free. And I want us to bathe together and cuddle like this! Is that so wrong? I’d rather be a lovesick old man than just let my life go by without ever getting close to girls! I want to dote on each other in love, dammit! Preferably with someone as cute as you!”
”…U-Ugh…”
Ariel drooped her ears and looked up at Sieg. The scruffy forty-something man was desperately confessing his incredibly uncool and naked desires.
But he was just so… She felt like a liar for thinking it, but there was something about him that made her feel cowardly. In truth, even Ariel thought that strong, dependable Sieg who wanted everything from her was someone she liked. And to Ariel, who had been driven away by her family due to debt and lost the man she loved, his warmth was incredibly attractive.
“Ugh…”
She was torn between resisting this pressure or giving in when…
The three-horned crown-like shape was visible beyond the wall on both sides of Sieg’s face, where his arms were pinned. For a moment, he flinched at the sight of an ogre, but it was shorter than he expected. Though short for an ogre, it towered over Ariel at nearly 170 centimeters—still quite small compared to others of its kind. “Finally found you.” “…Ugh!?” Sieg jumped in surprise and looked up to see the ogre beside him. The petite female ogre tossed her cloak aside and dashed forward, diving into Sieg’s chest before he could react. At that distance, a knife would be deadly. For an instant, they locked eyes.
“You bastard!!!”
Her uppercut sent Sieg flying through the air.
“…Ow, ow… I thought my jaw was broken.” “That it didn’t break is a miracle. Even though I’m not one to lose in strength to any young man.” After floating above the houses for an instant, Sieg landed safely in the alleyway. Rose, the female Tri-Headed Ogre, stared at him with narrowed eyes… or so it seemed, her face slightly flushed as she did so. “…So you remember me… Wait, ughhhhhh!?” Once he finally got a good look at Rose, Sieg retreated backwards in a way that was reminiscent of an insect, still sitting on his butt. It was quite uncool. “You seem to have remembered me, spineless man.” “…Y-You… Rose!!” “Sieg Becker, I won’t forget the humiliation you caused me back then.” “I’m sorry, I’m sorry, I’m sorry!” He bowed down in full force, looking truly uncool.
Ariel was stunned. “W-What…?” “…Well, it’s something I’d rather not talk about. Anyway, Rose, could you please just let me beat her up and not touch her yourself?” “You have good intentions, but kissing me to get my attention only to throw the sash at me while seriously trying to seduce this girl is really pissing me off.” “Sorry, sorry, I’m really sorry!” Sieg knelt down in a groveling apology. “What should I do with you?” Rose grabbed Sieg’s collar and her face was contorted with veins popping out. She had an absolutely beautiful smile on her face. Sieg thought that this must be what a predator looked like when it saw its prey. “O-Oh, Leon, Davis, I found them.”
“!!”
Sieg immediately brushed off Rose’s hand and shielded Ariel with his back. At the entrance of the alley, there were two people—a lion-human hybrid and a human man—followed by an ogre with one horn. “They’re after us,” Sieg muttered in a low voice that couldn’t be heard from far away. The human man’s head snapped to the side, and he grinned. “The Tower Emblem youngsters are causing a ruckus, so we guardsmen came to support them… If I had known it was you, Sieg Becker, Lieutenant of Special Troops.” “I’ve seen you before. Might Gehrlein?” “Do you remember me?” “If I didn’t have a good memory, I wouldn’t be able to do my job,” Sieg replied with a click of his tongue.
The human man is Mait Gehrren. The lion beastman is Leon Rex. And the one-horned individual… Davis Dougout. I pull their names from my mental database of military information. “And there’s even the master craftsman of Trident.” Mait tilts his head to the side and grins more widely, causing the long pole he’s carrying to slip off his shoulder, revealing a sword without a crossguard inside it. “Who are these guys? Are they new vagrants from the Tower…?” As Rose prepares to throw a punch, Sieg stops her with his hand. “Ariel, stay as far back as you can.” “Becker…?” “These men are all ace knights.”
Carlos Manor.
The lunch proceeded without Sieg. Andy was eating a large amount of green vegetables with great difficulty. Diane looked at him with a worried expression, yet still smiled warmly. Aurora suddenly spoke to her. “Lady Diane… may I ask you something?” “Hmm?” “What is Becker’s true strength? The special duty captain…” “You’re an ace knight too. Just spar with him and get a feel for it.” “No, but I don’t really know his true strength.” Aurora clenched her hand into a fist then opened it again. “He doesn’t have many offensive moves as a swordsman, so I doubt he’s particularly strong in that regard. But when he defends or lets go of the sword… it’s at those moments that I feel how deep and incomprehensible his abilities are. His evasion is efficient with no wasted movements, and even my brother, the Master Knight, would be hard-pressed to match him in terms of mobility. And sometimes, the source of his killing intent is perplexing as well. It makes me wonder… if he were to use any means necessary, not just swords…” “Well, yeah, I don’t really get that guy either… but even a Master Knight would have trouble stopping him when he’s serious.”
“Is that so?” “A few years ago, Overnite said this. ‘You can defend against a dragon’s flames, but you cannot defend against Sieg Becker.’” ”…Overnite!? Wh-which one?” “The iron one. The lightning one agreed as well.” ”…What do you mean?” Diane muttered under her breath that it wasn’t the kind of thing to talk about during mealtime. “He’s a man who could probably come up with a thousand different ways to kill someone if he was asked to. You might be able to defend against flames by carefully considering magic, engravings, and materials, but there is no way to stop Becker’s killing methods. …If you become his enemy, it may be worse than facing a Master Knight.” Sieg straightened up suddenly, wiping the smile off his face. The smell of burning began to permeate the air, signaling the start of battle.
Might tilted his head backward and grinned as he drew his sword. “Special Agent Captain Becker. Ever since I was in the army, I’ve wanted to fight you to the death.” “Oh? Well, I don’t want that. I try not to kill people if I can help it.” Leon, the lion-human, spoke up. “You’re arrogant.” “No no no. Because when we fight, someone’s gonna die, right?” Davis, with his single horn, muttered, “Even one death is acceptable… ” “One death? Is that all you care about?” Sieg looked at them three with a pitying expression.
“After all, you’re the ones who’ll die.” The three fell silent for a moment. “I don’t know…” “We can’t tell…” “It’s three against one. If we win, you become Master Knight…right?” Sieg silently drew his knife. The blade was only fifteen centimeters long, an absurdly small weapon. Then he crouched down. The three Ace Knights charged forward with murderous intent… but at that moment, the lead knight, Mait, stumbled and fell. “What!?” “Hey!?
Leon fell next, tripping on oil that had pooled at his feet. Davis leaped over the two of them. A needle pierced his nose. “!?” Davis convulsed on the ground and lay still. “If poison and oil are allowed in a match, then I’m definitely a Master Knight too.” He stabbed needles into the fallen Ace Knights with quick motions. “Y-you…that’s cheap…” “I could kill you seven times if you give me even an instant of opportunity.” Saying that coldly, he picked up Mait’s sword and snapped it in half. “And I’m the type who won’t feel satisfied unless I make things work to my advantage from the start. …It’s a lesson I learned in life.”
Really, it was in the blink of an eye. Before Ariel and Rose even realized what had happened, he had already defeated three Ace Knights. “…Anesthesia. I care about my people.” With a wave of his hand, Sieg returned to his smug grin. Rose and Ariel let out relieved smiles at him. “…Indeed. Well, it’s Sieg Becker after all; I wasn’t worried.” “Sieg-san…”
Changing the location, Sieg turned back to them. Then Rose pressed something wrapped in cloth into Sieg’s hands. “I’ve been waiting for this opportunity for a long time. …It’s a present.” “What?”
“Open it. …I’ll say this first, I’m not doing this out of gratitude or obligation.”
“Huh?”
When Sieg opened the package, he found a jewel knife inside.
“I wanted to have something matching yours after that, so I went through great lengths to get one too. It wouldn’t make sense if you didn’t have it.”
“…Th-thanks…”
Sieg’s eyes welled up with tears.
“Thanks, Rose! I don’t really understand why but I love you, damnit!!”
“I-I see. That’s good then.”
And while he was crying, Sieg wiped his cheek on the jewel knife before suddenly remembering something and handed it to Ariel.
“…Huh?” “You could get a lot of money for that… You have debts, right? If you sell it and use the money to pay them off… Then maybe I’ll go out with you…?” “…” “Sieg Becker…” Rose shook her head. Ariel hesitated uncertainly whether she should take it or not, but eventually accepted it. Sieg wept blood internally. But that was okay. He would make her his woman. “Yes. Understood.” Ariel’s cheeks flushed red. “I-I’m a simple girl, but please…take care of me.”
(…Huh?) Something feels like it was skipped over. Then, Rose erupted. ”…Don’t you realize that proposing to someone with a gift meant for another person is the lowest thing a guy can do—!!” “Ah…!?”
In this colony, giving away knives free of charge has special significance.
(to be continued)