The Orks are known for their exceptional fighting prowess due to their massive size, and while they often rely on hunting as a foundation for their colony-based lifestyle, when interacting with other races, they instead leverage their strength as construction workers.
Similarly, the Dwarves, who also excel in power, are skilled in forging and craftsmanship. In terms of occupational segregation within cities, Dwarves specialize in blacksmithing while Orks focus on construction. Agriculture, fishing, and livestock farming are primarily the domain of Humans and Elves.
While Orks are naturally suited for manual labor, their building skills cannot be elevated without collective accumulation and cooperation.
For this reason, it is common for each city to have multiple Ork construction unions.
Given that Orks are inherently a warlike race, the organizations they form are inherently muscular—dare I say mafia-like in nature.
Organizations that can effectively channel their overflowing energy through work, events, or shared ideals are one thing, but depending on the charisma of their leaders and how well they’re managed, they can also pose a threat to local governance. This is the tricky part of the Celestian Merchant Kingdom’s policy of “tolerance for races but strictness in profits,” making it difficult to fully control.
Fortunately, Oasis Town Tark has a number of organizations with relatively good control abilities.
Among them, two construction unions are particularly powerful.
The “Trident,” led by Tri-Corn Orks.
And the “Tower Emblem,” led by Mono-Corn Orks.
Both have their hands in finance, brewing, and retail, and within Tark’s bustling business community, they rank among the top ten in influence.
Moreover, given that their headquarters are mirror-symmetric across Central Avenue, and that they often compete and jostle for position in various ventures, the two are known to routinely fight each other on street corners—making them, in a sense, a staple of Tark.
It was well-known among the citizens of Tark that the “Triton” leader was a young woman.
“Boss, perhaps it would be better to have the younger ones handle this?”
“You don’t know that man Sigmund Becker, do you?”
The young Ogre, who held the position of underboss, nodded solemnly at the female leader.
“I’m not familiar with the world of soldiers. I’ve heard it’s full of heroic tales and whatnot.”
The female leader nodded grandly, then flung a thin sunshade cloak over her shoulders.
“Swift, fickle, cunning, and devious. Searching by numbers will only make him escape and waste more time. I’d be better off going alone.”
“But the younger ones from the Tower Emblem are too lax with their guard. If they were to find you out in the backstreets…”
“Enough. I’ve waited ten years for this… Don’t chase him. That man is sharp.”
The female leader of Triton, Rose Aldeira, brushed off the worried underboss and strode boldly out of the mansion.
Once she made up her mind, she was impossible to stop. Despite being a woman, her temperament was well-suited for leading the rough-and-tumble Ogres, but it also made her all the more dangerous.
The underboss held his head in his hands and prayed nothing would go wrong.
However… speed, whimsicality, sneakiness, cunning… it all sounds like a petty person to me.
“Anyway. That many people? That’s bound to be interesting.”
In front of Sieg, a group of one-horned ogres was gathering, seemingly summoned by someone. There were probably around 20 of them.
Their uniformly shabby work clothes and occasional tools hanging from their waists suggested they were likely young guys from a construction union.
It’s not unusual for construction unions to lend money, and many also handle collections as a sideline. So it’s within the expected range, but 20 people would be troublesome. And most of all, being outnumbered is not a good idea when there’s someone to protect.
“Aren’t you done yet? Customer.”
Ariel tugged at Sieg’s sleeve and whispered with a tense expression.
“They won’t take your life. They need you for their profits, so it’s fine… But you’ll be buried.”
“Yeah, they look like they’d love to bury me. Was it a bad idea to just take off?”
“Then hurry and run. I don’t know where they came from, but you can escape alone. And get out of the southern area as quickly as possible.”
Sieg laughed.
“I’d rather not travel without your company.”
“You can come back to the shop once things have cooled down, and I’ll spend 240 minutes with you for any hobby you want.”
“Ah. That’s a good work ethic, but…”
Sieg, now fully recovered, pressed on relentlessly.
“Don’t just say 240 minutes—let’s manage my entire fortune together.”
”…………”
Ariel made a face of exasperation.
“At your age, getting infatuated with a businesswoman from another race in one go? Don’t you think that’s uncool?”
“Just a little. But I’m a centurion, so I earn pretty well.”
“You picked an inn this morning and came in? I can’t trust someone like that.”
“Pure bad luck, but hey, meeting someone as nice as you is kind of lucky, I guess.”
“I don’t get it.”
Ariel sighed and tried to push Sie further into the back alley.
Sieg pokes Ariel’s ear with a light tap.
“Hyahn!?”
“I used to be a subordinate of the Dark Elves, you know. …I’m pretty familiar with the expressions on ears. You just got flustered, didn’t you?”
“Sh-shut up! Don’t get carried away, human!”
Caught off guard, Ariel’s face twisted in resentment.
He was quite confident when it came to reading women’s moods.
Sieg lightly hugged Ariel and then released her once to cradle her in his arms.
“What are you doing!?”
“From my line of work, it’s more exciting with two than just one trying to escape.”
“What kind of line of work is that!?”
“The business of rescuing captive princesses.”
“…Sieg Becker… Wait, could it be…!?”
“Is that Sieg Becker?”
Sieg leaped.
Carrying a woman or two wouldn’t be a problem, and scaling a flat roof would be easy.
Even at full speed, it’s not like I could suddenly disappear from someone’s sight, but I’m confident I can outrun an Ogre’s wide strides.
“Let’s go!!”
Sieg Becker.
He was a hero in the epic poems of bards, and his story had become a popular theme a few times.
The third time it became popular was during his grand adventure on the Lapar Islands.
The second time was the rescue of a noble princess captured by bandits.
And the first time was the tragic love story with an enemy spy.
In a depressed state, at a Quikka tavern, I forced myself to drink something I couldn’t even handle while spouting my terrible heartbreak. A bard who happened to be there turned it into a poem.
Because of that, he became one of Celesta’s most famous spies.
Well, even if I sang a heroic poem, it wouldn’t split my face, and since I always use aliases, it’s not much of a problem.
That minstrel would occasionally hear about Sieg’s exploits in Quica and turn them into poems, sometimes mixing in horror stories for the mood or the narrative.
Ah, it wasn’t a noble princess who was captured by bandits, but the only daughter of an ogre chieftain.
That parting wasn’t like something out of a poem, with a kiss under a tree and then fading away like a daytime dream.
She was cuter than I expected, so when it came time to part, I almost touched her, and she looked at me with such a strange, happy expression that it reminded me of the unpleasant memories of my first love, so I threw my loincloth at her face while still half-dressed and ran away into the clouds—absolutely the worst parting ever.
I think I’ll keep that to myself from Ariel.
“Wait a second, you idiot!!”
The ogres were chasing Sieg across the rooftops, running through the streets.
But running around was exactly what Sieg wanted.
“Found him… Whoa!!”
The ogre fell right into a simple pit trap—a thin sheet of metal laid over a water channel.
“Just running around on the rooftops… I can’t take it anymore, ughhh!!”
The Ogre jumped onto the roof of a house that wasn’t designed to support its weight, only to get stuck halfway down.
The Ogre, staring upward, tripped over a taut rope stretched between two palm trees and knocked over a beehive, suffering a nasty fall.
In no time, the pursuers had thinned out.
“…W-well, to think you could pull off that much mischief just on Ogres.”
“Well, if I could use instant-death traps, it’d be easy. But even for a lowlife like me, setting up traps for citizens is a bit much.”
“…Instant-death traps?”
“Things like gunpowder, blades, vital points, or poison. If you distract them with those and then finish them off in one go, it’s incredibly efficient.”
“You’re so scary.”
“There are missions where you have to do things like that.”
He suddenly changed his escape route, completely losing the few remaining Ogres.
Then, in a quiet back alley, he gently set Ariel down and looked into her eyes as he began his proper confession.
“Anyway, forget about that. I want you to go out with me. …Well, I’m a bit distrustful of humans, but after what happened earlier… I think it’s kind of obvious, but… I really want to spend more time with you.”
Of course, it’s not just that. There’s also the fact that she’s a dark elf with a strong will, much like Dianne, who was once the goddess of his heart.
There’s also the simple, practical issue of how comfortable she felt in his arms.
But for Sieg, who was on the verge of drowning in self-loathing, her smile and the way she lived her life were enough to make him fall head over heels in love at first sight.
“Liar… There’s no way someone can fall for someone so easily. You’re just trying to take advantage of me, aren’t you?”
However, Ariel also harbored distrust of people.
Or rather, men.
She had fallen in love with someone, only to be deceived and ended up as a courtesan.
So how could she possibly feel genuinely touched by this man who showed up as a customer and suddenly confessed his love?
“Of course I want it for free.”
“I knew it.”
“I want you to go on dates with me for free, live in my house in Quica, and if possible, even have my children.”
“Auu…”
However, Ariel was intimidated by Sieg’s relentless onslaught.
Essentially, dark elves are not strong against loneliness. And in the end, Ariel was just a kind-hearted girl who easily fell for a bad man and ended up getting into debt.
“I want to kiss you for free, I want to lay my head on your lap for free, I want you to wear an apron with nothing on for free, and I want us to bathe together and get all lovey-dovey for free. Is that so wrong? I’d rather be all sticky with a girl than just turn into some old man! I want to be all sweet and clingy with someone! And if possible, someone as cute as you!”
“Ugh… uhh…”
Ariel drooped her ears and looked up at Sieg.
It was a middle-aged human man with stubble desperately confessing his utterly embarrassing and shameless inner thoughts.
But, it was just…
He had such intensity that Ariel couldn’t help but feel guilty for lying to herself.
In truth, from Ariel’s perspective, Sieg was strong, dependable, tall, and above all, someone who sought out her entire being.
Having been burdened by debt and forced to cut ties with her family, she had lost the man she loved, leaving her alone. For her, his warmth was incredibly appealing.
“Ugh… uhh…”
As she hesitated, unsure whether to resist or give in,
Through the arms of Sieg, pressed against the walls on either side of his face, I could see three-pronged horns like a crown.
I flinched for a moment at the sight of an ogre, but it was short. Shorter than Ariel, though not by much. It was still over 170 cm tall, but even so, it was quite small for an ogre, especially a female one.
“Finally found you.”
”…Whoa!?”
Startled, Sieg looked up and saw the ogre woman who had appeared beside him.
The petite ogre woman threw off her cloak and dashed forward. Before Sieg could even get into a fighting stance, she leapt onto his chest.
At knife-throwing distance.
In an instant, we locked eyes.
“You… you piece of crap!!”
Her uppercut sent Sieg flying through the air.
”…Ouch… I thought my jaw was going to shatter.”
“That’s a miracle it didn’t. I’m not one to lose out in punch power even against younglings these days.”
After floating completely above the houses for a moment, Sieg landed safely in an alleyway. Rose, the Tricorne Ogre, looked at him with half-lidded eyes—or rather, her face flushed slightly as she stared.
”…So, who are you…? Wait, whaaaaa!?”
Finally managing to fully register Rose, Sieg, still sitting on his butt, began to scuttle backward like some kind of insect. It was incredibly uncool.
“I remember you, coward.”
”…Y-you… Rose…!!”
“Sieg Becker. I won’t forget the humiliation from that time.”
“I’m sorry, I’m sorry, I’m so sorry!”
He prostrated himself in full apology. It was truly uncool.
Ariel was dumbfounded.
“What…?”
”…It’s something hard to explain, so don’t ask. Actually, Rose, I’ll beat you up with all my strength, so don’t lay a finger on her.”
“Good attitude. But the fact that you kissed me while throwing my skirt at me and then seriously tried to flirt with this girl really leaves a bad impression on me.”
“Sorry, I’m really sorry, I’m really sorry!”
Zieg was prostrating himself on the ground, groveling.
“How should I make it up to you?”
Grabbing Zieg by the collar, Rose had a genuinely good smile as she bared her veins with anger.
Zieg thought this must be the face of an animal facing its prey.
“Oh, there. Lion, Davis, I found them.”
”!!”
In an instant, Zieg shook off Rose’s hand and shielded himself and Ariel with his back.
At the entrance of the alleyway, a pair of lion beastmen and a human man appeared, along with one horned ogre behind them.
“Are they pursuers?”
Zieg muttered in a voice that was hard to place, and the human man tilted his head slightly and grinned.
“Looks like the young folks from the Tower Emblem are causing trouble. We’re here as bodyguards. …Oh, if I look closer, it’s Captain Zieg Becker of Special Forces, isn’t it?”
”…I’ve seen him before. Is that… Mite Gerin?”
“Did you remember me?”
“It’s not like I have a good memory for faces.”
Sieg clicked his tongue in annoyance.
The human man was Mite Gerin. The lion beastman was Lion Rex. The one with the single horn… Davis Dagout.
From the military information stored in his mind, he pulled their names to the surface.
“And look, even the leader of Trident is here.”
Sieg tilted his head sharply to the side and grinned. Mite laughed loudly, his long staff slipping from his shoulder and falling, revealing a bladeless longsword inside.
“What are these guys? The tower folks, they’re bringing in new vagrants…?”
Sieg stopped Rose as she tried to ready her fist.
“Back up as far as you can with Ariel.”
“Becker…?”
“Everyone here is an Ace Knight.”
Carlos’ mansion.
Lunch without Sieg. Andy was eating a large amount of green vegetables, looking uncomfortable but still munching happily.
Diane, with a troubled expression but still watching him with amusement, was suddenly called out to by Aurora.
“Diane-sama… May I ask you something?”
“Hmm?”
“What about Captain Becker’s strength…? How strong is he?”
“You’re an Ace Knight too. Just fight him and you’ll get a sense of it.”
“No. I don’t really understand his strength.”
As Aurora spoke, she clenched her fist and then spread it open.
“As a swordsman, he doesn’t have many moves, and I wouldn’t say he’s particularly strong in attack. But when he goes into defense or drops his sword… that’s when I feel his true depth. His evasion is flawless, his movement efficient—both far surpass even my Master Night brother. And sometimes, the source of his killing intent feels inexplicable. I always wonder… what if he used not just his sword, but any means possible…”
“Well, it’s true that guy is hard to figure out… But at least blocking him when he’s serious would be tough even for a Master Knight.”
“That much?”
“A few years ago, Overnite said it. ‘You can block a dragon’s flames, but you can’t block Sieg Becker.’”
”…Overnite!? Wh-which one?”
“The iron one. The lightning one agreed too.”
”…What does that even mean?”
Diaene muttered, “This isn’t exactly the kind of conversation you want to have at mealtime.”
“That guy could probably kill a thousand people in a hundred different ways. You might be able to block flames with magic, runes, and materials, but there’s no way to stop Becker. …If he turned against us, he’d probably be even scarier than the Master Knight.”
“Now then.”
Sieg straightened his back and wiped the smile from his lips.
The acrid smell of battle began to cling to him.
Might tilted his head backward, grinning widely as he raised his sword.
“Sergeant Becker. I’ve been wanting to fight you since I was in the military.”
“So? I don’t like it. I’d rather not have any dead bodies.”
Lion beastman Leon opened his mouth.
“You’re so full of yourself.”
“No, no, no. But if we kill each other, we’ll die, right?”
One-horned Davis muttered in a low voice.
“It’s fine if one person dies…”
“Is it?”
Sieg looked at the three of them with a pitying gaze.
“You’re the ones who’ll die, after all.”
The three of them fell silent in an instant.
“I wonder…”
“I don’t know.”
“Three against one. If you win, you’re the Master Knight, huh…?”
Sig drew his knife silently. The blade was only 15 centimeters long—a ridiculously flimsy weapon.
Then, he crouched down.
The three Ace Knights grew tense, lunged forward… and in that instant, the one at the front tripped and fell.
“What!?”
“Hey!?”
Leon followed, falling too. Oil had pooled at their feet.
Davis leaped over the two of them. A needle struck him right in the nose.
”!?”
Davis hit the ground hard and stopped moving.
“If poison and oil are allowed in matches, then yeah, I guess I’m the Master Knight after all.”
He stabbed the fallen Ace Knights with needles too, sak, sak.
“Y-you’re cowardly…!”
“If you show even the slightest opening, I can take you down seven times.”
With a cold voice, he snatched Mito’s sword and shattered it with a single strike.
“And, well, I just can’t help but get ahead in the beginning. …It’s a life lesson for me.”
In an instant.
Before Ariel and Rose could even understand what was happening, he had taken down three Acesnights.
”…Anesthetic, you see. I care about the people.”
Waving his hand lightly, Sieg regained his playful grin, and Rose and Ariel let out relieved smiles.
”…Honestly. Well, it’s Sieg Becker, so I wasn’t too worried.”
“Sieg-san…”
Moving to a different location, Sieg turned back to face the two of them.
Then, Rose suddenly thrust a wrapped bundle at Sieg.
“I’ve been waiting a long time for this moment. …It’s a gift.”
”…What?”
“Open it. …Let me make one thing clear: this isn’t out of obligation or gratitude.”
“Yeah, yeah?”
When Sieg opened it, inside was a jewel knife.
“After that, I wanted to have a matching treasure with you. So I worked hard and got my own too. It wouldn’t mean anything if you didn’t have it.”
”…Th-thank you…”
Tears welled up in Sieg’s eyes.
“Thank you, Roseeeee!! …I don’t really get it, but I love you damn it!!”
“Yeah, yeah. That’s good.”
Then, wiping his unshaven cheek against the jewel knife as he cried softly, he suddenly had an idea.
He handed it to Ariel right there and then.
”…Huh?”
“That, if sold, would fetch a lot of money… You owe someone money, right? If you could use that to… then, um, maybe we could… date, or something like that…?”
”…”
“Sieg Becker…”
Rose shook her head vigorously.
Ariel hesitated, unsure whether to accept it or not… but in the end, she did.
Sieg’s heart bled tears of joy. But it was fine. I’d become someone’s boyfriend now too.
”…Yes. I understand.”
Ariel’s cheeks flushed slightly.
“Y-You’re probably not used to this, but… please take care of me…”
(…Huh?)
I feel like I skipped over something important.
So, Rose erupted.
”…You’re the worst guy ever—didn’t you realize you were proposing to someone else with a proposal meant for someone else!?”
”…Ah, ahh!?”
In this colony, the free transfer of a blade holds special meaning.
(To be continued.)