Chapter 14

If I wasn’t alone, if there was someone else, I could have chased that suspicious man… but this is just the limit of going solo.

Let those who are good at difficult political decisions take care of them. As for me, I’ll take care of the rough stuff I’m good at.

There’s no need to sneak around anymore. I channel all my magical power into the fire sword, cloaking it in flames.

I rub the fire sword against the wall as I head deeper inside. The sword, wrapped in fire and heated to extremely high temperatures, easily begins to burn through the wall.

As expected, seated in the back was the Orc Lord, the leader of the orcs.

The Orc Lord glanced at me and grunted while stroking his chin.

‘…Human. That’s different from what the previous one said.’

‘Fine, fine. It’s pointless to ask you anything anyway. No one takes an orc’s word seriously.’

It’s only because of my name value that I might be treated as a source of information. And it’s doubtful how much this guy knows.

‘An adventurer, huh? It seems this place has grown too large. You’ve sniffed us out.’

The Orc Lord grabbed a huge battle axe that was leaning nearby and stood up.

He’s huge. He’s nearly twice my size in both height and width. The battle axe alone is about the size of me.

Demi-human monsters, especially the vanguard, tend to be large.

Being large means being strong. Even veteran adventurers wouldn’t try to fight one alone.

But I’m called the strongest because I can defeat them alone.

Once the fire spreads, other orcs will come one after another. Being surrounded will lead to heavy consumption. I need to quickly dispose of this big guy.

‘__________!’

The Orc Lord’s roar echoed in the room. The volume of his voice was no longer just sound, but an impact itself.

He gripped the battle axe with both hands, swung it overhead, and struck down in one go.

I dodged the blow that could have crushed me along with my shield by leaping backward.

The battle axe didn’t stop at one blow. Supported by immense strength, it was swung around like a storm.

Even I am at a disadvantage in a contest of strength.

‘Shush.’

I cut the Orc Lord’s body with the fire sword between swings of his battle axe.

The fire of the fire sword hinders regeneration. Minor cuts would heal quickly and not bother the Orc Lord, but as the wounds from the fire sword accumulated, his movements slowed.

‘That sword… that cursed fire magic sword.’

‘It’s your fault for not being able to handle it, right?’

Humans who can’t handle an orc’s strength are killed by orcs, and orcs who can’t handle a fire sword are killed by humans. It’s natural.

No matter how much he swings the battle axe, it won’t hit.

How many larger creatures do you think I’ve hunted down!

The Orc Lord, covered in wounds, slammed his feet on the ground and lowered his body.

Realizing that the battle axe was futile, he decided to charge instead.

This is indoors. There’s not enough space to keep dodging a charge, even if I can avoid the battle axe.

Fine. Come at me.

The Orc Lord charged with all his remaining strength, trying to hit me with the battle axe while ramming into me.

I received it with the fire sword, but couldn’t stop the Orc Lord’s charge, and was dragged backward, breaking through the wall and thrown outside.

Incredible strength. Just one hit left my hands numb.

I refocused my strength in my hands and readied the fire sword.

There’s no damage to the blade of the fire sword. Around me, orcs attracted by the noise and fire are gathering.

You might think the tables have turned, but you’re still at a disadvantage.

I release the magical power stored in the fire sword.

The fire sword isn’t just a weapon that inflicts pain with heat and flames.

That’s just a bonus. Inside the magic-filled fire sword, a giant flame surges, and that’s just what’s showing on the surface.

‘Fire sword, release—’

I let it out.

The scorching flames engulf everything around me and burn it all down.

Even tough orcs with no magic defense can’t withstand the flames of the fire sword.

In no time, the orcs are burned to ashes, and only the Orc Lord, on his knees, survives.

Thanks to the protection of the fire sword, I’m just a bit hot.

‘My sons… you, damn you.’

‘No, no, it’s strange to blame me. You were planning to attack and kill humans afterward, so why am I the bad one? Listen, a good orc is one that lives peacefully away from humans. The bad orcs that get exterminated are the ones that attack humans.’

I wouldn’t unnecessarily defeat orcs that live in peace. Peace is precious.

The Orc Lord still had some strength left, grabbed the reddened battle axe, and stood up.

Impressive guts. With a bit of admiration, I thrust the fire sword into his heart, delivering the final blow.