With the keen of metal, Armin drew his sword and took a few steps distance. His eyes darted back and forth quickly, but there was no gathering of Orcs ready to kill him. They were just wandering here and there among a gathering of clay huts, chatting, sparring, and even dressing animal carcasses.

“Tooaaah!”

A distinctly Human voice rang out and Armin turned his head. He saw a young swordsman and an armored orc doing battle, and tightened his grip on his blade which had loosened slightly from earlier. However, within a few breaths it became obvious that they weren't fighting to kill.

“Ah! I’ve never thought of it like that! Fiara, you're a genius!”

Armin looked to the sound of the Human girl’s voice, and saw a brown-haired scholarly-type chatting with an orc woman as if they were schoolmates. They pointed and smiled as they referenced magical formulas that had been scratched into the dirt. The tension he had just returned to his hands slipped away again. And finally, a pretty boy with long black hair came flying out of a particularly large hut, followed by a large and angry Orc woman wearing deer horns, who was yelling in very broken language.

“You stupid Human! I sees you dirty looking at my baby! You weakling is mating with her, you think, idiot! Hmph! Never, I say!”

“N-now, Lady Oolga, I swear it isn't like that--”

“I light you up next time, stupid boy!” the Orc woman said, conjuring a magic flame in her palm.

“I… think I'll just take a walk for a few minutes,” he said and hurried off.

Armin felt the strength leave his arms as his sword just dangled loosely in one hand. So the story he had been told earlier was true? What the hell was with this monster village?

Shortly after the big Orc mage chased off the pretty boy, another Orc woman stepped out of the big hut. This one could actually be considered attractive by some stretch of the imagination. She had a fit body and fur armor that gave off a sort of wild charm, and her chest was huge.

This orc gave a sigh as she watched where the pretty boy had run off. Then, her eyes abruptly focused in Armin’s direction. He felt suddenly intimidated, and promptly put his blade away. The Orc who had brought him here trotted up to the fit Orc like he’d been waiting for her to appear.

“Chief, I brought Human adventurer, like you said.”

“Mm. Good work. It seems like you had to wait a long time away from the village. Sorry. You can sit closest to the food tonight.”

“Thank you chief! You is best!”

“It’s only natural, since you had to suffer. Go do whatever you feel like for now.”

Armin was surprised to hear that the fit Orc woman was the village chief, and that she spoke surprisingly eloquently in the Human language. He stood up straighter when she turned to him and smiled.

“Thank you for coming such a long way. By all means, please come in. I'd very much like to have a word with you.”

“Y-yes…”

The adventurer followed the Orc chief into the large hut and stood to face her while she sat on a clay throne in a casual pose.

“I am Vyra, chief of this village. And you, sir adventurer?”

Armin bowed his head slightly. “My name is Armin Ghoette, a three-star adventurer.”

“I’m sure you noticed the three Humans in my village.” She saw Armin nod. “Then I'll get straight to the point. Please force them to return to Human territory.”

Armin swallowed nervously. He knew that he would have to face an entire village full of orcs if he behaved poorly here, but there was something he really needed to clear up. “Excuse me, but why must they be forced to return?”

The orc chief nodded, as if she expected his question. “Because they refuse to leave themselves. To clear up your confusion, I suppose I should explain how things got this way… One of my hunting parties discovered their group while searching for game. Since it was an unusual situation, they sent word to me. I was curious about Humans, and so I asked for them to be brought here. I intended to host them for a few days and learn a few things from them. It was my hope that a pleasant stay would compel them to respectfully keep the location of my village a secret from the other adventurers.”

“However, they quickly grew attached. Rudan and Durghan bonded as warriors, and train with each other every day. Elianora has bonded with Fiara like a sister, and worships me as some sort of champion of god. Nostel… seems to wish to bed me… It’s a mess, really.”

“But when I had first requested they stay here, they hesitated. Clearly, there were people waiting for them to return. The longer they stay here, the more likely a rescue party will be sent. I can think of many things that might come of that, and most of them are undesirable. They came out here on a mission to subjugate kobolds, originally, which my men helped them complete, but they wouldn't leave even after that. If I force them out, it will ruin the good reputation I've built with them. I can only ask for help from one of their fellow Humans now. Please take them back, Armin.”

The adventurer agreed that this was a request he should go along with, but he thought about what he had seen of his fellow Humans earlier and let out a deep sigh. Those people had no particular reason to listen to him, and convincing them to leave would be a challenge. Still, there was a way to get it done.

“I understand the circumstances. But, you prepared to have those three stay for several days in comfort to buy their silence. Is there really no problem letting me go so easily?”

“From you, I get no sense that you would spread the knowledge of this place. However, I am prepared to offer a gift as thanks for your help in this matter.”

Armin watched curiously, and then flinched. The orc chief had reached up and torn a tribal ornament from the flesh of her folded pink ears. He observed the wound healing at a pace discernible to the naked eye and gawked a bit before accepting the earring. It was fashioned using a long thin bone to pierce the ear, some finely woven glistening green plant fibers, and a few delicate animal fangs. When he took it in his hands, he felt a faint holy attribute aura rising off of it.

“Is this made from the bones of a holy beast?” Armin asked in awe.

“No. It just took on a bit of that attribute after bathing in my blood for several days.”

The orc chief quickly denied it, but the three-star adventurer didn't miss the hidden meaning in her words.

Then, the one with the holy attribute… is her!

“Those under my rule will be your allies if you display that. For an adventurer like you, it should be a good reward, and something you cannot get simply with money. However, I should say that if you abuse the trust of that ornament to cause harm to my people, I will not even consider sparing your life.”

“I understand. I will go and persuade them now.”

“Thank you.”