In the middle of the night, I was woken up suddenly by one of the Orcs I had posted near the entrance to the underground. He just barged in without any consideration. I sleep in just my underwear, you know? And it’s summer so we put away the blankets (pelts).

Well, there’s no reason to feel shy around an Orc, though.

“Alright, what’s the problem?” I ask while sitting on my nest bed, yawning.

“The Orcs who have gone down into the underground have started coming back to the surface. We tried to make them go back, but they refused. They’ve been complaining about the air quality or something.”

“Hm? Air quality…”

Could there be some kind of fumes down there? Carbon monoxide would be a problem. In that case, I may need to ventilate it someho--!!

“Crap!”

I quickly jump out of bed and get dressed. I realized just now that I made a huge hole underground to hold a thousand people, and the only air hole is the entrance!

Well, the entrance is wide, so it could still be some other problem. Either way, I have to quickly go check. I quickly go to the East entrance and head down the stairs into the underground. Yes, the air is definitely thin down here.

Unfortunately, I don't know any wind magic. I'll have to make do with just adding more holes. I use to create a wide vent shaft in the wall every couple of feet, leaving a grate-like cover on either end. Ah, I had to squeeze out every drop of my magic, so this had better be enough.

“If the air becomes thin again, please go outside,” I tell them and walk back up the stairs.

Ah, my sleep got interrupted. Maybe I'll have strange dreams.

***

Morning came as usual, but it's somehow noisy. When I go outside and take a look at the East entrance, dozens of Orcs are streaming down into the underground. It seems they started arriving early in the morning. Did they walk all night? Maybe if my village is far from theirs, they didn't have a choice.

I don't want to see what’s going on down there, but it's my duty as hosting chief to at least make sure they're not killing each other over mates.

…

Hoh? Nice kick.

I'm currently sitting on the steps to the underground, watching the Orc mating rituals. This is actually kind of fun.

Basically, when a strong-looking male shows up, the women swarm him and make an attempt at seduction. If they are all turned down, they attack him viciously. The male Orc proceeds to beat back as many women as he can, until one emerges victorious. The male is then dragged into one of the rooms at the perimeter.

The women who failed drag themselves to their feet, wipe away the blood with really tough looks, and find another male to charge at.

There are far more females here than males, so the males are always facing at least two at a time. It's not that there’s a disparity in the birth distribution. When a male Orc mates once in a season, he is freed from the mating pool. However, the women jump back in over and over again to make sure they get pregnant with at least one powerful child.

Basically, right now it feels like I'm watching pro wrestling instead of a mating ritual.

It's funny, the guys never approach the girls, so I can stay down here to watch and be perfectly safe.

The participants lose strength as time goes on, but Orcs from other villages occasionally filter in, refreshing the battle anew.

I haven't seen a male Orc yet that hasn't fallen. No matter how strong they are, when they have to do battle with so many women, it's a given that they'll tire out eventually.

After a few hours, I got bored. Even with all the activity, the air down there was fine, so I don't think I have to worry any more. I casually walk back upstairs and take a relaxing walk around the village. Just inside the perimeter of the wall, I can see shallow grates sticking up every couple of feet. I manipulated their course to end up here where they wouldn't be in the way, and they look fine.

During my walk, I come across momma practicing fire magic at the edge of the village.

“Hey, momma!”

“Ah?” she stopped her casting to look at me. “Hey, baby! I saw you go underground for a looong time. Is I gonna get a grand baby?”

“Nah, I was just watching the fights. What about you? My big brother gets a little sister, but I don't? That’s unfair, momma.”

“Hah?! Course I not have any more babies. I already succeed as Orc woman. What else I wanting to do?”

“Huh? You succeeded? How?”

Momma puffed up her chest and grinned. “I make strongest child! My Vyra is winning against every chief and swatting Magic Beasts like flies! I already fulfilled. Don't need more babies.”

Wow. Those are some intense motherly feelings. I feel touched in a somewhat melancholy way.

“Ah~ But chief Oduran told me that I'm only at about the level of an ordinary Fomor. Is that really good enough?”

“Stupid? One Fomor is enough to crush a human city if they is not careful. Orcs aren't fighting Fomors one on one. You take groups of fifteen to thirty, see? Only War Orcs is strong enough to fighting them one on one. You is regular Orc and already as strong as War Orc. My Vyra is amazing!”

Ah, that sure puts it into perspective, huh? Could I really crush an entire city alone? I feel like I would get tired before finishing… Not that I would try it, I mean… But,

“Momma, what is that War Orc? Is that the next evolution Orcs go through?”

“Hm? Orcs is not so simple like Goblins or Kobolds. Our evolution path is splitting right away. War Orc is only one of the possibilities for first evolution, but it is the strongest.”

“What is a War Orc like?”

“They is big. Two heads taller than normal Orc. They has broad shoulders and big muscles. Skin turns brown and hair grows. Mm, War Orcs is built to fight!”

Hm… I'm imagining something like a usual Orc, but made from a wild boar instead of a domestic pig. I wonder if that’s close?

Well, I'll find out if I ever meet one.