Morning came. Samael, who had the last watch, woke up his companions and threw together a quick breakfast. They ate, checked their equipment, and packed up the tents.

“We’ll stay close together as we head deeper,” Armin said. “Runa, you stay a bit ahead to scout.”

“Understood.”

The group got into formation and marched steadily.

The West side of the Black Forest was overgrown compared to the other regions. The trees were shorter and the foliage tall and thick. It sometimes felt more like a jungle than a wood.

This kind of environment made it essential to have some person to play the role of scout. Otherwise, the chance of being ambushed by the monsters who lived here was incredibly high.

On the bright side, because they were able to hide and ambush prey, the monsters on this side of the forest were weaker than those on the other sides. Even weak creatures like humans could occasionally sneak in here to gather resources.

But just because the average monster here was weaker, didn't mean there were no strong monsters. An Orc chief was no laughing matter, and currently the place was infested by War Monkeys. The Guild had already issued a temporary notice to all Adventurers below the three-star rank to stay away. Given that Aramis City was the closest town to this place that had an Adventurer Guild, Armin and his group didn't anticipate coming across any other Humans in this place.

Because of all of this, they wanted to play this mission extremely carefully. That made Runa’s job as scout incredibly important. Luckily, as a three-star Ranger, she couldn't be compared to someone like Nostel.

“Armin.” Runa dropped suddenly from the treetops. “We should consider changing the route.”

“You saw something ahead?”

“There’s a group of six War Monkeys ahead. I also detected an Orc Hunting group with about twenty members.”

“Yeah, it's better to stay away from that,” Armin agreed. “Let’s go around them. Runa, you stay on lookout.”

After several minutes, Runa dropped from the trees again. This time, her expression was slightly tense. “Armin. The Orc group appears to be targeting the War Monkeys. They've split their group in half. One half is continuing as before, while the other is going to approach them from downwind. We’re on a collision course with the second group.”

“That level of strategy from Orcs is unusual,” Kirk murmured, stroking his chin. “There wouldn't be a chief heading that hunting group, would there?”

“Orc Hunters using strategy…” Armin frowned because it looked like they would have to backtrack to avoid the Orcs. Yet, if he thought of clever Orcs, there was one village that came to mind.

If it's them, they won't attack us, but I can't take the chance that it isn't them. Facing ten Orcs with just the four of us would be suicide.

“We’ll turn back,” Armin ordered.

“Understood.”

“It's troublesome, but it can't be helped,” Samael smiled gently.

Yet, only a minute after they started heading back, Runa dropped from the trees again.

“Armin, the detouring Orc group split again. Two members are heading directly toward us.”

“They noticed us?” Kirk frowned. “Well, if it's only two…”

“Hmm…” Armin sank deep into thought. “Let’s pull back a bit farther and then wait to receive them. Don't initiate combat right away. I'd like to confirm something first.”

The other three looked at their leader with curious expressions, but they did like he said. After quietly waiting for a few minutes, partially hiding behind the foliage, the two armored Orcs were close enough to reliably aim a spell at. They paused upon noticing the Humans which were barely hiding at all.

Before anything else could happen, Armin held his hand up in full view. A small ornament made of small animal teeth and silky green fibers dangled from his fingertips.

“Do you recognize this?” he called.

Samael, Kirk, and Runa looked at him with tense expressions. They were ready to fight at any moment. Meanwhile, the larger of the two Orcs chuckled.

“So it was you. I was wondering why my had detected an ally in a place like this. So the Humans have already noticed the problem with the War Monkeys?”

“Phew,” Armin let out a sigh and came out from hiding. “Ah, so it was the Orc Captain. Yeah, they’ve already left the forest and raided a village. Well, we’ve eliminated them to about here, though.”

“Haha. Captain? That sounds nice… Sorry to hear about your village.”

“A-Armin?”

“Hm?” The sandy-haired swordsman looked back over his shoulder. He saw his three companions staring in confusion and shock. “Hmm… ahh… I was sworn to secrecy, so I wasn't planning on telling you guys anything…” Armin glanced at Durghan for permission.

“Since they don't know where the village is, it should be fine,” the large Orc pondered and gave his approval.

“Right. That time I was taken by that Orc, I was brought to their village. Their chief needed a favor from me. I earned her trust as a reward, so these guys can be considered allies.”

“Wait, what kind of favor did you do for Orcs?” Runa asked worriedly.

“Ah, it wasn't anything bad,” Armin assured her. He then looked back at Durghan. “So you guys are going to take care of the War Monkeys from here?”

“Yes. Our chief’s current orders are “kill on sight.” She’s currently investigating the reason they intruded this far. I believe it's to assess whether we can drive them back or if we’ll have to exterminate them all.”

“I see. But is it alright to be talking here? Shouldn't you go help the others fight?”

“There are eighteen Orcs against six War Monkeys. If those guys can't crush a few Magic Beasts with a three to one advantage, I’ve wasted my time training them. They should be able to win with only nine hunters, outnumbering the enemy by fifty percent. But if I took the enemy lightly and lost someone, I wouldn't be able to bear facing the chief. Hm? Is there something on my face?”

Durghan tilted his head at the sudden flabbergasted stares he was getting.

“Eh? Division? Percentages? Why does an Orc know that level of math?” Runa wondered out loud.

“What? Everyone in the village can do this much. I can't do long division without writing it out, so I'm actually a little behind those guys who have time to attend class every day.”

“Writing?!” Runa gasped.

“Shouldn't your village have become a village of High Orcs, if it’s like you say?” Samael wondered.

“Well, I think a few people are close, but no High Orcs have appeared just yet.” Durghan snorted signaling the Orc he’d brought with him.

“Those guys should be just about done. Sorry, but I can't stay here. You can tell your people that the War Monkeys won't be a problem anymore.”

The two Orcs left promptly, leaving four Humans behind.

“What… the hell?” Kirk stared where the Orcs had been.

“Armin, that village seems dangerous,” Runa said anxiously. “Shouldn't we tell the Guild that an Orc village has advanced to such an extent?”

“... I don't plan to tell them about it,” he said simply. “If you really feel you should, you can tell them. But, if their chief ever finds out you did that…”

“Are you keeping their village a secret because you're afraid of their chief?” Samael asked.

“I definitely don't want to have an entire Orc village trying to kill me,” Armin nodded. “But, their chief seems to have friendly intentions toward Humans. I really don't think she’ll make aggressive movements.”

“... Just hearing that… I won't be satisfied unless I meet him, you know?” Runa frowned.

“First, their chief is a woman,” Armin stated. “Second… if I take you to their village, you’ll either have to be sworn to secrecy like me, or they won't let you leave to tell about it.”

“They won't let me live?”

“No, I definitely said leave.”

“Well, I'm also a little curious about an Orc that’s friendly to Humans,” Samael added. “As far as I've seen, all monsters are aggressive to descendants.”

“I won't bring you unless you're really determined. Even if it's a chance to see a rare Holy attribute monster, is it worth your life?”

“Holy attribute?!” Samael’s eyes went wide.

Crap. Armin realized his mistake.

“A monster was chosen by the Gods to bear the Holy attribute?! I want to see it! By all means, I want to see it!”

“No, I think I would rather just go home…” Kirk groaned.

“Three fourths of the group is already going,” Runa stated. “Can you really make it back alone? You won't get lost?”

“You must also be curious to meet a monster chosen by the Gods,” Samael sang with a blindingly cheerful aura.

“No! No! I'm going home. You three can walk into an Orc village without me!”

“I don't want to bring him if he isn't sure,” Armin added.

“Orcs eat tons of meat, you know. If you could be a guest in an Orc village, imagine how much you would get to eat.” Runa decided to force Kirk to come by poking at his weakness.

Kirk was a bit of a foodie. In particular, he loved meat. But meat was very expensive in the city. The thought of eating his fill of meat for free was certainly tempting.

“Runa, do you think I care about food more than my life and freedom?” he asked as if he was disappointed in her.

“Tch. Uselessly big bastard.”

“Um, if he really doesn't want to come, I don't think we should force him,” Samael offered.

“Tch. Uselessly tall bastard.”

“Runa?!” Samael hugged his staff for comfort because he felt betrayed.

“Mm. You can go home, Kirk.”

“I got it. I'll hang on to one of the tents and the rest of the food, as well as the subjugation proof. You guys should be fine, right?”

Armin nodded. “Yeah, it's fine.”

They rearranged the luggage and Kirk took his portion. “... You guys better be back in the city within a week, alright? I’ll also hand in the mission proof when I return. If you don't come back by then, I'll spend all the reward money myself.”

“Alright. We’ll see you within six days.”

They waited until Kirk had vanished from view, then Armin turned to Runa.

“See if you can track down Durghan and his group. I think it's better if we arrive at the village with an escort.”

“I've been tracking them this whole time. Follow me.”

***

“... Why are you here again?” Durghan asked, tilting his head curiously.

“Ah… sorry,” Armin scratched the back of his head while giving a droopy-eyed kind of look. “These two insisted on meeting your chief. I thought it would be better if we came back with you guys instead of by ourselves.”

“Hmph…” Durghan snorted and looked over the other two humans with his beady eyes. “Are you sure?”

“They've prepared to accept the consequences,” Armin said. “Also… don't worry about last time. We’ve already decided to meet our last teammate back in the city within a week. We won't overstay our welcome.”

“Hmm… Six days? No… a week? … Do you perhaps measure a week as being six days?”

“? Yes, of course. Why?” This time it was Armin’s turn to tilt his head.

“Ah… the word you used was for “week,” but the meaning transmitted was “six days.” The way it was translated was garbled for a minute because, in our village, we measure a week as ten days.” Durghan tapped his temple for demonstration as he explained to the Humans.

“Translated? I don't understand…” Armin wasn't yet aware of the Orcs’ language magic, so the meaning of the previous conversation was totally lost on him.

“Well, it doesn't matter. We’ll be out hunting for a few hours yet. I can send one hunter to guide you back to the village. Is that fine? I'm not sure when exactly the chief will return from her investigation. As long as you don't cause trouble, you can do whatever you like.”

“Sorry to trouble you,” Armin bowed his head.

“The great Chief Vyra named you our ally. It isn't a trouble for me to treat you like one.”