A fierce battle. That was the only way to describe the clash with the Orcs led by the Orc King.
Burning Wind, led by Mirene, had previously claimed that merely holding out against five Orcs was the best they could do. However, thanks to the fortune of Rei's surprise attack throwing the monsters into disarray, the three of them had managed to slay all five.
Rei, too, had been forced to fight using only his Death Scythe. Faced with the literal Orc King, a monster possessing the true presence of a monarch, he had found no opening to use his specialty, flame magic. Ultimately, however, he had succeeded in taking the King's head.
In terms of sheer dominance, Set had undoubtedly performed the best. Displaying the power of a Rank A monster, the Gryphon had achieved what could only be called a perfect victory over the Orc Archer.
"Hah... hah... hah..."
Mirene breathed heavily as she stood before the corpses. Beside her, Sulnin—who had been exhausted of nearly all magic power from a relentless cycle of support, healing, and offensive spells—had slumped to the ground.
Surprisingly, the most energetic member of Burning Wind was their newest addition, Ekryl. While sweat beaded on her forehead, she remained alert, scanning their surroundings without any sign of ragged breathing.
This was largely due to the party's division of roles. In Burning Wind, Mirene handled the vanguard alone, while Sulnin provided cover with magic and Ekryl focused primarily on harrying the enemy.
"You won," Rei noted. "I believe you said before the fight that holding out was the best you could do against five of them."
"Hah... hah... phew. Well... I mean... no matter how strong you are, Rei... for a Rank G adventurer to go toe-to-toe with an Orc King... wait." Mirene paused, her eyes widening. "Now that I think about it, you faced a Rank B Orc King head-on and didn't take a single scratch. Honestly, are people like you destined to reach Rank S? Anyway, since you, the lowest-ranked person here, were fighting the King, we Rank C adventurers couldn't exactly admit we couldn't handle ordinary Orcs. It would have been too embarrassing. ...Ugh, I'm exhausted. I'm so tired I don't want to take another step."
Sulnin nodded in weary agreement. "We are a party with a reputation to maintain, after all. We have to perform in a manner befitting our name."
"What they said," Ekryl added with a faint smile, nodding while keeping her eyes on the perimeter.
Rei opened his mouth to respond, but a sound interrupted him.
"Uooooooooohhhhh!"
A thunderous roar echoed from the eastern side of the settlement.
"Looks like things have been decided over there as well," Rei said.
The sound was unmistakable—a roar of victory. The joy mixed into that distant cry was impossible to misinterpret.
"Seems so," Mirene muttered. "The Orc King came this way, so the ones over there were likely just pawns meant to buy him time to escape."
"Even if they were pawns, he assigned most of the survivors in the settlement to that side. That’s typical of an Orc King," Rei replied.
Had the King prioritized his own guard over the diversionary force, the diversion would have been crushed much sooner. Conversely, a King surrounded by a massive guard would have stood out, making him an easy target for the subjugation force.
"Well then. Regardless, the subjugation request for the Orcs is officially over."
"Yeah... that was one exhausting request. Though I suppose it couldn't be helped; if we'd left them alone, the City of Gilm would have certainly suffered for it."
Ignoring Mirene’s wry smile, Rei began storing the corpses of the Orc Mage, Orc General, and Orc King—all of which had been slain by him and Set—into his Misty Ring.
The members of Burning Wind watched with fascination. Once the King was stored, Sulnin spoke up.
"Heh, I've seen it from a distance before, but this is my first time seeing it up close. So that's an Item Box?"
"Yeah. It was a parting gift from my magic master. I only realized it was an ultra-rare item after I arrived in Gilm."
"To give such a magic item to a mere disciple... I’d certainly like to meet him one day."
"I never really thought about where I lived until someone used teleportation magic on me," Rei said. "I don't even know where my master's house is located, so an introduction might be difficult."
"Hey."
A voice suddenly cut through their conversation. Rei turned to see Mirene looking at him with a puzzled expression.
"What is it?"
"I understand why you're collecting the high-ranking species you and Seto-chan killed, but why aren't you taking the Orc Archer?"
Mirene pointed toward the corpse of the Archer, whose head had been crushed by Set. Though an Archer was a high-ranking species, it was only a Rank D monster, unlike the Rank C General or Mage. Still, as a high-ranking variant, it yielded valuable internal organs and skin, and its magic stone was among the most expensive for its rank.
Rei glanced at the corpse before looking back at her. "Do you remember what we discussed before the battle?"
"What's this all of a sudden? Of course I remember. In exchange for you and Set using your trump cards to save us, we’d agree to that 'Oath Magic' thing."
Rei gave Set a quick, silent signal that only the Gryphon would understand. While the three adventurers focused on Rei, Set quietly masked its presence and circled around behind them.
"Right. And since it's an oath, I imagine it’ll be a burden for you in several ways. Consider the Archer... compensation for that."
"In other words," Mirene said, "is this Oath Magic really that dangerous?"
"As long as you don't try to reveal my secrets to others, there's no danger at all. But being bound like that doesn't exactly feel good, does it? That said, the oath does have its merits."
"Merits?"
"Yes. Due to the nature of the magic, those under the oath gain a slight resistance to fire and heat."
Mirene took a deep breath. "Fine. It’s too late to back out now, and besides, we would have died if you hadn't been here. Just do it quickly before my resolve wavers. Sulnin, Ekryl, you're both okay with this, right?"
Sulnin gave a silent nod. Ekryl’s cheeks twitched slightly, but she nodded as well.
Rei gave another signal to Set. Had the party tried to flee to avoid the oath, Set would have struck from behind. Seeing that they were staying put, the Gryphon stood down from its combat stance and turned its attention to guarding against any lingering Orc remnants.
"Here I go."
Rei began the chant as Mirene nodded.
"O Flame, thou art a seed. Should the host break our pact, take their life to bloom as a beautiful flame flower."
As Rei spoke, flames gathered at his Death Scythe, compressing into a tiny ember the size of a seed. He lifted the shaft of the scythe and brought it into contact with Mirene's head.
"Seed of Restraint."
The ember on the scythe slipped smoothly into Mirene's forehead.
"Ah..."
Mirene let out a small gasp, but there was no shock or pain. She merely felt a faint, warm sensation spreading through her.
"Wait, is it over already?" she muttered.
Rei gave a small nod. "The other two as well."
He repeated the process for Sulnin and Ekryl. Once the seeds were planted, Rei let out a short breath.
"That should do it. Now, for the details: if you attempt to reveal Set's Fire Breath, Water Ball, or my Corrosion to anyone through any means, the seed will incinerate you from within. Be very careful with your words."
The phrase "incinerate you from within" immediately brought back the image of the Orc General—the monster who had been unilaterally slaughtered. They recalled how that Rank C creature had wailed in agony without a shred of dignity. They didn't need any further explanation to understand the magnitude of the pain.
"And as I mentioned," Rei continued, "you now have a slight resistance to fire and heat."
"S-Specifically, how much?" Mirene asked, forcing the gruesome images out of her mind.
"It reduces flame-system damage by about ten percent. Also, since Sulnin is a mage, your fire spells will be about ten percent more powerful, and you'll use ten percent less magic power to cast them. Think of it as a blessing from the flames."
"Ten percent...?" Sulnin whispered, stunned.
As a practitioner of magic, he understood exactly how significant that was. Magic items that boosted spell potency existed, but anything affordable only provided a negligible increase. An item that provided a visible ten percent boost would cost a fortune in light gold coins.
Combined with the elemental resistance, the Seed of Restraint was effectively a high-tier blessing for someone like Sulnin, who had no intention of betraying Rei anyway.
"I understand," Mirene said. "I have no intention of talking, so I’ll just consider the benefits a lucky bonus. So, is it really okay for us to have the Orc Archer?"
"I don't mind. I’m going to head back to Bobbs to report that the King is dead. We won't get paid until the report is filed."
"Right, thanks. We're beat, so tell him we'll join you after we rest for a bit."
Rei nodded and climbed onto Set’s back.
"Ah... I wish you could leave Seto-chan behind," Mirene pouted. "I need some emotional healing."
"Mirene, don't ask for the impossible," Sulnin scolded, while Ekryl watched with a wry smile.
"Guruuu."
Set let out a soft trill from the back of its throat and wagged its tail at Mirene.
"Mirene, Set says it'll play with you again later," Rei translated.
In that moment, there was no trace of the predator that had been ready to strike them down from behind just minutes ago.
"Really? Yes! Let’s play a lot before we head back! I still have jerky left!"
Listening to Mirene’s cheerful voice, Rei took to the night sky once more.
"Dawn, huh."
As they ascended, Rei watched the sun rising in the east, its light gradually dissolving the darkness of the night.
"I guess we really did fight all night. Though the people below seem energetic enough."
As expected of professional adventurers, an all-nighter didn't seem to faze them. Below, the diversionary unit—led by the Axe of the Thunder God—was scouring the settlement to hunt down the remnants.
They discovered Orcs hiding in various corners of the village, and while the monsters fought back with desperate defiance, they were quickly overwhelmed by superior numbers.
A "remnant hunt" might sound cruel, but it was a grim necessity. Orcs used human women as breeding mothers; if any were allowed to escape out of misplaced mercy, the City of Gilm would almost certainly pay the price later. After all, Gilm was the nearest human settlement.
Rei glanced at the cleanup operation below before signaling Set to head toward Bobbs. At that moment, Elk, looking up from the settlement, saw Set’s silhouette moving away and knew instinctively that the leader of the Orcs had fallen.
A short distance from the settlement, Bobbs stood looking up at the brightening sky.
In a carriage nearby, the two women rescued from the Orcs were sleeping soundly. The relief of being safe, combined with their sheer exhaustion, had finally taken hold. Bobbs had also given them tea with a relaxing effect to help suppress the trauma of their captivity.
"...That smoke is definitely from the settlement burning. The night raid must have been a success. If something had gone wrong, a messenger would have reached me by now."
A former adventurer himself, Bobbs was used to the agony of waiting. Even as dark thoughts flickered through his mind, he placed his trust in the subjugation force.
He kept his old spear in his hand, ready for any Orcs that might try to flee toward his position.
As his eyes remained fixed on the settlement, Bobbs suddenly caught a sound from above. He looked up into the morning glow to see Set soaring majestically through the sky with Rei on its back. Bobbs allowed a small, relieved smile to cross his face, certain now that the mission was over.