Shiing! Shing!

Sharp shockwaves resounded from the air. It was hard to believe that such sounds were coming from a thick, large rod.

Raven’s slender body moved from side to side like a reed to avoid the powerful attacks.

“Kuagh!”

After continuously pouring out fierce attacks like a wild torrent, Karuta raised his arm up high. At once, Raven jumped towards Karuta with a glimmer in his eyes.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

Three loud roars sounded.

“Keuk!”

Karuta’s large frame stumbled before he stepped back a few steps.

“Hmm!”

The eyes of the observers widened in shock. Karuta’s armor, or more precisely, the metal plate in the abdomen was dented in.

“What was that?”

“I, I’m not sure?”

The soldiers of the 7

th 

regiment muttered. They had no way of knowing what had just transpired.

The answer came from a superior who was more experienced and skilled than them.

“It was his knee…”

The knight’s voice was a little shaky. Even though it was just a friendly match, it was a fierce battle that could result in unwanted consequences. The governor, however, rushed into the orc’s arms. It was akin to suicide. Orcs were known to have strength to crush even large trees in their grasp.

The governor had aimed for the moment when Karuta’s chest and shoulders were wide open. It was an action that was either reckless or very brave.

“I, is that really possible? To an orc?”

“It’s impossible. All territorial knights are used to using weapons such as swords and spears, but they are less experienced in close combat. But…”

Shhh!

The knight continued with admiration while observing the two men rush toward each other and continuing their fiery fight.

“The governor is very familiar with battle. Not just any battle, not just with formal battles like those between regular knights. Those are closer to ballroom dances. He’s used to battles where anything is permitted to achieve victory… A real battle of life and death. Just like the ones we are used to.”

“Hm…!”

The soldiers turned their gazes toward the ongoing fight with renewed admiration in their eyes. It was truly hard to believe that the young governor was a man strong enough to be acknowledged by their superior. The governor was born and raised like a flower in a duchy, but they had fought against pirates on the sea for many years.

Well, when they thought deep about it, it made sense. Unlike other territories and duchies, the Pendragon Duchy was known to harbor many races and monsters. The duke himself must have gone through countless battles.

“The duke…”

Isla started speaking in a quiet, but excited voice.

The soldiers’ gazes shifted towards him.

Isla continued with glittering eyes. His gaze was headed towards his lord, whom he had pledged eternal allegiance to.

“He was at the forefront of the Pendragon family’s expedition to retake the family mausoleum. He was the first to attack and defeat dozens  when he confronted the mercenaries hired by the traitor in the Great Territory of Sisak. Above all…”

As Isla spoke, the soldiers also focused their attention on Raven.

“Ever since I started serving the lord, I have never seen him skip training. Not a single day.”

“…..!”

An indelible glow of admiration appeared on the soldiers’ gazes.

Training every day. It was easier said than done.

But no one believed that there was actually anyone who did such a thing. Even the soldiers of the imperial army took a day off every five days, and no one volunteered to train on holidays. It went without saying for territorial knights and nobles. It would be unexpected for them to train one day out of five.

In the end, when other nobles and knights were throwing parties and socializing, the governor had been training and fighting endlessly from a young age.

Bang!

At that moment, a deafening roar burst out, and a strong gust shook off the few faded leaves from their branches. The spirits of the two warriors slowly sank along with the swaying wind.

Everyone could see Raven and Karuta standing face to face as if nothing happened.

Crrrack!

A small fissure started appearing on Karuta’s metal rod.

Boom!

Karuta’s steel rod, which weighed nearly 40 pounds, fell to the floor in two pieces. For orcs and humans, having their weapon destroyed could mean only one thing – it was a clear defeat.

“Krrrr…”

The dark red light slowly faded from his eyes, and Karuta grinned.

The knights and soldiers of the 7

th

 regiment were a little stunned by the orc’s reaction. It was known to them that orcs considered losses as the most shameful thing.

“I lost again, Keung!”

But Karuta was calm.

“It is because the weapon is so poor. Make me something stronger next time.”

Rather, he lightly kicked the shattered pieces of the weapon while speaking in an indifferent voice.

“I will. I will have it made of Orcon if you want.”

Raven nodded with a smile.

“Kuagh! That was a pretty good warm up. Then call me later.”

Karuta waved his hand in the air after turning around then started to leave with the other orcs. However, the grin never disappeared from his face.

“Kuagh! I envy you, Karuta! When do I get to fight like that? With a friend too.”

“That’s right. I envy you too! The best friend is the one who fights well!”

“Kekuek! You damn orcs! You will get to fight those salty orcs soon, so don’t worry!”

“Kukuket! Is that right? But those guys are not friends, are they?”

“Then we just need to smash them in, what’s the matter? We can fight today and tomorrow, and we can fight in the day and night.”

“Kukuakakakat! I’m excited just thinking about it!”

Although their leader had lost the battle, the Ancona Orcs did not pay heed and laughed with excitement as they walked away.

“Hmm.”

The 7

th

 regiment knight and soldiers finally nodded their heads.

Karuta and the Ancona Orcs liked ‘fight’ itself. And although Karuta lost, he was satisfied that he got to fight to his heart’s content with his ‘friend’.

‘A true man…!’

The soldiers recognized Karuta and the Ancona Orcs as true men, regardless of their race.

“This… I think we could become closer with the orcs.”

“Yeah. I would be very reassured if those guys fought together with us.”

Any doubts or concerns the soldiers had about the orcs disappeared that moment. When they first saw the Ancona Orcs, they could not help but have some doubts.

As imperial soldiers, it was quite nerve-wracking to be fighting alongside orcs. In addition, they were most exposed to the orcs of the islands. The island orcs used bizarre rituals and sorcery, and they were a race crueler than the pirates.

But the Ancona Orcs were different.

They were free-spirited just like any other orcs, but they had a strong collective discipline, and they were favorable to humans. Of course, it was due to the Ancona Orc’s pride in not touching anyone weaker than them.

But the orcs that the 7

th

 regiment soldiers knew killed and took whatever they wanted, so they were quite surprised.

“Their protective equipment and weapons are of such high quality as well compared to the island orcs. They will be a tremendous power to deal with.”

Even the knight nodded with satisfaction.

He could see why the commander of the regiment, Viscount Moraine, wholeheartedly agreed to include the duchy’s orcs in the operation.

“Hey!”

“Yes, Your Excellency!”

The knights and the soldiers rushed to Raven at his call.

Raven spoke while taking off his coat. He wiped his upper body with a towel soaked in cold water, even though it was the middle of winter.

“Today, I have to attend the parliament with Sir Isla.”

“Yes, Your Excellency. We have already heard from the commander.”

“Yes. Well, Sir Johnbolt and some of the orcs will remain at the residence, but all of you will be the official guards at the governor’s residence. So please take good care of Baroness Conrad and my sisters.”

“As per your orders, Your Excellency!”

The 7

th

 regiment soldiers answered in one voice. The governor was asking for a favor, and not ordering them as the ruler of Leus.

***

A large space with long tables cascading over eight floors in a stair-like manner, centered around a round space of 15 feet in diameter - It was the place where the centuries-old Leus Parliament was held. Statues of gods recognized by the empire, including Goddess Illeyna, stood as if to protect the area.

The Leus Parliament had not been held for several months since the death of the former governor, Count Sagunda. But today, it bustled with activity for the first time in a long while. Befitting of Leus’ identity as a port city, the people gathered around the round table were diverse.

Some people had brown skin while others had black skin, and everyone’s clothing was unique as well. However, they were all official citizens who paid taxes to the city of Leus, natives and merchants who had a history with the large port city.

However, no one in attendance cared about such meager facts. There was only one thing in their heads right now.

“When is the governor coming?”

“They said he left the official residence a little while ago.”

“Perhaps… He’s not bringing along the 7

th

 regiment, is he?”

Someone spoke in a worried voice. A black-skinned man with a brown cloth around his head frowned at the comment.

“This is the Leus Parliament. Unless the emperor gives direct orders, the imperial army is not allowed to enter.”

“Of course! Do you think we would have allowed the 7

th

 regiment to dissolve the historic Leus Parliament if it were not for Sagunda’s rebellion?”

A merchant spoke. He had quite a long history with Leus. All the nearby participants nodded. Even though it was due to Count Sagunda’s treason, it was shocking that the parliament was forcibly disbanded by the imperial army. The parliament had its roots deep in history and it had stood tall for hundreds of years old.

Count Sagunda and his subordinate nobles did not get along with the parliament, so they were glad to see him destroyed, but they had to suffer damage in the process as well.

However, they did not dare complain.

The sight of the 7

th

 regiment knights and soldiers wandering the city was enough to cause a shiver down anyone’s backs. The reason they could subtly express their dissatisfaction after being called back to parliament was simple.

Leus was one of the most important sources of revenue for the Aragon Empire.

The scale of imports and exports passing through Leus was very large, but more importantly, tens of thousands of citizens and hundreds of merchants had not paid taxes properly for several months due to the chaos. This was a huge matter.

Therefore, they had expected the new governor to set his priorities on reviving the parliament after the expulsion. But the new governor proceeded to deal with seemingly unimportant matters and had finally called for a gathering. It was ridiculous that they, who could be called the center of Leus, were put on the back burner.

From their perspective, the new governor was also carrying the 7

th

 regiment on his back and mobilizing their strength as well.

“Hmph! I will not stand by if the new governor looks down on us. I have already notified the southern merchants who have been trading with me for a long time. If something goes awry, we are going to build a new port in Ills and Lens and import and export through there.”

The black-skinned merchant proclaimed.

“That is a good idea, but it’s easier said than done. Baron Gescoin, Lord of Ills, and Baron Robert of Lens, all of them are wary of the 7

th

 regiment commander and the new governor. Jeez!”

A voice sounded their uncertainty at the words of the black-skinned merchant.

“Hmph! Money is everything! If we guarantee them 20% for custom clearance fees, they will listen to us. Anyone who is willing to join me, speak now! The more heads we have, the larger our profits will be…”

“Well, I guess if you want to, no one can stop you. Those who pay taxes to the empire and to Leus have the freedom to go wherever they want.”

The black-skinned merchant turned his head at the soft voice.

“That’s right! Whoever you are, you are absolutely…”

The merchant’s face hardened like stone when he faced the owner of the voice. A young man with dazzling blonde hair was staring at him with blue eyes resembling the winter sea.

However, it was not just the young man’s appearance that caused the merchant to pause. There was an expressionless knight standing behind the young man, as well as a dozen orcs…

Orcs weren’t new.

No other city saw orcs more often than Leus.

However, in the history of the Leus Parliament, orcs rarely entered. Also, such rare cases occurred only when ‘someone’ approved their presence.

That meant…

“Y, your excellency the governor…!”

Several merchants recognized Raven from the day of the city official selection. They rushed towards him with glad expressions.

Then the face of the black-skinned merchant, who had been excitedly chattering about so far, turned grimmer.