Chapter 58 - Side Story: Orc King Gograg
The Central Plains, spreading north of the Hanoku Kingdom. This gentle plain, spreading between the Eastern Mountain Region to the east and the
In the very center of that plain, there was a place where many tents were gathered. Each tent was a simple structure made with a wooden frame and covered with animal hides or woven cloth. Gathering inside them, or unable to fit and loitering around outside, were a humanoid race called Orcs. They have a huge build about twice the size of a normal human, with fangs protruding from their lower jaws, pointed ears, and a fierce nature that characterizes their kind.
All the Orcs wore animal hide clothes and were armed with spears and axes. Many had weapons with wooden handles and stone spearheads or blades, but some were equipped with iron swords and axes, perhaps obtained through trade or plunder. Seeing that they also had solid armor such as chest plates and shin guards, they were probably notable warriors.
Dozens of tents, crowded with Orc warriors both inside and outside. Their number surely could not be contained within a hundred or two hundred. And with so many bloodthirsty Orcs densely packed like this, it could be said that conflicts were extremely natural.
"You bastard! Where the hell are you looking?!"
"Don't screw with me! You're the one who jumped out!"
From one corner of the tent cluster, voices loudly cursing each other resounded. Judging from the content, an Orc leaving a tent had collided with another Orc. The Orcs in the collision began arguing in a hostile atmosphere, but Orcs from other places also gathered, forming two large clusters behind the parties involved.
Looking closely, there was a visual difference between the two groups. One side, including the one who started the commotion, all had a notch-like scar on one ear. The other group all wore metal ring ornaments on one fang. From this, it could be inferred that they hadn't gathered coincidentally, but were comrades united by wearing the same adornment.
"Hey, this is them picking a fight with us 'Notched Ear', ain't it?"
"Look who's talking! You bastards are the ones trying to find fault with us 'Curved Fang', aren't you!"
Finally, people from each group, even those not involved, began raising angry voices. By now, the atmosphere was explosive.
At that moment, a heavy thud, thud sound echoed from afar. The two groups that had been glaring at each other abruptly stopped shouting and turned toward the direction of the sound in unison. The crowd of Orcs that had gathered around them split, and a palanquin carried by four Orc warriors appeared. Beside it, an Orc carrying a drum as big as an armful was beating it with a thud, thud in time with the palanquin's advance.
When the palanquin advanced to right in front of the two quarreling groups, a voice that dominated the scene was emitted from atop it.
"By the name of our venerable ancestral spirits, what is this commotion?"
Sitting on the palanquin was a massive Orc. He had his upper body exposed, and wore a necklace around his neck made of beast fangs strung together. His thick chest and stout arms were covered in countless scars, showing him to be a veteran warrior. Particularly striking was a scar on his face, a thick scar running from near his left ear to his chin, and this scar unavoidably accentuated the fierce aura this Orc exuded.
Both the Orcs with split ears and the Orcs with fang ornaments seemed to be overwhelmed by this warrior's pressure, standing stock-still without uttering a word. Then, an Orc wearing fine leather armor who had been attending beside the palanquin stepped forward and raised his voice.
"Our King, the ruler of all Orcs striding across the plains, Gograg-sama is asking. State the reason for the conflict."
Thus questioned, both camps exchanged glances and then raised voices blaming the other side one after another.
"The 'Notched Ear' guys were making fun of us—"
"No way! The 'Curved Fang' side started it—"
Thud!
The self-serving arguments of both sides were cut off by the heavy drum sound. To the Orcs who fell silent once again, the Orc warrior called the King spoke quietly.
"I should have said this. All the Orc warriors gathered here are comrades who will fight shoulder to shoulder in the coming battle. And I should have said this as well: Those who quarrel with comrades defy the king's orders and betray the expectations of our ancestral spirits."
Then, after a beat, he issued a command.
"Step forward, those who started the trouble."
The Orcs silently accepted the king's words, and the two who had started the argument stepped forward in front of the palanquin. The Orc King told them a decisive sentence.
"You who have disappointed the ancestral spirits are no longer members of the tribe. You will not be granted an honorable battle, and even in death, you cannot join the ancestral spirits."
The faces of the two Orcs instantly turned pale. Not only the individuals themselves, but also the surrounding Orcs collectively gasped at the king's words. It seemed that these words held very significant meaning to the Orcs.
"There are two paths for you to choose. One is to leave this tent, never return to the tribe, and die in the wilderness of the plains. The other is to challenge the king to battle."
Having declared that, Orc King Gograg leaped down from the palanquin with agility that belied his massive frame. In both hands, he was suddenly holding two huge battle axes that a human would by no means be able to wield in one hand. The king pointed them at the two Orcs and announced solemnly.
"Now, choose. Will you be exiled from the tribe, your corpse left exposed in the wild to become beast fodder? Or will you fight me and achieve an honorable death? If you challenge me, the ancestral spirits will praise your courage, and even in death, they will add you to the ranks of comrades. If you win, that one will be the next Orc King."
The warrior in leather armor who had been attending beside the king brought two spears and handed one to each Orc. The Orcs exchanged glances, but soon bared fierce expressions at the king and readied the spears in their hands.
"Very well."
The Orc King uttered a single word and then advanced toward the two Orcs with an unhurried stride. The warriors of 'Notched Ear' and 'Curved Fang' simultaneously let out ear-splitting cries and dashed toward the king like arrows.
"WOOOOOOOH!!"
In an instant, a scream that drowned out the roars of the two resounded, and the king's twin axes sliced off the spearheads of both their spears. Before either could even be surprised, the iron blades flashed in the sunlight. The axes in the king's hands shattered each opponent's skull and cut down to their chests before stopping.
A moment after the instant exchange, two corpses prostrated themselves on the ground. The Orcs who had crowded around since the commotion began had become a tremendous number, but not a single one made a sound. The king flicked the clinging blood and brain matter off his battle axes, then quietly opened his mouth.
"O Priests."
In response to the king's words, five Orcs walked out from behind the palanquin. Unlike the other Orcs, their bodies were painted with colorful patterns using what seemed to be clay or pigment. They carried no weapons, wore woven grass loincloths, and adorned themselves with bird feathers and beast bones. Looking closely, their attire also differed, and there were those with split ears, those with decorated fangs, those with rings through their noses, and so on.
"These individuals showed their courage at the end, fought splendidly, and achieved an honorable death. Bury them solemnly so that they may be welcomed by the ancestral spirits."
At those words, the strangely dressed Orcs all bowed their heads in unison. The king watched this, then leaped back onto the palanquin, and as the drum beat, he advanced through the Orcs, splitting them, and returned to his own tent. Behind him, the Orcs finally began to murmur, and the priests' voices giving instructions for removing the bodies resounded.
Entering the largest and most luxurious tent among many, the king strode toward the throne set up at the back and sat down as if throwing himself onto it. The warrior in leather armor followed, picking up the battle axes the king had dropped along the way and hanging them crossed behind the throne. Orc King Gograg rested his cheek on his elbow on the armrest and spoke with a sigh to the warrior attending at his side.
"How many times is this now, Braxus? Before the war even starts, I'll end up killing all the Orc warriors."
"Originally, we are short-tempered, and there are many who flare up easily. Although they now follow the king, originally they are sworn enemies who have clashed for many years. If they are forced to face each other in such a cramped place, it is natural that problems arise."
The leather-armored warrior called Braxus answered earnestly. The king laughed scornfully at that reply and then closed his eyes, lost in thought for a while.
Gograg's life was a continuous series of battles. As a warrior of the 'Split Tongue' tribe, one of the Orc tribes competing for control in the Central Plains, he distinguished himself in the conflict with the neighboring 'Cracked Claw' tribe.
In a short time, Gograg became the war chief who united the tribe's warriors, and after the 'Split Tongue' chieftain was killed in battle, he himself became chieftain and led the tribe. And after a long struggle, he defeated the 'Cracked Claw' tribe and came to dominate both tribes.
Seeing this as dangerous were the remaining three tribes that formed the five major Orc tribes. The 'Notched Ear,' 'Curved Fang,' and 'Pointed Nose' tribes cooperated with each other and challenged the 'Split Tongue' and 'Cracked Claw' alliance to battle.
Gograg did not face this head-on, but acted as cautiously as possible, such as sowing seeds of discord among the three tribes and avoiding fighting more than two tribes at once. Even from this alone, it is clear that he was not just a brave warrior, as Orcs tend to be, but also possessed cunning.
Sometimes he suffered painful defeats, but Gograg continued fighting while firmly controlling his two subordinate tribes, and finally forced one of the three tribes, 'Pointed Nose,' to surrender. Once this happened, the outcome was sealed, and without delay, the remaining 'Notched Ear' and 'Curved Fang' tribes also surrendered.
With this, Gograg brought all the major tribes of the Central Plains under his control and became the first 'Orc King' in history. At the coronation ceremony held with the leaders of all tribes gathered, all five tribes' priests together blessed Gograg and declared him a king recognized by the ancestral spirits of all tribes.
Orc society has tribalism and ancestral spirit worship at its core. Each Orc warrior's loyalty tends to be directed not to the Orcs as a whole but to their individual tribe, and not to the king but to their respective ancestral spirits. Even after Gograg began his rule, tensions among the tribes did not ease, and skirmishes over hunting grounds with abundant prey or forests suitable for gathering never ceased.
And then, several years after the Orcs were unified, a new problem came to light. Large-scale inter-tribal conflicts were suppressed, and the increasing Orc population began to strain the food situation in the Central Plains. It was expected that conflicts over hunting grounds would become even more intense than before, and if that happened, it was hard to imagine the bloodthirsty Orcs obediently following the king's commands.
If things continued like this, in the near future, the Orc Kingdom would collapse due to civil war. And the footsteps of that end were already approaching very close. Confirming that every time he thought it over, the same prediction came, Gograg opened his closed eyes wide.
"As I thought, there is no choice but war."
At those abruptly spoken words, Braxus nodded without changing expression. Probably because this was a conclusion that had been discussed many times between this master and retainer.
"Since gathering all the tribes here, 'Split Tongue' and 'Cracked Claw' haven't caused any problems. Partly because I've led them from long ago, but those guys have fought shoulder to shoulder for years against the other three. For us to truly unite as one, we need the experience of fighting the same enemy together."
"What we truly believe in are only those who fought and survived together and the ancestral spirits. 'Only the weapon in hand and the comrade-in-arms will never betray me,' is it not?"
As the king voiced his thoughts as if to confirm them, his trusted confidant Braxus also agreed by quoting an old saying.
"If there isn't enough prey on the plains to feed us, we have no choice but to take it from somewhere. The only ones with such reserves are the human kingdoms."
"The kingdom is a tough opponent. It will be a hard battle, I think."
Braxus spoke words that could be taken as weakness, but Gograg did not admonish him. That was because he himself thought the same way. Human mages in particular were troublesome. His ancestors had suffered many painful setbacks in the past, and they had left behind the words, 'Be wary of mages.'
And although he hadn't told even Braxus this, Gograg thought it was fine if he lost this war. They didn't have to invade deep into the kingdom. They would raid the border, plunder, and withdraw before the humans got serious. Even if they suffered casualties from pursuit during the retreat, that was fine too. That was because this war was to unite all the tribes and for reducing the number of mouths to feed.
"We can't wait for any more Orc warriors to gather. Tomorrow, we depart for the human fortress."
Having made his decision, Orc King Gograg declared so to Braxus, who led the royal guard.
From the north of the Hanoku Kingdom, a storm of war was about to blow in.
This time it's a side story. The main story is scheduled to resume next time.