Chapter 37 - Chapter 36: Orc Hunting
"Uuu~, it's coooold~"
This was the middle of a forest close to the capital city of Noeina. Hiding in a spot surrounded by thickets, Noein muttered this while breathing out white puffs of air.
He was in a pitiful state, held tightly from behind by his guard, Matilda, the two of them wrapped together in furs like a double-layered garment.
"You're still cold even dressed like that?"
"But I can't help it. I'm not used to the winters of the kingdom's north, and I'm small and have no stamina. It's not like it is for all of you who train."
Though called out by Yuri, who was also serving as a guard alongside Matilda, Noein replied without a hint of shame.
This winter, Noein had spent most of his time in front of the manor's fireplace. Even when working outdoors, he would layer furs over his overcoat and warm himself by a bonfire, leaving all the actual work to the golems.
And yet, now he had come out into the dead-of-winter forest for the sake of orc hunting. Naturally, there was no way he could properly withstand the cold, leading to this current state.
The plan for the orc hunt was simple.
Based on the footprints leading away from where the goblin corpses were found, they estimated the general direction of the orcs.
Radley, who was renowned for his robustness and agility, would enter as a decoy to find the orc and lure it back to the point where Noein and the others were waiting, at which point the golems would take it down with brute force. That was all.
In a winter forest where one never knew when an orc might appear, there was no leeway to set traps, and since devising complex plans against low-intelligence orcs was more likely to invite unforeseen circumstances, they decided on this strategy.
Yuri and Matilda served as Noein's direct guards, while Pence, Bart, and Mai remained slightly apart, focusing on guarding the perimeter to prevent any surprise attacks by orcs.
About an hour had already passed since they entered the forest. Staying still in one spot amidst the extreme cold was quite grueling, even for someone other than Noein.
Just as Yuri, who served as the practical commander of the operation, began to wonder if they should retreat once to recover their strength before trying again, the situation shifted.
From deeper in the forest, in the direction Radley had entered—further than where Noein and the others were waiting—a high-pitched, whistle-like sound echoed. He was signaling that he had found the orc with a signal arrow.
"It's coming. Get ready."
As Yuri gave the short instruction, Noein nodded silently and slipped out from the furs and Matilda's arms to prepare for battle. Pence, Bart, and Mai, who had been scattered around, also converged.
"Noein-sama, the golems are ready, right?"
"I can move them anytime."
"The rest of you, prepare for a fighting retreat just in case. Don't let your guard down."
At Yuri's call, everyone except Noein nodded silently.
Not even a few minutes passed after that. From the direction where Radley was expected to lead the orc, the sound of rustling bushes and branches echoed. Eventually, they could visually confirm the source of the noise approaching.
"Looks like he's lured it without any trouble. He's coming this way with a cool look on his face."
Pence muttered this while leveling his sword as he watched Radley running toward them. Since there was still a fair distance, Noein couldn't make out Radley's expression, but it seemed the sharp-eyed Pence could.
The others also readied their respective weapons, and Yuri said, "Noein-sama, get ready." Noein nodded with a somewhat nervous expression, saying, "Y-yeah."
Shortly thereafter, Radley reached the lure point, a slightly open area. There, a golem was sitting, leaning against a tree.
Radley stopped in front of the golem, and a few seconds later, an orc leaped out from behind him.
"Goooooh!"
A massive orc body, exceeding two meters, encased in coarse hair and thick muscle. A roar that made the air tremble was unleashed, and Noein instinctively caught his breath.
"Now. The golem."
Hearing Yuri's instruction, Noein braced himself in a matter of instants.
It's okay. Yuri is here, Matilda is here, and everyone else is here. Comrades far stronger than himself were standing by to protect him. And he, not only had to be protected, but had to protect them with the golem.
As he directed his consciousness and magic toward the golem, the golem that had been sitting up until then stood up. Simultaneously, Radley leaped aside to evacuate.
The orc, seeing the wooden golem that had emitted no sign of life suddenly stand up, leaped back a step in caution.
After a few seconds of staring each other down, the golem made the first move.
With a speed that belied its lumbering bulk, the golem stepped forward and swung its thick arm down. Instead of dodging, the orc attempted to block it with the log club it held.
A heavy thud echoed, and simultaneously, a creaking sound rang out from the log the orc held. However, the orc did not lose its footing and firmly caught the golem's arm.
"Ueeh!"
Noein let out an involuntary cry.
If a human took a direct hit from the golem's strike, they would be crushed beyond recognition. Neither iron shields nor armor would mean anything. The orc had caught that head-on and firmly.
It was a scene like a bad joke, but he couldn't afford to be mesmerized by the orc's tremendous muscular strength. He moved the other golem he had hidden in the thickets beforehand.
Right behind the orc, while it was locked in a contest of strength and staring down the first golem, the second golem leaped out, trampling the brush. An enemy reinforcement suddenly appeared from a place where there had been no presence, and the orc roared "Bugoooh!" as if expressing dissatisfaction at such absurdity.
Pinned by the golem attempting to overpower it with its weight, the orc could not move. Aiming for its head, the second golem swung its arm down.
A dull sound of a skull crushing echoed, and the orc's eyes popped out as if they had been shot.
"Waaaah, amazing! We beat it! We did it!"
"Idiot! Don't let your guard down yet!"
Yuri instinctively smacked the head of Noein, who had cried out upon seeing the shocking sight amidst the exhilaration of battle.
There was no guarantee that this orc wasn't accompanied by a mate or children. He must not rejoice at this stage. Severely scolded by his retainer, Noein honestly apologized, saying, "S-sorry."
...
"Now that it's over, it seems almost anticlimactic."
"Well, the danger of an orc relies heavily on its strength and speed. It's a different story if you have a weapon that can compete with it, like Noein-sama's golem."
In the end, no mate or children of the orc appeared, and the orc hunt ended successfully. Currently, the retainers were in the middle of butchering the slain orc.
Although it had been a bit chilling when the orc showed it could match the golem in strength, because it had low intelligence and no combat techniques other than rampaging according to instinct, they were able to win easily with two golems.
"Is that so? Maybe it was unexpectedly underwhelming?"
"No, normally, unless there's a mage who has undergone combat training, orc hunting doesn't go so easily. Noein-sama's golem is the anomaly."
"There's probably no other golem that can compete with an orc in terms of speed."
"It's because Noein-sama's control technique is too amazing."
"It's the first time I've seen a scene where an orc is punched head-on and its skull is split open."
"Really, something is wrong with him..."
In addition to Yuri, the other retainers also appraised him thus. Receiving praise that was slightly tinged with recoil, Noein wore his usual silly expression.
"I see, so I'm strong, huh?"
"That strength that easily insta-kills even an orc, as expected of Noein-sama."
"No, not Noein-sama, the golem... well, whatever. You did well indeed."
Though somewhat exasperated, Yuri also praised Noein. It was a fact that Noein, who could master the golems, possessed exceptional combat power as an individual, and he had clearly demonstrated that power this time.
Incidentally, afterward, the pelt and magic stone of the butchered orc became temporary income for Noein, the lord, and a not-insignificant amount of reward was given to the retainers who participated in the battle, and a large amount of high-quality meat was served to all the retainers and villagers through Noein's generosity.
As winter entered its latter half, for the villagers who had been feeling depressed by the long-lasting cold, the orc meat barbecue held with fires lit in the village square ended as a great success, serving as a good distraction.
Thus, the first full-scale battle in the Arqvist Knight-Bachelor territory closed with a great victory.