Chương 76: Chapter 75 A Lie No One Could Believe

Karath could not entirely blame Kaden. Orcs disliked lying by nature. Defeating an Owlbear with only five warriors was also something any orc would be proud of, so Kaden had no reason to conceal it. Karath's lingering sensibilities from Earth merely made him uncomfortable that the cheerful gathering had suddenly fallen into an awkward silence.

"A-ahem. Are you saying the Owlbear was killed not with that enormous weapon Brother Kaden carries, but with the weapon used by that rather small... no, ordinary-looking brother over there?" Dagon looked almost pitiful as he struggled to choose words that would not offend visitors from a neighbouring tribe.

"That is correct!" Kaden, who had abandoned all sense of tact long ago, noticed none of that effort.

"Would such a small weapon not break if used against an Owlbear?"

"Krahahaha! There is no need to worry about that. Every weapon we carry is made from drake bone!" Kaden laughed proudly and brought the enormous bone axe from his back around to the front.

"This is Kaden's weapon, made from the bones of a drake."

"Oh. It certainly looks durable. But what exactly is this drake you keep mentioning?"

"A lizard-shaped monster much larger than an ogre."

"Much larger than an ogre?" Dagon's face tightened slightly.

"That is right! It was an incredible monster that even breathed fire!" The more Kaden explained, the deeper Dagon's frown became.

"Then Brother Kaden is claiming that the warriors of the Bloodclaw Tribe hunted this monster, one far larger and more terrifying than an ogre, which could also breathe fire?"

"Krahahaha! Exactly! Karath over there used shamanic power to open an enormous hole in its head!" Kaden pointed toward Karath while shouting with unbearable pride. Silence deepened across the gathering. The Warriorhearts tribespeople who had initially watched the visitors with curiosity and goodwill now wore expressions filled with disbelief.

"Let Dagon understand this. That brother killed both the Owlbear and this creature called a drake?"

"That is correct."

"Then perhaps the wolf following him is a Giant Wolf as well?"

"Oh. How did you know?" Dagon had clearly been testing him with sarcasm, but honest Kaden simply told him the truth.

"This is absurd. Dagon did not realise the Bloodclaw Tribe had become such a place." The honesty did not reach him as honesty. The friendliness on Dagon's face had gradually been replaced by displeasure.

"What do you mean by such a place?" Kaden finally seemed to notice the atmosphere and frowned slightly. It was only a slight frown by orc standards. Had Arnold encountered such a face in a dark alley, he would probably have wet himself.

"You expect Dagon to believe that five warriors killed an Owlbear, and that this ordinary-looking brother killed a monster larger than an ogre? Now that Dagon considers it, perhaps you did not hunt the Owlbear at all. Perhaps you merely found its corpse." Dagon did not retreat before Kaden's intimidating expression. Like a proper warrior, he said exactly what he thought. Unfortunately, what he thought was not pleasant to hear. Kaden's expression darkened. So did Krog's, Kurdan's, and Goldin's.

"Wait." Before any of them could speak and make the situation worse, Karath stepped forward. Every orc in the settlement looked toward him as tension spread through the village.

"Kaden told the truth. Whether the Warriorhearts Tribe believes him is its own choice. In any case, will the truth not become obvious tomorrow morning?" The tale has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident. Karath spoke without hesitation. Had he been someone who became frightened merely because a crowd stared at him, he would never have changed the Bloodclaw Tribe in the first place.

"Hmm. Now Dagon understands. It appears Brother Karath is the reason the Bloodclaw Tribe has become this way." Dagon responded with a strange observation.

"You claim Brother Karath killed the Owlbear, and you also claim he killed this drake. Is that not laughable?" Dagon had apparently decided that Karath was a liar. To orcs, who considered themselves descendants of warriors, being called a liar was among the most disgraceful insults imaginable. Karath did not care much. The matter would be settled tomorrow.

"You can confirm it with your own eyes in the morning."

"It seems everyone has eaten enough. Bloodclaw will retire first. We will meet again tomorrow." Karath led the visibly dissatisfied Bloodclaw warriors toward the earthen house Moldin had provided. Buddy, who had not finished eating, looked regretfully at the remaining meat before following him.

"Damn it!" The moment they entered the house, Kaden released a furious roar. He clenched his fist as though he wanted to strike the wall. He stopped himself only because he knew the earthen structure would collapse if he did. Kaden had once destroyed the wall of his own home while playing.

"Karath, why do these brothers call us liars when Kaden only told them the truth?" His face remained filled with anger. Kurdan and Goldin looked equally confused. Only Krog seemed to understand part of the problem.

"When someone hears that another person accomplished something they cannot do, their first reaction is often disbelief. It is even harder to believe when they did not witness it themselves." The situation was unpleasant, but understandable. In a primitive society, personal experience formed most of what people considered knowledge. The Warriorhearts orcs lived inside a closed community that shared only its own experiences. They were frogs trapped inside a well.

Without Karath, the Bloodclaw Tribe might have remained no different. Understanding that did not make the insult less irritating.

"So tomorrow, we show them that we were not lying." The bride search existed to find women from a neighbouring tribe who might become wives. For an orc warrior, the simplest way to prove himself as a desirable husband was through hunting and combat. Visitors stayed for several days, fought the local warriors, and hunted beside them to demonstrate their worth. Since travelling groups usually arrived during the first evening, the first formal event occurred the following morning.

That was why Dagon had initially invited Kaden to speak through their bodies. Karath had originally intended to participate only moderately because he had no desire to attract an orc bride. His mind had changed. If these orcs were frogs inside a well, he would personally show them how frightening the world outside could be. A frog struck enough times would surely learn something. The following morning, a cold atmosphere surrounded the open ground of the Warriorhearts settlement.

Under normal circumstances, this would have been a friendly event conducted in the name of the bride search. Neither the Bloodclaw warriors nor the Warriorhearts tribespeople appeared particularly cheerful. Still, the orcs deserved some respect. Even though they believed their guests were liars, none shouted insults or jeered. Karath had no intention of showing mercy because of that.

"Kaden will stand as the first warrior of the Bloodclaw Tribe! Brother Dagon, if you remember last night's promise, step forward!" Impatient as always, Kaden moved into the clearing the moment preparations ended.

"Dagon has been waiting!" Dagon stepped forward immediately. Like proper orcs, the two skipped petty intimidation and charged directly toward each other. They did not carry weapons. If they had, someone would almost certainly have died. From Karath's perspective, two enormous idiots striking each other barehanded did not seem much safer.

"Raaagh!" Dagon roared and drove a full-strength right straight toward Kaden's face. Thud!

"Krahahaha! Strike harder!" Their courageous and exceptionally stupid Kaden happily accepted the punch directly to his face, then immediately counterattacked. He allowed one strike and returned one. It was the most brainless fighting method imaginable. Ridiculously, it worked. Dagon's pride prevented him from fighting differently. He also accepted Kaden's blows directly and answered in kind.

"Krahahaha! Dagon is a warrior of the Warriorhearts Tribe!" Thud!

"Krahahaha! That is a fine fist!" Thud! They shouted after every exchange and repeatedly drove punches into each other's faces. Thud!

"Ghh." After seven exchanges, Dagon's legs finally gave way and he collapsed. Kaden possessed the greater size, so naturally his endurance and punching power were superior. Even Karath could not defeat Kaden by fighting in that manner. Against such a difference in weight, intelligence and strategy were necessary. Dagon might have been clever by orc standards, but he could not escape the instincts of his race.

"Krahahaha! That was a conversation between bodies that set Kaden's heart on fire!" While Karath considered the fight, Kaden helped Dagon back to his feet.

"It has been a long time since Dagon enjoyed such a satisfying conversation. Brother Kaden was exactly as Dagon expected." Despite his defeat, Dagon looked delighted.

"Oh!"

"What an incredible brother!"

"He defeated Dagon in only seven punches!" The watching Warriorhearts orcs shouted in admiration. At the same time, the way they looked at Karath grew even worse. The direct and honest contest appeared to have resolved their doubts concerning Kaden and the Bloodclaw Tribe. Now they simply believed Karath alone was a liar.

"Then Karath should be next." That misunderstanding would soon disappear. Once he broke the next opponent's skull, everyone would acknowledge the truth. However, as Karath stepped forward, the Warriorhearts settlement suddenly became chaotic. For a moment, he wondered whether his movement had caused it. It had not. The commotion came from the village entrance.

"Minotaurs are approaching the settlement!"

"M-minotaurs?"

"There are two of them!" Every orc froze. A Warriorhearts scout who had missed the morning event came running toward the clearing.

"All warriors, take your weapons and move to the entrance immediately!" Chief Moldin shouted the instant he heard the report. Before the order had even finished, the Warriorhearts fighters began moving to prepare for battle. Karath stood in the clearing, momentarily speechless. He had stepped forward to correct a misunderstanding and been left like a dog that had lost the bird it was chasing. This was not the time for such thoughts.

"Minotaurs? There are none near our settlement."

"That is true. Why is everyone reacting as though they are so dangerous?" Krog responded to Karath's quiet comment with equal confusion.

"Dagon, are minotaurs truly that frightening?" Kaden, apparently believing their physical conversation had made them friends, spoke casually to Dagon.

"Yes! They are more terrifying than the Owlbear you brought!" Dagon's legs were still weak from Kaden's punches, preventing him from immediately following the other warriors.

"Stronger than an Owlbear? How do they compare with an ogre?"

"Damn it! Why do you compare everything with an ogre? Of course they are weaker than one, but at least ten warriors are required to face a single minotaur. There are two of them!" Dagon explained how terrifying the monsters were. Karath still found it difficult to feel impressed. They were weaker than an ogre.

"What? Then they are weak."