"Can't you produce your identification tag?"

Orc Elder Behera. A terrifyingly skilled fighter who had slaughtered every opponent at the rank of 「sword runner」 or higher, all by himself, in two minutes and seventeen seconds. A warrior who had demonstrated at a stroke just how fearsome orcs were in these Racial Duels.

I had no chance of beating him in a fight. I would be lucky to escape with my life.

Under normal circumstances, Orc Elder Behera challenging me when I was utterly exhausted would have been a desperate crisis. Fortunately, these were not normal circumstances.

This was the site of the 「Racial Duels」.

"So your claim to be the orc king was a lie after all."

The Racial Duels brought many races together to fight. Spectators outside were watching everything that happened here, which meant each race's pride was at stake.

And so...

"I have always respected orcs. Your courage in never backing down from a challenge, your forthright spirit in always showing yourselves honestly, without concealment! I believed yours was a race born for honorable struggle, worthy of being called the children of the goddess Lepri. But what you have shown us, Orc Elder Behera, is profoundly disappointing. Enough to make me question the entire orc race."

Swords were not the only weapons here.

"You proclaimed yourself king, Orc Elder Behera. Because of that declaration, fighters of the other races willingly fought you, even knowing they were weaker. Why? To fight courageously and bring glory to their race! Because even in death, it would be an honor to fall against the fighter serving as another race's king! Yet their deaths were in vain. You were not the king. The justification you offered for those duels was an outright lie."

Here, well-packaged words could serve as weapons too.

More precisely, a righteous cause could be a weapon.

"You put a lie before them, Orc Elder Behera. Fighters weaker than you trusted that lie alone, challenged you, and died. What meaning did their deaths have? The axe you wielded insulted their lives and souls. Your fraudulent duels showed contempt for the goddess Lepri, Orc Elder Behera."

A righteous cause could sometimes be sharper than any sword. History proved it.

In the countless wars recorded in the continent's history, the strongest weapon had always been a righteous cause. Wars of conviction, wars of religion, wars over territory—none had ever known a more powerful weapon.

"You committed the despicable act of taking your opponents' lives in duels founded on a lie. Is that what orcs truly are? A disgusting race that claims to welcome challenges and crave struggle, yet spews blatant lies simply to win? Is that the true face of an orc?"

"..."

"As I understand it, orcs love struggle itself. Whether they win or lose, what matters is how courageously they fought. That is why I hear some of the heroes orcs revere were not strong. Because to an orc, strength means courage."

And of all seven races, humans were the best at arguing over righteous causes. I was certain of it. Search the entire continent, and you would find no race as wicked as humans.

So I decided to fight like a human.

Like the king of the human race.

To confront madness, I had to be just as mad myself. So first, I did something insane.

But once that insanity had drawn attention, the next step was to dress it up beautifully. And that sort of packaging was humanity's specialty. History proved that too.

"If a pitifully weak orc child faces a Monster Wave with nothing but an axe, that orc is called a hero, even if the child dies a futile death. If an old, sick orc woman dies fighting invaders to protect her son and grandson, she is called a hero. Is that not the very essence of an orc? No matter how much power you possess, must you not remain true to that essence?"

"..."

"Orc Elder Behera, have you forgotten the orcs' coming-of-age rite? Have you failed to grasp the meaning of that warrior's trial, which proves courage rather than victory? How disappointing."

"How does a human... know of our coming-of-age rite...?"

I gave him no time to say anything more.

"I have no wish to fight someone who has sullied other fighters with fraudulent duels."

If I crossed blades with Orc Elder Behera, I would certainly lose.

But in a battle over a righteous cause?

I had undergone the orcs' coming-of-age rite myself, and even consumed the memories held in 「Wildness」. No human here would know orcs better than I did.

And frankly, in a battle of justifications where I, a human, held him to orcish standards, I could not imagine losing.

Because...

"... I see."

Orcs were simple, but they were not stupid. They were warriors who could listen to reason.

"You are right, human. I am not the orc king."

They willingly accepted words that were not wrong. They would listen to anything they believed was right.

"My identification tag is number 6."

Orcs were different from humans. Unlike ugly humans who would make any excuse to wriggle out of a situation, they could understand and admit the truth. That was an orc's defining trait. And that was why my weapon would work on Orc Elder Behera.

"I claimed to be king to draw out the kings of the other races, protect our own king, and secure an advantageous position in these 「Racial Duels」. Then I mercilessly crushed and killed the fighters who challenged me, Orc Elder Behera. All for victory."

"..."

"But hearing your words, I see I was making a grave mistake! Yes. Courage is the essence of an orc. Victory is of no importance. Yet I became so consumed by winning that I behaved like a despicable monster. Ah, what foolishness!"

Orc Elder Behera let out a lament. Watching him, I laughed inwardly.

Then I heard Liam's voice.

「Remarkable improvisation. As I always say, sometimes I shudder to think what sort of scoundrel you would have become if you had never taken up a sword.」

"..."

「In truth, didn't you invent all that talk of righteous causes on the spot? You overused Gale so badly that you cannot move, so you simply started running your mouth, didn't you? Heh, I see right through you, young descendant.」

Liam's words struck right at the truth.

'I can still barely move.'

Yes.

I had been far too excited about understanding the arcane and gaining access to the subtle art of controlling flow. I had certainly swept across the battlefield, but the power held in 「Gale」 was permitted only to swordsmen at the rank of 「sword runner」 or higher. When Orc Elder Behera appeared and 「Gale」 fell asleep, a tremendous backlash struck my body. Pain surged through me as though every muscle were splitting and every vein were being smashed apart.

It was a miracle I was even standing on my own two feet...

「Thank goodness the blood of steel flows in your veins. Had you been born in the Heavenly Empire, or as the son of a high-ranking noble, you might have become an agitator with a devil's tongue.」

Listening to Liam's half-joking words, I looked at Orc Elder Behera. As I faced him, I repeated the same words over and over in my head.

'Please don't attack me.'

Had my prayers thankfully been answered?

"I, Orc Elder Behera, have no right to challenge you. Moreover, having acted so despicably, I must not continue these duels! Orc Elder Behera, bearer of identification tag number 6, withdraws!"

Orc Elder Behera did not attack me. He went so far as to withdraw from the contest himself. My words had persuaded him.

It was an immensely satisfying outcome.

Yes.

"However."

It would have been, had things ended there.

"Another honorable orc would be more than qualified to face you, human."

"...?"

"The true orc king will satisfy you in my place! Orc fighter bearing identification tag number 444! Show this fine human, who professes to love us orcs and has opened my eyes to my foolishness, just how magnificent orcs can be! In place of me, Orc Elder Behera!"

His roar rang out thunderously.

And then...

"Your words resonated with me, human!"

An orc of monstrous proportions stepped out in the distance.

"Perhaps! The same blood as ours flows in your veins! Peel off your skin, and we might find green muscle underneath! Those were truly orcish words! Very, very moving!"

The orc proudly drew identification tag number 444 from inside his clothing as he approached.

The symbol of a king.

As the tag gleamed, Liam spoke.

「... Young descendant.」

"..."

「That fellow is stronger than that ignorant orc Behera. What will you do now?」

As always, nothing in my life ever went smoothly.

「He's practically a sword expert...」

I was utterly f*cked.

"Human! You! May be weak! But the courage burning within you is hot enough to earn you the name of hero! Therefore! I too shall give my all in our duel!"

"..."

I really wished he wouldn't.

'Fck.' *

Should I run?

But I still could not muster any real strength. In this condition, I would not even be able to summon superhuman power, let alone unleash 「Gale」 again. The moment I turned to flee, he would grab me by the hair, drag me away, and kill me.

My thoughts were a tangled mess.

And then...

【Impressive words, descendant of steel. Perhaps it is your inheritance of that great blood, but your tactics and stratagems are astonishingly sharp as well.】

Just as I stood at a loss, Dwight's voice rang inside my head.

【With you laying out a justification like this, we can step forward without worrying about appearances.】

"..."

【Do not worry. From this point on, you will not be fighting alone. It will be a battle with every race's pride at stake.】

It was an inner voice transmitted through Mana. An art I had never seen or even heard of.

「That dwarf is quite capable too.」

"..."

「It is a technique called voice transmission. Something you cannot even dream of doing yet.」

As I stood there blankly listening to Liam's explanation, Dwight blocked the approaching orc's path. Clad in pitch-black armor of black iron, he stood firm and looked up at the orc.

"Who gave you permission to pass, you ignorant green lump?"

"Why is a runt blocking my—"

"Shouldn't your entire race take responsibility for your elder's despicable conduct?"

"...?"

"When the Racial Duels began, one of our proud dwarf fighters died at Orc Elder Behera's hands. We believed it was an honorable duel, so we had no intention of taking issue with it. But now that it has been exposed as a fraudulent duel, I believe we have the right to avenge him."

With that, Dwight swept his gaze over the leading fighters of each race, who had quietly kept their distance at the rear. Voices rose from every direction.

"Come to think of it, he's right. That inferior orc dared deceive our young elf and kill the child. A child who still had so much left to do."

An elven elder.

"Indeed. Our Demonkin fighter who died at the outset, the 「Blue Baron」, challenged him before night had even fallen, simply because he claimed to be king. It was foolish, but if that death resulted from a dishonorable duel, I cannot accept it. As a fellow noble of the night, I must hold the orcs accountable."

The Demonkin's 「Red Count」, Hartias.

"You know, don't you? The dwarves of the Sky Mountains never lightly overlook the unjust death of one of their own."

The dwarves' 「Iron Man」, Grand General Dwight.

"He called us half-wit beast bastards while he killed us, and now he just withdraws? What a fucking joke."

The Beastfolk, grinding their teeth.

"Ah, we've been searching like mad, and now you finally show yourself."

"You just wouldn't come out. We were so worried we'd get eliminated for nothing..."

And...

"Stay right there, Your Majesty. We'll keep you good and safe."

My own people, who had to protect me.

Even the human fighters.

"You hadn't shown yourself even after nightfall, so we were wondering what you were thinking. But you've certainly made things interesting. Very interesting."

I had set fire to the delicate balance maintained in the 「Pitch-Black Forest」.

"Thanks to you, these 「Racial Duels」 will end in record time."

A fire that would blaze spectacularly.

* * *

"... You've really done it this time, Little Gladiator."

This time, I could not deny Seolyun's words.

The scene unfolding in the Pitch-Black Forest was now the very embodiment of the words 「Racial Duels」.

"I doubt there's been much like this in the entire history of the Racial Duels."

The true powerhouses, who had stood back to preserve everyone's dignity or let the novices gain experience, had finally emerged and were fighting. To my eyes, their battles did not even look like fights. More precisely, I could not actually see them.

They were too fast, exchanging more attacks and counters than I could count.

"The Arena's organizers ought to give you a fortune in gold."

"... Haha."

It certainly made for an entertaining spectacle. The stands would be in an uproar right now.

But I was not satisfied.

「Whether it is a proper duel or not, what good is it if you aren't in it?」

Exactly. At this rate, the trials I had sought would never come.

I had gained a clue to understanding 「Gale」, but sadly, nothing beyond that in terms of growth. Someone might say it was greedy to want more from this... but frankly, I was in a position where I had to be greedy. I had to seize every little bit more I could.

"Protect him!"

But there was nothing I could do. Every fighter battling at the center was a powerhouse beyond ordinary standards, and anyone charging toward me was dealt with by the human fighters.

"Stay inside our lines!"

They even actively stopped me from stepping forward.

It was only natural, really. If a mere 「sword walker」 went out there and lost his identification tag, the human race would be eliminated on the spot. If that happened, I would become a traitor of the worst kind. I would probably never be able to enter the 「Arena」 again, and the entire steel city would consider me a moron who deserved to be beaten to death...

Regrettably, I could not act.

The 「Racial Duels」 were now racing toward their finale. Whichever race remained standing at the end of this fierce battle would win. There was no room for me to join that race toward the finish.

Yes, it seemed my good fortune had run its course.

"Aaaah!"

... That was what I had been thinking.

"Shit, those fucking beast bastards have broken through this far!"

"Protect him!"

Beastfolk swarmed in. Baring their fangs, the beasts closed in an instant and shattered the human fighters' defensive formation.

"You fucking bastards—"

Then that wild race, instinctively able to find and target the weak, attacked the rear rather than the warriors holding the front line. Those vulnerable in close combat, with no means of defending themselves at close range.

The mages.

"A-ahhhh!"

Among the mages who had gathered to protect me, one mage's scream rang out with particular clarity. Every other sound vanished, leaving only her voice.

"S-save me."

The mage was a woman in her twenties. Her appearance was plain and unadorned. When she screamed, her white front teeth showed.

"P-please save me..."

For some reason, as the mage's hair streamed through the air, I thought I smelled flowers. A strange fragrance that did not belong in this situation. With it, the scene before my eyes wavered.

And then...

『I still cannot forget the look in your eyes as you gazed at me.』

In the next instant, an intensely powerful memory flooded into me from the sword.

With a heat and ferocity of emotion unlike anything before.

『The lovely voice that accompanied your shy smile cracked hideously.』

『The clothes that suited you so well were charred black and torn.』

『And so your pale skin lay exposed, marked with dark bruises and red bloodstains.』

My body had not yet fully recovered. Fighting now would be recklessly foolish.

But the sword was crying out like mad.

『Through your sobbing and screaming, your words were clear.』

『["Save me. Please save me."]』

By the time I came to my senses, my body was already running toward the mage.