Chapter 782: December 14th: Close Encounters of the Unknown Kind
Wondering what was going on, the gazes of various species gathered on me. That being said, I didn't have time to care about them. I am the Ruler of Time, the one who triumphed over Pizza. Settling things with this self-proclaimed Orc was my top priority. I simply waved my hand dismissively as if saying "my bad, my bad" and returned my gaze to Ur Idim-shi.
"No, no, no, no, no, no, no. You're joking, right?"
"........."
Ah, he looks kind of displeased! This is bad, the pizza flag is rising, I need to correct my trajectory here.
"Ah, no, it's just that the Orcs I know are, how should I put it...... more along the lines of having a softer impression with a bit more fat on them."
In your case, you're more on the side of gleaming with lubricating oil. Rather than fat, it's literal oil.
"......I do not Falsify Myself. I am... an O-r-c."
"Well...... an Orc is typically a lifeform with a pig's head and a slightly chubby feel to it, and absolutely not a Killing Beast clad entirely in a reinforced exoskeleton...... Hm?"
Something feels off.
"An Orc?"
"An Orc... I Am."
.........Somehow, the intonation is different? If anything, it sounds more like he's saying "Ou-ku". No way, could this perhaps be a situation like the words for "bridge," "chopsticks," and "edge" in Japanese? [*1]
"Not Pig-Head?"
"I am King Hound."
Ah......... I, see? In short, it's the same spelling but pronounced slightly differently like O-u-ku, or rather, to put it bluntly, it's a completely different species sharing the same name?
"Ah, no, I see, I understand now. That certainly was rude of me...... I apologize for the disrespect, Ur......"
"Ur Idim... I Am."
"My bad, Ur Idim-shi."
"And so...... There is a Matter... I wish to Ask... You of the Raging Waves."
A question? Like, who is the strongest human—something like that? If that's the case, I'd probably have to apologize and drop Rei-shi's name...... At the very least, out of all the players I know, Rei-shi simply seems like the strongest.
However, the content Ur Idim-shi wanted to know didn't seem to stem from the interest of a warrior race, but rather something completely different. As his eyeballs darted around frantically and he let out a "fushurururu" breath, the carapace covering his entire body creaked as if screaming against the tension in his muscles, and the chair he was sitting on was creaking in exactly the same way. If the chair shatters and Ur Idim-shi falls on his ass, how am I supposed to react? If I laugh, will I become the first drop in a sea of blood?
"You of the Raging Waves...... Have you... by Chance... Seen My Brethren... in the Lands beyond the Waves?"
"......Brethren?"
By Ur Idim-shi's brethren, he means......... In other words, a humanoid monster standing over 3 meters tall, covered in a carapace resembling a full-body reinforced exoskeleton, with four eyes, fangs like thick razors, and sharp spines jutting out all over its body, right?
Yeah no, if something like that were strolling around the Old Continent, it would've caused way more of a massive uproar. Actually, if something like this was roaming around without even being a Unique Monster, I'd seriously doubt the devs' game balance tuning skills. This is completely an entity on the side of evil. I don't mean Ur Idim-shi himself is evil, but if this guy stood in front of the gates of Thirdrema and said "I came to work! I'm confident in my stamina!", literally nobody would believe him.
"Uhhh............ No, doesn't ring any bells........."
"............Is, That So."
He was probably feeling down. To me, it just looked like the charging animation before unleashing some massive ultimate attack, but Ur Idim-shi slumped his shoulders and looked down. This is my chance. I can safely assume the threat of Pizza has passed for now. If that's the case, I'll press the advantage here and conquer Ur Idim-shi in one fell swoop.........! I'm starting to lose track of why exactly I'm trying to conquer a Killing Beast, but if I remain trapped in the past, I'll never be able to escape the Pizza. Pizza is "Death," it is the "End," and it is nothing other than the bony fingers of the Grim Reaper grabbing my shoulder.
"Ah, by any chance, judging by that reaction...... are you searching for your brethren?"
"Yes......... I have been... Constantly Journeying... Searching for Brethren... with Whom I can Live, and Connect our Lives..."
After listening to his story, it apparently boiled down to this.
Ur Idim-shi had known he was a "King Hound" since the moment he was born, but he seemed to have known almost nothing else. The state he was in when he was born provided endless academic curiosity, but well, I'll put that aside.
Thus, Ur Idim-shi had managed to survive in this dog-eat-dog world of the New Continent...... And well, true to his appearance, he seemed to have been part of the upper echelon in the ecosystem's pyramid. Although he had faced the threat of death several times, he had managed to survive them all. Because of his appearance, he was apparently treated by the demi-humans of the New Continent as a monster entirely incapable of communication, but as evidenced by the fact that we're having a conversation, Ur Idim-shi is actually a highly rational character.
Well, regarding Ur Idim-shi, it seemed that his encounter with Vash suddenly granted him a more human-like "intellect" or something. Another mystery surrounding Vash was just added, but I'll set that aside for now as well.
With an appearance like this, interacting with demi-humans was impossible. Therefore, under the guarantee of the leader of the Great Alliance, Vysache, he had been traveling around the countries of the multi-species alliance, offering his strength as a mercenary. Well, his life story isn't that important right now.
What is important is that right now, Ur Idim-shi is, incredibly enough, actively "marriage hunting."
It sounds like a joke, but if you rephrase it as the instinct to leave behind offspring, it's not actually that strange...... However, a problem arose here.
To begin with, no one had ever seen the species known as "King Hound." The homophonous Orcs were an endangered species, but a small number had survived...... but again, they were clearly a completely different species no matter how you looked at it. Despite wandering all across the New Continent, Ur Idim-shi had never encountered a single member of his brethren. Therefore, his encounter with us here...... humans who had crossed the raging waves from the Old Continent, was a sliver of hope for him...... but, well, the results were not favorable.
"I see...... I guess even if you can survive on your own, it's gotta be lonely not having a single one of your brethren around......"
"Indeed...... If it were... Clearly Proven that I am the Only King Hound... I could Give Up...... However,"
The classic Devil's Proof. It's much harder to prove that something "does not exist" than to prove that it "does." Precisely because the entity known as Ur Idim-shi exists, the fact that the King Hound species exists in this world is a pure, undeniable truth. If that's the case, it wouldn't be strange if there were two or more King Hounds just like Ur Idim-shi in this world.
"I get it...... I completely get it, Ur Idim-shi. If there's even the slightest possibility, you can't help but want to challenge it...... That's just the nature of living creatures."
Even if the RNG is garbage, as long as there is even a 0.01% drop rate, a human will challenge it to the bitter end. Sub-decimal drop rates are commonplace, so honestly, if 0.01% is guaranteed, it's more like there's no option not to challenge it.
"Hey, you! Human!"
"Ah?"
"Silence! If you are going to Make Noise, Leave This Place!!"
"Yeah, that's right!"
Aah? Centaurs and Harpies have the nerve to throw entirely valid arguments at me...... Well, they're not wrong, but setting that aside, I'm not such a good boy that I'd just say "Yes, sir" here. When I shot a glance at Vash, the corner of his mouth was slightly raised as he lit his kiseru. I see how it is.
"Listen here, you bastards......... Right now, I'm in the middle of an incredibly important life consultation with Ur Idim-shi. Keep quiet, or I'll turn you into horse sashimi and yakitori and feed you to Survival over there."
"Normally, you wouldn't drag me into this, right? I mean, yeah, back then I did dabble in some λ Server-esque stuff, but still......"
The sharpness of the glares directed at us seemed to have intensified, but...... Oh? You wanna go? We have Ur Idim-shi on our side, you know? He's a Killing Beast, alright? I'll forgive you if you grovel on the ground right now. Actually, can centaurs even grovel?
Author's Afterword
・King Hound
King Hound is, naturally, a creature entirely unrelated to the pig-headed monster, Orc.
From one perspective, they are the likeness of gods; from another, they are the descendants of dragons.
You could say they fit the definition of life, and you could also say they don't.
King Hounds are an entity that remains unknown. Therefore, their physical bodies are made of "possibility."
Perception grants them life. Or perhaps, it degrades them into an embodiment of tyranny.........
The conditions Ur Idim-san seeks for marriage:
・Same species
・Preferably someone smart
Translator's Notes
- [1]: In Japanese, the word "hashi" can mean bridge, chopsticks, or edge depending entirely on the pitch accent.
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