Praise the Orc

Chapter 180: Hedoro’s Legacy (2)

Thanks to Crockta, the vegetable vendor ended his business early, and he invited them inside the shop. There was a dining table inside. The vegetable vendor asked them to wait and went away for a while. He soon came back with a big pot in hand, it was a vegetable hotpot.

Meat was also added, giving the broth a rich taste, but most of the ingredients were vegetables. Crockta and Tiyo usually enjoyed meat more, but they gobbled down the soup because of the vegetable vendor’s excellent cooking skills.

“...By the way, you’ve got some nerve sitting here.”

“Don’t they say that within the four seas, all men are brothers[1]?”

“That’s shameless coming from a bastard who interfered with other people’s business,” Tiyo said.

“That’s a thing of the past. Hahaha!”

For some reason, the man, who was promoting Arnold’s Butcher Shop, was also with them. The vegetable vendor just smiled kindly.

“Vegetables come from the land. The land is our mother. Our mother does not discriminate against their children.”

“...!”

His warm remarks made Crockta and Tiyo’s gaze ice-cold. The muscular man tried to interfere with the business of such an amazingly upright person.

The man scratched his head and averted their gaze. The vegetable vendor scooped up a big ladle of vegetable hotpot for the man as well, perhaps because he really did not mind the man.

“By the way, I was surprised to hear that Tiyo-nim is Hedoro-nim’s son. This must be fate.”

“When did you last see my father?” Tiyo asked.

“It was a year ago.”

“That’s quite a long time ago...”

“Hedoro-nim was looking for something.”

“Is that so...” Tiyo nodded.

Hedoro had the temperament of an explorer, so he always looked for new things. It was not strange that he had been chasing after something interesting.

However, what exactly was he looking for that he left somewhere else after going from Quantes to the north, and then from the north to the southern region?

“What was he looking for?”

“I don’t know in detail, but I think he said something about the historic site of a certain God.”

“God, huh?”

When it came to Gods, beings like the Ashen God and the World Tree came to mind. They were powerful beings with divine powers.

Crockta first met the Ashen God directly at the Temple of the Fallen God, where the Ashen God was worshiped. From that, it can be inferred that one would be able to meet the Gods at a location that had a connection to the said God.

If so, which God’s historic site was Hedoro looking for in order to meet that God?

“He came regularly to buy vegetables. He was very particular with self-care.”

“He came regularly? If so, that means he stayed here for a long time.” Tiyo asked.

“Yes. He stayed for a few months.”

“Where did he stay?”

“From what I know, it was at the temple.” The vegetable vendor replied.

“A temple? Was there a temple in Cathalu?”

“Yes. Though it’s more like a memorial hall than a temple...” The muscular man interrupted from beside.

“That’s right. I also heard that it’s a temple, but at the same time, it’s not a temple.”

“It’s a temple but not a temple?”

“Yes. It was built as a memorial of something...”

It seemed like a place where everyone who lived in Cathalu knew. Crockta and Tiyo exchanged glances. They nodded to each other.

“Are you going to go there right away?” The vegetable vendor asked.

“No.”

“No, we’re not.”

Crockta and Tiyo pointed to the hotpot at the same time.

“Is it possible to have another bowl?”

“We’ll finish one more bowl before leaving. Your cooking skills are amazing.”

***

Crockta and Tiyo arrived at the temple described by the vegetable vendor. It was a small building located in a remote part of the city. Although it was definitely his first time seeing it, the temple felt familiar to Crockta somehow.

It looked similar to the Temple of the Fallen God he saw in the northern region. Crockta had a hunch that this place might also be related to the Ashen God.

“Why is that guy here?” Tiyo said.

Anor was standing there. That body movement and tanned skin were without a doubt the Dark Elf Anor. It was suspicious to see him wandering around in a dull hood. His body exuded the dark energy of a necromancer.

“Hey, Anor! What are you doing there!”

“Huh?” Anor discovered the two of them and waved happily.

“What brings you guys here? I thought you were going to the market?”

“Something came up. What about you? Why are you here?”

Anor had clearly announced that he would rest in his quarters for the whole day.

“What’s this? Do you have a date with a beautiful woman or something?” Tiyo said teasingly.

“Hahaha. That’s not it. I just feel something here.”

Anor pointed his finger at the temple. The lights were out, so it was all dark inside.

“Should I say it’s a familiar energy... I can feel the energy of my kind.”

“Ohhh...” Tiyo stroked his chin.

“That means it’s a very unpleasant place.”

The three of them walked up to the temple and opened the door. It was all dark inside, but as soon as they stepped, a light lit up the interior as if it sensed their movements. The inside was connected to a corridor.

“Is anyone there?” Crockta asked, and his voice rumbled down the corridor.

They heard that someone was overseeing the temple, but they were nowhere to be seen.

In the blink of an eye, they reached the end of the corridor. There was another door. Crockta paused, but Tiyo opened the door without hesitation.

Creak.

The door opened.

Inside, they saw a woman sitting in the lotus position.

“This is...”

“Goodness gracious!”

The woman did not move even at the noise. They could only see her back, but her figure was so dignified that it felt sacred. The murals surrounding her had a strange atmosphere, like those seen in the Temple of the Fallen God.

The woman remained still. She was immersed in her own world even though they made some noise while coming in.

Crockta and his friends stood at the doorway and stared at the woman for a while. It wasn’t long before the woman started to slowly get up.

“Ugh...”

For a moment, the woman staggered. It looked like her legs cramped up after sitting in the lotus position for a long time. She groaned for quite some time, frowning and slumping on the floor. Crockta retracted all his evaluations of her. She didn’t look sacred, rather, she was just having cramps.

Soon, she picked herself up and muttered, “Phew, I thought I was going to die.”

Then, she spoke to the three of them, “Welcome. I’m sorry for the late greetings. It’s been a long time since we’ve had guests.”

Crockta greeted back politely, “No. I’m not sure if we interrupted you while you were praying...”

“What? Praying?”

She tilted her head and continued, “I wasn’t praying though.”

“Then, the reason you were sitting like that was...”

“Ah, I just got cramps while doing yoga...”

“...”

When she clapped her hands, a few more fires were lit up, making the interior brighter.

“This is...”

“Isn’t it amazing? A friend of mine made it.”

Tiyo was sure that the friend she was talking about was Hedoro. There were traces of magic engineering.

“Oh, my?”

She suddenly looked at Tiyo and covered her mouth. It seemed like she realized something.

“By any chance...”

“That’s correct.” Tiyo nodded.

“I am Hedoro’s son, Tiyo!” Tiyo announced.

“No way...” She looked down at Tiyo in awe.

“You two look so alike,” She continued.

“Do you know about my father?”

“Of course I do. Your eyes and the rude tone are the exact same.”

“What...?”

“Haha, I’m kidding.”

Crockta explained on behalf of Tiyo, who was trembling in anger, “We are investigating Hedoro. Do you happen to know anything about him?”

“He left though... Follow me for now.”

She led the way to a place that looked like a small living room, and she sat down. Then, she prepared a drink that looked like tea.

As they spoke of their purpose, she nodded. She knew well about Hedoro.

“Hedoro-nim is someone driven by curiosity, so he was investigating a God that was no longer in this world.”

“Is it perhaps the Fallen God?” Crockta asked.

“Oh my, you know about it. That’s correct. That’s what that God is called now.”

Crockta gulped. Strangely enough, the Ashen God was mentioned again here.

The system—the Ashen God, no longer displayed any message to him since he reached a 100 percent assimilation rate. What did the Ashen God really want? And what was Hedoro looking for?

“Then is this the Temple of the Fallen God?” Crockta asked.

She shook her head.

“No. There is no Temple of the Fallen God anymore. All of them have been reduced to ruins.”

There was a temple in the north beyond the boundary, but she did not seem to know.

“Also, strictly speaking, this place is not a temple.”

“Then what is it?”

“It’s a place made plainly for remembrance and mourning.”

“Remembrance and mourning for? And who are you?”

“I am...”

Her answer was unexpected.

“I am Elijah, a priest serving the Goddess of Mercy.”

“The Goddess of Mercy...?”

Elijah smiled and continued, “I follow the will of the Goddess of Mercy, and I am here to remember and mourn a race that has now disappeared from the continent.”

“A race that disappeared from the continent?” Tiyo tilted his head. He didn’t seem to know either.

“A very long time ago, before the Fallen God had fallen, there was a race that served her. Unlike the ordinary species, they possessed powerful and mysterious powers.”

“Mysterious powers?”

“Yes. It was not passed down in exact detail, but it was recorded that all the other species feared them because of the unknown power. Then, the Fallen God suddenly went crazy and became obsessed with the bizarre idea of destroying the world.”

Elijah sighed and continued, “The race that worshiped the Fallen God wholeheartedly followed her will even though she wanted to destroy the world. For the sake of stopping the Fallen God, all the other Gods and species united to fight. At that time, the orcs, humans, dwarves, elves, and gnomes all stood against them.”

“It’s my first time hearing about this.”

“It’s a story that has been erased from history books. In any case, that God eventually fell due to the power of the other Gods, and she is now known as the ‘Fallen God’.”

It was the story of how the Ashen God became the Fallen God.

Crockta asked, “What about the race?”

“Unfortunately, they met the same fate as the Fallen God. They all died. Some are said to be alive, but no one knows if it’s true or not.”

Suddenly, Crockta felt itchy around his waist. Crockta looked down. He might have been imagining things, but the steel belt on his waist seemed to be shaking strangely.

“The Goddess of Mercy grieved the fate of the race, who served the Fallen God. Thus, she created this place to remember them and to preserve their story. This place is for them.”

“It’s an interesting but sad story.”

“But there is also a positive side to the story, which is the fact that all species joined forces. It means that when there is a crisis, all the species would band together.”

As he listened to the story, Crockta was lost in thought. The Fallen God was definitely the Ashen God. Then, was the creation of Elder Lord a continuation of her desire? Did she still want to destroy this world?

Despite meeting her in person, it was difficult for Crockta to realize that she was such a dangerous being. He did not feel any negative feelings from her. Why on earth would she want such an ending?

Tiyo spoke again, “So, where did my father go?”

“He came by information stating that there were traces of the Fallen God in the west...”

Tap tap tap.

Suddenly, the sounds of footsteps came outside.

“He told me that he was going that way and... Excuse me. Come in!” When Elijah spoke, the door opened and a man appeared.

The man was holding a letter envelope in one hand.

“Elijah-nim. A letter has arrived. It’s an urgent message.”

“Thank you.”

She took the letter. The man bowed and left the temple. He seemed to be a mailman.

“This is... Wait a moment.”

After checking the envelope, she frowned a little and immediately tore open the letter. Then, she checked the contents of the letter, with her eyes gradually growing bigger.

Soon, she frowned, indicating that she did not understand it. Her eyes moved up and down, reading the content over and over again.

“This is...”

Elijah looked at Crockta.

She looked puzzled and said, “Crockta.”

“What happened?”

“...”

She stroked her lips and spoke, “Erm... and Tiyo.”

“What is it?”

“And Mr. Dark Elf...”

“It’s Anor.”

“Yes, Mr. Anor.”

Elijah paused for a moment and once again said, “Hedoro said he was going to Geherard, which is a long journey northwest from Cathalu. I hope you can go there quickly so that you won’t be late.”

“Geherard?”

“Yes. He said he will be staying there for a while, so hurry up and go before you miss him.”

“Then, we have to hurry and depart.” Tiyo looked at Crockta and Anor.

“We’ll accompany you.”

“You don’t have to stare at us so unexpectedly.”

The two nodded as if it was natural for them to do so. They were now a party. They were prepared to accompany and help Tiyo.

Tiyo, too, clenched his fist out of excitement and said, “Great. Let’s depart right away!”

“Right now?”

“Yes. Cathalu is safe too, so there is no need to wait any longer.”

“That’s true, but let’s rest a little...”

“Don’t live in tomorrow! Live in the present!”

The three of them ran excitedly. Just like that, it was decided that Crockta, Tiyo, and Anor would be heading to Geherard.

They thanked Elijah for the information and hurriedly left the temple. No, to be exact, they left the memorial hall—a place made in remembrance of the extinct species.

***

Elijah sighed after they left. Did she do a good thing? She looked at the letter again.

It stated that oracles came down to each temple. The contents included hostile details against orcs and Crockta’s party. Aside from that, several details were unlike the Goddess of Mercy.

As a priest serving the Goddess of Mercy, she should not have sent them away just like that. She could have tricked them into going to a dangerous place or she could have drugged their tea. However, instead of doing that, she sent them to a safe place.

Geherard was a rough place, but it was also isolated from the other species and temples. If the contents of the oracle were true, Geherard might be the best place for them.

It was a difficult choice for her. However, Crockta was the hero who saved Cathalu, and Tiyo was Hedoro’s son.

Elijah closed her eyes and recalled Hedoro.

Hedoro was a gnome who always smiled cheerfully, and he gave a lot of help to Elijah, who was a novice priestess dispatched to a foreign land all alone. His optimistic attitude left a deep impression on her. Moreover, Hedoro also installed various facilities in the temple.

“Haih...” Elijah sighed.

Her heart was heavy at the thought of breaking the Goddess’ oracle.

She recalled Tiyo, Hedoro’s son. He might resent Hedoro. Be that as it may, it was Hedoro who saved him and his party today. If it wasn’t for Hedoro, she would have reported them to the other temple or even deceived them.

She looked through the letter again.

There was a phrase in the letter that went like this:

「Turn the orcs into a forgotten species. 」

It was uncharacteristic of the Goddess of Mercy. If something like this came as an oracle, then something was definitely going on.

The kingdom became an empire, and the Goddess of Mercy delivered such a bizarre oracle. Everything was becoming weird. Elijah prayed for the sake of the world.

1. This saying comes from The Analects, a collection of Confucius’ sayings that date back more than 2,000 years ago, which forms an integral part of Confucianism. "Within the four seas" means the entire world. ?