That night, Asa was awakened by the smell of blood emanating from his body.

He had already showered and changed his clothes. But as he lay down on the bed, and gradually fell into a hazy half-sleep state, he immediately smelled the strong smell of blood that had swirled around his nose during the day. The sound of bones cracking, muscles tearing, and the dying cries of big-eared monsters sounded faintly in my ears. There was a burst of feeling in his hand when he held a knife and slashed into his body, mixed with the smell of blood, rushing into his mind.

This feeling used to plunge into a kind of primordial beast euphoria when it was time to fight for your life - because I don't want to die, I want you to die. But once back in this peaceful environment, having eaten a well-made meal, discussing something with the others, and lying down in the most comfortable bed in the best hotel in Bracada. When I really feel like I'm still alone, this beastly memory can only make people sick to their stomachs. The senses of man and the sensations of beasts cannot be harmoniously blended in the body, and the impact and rejection of each other makes people feel sick.

Asa stepped out of the room and into the back garden of the hotel, intending to blow the wind to sober himself up.

The lights and hustle and bustle in the tavern ahead continued. In the back garden, the dry air swept in from the west, and Asa felt the breath of the plateau here, and his mind seemed to become clearer, and he sighed comfortably. But suddenly there was a sound of vomiting in the wind.

Not far ahead, a man was bent over, leaning against the wall with one hand and covering his chest and abdomen with the other, burying his head and vomiting. He vomited so hard that he seemed to be trying to pour everything out of his body, and even though there was nothing left to vomit, he was retching, tears and snot welling up to his mouth, hanging and falling along with the saliva.

At last he seemed to have exhausted the last of his strength, and staggered to his feet. The light from the tavern turned his face a dark red, and his haggard manhood turned his original manhood into a very embarrassing one. Asa saw that it was Rodhart.

Rodhart also saw Asa, and took some water from the sink next to him and wiped it on his face with his sleeve, as if he had recovered a little.

"Is it the first time you kill someone?" Asa asked. He knew that many warriors were like this after their first killing. I'm also very uncomfortable, but I'm much better than him. "Strictly speaking, those aren't people. ”

Rodhart gasped, shook his head, and said, "I haven't even killed chickens before. "He killed at least a dozen big-eared monsters with his own hands today. After being silent for a long time, he spoke: "I grew up listening to the legends of those heroes fighting, and I have always longed for the scene of galloping on the battlefield, swords and blood. In the past, when I was studying swordsmanship and how to fight in a knight's school, I always thought about how to assassinate the enemy and cut off the head of the enemy general with a single sword. For many years, this was just an illusory concept in my head, and I got used to thinking of 'killing' as just a word. Today I finally did it with my own hands, but ......" his face was very pale. "Don't say it's an enemy, it's just a big-eared monster, just think that they can speak human language, and in many places they still live with humans, so they can be considered half a human. I didn't care when I was nervous, but when I came back, I couldn't sleep, and I always thought very clearly that the sword had pierced in the daytime, and the blood came out, and I felt in my hand that something that could talk like me....." He looked pained, as if he was about to vomit again.

"Killing people is not an easy thing. Asa walked over and patted him on the shoulder. "It's good to get used to it. And you have to get used to it, if you don't want to be killed yet. Before he knew it, he had taken out the words that others had taught him

"Thank you for your teachings. Rodhart's serious wording made Asa uncomfortable.

"I used to just imagine what is right, what is heroic, what is fighting. But in reality, I realized that these are just things that are embellished with stories. I naively believed in justice and justice, but I killed my fellow villagers. I thought I was going to be a battle hero, but I knew it would be too hard for me to kill. He looked at Asa earnestly. "From you, I learned what is the attitude that should be in reality. You saved me and my fellow villagers, and the way you did today solved what I thought was a desperate situation at the time. I really admire you, you are the hero in reality. ”

Asa felt that the lights in the tavern were so bright that even the faint light shining through made his face hot. He wanted to say something modest but found that there was really nothing to be modest, so he had to say, "Actually... I just do what I want to do. He suddenly remembered how the bold dwarves had been in Calondo, and he stretched out his hand in their appearance and tone, and said, "Needless to say, if you don't dislike it, make a friend." ”

Rodhart was stunned and laughed. He also reached out and took Asa's hand.

"Can you do me a favor?" asked Asa.

"It's a good idea to go to the soup and the fire. Rodhart replied.

The next day, Asa asked Rodhart to escort Chrissy back to the royal capital. He himself stayed in Bracada, where there were really important things to do.

But the key is how to do it, and that's what gives him a headache. Do you want to go into the orc's castle and snatch the book back? He still remembered very well how the orcs had slaughtered their entire group on the hill half a year ago. The difference between an ogre, a werewolf, and a big-eared monster is like that between a lion and a leper dog, and if you really want to go on a rampage, even if you have a hundred lives, it won't be enough to die.

I couldn't come up with any ideas after racking my brains. Asa thought of Lord Porugan, and the guy did seem to have something in his big head, so he simply went to him to help him figure out a solution. But the truth could not be said, and Asa showed the appointment document given to him by the bishop, saying that it was a very important book of the Church, and that it must be returned.

Unlike officials elsewhere, the name of the church doesn't seem to be a deterrent to this guy whose creed is effectiveness. This is also evident in the urban environment of Bracada, where there is only one chapel as crude as the inns. There were also priests who had to live in rooms in various inns, listening to the clamor of prostitutes and drunkards, and doing the sacred priesthood.

Even so, Lord Porugan tried his best to help Assa, as he himself cared about the news of the orc city-state. They caught a few big-eared monsters, and they interrogated them secretly but didn't get any valuable information. These ordinary big-eared monsters didn't know much about the orc city-state. This seems to be something that only the leaders of the Big-Eared Monster colony know, and they do intend to make a few votes here and escape the human army. And the looted property was also gathered in the morning, and someone was sent there secretly.

After the interrogation, return to the office of the city hall. Lord Porugan frowned again and walked about in place, his broom-like eyebrows towering over his large eyes that seemed to be glaring viciously at all times, making his troubled contemplations look wicked.

"This seemingly absurd rumor about the orc city-state seems to be true. Since such absurd things can become reality, we might as well boldly reason and imagine with the situation we have now, and perhaps we can further see the whole picture of things clearly. He suddenly looked up and asked Asa, "What do you say they are doing with the money?"

"Of course I used it. Asa thinks it's nonsense.

"Well said. That's what they're used for. Lord Porugan was highly appreciative of Asa's nonsense answer. "We didn't even think about it when we didn't confirm the news before, but we just habitually thought that their robbery and extortion were the same purpose as other bandits, money. But we forget that this is the last deal to escape human society, and they no longer dare to reappear in the Empire. Then the only reason why they are so interested in possessions is ...... The orc city-state is also the same as our human society, and the currency of gold and silver is used to circulate. Further, the city-state they built was not a den of large herds of wild beasts as we imagined, but an orderly group similar to that of our human society. ”

"The average person is too accustomed to seeing orcs as mindless beasts. In fact, from many places, they should also be a race with considerable intelligence, but the cultural form is different, so it is easy to give people such an illusion. So while it does sound like nonsense for them to build an orderly city-state, it's entirely possible. ”

Asa nodded, he believed it was so, he had seen several orcs of different races equipped with fairly sophisticated weapons and armor. It won't be something they can make themselves, they can only trade with humans who have the ability to make it. In other words, this matter has been planned for at least half a year ago. Such a huge plan, and it can be completely hidden from the eyes and ears of the entire empire.......

No, it's not a complete secret, at least there is still himself, and the Duke knows. The Duke had said that it was a military secret, and that the Empire was already dealing with it, and that it could not be easily disclosed to others, but now that this situation seems to be the result of the Empire's handling, it is obvious that it will not be the result of the Empire's handling...... A strange and hazy doubt slowly rose in his mind, but it immediately clashed with the good impression that the Duke had given him, and this conflict made him feel a pang of irritability, and he could not help but stop thinking about it. He looked at Lord Porugan and asked, "What if that's the case?"

Lord Porugan spread his hands, shook his head and sighed, "That's a good thing for you. It's terrible for me. For me, no, I should say that for the whole of Bracada, if we suddenly have an orc country to the west, then the first thing that will be affected is trade with the West, and the economic lifeline of the city will completely collapse. To make matters worse, if the Empire were to go to war with the orc nation, the city would become a military base. Lord Porugan had a very fierce and sad expression.

"It's so much more convenient for you. It is believed that the orcs will not be interested in the texts of the church, as long as they find a way to sell the stolen goods, and exchange the book for a few gold coins. ”

Asa nodded, the contents of the guy's pumpkin-like head in front of him were indeed quite weighty. He let out a long breath, it would be best if he could solve the problem with just a few gold coins. He asked, "Where are we going to find that channel?"

"Of course, you went to find it yourself, and the thieves who were caught some time ago probably have clues there. There are also smart people among the criminals, and there will definitely be people who will think of stealing and selling stolen goods. ”