The Freed S*aves Became Obsessed

The Final Quest of Lake Fortress
It was time to clear out the orc settlement where the last treasure was hidden.

A place swarming with orcs of every kind, starting with the Orc King. Sometimes the kingdom's treasures would randomly be assigned here, but even if they weren’t, you had to visit at least once.
This time, since the treasure appeared in the orc settlement, we only had to do the job once, which was nice.
I was planning to go with Ashies, as usual.

“I’m coming too.”
“Linvar, you?”
Linvar, who normally despised being around me, volunteered to accompany us.

Did he go senile at such a young age? Early dementia?
“Our investigation squad leader disappeared while chasing orcs. He might be in the orc settlement.”
“Not that it concerns me…”

Thankfully, that wasn’t the case.
But the missing investigation squad leader…
‘Was there such a storyline?’

If he was that significant, I would’ve remembered, but I have no recollection of him. He probably died during the mission.
Still, it wasn’t exactly appropriate for me to say, “He’s dead.”
“Fine. Let’s go together.”

Linvar set his resolve with a grim expression.
And so, the team for the orc settlement was decided.
“Linvar, make sure you bring the captain back!”

“Please. I hope it’s nothing, but at least find his body. We need to give him a proper farewell.”
“You’re always saying ominous things. Do you not know his survival skills? He’s definitely alive somewhere. Bring him back, no matter what.”
The villagers saw us off. Yorn, who had been watching us from afar, turned away and disappeared when our eyes met.
“Then, we’ll depart now.”

The coachman cracked his whip, signaling our departure.
 
At the top of a high cliff, I looked down below.

A massive fortress.
The orc settlement was in sight.
Getting here had been a nightmare. The roads were treacherous, visibility was poor, and monsters popped up everywhere.

If it weren’t for the map, I wouldn’t have found it, even knowing its approximate location.
If the map had been known earlier, the squad leader wouldn’t have needed to chase the orcs. Then he wouldn’t have died.
‘Well, what can you do? The chieftain’s senile.’

It was unfortunate.
True to its reputation as a filthy dungeon stage, the fortress teemed with orcs like insects. Upon closer inspection, there were non-orc races as well.
Humans, and dwarves.

They were slaves of the orcs, toiling under their watchful eyes to restore the shattered fortress.
“Those monstrous bastards… enslaving humans. Those vile pieces of trash need to be eradicated immediately.”
“……”

I didn’t say anything, yet I took splash damage. Like a stone thrown with eyes closed, it hit the innocent Karami.
“Rami… trash…?”
“You shouldn’t say such things about your master. Linvar, watch your words. Our Ashies is picking up bad habits.”

“…Fine.”
Look at that. He still wouldn’t apologize to me.
Whatever.

Once this is over, I won’t have to deal with you anymore.
“Now, Ashies, let me tell you what you need to do. Go into the fortress and wipe out the orcs.”
“Mm…”

“Don’t use wide-range magic recklessly. There are hostages, and we need to retrieve certain items. Target the orcs specifically.”
Ashies nodded, seeming to understand.
I worried she might pull another “I completely understand!” and get it wrong, but no matter how dense she was, she could distinguish people from orcs.

“Ashies, I’ll leave it to you.”
Ashies stepped precariously to the edge of the cliff. One step further and she would fall, but she planted her foot firmly.
It was a great resolve.

 
Snowflakes fell.
Snowflakes in the shape of a person.

Unlike other snow that fell under its own weight, this snow leapt down of its own will.
To surrender to gravity.
Or to press forward with willpower.

Ashies had always done as she was told.
This time, outwardly, it was no different.
But internally, it was.

She wanted to return Baskal to Darka.
She wanted to hear the music box’s song.
The step she took from the edge of the cliff was not a mere fall but her first chosen step.

The chains of obedience that had bound her days shattered like wind-scattered dust.
“Ku-ruk?”
The cold air made the orcs look to the sky.

Snowflakes fell into the dim orc settlement.
Not a harsh snowstorm, but soft, gentle snow.
Her will was not a descent but an ascent; the snowflakes drifting between heaven and earth emitted the light of winter.

The snowflakes turned to ice.
And they fell.
“KUWEEEEEK!”

Precise to the point of grotesque, her manipulation of magic.
The ice rain struck the orcs with deadly accuracy.
CRACKLE.

The ground froze, ice pillars rising up.
An ice slide formed, catching Ashies.
Sliding along the U-shaped slope, Ashies flipped midair and landed softly.

An intruder.
The orcs howled, sounding the alarm.
Ashies ignored them, glancing around for people.

The orc slaves.
They wore shackles with iron balls chained to their ankles.
Emaciated.

Their faces etched with sadness and despair.
She had met dwarves.
She had learned of Northgard.

Ashies didn’t know how to smile.
She didn’t know joy.
But she knew that this—this scene—didn’t belong to them.

They loved to smile.
To gather passionately among their own.
She would help them do so again.

Ashies created a sword.
No brilliance.
No ferocity.
But for her, it was a revolution.
A tiny crack formed in the frozen soul buried deep within her heart.

The dragon’s curse flared instantly, but Ashies resisted.
Clutching tightly to the fragile will she had protected, she swung her sword.
 

Why do bad guys always like dark places?
This thought popped into my mind as I looked at the orc settlement.
Is it because it "looks cool"?

If that’s their taste, they’re nothing but edgelords.
Narcissists, drunk on their own moodiness in dimly lit places.
Or is it because it’s easier to commit crimes?
I could understand if it were just petty thieves, but for a leader ruling over a region, it’s downright pathetic.

The strong don’t care whether it’s day or night.
In fact, they act in broad daylight, in crowded places. That way, they draw attention, overwhelm anyone who tries to stop them, and showcase their power.
In other words, those who hide in the darkness to commit their deeds are weak.
They’re cowards, unable to stand proudly, so they resort to underhanded methods.

The strong don’t hide in the dark.
But neither do they bask in the light.
The truly strong stand with the light at their back, walking forward as shadows.
The world calls such people heroes.
They’re the protagonists of fairy tales.

Like Ashies right now.
Ashies, having dropped into the heart of the orc settlement, slaughtered orcs with her sword and magic.
I had gasped in shock when she leapt off the cliff, but thankfully, nothing bad happened. Damn brat, trying to give her master a heart attack.

Well, since the slave was doing her job, I had to do mine.
“Let’s head down too. While Ashies is fighting the orcs, we’ll sneak in and rescue the people and retrieve the items.”
“Can’t we just wait until the girl finishes them all off? Why sneak in now?”

“The cornered orcs might do something to the hostages, and more importantly, we don’t have much time. As soon as Ashies takes down the Orc King, we need to leave.”
“Why?”
“There’s… a reason.”

Linvar looked unconvinced, but I avoided giving him the details.
Simply put, the areas containing the final treasures are Skadia’s Domain.
The wyvern’s nest was one, and this orc settlement was another.
If Ashies ran wild in Skadia’s territory, her sealed presence would be noticed.

We had to finish quickly and get out.
We descended the cliff and began sneaking into the orc fortress.
The orcs were strong.

To fight even a single one, it would take four soldiers. With zero combat power between Linvar and me, fighting wasn’t an option.
Luckily, thanks to Ashies putting on a spectacular show, most of the orcs had gone out to fight her.
We managed to slip in without any issues.
The first priority was securing the safety of the slaves. We headed for the underground prison.

Ping!
As we entered the underground prison, the system’s signature sound effect rang, and a screen popped up in front of me.
[Slave’s Clue: Top-Tier]
At the northernmost edge of the continent, in the endlessly frozen Icebound Territory of Aisengar...

Tarkind, a warrior of iron and blood and a Northgard, defended his village from the invading orc army.
After a fierce battle, the Northgard drove back the orcs.
Tarkind pursued them to find their base but was ultimately captured and enslaved by the orcs...
‘Slave’s clue? What was this again?’

It was an item I got from a draw.
It had drained all my points, and since it seemed to involve a male slave, I stopped caring about it entirely.
Now that clue was appearing here.
A Northgard who chased the orcs and got captured...

“Linvar, is your squad leader’s name Tarkind, by any chance?”
“Yeah. I didn’t mention that?”
“You might have.”

I probably forgot, so it didn’t stick even if I heard it.
If Tarkind was the character mentioned in the slave clue, then he wouldn’t be dead.
He’d likely still be here, enslaved somewhere in this fortress.
‘But it’s been quite a while now.’

If this were a game, nothing would happen until the player interacted with it. But this wasn’t a game...
I was about to find out what happens when you leave a slave unattended.
“Orcs are scary… I hate orcs…”

A solitary cell in the underground prison.
A naked man, chained to the wall.
Above his head floated the system’s official slave marker.
[Iron-Blooded Warrior Tarkind]

His emaciated body and filthy appearance made him look like he’d been violated.
If someone did the violating, it could only have been the orcs...
‘…Sorry.’

B-but I can’t help thinking it’s your fault for being born as a male character in a weeb game.
I didn’t do anything wrong.