Chapter 52. Proposal
Bash awoke in the room he had borrowed from the royal palace. It was a windowless room prepared by the succubi. The door was heavy and had a strong lock.
AD
“…” Bash sat up in bed and snorted. It was a sigh of relief. He remembered when Venus had come to his aid, even though he was still under the charm. He also remembered that all the troublemakers ended up dead and that the battle ended with the veteran succubus winning. Even if it was only a matter of luck. If you survived, you had to make the best of it the next time. Because the war would go on forever.
But on a local level, let’s say.
“I lost.” It was his first defeat in a long time. It showed how strong the succubus race could be against men. To be treated like nothing by a young woman who had not even been on the battlefield, Bash understood once again.
Then he thought about what he should have done.
If he had killed her, he surely wouldn’t have been in so much trouble. On the battlefield, he had always done that. On the battlefield, there were only friends or enemies, and there were no enemies he couldn’t kill. If he had climbed up on the roof, closed his eyes, held his breath, and just let his sword slash from side to side, he would not have been defeated. If the opponent had been a worthy warrior, not of the caliber of those young succubi, he would have had more trouble winning the battle, but all he had to do was close his eyes.
However, he knew that he should not kill them. The opponents were young girls. Young girls. Even Orcs were not allowed to kill children. It was a time of peace now, and succubi were not enemies. That’s how he felt.
“That wasn’t a defeat. I think you could have vanquished them if you’d been alone, Mister. It was my fault for letting myself be captured…”
“Zell…” Zell was depressed. It wasn’t the first time she’d been defeated, and she understood very well that she wasn’t good at defensive fighting. She flew low, trying to keep Bash away from her, and moved to draw the enemy’s attention. There was nothing wrong with this method. However, it was true that she was only captured by a few young succubi. Unlike orcs, fairies could not be charmed. However, they were not at such an absolute disadvantage against succubi as men were.
“…”
“…”
The two, both with a long history of battles, were saddened by their defeat. It wasn’t the first time they were defeated, but that didn’t mean they wouldn’t be depressed.
“Um…”
Bash looked up and saw a girl standing beside the bed. It was Luka.
“Are you okay?”
“Yes, I am. Luka, you saved my life. If it wasn’t for you, I would have been eaten by succubi.”
“That’s not true, they even caught me right away…”
“It is good for those who are less powerful in battle to buy time until those who can fight arrive. You played that role well.”
If Luka hadn’t shown up, Zell might have died. Or Bash might have lost his virginity in a miserable way. Yes, Bash wanted to lose his virginity, but if it had been to a succubus, his joy would have been short-lived, and when it was over, he would have despaired at the future that awaited him as a magical warrior. The Orc’s honor was about to fall, never to be recovered. As for Venus, well, she thought she had been no better, due to the ineptitude of the Succubus Nation, but not Luka.
“You are my benefactor now. In the name of the Orc King, I promise to reward you. If there is anything you want me to do, say so.”
“Eh…!?” When Bash said that, Luka blushed and stepped back. “Um, so…!” Luka looked up as if she had made up her mind and took Bash’s hand. Her hand was small and warm, like a child’s. “Please marry me!”
It was a proposal.
“Why?”
Bash asked, not understanding how the conversation had come to this. Luka’s face turned red and she squeezed Bash’s hand.
“Sir Bash, you are traveling looking for a wife, right? The requirements are that she must be able to bear a child and have a title that you can brag about to other orcs… I am still a child, so I cannot bear a child, but I am the daughter of the Great Warrior Lula Lula! I am sure you will be able to brag about that to other orcs!”
“Tell me why.” Bash being Bash, was happy that someone was finally proposing to him. If you looked closely, Luka had a very pretty face. Bash knew very well that the ogre girl was beautiful. When she grew up, he was sure she would be a beauty. If she grew up at all.
It was said that orcs attacked every woman they saw, but that was not true. Orcs attacked women because their instinct was to leave offspring. Therefore, they did not covet young women who were obviously incapable of bearing children. There were such orcs in his country, but they were said to have a special inclination.
In other words, Luka was out of the question. In a few years, she might grow up and be exactly what Bash wanted, but for now, she was still a child. And in a few years, Bash would be a magical warrior. He couldn’t wait.
Therefore, even Bash couldn’t give an immediate answer. If it had been Silviana who had said it, he would have jumped at her.
“You want a reason, don’t you?”
“Exactly, why do you say that out of the blue?”
Luka was silent for a while, as if thinking.
“A reason…” She didn’t seem to know what to say or where to begin. But finally she opened her mouth as if in a murmur. “…Um, Lula Lula is my mother, but she’s not really my real mother…”
