Chapter 56. Gije Fortress
The Gije Fortress.
It was an incredibly mysterious fortress. Its location held little strategic value, and it was rumored that when Gediguz ascended to the throne and began its construction, some of the demon leaders opposed him and were purged. Because of that turmoil, he was called the Mad King, although for a very short period of time. It was still a mystery why he insisted so much on building it.
The insignificance of this fortress could be guessed from the name it received during the war. The weakest fortress. A senseless and useless fortress. It was called “impregnable,” but those who preferred to keep things to themselves called it “completely vulnerable impregnable.” It was a fortress that even orcs often mocked.
…It is more solidly constructed than one would expect.
Hence, Bash also assumed it would be weaker, but it was, by all means, a fortress comparable in construction to the other demon fortresses.
It was a fortress built along the slope of a mountain, with three tall and thick defensive walls and a discreet entrance. The walls were reinforced with black rock and black steel, and they glowed faintly, as if by some kind of magic. Bash didn’t know much about magic, but he had seen walls with similar protective magic before. It had nullified the massive siege magic of the elves and repelled battering rams like logs thrown by dwarven siege weapons. The fortifications he had seen then were only partially enchanted, but those of the Gije Fortress seemed to be completely covered by it.
One could say it was the most solidly constructed fortress Bash had ever seen.
“Halt.”
At the entrance of the fortress, there were two demons. Lesser demons with brown skin. Unfortunately, male demons.
A checkpoint. For Bash, he always had to pass through one to enter countries, and it seemed no different in the Demon Nation.
“Orc. I knew you would come here. But what are you doing here alone?”
He knew it. The words “I knew” momentarily puzzled Bash. But this was always the case with demons. They claimed to know what other races were going to do and where they were going, and then they mocked them. Some orcs firmly believed that demons did have the ability of precognition. Though they laughed at them, saying that if they had such an ability, they wouldn’t have lost the war.
“Boss, there’s also a fairy. So, it’s two of them.”
“Fool. I already told you not to count fairies as people.”
“Hahaha. If that’s the case, then wouldn’t they be two animals?”
“You’re getting closer.”
The two guards looked at Bash and Zell with a mocking smile. The atmosphere wasn’t gloomy, but there was a hint of contempt.
“What’s the matter, orc? What do you want in our dying last paradise?”
“Boss, it’s impolite to ask a question like that.”
“Why?”
“There aren’t many reasons for orcs to come to a place like this. Most likely, he was driven out of his nests, pursued by all nations, and ended up here because he was desperate for food.”
“Oh, I see, but our country isn’t a dump.”
“Because it wouldn’t even reach that level!”
“Hahahaha!”
Bash ignored their jokes and placed the backpack on the ground.
“I already told you it’s not a dump… but what the hell is that?”
“We found it along the way. They’re injured.”
With these words, the guards lowered their gaze to something they hadn’t even glanced at. It was too dark to see it clearly, but if they were told it was a person, it was easier for them to recognize it as such. It was a person who had turned into black charcoal.
“What, is it… still alive!?”
“That’s right. And it was burned by a dragon in the snowy field on the way. There were several others, but this was the only one alive.”
“It can’t be, they were the suppression force… that’s ridiculous, they should have annihilated it…” The guard’s expression changed. The composed expression he had before disappeared, and an urgent voice resonated in the air. “They have been completely reduced to charcoal. We can’t even identify them! Get a stretcher! Call the doctors! Hurry!”
“Yes, Boss!”
One of the guards ran off to somewhere upon hearing those words.
“We sprinkled fairy dust on them. There’s no need to rush, they won’t die.”
When Bash said this, the demon looked at both of them with a surprised expression. Indeed, if it was fairy dust, there was a possibility that they wouldn’t die even in that state. That’s how powerful fairy dust was as a recovery medicine.
“Ahem, it seems you have saved one of our compatriots. I thank you for that. I apologize for my rudeness earlier. You did well in saving one of our brave warriors. I would like to reward you, but unfortunately, I have nothing on me at the moment.” His words weren’t much different from before. However, his voice lacked the blatant contempt from a few moments ago. Demons were a species that could be grateful when they needed to be. “And I also thank you, fairy. You did well in saving my compatriot with your precious dust.”
Upon hearing these words, Zell detached herself from her covering and perched on Bash’s shoulder.
“Well, of course! As you can see, we are warriors who have been through many battles. When you see an injured soldier, you take them to a safe place, it’s as natural as eating breakfast and taking a dump! But fairies don’t take a dump, so it’s quite amusing! I would like to see more sincerity in your attitude. In fact, who do you think you’re talking to? You’re in the presence of the incredible Achoo! Oh, oops…”
Zell sneezed loudly in the middle of the sentence, causing her to wrap herself back in the beast’s skin, trembling. She had said half of what she wanted to say, but the guard was already wearing a bitter expression. Demons had their own heap of aphorisms about fairies. The most famous one was: “If you listen to fairies, first your ears get lighter, then your mouth, and finally your own head flies away.” In short, if he kept listening to this fairy, he would end up dead. So the guard turned to Bash.
“Apologies. Orc. Let me ask you again. Who are you? What is your purpose here? The reports say you didn’t come from the bridge…”
“I am Bash, the Orc Hero. I am here searching for something,” Bash said, but he didn’t really expect any reaction. After all, he was dealing with a demon. Brown-skinned demons were probably lesser demons, but even lesser demons were a superior race compared to orcs. When the demon heard the orc’s title, he would probably laugh mockingly.
“The Orc Hero? Do you mean the ‘Dragon Slayer’?”
However, the guard’s reaction was more pronounced than expected.
“Don’t go around spouting nonsense, stupid orc! Did you think you could deceive me? The Orc Hero is an important title for you! Even if you admire it, calling yourself Hero would damage even the last bit of your pride.”
“I’m not lying. I swear it by the Orc King.”
Upon hearing these words, the demon’s eyes widened, and he looked intently at Bash.
“Do you… do you really mean it!?”
The demons didn’t recognize Bash’s face, but they knew the weight of swearing by the Orc King. Only a limited number of orcs could utter those words. It wasn’t a lie that an orc could say lightly. Pretending to be the “Orc Hero” wasn’t a joke either, but at least it could still pass as a kind of yearning.
“So… what is it that you’re searching for?”
“I can’t tell you… but I have a letter from the Human Prince Nazar for Sequence, the Dark General.”
Upon hearing these words, the guard’s body tensed. Even the name of the Human Prince came up. The prince who overthrew the Demon King Gediguz. His valor was proven in the subsequent battles between demons and humans. The prince was a symbol of fear for his kind, as he continued to kill his people and claim victory on numerous battlefields. Of course, the demons didn’t fear their human opponents. So, while they were somewhat wary of him, they soon lost their fear. The reason was that it was the same prince who had ended the war and proposed peace.
“I see. Then I thank you. I will personally take you to Sir Sequence, the Dark General.”
“Mm. Thank you then.”
Thus, Bash and Zell followed the demon who guided them and entered the city by night.
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