Ferosa rushed toward the passage but was stopped by the orc on guard duty.
“Why can Ian go out, but I can’t?” Ferosa demanded, glaring at the orc, who looked uneasy.
Hunter, who had been keeping an eye on the situation, suddenly descended from the lookout post and approached the orc. “No females are allowed to leave without permission. This is a critical time,” Hunter said, though his words were directed at the orc, Ferosa knew they were meant for her.
Ferosa, though resentful of Ian, didn’t dare defy Hunter’s orders. She reluctantly turned and left.
After watching the female leave, Hunter strode into the passage.
Su Yi and Sinoer each found cover and prepared their weapons. Su Yi was skilled with weapons, but this was Sinoer’s first time using one. Worried about Sinoer, Su Yi stayed close. Sinoer held a crossbow, which Su Yi had taught him to use. Sinoer had practiced his aim in his spare time, but Su Yi had never asked how accurate he was, so he was unsure.
However, Sinoer was much calmer than Su Yi. Although Su Yi had forbidden him from transforming, which greatly reduced his combat ability, Sinoer was confident he could handle the beasts alone. After all, he had survived many injuries in the past without transforming or weapons.
Despite his calm demeanor, Sinoer felt a sweet warmth in his heart whenever Su Yi glanced at him with concern.
The area they were in had few beasts, with only a few passing by. Just as Su Yi was about to draw his bow to shoot a spiked dragon, he heard the sound of an arrow cutting through the air, followed by the cry of a beast.
The arrow was from Sinoer.
Su Yi was stunned for a moment before walking over to the spiked dragon. The arrow had pierced its skull through the eye. As Su Yi approached to inspect the kill, he felt a gust of wind. He quickly drew his dagger, but before he could turn, someone grabbed him by the waist.
“Don’t worry, I’ll protect you,” Sinoer said, holding Su Yi with one arm and punching the beast’s head with the other.
Sinoer and Hunter were similar, both exceptionally handsome and stronger than the average orc. While good looks often made orcs seem unreliable, Sinoer and Hunter were the opposite.
Sinoer’s punch was strong enough to shatter stone. A large beast like spiked dragon was sent flying.
As the beast was knocked back, Sinoer released Su Yi and fired an arrow from his crossbow, finishing it off.
In just a short time, Sinoer had taken down two spiked dragons, one large and one small.
Su Yi was delighted. He dragged the smaller one over. “Let’s process these first, then go hunt some bigger ones.”
Sinoer smiled, his light-colored eyes reflecting Su Yi’s joy.
Their home already had plenty of food, but the memory of past hunger drove them to hunt more.
They dragged the spiked dragons to the river, which ran through the valley.
The river was frozen, so they had to break the ice to access the water.
While processing the spiked dragons, a few large red-eyed beasts approached. Su Yi let Sinoer handle them, as hunting was an orc’s instinct.
As Su Yi worked, he glanced over at Sinoer hunting.
Then he noticed someone moving in the distance. He was about to go investigate when he recognized the figure.
It was Ian, holding a bone dagger and chasing a silver moon beast.
Ian leaped over a ditch, grabbed a vine, and swung himself in front of the beast. His movements were wild, contrasting with his delicate features, and quickly drew attention.
Su Yi set down his spiked dragon and watched curiously.
It was his first time seeing someone hunt a silver moon beast which was known for its agility and ferocity. Even orcs found them difficult to catch. Su Yi was ready with his bow, prepared to assist if needed.
Not far behind Ian was a tall orc, looking worried. If Ian hadn’t insisted on handling it alone, the orc would have stepped in.
By now, half the beast horde had been killed, with some escaping and others still fighting.
Ian, who had been bundled up, removed his layers due to the heat. Now, he wore only a long shirt.
He held his dagger, his gaze fixed on the silver moon beast, which was panting heavily after the chase.
Suddenly, someone slipped on the icy ground, startling the beast.
The silver moon beast’s fur bristled, and it lunged at Ian. Ian, smaller than most orcs, leaned back as the beast pounced. Just as he was about to fall, he pushed off the ground and slashed upward with his dagger. The beast’s belly was sliced open, and blood sprayed over Ian’s face.
Ian shook it off and dodged the falling beast.
The other orcs were stunned by Ian’s skill.
“Ian, you’re amazing!” Jero, who had followed Ian out, exclaimed.
Ian turned to Jero, his blood-streaked face breaking into a radiant smile.
It was the first time he had been so happy in a long time.
The other orcs also praised Ian, but the tall orc who had followed him stayed back, watching from a distance.
Hunter, still circling above, felt a surge of pride seeing Ian’s success.
After the hunt, everyone returned to the valley.
News of Ian’s solo kill spread quickly.
Even those who had previously clashed with Ian came to his home to celebrate.
To mark the successful hunt, Hunter organized a simple bonfire feast in the square. Everyone brought food to share.
Su Yi hadn’t planned to attend, but Eli, who had just woken up, seemed eager to join.
Seeing Eli’s chubby and fair face, Su Yi decided to show him off.
However, as soon as they stepped outside, Eli shivered from the cold. Su Yi bundled him up in layers before heading to the square.
The bonfire was already blazing, and Eli soon shed his thick furs. The crowd noticed Eli’s transformation and were drawn to his adorable appearance.
Eli, still unsteady on his feet, was carried by Su Yi. Later, Mino took over.
Su Yi, worried about Sinoer catching a cold, led him closer to the fire. There, they saw Tang Yu talking to a child.
Su Yi looked around but didn’t see Jells. “Where’s Jells? How dare he leave you alone?”
Tang Yu gestured toward a group, where Jells was with Ian, Jero, and Dilson.
“Why aren’t you over there?” Su Yi asked.
Tang Yu smirked. “They’re plotting something. Said it’s not for pregnant female's ears.”
Su Yi glanced at the group and decided to join them.
Jero made room for Su Yi, who sat down without hesitation.
“I know what you’re planning. I said I’d handle it, but Eli’s transformation kept me busy,” Su Yi said calmly.
Ian, his face glowing in the firelight, shook his head. “Su Yi, I know you’re smart and capable, but I don’t want to rely on you for everything. This is between me and him. I want to settle it myself.”
Ian, who had been numb before, now exuded confidence. Su Yi couldn’t help but admire him.
Su Yi wanted to argue that Ian’s boldness might cause trouble, but he knew they had already made up their minds.
The next day, the valley was in an uproar.
Su Yi’s first instinct was to rush to Ian’s house, but on the way, Mino pulled him toward the square.
“Su Yi, Ferosa confessed to Reg, but he rejected hin. Now he’s threatening to kill himself with a bone knife,” Mino said urgently.
Su Yi, relieved it wasn’t someone he knew, tried to leave, but Mino dragged him forward.
“Wait, there’s more. Do you know why Reg rejected him?”
“He must have someone else in mind,” Su Yi said without thinking.
Mino slapped Su Yi’s shoulder. “Exactly! But his someone else is… Ian!”
Su Yi felt dizzy. “What? Who?”
“Ian,” Mino repeated.
Su Yi scratched his head and rushed to the square.
The square was crowded. Su Yi and Mino pushed their way through to find Ferosa in tears, glaring at an orc, the tall orc who had followed Ian.
Ferosa cried, “I’m a female! How could you reject me for an orc, and an unknown orc at that?”
This was the ultimate humiliation for Ferosa. If Reg had simply said he didn’t like him, he could have accepted it. But to choose an orc over him?
Ferosa felt deeply insulted.
He had warned Luoxi that Ian was trouble, but now Ian was stealing orcs?
As Su Yi approached, Ferosa screamed, “It’s all because of you! If it weren’t for you, an orc who dares act so shamelessly. An orc seducing another orc…”
Su Yi frowned, then noticed Luoxi standing nearby, watching him expressionlessly.
Su Yi smiled faintly at Luoxi, who seemed surprised.
“Ferosa, you must be mistaken. Ian is a good person. You can’t judge him based on that incident,” Luoxi said, glancing at Su Yi.
Su Yi sighed. He had let Luoxi off before, but now Luoxi was bringing up old grievances.
Just as Su Yi was about to confront him, Hunter’s voice rang out.
“After recent events, many have grievances against Ian. As an orc, he shouldn’t have struck a female, regardless of the reason. With today’s incident, I believe there’s a problem with this unknown orc. In three days, we’ll hold a public trial here to judge his actions.”
Hunter spoke calmly as he walked to the center of the crowd.
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