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Chapter 41: Chesswood (2)

However, the person that Crockta confronted wasn’t discouraged at all.

The person replied, “We just happen to be heading in the same direction. Don’t flatter yourself. Are you renting this whole road? How much did you pay?”

“...”

It was Jeremy, Derek’s subordinate. He’d caught up to Crockta while the latter was heading toward Chesswood, which was to the northeast of Arnin.

“It must be nice, renting the whole road. Rent, rent, rent, rent...” continued Jeremy.

Crockta glared at him, bringing him to a stop.

“How scary. Calm down,” said Jeremy.

“...”

Crockta decided to ignore Jeremy and continue onward, while Jeremy whistled behind him. The whistling was very crisp and high in pitch. Crockta had thought it was the sound of a flute at first and had been impressed by it, but he no longer enjoyed the sound of Jeremy’s whistling now that Jeremy was blatantly following him. Jeremy’s whistling rang throughout the plains as they trudged along together. They were an awkward pair of travelers.

Chesswood, where they were headed, was a place where small human villages were scattered throughout like pieces on a chessboard. It wasn’t a bustling city like Arnin, but the small villages had gathered and formed their own system.

What was the Haedong Balhae clan doing there? Would Crockta be able to find Grom, whom the clan members had referred to as Hyun-Chul, and take revenge for his betrayal?

Crockta didn’t know the future, so all he could do was try his best. He decided to head there first and then figure out the next steps toward achieving his goal.

The farther Crockta headed east from Arnin, the sparser the forests became, and plains and man-made roads appeared. If he were to continue heading east, he would arrive at a big city or the castle grounds of another species.

“Hey, orc dude,” said Jeremy.

“...Call me Crockta.”

“Oh, are we already at the stage where we call each other by name? Are we dating now?” asked Jeremy teasingly.

“...”

Jeremy was so annoying.

“I heard Chesswood is overflowing with people cursed by the stars. What are you planning to do? Are you going to use the ‘concrete’ method on all of them?” asked Jeremy.

“There’s no need for you to know,” replied Crockta.

“What do you mean there’s no need? I’m someone who serves Derek. If you do anything weird, we will lose our investment funds. You should know the value of money.”

“Where did Derek invest in Chesswood?”

“It’s a secret, a secret.”

Before Crockta knew it, Jeremy had sidled up to him while they talked. Crockta glanced at him warily but let him be.

“Your sword is nice. Is it expensive?” asked Jeremy.

“It’s from the Golden Anvil tribe,” replied Crockta.

“Whew, so cool. I’m jealous. It’s time for me to buy a new sword.”

They seemed like close companions exchanging frivolous talk.

Then Jeremy began whistling again. Crockta didn’t know where the tune originated from, but it had a nice rhythm to it. Hearing it on the seemingly endless quiet road wasn’t bad at all.

“You are quite good,” commented Crockta.

“I’ve been proud of my sword and whistling skills since I was a kid.”

Jeremy let out a long whistle. It was so clear that Crockta felt as if he could see the linear trajectory of the sound.

“Do you know any songs?” asked Jeremy.

“Songs?” questioned Crockta.

“It must be hard to whistle with those orc lips. Why don’t you try singing? Your voice has a nice bass tone,” said Jeremy.

“A song...” murmured Crockta.

Now that he thought about it, he knew a cool song he had learned at the Orcrox pub. Should he reciprocate with that song?

Crockta coughed awkwardly in preparation to sing, and Jeremy looked at him with expectant eyes.

“Ahem...” Crockta cleared his throat.

He felt embarrassed to sing on his own, but he couldn’t betray those expectant eyes, so he began singing awkwardly.

It was the song of warriors.

“We are orcs! Strong orcs! It’s dangerous to provoke us! A great warrior is here. Make way! Get the hell out, humans! Get out... elves! Get out, dwarves...! You too, gnomes...!”

It had been fun when everyone sang together at the pub, but Crockta felt it was embarrassing to sing this song by himself in the middle of the road. After ‘you too, gnomes,’ the next line was ‘Pretty woman? A warrior doesn’t need women,’ but he couldn’t bear to continue singing.

“...”

Crockta glanced over at the silent Jeremy. “...!”

Jeremy was smiling awkwardly and nodding.

“C-Cool...” he said hesitantly.

This was humiliating. It would have been okay if Jeremy had made a fuss and teased Crockta like usual, but Jeremy was wearing an awkward expression as if he found Crockta too pitiful to make fun of.

‘That fake praise!’

With a heavy heart, Crockta’s head drooped over. Mere humans wouldn’t be able to understand the song of orc warriors. He tried to console himself with that thought, but he had his pride as an orc warrior.

“We all have different cultures. Ha, haha,” said Jeremy in consolation.

Feeling even more ashamed after hearing Jeremy’s considerate remark, Crockta cleared his throat again. He wanted to show this man what a true song was.

“That was actually a joke,” said Crockta.

“No, the song was good,” assured Jeremy.

“I will show you what a real song is,” declared Crockta.

“You don’t have to overexert yourself...” said Jeremy.

Crockta grabbed Jeremy’s shoulder, and Jeremy flinched.

“Jeremy,” said Crockta.

“Y-Yeah...?”

“Have you ever loved someone?” asked Crockta.

“L... Love...?”

“Yes, love,” said Crockta firmly.

“Well... I’ve dated quite a few women...?” said Jeremy.

“Then listen closely,” commanded Crockta.

Crockta was very serious. He closed his eyes and thought of a song. As an orc, he had an extremely low bass tone that most singers wouldn’t be able to emulate.

Melancholic songs released by male singers who sang deep notes that resonated from their chests had been very popular during Crockta’s days as a student. A young boy’s pure love was still alive in those tearful songs that moved hearts, and Crockta brought forth lyrics from those distant memories.

The song currently in his mind would be enough.

Crockta’s voice flowed out like a sigh. “I let you go without saying anything. Rain poured down on me unexpectedly.”

“...!” Jeremy’s eyes widened in surprise.

He was shocked by how Crockta’s bizarre and husky voice had calmed down. The song that Crockta was singing now was heartbreakingly beautiful, and its lyrics seemed like the lines of a poem.

“For a while, I tried to forget you. I tried to fall asleep by drowning myself in liquor.”

“...”

“I realized something while thinking about you. I couldn’t forget you even with the passage of time...”

“Ah...”

As Crockta’s loud low-pitched tone rang out sorrowfully, his mournful voice shook the heart of his listener.

“Even if you break up, it’s not something to mourn if you have loved a good person...!”

Jeremy closed his eyes. All of a sudden, an image of his old lover flitted across his mind.

She was Jane. To Jeremy, her name was unforgettable. They had loved each other, but she was a daughter of a respectable family, and Jeremy was a thug who roamed the back alleys. It was a relationship that couldn’t work out; it was a heart-wrenching love. Jane eventually left him, but Jeremy never blamed her... because she... was a good person.

Jeremy’s eyes began to tear up.

Now, Crockta’s song was reaching its climax. He sang the end of the heart-wrenching song boisterously.

“I want to become the person I’ve always talked about being and protect you. Can’t you cooooome baaaaaaaaaack...”

His song finally came to an end.

Crockta closed his eyes for a while, drunk on his emotions. Like how African Americans had soul music in real life, there was something special that only the orcs had in Elder Lord. Orcs were born with the vocal structure for singing these types of heartrending songs.

It was an astonishing performance.

Clap. Clap. Clap.

Crockta opened his eyes to the sound of clapping. Jeremy was clapping, but the applause wasn’t from just one person. Crockta and Jeremy both turned to look at the same time and saw an unfamiliar man walking toward them.

“Thank you for the performance. It was a heartrending song,” said the man.

“You are...” wondered Crockta.

“I am Blackmore, a musician. I was walking, and I was led here by the beautiful notes that pulled on my heartstrings. It was a beautiful song.”

“I’m embarrassed,” replied Crockta.

“No, it was really amazing. It’s surprising that you were hiding such great singing skills,” said Jeremy.

Even Jeremy acknowledged Crockta’s song.

“Did you write this song?” asked Blackmore.

“No, the song belongs to a musician,” Crockta answered.

“I see... but that doesn’t diminish the emotions you conveyed. What is your name?”

“I’m Crockta.”

“Based on the direction you’re moving in, you seem to be heading to Chesswood. Is that correct?”

“Yes.”

“I’m heading there as well. If you don’t mind, could I accompany the two of you?”

“Sure.”

Crockta and Jeremy ended up traveling with Blackmore. After exchanging introductions, they conversed freely.

“The lyrics of the song were especially beautiful. What is the title of the song?” asked Blackmore.

“As implied by the lyrics, it’s called ‘Good Person’.”

“Good person... That’s cool. Even if you break up, it’s not something to mourn if you have loved a good person...” Blackmore nodded and wrote something in his notebook. “Of course... It doesn’t mean you shouldn’t be sad.”

“That’s right...” replied Crockta.

Only a true man could understand such deep lyrics!

The three men felt sentimental as they recalled old memories.

“I have a memory like that as well... For what reason are you heading to Chesswood?

To participate in the contest...?” asked Blackmore.

“The contest?” questioned Crockta.

“You must not know. A small music contest is being held in Chesswood.”

“Oh, really?”

“It’s not a big contest. It’s just a small competition among the Chesswood villages, but the villagers have their pride at stake. I know because I’m from Chesswood. I came back to my hometown after all this time just for this.”

“I want to watch.”

“Hahaha, please come watch. I am quite good at singing.”

The road was filled with the sound of their conversation.

After bonding, they enjoyed some music while walking together. Blackmore played an instrument that looked like a guitar while Jeremy whistled and Crockta hummed along with his husky voice. They communicated with one another with their own unique melodies. It was a sweet time in which they could be drunk on music without a worry in the world.

“What is this sound?” a voice suddenly rang out from the side.

Crockta’s crew looked in the direction of the sound and saw a group of humans. Crockta didn’t miss the white star shining on the forehead of the woman leading the group.

The group murmured among themselves.

“They are NPCs.”

“It’s a funny combination. A singing orc?”

The five people in the group were all players.

Upon seeing them, Jeremy was calm. Meanwhile, Blackmore welcomed meeting new people on the road.

He greeted them heartily, “Hello, everyone!”

The woman leading the group smiled and replied, “Hello, musician ahjussi!”

She was friendly even to NPCs. It seemed she was familiar with the ways of Elder Lord.

“I’m Musician Blackmore, and these are Crockta and Jeremy. They are accompanying me to Chesswood.”

Crockta and Jeremy bowed their heads.

“Oh, really? We are also heading in that direction,” the woman said.

Then she turned around and briefly spoke with her crew. It seemed she was asking whether they should join Blackmore’s group.

“Then, do you want to go with us? It was nice to hear you guys playing music together. Are you all musicians?” asked the woman.

“Hahah, I’m the only musician. These folks are just musically talented,” answered Blackmore.

“Wow, so cool.”

“Let’s go together. Music is better when shared.”

Crockta’s group became larger. Now, they were headed toward Chesswood as a crew of eight.

Blackmore began singing a song that reminisced about his hometown. It seemed he was in a good mood because he was returning to his hometown after being away for a long time. He had great singing skills on par with his ability to play his instrument. The players cheered and clapped along to his music.

Suddenly, Jeremy grabbed Crockta’s sleeve.

“Hmm?” asked Crockta.

“Are they cursed by the stars?” whispered Jeremy in a low voice.

He knew that Crockta had received the curse of the stars and that those cursed by the stars could recognize one another.

Crockta nodded.

Jeremy whispered to him again, “Be careful.”

“Of what?” asked Crockta.

“Those jerks and Chesswood,” warned Jeremy.

Jeremy dragged Crockta away from the group and said, “That guy Blackmore doesn’t seem to know yet...”

He paused and glanced at Blackmore, who was playing an instrument with a cheery face.

Then Jeremy concluded, “...But Chesswood isn’t an idle place right now.”

“Then...” wondered Crockta.

“It has become a place where those cursed by the stars are wreaking havoc in the land.”

One of the players suddenly glanced in their direction. Jeremy put his arm around Crockta’s shoulder and grinned at the player.

When the player’s gaze moved away, Jeremy continued whispering into Crockta’s ear, “That means your enemies are there as well.”

“Is that so?” said Crockta.

He recalled that Enyanis had described Chesswood as a madhouse.

With this in mind, Crockta nodded in acknowledgement.

“Understood?” asked Jeremy.

Jeremy tapped Crockta’s chest and let go of his shoulders.

As Blackmore’s singing grew louder, a village began to appear from afar.