The trio, who had completed the second dungeon on the continent, hadn't received any object as a gift; although this would normally be the first topic of conversation, the oddness of the trials was leading their minds elsewhere.
"Ainle, the journey from here on will be truly dangerous; after telling me the locations of the remaining two dungeons, I'm thinking of sending you to the Orc Steppes!"
Nafız was calling out to the young druid standing a few steps ahead of her; although she still didn't respect him, she didn't hate him enough to want him dead either.
"By now you must have understood that our power animals are gifts given by a dungeon just like this one. Considering the simplicity of your inner world, it won't be difficult at all for you to possess one of these too!"
Interpreting the druid's sullen face after her offer as him thinking she was reneging on their agreement, Nafız would tell him the truth about power animals and that her words were still valid.
"I want to come with you too!"
Ainle had raised his voice in a way he had never done before; he must have been as surprised by this outburst as the other two orcs, for he would hastily hide his hand behind his back, which he had raised in a moment of ambition.
"I cannot run away while the lands I was born in are in this state; I have to do whatever I can!"
"What happened to you, King of Anti-militarists? Your character changed all of a sudden after two dungeons!"
This time it was Alyon intervening; seeing the greatest representative of the passive approach—the method he hated most as an orc—speak so courageously had piqued his curiosity.
"I'm starting to think that being against war and violence doesn't mean not protecting what belongs to you. A feeling inside me screams 'don't stop'; I feel as if if I get scared here, I won't be able to take a step forward in any way again!"
While the young druid spoke rapidly, he was trembling like a leaf on the other hand; only, this state of violent shaking was nothing like the previous ones. Even the presence of the faintly shining light in his eyes screamed that the scrawny druid was trembling not from fear but from excitement as of that moment.
"Alright then, the decision is yours! You will accept the consequences this will bear, for better or worse!"
After Nafız said the last word, the trio rapidly climbed up to the ground level from the rift they had descended. When they started walking toward their new targets, only Nafız knew their destination; the minds of the duo walking behind her were revolving around what they experienced in the last dungeon.
"Halt!"
They had traveled for a full day until they heard the warning spoken in a rude tone; when they lifted their heads and looked forward, they would see a military unit consisting of ten people.
Contrary to what was intended, the attitude of the voice's owner didn't scare the group consisting of two orcs and a druid; it only enabled them to snap out of the thoughts they were grappling with.
"Identify yourselves!"
Thinking his action was taken lightly by those facing him, the soldier would call out to the trio a second time with a louder voice and a commanding style.
"My name is Nafız, and if you shout one more time, I'll rip your head off!"
The oppressive atmosphere coming from the soldiers was broken with a single sentence; while the facial expression of the ten-person team's leader changed, the blood-curdling aura radiating from the female orc increased a little more every second.
"Welcome to the lands under our control, brave warriors!"
The face of the man, whose attitude changed one hundred and eighty degrees, was soaked; he couldn't even hide that his body had gone into alarm against the danger he felt.
"Show the way!"
The soldier, who acted rudely as if holding all the strings just a few seconds ago, was now doing what he was told like a scolded child.
Evidently, the leader of the ten-person team sent here for the realization of an arrangement Nafız had made long ago wanted to take out his displeasure regarding this situation on the arrivals, but in reality, things would proceed exactly in the opposite direction of what he wanted.
The land the three members of the Druid Liberation Army stepped on belonged to the region besieged by the Empire of Machines, and the place they were going to was the home of the person with the highest position here.
Walking for another half-day with the welcoming team they met at the border, the trio was at their desired destination when it got dark; they were entering a settlement adorned with marble-paved roads, statues decorating street corners, and music spilling from halls.
"Now I can understand why the engineers didn't establish their centers right next to the shield like the other invaders; look, they've created a little utopia for themselves here!"
Although the leader of the ten-person team was very offended by the word "invader," he couldn't make a sound; he had absolutely no intention of ruining the mood of the female orc, who had assumed a cheerful state of mind.
"It's night, but everywhere is bright; what kind of thing is this?"
Every ten steps, poles topped with roaring flames were lined up like daggers piercing the darkness; combined with the lights spilling from shops whose street illuminations were on, they drowned this small city—shaped with fine taste—in their sparkle.
"Doesn't your tree emit light too, stupid druid?"
When Ainle's astonished outburst caused the accompanying soldiers to laugh, Nafız would give the scrawny boy a small scolding.
Although she got angry with him, she was actually quite impressed by this place herself; memories of her old life were still with her, but after years spent on desolate steppes, everything seemed new to the female orc.
"Everywhere is lively; I wonder if we should eat something?"
The long journey had made Alyon hungry; he looked as if he couldn't resist the allure of food smells coming from around.
"Sir, please endure a bit longer; a table has been set in your honor at the Master's residence!"
If the duo, whose orc identities were not apparent while hiding inside the loose robes they wore, interacted with people in any way, all the secrecy of the business would be lost.
"Let's speed up then; my nerves get frayed quickly when I'm hungry!"
The leader of the team consisting of soldiers would speed up his steps by taking a deep breath; the poor man was thoroughly tense as one orc started just as the other finished.
Fortunately, the place they entered through the arched gate between walls formed by ivy plants was their final stop; while following the narrow path paved with small stones, the beautiful scent of flowers planted on the sides was blowing their minds.
In the middle of the large garden, a single-story structure would immediately catch their eyes; the exterior of the building, which had a simple roof supported by thick marble columns, was decorated with reliefs of various figures.
Perhaps calling it "decorated" would be an insult to the artisans dazzling with their fine craftsmanship; indeed, when the structure was evaluated as a whole, it could only be described as breathtaking.
"Welcome, great warriors!"
When the trio arrived at the head of the stone steps, the man waiting to welcome them would speak excitedly; judging by the tone of his voice and the warmth of his movements, this person seemed to have been waiting for this moment for a long time.
"You must be Master Leonardo!"
When Nafız saw the person calling out to them, the description Bookworm gave her came to her mind: short, messy white hair, and excited.
"You hit the nail on the head; please, come in!"
Alyon would immediately jump back in response to the Master's answer; the hulking orc warrior was looking toward the ground as if searching for something.
"This druid is ignorant, you are even more ignorant than him; come on, don't embarrass me further!"
While dragging the grey-haired orc she grabbed by the arm and starting to climb the stairs on the other hand, Nafız ignored Alyon floundering in efforts to explain himself, but his words would be cut like a knife upon entering the large hall where the table was set.
"This much is too much even for me; what are you doing here, Master!"
Although the general state of the city and the grandeur of Leonardo's residence floored the others, it hadn't managed to trick Nafız; however, seeing the hall prepared for the banquet in the single-story structure, the female orc couldn't close her mouth despite the experiences of her previous life.