"Maybe I'm not a magnificent warrior like you, but I can no longer lie down idly while my lands are under occupation!"
Since completing the second dungeon on the Wild Swamp, a noticeable change in the young druid's attitude and actions caught the eye.
As he himself stated, he lacked any fighting power and still had reservations about violence not being the solution, but he also couldn't stomach behaving like a sheep waiting for its butcher by remaining unresponsive.
"Alyon, you are misjudging the kid; didn't he tell off his own people just this morning!"
While replying to her friend, Nafız also mentioned why she took Ainle seriously; the rebuke she gave to the two druids who acted arrogantly was still in mind.
"You've started to earn my appreciation with your determination; very soon you will have to pass a big test, and that's when we'll have the opportunity to see your true colors!"
It seemed Nafız, who had been meticulous since setting foot on the continent, had a plan again; only this time, she appeared to be waiting for the status of variables other than herself.
"Mistress, may I ask a question?"
Sensing the softness of the environment, Ainle gathered his courage and took action; he was very curious about the answer to a question that had recently fallen into his mind, and he couldn't miss the opportunity while catching the female orc's good side.
"I'm listening!"
The scrawny druid's attitude would pique Nafız's curiosity; she set about waiting for what would come out of Ainle's lips, upon whom she fixed her eyes.
"I thought we would make a deal since we came here; to tell the truth, I couldn't understand the reason for your uncompromising and harsh attitude."
Before starting to sprawl on the cedar she sat on, Nafız would look Ainle up and down; while nodding her head up and down, there was an expression in her eyes saying 'well look at you'.
"The night is long, young druid; move to a comfortable spot so I can start explaining!"
While these conversations were passing between the duo, the other orc inside the hut had another trouble; seeing her friend's state, Nafız would immediately understand what was going on.
"You walked around hungry all day, didn't you Alyon? Since you're looking at me like a hungry cat at a butcher's window, I guess you have no food left in your stocks!"
Nafız's guess was correct; the menu of the dining hall, serving boiled vegetables and porridge for breakfast, lunch, and dinner, was not for the hulking orc at all.
"Take these and fill your stomach, or I fear a few druids will find their way to your stomach before seeing the morning!"
Giving a huge leg of meat she took out of her inter-spatial ring to her friend, Nafız would return to the main issue after he rushed out.
"Let's start with the hottest event first; was there a point that caught your attention in today's meeting?"
Seeing that the druid, who started thinking based on what remained in his memory, wouldn't be able to answer anytime soon, Nafız continued her words.
"Think about the actions of the type called Heinrich; for example, bring to mind movements like him addressing his superior Leonardo only by his name instead of calling him Master."
Ainle, whose head was as weak as his body, reached some conclusions with the hint he received.
"On our side, only you spoke, but on the other side, except for the duo in woolen robes, the other engineers didn't stop stepping forward despite Master Leonardo's warnings!"
"Look, blood started going to your brain slowly; so, what do you think this is a sign of?"
"That the Master cannot enforce his word."
"Exactly! The existence of this Druid Village doesn't rest on solid foundations as the poor wretches living inside think; it's just a small concession a man received by selling his principles."
When Ainle cleared his head and thought, he would see that all of Nafız's words were correct deductions; despite this, a part of him wanted to believe in his kinsmen.
"But aren't the druids receiving education together with other children a hope for the future?"
Seeing that they reached exactly where she wanted, Nafız started scratching her belly with pleasure; those who thought the female orc stayed idle all afternoon were mistaken.
"Thanks for putting your finger on the most important point driving me to despair; these children are the real proof that this nonsense will end soon!"
Ainle was listening to Nafız intently; his body was in a state of alarm against his will.
"Even during the events when we went out for breakfast and two druids fled in fear, the children's heartbeats hadn't accelerated as much as when the time came for them to go to school. While I could easily see looking at their faces that they weren't excited, what was it that put babies the size of a hand into such distress!"
"Don't bother, let me tell you: Fear!"
"When they returned in the evening, many had wounds on them that weren't present in the morning; is it possible for their families not to see this or the instructors at school not to know?"
"Leonardo is in a war alone; although he delays the inevitable result by constantly making concessions, he has already reached the end of the road. It is very logical for him to place his hope on the newly growing generation, but his inability to supervise this and show the will to give necessary punishments is a complete fiasco!"
"You know I didn't like you, and you still haven't fully earned my respect, but these are not reasons for you to die without doing what you want. From this hour on, mark my words: try not to leave my side no matter what you do!"
When the duo's chat ended, it was already past midnight; all sounds except breaking bones and an annoying mouth-smacking had ceased.
When morning came, Nafız was the first to wake up inside the hut; upon scouting around, she couldn't see anyone except Alyon, who was heaving his belly—which had become like a drum—up and down like a bellows.
"Get up, gluttonous lord of orcs; it's time to move to our new residence!"
"Wait, let me sleep for five more minutes!"
"Oh, motherf...!"
Just as orcs possessed superior qualities regarding brute strength, hand-to-hand combat, and desire to fight, they were equally ugly in terms of beauty. Seeing the freshly awakened state of Alyon, who was ugly even by the standards of his species, Nafız would throw herself outside without even looking back.
"What the hell is this; you've turned this place into a shrine!"
Whenever she went out, seeing a crowd consisting of druids in front of her, Nafız scolded with the effect of the ugliness she was exposed to first thing in the morning.
"Mistress, mistress, good morning!"
While the crowd fled outward, a figure slipping through them with his thin body was running toward the female orc; judging by the sagging bags under his bloodshot eyes, this person seemed not to have slept very well.
"Mistress, I spent last night talking to druids whom I believed could come with us!"
"The result?"
Dungeons had been most beneficial to Ainle; he was already starting to reap the fruits of the conflicts he experienced within himself.
As far as he knew Nafız, if she told him some things, there must be valid reasons behind it; in accordance with the new path of resistance he chose for himself, the scrawny druid had to pull as many kinsmen as he could persuade to their side.
"Ten people decided to join the ranks of the Druid Liberation Army; they are waiting for us at the exit of the village!"
While speaking, the scrawny druid, whom sleeplessness had exhausted, wasn't aware that he was shaking involuntarily; with the joy of persuading ten people by striving all night, he was blind to everything else.
"Quite a lot more than I expected; I congratulate you, Ainle. Today, for the first time, you have saved some people of your nation!"
After Nafız's mysterious words, the young druid, shaken back to his senses, ran rapidly to those waiting for them at the village exit; he couldn't take the risk of their minds being swayed and changing their opinions.
"This place has turned into the Parthenia slave market; let's go wherever we're going before I take a few of these into my hands!"
Seeing the mood of her friend approaching while grumbling, the female orc would answer him grinning.
"We are moving to Leonardo's place; apparently, he's going to roast a beast for us!"
"What did you say? Run, run, run, we are going immediately!"
Hearing that he would satisfy his appetite—which had peaked lately—with delicious food, there was nothing to say to Alyon's joy; while advancing on the path he opened by swinging his huge hands like claws, he left behind druids thrown into the air.
"At first, I was very angry because they didn't erase the consciousness of my old life, but now, whenever I see that huge head, I am grateful for my state. The man hasn't noticed any of the changes occurring in his body since we entered the Wild Swamp!"