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Chapter 255: Orcs Are People Too
🕑 Added 2025-02-10 14:05:01 +0000 UTCCharlot hesitated for a moment and handed over a cotton handkerchief, saying, "Wipe your tears."
The old leopard-man took the handkerchief, wiped his face twice, and then burst into anger. "What tears? Where do you see tears? I wasn't crying!"
He squeezed his hand, and the cotton handkerchief was crushed into powder.
To crush cotton fabric like that, his grip strength was far beyond what it took to crack a walnut.
Charlot remained silent. Since his transmigration, he had created many small items to make life more comfortable, including these inexpensive disposable cotton handkerchiefs. He always carried a few, using and discarding them as needed, so losing one didn’t matter.
Charlot's mind raced. Although the old leopard-man hadn't started a killing spree yet, he felt it was only a matter of time unless he could change the situation.
Taking a deep breath, Charlot decided to take a bold gamble—either he would succeed or meet his doom.
He slowly began, "Elder, I believe you understand a fundamental truth."
"There is only one kind of human, and orcs should also be one kind, not divided into countless tribes."
"There is only one kind of human, and orcs are human too. Enemies should not remain enemies for a thousand years."
"This defeat should not be seen as just a failure for the orcs but as a rainbow heralding success."
The old leopard-man showed no reaction. Charlot reflected that he might have spoken too abstractly. He decided to lower the threshold of "understanding" and said, "The orcs need a king, uniting all under one banner..."
The old leopard-man waved his hand. "Stop! Repeat the last sentence."
Charlot quickly responded, "This defeat should not be seen as just a failure for the orcs but as a rainbow heralding success."
The old leopard-man said, "Not that one."
Charlot adjusted, "There is only one kind of human, and orcs are human too..."
The old leopard-man interrupted, "That's it. No need for the rest."
He fell silent for a long time, repeating the phrase, "There is only one kind of human, and orcs are human too..."
"What a profound truth."
"Why didn’t I think of this earlier?"
"If I had heard this earlier, I could have prevented this disaster."
Charlot had accurately pinpointed the old leopard-man's need and softly added, "There is only one kind of human, and orcs should also be one kind, not divided into countless tribes."
"Humans are humans, and orcs are humans too. They deserve the rightful power to live openly on this earth."
The old leopard-man slapped his thigh and roared, "That's the statement!"
Charlot wiped the sweat off his brow and thought, What else can I say to get this old man to spare me?
The old leopard-man stood and declared, "Now I understand why the orcs failed."
"Humans are humans, and orcs are humans too. They deserve the rightful power to live openly on this earth."
Charlot thought to himself, Don't you think the previous sentence was just as important? But he quickly realized that the concept of "tribes" was deeply ingrained in every orc's heart. Orcs had different races and lifestyles that made unification nearly impossible. Attempting to instill the idea of unity in this old leopard-man would be futile.
He had no intention of changing the old leopard-man’s beliefs.
He only wanted to use his words to buy himself a chance to survive.
Charlot was about to elaborate on the idea of "orcs are human too" when the old leopard-man suddenly asked, "Would you consider becoming an orc?"
Charlot was startled and thought, Is he suggesting I reincarnate as an orc?
No, reincarnation isn’t a concept in this world. Not even the Nine Principal Deities dabble in that sort of thing.
Then the old leopard-man spoke in a low voice, "I’ve tried many ways to restore the ancient Orc Kingdom."
"I even prayed to the Eternal and Illusory Dragon, the deity of the orcs."
"One stormy night, I received a revelation from the Eternal and Illusory Dragon and created the Orc God’s Transformation—a secret technique that allows orcs to turn into humans and humans to turn into orcs."
Charlot’s mind suddenly cleared, and he exclaimed, "You’re from the Orc Assassin Alliance!"
The old leopard-man grinned. "Indeed, I am Tumisan."
Charlot felt a chill. The Orc Assassin Alliance had seven leaders, three of whom were Saint-rank. Tumisan was one of them.
This notorious Saint-rank orc was unmatched in cruelty. Countless officials on the Old Continent had fallen to his blade.
Tumisan had even succeeded in assassinating three Saint-rank targets.
Charlot, still distracted by his swirling thoughts, asked, "You’re not here to assassinate me, are you?"
Tumisan chuckled. "Did you really believe the Orc Assassin Alliance’s slogan?"
"If we didn’t claim that, how would we attract clients?"
"If we endlessly pursued assassinations, how could our organization survive?"
"Still, younger orc assassins these days are foolish enough to take our slogans literally."
"Let’s get to the point. I can teach you the Orc God’s Transformation so you can become an orc."
"You, such a clever young man, should join the leopard-men."
Charlot forced an awkward smile, too afraid to outright refuse. He feared this leader of the Orc Assassin Alliance might kill him on the spot. "I’m afraid I wouldn’t be able to learn it."
Tumisan pressed a hand to Charlot’s head. "Don’t worry. The Orc God’s Transformation is a simple spell. Accept my knowledge."
Charlot felt countless profound thoughts pour into his mind. Endless secret techniques and transformations embedded themselves into his consciousness. He wanted to resist but couldn’t. After a long time, Tumisan finally said, "You must diligently practice the Orc God’s Transformation. Next time I return, if you’ve mastered it, I’ll take you to accomplish something grand. If not, I’ll kill you."
Charlot opened his eyes, only to find that the old leopard-man had vanished without a trace.
With his heart still racing, Charlot pondered for a long time but couldn’t figure out why the old leopard-man had infiltrated his labyrinth of orc guards—or why he had suddenly left.
As for Tumisan’s talk of some "grand task"?
Charlot had no intention of joining.
Once this war ended, he planned to return to Strasbourg. He doubted Tumisan, leader of the Orc Assassin Alliance, would dare follow him there. After the war, orcs were no longer allowed into Strasbourg. Even Frederica, who had previously studied there, wouldn’t be able to enter.
But just as Charlot thought of this, the secrets of the Orc God’s Transformation surfaced in his mind. His face darkened. The transformation technique was popular among the Orc Assassin Alliance, but most assassins preferred using masks crafted from the spell rather than enduring the arduous practice it required.
Tumisan, however, could take on endless forms, becoming anyone. Strasbourg couldn’t stop him.
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