I emerged from the shadows of the forest trees and headed towards the cave entrance alone.
The Orc guard seemed to notice me immediately.
However, without fleeing deeper into the cave or raising an alarm, it approached me with a lewd grin on its pig-like face, a club in one hand, snorting loudly.
Orcs are ferocious, cruel, and dim-witted monsters.
They never miss an opportunity to inflict violence upon the weak.
Unless defeat was obvious—when a single human warrior appeared, most Orcs would prioritize the cruel pleasure of unrestrained violence over the fear of death.
And unlike Elen, they lacked the keen senses to feel intimidated by my fighting spirit.
“—Fugoohhh!”
The Orc charged straight towards me and swung its club down.
It was a simple, yet powerful attack, capable of turning an armored soldier into a lifeless lump of flesh in a single blow.
I attempted to block it by raising my left hand.
“—Stupid! What are you doing, dodge! It’s an Orc!”
Elen still seemed confused, shouting from behind me.
I could hear the sound of a sword being drawn from its sheath and approaching footsteps.
But ignoring Elen’s worries, the Orc’s club strike was firmly caught by my palm.
A heavy shock ran up my left arm, but it was nothing.
“Hah…!? Wh-why…!?”
Elen’s bewildered voice could be heard.
Meanwhile, the Orc also seemed equally perplexed.
The human, who should have been crushed by its brute strength in a single blow, stood unharmed, without a single bone broken.
“—Fugoohhhh!”
The Orc gripped its club with both hands and tried to crush me with all its might.
The muscles in its arms bulged, veins showing.
But naturally, I didn’t budge an inch.
“Give up. I’m stronger, overwhelmingly so. —Here.”
“Fuga…!?
With a slight push, I swung the Orc’s club back with just the strength of my one arm, imbued with fighting spirit.
The Orc was pushed back, stumbling.
“—Die.”
I then brought down Holy Axe Lombardia, which I held in my right hand.
A single, clean cut.
The Orc’s body, split from head to groin, fell apart in two, gushing blood.
Orcs kill humans, and humans kill Orcs.
Humans and the malevolent Orcs had been locked in a struggle for survival since ancient times, so there was no hesitation.
“…Hmph.”
I let out a sigh of relief now that the fight was over.
Elen, who had witnessed it all, let out another cry of surprise.
“No way…! You split an Orc in half, from top to bottom…! This isn’t some Goblin!”
I turned towards Elen and grinned.
“How’s that, Examiner Elen? From your perspective, am I qualified for D Rank?”
“No, wait… Huh? I don’t understand. What is this? What’s going on? Was I deceived? Is this a prank? Douglas—who exactly are you? This is… like…”
Elen stared at me with a dumbfounded expression—and at the same time, her eyes were filled with a look of adoration.
It was the gaze one would give a hero they admired.
I answered Elen with a bit of flair.
“I’m nobody special. Just a humble old adventurer who’s been adventuring diligently for many years. Someone who happened to encounter a bit of incredible luck.”
“…Hmph, luck.”
Elen seemed still unconvinced, her expression blank.
After that, we proceeded to clear out the remaining Orcs lurking in the cave.
Just in case, Miina took the lead, carefully navigating the cave for traps. When we encountered Orcs, I stepped forward and mowed them down.
Elen, watching from behind—
“Hahaha… What is this… Orcs being mowed down like insects by a single D Rank adventurer, it makes no sense… I’m just a complete clown… Hahaha…”
She muttered, her eyes losing their luster, a half-smile on her face.
A typical case of “rape face,” I suppose.
Then, during our fourth encounter with the Orcs since the initial guard, we met a superior species that seemed to be the leader of the pack.
It wore a mage-like robe, hung with numerous necklaces, and carried a staff.
I easily brushed aside that Orc along with its two regular Orc escorts.
During the encounter, I was hit by a single low-level attack spell, Firebolt, but it only caused a minor burn, which was quickly healed by my Healing Ability.
After defeating the mage Orc leader and its escorts, I turned back to Miina and Elen in the dead-end hall.
“That’s all the Orcs in this cave, then.”
“I think so, meow. There were no other paths in this cave, meow. This should be the end, meow.”
“Then it’s mission accomplished. —Elen, I’ll ask you again. Are you satisfied with my promotion to D Rank?”
“…Sigh. Of course. Seeing this, how could I possibly fail you…”
Elen slumped her shoulders and let out a big sigh.
But then, Elen clenched her fist tightly.
She then looked at me with a determined gaze.
Huh, what is it…?
As I wondered, Elen walked briskly towards me.
Then, slightly shorter than me, Elen looked up at me with an unwavering gaze and said.
“Douglas. I have a request for you. Please grant me a favor.”
“Oh, uh. I don’t know what it is, but I’ll listen.”
What’s going on?
Is Elen facing some serious trouble and wants me to help her solve it?
I thought to myself—
But what came out of Elen’s mouth next was something I never could have anticipated.
“Douglas—please make me your bride! Second place is fine, after Miina. I’ve fallen completely in love with you. I’m infatuated! I want you to ravage me! To break me! Please—make me your bride!”
“…Huh?”
I think it was only natural for me to let out a stunned gasp.
