Chapter Seventy: Damn Orcs

The air was thick with chaotic noise, and the sound of hurried footsteps quickly approached. Lieutenant Colonel Votu and Baron Milo rose to their feet in haste, while the dignitaries of Dunkirk stepped back, their family guards gripping their weapons tightly, forming a solid defensive line before their masters.

The doors were flung open, revealing a boisterous throng outside, shouting in high spirits. Among them were regular soldiers of the garrison, dragoons, men in bronze helmets, and Dunkirk militia clad in black uniforms and iron helmets. They surrounded several dozen sturdy, bloodied militiamen whose clothes were in tatters and whose bodies bore wounds and dried blood. Blocking the entrance with their noise and numbers, they presented a striking sight.

These robust, blood-stained men were none other than the enforcers of the Black Tiger Family, whom Lin Qi had summoned earlier. Loyal followers of the Black Tiger, they were the very image of outlaws when dressed for night raids, but donned the militia uniform and became valiant defenders of home and country. They were the same men, their identities shifting as easily as their attire.

All of them were bona fide Dunkirk militia. The Black Tiger Family, being the most influential among Dunkirk’s noble houses, had played a pivotal role in assembling the city’s militia. Each year, they donated vast sums of gold to the city hall for militia expenses, supplied bolts of fabric for uniforms, and even arranged for their own merchant ships to deliver the militia’s armor, swords, and bows.

It followed, then, that of the fifty thousand-strong militia regiments in Dunkirk, half were commanded by the Black Tiger’s trusted men, and more than twenty thousand militiamen owed their direct allegiance to the family. After all, most of the militia were recruited from the city’s tough sailors, dockworkers, and shop assistants—men who made their living on Black Tiger turf, and thus naturally obeyed Blackbeard’s orders.

These staunch men, still gasping for breath, stood respectfully at the doorway and bowed to Lieutenant Colonel Votu and Baron Milo.

At the forefront was Ironhammer, a towering figure clad in a specially made militia uniform. His body was nearly coated in blood, and his belt hung with a dozen pale green, fearsome heads, while each hand gripped a bundle of long-haired, grotesque skulls.

Ironhammer, panting heavily, bowed with deference to the city’s military and civilian leaders. “Lord Mayor, Lieutenant Colonel, we caught up with those damned creatures—they’re all dead by our hands!”

With a flick of his wrists, Ironhammer let the heads tumble to the floor. They were hideous and monstrous—about a third bore some semblance to human faces, but the rest displayed bestial features: pointed, upright ears, protruding muzzles, mouths bristling with sharp white teeth, and ghastly green eyes that, even in death, glowed faintly red in the firelight.

“Werewolves!” Lieutenant Colonel Votu ground his teeth together.

“Damn it!” Baron Milo instinctively took several steps back. He was a civil official; it was for the likes of Votu, a military man, to face such grisly sights.

Supported by Blackbeard, Lin Qi walked to the door, his teeth clenched. “Lieutenant Colonel, those cursed beasts—those are the ones. The Unicorn on the sea took out their Heaven-ranked knight with a magic-powered whaling harpoon, and the rest scattered in terror. Enzo and I pursued them, fighting all the way, and just as we were about to collapse, these brave militiamen arrived and saved us!”

Baron Milo stared in astonishment. “Lin Qi, you and Enzo pursued them? Over a hundred of those beasts, and you chased after them?”

A chorus of exclamations broke out as people whispered excitedly, marveling at the courage of Lin Qi and Enzo.

Flushed with excitement, Lin Qi gripped Blackbeard’s hand tightly and declared, “My father has always taught me that we must give everything for the Empire and its people. The cursed Heaven-ranked knight was slain, but we could not allow those savage beasts to reach the city and terrorize the citizens.”

Enzo spoke in a low, solemn voice. “Yes, honorable Mayor, respected Lieutenant Colonel, we knew we were no match for them, but we had to give chase. We had to keep them in sight, to buy time for reinforcements. Before help arrived, we could not let them escape, nor lose track of them. Only then could we ensure they’d be wiped out to the last!”

Lieutenant Colonel Votu struck his fist into his palm and said gravely, “Brave lads! This is exactly what a cadet of the Imperial Army Academy should do. I’ll recommend you both for medals of honor—you’re fine young men!”

Baron Milo, too, looked upon Lin Qi and Enzo with deep approval. “Take us to see those damned beasts and what they have done.”

With the help of many enthusiastic hands, and surrounded by soldiers, Lin Qi and Enzo led the way to the dark, blood-stained alley.

Blood was everywhere, the walls marked by swords and axes, and the ground strewn with corpses—twisted, hideous, monstrous orcish bodies.

The bodies of more than a hundred orcs stretched from the alley’s entrance for several hundred meters, falling every five or six paces. Scattered among them were gold and silver coins—spoils, evidently taken during their rampage. More intriguingly, the coins included not only those of the Gaul Empire, but currencies from more than a dozen other nations.

Most shocking of all, in the pouch of an especially large bear-man, they found bank notes worth between ten and thirty thousand apiece, issued by renowned bankers from across the continent—over three hundred thousand in gold altogether.

Having acquired a vast sum from Yaho and Ling, Blackbeard had no qualms about planting a fortune’s worth of evidence on the orcs.

Lieutenant Colonel Votu roared in outrage, “Those damned beasts! They must have committed crimes elsewhere, not just in Dunkirk. Heaven help us—how many poor souls have suffered, with all this cash and so many notes?”

Baron Milo turned to Blackbeard with a gravity seldom seen. “Lord Tiger, you have a fine son—one to be proud of! I believe you are the most suitable successor for Mayor of Dunkirk!”

Blackbeard bowed his head with modesty, as did Lin Qi and Enzo.

All present cursed the damned orcs with wild abandon, while offering thunderous cheers to Blackbeard.