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Despite appearing calm on the surface, Cestlavie felt a sense of urgency brewing within.

(—This is bad. The pressure from the horde is increasing.)

With most of the horde wiped out and the alluring human girl that had caught the attention of the majority of the frenzied monsters taken away from the scene, their momentum had undeniably waned… except for a few heated glances he was getting, for some reason—thinking about them naturally tensed the muscles around his rear—excluding those, the morale of the monsters, particularly the orcs, was about to decline drastically. However, with the self-proclaimed Orc Princess Tiana making her entrance, their spirits soared high all at once.

“BUHOO!!”
“GUGUGU”
“GRR GRR!”
“OINK OINK!”

Amidst the simultaneous roar of the orcs, the orc princess stood proudly, raising her hand in a seemingly pleasant manner, responding to their calls.

“BUUUUUHI!!!!”

What an astonishing roar it was. They were probably cheering for her(?).

“Buh buh buh. Yes… I am beautiful! Even in this cursed form, all males worship me so fervently. So when the spell is broken, I will revive as someone more beautiful than any princess in the world! More beautiful than the heavens or the stars… Even the rumored rose princess or the cattleya princess wither and pale in comparison!”

The bold and arrogant words of the orc princess are met with a unified roar of compliance from the horde of monsters.

Such audacious boasting, even by the standards of the self-serving Cestlavie, caused even his brows to furrow.

Speaking of the Cattleya Princess and the Rose Princess, they were referred to as the representatives of the beauty in the Saintess’ Church — or rather, the legends’ alternative names for the revered saintesses. They are by no means names to be likened to the likes of an orc princess.

♢♦♢♦♢

Before I knew it, my face was stiffened from anger. Although I don’t remember her, she was still my biological mother. A pig has no right to ridicule her like that.

“…Mr. Peddler. Could you untie me? I need to educate that pig about the reality of this world just for a bit.”

I suppressed my emotion as I pleaded, and the black-haired peddler hung the luggage he was carrying on his back onto the branch he was using as a scaffolding as he answered me, ever-so-cheerfully, with a smile so wide — his face was, for once, as bright as the clear sky.

“A-Ha-Ha-Ha-Ha. There’s no need for that. That thing is not worth dirtying your hands for, Jill missy. Once this matter is settled, I certainly will dispose of it personally. —without leaving a single trace of it ever existed. AHAHAHAHAHA.”

The peddler laughed pleasantly at the thought and rubbed his freed shoulders, flexing them lightly. I then noticed that Chaton was trying to keep her distance from him, looking pale when she saw the tense look on the peddler.

“…This is the first time.”
“?”
“It’s been six years since the boss picked me up, but this is the first time I’ve seen him completely snapped like this.”
“―Huh…?”

Reflexively, I turned my head 180 degrees and looked at the peddler in the face again. He looked like he was smiling carefreely like always…Oh, there’s a vein popping on his forehead. I really can’t tell what pushed his buttons.

“The plan was to just give the ‘lil prodigy a little beating, then leave the pig lady alone. It wasn’t worth the coins,” the merchant muttered to himself while starting to shadowbox on the spot. At first, it seemed like a jest, but he seemed to really be putting his mind into it. “But it went and said something it shouldn’t have… Gotta be responsible for your words.”

“If possible, I want to put her in her place with my own hands…”

“That’s the one thing I won’t let you,” the peddler decisively refused it with a cheerful smile. Without even stopping his shadow-boxing, he casually added, “Besides, Jill missy, you may speak as though you’ve already calmed down after the fight. I’m saying this for your own good. Take a break when you can. You’ll lose your life going into a fight with that kind of determination.”

“——?!!”

I hadn’t even considered it… No, I had been so focused on fighting and deliberately avoiding thinking about it that when it was pointed out so casually, my breath stopped for a moment.

“It’s not that unusual. I know the world’s a dangerous place, but you don’t get bathed in open hostility and bloodlust that often. It’s natural for the fear to settle in once you’ve calmed down.”
“……”

I recalled the sight of the orcs who had formed the attacking group earlier. The orcs were about the size of adult human males, the kobolds were akin to kindergartners, and the goblins were the size and weight of upper elementary schoolers. They all had developed limbs and came wielding stone axes or bronze-made swords in their assault.

Their movements were straightforward, wielding their weapons wildly, a visible and crude attack compared to the training I received from my master, instructors, and seniors at the dojo in my previous life. Yet, what was currently pressing heavily on my heart, almost attempting to crush it, was the malice and undisguised intent to kill that they harbored.

In the battle until just a while ago, if it had not been for ranged attacks using magic but instead a sword fight, I would most likely have died—killed by their hands. Without a doubt.

Now, brought to a safe zone and having settled down, it dawned on me abruptly. This world wasn’t just gentle. It was a place where bloodlust was constant, and understanding and accepting that fact was crucial for survival here.

As I was sloppily suspended by the rope, I remembered what I had said to Cestlavie not long ago.

—although, I might hesitate to kill another human being, even if the person in question is evil, and the same could be said for humanoid creatures. In that regard, I can’t speak highly of myself.

And, if I recall correctly, Cestlavie responded with:

That is just human nature. Anyone who can kill another human being, or a creature close to one, with impunity is not a decent person.

In reality, I hesitated only at the beginning; afterward, I felt like I got used to the act of killing without even realizing it. Plus, I had dealt with opponents like goblins even in Tenebrae Nemus, so I thought I wouldn’t feel fear or guilt at this point… And yet, I found myself getting cold feet now, and I couldn’t understand why.

Seeing my expression, the merchant who had stopped shadowboxing looked knowingly at me, scratching his cheek as he added,

“The world’s a cruel and confusing place. Miss, you might’ve been too strong and too kind to understand it all.”

Those words almost sounded like they were meant for someone else. I could only tilt my head and respond as such: “…I’m not sure.”

Author’s note:

I wrote all this at once almost without a draft. I may revise it significantly later.

Translator’s note:

I write my novel without a draft whatsoever. Come to discord to read it lol