Someone's Gonna Die

Barok spent a lot of time scouting, and by the time he returned carrying the wild boar, dusk was approaching. So, it was impossible to reach the Red Pine Forest today. They decided to camp here for the night and continue their search for the Green Arrow Squirrel the next day.

Barok naturally carried the wild boar and found a stream in the forest, where he prepared dinner on the spot. The warriors chopped enough branches, and the campfire was already burning. They hung a small iron pot over the fire, preparing to boil water. No one expected Barok to be skilled in barbecue. He impaled the prepared wild boar directly onto a long branch and roasted it over the fire. When the golden fat dripped and the air was filled with the aroma of pine and meat, he took out salt and some seasoning leaves from a leather pouch he carried, sprinkling them evenly on the roasted wild boar. The meaty fragrance became even more intense, making everyone unable to resist sniffing and eagerly anticipating it. Selah watched Barok, who was focused on barbecuing, and suddenly realized that this handsome orc youth, already quite attractive, now exuded a special charm.

If only he were a human youth—this thought suddenly popped into Selah's mind, and then she blushed, quickly averting her gaze from Barok's face.

"Alright, Miss Selah, Mr. Myro, Lady Celine, dinner is served!" Barok suddenly announced. He stopped turning the branch with the roasted wild boar and, with a dagger, cut off several pieces of the best roasted meat from the hind leg of the wild boar, placing them on silver plates he somehow obtained and handing them respectively to Selah, Myro, and Lady Celine. Then, he cut off a large piece of the hind leg meat for himself, walked to the side, and began eating it voraciously, as if no one else was present.

The expressions on Julian and Kyle's faces were ugly. They felt insulted by a lowly orc slave, as if they were being disregarded. Kyle angrily cursed, "Damn orc, bring me some roasted meat too, you bastard!"

Barok shifted slightly but ignored him, tearing into the meat with oily mouthfuls, making 'chomp chomp' sounds as he ate. Kyle went mad, picking up a riding crop and lashing out at Barok: "Damn orc, you'll pay for offending a noble! I'll whip you to death!"

Faced with the whip swinging at him, Barok raised his hand, swiftly grabbed the whip's handle, and pulled, causing the fat man of over two hundred pounds to topple over and fall face-first into the ground, eating a mouthful of mud. Julian immediately flew into a rage, feeling he now had a just reason to explode, "You lowly orc slave, you dared to offend a noble. You should die. Seize him!" He ordered his guards. Two intermediate Qi warriors did not move, but a few warriors nodded and stepped forward. They approached Barok with unfriendly smiles on their faces.

Barok looked at Myro, expecting to see how his 'master' would react. Myro was a relatively straightforward and righteous noble. Although he was kind and upright, he seemed to think that Barok had gone too far and was somewhat hesitant about what to say. Selah, on the other hand, stood up indignantly without much thought and said, "Baron Julian, Barok is a servant of our Red River Valley territory. How he is punished is our business. It seems you are not the master of Red River Valley Castle."

"He's just an orc slave. Even if he's killed, so what? Myro, my brother, I'll give you five gold coins. Sell this orc to me." Julian directly stated his intentions to Myro without any pretense.

Barok didn't care much, but his eyes had become cold, looking at Julian and Kyle as if they were already dead. Because of his supposed offense, they wanted to kill him. Barok didn't mind killing them first. As for his twenty Qi warrior subordinates, although he was not their match, he could still leave without harm. The only one he somewhat feared was Lady Celine, the magician. Barok had never seen a magician before and didn't know what means she might have. So, he secretly guarded against her, at most. As for Baron Myro, who was already a high-ranking Qi warrior, Barok didn't look down on him, but he felt that this seemingly kind baron, even if he was of a higher rank, didn't seem like a skilled fighter. He probably wouldn't pose much of a threat. Of course, whether he would take action was still uncertain!

"Barok is a servant of my subjects. After the death of that subject, he became my servant because he had no relatives. According to the code, I don't have the right to decide his life or death. I'm sorry I can't sell him to you, Julian. How about letting him apologize to Kyle and calling it even?" Myro tried to mediate.

"He dared to offend me, so at least I'll break one of his legs." Kyle said maliciously. He had already climbed up and was hiding behind his father, glaring fiercely at Barok.

"This is the Trelam Forest. If I kill you and your son here and then escape, do you think anyone will avenge you?" Barok suddenly spoke, shocking everyone with his words. No one knew if this orc had gone crazy, but this was the real offense, a provocation to the human nobles. Because what he said meant that even if Myro couldn't help him, he wouldn't care anymore.

"Barok, you're crazy, don't talk nonsense!" Selah exclaimed anxiously. She had a good impression of this orc youth and didn't want him to come to harm.

"Haha, you're asking for it, Barok. Myro, my brother, don't blame me. Seize him. If he resists, kill him!" Julian coldly ordered his guards.

"Baron Julian, are you here to help me catch the Green Arrow Squirrel, or are you here in the Trelam Forest specifically to kill an orc?" Finally breaking her silence, Lady Celine, who had been silently and elegantly enjoying the wild boar meat, spoke up. She didn't even raise her head. "If it's the latter, then I beg you to wait until we leave the Trelam Forest before saying anything. At least here, I still need the help of this orc youth to lead us to the Red Pine Forest."

Barok didn't expect a magician, especially a noble from the royal capital, to speak up for him, and he was somewhat surprised. Julian was even more embarrassed. He forced a smile and then glanced fiercely at Barok before ingratiatingly saying to Lady Celine, "Of course, Lady Celine, I am here to assist you wholeheartedly.

"Since you need this orc youth, I have no objections. Everything will be as you command," Julian said ingratiatingly.

Lady Celine nodded and said no more. The scene suddenly fell silent, with only the sound of Barok chewing the roasted meat echoing in the air. Selah found it somewhat amusing and bewildering. She suddenly felt that this guy was quite interesting, while Julian's face was filled with malice as he looked at Barok as if he were already dead.

That night, they camped in the Trelam Forest. Barok had prepared quite well. After moving the campfire aside, he laid out fur blankets on the already warm ground and invited Lady Celine and Selah to rest. As for the men...whatever! Poor chubby Kyle, despite his fat, couldn't withstand the cold of the night and huddled next to the campfire, trembling all night beside Julian!...

The next morning, Barok had already prepared breakfast by the time Selah woke up, rubbing her eyes sleepily. She found the orc youth standing by, watching her with keen eyes, and blushed, feeling ashamed for waking up late. Fortunately, Barok just smiled faintly and said nothing. Baron Myro happened to notice and frowned, feeling that the girl and the orc kid were getting too close and needed to be watched carefully. He couldn't let the absurd and filthy affairs of noble ladies happen to his daughter!

Barok had never thought about anything happening between him and a human girl. He just felt that Selah was cute and looked at her a little more, which was human nature. If he knew what Myro was thinking at the moment, he would probably sneer at it and look down on him!

After a simple breakfast, they continued on their way. Barok led them, following the marks made yesterday, avoiding the nesting grounds of the Green Arrow Squirrels and walking for several hours until they finally reached the foot of the snow-capped mountain. A vast expanse of red pine forest, like a sea of fire, lay before them, a spectacular sight that was breathtaking!

"I only found this place yesterday and didn't enter the forest, so I don't know if there are the Green Arrow Squirrels you mentioned, Lady Celine," Barok said, completing his task and addressing Celine.

"The Green Arrow Squirrels are particularly good at hiding, and this red pine forest is very large. It seems we need to split up and search," Lady Celine said, turning back to address everyone. They quickly divided into groups, with Lady Celine and Selah heading east into the forest. At the same time, she instructed, "If you find any traces of the Green Arrow Squirrels, remember not to disturb them. Inform me so I can capture them."

Barok followed behind Myro, choosing a direction and pretending to search. Kyle walked up beside him and cursed softly, "Orc bastard, once we're out of the Trelam Forest, I'll make you taste the feeling of being whipped to death."

"Oh, really? I heard you once bought a female orc slave similar to me. What did you do to her?" Barok asked quietly.

"Huh, that orc ** dared to resist me, so I stripped her naked and hung her up, whipping her to death. You'll end up like her," Kyle replied.

"Okay, good to know," Barok said indifferently, his voice devoid of emotion. Then he asked, "So, one last question, where did you buy that orc slave from?"

"Why should I tell you?" Kyle snorted disdainfully, seeming unwilling to speak to someone who was about to die and walked away.

Barok said nothing, standing quietly for a moment. Suddenly, he noticed two people always following him, Julian's guards. It seemed they were afraid he would run away and were deliberately monitoring him!

"Hehe, it seems that someone will die here today. How wonderful, the Trelam Forest is very suitable for burying bodies!" Barok muttered to himself, just loud enough for the two people behind him to hear. Then he walked away, searching for traces of the Green Arrow Squirrels.

The two soldiers behind him were stunned, suddenly feeling very uneasy. It seemed... this orc was too confident. Didn't he know he wouldn't live much longer?