You're an Orc
Barlock's expression changed for a long while. Suddenly, he chuckled self-deprecatingly, sitting somewhat despondently at a desk, facing the expressionless Zakari. "Well, since you've already caught my people, there's nothing I can hide anymore. Yes, I'm looking for the distribution map of the underground drainage system of Padia City, and I've already got it from you. As for the purpose... heh, it's obviously not to attack Padia Royal City, because you know that's just a joke. I just want to find an escape route, then lead my people out of the city, regain our freedom, and return to our homeland. It's that simple. Now that you've found out, there's nothing more to say. You can let the guards of the academy come and arrest me."
Zakari remained silent for a long time before slowly saying, "I've heard some news from outside. You and your people are supposed to participate in a combat performance for the visit of the Prince of the Odria Empire to Padinton next month. And Celine also told me that as long as your combat performance ends, all survivors will be pardoned by the king. Why can't you just wait until that day and leave the capital openly?"
"Hah, what a great suggestion!" Barlock's tone was filled with sarcasm. "We're orcs, synonymous with lowly slaves in the eyes of humans. We should just do as humans will. Freedom is your gift, and so is life. How ridiculous. We used to live quietly in the gravel wilderness, minding our own business, though it was hard and dangerous, we were free. But you humans attacked our tribes, killed our people, and sold the rest to the arena, using our lives and blood for your entertainment. Why? We don't owe you anything. We just want to gain freedom, and we have no intention to harm humans. We just want to find a hidden path and leave quietly. Is that also considered a great offense and intolerable in your eyes?"
"Barlock, you're too extreme. Although some humans indeed have a bit of evil in their nature, not everyone is like that. Like Celine, like Sera, like my master Dean Bartus, like the kind and just King, and many others... they are all good humans, without prejudice against orcs. Take me for example... if they discriminated against me, would my wife marry me? Would humans let me work in the prestigious Padia Academy, even manage the important library?" Zakari's tone softened a lot, calming down the excited and flushed Barlock.
"No, you won't understand. You'll never understand!" Barlock 'excitedly' exclaimed. "You were born in the human world, grew up in the human world, lived and aged here, and even your way of thinking... apart from appearance, you're actually no different from humans. You're just a human with the appearance of an orc! You've never lived even a day in an orc tribe. You won't understand the price we pay for survival, let alone the hardships we endure for survival."
Zakari fell silent, unable to retort to Barlock's words. He indeed didn't understand orcs. Just now, he was angry at Barlock's attempt to escape, but now it had dissipated. Freedom, every living being longed for it. They were just pursuing the right to live freely, nothing more. Why couldn't they be given that?
Zakari was a kind old man, moved by Barlock's words. Pondering, conflicted, what should he do?
"Mr. Zakari, you only know that we're supposed to participate in the gladiator performance and that once it ends, we'll be granted freedom. But there are many things you don't know. Let me tell you about the actions of your so-called upright and kind king!" Barlock had keen observation skills. He knew the old orc was wavering, so he spoke earnestly and honestly, recounting what he had done for the royal family since coming to Padia, with almost no concealment!
When Zakari heard about the king reneging on his promise, even intending to throw into the arena the person who saved his daughter's life, the old man finally showed a look of indignation. "This is outrageous...!" he muttered.
"Mr. Zakari, you've lived your whole life in the human world..." Barlock 'excitedly' continued, "but in the end, you're still an orc. This is something that can never change since your parents gave you the body of an orc. Perhaps you are respected by the mages in the academy, but that's because your master is the respected mage, Dean Bartus. He holds some influence throughout the continent; even the King of Padinton must bow to him. But have you ever tried hiding your identity, just walking around the city in the guise of an ordinary orc? You'll find, you're no different from us!"
"Stop it," Zakari interrupted Barlock's words. He couldn't bear to hear anymore because he had a feeling... what Barlock said was likely true. He had lived for over sixty years, spending at least fifty years in the academy. Even his wife was a servant of a mage in the academy. He had very little contact with the outside world.
"You can go. I haven't found anything. Take the parchment and leave, don't come back to the library," Zakari said, looking a bit desolate, as if he had been struck by something, waving his hand at Barlock.
Breathing a sigh of relief, Barlock picked up the parchment, bowing respectfully to the old orc. "Zakari... please allow me to call you grandfather, according to our orc customs. You're a respected orc! My people won't forget you."
"Go, remember in the sewers, don't touch those red-marked areas on the parchment. Those are the important areas monitored by the warning magic. I can cover for you in other ordinary places, but those crucial locations are monitored by powerful mages in the academy. Once they discover, no one can save you," Zakari warned.
Barlock thanked him again and quietly left the library. Outside the library, he looked back at the inconspicuous door, then turned and headed back to the small building where Celine was!
Zakari lied to Barlock; there were no important or unimportant areas in the sewers. All the passages leading out of the city were under tight surveillance, and the core of the entire underground alert magic array was in the tallest magic tower of the academy. It was the magic tower of the dean, Bartus. He was away and wouldn't return for several months, during which Zakari was managing the tower. Only he could see the core of the surveillance magic array there. The reason he didn't want Barlock to touch certain red-marked areas on the parchment was due to his conflicting mindset... those red areas were secret nodes of the alert magic array. If Barlock were to damage them, it would create a vulnerability in the entire array. In case there were indeed enemies attacking Padia City in the future, it would undoubtedly leave a loophole! Zakari didn't want to see fellow orcs suffer a tragic fate, but he also didn't want to put the humans he had lived with for a lifetime under potential threat!
Barlock wouldn't know the price Zakari had to pay for his actions... when Dean Bartus returned, he would definitely notice the problem with the alert magic array. Zakari would not hide anything from his master. If Bartus got angry, who knows what punishment the old orc would face...!
Feeling absent-minded, Barlock returned to the small building and instinctively went up to the third floor to check if Celine had awakened. As soon as he entered, a velvet pillow flew towards him, accompanied by Celine's angry scream, "Damn you, Barlock, what have you done to me?!"
Celine curled up in bed, tightly wrapped in the blanket, her face pale as if drained of blood, with an abnormal blush due to shame. She had woken up in the morning to find her robes removed, leaving her in only thin undergarments, which immediately panicked her... She had returned to the Duke's mansion yesterday, intending to endure the disgust and socialize with Delta, even letting him take some advantage, just to fulfill the king's orders. But to her anger, Delta shamelessly brought ** back home, even with several other women, engaging in those debauched activities on the bed... Celine exploded at that moment, hurling a fireball at the bed, turning it into a blazing heap. If Delta hadn't timely shielded those three delicate women, there might have been casualties!
Turning away from the Duke's mansion, Celine vowed never to have anything to do with that shameless man, even if it meant offending the king, she would never step into that filthy mansion again! Back in the academy residence, she drank herself into a stupor, making a mess of the room, and didn't remember what happened afterwards.
Catching the pillow, Barlock's mood was already not good. Being scolded by a woman for no reason, he couldn't help but snort coldly, "Don't think everyone is as shameless as you noble humans. It's rumored outside that I'm your ** lover, but that doesn't mean I'll actually do those things. What exactly did I do to you, can't you feel it yourself?"
He turned and left without looking back, saying, "I've fulfilled my promise to you, healed the little princess, and there's no need for me to stay in the academy anymore. I'll leave today and go to the arena to be with my people, then next month, I'll use our lives to fight for freedom. Say goodbye to Sera for me!" He walked away without a backward glance, leaving Celine staring blankly on the bed!
Barlock left behind the magic card, taking nothing with him, even leaving the battle axe Celine bought for him beside the bed. It wasn't until he had walked for a while that Celine suddenly realized... Barlock had fulfilled his promise to her, but she hadn't fulfilled her promise to help rescue his people, and she had even been thrown into the arena by the king, to participate in the life-and-death struggle next month!
Feeling uneasy, Celine knew that Barlock hadn't done anything to her. Seeing the vomit-stained magic robe lying in the corner, she immediately realized she had misunderstood Barlock...! Her feelings at this moment were extremely complicated, and she was completely distraught...!
As Barlock moodily entered the arena, he suddenly noticed that the stands were filled with many people, and there was already a combat performance underway! --------------- After all, the arena needed gladiators to make money. It was impossible to temporarily close the arena for a performance a month later. But at this moment, the people fighting in the arena made Barlock's anger uncontrollably rise...! It was his fellow orcs fighting against human gladiators, fighting in teams of five. Three of his people were already lying in pools of blood, and the remaining two were also covered in wounds. Yet the five human gladiators on the opposite side still had full strength, toying around the two orcs as if they were waiting to be slaughtered, occasionally stabbing a sword to add another wound to the orcs' bodies, causing the audience to hysterically roar with excitement!
Barlock pushed aside the people blocking his way, rushed to the edge of the fence, and jumped into the arena. He then, bare-handedly, made the bloodiest move under the stunned and bewildered gazes of everyone, ...!