Chapter Eleven: Wedding

Ava had been slaying the orcs one by one, but it seemed like there was no end in sight; they kept coming back. Good thing that she was a non-Mana user. But she was concerned about the old man.

She thought that if she could only ask for Allen's help, it wouldn't be difficult to subjugate these monsters, but she also knew that he was busy with his own life.

"Master, I think we should go back now. Their number isn't decreasing at all," Ava suggested worriedly.

"You're right. Let's leave them to the other adventurers. I already asked for assistance from the guild, but it seems like everyone is busy," the old man replied.

"Let's go back to the capital. I want to know how's the condition there," Ava said.

"How about Ash and Shawn?" the old man asked. "Where are they?"

"I asked Alice to rescue them," Ava replied. "They might have gone back already. Can you use teleportation?"

"Don't underestimate your mentor's power," the old man replied, and they suddenly disappeared.

The old man has been Ava's mentor since she was just a kid. He had almost taught her everything he knew, except one thing—how to defeat the demon lord.

They appeared inside the adventurer's guild, where Ash was lying on the bed, waiting for them. Emma had been watching over him since Alice and Shawn left.

"Thank goodness, you're safe," Ava said, seeing her little brother. The bruises on his face were gone; perhaps Emma used some healing potions to heal them. "How about Shawn? Where is he?"

"He went somewhere with Alice," Emma replied. "They left your brother here for me."

"What?" Ava's eyes widened in surprise. "With Alice? Don't tell me they hooked up." 

"That's not what I mean." Emma slightly scratched her head with a forced smile on her face. "What I mean is, they went to the orcs' territory to meet King Orc the Great and negotiate with him."

"What?" Ava was shocked again. "Why would they go there? Have they lost their minds? Are they going to commit suicide?"

"I don't know. Alice just told me that Shawn wanted to discuss something with the orcs' king in order to stop this war between monsters and humans. They didn't give much detail about it," Emma replied.

"How can he talk with an orc?" Ava wondered. "What if he got killed? He doesn't even have any power to protect himself." She knew that she shouldn't waste her time doing nothing if she didn't want him to die.

"Ava, where are you going?" The old man asked when he saw Ava hurriedly walking outside the adventurer's guild. She seemed to be in such a hurry that she didn't reply to his question.

"Where is she going, Emma?" the old man asked.

"I don't know, Master. She asked me where Shawn was. I told her that he went to King Orc the Great to negotiate about the war," Emma replied. "I think she's going there too."

"What did you say, Emma?" the old man asked, surprised. "Shawn went to the king of the orcs."

"Yes, Master. Alice brought him there some time before you and Ava arrived here," Emma replied. "I thought they had your permission, didn't they?"

"That foolish stranger. What did he think he could do to stop this war?" the old man asked worriedly. "Did he really think he could stop this war by negotiating with the orcs' king?"

"I don't really know what they are planning. But I know it could be dangerous. If I could just go with them, I would be of use, since I can heal their wounds. But I'm much needed here too. It seems like the monsters are not decreasing after all, and there are too many wounded adventurers to heal," Emma explained.

"No, you don't have to oblige yourself with this. This is not our fault after all. The monsters just appeared out of nowhere, and we didn't know what their intentions really were," the old man replied. "You're much needed here, so don't leave them; I am going there instead."

"Take care, Master Oregon," Emma said before the old man disappeared.

"Master Oregon?" Ash asked. He was sleeping deep when they arrived and was awakened by their conversation. "Is that master's real name?"

"You don't know?" Emma replied.

"Nope. My sister is calling him Master, while brother Shawn calls him Old Fart. He never told us about himself, not a single piece of information," Ash said.

"Well, you master want to keep a low profile ever since the guild master, Amalia, died. He was so in love with her that he promised to take revenge against the demon lord," Emma explained.

"How did you know?" Ash asked.

"It's my power. I am able to know people's identities by just looking at them," Emma replied.

"That's scary, but quite convenient. I think I have found someone I can marry," Ash said in a silly manner.

Inside the dungeon, Shawn's knees were shaking as he walked through the crowd of orcs. It's good that he didn't have any mana; thus, they couldn't sense him. He was very cautious to avoid being noticed, or else he wouldn't be able to achieve his objective, and something worse could happen.

"What are you doing here, stranger?" An unfamiliar voice asked. Shawn didn't know where it was coming from until he saw a huge orc standing ahead. He knew it was the king because it had a crown on its head.

"I'm Shawn, from the Land of Dusk. It's a pleasure to meet you, King Orc the Great!" Shawn greeted politely.

"You don't have to stand on a ceremony. Spit out your intention. I'm listening," King Orc said.

"Thank you," Shawn replied. "I came here with a request. Please stop this war now. We didn't mean to destroy your home."

"So you know our intention, huh?" King Orc asked. "You have that unique power of yours that others don't notice. You're perfect to be a prince of the Orckis Kingdom. Come, sit here beside me."

"Thank you for the compliment, your highness." Shawn didn't feel comfortable with the king's request. He might be planning something, but he breathed to calm his nerves and walked towards him.

"Call my daughter," the king ordered one of his servants. "I want her to meet this guy."

What was he thinking about calling his daughter? Shawn wondered. He didn't know why he couldn't access the king's thoughts.

"Look at this, little boy." The king showed him a shining red ring on his finger. "This is the charm that protects me from any danger."

So that was the reason why he couldn't access his thoughts? Shawn finally got it. The king had a charm that made him invincible. He wished he could have that charm too.

"Here's your daughter, sir!" The servant let a woman orc see her father.

Seeing the woman Orc, Shawn was quite surprised. She looked familiar, as if he had met her before.

"She's Shriek, my daughter. She told me that you saved her life once; is it true?" King Orc asked.

"Yes, your highness," Shawn replied. He couldn't believe that Shriek was a princess. But who was that lady who introduced herself as Shriek? Curiosities began swirling around his head.

"I will go straight to the point," King Orc said. "I will stop this war if you'll marry my daughter, little boy, and I will also give this ring to you as a reward for saving her."

What? Shawn screamed in his mind. He didn't expect this. Why would he marry an orc? Besides, he already had someone in his heart.

"I'm sorry, King Orc the Great, I ref—" Shawn attempted to refuse, but the king stared at him angrily. He wouldn't let him refuse.

"Okay, I get it. I will marry your daughter, but first, you have to order your armies to stop the war," Shawn said.

King Orc howled loudly to the point that Shawn would almost blow away by his breath, signaling his monsters to retreat. He then told the priests of death to prepare his daughter and the wedding.

Shawn himself couldn't believe what he was doing. He never expected to get married to an orc. His ideal girl was someone like Ava, who was sexy, hot, sweet, and gorgeous with a Coca-Cola body, not someone like Shriek, who looked like a pig with two horns.

The wedding started a few moments later after the preparation, which took five minutes or two. Shawn was hoping that he'd be able to escape this fate.

Ava arrived on time. She actually saw Shawn kissing the orc. She couldn't help but scream at how perverted he was. There were so many other girls out there; why would he choose that one?

"Ava, let—" Shawn wanted to explain everything to Ava, but she slapped his face and left without saying anything. It was actually his first kiss, but he was willing to waste it for the sake of their kingdom.

The orcs were shocked by what they saw. Ava's palm left a reddish mark on Shawn's face. But he still managed to smile and slightly scratch his head. He apologized to the king for the commotion and told him that he had to go already.

"Wait!" King Orc said. "As I've promised, here's your reward for saving my daughter." He removed the ring from his finger and gave it to Shawn.

Shawn didn't hesitate to accept it. After everything he did, he knew he deserved such a reward, but he still had something important to do, so he thanked the king and took his leave.

"Shawn? I'm glad you're alive!" Alice exclaimed, seeing Shawn walk out of the dungeon. She also noticed the mark on his face. "It took you so long; I thought you were already feasted by the orcs. So, how is it going?"

Shawn didn't reply. He was so embarrassed by what he did. He didn't know what face he would show Ava. He knew she really hated him.

Suddenly, Shawn cried like a little boy in an anime movie who had lost his toys. He promised himself he would never go back inside that dungeon again.

"Have you seen Ava?" Shawn asked Alice.

"Yup. She entered the dungeon for you, then she got out as if the sky had fallen over her. She looked so sad and angry at the same time," Alice replied.

Shawn sighed deeply. He knew she would hate her. All he had to do was apologize and be brave enough to tell her how he really felt.

"Don't worry, her master was with her. He probably sympathized with her loss," Alice added. "I think we should go back now. It seems like we won the war."