---

Heroes of the Dark World. A game developed by a small studio in Eastern Europe features numerous races.

Goblin, Elf, Beastman, Dwarf, Human, Magician… even Demons inhabit this world.

And among the most frequently appearing races after Humans is none other than Orcs.

“I never knew there was fitting clothing for Orcs. Aren’t you always complaining that military uniforms are too small?”

“Seems like the village boy Abas has a lot to learn. Do you have any idea how many Orcs are in the Imperial Army?”

A Safe House set up near the slums of the Magic Tower.

The Orc I hadn’t seen in years held a tiny match compared to his size and spoke in fluent Kien with pride.

“Ready-made clothes might be an issue, but custom tailored ones won’t be. A skilled tailor could probably make clothes for a dragon.”

“That makes sense. It looks good on you, Victor.”

“You too, by the way.”

In the dimly lit room, the Orc, relying on the small match, grinned, showing his tusks in the pitch-black darkness.

“Long time no see, Freddy.”

Episode 12 – The Mightiest Magician

Jammer-Victor, who appeared in the Safe House, has a status that befitting his peculiar name.

As can be inferred from the name Victor, he is originally from the Kien Empire, not from Abas or the Magic Tower.

The name Jammer comes from the place of his roots, signifying ‘Victor from Jammer’.

Considering that the naming convention in the Kien Empire is composed of a name, the father’s name, and a surname, ‘Jammer-Victor’ is indeed an unusual name.

However, neither I, nor any of his fellow unit members from active duty, nor even Francesca, who was meeting him for the first time, found it peculiar.

Because Victor was an Orc, not a Human.

“Am I a bit late?”

“No, it’s you who’s actually late, Freddy.”

“Take a seat. Don’t stand there with sore legs.”

Victor claimed the one-seater chair set up in the room.

The delicate chair couldn’t bear Victor’s hefty weight, typical of an Orc standing over 2 meters tall.

*Creeeak! Creeeak!* The moment he sat down, the chair let out a cry of distress, and Victor awkwardly masked his embarrassment with a chuckle.

“Oh dear.”

“You need to lose some weight, Victor. That chair looks like it’s about to crumble.”

With playful teasing, Victor broke out into a hearty laugh.

“At least I’m better than someone who looks like they’d snap if poked. Plus, among Orcs, I’m on the slimmer side.”

Oh, how could that be?

I shook my head at Victor, who amusedly teased me for being scrawny. His laughter only grew louder at my reaction.

“Ah… excuse me for a moment.”

After a hearty laugh, he pulled out a handkerchief to wipe the tears from his eyes.

“It’s been a while since I laughed like this. I guess I’ve been short on laughter since retiring.”

“Good to see you’ve been well. It’s great to catch up after all this time.”

“Same here, Freddy.”

Victor casually called me by my nickname, acting friendly.

“It’s nice to see you. Twice as nice to be in one piece.”

“Please save those kinds of jokes for when it’s just Orcs. Anyway, I’m glad to see you too.”

“I was surprised you contacted me first. I’ll take your advice to heart. By the way… who’s this lady?”

The Orc politely gestured toward Francesca. Then, looking at me, he asked:

“Do you know her?”

Was he inquiring if she was in the same line of work? Specifically, if she was an Information Officer from the Military Intelligence Agency?

I shook my head.

“I’m not a Ministry of Defense employee. I’m from Patalia, not Abas. I’m affiliated with the Magic Tower.”

“Oh, you’re a Magician.”

Victor extended his hand politely, observing noble etiquette. Regardless of whether they were commoners or nobles, Magicians are treated with the rank of nobility.

Pretending to kiss the back of Francesca’s hand while making just enough noise to show respect, Victor subtly cast a glance my way.

Grasping the meaning in that glance, I dispelled Victor’s curiosity.

“She speaks Kien.”

“Nice to meet you, Mr. Victor. I’m Francesca from the Ranieri family.”

“…Ranieri?”

Victor’s eyes widened in surprise.

“Are you talking about ‘that’ Ranieri family?”

“That’s correct.”

“How rude of me not to recognize you. Jammer-Victor stands before the esteemed descendant of the Ranieri family.”

Victor stood up from his chair, buttoned his jacket, and bowed in respect to Francesca.

Victor didn’t bother asking what relation Francesca and I had. Even if he were out of touch with the world, it would be impossible for him not to know someone who graced the front page of newspapers and prime-time news.

For a moment, I felt Francesca’s gaze on Victor seemed a tad cold, but she quickly composed herself and returned his greeting.

“There’s no need for such formality, Mr. Victor. You are my guest, not merely a guest of the Colonel.”

“Is that so?”

As he politely addressed Francesca, Victor straightened back up.

When his gaze returned to me after acknowledging her, it seemed to ask what kind of relationship we had.

I shrugged, casually hinting it was nothing special.

“Francesca, this is Jammer-Victor. He used to be a Sergeant Major in the Kien Empire, and as you can see, he’s an Orc.”

“Sergeant Major?”

“It means he was a soldier. He’s a reserve now.”

Upon hearing my introduction, Victor flashed a kind, though more business-like, smile.

“Correct. I was in the military until two years ago.”

“And how do you know the Colonel?”

“Oh, we’re old friends. We met in a professional capacity and then it developed into a personal relationship.”

Victor, having introduced himself as a friend, added that he was now overseas conducting business.

With a smile that wasn’t very Orc-like, and narrowing his eyes, Victor observed me more closely.

“…….”

I nodded slightly in response to him. Perhaps feeling at ease at that, the Orc smiled and turned his gaze back to Francesca.

“I’m curious about how you two met.”

“It’s not exactly a story I can’t share with others.”

As Victor started recounting how we crossed paths to Francesca, I quietly closed my eyes, leaning back against the sofa and letting out a soft sigh.

As my sight faded, my hearing sharpened beyond the barrier.

The conversations of the ‘Information Agents’ pierced through the stillness.

* * *

My connection with Jammer-Victor goes back five years.

At that time, Victor was serving as a Sergeant Major, and I was operating under various disguises.

Victor was an operative I recruited while I was still active duty.

According to what’s considered common knowledge in the intelligence field, and due to the strict regulations within the agency, there comes a time when an Information Officer must ‘terminate’ their employment relationship with an operative for several reasons (operation completion, loss of operative value, orders from higher-ups, etc.).

This was no different for me, as I hurried back home due to counterespionage activities from the Imperial Guard and other agencies.

According to the regulations of the Military Intelligence Agency’s overseas division, I was supposed to sever ties with Victor before returning home, but instead of dismissing him and retreating to safety, I sought him out and provided him with a communication network. Because he still had substantial value as an operative.

Ultimately, my judgment proved correct.

Even though I was bombarded with curses from senior officers for potentially putting my life at risk, not firing Victor allowed me to maintain a good relationship with him for over five years.

“…I got into a traffic accident on my way through Abas and ended up getting caught by the police. It was a tricky situation since it was far from the embassy and the language barrier made it worse, but Freddy helped me out. That’s how our relationship started.”

“I see.”

Victor recited the convenient scenario I had given him five years prior.

One I had created in case I ever needed to use it someday, and now he was putting it to good use. Kudos to him for remembering it.

Weaving lively details into the tale so Francesca wouldn’t be suspicious, Victor began to embellish the story.

“Communicating in a foreign country can be quite inconvenient. When I first arrived at the Magic Tower, I felt just the same.”

“It is really uncomfortable. I should have learned a foreign language back in the Academy… I still regret it a lot.”

“Umm….”

However, it seemed Francesca wasn’t buying the story Victor was spinning at all.

Knowing I was an Information Officer, she seemed skeptical.

Are you going to fall for his lies? Francesca had long since noticed that Victor was not an ordinary person.

“Five years…”

Francesca murmured softly, as if recalling a vague past.

“That’s quite a long relationship.”

“What is your relationship with Raniere? Ah, of course, I’ve read about it in the newspapers. Still, isn’t it more vivid and pleasant to hear it directly?”

“Well… I think it’d be better to hear it from him directly….”

Francesca, who had been talking to Victor, turned to look at me. Her hair, as smooth as silk, cascaded down her shoulders, covering half of her face.

Beyond her hair, which shielded her from the ogre’s gaze, Francesca’s face, which was rarely devoid of expression, shot me a slightly cold glance.

Feeling the stab of her violet eyes poking at my face, I sighed inwardly and spoke up.

“Why don’t you hear it directly? So, what’s going on between you and the lady, Freddy?”

“Um….”

I pretended to hesitate, dragging it out as if I were in deep thought. With a bit of silence to catch both Francesca and Victor’s attention, I gently placed my hand on Francesca’s shoulder.

“Is it something like this?”

Francesca’s usually stoic face turned red with embarrassment.

As my hand settled on her shoulder, her body went stiff. Francesca unconsciously tensed, and I gave her a slight tug.

Thus, as she lost her balance, Francesca leaned towards me. Confused, she half-hugged me and gradually became aware of the situation, lifting her head urgently.

“…….”

“What’s wrong?”

It seemed she was caught off guard by my actions.

After all, who would be crazy enough to touch an aristocratic lady who wasn’t even engaged? If Francesca’s family had seen, they would have thrown down their gloves and challenged me to a duel, and if a paparazzi caught it, it wouldn’t have been unusual for it to make the front page of the Patalia newspaper the next day.

But Francesca didn’t raise her voice or slap me.

Still covering half of her face with her hair, she looked up at me with a mix of bewilderment and reproach in her eyes.

I met her gaze as if asking, “What’s the problem?”

“Francesca?”

“…You surprised me.”

Francesca put her hands against me and got back on her feet.

From afar, one might think, “Oh, look at them showing off,” but seeing her sharp nails — sharp enough to pierce through the fabric of my shirt — digging into my skin, one would quickly dismiss that thought.

“Ahem….”

Having barely regained her posture, Francesca naturally tidied her tousled hair and clothes, forgetting this was a Safe House and hoping no one had witnessed the scene.

But unfortunately, there was an audience.

“…….”

Victor, the former Kien Empire military sergeant who was an ogre, had his eyes wide open and mouth agape, frozen in place. This wasn’t a metaphor. He seemed to have forgotten even how to breathe and stood still.

Glancing between the now-distant Francesca, who was fixing her clothes, and me, Victor’s eyes locked onto mine, and then he began to sputter out something unexpected.

“…Uh, um, am I being oblivious by sitting here?”

“What are you talking about?”

“…Uh, it’s nothing.”

*

Clearly flustered, Victor waved his palm like a pot lid and stumbled over his words.

Glancing at the avoiding Victor, Francesca shot a cold glare at me as she buttoned her shirt tightly.

I felt slightly sorry for Francesca, but it was a necessary act for the conversation we were about to have.

In the ogre society, which revolves around tribes and families, bringing in an outsider into an important discussion is an enormous faux pas.

No matter how much Victor was a citizen of the empire, the customs of his race wouldn’t simply vanish.

I waited for the embarrassed Francesca and Victor to calm down. About two minutes and fifteen seconds passed before Victor cleared his throat to shake off the awkward atmosphere.

“Um, yeah. I get it, Freddy, you and the lady are quite close. It hasn’t been long since you met, but… are you engaged already?”

“Not yet.”

“I thought you brought me here to hand out wedding invitations.”

Trying to create a light atmosphere, Victor tossed out a joke as he diverted his gaze. He genuinely seemed to think Francesca and I were a couple.

Francesca glared at Victor as if she would kill him. If Victor had been looking straight ahead, he would have been knocked off his feet by the sheer intensity of her gaze.

To calm her down, I placed my hand over hers.

“Smile. Don’t scowl.”

“…….”

Realizing the situation a beat too late, Francesca forced a smile on her face, then pinched her palm as if to pretend we were holding hands.

Caught off guard by the scene, Victor coughed loudly and turned his head away.

“Ahem…! Um, I apologize for the interruption.”

Finally regaining his composure, Victor looked at me. Watching him deliberately avoid looking at Francesca made me feel guilty about the two of them for various reasons.

Victor, who had been caught off guard, still seemed unable to shake off his shock. He looked at me with a rather bewildered expression.

“Freddy. To be honest, I thought you had no interest in women.”

“…What?”

“I thought you were gay. You always seemed to push women away….”

What the hell is this nonsense?

I was too stunned to respond. For a moment, I heard someone nearby trying to suppress laughter, but I couldn’t bring myself to look over.

Victor, wiping his cold sweat with a handkerchief, mumbled that it was a joke, and kept spewing absurd congratulations about finding true love.

I wanted to argue but couldn’t.

I managed to smile through the pain of my palm and said, “So, Freddy, what brings you here?”

“I have a favor to ask.”

“A favor?”

“To be precise, it should be called a business proposal.”

At the mention of business, Victor’s expression changed. The flustered look disappeared, replaced by a business-like demeanor.

Victor, now visibly intrigued, murmured, “I didn’t expect you to bring up business with me.”

“I didn’t think I would either until a few months ago… before I met Francesca.”

That wasn’t a lie.

Had I not met Francesca, I wouldn’t even have considered proposing a business deal to Victor.

He seemed to sense something in my words. Victor dropped the courtesy he had shown the nobility and fixed his gaze on Francesca. Francesca, too, wiped the embarrassment off her face and put on a cold expression.

Right.

Just like that day when I had met her alone after being kidnapped by a mysterious thug.

After briefly exchanging glances with Francesca, Victor asked me in a serious tone that hinted at some understanding, “Does the lady know what I do?”

“Not the specifics. I didn’t want to stress her out. She did say you could help, though.”

“Not you, but the lady?”

“Yeah.”

Victor turned his gaze back to Francesca.

As he looked at Francesca, who was under his intriguing gaze, he slowly muttered with an expression of surprise, “I never thought that a high-ranking executive in the Magic Tower Secretariat, chosen by the Oracle, would have an interest in smuggling.”

Former sergeant from the Kien Empire’s military.

Current broker for weapons.

It was a merchant who traveled around the world’s conflict areas, supplying weapons to government armies and rebels.

“Tell me, friend. How can I assist you?”

 

---