Try as I might, I was unable to move an inch. That much I pretty much was expecting, considering the amount of strain I put on my body. What was most worrisome was….

  …

  In front of me, my shadowy butler was watching over me. His eyes lit up as he noticed my eyes open. “Ah, you are awake, Master Vladimir. I am glad. Would you like some assistance in getting up?”

  Normally, I would have accepted the offer. Yet, there was only one thing I could muster up to say. All in a rather neutral tone.

  “I don’t know.”

  It felt strange; it was like I couldn’t even bother to think of an answer. I’m usually more sure of myself and my own choices. Just what is going on with me???

  Paimoth seemed to pick up on my odd situation, at least that was what I managed to pick up on from the little I could tell from his lit-up expression.

  “Rather curious, Master Vladimir. You seem rather emotionally minuscule to someone of your nature master. Is this a possible aftereffect from your last battle?”

  Maybe???? If I thought about it, using my own resolve as fuel for my ability and pushing through to its limits would have done something to me. This must have been the price I had to pay. A big drawback, if you ask me… surely it will only be temporary, or I wouldn’t be able to utilize it at all. The problem now is, how long will this last?

  I tried to answer his question after going over it, yet the best I could do was to blankly stare back at him. I would have probably felt embarrassed by the way I was acting if I didn’t seem to care at the moment.

  Thankfully, he seemed to get what I was trying to convey and simply helped me to sit up straight next to a tree without waiting for any further response. Then he began to give out a report, guessing that that would be what I would have ordered him for.

  “I shall provide you with a detailed summary of what has transpired during your initial repose, Master Vladimir.”

  He then gestured for me to look around me at where I was met with the sight of everyone positively interacting with each other, more so the fact of the destroyed environment. I didn’t really consider it at the time, but me and Mordred really did a number on this place. Or rather, Mordred did while I was busy trying to survive through it all. I nearly flinched when I saw the splatter of my own blood on the ground, which reminded me of my own damaged stomach. I initially tried to check out my wound, but my own sore body refused, nor was I able to will it.

  “Do not be alarmed Master Vladimir, we have managed to patch you up and you should be able to recover without worry.” Paimoth reassured me, lifting my own arm to show me its bandages, utilizing the spare cloth we came with as well as some of the [Healing Powder] I provided for them.

  “As for the conclusion of your battle with Henchman Mordred. Suffice to say the result was rather…. Surprising to say the least…” He started to tell me with an unsure tone.

  Picking up on what I would have wanted to do, he motioned me to look to the side, only to find Mordred resting nearby. He was bandaged up as well, though not as much compared to me. He was currently resting up. Probably because forcing himself into [Bloody Rage] without losing his sense of self would surely tire anyone out.

  “At the end of your match, it was honestly hard to tell who had won. You both were down on the floor, and neither of you was moving at all.” Paimoth explained before taking another glance at Mordred.

  “That said…. He had woken up not too long ago, only to simply point while smiling before he went back to resting. I believe he was trying to say that you had emerged victorious, Master Vladimir and we all have accepted it as the result. We are currently in the process of conversations as we await your recovery. But it is to my understanding that the unrecruited Orcs show interest in joining.”

  The story has been illicitly taken; should you find it on Amazon, report the infringement.

  Did he now…. A part of me wanted to question that yet as I am now, I could only think but to simply agree with that statement... Just how much longer am I going to be like this? It’s weird….

  Then my mothy servant made a suggestion to me. “As you are at the moment master, I must suggest simply to focus on recovery before we continue further negotiations.”

  All I could do was stare at him blankly and simply reply with a “Ok”. I couldn’t help but agree with him that it was probably for the best.

  As time went on, I could feel the soreness in my body subside; soon enough, I should be able to at least look around and move my body a little. Afterwards, that weird fog that was clouding my head had started to die down as well. When it was finally clear enough for me to think more clearly, the first thing that went through my mind was the embarrassment of how I acted around my subordinates.

  I made a mental note to myself to be more mindful when using this [Weapon Style]. I do not like the idea of myself acting more agreeable. At least I was right in guessing this would be temporary at the very least, thankfully.

  During all that time, I watched everyone interact with one another. Many of them talked about their excitement over our battle. It usually involved the unrecruited Orcs expressing their disbelief over how strong we were. While my own followers, who were more used to my combat display, were more focused on their enjoyment of finally being able to see how I was able to overpower Mordred, not really knowing that this battle was a lot more intense than our first battle.

  Not long afterward, Mordred quietly woke up. Oddly he was rather quiet, simply smiling at me while giving me a thumbs up. That only made me more suspicious about our battle’s conclusion…

  ….

  Did he….

  I shook my head, deciding not to dwell any further on the subject. What matters now is that I accomplished my initial goal of recruiting these Orcs, further expanding my army’s strength.

  Seeing that I was recovered enough, I called over Paimoth and informed him I was ready to continue negotiations. He gathered everyone together, and some of the Orcs that were representing them had walked forth with determination in their faces. It was easy to tell what their decision was, but I let them speak. ~

  “We have decided after seeing the strength you possess, we all wish to work for you someone as strong as you, boss!!”

  Everyone cheered with their proclamation, especially the Orcs already under my service. Then the familiar notification popped up to make their recruitment official.

  With this, I now had 17 Orcs under my command, giving me more than my own fellow Kobolds. I’ll have to rectify that in the future as well. But for now, I enjoyed the moment.

  “Welcome, my new minions Veehahahahaha!! ~”

  Later on, I planned to have them integrate into the Mivtic Kingdom once everyone has settled into their new roles. Right now, I want to get a better look at my new territory, so once I’m rested enough to move, I’ll have them give me a look around. There was actually an area that got my interest.

  Some of the newly recruited Orcs were happy to oblige. The outside was simple enough, with plenty of areas for training and combat. Just like the others, they all opted to live inside the caverns. Though in comparison, theirs was only as large as to give these large creatures space to sleep comfortably.

  Although there was this one entrance at the edge of their settlement, they were rather reluctant to show me. Or rather, they seemed uncomfortable to even mention it. It only took a quick reminder from Paimoth that they relented.

  “You do not plan to hold back on Master Vladimir, do you?”

  “Of course not! It’s just…. That place gave us nothing but trouble….” One Orc defended himself while the others looked away.

  But Paimoth wasn’t having any of it, making a single-word response. “Explain.”

  Seeing as they couldn’t avoid it, they began recounting how it was because of that place where several humans attacked their settlement. In particular, it was another reason why some of their brethren were taken prisoner, and they were forced to allow them access to it in fear of what would happen to their imprisoned brothers.

  They would have fought back, but there was one human who overpowered them, so they were given no choice.

  Hearing this, it was obvious that this was the work of the pig king and their commander. Suspicions grew when they informed me that it was just that powerful human in armor and the fat human together.

  Thinking this, I started to wonder if this was the place. My question was soon answered when one of them made an interesting comment.

  “I don’t know why they were so desperate for that place. All that was there were some shiny rocks.”