Chapter 36
Midim, one of the city-states of the Moabmon Alliance, located next to the Baro Empire, experienced frequent exchanges. Recently, in a temple of this area, sermons related to a newly established faith had been actively ongoing.
The clergy, dressed in pure white robes, preached. The listeners were diverse, consisting of men, women, old, young, rich, and poor alike… Among them, however, were some individuals who were quite unique.
These individuals had green skin and protruding tusks—Orcs. Though they were rare to see in Moabmon, they were very common in the neighbouring Baro Empire.
However, no one in the crowd paid special attention to them for being Orcs, nor did anyone discriminate against them. The reason for this was connected to the sermon being delivered by the clergyman today.
“Priest Roderick prayed to Seraphim: ‘O Seraphim, who can we call our neighbour?’ To this, Seraphim responded: ‘A traveller was attacked by bandits, left on the roadside, and was dying. A human priest passed by but ignored him. An elf holy knight, too afraid, ran away. Then, an Orc merchant passing by pitied the traveller, treated his wounds, and guided him to a village. Among them, who is the traveller’s neighbour?’”
The priest paused and looked around. In the silence, the people naturally reached their own answers.
“Roderick answered, ‘The Orc merchant who helped the traveller is the neighbour.’ Exactly. From this story, we understand that the neighbour we should love is the one with a kind heart. Whether they are Orcs, Elves, or Humans, race does not matter. Seraphim will judge a person based solely on their deeds, and we should do the same.”
“Ooh…”
“Indeed…”
The priest continued the sermon in a solemn voice. The listeners responded quietly, deeply moved by the words.
Among the crowd was an Orc man named Mok, cloaked and listening attentively.
***
Baa~ Baa~~
“How was the sermon today?”
“It was good. Truly… such words seemed to resonate deep within my heart, sister.”
“Haha, really? I guess that’s why you make the trip to Midim once a week.”
On a small hill outside the city, an Orc shepherd, Mok, was speaking with a human woman sitting behind him. Her skin was slightly darker, and she had black hair. Though her face was hidden by her robe, it was clear from her features that she was quite beautiful. She straightened her staff and descended from the rock she had been sitting on.
“But still… every time I see you, I find it strange. To think, a guy who despised the idea of gods when he was younger would say something like that.”
“These gods are fundamentally different from the ones I hated. Ba’al and Isiris… they exist only for humans. But Seraphim, who teaches equality among even us Orcs, is truly a being I can believe in.”
“Well, as long as you’re happy, I’m fine with it too, but… huh?”
“Oh no…”
At that moment, the two of them stopped talking and fixed their gaze on the same spot.
In front of them, a black lamb had strayed from the flock and was heading somewhere.
“Good grief… Why is it that in every group, whether it’s the imperial soldiers or sheep, there’s always one that acts out?”
“I will go get it. Until I return, please watch over the flock, sister.”
“Alright, I’ll leave it to you.”
Leaving the flock to the woman, Mok began tracking the black lamb.
The lamb swiftly crossed the vast plains and entered a deep valley.
Baa~
Beyond that point lay the territory of the Moabmon Alliance, specifically the Midim region, just outside the boundaries of the Baro Empire. While there were no major restrictions on travel between the two nations, especially when entering the cities, crossing borders still carried its risks.
Even so, abandoning the lamb was out of the question.
Following the black lamb, Mok ventured deep into the valley.
But then…
“Huh?”
Suddenly, a strange sight appeared before his eyes.
It was a woman, sitting with the black lamb cradled in her arms.
At first glance, she resembled a human, with pink hair.
However…
With white wings sprouting from her back…
And the faint, divine aura emanating from her, Mok immediately realized that she was not human.
Recalling the teachings from the temple, he knew that she must be…
“A… Are you… perhaps, a servant of Seraphim?”
[“Indeed, I serve Seraphim. I have come to deliver His message to you, shepherd… or rather, former consul of the Baro Empire, Mok.”]
“!”
Her words pierced through him, revealing his identity, something no one else knew.
With trembling knees, Mok knelt before the angel.
“Speak! Your servant is listening!”
***
In the past, the previous ruler of the Baro Empire, Ramset XIII, once issued a cruel order:
To kill all Orcs under two years of age within the empire.
Though mind-control magic was used to keep the Orcs in check, even with these restrictions, their rapid reproduction had led to a dangerous increase in their numbers. Given that the empire’s power was maintained through the labour of the Orcs, the situation posed a potential threat of rebellion.
Following Ramset XIII‘s decree, imperial knights mercilessly slaughtered Orc children, too young even to speak.
Throughout the slave quarters where the Orcs resided, the terrifying screams echoed, and tears of anguish poured from the Orcs who watched helplessly. Some Orcs took up makeshift weapons to resist, but their efforts were quickly crushed by the mages’ mind-control magic.
In the midst of this nightmarish chaos, one Orc woman made a secret decision.
She placed her baby in a small basket and sent it down the river.
Though she had no way of knowing if the child would survive, she could not bear to watch her baby be slain by a blade.
The basket, carrying the baby Orc, floated downstream…
It was found by none other than the Princess of the Baro Empire, Princess Patra, who had been bathing by the riverside.
Ramset XIII‘s daughter.
Still grieving from the loss of her young brother a few days prior, Princess Patra, though the child was of a different race, felt a brotherly affection—or perhaps motherly instinct—toward the young Orc.
Despite her father’s displeased gaze, Princess Patra decided to raise the young Orc child, whom she named Mok, as though he were her own sibling.
Though he was officially a servant of the princess due to his race, Mok was raised within the imperial palace and received an exceptional education.
He displayed such extraordinary talent and ability that it was hard to believe he was an Orc.
As a result, there were many in the Baro Empire who, despite the differences in race, came to secretly respect him.
Through the protection of Princess Patra and his abilities, Mok rose to the prestigious position of Consul.
He continued to achieve great feats, but…
No matter how remarkable his abilities were, he was still an Orc.
His success, as a former slave, stirred jealousy and envy in many.
In the end, his exceptional skills and rising influence became a threat to the next ruler, Ramset XIV, who forced Mok into exile.
With Princess Patra‘s help, he fled to the border region near the Moabmon Alliance.
Thus, hiding his identity, Mok wandered as a shepherd across the grasslands of Midim and the Baro Empire alongside his sister, Princess Patra.
Even as he lived in exile, one emotion still lingered in his heart:
The resentment he felt toward the Baro Empire, which had exiled him solely because he was an Orc.
And…
Though he could not openly express it, he always carried in his heart the pain of his oppressed kin—the Orcs.
His rise to the position of Consul had been driven by the hope of gaining enough power to help them. But now, all of that had been shattered.
As he spent his days in despair and anguish, he came across a new teaching by chance:
The faith of Seraphim, the God whom the Moabmon Alliance had newly embraced.
A doctrine that forbade discrimination based on race, promoting acts of kindness and love.
These teachings brought a ray of comfort to Mok’s tormented heart, and he soon began to offer sincere prayers to Seraphim.
And now, at this moment…
The messenger of Seraphim had appeared before Mok.
Holding the black lamb in her arms, the angel delivered the words of Seraphim to him.
[“Go. Go and save your people in the name of Seraphim. His Divine Power will aid you!”]
Her voice sent tremors through his entire being.
It was the answer to the prayer he had longed for.
Mok lowered his head and cried out:
“ברדום (Bardom—I will obey!)”
—
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