Ainz Ooal Gown: Noble Knight

To his right was a lion-headed orc, only slightly smaller than the orc king, with two short axes hanging from his waist; he was the orc king's personal guard captain.

In the center of the large tent, a dozen or so bear-man warriors knelt.

Their dark brown fur was covered with dried blood and mud. They had their heads down and their shoulders heaving violently, clearly having just escaped death on the battlefield and run all the way here.

“Say it to me again.”

The Orc King's voice came from above, carrying an imposing and authoritative aura.

The bear-man warrior gritted his teeth, raised his head, and his bear eyes met the orc king's amber pupils for a moment before he quickly looked down again.

“Your Majesty…” His voice was hoarse, as if his throat had been sanded, “Chief Urgov… was killed by a human old man with a single punch.”

There was a moment of silence in the large tent.

The captain of the guard standing to the right of the Orc King let out a sneer, his face full of undisguised contempt.

His voice was sharp and sarcastic, "Urgov is one of the strongest guys in our orc kingdom. You're saying he was killed by a human old man with one punch?"

He took half a step forward, looking down at the bear-man kneeling on the ground.

"Is this an excuse you made up because you couldn't defeat that cavalry force and were afraid of being punished?"

The bear-man warrior suddenly raised his head, his eyes bloodshot as if about to burst, and he pushed himself up from the ground.

"What did you say!"

The dozen or so bear-man warriors behind him also raised their heads, baring their teeth.

Several men had already reached for their waists, but they had already discarded their weapons while fleeing, and they found nothing.

The atmosphere instantly became tense.

The fox-headed scribe silently took two steps back and shrank into the shadows of the corner of the tent.

The captain of the guards showed no fear, his mouth agape, revealing two rows of sharp teeth.

"What? You've been right? You want to make a move?"

"enough."

The Orc King's voice was like a bucket of ice water poured over everyone's heads.

The bear-men warriors fell silent, and the captain of the guard took a half-step back, but still stared intently at the bear-men.

The Orc King's gaze fell on the bear-man who had stood up.

"Kneel down."

The bear warrior hesitated for a moment, then knelt down again. The bears behind him followed suit, but the anger on their faces did not diminish at all.

The Orc King looked at them, a complex light flashing in his eyes.

It wasn't that he didn't want to stop the conflict immediately.

But he needs to confirm whether these bear-men are telling the truth or just making excuses for their defeat.

Judging from the reactions of these bear-like people, this is basically true.

Urgov of the Giant Claw tribe has always been at odds with him.

That guy, relying on the tribe's strong military, openly defied him several times at tribal chiefs' meetings, and even secretly contacted several other tribes, trying to sideline him.

If Urgov dies, it might not be a bad thing for the Orc King.

But the problem is that "old human man".

If what these bear-men are saying is true... then things are in trouble.

"You mean he alone," the Orc King said slowly, "killed over three thousand of you?"

"Yes." The leader of the bear-men lowered his head, his voice trembling. "We...we charged forward. We wanted to avenge our leader...but we couldn't even hurt him."

"You have over three thousand people, and the enemy wiped you all out without a single person taking any damage?"

The bear-man warrior's shoulders trembled violently.

"Yes, it is."

The tent fell silent.

The captain of the guard's contemptuous expression gradually faded as he glanced at the bear-men kneeling on the ground.

These bear-men may not be the brightest, but they wouldn't come up with such an outrageous lie, would they?

Moreover... that kind of fear that comes from the very marrow of their bones cannot be faked.

"Did he say anything?" the Orc King suddenly asked.

The bear-man warrior paused, somewhat confused.

"what?"

"That human," the orc king's tone grew more serious, "did he say anything? For example... where did he come from? Why did he come?"

The bear-man warrior frowned, desperately trying to recall with his small brain.

The bear-men behind them exchanged glances, racking their brains for an answer.

“He…he said…” another young bear-man warrior suddenly spoke up, “He said he came from the Bahars Empire.”

"The Baharath Empire?" The Orc King frowned.

The young bear-man warrior thought for a moment, then continued, "He also said... he came to discuss some matters with the rulers of the orc kingdom."

He also asked us if we were willing to surrender.

The Orc King's pupils contracted slightly.

These words sound like they come from an envoy sent by some powerful force.

A terrible thought rose in the mind of the Orc King.

This year, he has gathered the main force of the orc tribes, intending to destroy the Dragon Kingdom in one fell swoop.

The Dragon Kingdom has already lost several towns, and the adamantite-class adventurer team, Crystal Tears, has been repeatedly defeated.

At this rate, it won't be long before he conquers the capital of the Dragon Kingdom and incorporates that rich land into the territory of the Orcs.

But just at this moment, an old human man appeared who "killed Urgov with one punch".

The timing was perfect.

This forced the Orc King to think in that direction.

What does he look like?

"Wearing...wearing black clothes, with white hair, and looking very old," the young bear-man warrior tried to recall.

These descriptions have absolutely nothing to do with the legends about "dragons" in the Orc King's memories.

But it is precisely because they are unrelated that they are even more suspicious.

Perhaps the dragon wanted to use this form to imply that it was there to protect the humans of the Dragon Kingdom.

The Orc King's expression turned somewhat grim.

He got off the stone chair and paced back and forth on the huge animal skin carpet.

The captain of the guard and the fox-headed scribe exchanged a glance, neither daring to utter a sound.

"Your Majesty," the captain of the personal guard finally couldn't help but speak, "in my opinion, this matter may not be so."

"Shut up." The orc king didn't even turn his head.

The captain of the guard immediately shut his mouth.

Chapter 81 The Messenger

The Orc King paced back and forth on the huge animal skin carpet.

His lion mane swayed in the lamplight, and the shadow cast on the tent wall resembled a real beast pacing back and forth in its cage.

As the king of a nation, he needed to think more than the other orcs.

First, Urgov died.

The Giant Claw tribe's thousands of elite troops were almost completely wiped out, and the fear of these bear-men was real.

Even if there is some exaggeration involved, there is no doubt that the opponent is very strong.

Secondly, the human did not pursue the fleeing bear-man. This indicates that he was not a bloodthirsty person, or that his purpose was not slaughter.

Finally, he used the word "talk," which indicates that even a powerful dragon like him was not confident in facing the entire orc army.

If the other side is strong enough to overwhelm the orc army, why try to persuade them to surrender in the first place? It can't be because they are kind.

By piecing these fragments together, the Orc King came to a conclusion.

This old man is definitely related to the dragon that established the Dragon Kingdom, or he might even be the dragon itself.

He wants to protect the Dragon Kingdom.

If the Orc Kingdom launches another war of annihilation against the Dragon Kingdom, the Dragon Kingdom will continue to attack the Orc Kingdom's army, and the final result will likely be a lose-lose situation.

The Orc King took a deep breath and slowly exhaled.

He walked back to the stone bench and sat down.

"Get up, all of you," he said to the bear-man warriors.

The bears paused for a moment, then cautiously stood up.

"Take care of your injuries with the tribal priests." The orc king's tone softened a bit. "The Giant Claw Tribe... Urgov is dead. You will temporarily be assigned to the Ironmouth Tribe's forces. Once the fighting on the front lines is over, I will reorganize you."

The bear warriors looked at each other in bewilderment.

The leading bear-man warrior seemed to want to say something, but having been defeated and forced to flee, he had no face to continue making demands, and could only mutter a reply: "...Yes."

They limped out of the tent.

"His Majesty."

The captain of the guard's voice came from the right, voicing his doubts.

"You really believe what these bear cubs say? Kill Urgov with one punch? That guy, no matter what..."