A dead Triad lay before Azekiel, who was looking at the screen before him, which showed him how much he had gained after killing a Triad.
"The experience was quite good. But the Soul Energy is much better. I'm full again."
He closed the screen, looking down.
"The memories, though... That's the best part."
His passive skill, Gluttony of Knowledge, helped him absorb the memories of the Triad. That made him understand a lot of things, especially what kind of hierarchy the Triads had. He also understood where their base was. The one problem was that he couldn't enter that place without the permission from the Queen.
"Lia, did you know that each Triad is connected to a plant that is inside the Land of Triads?" he asked, finding it quite amusing.
It was the first time he found out something as bizarre as this.
"Whenever a Triad dies, the plant connected to them dies as well. That means we don't even need to send his body back. They already know that he is killed."
"And it's also confirmed that Liam is indeed hiding inside their clan. But more importantly... This Layin..."
"Is that man crazy?" Just as Azekiel was talking with his Familiars, the Orcs also talked amongst themselves.
They looked at Azekiel weirdly, watching him talk to empty air.
"Silence. It doesn't matter if his mind is a little... Out of place. That doesn't change the fact that he helped us. If he weren't here, all of us would've been dead, and probably our home would've been destroyed as well! Instead of mocking him, we must thank him."
The leader of the Group walked closer to Azekiel.
He brought a small piece of stone out of his sack and reached out his hand toward Azekiel.
"Thank you for saving our lives!"
Azekiel looked at the stone in the hands of the bulky Orc, wondering why he was giving him a stone.
"A stone? Why?" Even though he picked up the stone, he asked.
"This is a form of our gratitude. You saved us. That stone means no matter what, you are a friend of the Orcs! As long as you need help, we won't hesitate for even a second before coming to your help!" The new leader of the Orcs stated.
"A stone of gratitude...." Azekiel glanced at the stone. He didn't question it too much and kept the stone in his storage ring. "Thank you."
"Anyway, you aren't out of the problem yet. This was just one Triad that came to kill you. His death doesn't mean you are free. Instead, it means your problems are about to increase. If I'm not wrong, an entry army might come to you next."
"We understand that. That's why we've decided to leave our home. We can't face an entire army of those people. For the sake of our family, we would leave the land and shift to a place far away from forests," the old Orc explained.
"So you're just going to run away, abandoning your homes?" Azekiel asked. That wasn't good for his plan. He wanted them to stay and fight! Those people were his bait!
"We aren't running away. We are just choosing a better battlefield for us, which isn't inside a forest. If those things want to defeat us, they need to face us where we don't have to worry about fighting an entire forest." The old Orc responded. "It's not running away."
"To Triads, it'll be no different than running away. They will laugh at you! I don't want to let that come true. I don't want the proud Orcs to become a laughing stock of the world!"
"What are you implying? We should fight inside a forest and die in this biassed battle?" The Orc frowned.
"Young man, just because you helped us, you don't get to force us to a deadly path! We aren't afraid of death, but we want to fight!"
"That's right! Stop provoking us to fight a losing battle!"
Each of the Orc chimed in, one after another. They were grateful for Azekiel, but at the same time, they were angry at him for even suggesting that they were running away from a battle.
"Who says it's a losing battle?" Azekiel smirked. "It's not a losing battle at all. Instead, it's a battle where you can show the world the strength of Orcs, where you can even win against the strongest of the Triads, in a land that's advantageous to them."
"Is that even possible?" The old Orc asked. "We saw the strength of one... It was enough to hold back all of us. The strength of many..."
"Of course, it's possible. I am here to help you!" Azekiel chimed in. "I'll help you fight them! Not only fight, I'll help you win!"
"Why would you help us against the Triads? Helping us against one of them could be seen as you passing by and deciding to lend a hand. But helping us in the entire war? Why? Why do you want to help us?"
"Why? Let's just say I'm a kind-hearted person." Azekiel placed his hand on his chest as he bluffed. "I saw you were in trouble, and now I want to help you, so no one can bully you again."
Even though he helped orcs, that wasn't enough to have them trust him entirely. To have them fight with him, he needed a little more shove and an excuse for his willingness to help them.
He gave the Orcs an excuse and spoke it in such a manner that they couldn't help but believe him.
Before there could be any more questions, he shifted the topic as well, not giving them a chance to think his proposal.
"That aside, what are you doing here? Won't you take care of the body? He was one of us!" He walked to the dead Orc, who used to be the old leader of the clan.
He placed his hand on the chest of the dead Orc, showing himself to be quite hurt. However, secretly, he used the Soul Snatch on the Orc, absorbing the Soul Energy of the Orc.
'The Soul Energy of an Orc is way less than the Soul Energy of a Triad.'
He noticed the difference in the Soul Energy, which made him realize that killing the Triads was more beneficial to him. Especially since these were his last boosts in strength before he had to leave the tower as soon as he was done here.
The Orcs also stepped forward, slightly touched that Azekiel was so caring. He was giving such respect to their dear leader. They picked up the body of their fallen leader and started escorting the body back. At the same time, they didn't forget to tell Azekiel to come with them. They had agreed to his proposal.
