"Old man. Cough. I now understand what is going on. Don't worry. You are not my treasure. You will never become my treasure. I assure you."
The butcher said while resuming his seated position. Then he coughed and cleared some more air around him.
"Only ladies are my treasures. So you guys don't have to worry. It was just confusion on my part. Umm... Just forget about it."
Baran and Raadoo both looked at the new chieftain with suspicion written on their faces. The butcher furrowed his brows looking at their faces and replied.
"Don't look at me like that. I mean why would I lie to you? I'm your chieftain after all. You guys should be ready to become my treasures if that's what I wanted from you."
Alephee started laughing some more. Eren ignored her and looked at Baran before continuing.
'So, that's what you were talking about. Where are these treasures you speak of?'
Eren spread his mana sense around him and found out that there were 25 orcinas occupying another large hall on the first floor. That hall that looked like a bedroom also had minimal furniture. It featured a very spacious bed that could accommodate around 12 people at the same time.
The butcher looked at Baran as if he was seeing him for the first time. He couldn't help commenting.
"Old man Baran, do you even have this much life left in you to do it with all of them at once?"
Instead of replying to the question, Baran looked at Varhan angrily before commenting.
"You said you'd not steal my treasures. Are you turning back on your words?"
Varhan was left speechless after seeing that this old monster was ready to lose his life but not his "treasures". He clapped his hands in appreciation before commenting.
"I must say, Baran. You have your priorities figured out. I respect that. But there's something you are forgetting. I had said I wouldn't steal it if it wasn't too significant.
Sadly, I like this treasure. It is significant for me as well. Plus, those pretty ladies stopped being your treasures the moment you lost the duel with me."
Varhan smiled after remembering one more detail that Baran had said to him during the heat of the battle.
"You had said something about untouched treasure. Old man Baran, did you say that correctly or did I hear it wrong?"
Varhan had a playful smirk on his face as he asked the former chieftain. The latter knew that the rascal was going to find out soon anyway. So he sighed before commenting in a sad voice.
"That's right. Your timing to challenge me was impeccable, damn it. I wouldn't have minded losing to you, leaving the tribe, or even dying as much as I did now, had I done the deed with my treasures before our duel.
Those 25 treasures are untouched. They have also received their clarity. Their talent as orcs is going to shine even more as they keep on evolving."
Varhan couldn't help smiling from ear to ear when he heard Baran clear the doubt he had. He looked at Raadoo before ordering him.
"Your name is Raadoo right? Could you go upstairs and ask the Orcinas on the top floor to come? They must be aware of the change in chieftain. But they would be worried about their safety, I guess.
Inform them of the latest developments. Assure them of their security. And guide them downstairs."
Varhan said nonchalantly to Raadoo. The latter was just relieved that his newly appointed chieftain didn't have "designs" on Baran or him. He quickly made his way upstairs, leaving Baran and Varhan alone.
"Why didn't you kill me?"
Baran asked Varhan after taking a long breath as they waited for the 25 Orcinas to come down. The former was sure that a budding chieftain like Varhan wouldn't like leaving loose ends like Baran behind. And yet, he was still alive.
Varhan looked at Baran while narrowing his eyes before flashing a cunning smile. He chuckled before continuing.
"I may have some use for you with the way you inspire loyalty in your tribe. Why would I lose a capable commander when I will soon have an army of my own?"
Baran got confused after hearing Varhan's words. He had a lot of questions in his head. So he decided to ask the most pertinent ones first.
"Were you sent here by Kilaba?"
The butcher shook his head in denial before answering honestly.
"Who the fuck is that guy? I had come here in the vicinity to kill some orcs and just happened to find you here. I thought I should check out your progress since I hadn't seen you for a long time. So I came here."
Baran nodded at Varhan after listening to him. He then asked to confirm.
"You were not after the chieftain's position?"
The butcher scratched his chin and decided to light his smoke. He took out his Sativa stick and lit it up.
"Haaah!"
The butcher took a long puff off of his Sativa stick and kept the smoke in his lungs for a while. The stick made crackling noises as the force of suction increased. He then released all the smoke in one go before answering.
"Not really. I mean, I could always add more numbers to my upcoming army. Why waste useful resources, right? But I would be fine with or without this tribe.
I'll be honest here, Baran. I had come here to kill you. But after seeing the way you manage your tribe, I changed my mind.
Do you have anything else you want to ask?"
Varhan said while narrowing his eyes on Baran. The latter looked at the new chieftain and sighed before shaking his head in denial.
"No. Since you. Have defeated me, I accept your position as this tribe's leader. My tribe can prosper if you don't mistreat its members.
I also accept whatever you decide to do with me. I'll be your subordinate if you want me to be. You can banish me if you want. Or… or you can kill me. I'd only ask for painless death in case it's the third option you go for.'
Baran quickly made peace with his changed reality when he calmed down a bit. The butcher smiled when he got Baran where he wanted him to be on a psychological level.
By this time, the sounds of footsteps echoed through the hall. There was a group of monsters coming in the former and new chieftains' direction.
It wasn't long before the Orcinas stood in front of Varhan with Raadoo leading them. He had done his job well for the new chieftain. He was hoping for a prestigious position for a job well done. Raadoo was bored of serving as a messenger for chieftains and the rest of their subordinates.
Varhan looked at each of the Orcinas and couldn't help but make a lowkey whistling sound. He then admired the "treasures" chosen by Orc Lord Baran. They all had shapely figures. It was as if Baran had cherry-picked monster girls for him.
Orc Lord Baran knew that look. A smile appeared on his face as he adjusted his almost burnt and destroyed armor outfit before commenting.
"These treasures are selected from all the tribes I managed to win over after my defeat. When I was defeated by those vile humans…"
Varhan stopped in his tracks as he remembered something. His face darkened as he started connecting the dots in his head.
'This smell. The way this Varhan smokes.
And wait. What did he mean when he said he hadn't seen me for a long while?'
Baran replayed the butcher's statements in his head. The Orc Lord felt like a mini-explosion had been detonated in his head as he looked at Varhan with a look of disbelief and confusion. There was a tinge of horror mixed in those emotions as well.
"You….."
