The warrior, representing orc grandeur with the axe he carried on his back since the day he got it, thought for a while. He searched for a connection between the story Blood God Nafız told and the condition of her subordinates, who were slowly trying to pull themselves together.
As for those who witnessed what happened, the situation was mixed there too; some looked thoughtful, some anxious, and some appeared calm as if they understood everything. Sheikh of the Holy Bone Sect Hueso and the whiz kid of the orcs, Bookworm, naturally knew the answer, but the Wind of Death needed a little more time to speak.
Fortunately, the Commander-in-Chief of the Orc Empire Armies, who managed to find the answer she would give in less than five minutes, shared it with Nafız to see if she was right.
"The first move of our warrior is entirely correct. As a soldier of our army, whispering information about himself directly into your ear instead of announcing it in front of everyone prevented problems that could arise in the future."
If the Wind of Death, who started her speech by stating the obvious, had done this five years ago, she would have been chewed out long ago, but it seemed the Blood God's experiences in the Hell Realm had pushed her to be a bit more open-minded.
"As for them not answering your second question; depending on where we look at the issue from, who gets the lion's share of being right changes."
A golden gleam appeared on Bookworm's face, covered by a purple cloak, and he seemed about to take a small step forward, but the arm Nafız extended in front of him stopped his movement. Thinking about what his master could do after it was implied she was wrong, Bookworm aimed to silence his sister, but he was stopped by the person expected to give the biggest reaction.
"Go on, I'm listening to you!"
The Wind of Death knew damn well she was walking on a tightrope, and she showed this to everyone by choosing her words more carefully than ever.
"My warriors, thinking they had committed a fault, were trying to protect their superiors who trained them, meaning their instructor, from your wrath. Risking death to not say his name is the most important proof of their loyalty and respect for their superiors.
On the other hand, it was a huge mistake for them to pass judgment with their own thoughts and limited knowledge. Because I know for a fact that your goal was to honor that person, I think my warriors' action was out of line."
The Wind of Death reached this conclusion when she put the event she experienced together with the story she heard. Even though she didn't say it outright, the subtext of her words made it clear she didn't approve of the treatment her warriors were subjected to.
"As sure as you are of which name of yours?"
After all that explanation, Nafız came with another question, and this one was even weirder than the last.
"I didn't catch that!"
"What didn't you catch? I asked, as sure as you are of which name of yours. The one I gave you, or the one the others deemed worthy?"
Nowadays, not many people knew the name Nafız gave her, and those who did wouldn't make the blunder of using it, but the target of the question remembered the nickname Yarmagül very well. She had to use this name for many years and only managed to get rid of it thanks to the heroism she showed during the Two-Year Wars.
"As sure as I am of both!"
Neither taking a step forward nor backward, the Wind of Death braced herself against the cold winds blowing right where she stood.
"Is that so? Then you too have fallen for the same delusion as the ten people you call your warriors, Commander-in-Chief. The logic you set up is flawed from the get-go, and this flaw is enough to drag everything that comes after it into being wrong.
You said, 'Risking death to not say his name is the most important proof of their loyalty and respect for their superiors.'
Then I'm asking you for the first and last time; where the hell do you think my place is within the Orc Empire?"
The others were forced to respect her due to the fear created by her power, but in reality, her position within the Orc Community was at least as vague as Alyon's. After the great war where the Orc Steppes were liberated from captivity, she disappeared for two years; then, while she was fighting on the Savage Swamp continent, the orcs continued the development of their empire, and finally, during the years she spent in the Hell Realm, she didn't take an active role in orc society.
"I guess I need to school you on some things again, starting from here today. The sooner, the better; open your ears wide and listen to me.
Neither that instructor of yours whom you risked dying to protect, nor the director of the Military Academy, nor your commanders in the army, nor your Commander-in-Chief are above us; hell, even that Han brat you call the Supreme Sovereign of the Orcs has to open his mouth and answer when Alyon or I ask a question.
If there are orcs somewhere, the highest rank there belongs to Alyon and me. Drill this into your heads, otherwise, even if you manage to run to the ends of the earth, I will still find you and kill you."
In the moments when a blood-red wave of energy swept past not just the orcs but the entire group, a double-headed eagle phenomenon formed behind Nafız, but vanished as if it never existed a breath later.
"Nafız, shall we keep moving?"
On top of all that tension, only the hidden subject of the topic, Alyon, could speak, and he was doing his duty properly. His friend had mentioned his name even while talking smack to Han, whose name a normal orc would tremble with fear just uttering, but the hulking orc didn't seem pleased with this.
"What are we gonna do with these old-school mindsets of yours, Alyon? You just won't be satisfied unless you handle everything yourself, will you?"
Alyon, who had experienced the same mental crisis during the Savage Swamp campaign, had chosen to find his way out by groping in the dark, and it was clear he was insistent on walking down the same path again. Even though this attitude of his was generally negative, this time it caused the atmosphere to soften; the convoy, deciding to wait until the ten-man orc group was fit to walk, dispersed in silence and retreated to their corners to rest.
Nafız and Alyon stood apart; even Sheikh of the Holy Bone Sect Hueso chose to move to where the orc command echelon gathered instead of going to them. While the Elite Ten and the Elemental Ten were in different corners, the ten wounded orcs were busy healing each other.
"Loverboy, come here!"
Alyon called out to Hammerstriker the moment he sat down; whether because of what just happened or because he was his wife's father, his request was fulfilled instantly. The orc warrior, tossing his giant sword aside, came running to his side, hanging on his every word to hear what he had to say.
"Hand these meds out to the kids. Have them take it with plenty of water and circulate their energy through their bodies for ten minutes!"
When Nafız took on the role of the bad cop, the ass-kicking mother, Alyon chose to be the good cop, the compassionate father. Since the ten-man squad was good enough to come here, they must have also used the elixir made from Han's blood that awakened the lineage power. If they used the healing pills and circulated the energy they managed to feel on top of it, they would recover enough to walk in a short time.
"I'm tearing up over here; what a kind-hearted, loving orc chief you are, Alyon. You've packed so much pain and sorrow into your tiny heart, yet none of it has the power to wipe the sweet smile of pain off your face!"
Nafız, using her red hair as a shield for her face, teased her friend one last time before stretching her legs forward and slowly sliding down the wall she leaned her back against. She was as relaxed as if she wasn't the main actor of all these events, and the second she rested her head on Alyon's back, she fell asleep.