I must admit that future looks dire, to say at least. It might be a coincidence for a chimera to appear out of blue, but the recent news can only disapprove such notions. I can see that the times of discord are close, thus I pray for my children to be strong.

“It’s a checkmate, old man”

I open my eyes and see a familiar image of my friend sitting on a chair before me. He is not a human, but an orc, and not a normal one at that. His name is Wyrm of the Ladon Clan, whose migration paths are very close to the settlement I govern. We, as fellow leaders of our people, share friendship build upon mutual respect and interest in prosperity. I am proud to call him my friend.

“Oh, dear me, it seems so, rude brat. It looks like I am going senile if an idiot like you can win even a single match in chess”

As I said, I respect him very much. Wyrm is old by his tribe’s standards, but he is still pretty young in my eyes. In fact, he looks a lot like an attractive human male, save for reddish tint to his skin and barbarian choice of wear.

“Never change, old man. Also, a little birdie told me your kid and that elf girlie somehow defeated a chimera. How nice”

“Oh? And who might be this bird? I will make sure to hunt one next time I see one”

“Easy there. I am against killing birds: too much work for so little meat. What I wanted to ask is whether they are ready or not?”

“I am not sure. Alan has a heart and Marie has brains, but I am afraid that they lack power to challenge the calamity ahead”

“Kids kill a damn chimera on their own, and you think they are not ready. What would they fight then? A demon lord?”

“If my worst assumptions are correct, they will…”

“Oh, that bad, huh? We both know orcs won’t help you. No matter how much we like humans, we still own demons for protecting our ancestors centuries ago, and orcs don’t go back on their words, even for the right reason”

“I know and I won’t ask for your help, old friend. Even if it pains me to do so, I will leave the rest in their hands and hope that they will save us all”

This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience.

“Hey, old man…”

“What?”

“Soon, my son will become the clan leader”

“Is that so?”

“Yeah, he is pretty good. Just like his father. He even wants to create a school, so all orcs could learn how to read and write. Isn’t that nice?”

“Ah, what a nice boy. Is that the one who was guarding the merchants the other day?”

“Yep. So, since he will become a ruler soon, I think he needs a good wife, too. You know, the smart one”

“Rejected”

“Eh? But I haven’t finished yet! Listen me till the end, old man!”

“I know you and I know your son. Marie won’t become Warm’s bride, and that’s final”

“Wait! Wait! Wait! Think about the possibilities! Yeah, the multi-cultural exchange! They might become a symbol of the new era! A peace between all races. Sounds great, don’t you agree?”

“Let me guess. Warm saw Marie, when he was in village and fell in love with her at the first sight, correct?”

“How do you…”

“She probably became interested in orc culture and started an idle chat with him. And, after speaking with her a little, your son fell even deeper, seeing how smart she was. His idea about “innovations” was most likely influenced by Marie, too”

“How come you know all this?”

“Because my dear friend, if you want to ask for Marie's hand…

You need to wait you turn after Alan like the others, and believe me, it will take a lot of your time, boy ” 

I certainly was not pleased by his horrified look