The stale and lukewarm air of Redwood flows through the mask and fills my lungs.
Is this really my hometown?
The Orc taxi driver, Tom, couldn’t hide his excitement with a humble tone.
“At least it’s a relief that there are no Elves among the customers. It’s true that Orcs here know how scary Elves can be, so even if Elf tourists come, they usually don’t bother them. Though sometimes there are brothers who take their mental care drugs a bit too seriously.”
“Yo, grandpa. You’re still alive? Are you doing well? These are my friends. Can’t you tell? They’re tourists! I should at least get a side job like this, right? Aren’t I supposed to treat the local kids to a meal or two?”
“Oh dear customers, could you please stop for a moment? Yes, that’s right. First, line up against the wall, and no, don’t make eye contact. Just avert your gaze.”
Bang, bang!
“It’s gang turf wars. If you keep your heads down, you’ll be dragged off in no time. What? You said why not just clear them out? Haha, you’re probably not a mercenary. Your wife sure is funny.”
While listening to Tom’s explanation, I made a brief remark.
“This place is a total mess.”
“True.”
Tom agrees with me.
“Ah, could you please lower your heads a bit more? If the gangs catch sight of you wearing masks, they might cause trouble. Good, that’s how you do it.”
Tom grins, baring his teeth.
—
24. Orcs of Cyberpunk (4)
…
As I walked a bit further, I began to get the hang of how this neighborhood operates.
First off, even if Orcs meet for the first time, as long as they recognize each other as ‘Orcs’, they can continue the conversation as ‘brothers.’
Looking at this, I thought that what Smith referred to as ‘brothers’ might not actually mean biological siblings.
As we walked, hostile glances mixed with aggression were directed at us from surrounding Orcs.
Some Orcs approached us with hostile feelings; thankfully, we had Tom, an Orc, so things didn’t escalate seriously.
If Tom hadn’t been there…
Wouldn’t we have ended up challenged by Orc trainers, like in Pokémon encounters, if we made eye contact?
Regardless, hiring Tom was indeed a good choice.
Moreover, there seemed to be surprisingly few vehicles on the road compared to what I had expected. As a result, the wide streets were almost utilized like sidewalks.
Of course, it wasn’t like there were no vehicles at all. Occasionally, trucks loaded with Orcs carrying guns sped by, kicking up dust.
The scenery felt like it had escaped the flow of time, showing both outdated views and the distinct traces of cyberpunk.
It was a totally unpredictable neighborhood.
“This is for you.”
A kind old lady (Orc) gifted Tom with a protein bar—one of the main snacks in the cyberpunk world—mysteriously wrapped.
I made an excuse that I was full and tucked the protein bar into my pocket.
There was over a 90% chance that the ingredients in this protein bar were made of ‘edible insects.’
In fact, edible insects were among the most common food materials in the cyberpunk world.
But if those edible insects turned out to be cockroaches over 30 cm long, it was a hard pass.
“If it fits your taste, this can be a delicacy!”
Tom gulped down the protein bar and said.
“By the way, are there any other characteristics of that Orc named Smith you mentioned earlier?”
“Ah.”
I had been talking and almost lost track.
What had I said up to that point?
His name is Smith.
He’s 2 meters tall.
An Orc with a bald head and a skinhead look.
He’s employed at a brokerage called No Answer.
I think that’s about all I explained.
What else is there?
The sunglasses… well, they’re not that distinctive.
I continued to think for a bit.
Ah, right.
“Come to think of it, he was an Orc without tusks. That should be a distinguishing feature, right?”
Now, bring Smith to me.
But.
Tom’s reaction was different from what I expected.
“Are you sure he doesn’t have them?”
“?”
What kind of answer is that?
Seeing my puzzled expression, Tom shifted to an explaining attitude as if he might not know.
“Orcs living outside likely all have detachable tusk implants.”
“…What?”
What kind of implant procedure is that?
It felt like hearing the shocking truth that a person’s hair I knew was actually a wig, or that their teeth were dentures.
Tom brought his finger to his mouth.
“Mine’s the same.”
With a clink, a large tusk landed on Tom’s palm.
“Cases of completely removing or grinding down tusks are pretty rare. Usually, it’s only Orc brothers who plan to leave this town entirely who go that route.”
He then reattached the tusk by his mouth.
“Most Orcs in the city I know named Smith are like that. Of course, there might be some who actually removed or ground them down, but can you be certain?”
I let out a short hum.
“Hmm.”
That does make sense.
I had thought he had them ground down, but actually, they could be detachable.
He might have just taken them out when working, then put them back on when returning to his hometown of Redwood.
It was difficult to say that Smith had a definitive ‘characteristic.’
Seeing my expression, Tom nodded.
“But it’s alright.”
Tom thumped his chest with his fist.
“The good thing for you all is that I’m the guide for this neighborhood.”
Tom flashed a friendly smile as we followed him. Soon, a building came into view.
It didn’t particularly stand out among the other buildings.
Built with old bricks, there were patches stained red here and there.
And since there was no signboard, if I had passed by, I might have mistaken it for a typical family house.
“Just head up this way,”
Tom said, pushing aside the folding iron gate.
Inside, just like the other buildings, two Orcs acting as gatekeepers huddled together, chatting.
“Hmm? Who’s here?”
“…Wow, they’re really cute.”
The gazes of the two shifted to Catherine and Eve.
Even among Orcs of different races, the standard of beauty hadn’t varied much. Given that this world was cyberpunk, balanced looks became the norm.
It was just as strange not to react to their appearances by this point.
I was so used to their looks that I hardly noticed it.
Honestly, just walking down the street made it so clear that people’s gazes were drawn.
Perhaps the two Orcs felt the same way.
With swaggering steps, they approached us.
“What brings you here, tourists?”
“We could show you a good time you know.”
With foolish laughter, they continued speaking, ignoring Tom and me.
“…Yo, brothers. These are our guests. Why are you acting like this?”
Tom stepped in to mediate the serious atmosphere as he spoke up.
Yet even so, those two Orcs didn’t cease their advances toward Catherine and Eve.
Well then.
This was long enough.
I lightly pulled up some mana.
Using the wind to push the two Orcs back a step.
“Hmm?”
Feeling something strange, the Orcs’ knees buckled simultaneously, dropping them down.
“Ugh, wait. I’m dizzy─.”
Followed by the sound of retching.
“Whoa….”
This was a pretty peaceful response.
I didn’t care much about the chatter behind me, but ignoring me was a different problem.
After years in mercenary work,
It’s just a habit I developed.
Once you’re ignored, it never ends.
With that, I snapped my finger again.
I condensed the gathered mana into an image.
It wasn’t a method I could use anytime.
It required the distance to be very close and the absence of any cyberware implants to counter my magic.
In other words, it was perfectly suited for orcs.
I just had to touch their semicircular canals.
Realizing what I had done, Tom looked at me with trembling eyes.
“…Is this some form of cyberware or hacking?”
“Don’t worry too much; it won’t threaten their lives.”
I pointed to the top of the stairs.
“You said to go up, so let’s head up.”
“…Yes, sir.”
Tom replied in a small voice.
Though I had explained it wasn’t for tourism,
Seeing that he witnessed not a regular person right in front of him, he looked a bit shaken.
Sigh, this isn’t exactly my style.
But if I had just left those Orcs, they might have ended up as blood pancakes for Catherine.
What a hassle coming to find Smith.
I turned my head to gauge Catherine and Eve’s reactions.
…
But somehow.
I thought they would feel uneasy because of those Orcs, but much to my surprise, Catherine and Eve appeared a bit pleased.
What’s this?
They were whispering to each other.
“…Being protected isn’t so bad, is it?”
“……I partially agree.”
I couldn’t hear exactly what they were discussing. I scratched my head, pondering.
…Well, it should be fine.
Noticing the vibe, Tom awkwardly chuckled.
He cautiously opened his mouth to speak.
“Well, it’s a relief that you’re strong enough to protect the ladies, so I can worry a little less.”
“……”
They might be stronger than me.
I almost blurted out the truth in frustration, but a shiver ran down my spine, so I barely managed to hold my tongue.
Sometimes, it’s best to stay quiet.
We followed Tom up the stairs.
—
At the end of the staircase, in an office.
The Orc sitting at the desk widened his eyes when he saw us.
“Damn it, it’s a meteor!!”
Crash!
Without hesitation.
He jumped out of the window and down from the building.
“…”
What is happening now?
For the time being, I used magic again.
I lifted the Orc who jumped out, helping him return back inside the room.
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