The 3rd Prince of the Fallen Kingdom Returns

26. Memories of a Hunter (2)

Yuri held the red gemstone in his hand.

Although he had suspected that it was no ordinary item, given its ability to drive orcs into a frenzy. He never imagined it would be connected to this ancient ruin.

As the gemstone flickered, the room’s internal lighting grew brighter.

Yuri could see the scene in the room more clearly.

Human skeletons, similar to those he had seen outside, lay scattered.

They all appeared to have taken their own lives.

In the middle of the pile of corpses, there was something resembling a staff embedded with mana stones.

The red gemstone gradually emitted an even stronger light.

Yuri couldn’t tell if he was moving on his own, or if the staff was drawing him towards it.

With the red gemstone in one hand, Yuri reached out and placed his other hand on the mana stone on the staff.

Then, his vision turned white.

Something began to appear.

At first, it was a clear blue sky, followed by an endless expanse of grasslands.

Yuri soon realized that he wasn’t seeing these images from his own perspective but through someone else’s eyes.

* * *

The memories within the staff were old and faded.

Many parts were difficult to understand, as if torn pieces haphazardly stitched together, but he could grasp the overall flow.

This structure had once been a refuge for hunters.

They stayed here under the king’s orders, eliminating dangerous creatures that threatened the kingdom.

Orcs.

The owner of these memories had obtained the qualification of a hunter in the kingdom and came to the end of these grasslands, where he received training from his master.

They steadily hunted orcs.

But the orcs were resilient, fleeing at the first sight of danger and using their tenacious vitality to multiply endlessly.

So the hunters used artifacts imbued with magic.

The owner of the memories received one from his master.

“This is the emblem of an orc-hunter.”

What the owner of the memories held was a red gemstone necklace identical to Yuri’s.

All hunters carried one.

“It can attract orcs.”

Yuri realized that the red gemstone was a tool used by the hunters of ancient grasslands.

“They are wretched, pitiful creatures.”

The master always said that.

“Show them no mercy. Death is the only salvation you can offer them.”

They hunted orcs with swords, bows, and sometimes with magic-imbued weapons. They killed all orcs, adults and children alike.

He had a question.

“Why do orcs despise humans so much?”

The master didn’t answer.

Eventually, the owner of the memories became a full-fledged hunter, and the master who taught him grew old, and it was time for him to retire.

That night, they slaughtered a group of orcs and were warming themselves by a bonfire among the corpses.

When the time came, the master imparted his final knowledge to his disciple.

“Do you know how orcs came to be?”

“What?”

It was a question he had never considered.

“Aren’t they creatures that migrated here from the distant east?”

“No.”

The master told him an old tale.

“There was a nobleman who enjoyed killing, taking pleasure in releasing slaves and hunting them. The king, hearing this, forbade the slaughter, deeply disappointing the nobleman. It was then that a mage approached him with an offer.”

That mage taught the nobleman a secret art that allowed him to indulge in murder to his heart’s content. He created beings that were human, yet not human.

“That dark and foul magic tainted humans.”

The owner of the memories was stunned.

“You mean to say…?”

The master, with his faded eyes, looked at his disciple and said,

“Orcs are humans corrupted by dark magic.”

The nobleman used humans to create orcs, shaping them into hideous monsters designed to be hunted without remorse and ensuring they reproduced easily to maintain an endless supply of prey.

In the orc pens built within his territory, prey was continuously supplied.

“They were human, yet not human, so no one could blame the nobleman. On the contrary, people who didn’t know the orcs’ true nature praised him for eradicating those terrible creatures.”

But eventually, the truth was revealed.

The nobleman was executed, and the mage who had devised the dark magic vanished without a trace.

Meanwhile, the orcs that escaped from the pens formed groups in the grasslands beyond the border.

Thus, the monsters created by humans became cursed plunderers who hated humans and consumed their flesh.

“That magic no longer exists, but orcs began to reproduce on their own. NNow they’ve multiplied beyond control. Orcs are humans modified by dark magic.”

“Dark magic…”

The owner of the memories shuddered.

Dark magic was a source of terror in the ancient kingdom of the grasslands.

“That’s why they harbor instinctive hatred and aggressive hostility toward untainted humans. Whether it’s their nature or out of envy, it’s hard to say.”

“So, what we’ve been killing all along were originally humans?”

The master smiled, wrinkles forming around his mouth.

It’s not killing, but salvation. Our task is to return those cursed by dark magic to rest.

Moyongchan’s mention of human sacrifice, the dark power of the orc shamans, and Ragna’s talk of dark magic swirled in Yuri’s mind.

Perhaps it was all connected to the tragedy that unfolded in his past life.

The memory shifted.

The master was gone, and the owner of the memories continued to hunt orcs.

He was now the leader of the hunters.

Much time had passed, yet no matter how many they killed, the orcs’ numbers didn’t decrease.

They even formed groups and directly attacked the kingdom’s borders. Each time, the kingdom dispatched troops, but they achieved little.

Then, tragedy struck.

Some inexplicable accident brought disaster upon the kingdom.

As the kingdom faltered, the orcs surged forth.

Cut off from support, the hunters’ sanctuary fell under threat as well.

The orcs had no intention of sparing the hunters. They would torture and humiliate them until they begged for death.

The kingdom fell, and the hunters found themselves surrounded by orcs.

A mage, who had stayed with them, proposed a solution.

“I’ll seal this place with magic. Completely isolate it until reinforcements arrive.”

“Can you do it?”

“It will take time, but…”

Would reinforcements even come?

But they couldn’t give up like this.

“I will buy us time.”

The orcs were already attacking the building when the door burst open, and orcs poured in.
“I’ll buy some time.”

The owner of the memories personally took up his sword and stepped outside the iron door.

He stood his ground in front of the door.

“Salvation.”

The master had called their work salvation.

Now, the owner of the memories also believed those words.

He gripped his sword, glaring at the monstrous creatures charging toward him.

They were other humans, tainted by a curse, who felt instinctive hatred towards humans and craved their flesh.

“May you one day find salvation.”

He sacrificed his life to buy time.

After killing countless orcs, he met his end, leaning against the wall.

His vision darkened.

…..

And then, someone’s face appeared.

It was the mage who had sealed the iron gate.

His face was pale.

“No one came, and the outside remains swarming with orcs. We have decided to die here.”

He said,

“We used the wrong methods, but we leave behind the memories of the greatest hunter in history. We hope someone will see this and that our deaths won’t be in vain. May those cursed creatures be eradicated from this land. And…”

He uttered his final testament.

It was an unexpected statement.

“Beware the Demon’s Grimoire.”

* * *

Yuri woke up.

His head throbbed with pain.

He lowered his head and took a few deep breaths.

It wasn’t just a headache from absorbing someone else’s memories. A dark energy was clinging to his mind.

But the power of Heart and Soul Slash within his core rose up and began to push away the malevolent energy.

After a long struggle, his mind finally cleared.

“Damn it…”

This wasn’t ordinary magic.

Yuri realized that this magic, which contained the memories of the dead, was also a form of dark magic.

Was dark magic so common in the ancient kingdom of the grasslands?

Yuri looked down at the red gemstone in his hand. Its true nature had been revealed: an ancient hunting tool.

After putting it back in his pocket, Yuri removed his hand from the staff’s mana stone.

The mana stone at the tip shattered.

It crumbled into dust, and the staff, once standing amidst the pile of corpses, fell to the ground.

The magical energy that had enveloped the underground space completely dissipated.

A faint voice could be heard.

“Prrinceee…”

It seemed the magic allowed only those with the red gemstone to enter. The seal vanished as the magic’s power waned.

Yuri walked to the entrance and pulled the doorknob.

The door opened easily.

Laurent’s face appeared.

“Oh?”

“You made it out!”

“Are you alright?!”

“Yes, I’m fine.”

Yuri opened the door wide, revealing the rest of the knights.

They looked inside the underground chamber.

“There are corpses inside…”

“It seems they hid from the orcs and ended up dying.”

“I see.”

Laurent looked down at the bones lying on the floor and spoke.

“Then, it seems this person fought off the orcs alone until the very end.”

“Seems like it.”

Yuri silently gazed at the corpse slumped in front of the iron door.

The mage had called him the greatest hunter in history

But in the hunter’s memories, he saw himself as just an ordinary hunter.

Looking down at the remains of the hunter who didn’t know his own greatness, Yuri returned the rusted sword to his grasp.

“It seems this was a structure from the Ancient Kingdom of the Grasslands. It must have been attacked by orcs and ended up like this.”

After surveying the inside with no particular findings, Yuri and the knights exited.

The Allied Forces had just arrived nearby.

Ragna appeared, leading the knights clad in black armor.

He grinned and asked Yuri,

“How was it?”

“Just ruins.”

Yuri didn’t mention the memories he saw.

“It looks like a ruin left by the Ancient Kingdom of the Grasslands. It seems they all died because of the orcs.”

“Orcs have always been a problem. How did such creatures come into the world…”

“Indeed.”

Ragna clicked his tongue.

“Our Allied Forces are avenging their grudge, then.”

“And saving the people who will suffer in the future.”

“Right, exactly.”

Ragna grinned.

* * *

Ragna ordered them to camp for the day near the ruins.

The Allied Forces set up their tents and stood guard to protect their supplies.

Dusk fell.

Yuri sat in the Briol camp, eating dinner. His close aides gathered around him.

“How strong do you think Okuah is?”

“He must be incredibly strong.”

“But we have Sir Moyongchan with us…”

Jared seemed quite relaxed because of Moyongchan’s presence.

“We can’t be sure. Okuah is skilled enough to lead those vicious orcs. It’s safe to assume he’s at least on par with a Ten Strongest.”

Raymond raised an objection.

Yuri was a little surprised. He hadn’t realized Raymond was this cautious about Okuah.

“Come on, he’s an orc. Could he really be as strong as the Ten Strongest?”

“I believe so.”

“Are you serious?”

“Orcs are never foolish creatures.”

“Yes. They’re cowardly and treacherous.”

“Those orcs keep charging at us, knowing they’re going to die.”

“That means…”

“That’s how utterly dominant Okuah is.”

“That makes sense.”

“The reason the orcs haven’t united until now is because of their nature. To instill enough fear to suppress that means he’s an incredibly powerful being.”

“Now that I hear it, I suppose…”

“I agree with Raymond.”

“Really?”

Of course, this conclusion was based on the information he had gathered in his past life, but it aligned with Raymond’s view.

Okuah was a monster who had killed Moyongchan and risen to the rank of Ten Strongest. Even after Yuri died, Okuah continued to reign as the terror of the grasslands.

“So everyone, stay alert.”

Suddenly, the sound of a bell rang out.

It was a signal that had sounded once or twice a day.

The knights reflexively put down their food trays and stood up.

An orc attack.

“Today’s alarm is louder.”

“Jared, haven’t you memorized the alarm signals?”

“Huh?”

“This rhythm means there are many enemies.”

“Ah, o-of course I know that.”

Yuri drew Guilty.

The rhythm of the bell indicated the number of enemies and the level of urgency. This frantic ringing meant the situation wasn’t good.

“Let’s go.”

Without hesitation, Yuri led the charge.

He activated his Mana Method and sensed the presence of orcs.

Suddenly, a memory overlapped.

The ancient orc hunters had been dispatched to the grasslands solely to kill orcs.

They knew a lot about orcs. They could be called skilled butchers.

Yuri unknowingly began to mimic the steps of the ancient hunter as he advanced to kill the orcs.

It felt strange.

“Something…”

“Was that it?”

It was as if some ancient memory, buried deep within his subconscious, was resurfacing.

The mage didn’t preserve the hunter’s memories in the staff simply for someone to experience the past.

He passed on the hunter’s killing techniques to the discoverer.

Yuri felt his own swordsmanship blending with the ways of the ancient hunter he had experienced through magic.

He wasn’t confused.

The memories that had come to him were calm and cooperative.

Yuri said to the soldier fighting the orc,

“I’ll take care of this. Get out of the way.”

“Y-Yes, sir!”

The soldier retreated.

The orc tried to chase after him, but Yuri blocked its path. The orc bared its teeth and raised its axe.

Yuri lowered his stance.

He could see it.

How the orc would move and how he should react were all vividly clear, as if he were seeing the future.

With a brief exchange of blows, the orc’s head soared through the air.

It was easy.

Yuri smiled.

“Living a virtuous life has its benefits.”

At least when it came to the skill of killing orcs, he had become the most proficient.

Yuri paid his respects to the greatest orc hunter of ancient times.