"Rushe. My bow and arrows."
"Yes, Your Grace."
Taking the bow and arrows Rushe had prepared for me, I walked toward Philgot.
"So, what exactly is this trial I have to undergo?"
"First, drink this."
The cup in Philgot’s hand sloshed with a blue liquid.
"What is it?"
"The venom of a serpent that served the Snow Ghost hunted by the Grand Chieftain alongside the orcs a hundred years ago."
"Venom?"
"They say that even after being poisoned by it, the Grand Chieftain destroyed the totem guarded by that wicked serpent."
If he had led the allied forces a hundred years ago...
Was that Roland, the first Holy Knight?
Believing it to be a trial bestowed by God, he pressed forward one step at a time through sheer force of will, until he finally destroyed the totem.
My ass. He probably detoxified the poison with holy healing magic.
"Hmph. Stop this, Philgot. Even orc warriors built like mountains cannot keep themselves upright after drinking that poison.
If such a feeble human drinks it, even his soul will collapse!"
"...That is quite literally true. Unless one possesses a will as strong as the Grand Chieftain of a hundred years ago, this trial cannot be passed.
Even if your weapon, the bow, allows you to strike from afar, it will be difficult. The poison will squeeze your heart so tightly that it will not even grant you the time to aim."
"Then why are you making me take this trial?"
"If you were an unremarkable human, I would have stopped you. But the resolve in your eyes."
Huh? Resolve?
"I saw a fierce attachment to life."
Ah, right. If the North went under, I would be headed straight for prison. Of course I was desperate to stop that.
"That obsession intrigued me, which is why I brought you here. Is that not so, Gartan?"
"Yes. It is."
There was faith in Gartan’s eyes as he looked at me. He thought he had seen straight through my heart after merely three days of camping together.
...I should absolutely never put him in charge of business or anything involving people.
"So, what will you do?"
"One question."
"Speak."
"Is there an antidote for this poison?"
"Drink fresh water, and the symptoms will subside. Do not worry."
"Then that settles it."
I took the cup from Philgot’s hand.
"Your Grace..."
I smiled at Rushe, who was watching me with worried eyes.
"Don’t worry. This will be over soon."
I drained the poison in a single gulp.
"Tastes fucking awful."
I felt the poison sliding down my throat and spreading through my blood vessels, throughout my entire body. My heart pounded madly, my vision blurred, and my hands began to shake violently.
"Hm?"
But this feeling was strangely familiar. It was something I had often experienced during overtime in my previous life—something every Korean office worker had supposedly experienced at least once.
The feeling I got when some damned manager’s screwup forced me to work late, and I slammed back three cans of Hot6 and three shots of espresso.
What poison? This was exactly the trembling hands, racing heart, and blurred vision caused by a caffeine overdose.
"Ha ha ha! Look at him. Just like the warriors, he is afraid of what is happening to his body."
"It reminds me of the day I underwent that trial. A poison that makes your heart rampage like an enraged boar and sickens your soul with senseless anxiety..."
That is just the caffeine side effect Korean office workers get on their morning commute.
So that is why drinking water eases the symptoms.
You flush it out through your urine by drinking water.
Were those vicious Snow Ghost bastards planning to conquer the continent and use this poison to make people work overtime?
Now that I knew what it really was, the whole thing felt absurd. No—rather...
"This is boosting my concentration."
Caffeine for the first time in ages drew out a level of focus I had not experienced once since being reincarnated.
"What?"
"Impossible."
"Huh."
The orc chieftains seemed unable to contain their shock at the sight of me.
...Ah, this is the best. Caffeine really is essential when you need to focus.
I had to make sure to take some of that poison with me later.
Thump. Thump. Thump.
The caffeine in my system stimulated my heart, and blood surged from its frantic pounding to awaken my brain.
At the same time, all five of my senses sharpened to an extreme.
Screeech!
I could see the orcs causing such a commotion around me, yet the world had never seemed quieter.
The target stood perfectly still in the distance. Every sense in my body fixed upon the totem.
I steadied my tremor and drew in a breath.
The moment the shaking throughout my body ceased and it felt as though the world had become a vacuum, I released the bowstring.
Twang!!
The arrow flew on the wind like a flash of light and pierced the totem. The distance the first Holy Knight had crossed a hundred years ago, dragging along his caffeine-overdosed, trembling body, the arrow covered in less than a second.
**
What in the...!
Philgot could not contain his astonishment at what had unfolded before his eyes. A human had overcome the poison that had tormented even the finest orc warriors—and Philgot himself—with pain that tore through the entire body and sickened the soul, just as the Great Chieftain had done a hundred years ago.
"W-water! Bring fresh water!!"
This was no time for shock. If they did not neutralize that poison quickly, they would lose the great one who had appeared after a hundred years.
"Viktor! Hurry and drink this!"
"Hm? Why?"
"What?"
"I feel great right now. Let’s see..."
Viktor refused the cup Philgot had brought to his side and drew his bowstring again.
Twang!
Crack!
"What?"
Philgot and the orcs stared in shock. Viktor’s second arrow had split the first arrow embedded in the totem.
"W-what is this..."
How could he do such a thing while under a poison that made the heart pound madly, the hands tremble, and the soul suffer?
"Heh heh heh."
The third arrow released from Viktor’s hand split the second arrow.
"What on earth is this..."
Just how strong was his soul? How formidable was his will? Gartan’s heart began pounding wildly at the realization that his eyes had not been wrong.
I... I have found a new legend... a new Grand Chieftain who will lead the orcs!
"Ah, thanks."
With a satisfied smile, Viktor took the cup Philgot was holding and gulped down the water.
"Ahhh! So, is that it?"
**
Fresh water was remarkably effective.
"Ah, sorry about that."
I had gone to the toilet several times because of it, after all.
"No need. The only way to cleanse that poison is to drink fresh water and expel it from the body. It is only natural."
That is exactly how you relieve caffeine symptoms, though...
"Viktor Walterheim. No, Grand Chieftain."
Thump!
Philgot and the other chieftains knelt before me, as did the orc tribesmen who followed them. Hundreds of orcs gathered upon the plains were now looking at me.
"From this day forth, every orc shall obey the Grand Chieftain’s command."
"Sounds good."
"Grand Chieftain, give us your orders."
"First... Hmm."
I first needed to prepare land for the orcs to settle on. For such a large force to survive, somewhere with plentiful wild animals and monsters would be ideal.
"For now, I am returning to the grand duke’s estate. Philgot."
"Speak, Grand Chieftain."
"I will find land where all the orc tribes can live together and contact you. Until then, do not all stay in one place. Scatter across the North and await my orders."
"Understood, Grand Chieftain. But how do you intend to contact us? Will you take an orc shaman with you?"
"No. Gartan and his tribe will remain in my territory."
"I see. Gartan, the one who first brought you to us, is indeed the right man to attend at your side."
"If anyone in the North behaves rudely toward you..."
I took ten blank sheets of paper and the Northern Grand Duke’s seal from my bag. After stamping the seal onto the blank sheets, I handed them to Philgot.
"Chieftains, show them this. It will serve as proof that you are under Viktor Walterheim’s protection."
"Understood. We shall await your command."
"Gartan."
"Yes, Grand Chieftain!"
"Follow me with your tribesmen."
"Understood!"
As she watched the orc tribes disperse, Rushe looked to me anxiously.
"Um... Your Grace."
"What is it?"
"Won’t the nobles of the North be dissatisfied?"
"Let them be."
"Pardon?"
"The moment they lay a hand on my people who bear my seal, it becomes treason."
"Let’s go. We have a lot to do."
**
From atop the city wall, Elysia watched the dispersing orcs and the orc village following the Northern Grand Duke. She bit down on her nails.
What... What the hell is this?! How is something like this even possible?! In the novel, even Elysia only overcame that trial after trying a second time. How did that man pass it in one go?!!!
Crunch! Crunch! Crack!
Her nails broke, and the fragments of nail and flesh that touched the tip of her tongue throbbed. Stabbing pain coursed through her.
"Elysia."
"B-Baron?"
Startled by Baron’s voice from behind her, Elysia quickly hid her hand. Had he seen what she had just done?
No. If I let him see me looking anxious...
"It is all right."
"Baron?"
Contrary to what she had expected, Baron pulled Elysia into an embrace.
"It is all right, Elysia. You have me."
That was right. In the end, she and Baron’s group were the ones who would save the world. She was not so weak that a single storm could bring her down.
"You’re right. Thank you, Baron."
"When we are alone, call me Baron."
"...Yes, Baron."
Baron stroked Elysia’s head as she nestled in his arms, glaring at the banner of the Northern Grand Duke’s house fluttering in the distance.
Viktor Walterheim... Just wait. I will isolate you completely, both in the North and at the academy!!
**
After returning to the grand duke’s estate, I first granted Gartan’s tribe temporary land beside Walterheim Castle.
"There are plenty of monsters to hunt in those mountains. And if you need anything, you may enter the castle and buy it whenever you wish."
"Understood."
"Ah, and that..."
"We brought it with us, but..."
Gartan kept glancing anxiously at the jars being loaded onto a wagon before asking,
"Um."
"Hm?"
"That poison... Never mind. I am sure the Grand Chieftain has plans for it."
What would I use it for? To drink whenever I needed concentration or had to work overtime, obviously.
Fuck, though. Is it really right to work while drinking caffeine after getting reincarnated into another world?
It was. To get the North back on its feet, I really had to work my ass off now.
"Then I will be going. If anything happens..."
I pointed at Rushe.
"Find her, or come find me."
"Understood."
After parting ways with Gartan and arriving at the Walterheim estate, Jester and the servants welcomed us.
"You have returned, Your Grace."
"Jester, report on what happened while I was away."
"Huh? Right now?"
"...Hmm."
Seeing the exhausted look in Rushe’s eyes after three days of camping, I grinned and shook my head.
"Unless it is urgent, I would like to rest today."
"Yes, understood."
Jester gave a faint smile.
"Rushe, go home and rest. Come back tomorrow morning."
"Yes!"
"...Tch."
For a brief moment, Jester’s sharp gaze seemed to turn toward Rushe, but...
I do not need to meddle in matters between father and daughter.
After washing up, I lay on my bed and stared blankly at the ceiling.
"...A family, huh."
With me rushing about so frantically as the Northern Grand Duke, starting a family would be a luxury.
"Ha ha. Besides, no woman would marry a man who might die at any time."
There was a time when I thought that, too.
"..."
"Cecilia Roienthal requests an audience with the Northern Grand Duke."
I never imagined the villainess would come asking to get engaged...
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