Chương 108: Chapter 113 The Testament of Muhe Lionheart

Was the Lionheart Tribe's legend actually true? That was naturally the first thought to enter Karath's mind. The second came immediately afterward. How could that weapon contain so much mana? The flow within the axe was far purer and denser than the mana inside Karath's drake-bone weapons. Whether or not it was truly the legendary weapon, there was no doubt that it was an absurdly valuable treasure. Karath approached as though entranced and extended his hand. The cold sensation of metal met his palm.

The grip settled naturally into his hand, sending a shiver down his spine.

"Karath will need to build more muscle before he can use this properly." The axe was far larger and heavier than the bone axe he normally carried. With his current strength, wielding it effectively would be difficult. That did not concern him. Now that the alliance possessed an iron mine, Karath had already conceived another method of strengthening his body. After organising those thoughts, he turned toward the inscriptions and murals covering the walls.

Upon closer inspection, these murals differed from those in the outer chamber. They showed a single orc swinging an axe through a sequence of different movements. Karath stared at them in confusion, then began reading the accompanying text.

"My name is Muhe Lionheart, the final Grand Chief of the great orcs... Is that the correct interpretation?" The writing differed slightly from the language Roberto had taught him and from the script used in Renstein's books. Karath tilted his head and continued reading. Some portions were easy to understand. Others stopped him completely. Whenever that happened, he inferred the meaning from the surrounding context and continued. After reading for some time, Karath murmured to himself.

"He was a remarkably enlightened orc." The ancestor who left these murals, Grand Chief Muhe Lionheart, had thought differently from ordinary orcs. The murals outside depicted the orcs as victims driven away through human manipulation. Muhe, however, believed that betrayal had only accelerated something that would eventually have happened regardless. This story originates from a different website. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there. The reason was the answer to his final trial.

Orc blood. Orcs were born with powerful bodies and impatient temperaments. Because of that, they had failed to follow the path through which humans advanced. Training, contemplation, preserving knowledge, and educating future generations did not come naturally to them. In other words, orcs trusted their mediocre natural advantages, became arrogant, and eventually collapsed. Karath had known many people like that during his former life. They had been especially common during his school years.

Some students barely studied outside their normal classes and tutoring, yet still maintained relatively high grades. They became satisfied with their position and stopped making any further effort. Perhaps they saw no reason to work harder because their current results already seemed acceptable. Or perhaps they believed that since they could perform that well without effort, they could simply begin trying when something truly important appeared. Reading Muhe's words reminded Karath of those people.

In truth, Karath himself had once belonged to a similar group. He only began working seriously after entering university and discovering that his chosen field suited him. His own problem had been laziness, while the orcs suffered from impatience, but the result was similar. According to Muhe Lionheart's record, ordinary orcs had once been far stronger than ordinary humans. At some point, however, terrifyingly powerful individuals began appearing among humanity. People capable of manipulating mana.

The record described humans who used mana in a manner resembling shamanic arts to unleash overwhelming attacks. Karath immediately thought of Roberto. Other humans used mana to strengthen their bodies until their physical abilities exceeded those of orcs. Some even processed mana and wrapped it around their weapons to reinforce them. A few orcs had also learned to manipulate mana in similar ways. However, they were exceedingly rare, possessing exceptional talent even among naturally gifted orcs.

Worse, many of those geniuses lived according to instinct, died, and left almost none of their knowledge to the next generation. It was painfully appropriate for orcs. Their method of passing down knowledge had also been thoroughly orcish. Back in my day, we learned with our bodies! They simply beat younger orcs during sparring or duels and told them to learn through experience. Humans, meanwhile, increased the number of mana users among their people through persistent training and the preservation of knowledge.

Occasionally, generations of accumulated knowledge coincided with a rare genius. Muhe claimed that some of those humans became monsters capable of slaughtering hundreds of orc warriors alone. The thought sent a chill along Karath's spine. In a battle between ordinary humans and ordinary orcs, the orcs possessed an overwhelming advantage. The higher the level of the combatants became, however, the more the advantage shifted toward humanity.

Humans then compensated for their weakness among ordinary soldiers by gathering other races beneath their banner. Karath's eyes grew moist as he read Muhe Lionheart's account. You truly suffered, Ancestor. The tale did not feel like someone else's problem. Muhe had possessed enough insight to identify the orcs' weaknesses, yet another problem remained. The miserable orcs refused to listen to him. His method of persuasion had admittedly been poor. Do not follow the impulses of orc blood.

Preserve knowledge like humans. Teach your descendants as humans do. That was apparently how Muhe attempted to convince them. Considering the temperament of orcs, resistance had been inevitable. They revered their ancestors, yet Muhe told them not to follow the blood inherited from those same ancestors. He even urged them to imitate humans, their sworn enemies. There was no chance that impatient orcs with little interest in deeper meaning would understand the true intention behind his words.

Muhe possessed the insight to recognise the problem but lacked the ability to persuade others and make them follow him. If you are a descendant who solved my final question, then you too must understand the affliction of our people. For you, I leave behind my final legacy. Enlightened descendant, lead our kin and guide them out of this terrible land. Muhe's efforts had only caused the orcs to scatter further. In the end, he left this final testament behind.

After finishing the record, Karath remembered the suffering he had endured over the past sixteen years. How much trouble had the orcs' temperament caused him? Tears nearly filled his eyes. This was not the moment to indulge them. The most important section still remained. So this was Roberto's hidden secret. The walls described how to reinforce the body with mana. Beyond that, they explained how to cover a weapon in mana and strengthen it.

The results of Grand Chief Muhe Lionheart's lifelong research had been preserved within the murals.