Chapter 75

Death Curse Barbs

Skark's tone was low and no longer cheerful, "...It stems from the last war of the demon invasion."

"You may have heard from elsewhere that the orcs are the race that suffers the most casualties in war, but those so-called casualties are not just the people who have died, but also the curse that lingers in our souls."

"When the Demon King retreated to the abyss, in order to prevent the orcs from hindering his ambitions, he cursed the orcs to die young and be exterminated. However, with the blessing of the God of Beasts and Snow Mountains, this curse was changed. Once an orc falls in love, his lifespan will be shortened; the more he likes someone, the sooner he will die."

"Therefore, everyone will restrain their emotions. Only children born under the expectations of their elders can inherit the talent of strength. Orcs no longer stay with their beloved partners, and their offspring will gradually become mediocre and unable to grow into brave warriors. Ansia, my mother is the current chieftain, my father has been dead for many years, and I am the last cub in the tribe with the talent of a warrior."

"To break this curse, we tried many methods. We consulted all the famous mages on the continent and tried potions made from various materials. In the end, only your mentor took action and placed a Death Silence Array on the heart of the orc. As long as the heartbeat is sensed, the emotions generated will be cleared away, thus prolonging the life."

Ancia's hand trembled as she touched Skark's heart. "Then why did you... I could clearly feel your feelings, they weren't fake."

Skalk's amber eyes were filled with his affection for her as always. He placed his hand on the back of Ancia's hand, pressing her palm tightly against his heart.

My heartbeat gradually quickened until it was almost audible, then suddenly dropped and returned to calm. But after a short while, it started beating faster again.

Skark said softly, "The Death Silence Array is effective; it did erase my emotions, but my affection is not fake either."

"Because I will fall in love with you at first sight again and again."

His lifespan was fast-forwarded with each rapid beat, and even though he knew that staying by her side would lead to his death due to his infatuation, he still accepted his fate of dying young.

If this is the price to pay for loving Ancia, Skalk accepts it willingly; nothing could be more painful than leaving her.

Ancia's heart continued to beat tirelessly, openly and happily, silently expressing Skalk's pure heart.

Her throat tightened. "You...you orcs are poor because the magic array requires materials, is that right?"

Skulk scratched his cheek sheepishly. "Yeah, magical materials are expensive, let alone the cost of an entire race. I don't know if I'll be able to pay it all off by the time I die."

Ancia pinched his mouth shut. "Don't say that word. Cheryl is my mentor. Why have you never asked me to plead with her?"

Skalk: "That's not good. Your mentor is your mentor. What if she has a problem with you because of this? The amount of gold coins owed is a bit much, but we've already paid back almost a tenth of it. As long as there are still orcs, we'll settle it all one day."

Ancia lowered her eyes, "How much do you still owe your mentor?"

Skark hesitated for a moment, then gave a number: close to one million gold coins.

Ancia: "I have it. I'll return it to my mentor first. From now on, you're my beastman. You've sold yourself to me. Do you understand?"

Skulk blinked blankly, looking a little dumbfounded. "You have?"

He only knew that Ancia was wealthy, but he had no idea that Ancia had so much readily available liquid gold.

Ancia smiled for the first time that day. "Yes, I have an endless supply of gold coins. What, are you going to refuse because of face and dignity?"

Skalk shook his head vigorously. "Of course not! It's just... I've always been your orc, and it seems no different from before." He nuzzled against Ancia's neck and hummed sweetly, "I've always listened to you."

The snowy mountains of the North and the Eternal City were not far apart, so Ancia used telepathy magic to contact Cheryl directly, "Master, I will pay the debt that the orcs owe you."

Cheryl: "Hmm? Sure, but when you inherit my mage tower, won't these accounts be left to you too?"

Anciya: "I don't want my mentor to suffer a loss either, since I have a lot of gold coins anyway."

Cheryl chuckled. "Okay."

Ancia calmed herself down, hugged Skulk, and pressed her ear to his heart. "Skulk, I know another way to lift the curse."

Skalk hugged Ancia tighter. "Hmm? What is it?"

Ancia said, word by word, "The curse will disappear once the person who cast it dies. I will kill the Demon King."

Whether it's to complete the story or to break Skark's curse, she will kill the Demon King.

A six-star priest claiming to kill the Lord of the Abyss sounds like a fantasy, but Skalk has no doubt: "Alright! Ancia can definitely do it!"

He will always believe in Ancia.

Ancia and Skark returned to the orc territory. Skark found his mother and explained the transfer of accounts, but in his description, those accounts seemed to have become a dowry that Ancia had given him.

Skalk: "Mother, from now on I am Ancia's orc."

Meredith glanced at the two children and nodded slightly. "Not bad, you have fulfilled your duties as the young master." She pondered for a moment, then took out a small rattle drum. "This is the most precious thing of the orcs. Now that you are the creditor, this is yours."

Anciya took the rattle drum; its warm texture was somewhat peculiar. She clicked on the item details to view them.

[Item Description: Orc Relic - Wild War Drum. When used by Orc warriors, it can enhance their fighting spirit. After all Orc warriors are wiped out, it will turn into an ordinary rattle drum.]

Attributes: None.

Wild war drums? Meredith just gave away what the old king wanted?

Ancia quickly put it into her system inventory and placed it together with several other sacred objects.

Skalk completely disregarded his mother's coldness, took Ancia's hand, and was about to leave. Ancia glanced back, and Meredith made a special gesture towards their retreating figures.

When they reached the highest snow-capped mountain in the territory, Ancia awkwardly made the gesture. "Skark, what does this mean?"

Skalk smiled with delight, "How do you even know this? This is a blessing from the orcs, may the gods of beasts and snow mountains protect you."

Ancia: "Your mother just made this gesture towards our backs."

Skalk's smile faded, and he looked at Ancia's hand with some confusion. "Ah, I see..."

He shook his head, no longer thinking about those things that had troubled him for so long in his childhood, and enthusiastically pointed out the snow mountain to Ancia, "Look at this ski slope, isn't it very smooth?"

The ski slope beneath my feet wound its way down to a steep incline, flanked by towering mountain walls. A cold wind swept across the mountaintop, and the air was clean and fresh.

Ancia nodded, puzzled. "What's wrong?"

Skalk was eager to try. "That's where I skated out. Do you want to try it too?"

Before Ancia could react, Skalk sat behind her, hugged her tightly, and pulled on the wooden plank under his buttocks as he lunged downwards.

"Wait... ah—"

Ancia screamed in terror as the mountain walls on either side rushed past her. The plank skid along the snow track, and a continuous spray of snow obscured part of her vision. The speed increased as she descended.

The planks flew through the air and fell back down. They passed cedar trees and rocks, and it seemed that only their heartbeats and breaths could be heard in the world. In one place, the cedar trees grew together, leaving only a gap in the snow track for the planks to pass through. Adrenaline surged, and Ancia grabbed Skark's hand in a panic. She only heard Skark's hearty laughter behind her as the planks glided smoothly over the cedar trees.

The plank finally came to a steady stop at the foot of the mountain, and Ancia was still immersed in the thrill of what had just happened.

"How was it? Did you leave all your worries behind after a slide?" Skark rubbed her cool cheek. "Don't worry about me anymore. Your coming to the snow mountain is already a pleasant surprise. The orc warriors are still here. If the Augustinian Empire wants to do anything, they'll have to ask our scimitars first."

"I only wish you to be happy forever, Ancia."

Ancia turned her head and kissed him on the cheek. "Okay."

Skalk's cheeks instantly burned, and he stammered, "Um! Your face looks sweaty. Hot springs... I'll take you to the hot springs."

He transformed into a giant wolf and carried Ancia to a hot spring in a nearby mountain range. Only the howling cold wind along the way could calm him down a little.

The hot spring was in a naturally formed stone pool. There were several such stone pools, but Skalk went to the hot spring in the cave next door.

Ancia soaked in the hot spring, feeling warm all over. Skalk's humming came through the cave, but he was still off-key.

"Skark!" The echo through the cave was even more unpleasant, and Ancia couldn't stand it any longer, so she called the person over.

The sound of flowing water rang out, and Skalk ran over. "What's wrong, Anci...ya..." He saw Anci'ya's shoulder exposed on the surface of the hot spring water, felt a burning sensation in his nose, and quickly covered it and turned away.

Ancia found it amusing and splashed a handful of water on him. "It's not like you're naked, what are you being shy about?"

Skalk crouched down, staring at the stones on the ground without daring to look up, and said in a muffled voice, "Because it's Ancia."

Ancia pinched his mouth shut, "You're not allowed to sing while soaking in the hot spring."

Skulk pouted and kissed her finger. "Then what's my mouth for?"

He held Ansia's hand, preventing her from leaving, and kissed his way down her fingertips to her shoulder, which he longed for.

Steam rose, and behind the mist, his amber eyes were focused and fervent, with an untamed wildness that seemed to want to devour her whole. "Not for singing, but perhaps for making you happy..."

Ancia sat by the pool, clutching her short, deep red hair with both hands. She tried to back away but was pulled back around the waist. She was speechless and disoriented, with only one thought in her mind.

Skark's tongue...

It has barbs.

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Author's note: I finally got to write about dumplings because of vinegar!