Bash was walking through the woods.

His destination was Siwanasi Forest, within Elven territory.

The dense, root covered forest ground would have been a challenge for anyone to thread through, but Bashs steps were light.

Following the Faeries lead, he leisurely walked towards his goal.

One step after another, full of confidence.

Siwanasi Forest is pretty close by, so lets move quickly!

Yosh!

Bash and Zell.

Two individuals that came to prominence during the war.

The pair had survived countless battles at each others side. Although they had tasted defeat several times, their victories outnumbered their failures.

This chance at love ended in a loss, but surely, there was light waiting just around the corner. And even if that failed, there will be more opportunities waiting.

Thats how its always been.

With this feeling is their hearts, they headed towards Siwanasi Forest.

There, they will find Bashs wife. They firmly believed that this journey would end right there.

However, they didnt know it yet.

They werent yet aware that this journey would be long and arduous.

Around that same moment, an Elf was attending a Human celebration.

A luxurious gathering of Human nobles.

Left and right, gorgeously dressed ladies and gentlemen were leisurely chatting away, smiling and laughing.

In their midst, an Elf was chatting away with a Sergeant from a noble family.

They were discussing the future of Humanity.

Hmmm. If thats the case, the future of Humanity will depend on the development of commerce, learning, and the arts.

Thats right. Which is why Im thinking of building schools all over Human territory. Unfortunately, the lot of us are nothing but warriors and knights, good only at fighting. We dont have much of an education. So few among us have the qualifications to become teachers

The ones with an education are already off doing their own thing, huh.

Yes, but Im currently trying to convince them to help create some sort of guide for training teachers. Im hoping the Elves might assist me with that.

Ah, a drill manual for teachers! Ive been thinking about making coming up with something similar for a while now as well. How about we discuss all this education business together this evening?

Hahaha, Im glad to hear you want to entertain this idea further, but wont there be rumors if a man and a woman spend time together in the same room?

Hm? Since when does Sir Merz The Battering Ram care about what people say about him?

Just trying to cover my bases.

Really? I wouldnt mind, you know?

Dont test me. No man, no matter how foolish, would want to make an enemy out of all Elves.

Hahaha, of course, of course

The Elf also laughed along, but hers was empty and dry, unlike that of the partygoers around her.

She wasnt yet aware.

She did not yet know that one day, the Orc Heros goal would line up with hers.

A Dwarven girl was sharpening her sword within a workshop.

The room was quiet except for the sound of steel grinding on stone.

After a while of working on the blade, she dipped it into a vat filled with red fluid that was sitting beside her. A black, powdering substance floated to the surface.

Looking satisfied, she pulled out the sword and brought the edge close to her eyes.

Nice!

Whats nice?

!

The girl turned around in a jolt, and finally noticed a Dwarven woman standing there, observing her.

I told you not to enter my workshop without knocking

Its your fault for not locking the door. So, whats this process? Whats that red liquid? Are you dipping your sword in paint?

Trade secret.

Ha! You think youre good enough to have trade secrets worth stealing? If you have the time to make up these strange methods, youd be better off working on your fundamentals.

Tsk! Youre always looking down on people. Did you come here just to say that?

The woman sighed at the girls agitation.

I really came in here just to take a look. But then I saw your work andI just couldnt help but comment on something soshoddy.

Yeah, save your breath. Youll need it to yell in anguish when I wipe the floor with you at the next Weapons Festival.

Pft! Sure, you will.

The woman muttered a few words in mockery as she walked out of the room.

The girl, now alone, looked down at her sword and grit her teeth in frustration.

She wasnt yet aware.

She didnt know that one day, the Orc Hero would wield one of her creations.

The Beastmen Princess was looking out from the window of her room.

From there she could see the newly erected town.

I had been built in the three years that had followed the end of the war. Everything was new and vibrant, yet the old traditions still persisted.

A settlement that was as lively as it was rife with inequality.

The Beastmen Royal Family was doing its best to fix this place up and revitalize it, pouring in tons of ressources.

Leto, the Beastmen Hero, reclaimed this territory.

Everyone who is anyone was proud of their Hero.

He was a brave man who valiantly died in battle against the Demon King Gediguz, sacrificing his own life to wound the enemy.

He was the pride of the Beastmen Tride, and was considered their greatest Hero.

If youre really proud of our HeroIf you were truly proud of him, why would you lie like this?

But the common populace wasnt aware of the truth.

It was true that Leto was the pride of the Beastmen.

But the facts about him had to beembellished, somewhat, as to not tarnish the honor of the race.

And so, the princess thought:

Looks like I have to erase all of it.

The princess looks out the window with hatred in her eyes. However, her gaze is not directed at the town. It was directed at the sordid feelings within her heart.

I need to get revenge. I need to redeem Uncle Leto.

She was not yet aware.

She still did not know that her own facts were also untruths, and that the lies would eventually be exposed by the Orc Hero.

Asanagi sure as hell delivers, doesnt he