In her memories, every day Grakka read her father's letter again, again, and again, thinking that maybe it was a nightmare. And then one day she got up with a smile, but not a real smile — it was a false smile she began to wear since then, returning to how she was before.
"I will fulfill your wish and become strong, father."
She then prepared herself intensely for when she entered Astrong, and when she did, she immediately went to class A. There she met an Elf friend, and just by looking at him she saw that he trained a lot, which was the reason she became his friend.
"He sleeps eight hours but trains a lot."
Just from looking, because of what she had seen her father do, her eyes could see through someone's muscles or the aura their body could give off, how much that person trained. It wasn't a unique ability or anything like that, it was simply something special about her eyes.
"He's the one who trains the most in class A. Having a companion like that is something my father would wish for, isn't it?"
They remained friends even when they were defeated by Elowyn for the first time. It was humiliating to be humbled by a human like Lan, but both of them couldn't do anything until the day those people arrived, and she saw someone who trained more than her father. In fact, he trained more than anyone she had ever seen in her life.
"Five hours? And even four? What kind of human is he?"
It was the first time she saw that Enrico, and he faced all those opponents with ease as if he already knew them. Her father trained a lot, even more than most orcs, and usually when someone trained so much, when the time came to sleep, they rested their body.
'What a crazy human... it would be good to have a friend like that.'
The word friend for orcs was special, as it was a sign of respect for someone whose determination they admired. After that came best friend, someone to whom they would entrust their back, and above all stood soul brother, the one for whom they would fight to the end without hesitation — or a variation, battle soulmate, usually meant for a husband or wife of an orc.
By gathering around Enrico and his friends, she gained many companions she considered friends, and she was sure more would appear as long as she stayed by their side. It was a shame her Elf friend was still analyzing both Elowyn and Enrico.
'Well, it's a shame, but one day he will choose Enrico.'
"How long are you going to pretend to be asleep?"
"You knew, friend Enrico? I should have expected that hahaha."
She only wanted to rest a little longer, as she was sure he would go after the Minotaur as soon as he could. Grakka sat up, looking at the campfire and the food Enrico had made, her stomach growling.
"You can have some, I made it for both of us."
"Thanks for the meal."
Grabbing a piece of pork, Grakka began to devour it, and Enrico did the same. The two were very hungry at the moment — it was better to replenish their strength before trying to go against the boss again.
"By the bodies of Nartheis on the ground, you made a mess."
"I had to do it so they wouldn't merge with the boss, so I eliminated all the Nartheis and the boss of the second phase while you were still unconscious."
"You took me to such a dangerous place?"
"It was quite easy, so you really weren't in danger."
Enrico already knew the weakness of that phase, which was simply removing the item he was looking for Kai from the boss's altar, and it would vanish.
"You're very reliable, friend Enrico."
"Yes, I'm quite reliable, even for people who wear masks."
Stopping just before finishing the meat, Grakka looked at Enrico with a bit of surprise, which turned into confusion, as if she didn't understand what he was talking about.
"I don't understand, friend—"
"If you keep going like this, you'll never be able to complete your path."
Grakka lowered her head because when she looked into his eyes, it was as if he could see right through her. It was frightening that someone could see through her mask.
"Well, those words are only if you want to complete your path, of course."
"What do you mean? Of course I want to."
"Really? Sorry, but to me you have the eyes of an orc walking dead… anyway, I won't force you to do anything, so do whatever you want."
Enrico had finished eating and stood up, heading toward a door. Her mind was confused, wondering if he had known from the very first time they met, or if she had made some mistake.
"I only ask one thing of you, Grakka: stay in this room until you make a decision, or simply remain in it without wanting to leave."
"Wait, you're not thinking of facing the boss alone, are you? If so, let me—"
"Sorry, but fighting with someone who doesn't show their full potential is dangerous… I don't want anyone to die in front of me without being able to complete what they wanted. Two lives are enough for me. Enjoy my food well."
Enrico had a serious look on his face before leaving that place, leaving her alone with a piece of meat left. She didn't know how to deal with someone who saw through her so easily.
"Father, what should I do?"
Outside, Enrico put his hand on his shoulder, healing the rest of the wound he hadn't healed before because it was small, waiting for his mana to recover so he could fight Asterion at full strength.
'I hope she chooses well, because maybe I'll need help.'
[If she is a true orc, she will choose well.]
Walking, Enrico followed the trail of destruction Asterion had left behind when chasing him. It would be easy to find him, since that Nartheis left a path of destruction wherever he passed.
"I'll use everything I have."
Enrico held his fire arrow while picking up a piece of metal from the ground, infusing it with magic to use as a shield. This would be difficult, but he was going to try to defeat him alone.
'No, I have to defeat him alone if I want to become stronger.'
[Could you not put so much pressure on yourself?]
As he thought of responding, Enrico heard an explosion in the distance and ran toward the place. That could mean maybe a battle had already begun.
'Could they have arrived? If so, I need to go quickly.'
Activating his charged impulse, Enrico vanished in speed to arrive in time to save his friends.