Grag'bog expelled an annoyed grunt. "You're moving a lot slower than before. Not only that, but you're hardly harming me with those stones of yours compared to the previous attacks. At first, I thought you were holding back, but this is something different. Even the way you were breathing seemed...irregular. You don't seem to be naturally exhausted from your movements. If anything, you appear to be more surprised than anyone here about your condition. As if you didn't expect yourself to get tired so easily."

Hazel's jaw dropped slightly at the chief's meticulous observation. He was able to pick up on her behavior and movements like that. That was rather impressive...but also a bit creepy since he seemed so focused on her, which felt very unwanted.

Oblivious to her discomfort, the chief continued to speak. "I will only ask you one last time, Hazel Thatcher. What is going on with you?"

Noticing the chief's urgency in his question, Hazel knew that she couldn't keep this a secret. She had to explain what was happening.

The witch stood tall and faced the Orc chief with a resolute gaze. "Someone within the crowd is using magic to hinder my movements. They're basically inflicting some kind of status ailment on me."

As soon as Hazel declared this, a chorus of gasps erupted from the crowd. However, before the chatter could get any louder, the chief instantly raised his hand, silencing the audience with relative ease. Meanwhile, Grag'bog shifted his gaze toward her, meticulously staring at her as if determining if she was telling the truth or not.

"And you are certain of this?"

Hazel nodded. "I am. I noticed it halfway through our fight. I suddenly felt a wave of fatigue wash over me, but I knew that I hadn't reached my limit yet. That and the fatigue that overwhelmed me felt...unnatural to say the least. So, I assumed that someone was rigging the challenge oath in an attempt to make me lose."

More chatter erupted from the crowd, but was immediately silenced again by the chief as he snapped his fingers, drawing their attention to him. Once everyone was quiet once more, Grag'bog maintained eye contact with Hazel.

"And...have you discovered the culprit behind the rigging?"

The silence among the crowd as they waited for Hazel's answer was deafening. A moment later, she responded to his question.

"Yes, I have." She then turned and pointed into the crowd, looking directly at the perpetrator among them. "According to his status, he's a dark mage Orc named Gnar'grog."

At the mention of his name, the audience turned their gaze to the orc in question, intently staring at him. The dark mage orc shrank back from their stares before blurting out a response.

"T-that human lies! I have done no such thing! She's just trying to delay her defeat against our leader by accusing me!"

Hazel furrowed her brows. So, not only was this bastard a cheater, but also a coward, huh? He certainly had a lot of nerve to declare such a thing.

Grag'bog grunted. "If that's the case, then prove it yourself, Gnar'grog! Come down here this instant!"

When the chief called out to the orc mage, the rest of the crowd cleared a way for him to move toward the arena. He hesitated for a moment before inevitably approaching the center stage. Hazel moved to the side and allowed the mage to walk over to the chief. He then stood before his leader, not confidently like a truthful member of the tribe but a coward who realized that he had just gotten caught.

The scene looked like a teacher calling out his student and having him approach his desk. It was such a bizarre sight to Hazel.

Grag'bog glared at the orc mage, narrowing his gaze as he scrutinized one of his own people.

"I will only ask you this one, Gnar'grog," He said in a calm yet menacing tone. "Is what the witch said true?"

Gnar'grog immediately started lying without even skipping a beat. "It is a lie, sir!" He pointed at Hazel with an accusing tone. "That witch is tricking you! She is resorting to these cheap tactics because she knows she can't win against you!"

Hazel's eye twitched irritably as a surge of anger filled her. She wanted to cast telekinesis on the bastard and break every bone in his body. However, she refrained since she knew that her actions wouldn't solve anything. In fact, it would only make things worse for her. So, instead of doing anything, she simply glared daggers at the cheating, lying orc, praying that Grag'bog would see through his deception.

Grag'bog stared at his orc companion, taking note of his various expressions from panic to fear to hope that his trick would work. The chief then sighed and pulled out his hand.

"If what you said is true, then please hand over your staff."

The orc mage faltered, clutching his staff tightly. "W-what...?"

"In order to confirm your words to be true, we must inspect your staff. The witch stated that she was afflicted with a magical status ailment. If she is correct, then we should be able to check traces of your magic through your staff. If there are no traces, then you are telling the truth. And if there are..." The chief's expression darkened. "Then you know what happens next, correct?"

A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation.

Gnar'grog continued to hold his staff, hesitant to give it to the chief. That was because he knew that they would find traces of his magic when he cast the spell on Hazel. And once he was exposed, it was all over for him.

The orc mage kept his magic staff firmly in his grasp, not making a single attempt to give it to his chief. Grag'bog noticed this and glowered at him.

"What is the matter, Gnar'grog?" He questioned with a glare. "Why aren't you giving me your staff? If you believe that the witch is lying, then surrender your staff to me. Show me that the witch is playing me for a fool and not you!"

This only caused Gnar'grog to falter further. His hands that wielded the staff trembled as he struggled to hand it over to his chief, knowing that his lies would soon be revealed the very moment he received it. Then, unable to bear the consequences of his lies, the dark mage orc fell to his knees and planted his head against the ground, performing a dogeza of all things before his chief.

"P-please forgive me, chief...!" He begged, keeping his head firmly pressed against the ground, not even attempting to look up at Grag'bog. "I-I was in the wrong. The witch was telling the truth! Please spare me!"

Hazel stood there and stared at the dark mage with a hint of bewilderment on her face. She honestly didn't expect him to confess so easily. She guessed that was how much the chief was feared in the eyes of his fellow orcs and such. Still, it was quite a sight, to say the least.

Realizing that one of his subordinates did, in fact, lie to him, the chief let out a heavy sigh and clenched his green bulging hands into fists. Hazel could tell that Grag'bog was not amused by the dark mage orc's previous actions or his desperate attempt to be forgiven. If anything, it looked like he wanted to bash his face in right then and there, but was surprisingly keeping his cool in the face of his current predicament.

"I will consider your fate," He declared coldly. "After you explain to me why...you felt the need to intervene in the challenge oath, knowing that there would be consequences for doing so."

The dark mage hesitated to answer, remaining on the floor in silence. Hazel couldn't tell if the guy was contemplating death or over-explaining the reasons behind his stupid actions. Though a part of her was curious about what his train of thought was that brought him to do something like this. Did he intervene because he was worried or because of something else?

"I..." He faltered. "I simply felt that...this witch was not worthy of your caliber...and wished to-!"

Before the orc could finish, the Chief raised his battle axe and slammed it against his skull, splitting it in two. It was so abrupt and sudden that Hazel, along with the rest of the audience, stared in disbelief at what had just happened.

Grag'bog then pulled his axe out before swiping it in the air to get rid of the blood still clinging to his blade. He stared at the corpse of his former subordinate with a cold yet somewhat emotional expression. His eyes then shifted over to the crowd around them as his face was filled with rage and indignation.

"Do you see this?!" He boomed, pointing his axe at the corpse. "This is what happens when you break our sacred rules for such pathetic reasons! This bastard who called himself an Orc declared that my opponent was not worthy of my caliber and decided to interfere in the challenge oath! The only person who can make that kind of judgment is me!" He slammed his fist against his chest. "You do not make such a decision when it is not yours to make! Never! Because that is what awaits you!"

The people of the tribe continued to stare at the corpse of the dark mage orc with a mixture of expressions ranging from fear to dread, to even acceptance. They knew that they were being warned and were taught a lesson by their chief. Which was why no one said a word and simply listened. Because that was all they were expected to do in this situation.

"You are members of my tribe! And as members, you must follow and respect the rules! For without rules, we are no different than savages! Just like our ancestors who wandered the vast forests and simply killed to survive or for the hell of it! We must not revert back to such ways. For any reason! And it is because of this bastard!" He pointed at the corpse once again with his axe. "That our rules were broken...and that penance must be served. For both him...and myself!"

Hazel snapped her eyes toward the chief after hearing that last part, confusion plastered all over her face. What did he mean by that?

Before she could ask the chief herself, Grag'bog suddenly approached her. Hazel immediately took a defensive stand, not sure of what he planned to do. Just when he was a couple of feet before her, he then did something she never would've expected him to do. He kneeled before Hazel.

A small chorus of gasps erupted from the crowd upon witnessing this. Unlike before, when the chief silenced them, he did nothing this time and simply let the chatter continue as it got louder and louder.

But neither Hazel nor Grag'bog listened to the confused and shocked voices of the crowd. Not with what was happening right now.

"W-why are you...?"

"I am making amends for the dishonor that was made during this challenge oath."

Hazel couldn't believe what she was hearing and stuttered as she spoke up. "B-but it wasn't your fault! It was the dark mage orc."

The dark mage orc was the one who interrupted the challenge oath. He was the one at fault. Not the chief.

And yet Grag'bog didn't relent. "Maybe so, but he was one of my subordinates. And due to the severity of his crime...I must take some of the blame as well for allowing such a thing to occur."

"W-what do you mean by that?"

"What I mean is that you have won this battle by default, Hazel Thatcher. You have won the challenge oath. And as such, the loser must listen to the winner. Those are the rules." He bowed his head before Hazel. "Now then, as the winner, please tell me what your request is."

Hazel was dumbstruck by this sudden turn of events. She had no idea how to process the situation or even respond to his question. However, after thinking about it carefully, wasn't this the best possible situation for her?

Even though she didn't win fair and square due to the cheating dark mage orc, she still won the challenge by default. Even if by a technicality. And knowing who knew how much time she had left before Dolk proceeded with his plan, it would be best to get this over with as soon as possible.

The question was...what should she request? Her original goal was to simply have the Orcs and the rest of the residents leave. But after what she witnessed during the challenge, a part of her hesitated to simply get rid of them as planned.

However, before Hazel could come to a decision, a sudden message materialized before her. Glancing at the message panel, her eyes widened in shock upon reading its contents, unable to process what was stated.

[Astrid Skogr: There's trouble at the base. They aren't trying to sneak Olga out. They're attacking the base and getting her out during the chaos. The base is being invaded.]

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