Shame of despair

The deep of night.

Kano had finally started to calm down. His thoughts were still swirling with the information he'd learned about orc traditions, but at least now he had a sense of the situation's scale.

Naira sat across from him, her arms crossed over her chest, her gaze filled with contemplation. She, too, was trying to make sense of what had just happened.

Kano sighed and rubbed his temples.

—"Alright... Just sleep. I'm sure tomorrow will be even worse."

He lay down on the improvised bedding made of soft hides. His body finally relaxed, but his mind still raced.

—"I'm the orc chieftain now. I'm responsible for these people. And I... seem to have accidentally taken a wife..."

Kano nervously cleared his throat and turned his head toward Naira.

—"By the way, what are we supposed to do now... well... you know what I mean?"

Naira rolled her eyes.

—"Relax. We're not... doing that. It's just for the others."

Kano nearly gasped in relief.

—"Oh... Good, then just... sleep?"

—"Sleep, idiot."

She was about to settle on the other side of the tent when...

A rustling sound.

The tent flap shifted, and Selina and Lianel walked in.

Kano slowly lifted his head, blinking in surprise.

Naira, who was just settling in to sleep, froze. Her eyes widened, then began narrowing dangerously.

—"What are you doing here?!" she snapped.

Selina looked a bit embarrassed.

—"Uh... We just... decided to..."

Lianel smirked slyly.

—"Check on how our chieftain is doing."

Kano felt his heart begin to race.

—"Wait... Something's not right."

He glanced quickly at Naira. Her eyebrows twitched, her jaw tightened, and her fingers curled into fists.

—"You walked into the chieftain's tent without an invitation?" her voice was cold, as though she was about to shoot someone.

Lianel raised an eyebrow.

—"Well, yes."

Selina gave a slightly nervous smile.

—"It's not a big deal, right...?"

Naira's eyes widened in disbelief, then she grabbed her head with both hands.

—"Oh, Gods..."

She grabbed Kano's arm, forcing him to sit up, and stared directly into his eyes.

—"Do you even realize what just happened?!"

Kano blinked.

—"What?"

Naira pointed sharply at the girls.

—"They just walked into the chieftain's tent. At night. Without permission."

Kano slowly nodded.

—"...Yeah, I see that."

—"This means they're either your wives... OR I HAVE TO KILL THEM!"

Kano nearly choked.

—"WHAT?!"

Selina went pale, and Lianel gave Naira a skeptical glance.

—"Oh, seriously?"

Naira gritted her teeth.

—"Yes, seriously! It's the law! Only wives or those who wish to become wives can enter the chieftain's tent!"

Selina froze in shock.

—"…Oh."

Kano felt like his head was about to explode.

—"No, no, no, no, no! You're joking! This is just some ridiculous coincidence!"

Naira let out an evil laugh.

—"I wish it were a joke! But the guards saw us. And the guards will tell the others."

Kano turned his gaze to the girls.

—"Alright, Selina, Lianel... Do you want to be my wives?"

Selina blushed, her lips trembling.

—"What?! No! I... I..."

Lianel just smiled.

—"Well, you know... You're pretty cute."

Kano was left speechless.

Naira growled.

—"Are you serious?! First this idiot, and now you!!!!"

Kano raised his hands.

—"STOP! Let's all just calm down!"

Naira glared at him.

—"I have the right to challenge them to a fight if you don't want them as your wives."

Kano felt like he was suffocating.

—"Stop the planet, I'm getting off..."

Naira crossed her arms over her chest.

—"So, what do you decide, great chieftain?"

Kano clenched his fists.

—"We only have one option..."

Everyone froze.

Kano sighed heavily.

—"You all stay here in the tent, and I'll sleep in the cart!"

A heavy silence fell.

Lianel laughed.

Selina wanted to say something but couldn't.

Naira exploded.

—"You idiot! This isn't going to work!"

Kano felt his nerves unraveling.

—"Fine! Then we'll sleep here! But NO more 'traditions', understood?!"

He turned and lay down on the bedding.

Lianel lay beside him and smiled.

—"I've already slept with you before. You're very warm."

Naira growled, and Selina almost choked on her embarrassment.

Kano closed his eyes.

—"I just want to sleep..."

And so it happened.

The next morning, Kano barely managed to crawl out of the tent, leaving the sleeping girls behind.

He felt unrested, even though he seemed to have slept.

And immediately, he met the gaze of Elgot and the old chieftain.

Elgot tilted his head skeptically.

—"Did you sleep well, my chieftain?"

Kano ignored his tone and turned his gaze to the old chieftain.

—"Do you still have doubts?" the old man asked in a calm voice.

Kano stopped.

Doubts?

He had a thousand doubts.

The old chieftain looked at him with unwavering confidence, as if everything had already been decided.

—"We are ready to conduct the ritual."

Silence.

Elgot tensed sharply.

—"No! You can't mean..."

The old chieftain nodded.

—"Exactly him."

Kano furrowed his brows.

—"The ritual?"

Elgot grabbed him by the shoulder, his grip firm.

—"This is madness!"

Kano looked at him, bewildered.

—"What do you mean?"

Elgot spoke quickly.

—"If you agree... The orcs will bind their lives to you. They will give you part of their strength. But if you die — they will all die with you."

Kano froze.

He glanced at the old chieftain.

—"Is that true?"

The old man nodded.

—"Yes. It's our tradition. We have never had a true home. But if a chieftain leads us — we will follow him even into death."

Kano gritted his teeth.

—"I don't want that!"

Everyone froze.

The orcs exchanged glances, even the old chieftain looked surprised.

—"What do you mean?" the old man asked.

Kano took a deep breath.

—"I don't want you giving me your strength. I want you to become stronger yourselves. I want you to have a choice. If you follow me — let it be your decision, not a magical bond."

Silence.

The old chieftain paused to think.

Elgot looked at Kano in surprise, but said nothing.

Finally, the old chieftain slowly nodded.

—"We've never done this before..."

Kano felt a spark of hope.

—"But is it possible?"

The chieftain looked directly at him.

—"If you command your mage to help — we will try."

Kano turned his gaze to Elgot.

The mage exhaled, rubbing his temples.

—"Ugh, I don't like this idea..."

Kano smiled.

—"You love experiments, don't you, elf? Let's try something new."

Elgot sighed.

—"You know this will be nothing but a headache for you?"

—"Yes."

—"Fine. But if something goes wrong — it's on your conscience."

Kano nodded.

He had made his choice.