As Orluk began his story, in the corner of the room, Fia was sleeping with a smile on her face. No wonder I haven't heard her voice for a while.

Still, this is for the best. Whatever Orluk has to say, I don't think she should hear it.

"My mother…" Orluk began. "She was one of the many wives Father has. Father met her during one of his raids on the other ogre tribes. He said they had a duel, where he won triumphantly. As per our tribe's custom, a man who dueled a woman and won could keep her as his. And so he did."

Wait, isn't that slavery? Or is she just considered a prisoner? I seriously doubt the latter.

I guess slavery is fine if it's done through a trial by combat like this?

"He made him one of his wives. And eventually, I was born to her."

...Ah, I think I already know where this is going.

"Karla and I… we were raised well by her. Not too harshly that we couldn't love her but not too softly that we wouldn't know how to stand on our own two feet. I still remember when she held us on her knees and spanked us one by one for hunting on another tribe's territory, which—I didn't know back then—could provoke a war. And then, she hugged us afterwards, thanking Boros that we were safe. We had a rule that we could kill hunters who trespassed on another tribe's territory so we could very well die that day."

"She sounds like a good woman." I smiled.

"She was." His smile grew. "She was strong and kind and everything you would want in a woman."

Abruptly, his smile disappeared.

"She only had one weakness. She loved her husband too much. And that love destroyed her."

Well, that's… not what I was expecting.

I thought she had died from an illness. Or from an attack where his father failed to protect her.

"She grew jealous, didn't she? Of his other wives?" Tira spoke, her face all serious and firm.

Orluk nodded grimly. "She thought Father was losing interest in her. So much so that she fell into despair from it. At that time, Father had procured another wife and she accused her of manipulating him to dislike her."

"A-and then?" Theo's voice shook.

"She took her own life. Sliced herself on the throat with a knife."

Silence. A veil of gloom fell upon everyone present, including myself.

Orluk's expression hardened. His face was now etched with rage that could bubble and spill over at any second.

"That's why I'll never forgive him. And that's why, Master Hugo, I hope you won't make the same mistake with your harem."

Sherry and Felicia. You can't call two a harem.

But his point stands. I really have to be careful in that department. If one of them ends up taking their own life because of heartbreak… I don't think I'll ever be able to forgive myself.

Silently, a small, soft hand touched my thigh.

"Don't worry. I'll teach you how to be a good husband." Tira smiled. "I might be young for an elf but I've read enough romance novels to know how a woman's heart works."

I'm… not sure if that's a legitimate advice source but I'll take it.

"Ummmhhh, big brother Orluk…"

The soft, barely perceptible voice came from the still sleeping Fia. Without us realizing it, she had rolled towards Orluk in her slumber. And now, she was hugging his thigh, smiling oh so adorably in the process.

I couldn't help but smile, seeing such an angelic sight. You're really lucky to have her, Orluk.

Though, it reminded me of a certain thing Karla brought up earlier.

"Orluk, about her mother…"

The ogre's expression turned grim. "We found her. She was still alive. But…" He looked away.

"She fell in love." I continued his words. "With the orcs."

He nodded. "Fia… couldn't forgive her for that. To her, she had betrayed her father, who was murdered while defending their tribe from the orcs."

...It was true. What Karla said.

Do the orcs in this world run on netorare logic where getting raped by them means you're addicted to their cock forever? That's only for the incubi, right? Unless…

Love magic is involved. A love potion, slipped into her drink before she got violated.

...That was what Vera wanted to do with Marina. It was a miracle her virginity remained intact.

That hobbit brat… I will kill him too when I find him. I swear it.

My gaze traveled back to the dark elf. She was now drooling on Orluk's pants, leaving a tiny dark spot on the brown fur.

I reached forward, still half-sitting, and patted Orluk on his shoulder. "It's up to you to make her happy now. And so far, you're doing a great job."

He smiled, grabbing my hand firmly. "No need to fret. She's my little sister now. She might not be an ogre but she's part of the clan."

Suddenly, the yurt flaps opened, revealing Felicia, who had been absent during our conversation. I didn't even realize that fact until now.

"Oh, you're back, Milord." She smiled. "I was just visiting the tribe's healer. Sharing notes and the like."

"Right…" My eyes wandered down her cleavage. Since she was bending over, I could see her breasts and nipples from where I sat.

God, this will never get old.

Shaking the perverted thought, I then said, "Oh, that's right. You're researching this continent's plants."

"Exactly." She sat down beside me, rearranging her thighs in such a way that I could peek at her red thong. Oh, this one has to be intentional. "You see," She raised her index finger with a sagely expression. "You're growing stronger and stronger. So I should too so I won't be a burden."

"Though to be honest," She grabbed my hands. "I know I'll never be as strong as you in a direct fight. My role would be support instead. Healing, mana, stamina potions — I want to create the best for you, Milord."

Heh, she really is trying her best…

All the more reason for me to try my best as well...

"Alright, you two! Enough of the lovey dovey stare! You, Hugo! Go to the chief and tell that loser that his loser son is going with us!" Tama yelled, pointing her finger at me. Ah, the killjoy strikes again.

"Y-you can't say that, Tama!" Theo spoke, glancing at the ogre nervously. Heh, he probably is afraid he's going to take offense.

"It's fine." I smiled at him, then at Orluk. "I'll go." I stood up.

"Wait." Orluk shifted from his seat. "There's no need for you to—"

"It's fine. You don't like seeing him, right? Then you can just stay here and let me handle the negotiation."

Orluk paused, seemingly on the verge of opening his mouth. But he quickly relented, sitting back down with a smile on his face.

"Alright. I'll leave it to you, Master Hugo."

-------

I departed from the yurt immediately. I told the others that I was fine going there on my own. No need to bring a crowd.

Just in time to meet with Myrilla, who had been standing on the outside.

And she looked as grim as ever.

You know, the more I look at her, the more she reminds me of one of those Milicis statues I used to find on the Holy Continent. For some reason, she always glared at you there. You’d think they’d want to make her look warm and welcoming, not cold and haughty.

"I'm going with you. If you're really going to marry both Sherry and that woman, I'll have to make sure you learn from that ogre's mistake."

"So what? You're going to read his thoughts?" I chuckled. "He and his wives too, I suppose. Heh, so much for privacy."

She sent me a glare. "This is for Sherry's sake. I will not let her suffer in the hands of you and that woman. You know how she is. She's awkward and prone to bad temper. If you don't take the initiative, I'm sure that flirtatious woman will keep all of your attention to herself. You'll let Sherry languish in solitude and jealousy as you won't be strong enough to tell that woman off."

All of a sudden, she went into lecturing mode. It almost gave me flashbacks to Marina or Renee doing the same.

Wow, she really has a bad opinion on me, huh? Well, can't say I blame her. After I told her about my past self, I'm sure she has gone through all my perverted memories.

And she's right. There's no guarantee I won't screw it up. God knows I'm awfully bad with women.

"Now, shut up and take the lead. You speak with the ogre chief and I'll stand there reading his memories."

I could only nod.

-------

As expected, the yurt of the ogre chief was far larger than any other yurts in the encampment. It stood tall and proud, as tall as a five story building if I had to estimate. The hard fabric was a mixture of leather and fur, red being its dominant color, mixed with white. The round base was about the width and length of a middle-sized house.

Only one guard stood in front of it — a scary-looking bald ogre woman with a giant scimitar as her weapon.

"Human… Nerthusian..." She opened her mouth, her tone stern and cold. "Guests of Karla. Speak your business."

"We wish to meet with the ogre chief. We have a petition regarding his son Orluk."

"Orluk… that traitor…" She eyed me up and down. "Very well. Wait here."

She then walked into the tent, leaving us two on our own.

Just for a few short seconds though.

"You may enter." She announced once she returned.

And so we did.

…

The inside of the yurt was just as lavish as I had envisioned. The ground was covered in the most exquisite fur carpet, much softer than the one Orluk had. There were white pillows scattered everywhere, consisting of all shapes and sizes. And the chief was resting on a group of them, alongside four ogre women to his left and right. His harem, no doubt. The smell of sex lingered in the air. Combined with the fact that the women were completely naked while the chief only wore a pair of fur shorts, it didn't take much to imagine what they had been doing before we came here.

This is the middle of the day! Don't you have a tribe to run?!

I kept my gaze firmly locked at the chief. I couldn't ogle his wives. That would no doubt incur his offense.

Still, what was he thinking, inviting us while he's like this?

A smile adorned the chief's face. Slowly, he sat up, giving us a good look of his well-muscled torso.

"The savior of my son Orluk." His voice boomed. "To what do I owe this pleasure?"

As he spoke, he patted the head of one of his wives. You'd think he would tell them to get dressed but nope, he didn't care that the only thing covering their breasts were the pillows they were hugging.

As for the women themselves, they were all glaring at me as if I was a cockroach that had crawled into their yurt. Quite rude if you ask me.

"I wish to ask for his assistance. To head to the east past the orcs safely."

"Assistance?" He laughed. "Aren't you the great mage who can take out an entire human camp by himself?"

"I would rather avert conflict if I could. That's why I need your son. Your tribe has a treaty with the orcs, right?"

"A treaty?!" He burst into a laugh once more, this time even louder. "We're not like you, human. We demons don't make treaties with each other."

"Then how did your son escape his visit to the orc chief?"

"Because he's my son. That pig knows better than to mess with him."

In short, he doesn't want to trigger a war earlier than he's prepared to.

Still, shouldn't these guys attack first then?

Oh well, it's none of my business.

"Take him." He spoke again, still with a smile. "That boy has a lot of idle time here. His sister does all the work."

Well, that's one sudden change of heart.

"And you… mind-crawler." His gaze swiftly moved to Myrilla. "You have quite the guts, reading the mind of an ogre chief without his permission."

Damn, he noticed?

Myrilla doesn't seem to mind though. She doesn't even flinch.

"I did what I had to do," she replied, her tone firm and resolute. "And I see now that my prediction was right. You will be a good example for him to learn from."

The man burst into a roaring laugh once more. He gently pushed his wives away before standing up, showing his full three meter height, towering over me like a giant. I had to crane my neck just to see his face.

"An example?"

"On how not to be a man with multiple wives."

"Haah, I see that Orluk has told you that story. Or maybe just read it off his mind."

He took a few steps towards Myrilla, his feet producing small tremors on the ground. She was positively tiny compared to him, her head only reaching up to his stomach.

If this were a hentai, this would be the part where he grabbed her and undressed her on the spot, before inserting his massive **** into her orifices.

Sheesh, no wonder all his wives were ogres as well. He was just too big for the smaller races. Can you imagine him doing it with a hobbit?

Myrilla, though, was a brave woman. She wasn't intimidated in the slightest. And I had the utmost respect for that. Even I was intimidated by his size when he stood in front of me, despite me being stronger than him.

Father, you really should've married her too. You're missing out on one great woman here!

"His mother… she overstepped her bounds. She wanted me all for herself. She grew hostile to my other wives and so I gave her the appropriate punishment."

"Not touching her for five years. She took her own life from that."

Five years? That's too much! Even one year is already cruel enough! Hell, at that point, I won't blame her for cheating on him!

But I guess ogres aren't like us humans. Though even then, in this pre-modern society, a wife cheating due to lack of affection is far less acceptable than in modern times.

And Myrilla seemed to agree, judging by that chillingly cold tone she just gave him.

"It was her own fault. She was a proud and foolish woman."

...Nope. Not a hint of remorse on his face.

No wonder Orluk hated his guts.

"Let's go." Myrilla called me. "We're done here."

We're done here indeed.

As we left the great yurt, I gave one last glance at the ogre.

He was already back inside the embrace of his wives, smiling and grinning like nothing had happened.

At that moment, I couldn't help but feel a tinge of disgust inside my heart.

--------

We returned to Orluk's yurt at once, telling him the good news. It was then decided that we would depart the next morning.

Fia already woke up when we returned and she quickly begged Orluk to bring her along. He refused, citing the danger, before promising that he would return as quickly as he could. He told her to stay with Karla as she'd take good care of her.

"Hmph! I don't like that woman!" She huffed, throwing her head away.

I chuckled. Orluk, you got two cute sisters vying for your attention. Well, one. You can't say that muscle-bound monster cute by any sense of the word.

"It's fine." I smiled, patting her head. "I won't borrow him for long. Orluk, after you take us through the orc territory, you go back, alright?"

"But Master Hugo, the land beyond there is still fraught with danger. You'll need all the he—"

"No." I gave him a scowl. "Your duty is with her, first and foremost. I've heard what happened with Fia's mother. You're the only one she has now."

A pained expression flashed on Fia's face. Oh, maybe I shouldn't have said it with her present.

She quickly recovered though. She hugged Orluk's hand and gave him a heartrending pout.

"Big Brother Hugo is right! I need you, Big Brother Orluk!"

Orluk paused, paying me a glance.

I gave him a curt nod.

"Alright. After I've escorted him through the orc lands, I'll go back as fast as I could."

I grinned. Seeing those puppy eyes, how could anyone refuse?

-------

Afterwards, we left the tent as Karla had come over and she had some words for Orluk. We figured it was a message from his father so there was no need for us to be there.

Myrilla then spoke to me, pretty much confirming what I thought about Orluk's father. His mistake was punishing his wife too harshly. Instead of changing her attitude, he instead kicked her out and spat on her love. To him, she was not special in the slightest, just another flower in his harem.

I wouldn't make the same mistake. Sherry and Felicia — they were both special to me. I would sit them down in a room and have them settle it out with each other.

"How naive. You really think it will be that easy?"

"Huh?"

"Just make them 'talk it out'? Do you have any idea how jealous a woman can be? Double that and you'll have an Izurd."

Crap, she read my mind again.

"Fine." I relented. "It might not be easy but I'll certainly do a better job than that ogre!"

"Your confidence worries me." Her eyes narrowed. "I think you're still too childish to marry, let alone to have two wives."

Ouch, that hurts! She thinks I'm still too childish?

"But, I'll reserve judgment until you reunite with Sherry. If you then step out of line, I'll make sure you know it."

With those words and a glare, she left.

She really was taking the role of a surrogate mother/aunt/big sister.

--------

We were given our own yurts to sleep in. Felicia and I shared a yurt, Theo and Tama shared another, while Myrilla and Tira took the last available one.

That night, even though I didn't want to, Felicia and I ended up doing our usual perverted stuff. Told her that we were no doubt being watched by the ogres but she insisted, citing the fact that we hadn't done it for a week now. No wonder she gave me the show back at Orluk's place. She was in her usual horny phase.

"Alright, fine, but no moaning. Orluk's tent is right there and I don't want Fia hearing our noises."

In the end, I fingered her while playing with her boobs, while her hands went straight to my manhood. A quickie, we called it — a quick way to get ourselves off when there was no time or opportunity for a proper lewd play.

"Haaaahh… haaahh…."

"Ahhhhh… aaahhhh…"

Heavy breathing filled the air as sweat slowly soaked our skin. She was sitting on my lap, smiling and panting simultaneously. With our faces being so close, it was only a matter of time until she burrowed her lips into mine, stopping herself from moaning as my two fingers touched her g-spot.

We ended with her being on top of me, her hands dirtied by my liquid. Smiling, she gave me one last kiss on the cheek before standing up, washing her naked body with water magic, making sure all the water turned to steam before it could wet the carpet. I followed suit, concentrating the water on my right hand, thighs, and crotch — places she had spurted her juices on.

"I'm surprised." I grinned. "That was really silent."

"I can't moan while kissing you, Milord." She grinned as well.

All in all, it was a good night.

--------

We departed early in the morning. Karla was there to send us off. And only her. The father wasn't there. Not that Orluk cared.

She told us that she would've lent her titan worm to carry us but the orcs wouldn't like that. It could trigger a fight that they weren't yet ready for.

That's a shame. Really want to see the inside of that thing, as gross as that may be.

We walked the entire day, traversing the endless grassland while keeping track that we were heading east. To be honest, the blue plains were not that much different from the grassless wasteland we had traveled through for long. The only difference was the poison thing and the type of monsters that were around. And for the latter, it was less impressive than the monsters we found back in the Exogenous Garden. Honestly, it was a disappointment.

Here and there, we would stumble upon small ogre camps, made by hunters of the other ogre tribes that were also on the region. Their job was to get food and forage plants (some of the blue grass were actually different plants entirely) as well as to keep track of the movement of the orcs. Orluk would exchange words with them, we would stay for the night, and then move on the next day.

Eventually, we couldn't find them anymore. Instead, we found something else… villages abandoned, burned, and destroyed. The terrain changed as well, becoming more bumpy and hilly, with a lot more trees around.

"This used to be the dark elves' territory. After the orc invasion, nothing much of them was left," Orluk explained.

This was where Fia was born. In one of these villages.

All of them are gone now. There's nothing left.

Orluk's face was grim. He looked like he could kill a man at any second.

He really considers her as his own family.

I wasn't wrong to leave her with him.

After several days of more travelling, the scene changed again. The boundless plains returned, smoothening the landscape like a fine-toothed comb.

The first plains was what the ogres called the Western Great Plains. This one was the Eastern Great Plains. Not that creative of a name, I know, especially since there were similar plains in the Holy Continent that were also called The Great Plains.

"Wait, hold on, do you hear that?"

Tama stopped us in the middle of nowhere, her ears twitching as if they were trying to pick up a noise.

"Hear what?" Theo asked, looking around.

"Sounds of… footsteps… hundreds—no, thousands of them! And they're moving really fast this direction!"

Orluk's face turned pale.

Myrilla didn't wait. She floated upwards with her wind magic and stared far off into the distance.

Black…

Wait, this is not the time, Hugo!

I quickly averted my sight from the demoness' panties, following her upwards as well.

And there, on the far east, I saw them.

Orcs riding giant wolves. Thousands of them. All moving in one, massive wave.

This was no scouting party. This was an army.

And judging by where they were going…

"Run!" Orluk yelled. "We have to get back and warn the tribes!"

"Wait! Hold on!"

I landed down in front of him and looked him right in the eyes.

"Leave this to me." I smiled.

"What? What are you talking about? You can't possibly—"

"Relax. I've gotten a lot stronger since we separated. And besides, we can't outrun them. Not with those wolves they rode. The only way out is to fight."

"Don't be stupid." Myrilla descended beside me, giving me a glare. "Just dig a hole and hide until they pass."

"No." I shook my head. "This is excellent for my training. Not to mention I want to keep Orluk and his tribe safe. To keep Fia safe. She now has a home and I won't let it be destroyed."

"Master Hugo, you… you're too good of a person…"

A slight tremor colored Orluk's voice. The ogre was smiling and his dark eyes were watering. Whoa, don't tell me he's going to cry now?

"You are confident." Myrilla's eyes narrowed. "I hope it isn't mistaken."

"Don't worry." I flashed her a grin. "You can take the others with you. I'll go on my own."

"No! I'm going with you, Milord!" Felicia stepped forward. "If you're going, I'm going!"

...Yeah, don't think I can dissuade her. And besides, she can take care of herself.

"W-wait, I'm going too—oow!"

"Don't be stupid! You're nowhere near as strong as these two monsters!

Tama had just hit her boyfriend on the head.

"She's right." Tira rubbed his head. "We're not strong enough. We better let them handle this one."

"Then it's decided." Myrilla declared. "I'll take you away from here using my wind magic. Orluk, you're staying, right?"

"Of course." He brandished his spear. "I'll be a coward if I don't stay and fight."

"Then, good luck."

Myrilla chanted her spell, forming her miniature humanoid tornadoes that carried both her and the others who went with her. As a result, their skirts and dresses flew upwards, showing me the fact that Tama and Tira both wore striped panties today, the former being white and blue while the latter being white and green.

And of course, it included Myrilla as well. I could see a glimpse of her buttocks, barely covered by her black string panties.

Sloppy, Myrilla, sloppy! Your control over the wind automata isn't good enough!

The show was only for a few seconds though as she quickly ordered the automatas to move. And they could do so surprisingly quickly, with a speed rivaling that of a car.

Still, before they left, I noticed Theo blushing. Now that was a lucky guy! He got to see it all far longer than I did!

With them gone, I turned my attention back to Orluk and Felicia.

"Alright. Here's the plan."