I Have a Task Log

Chapter 476: Chapter 475: News of the Orcs

「One evening, about a week later.」

Colin and Kase were hiding in a patch of reeds by a small river.

They stared intently at several mallards gliding across the river’s surface. The wild ducks swam in fits and starts, bobbing their pointed tails. Every so often, they would peck at the duckweed on the surface, then tilt their necks back to swallow it with a gulp of water.

Colin carefully opened his Spellbook and began to recite a Spell he had previously learned and recorded within its pages.

A barely perceptible blue speck of light flickered to life among the ducks.

As he uttered the final syllable, a torrent of water erupted from the blue speck, almost instantly coalescing into a sphere that completely imprisoned the mallards.

"It really worked, Colin!" Kase exclaimed, slapping him excitedly on the shoulder.

"Don’t move! If the ducks get away, we’ll be stuck eating morel mushrooms!" Colin said, holding up his right hand and guiding the sphere of water trapping the ducks slowly toward the bank.

Inside the sphere, the ducks kicked their legs and struggled frantically, but they could only swim around inside, completely unable to escape their circular, watery prison.

Just then, Kase nocked an arrow to his Longbow and fired it into the sphere, piercing one of the ducks straight through. The water was instantly stained red with blood.

’It seems you can attack targets trapped by this Magic...’

Colin hesitated for a moment. He decided not to waste energy testing whether Magic like Lightning Bolt would work and instead had Kase shoot the rest of the ducks. After all, they were dinner.

Once the ducks were dead, Colin dispelled the Magic, letting their bodies fall to the ground.

"This is one hell of a useful trick, Colin," Kase shouted excitedly.

Colin held up one of the ducks. "This is a Tier Four Magic spell. Using it on a few ducks is complete overkill."

"Who cares? We’ve got duck to eat, don’t we?" Kase said with a laugh.

The two of them carried their quarry back to the temporary camp by the main road.

Ale and Orelia had already started a bonfire, with an iron pot of water boiling over the flames. Beside the fire lay mushrooms and various wild vegetables they had gathered.

When they saw Colin and Kase return, the two girls came over, intending to take the prey from their companions’ hands.

"You two are the little ones. Go sit down." Kase raised the ducks out of their reach. "This is a job for the grown-ups."

Orelia said, "But I’m a fast worker."

"Why is the youngest one the ’grown-up’?" Ale asked.

Kase cleared his throat twice. "I’m an expert at dressing ducks. Those Halflings might be experts at roasting mutton, but when it comes to eating duck, they can’t beat me. When I was down south, duck was what I ate most."

’He must be talking about that whole business with Uncle Pants Hole,’ Colin thought.

The two of them then hung the ducks up high to let them bleed out.

Just then, Mog sidled over, his eyes fixed on the ducks. Colin quickly shouted, "Don’t eat them yet, Mog."

The Ogre grumbled, "But Mog wants to eat."

"Wait until they’re cooked. It’ll definitely be better than eating them raw," Colin said. "By the way, where did Albert go?"

"He said he had to take care of something nearby," Orelia replied.

After a short while, the water over the bonfire was hot.

Colin and Kase scalded the ducks in the hot water and began to pluck them. When the two men weren’t looking, Orelia and Ale each grabbed a duck and started plucking as well.

Dorn, who had been planning to slack off, sighed deeply at the sight and came over to help prepare the food.

A little later, Albert walked over silently from a distance.

Colin looked up at him.

Albert was holding a palm-sized stone. Its surface was quite smooth, and some Magic Runes were carved into it.

Colin took a closer look at the stone.

[Communication Stone / Magical Artifact (Above Ordinary Level)]

[Message: When the user touches one Communication Stone, they can cast "Sending" on the holder of the other stone. Usable once per day.]

Seeing this, Colin was suddenly struck by an ominous premonition.

He asked, "What’s wrong?"

Albert hesitated for a moment before speaking slowly. "There are signs of an Orc Tribe active around Wolf Castle."

Colin froze. "An Orc Tribe?"

Albert said grimly, "This isn’t good news. Generally, the first wave of Orc Tribes are smaller ones, forced to raid due to a lack of food. They usually show up around the end of the autumn harvest, but this year, they’ve appeared much earlier."

"We’ve heard people say the winter disaster isn’t over. Could that be the reason?" Colin asked.

"I’ve heard the same. Last year’s winter disaster affected the Orcs’ food supply, which is why they invaded on such a large scale," Albert said. "That’s also why I asked you to escort me to Wolf Castle. I was hoping to get there and make preparations in advance."

Kase interjected, "So, will those Orcs attack your settlement next?"

"It’s a certainty. And those Orcs don’t like sieges. Once they invade, they’ll launch a massive assault. We don’t have much time."

After a moment, Albert spoke again. "Everyone, I’d like to hire you to help me resolve this crisis. The price I offer will not disappoint you. Are you willing to come with me?"

"Of course we won’t refuse," Colin said, then turned to Mog. "Mog, what are your plans?"

The Ogre reached up to scratch his Helmet, then nodded. "Mog go too. Mog needs to earn gold. Mog wants to go to Sunset Mountain Range."

Having reached an agreement, the group finished preparing the ducks. They used them and the mushrooms to stew several pots of hot, savory duck soup. The rich broth made even their dry bread and rations taste delicious.

After eating their fill, the party went to bed early.

The party rose and set off immediately the next morning.

Time was so tight that Albert even simplified his morning routine—he didn’t apply the waxy pomade to his hair.

From then on, their journey was no longer as leisurely as the past few days. They spent most of their time on the road, no longer hunting in the wilds to save money. All their supplies were purchased from villages along the way.

As the party traveled deeper east, the chill in the wind grew stronger each day.

Even while wearing the [Winter Wolf Necklace], Colin could still feel the temperature quietly dropping.

Traces of human activity began to dwindle. Villages grew sparse, separated by vast distances. All around them were the primeval forests, swamps, and barren flats of the North.

All signs of human civilization were fading, with the sole exception of the small fortresses built on hills and riverbanks.

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