After Retirement, Living a Stud Life in Another World - 238

“Hey, Branch Chief, if there’s an Orc Mage appearing, does that mean…?”

“Yes, it seems we’ve encountered an unfortunate situation. We might need to review the unsolved cases of missing adventuring parties over the past few years.”

“Right. We can’t allow them to keep producing more mages.”

I couldn’t keep up with Gretel and the Branch Chief’s serious conversation. Why does the appearance of missing parties lead to an increase in Orc Mages?

As I tilted my head in confusion, Michaela tugged on my sleeve. She seemed to want to tell me something, leaning in close to my ear.

“Um, my Lord, you don’t know about this, do you?”

Even in a whisper, Michaela’s voice carried a pleasant anime-like tone. But this wasn’t the time to be distracted by such things.

“Know what?”

“When Orc Mages start appearing in large numbers… it means a lot of women with magical power have been captured and forced to bear their children.”

“What?!”

My shocked reaction prompted Gretel and the Branch Chief to launch into an impromptu, urgent lecture.

Generally, lower-level monsters like Orcs can’t use magic. Apparently, their genetic makeup lacks the capacity for magical talent. Therefore, they can only rely on brute strength and reproductive ability to fight against humans. However, there is one way for them to produce individuals capable of using magic.

That method involves mating with a species that can wield magic to produce offspring. The resulting child, although only in the first generation, becomes an “Orc Mage,” capable of using magic and greatly enhancing the tribe’s combat power. Orcs’ obsession with human women isn’t purely for pleasure—they also seek to create mages to strengthen their tribe and ensure their survival.

I see. When you think about it that way, adventurers who wander into the demonic forest in small groups—most of whom are female mages—become ideal targets. The image of human women being forced to bear Orc offspring was something I wanted to avoid imagining.

“There were over a dozen Orc Mages. That many couldn’t have been born in just a year, right?”

“Indeed. Even if Orcs grow quickly, having so many mages suggests their breeding activities have been ongoing for quite some time. It’s reasonable to assume there are women who’ve been held captive for extended periods. Recently missing women are likely being used for the same purpose.”

Gretel, my childhood friend, delivered this cruel and heavy hypothesis as if it were nothing. However, I noticed her fists were clenched so tightly they looked ready to bleed. Though Gretel wears a proud and aloof demeanor, she’s actually a deeply compassionate and kind-hearted girl.

“Then, deeper in this cave…”

“It’s highly likely that there are women being held captive. I want to rescue them, but… what does the guild think?”

“Of course, we want to save our members as well. We would greatly appreciate the help of Lady Hero of Light.”

“Naturally. Now that it’s decided, let’s move quickly. Since even mages are showing up, everyone needs to stay sharp!”

Facing an even tougher battle, Gretel’s gray eyes gleamed with determination. I was mesmerized by her profile as I watched…

“As expected, Princess Beatrice was right. Lord Lutz really is drawn to strong women…”

Michaela, please stop with the teasing!

From that point on, we worked on clearing the branching paths one by one. While splitting up might be faster, the fact that the Orcs were fighting in an organized manner suggested they had a leader. If one of our groups without Gretel encountered such a boss, it could be disastrous. So, though it took time, we proceeded as a single unit.

Fortunately, we hit the jackpot on the third path. The dead-end widened into a cavern, and from inside, we heard the voices of young women.

“Please, stop…!”
“No… ahh…!”

It was clear what was happening. After a brief discussion between Gretel and the leader of the adventurer party, we charged in without hesitation. Inside were about ten Orcs. While one adventurer drew their attention with a loud shout, Tselli cast a “Flash” spell to blind them. Gretel and the frontline adventurers swiftly decapitated them with precise teamwork. Despite being a makeshift team, our coordination was flawless. In less than twenty seconds, no Orcs remained alive.

“Hang in there!”

Gretel gently lifted a female thief, who seemed unable to recover her vision yet due to the “Flash” spell. It appeared there were only four women who had been assaulted.

“Karla, you’re alive. Thank goodness.”

The adventurers draped cloaks over the naked women, speaking to them gently. Though it was far from being okay, merely surviving an attack by an Orc horde was a small miracle.

“Th… thank you for saving me… But Emma and the others…”

“Now that you mention it, weren’t there more people reported missing? Why are there only four women here?”

“…We were brought here to help them breed mages. Those who were already impregnated were taken to another chamber. They’re treated better than we are…”