After Retirement, Living a Stud Life in Another World - Chapter 240: General

Chapter 240: General

Gretel was not one to back down once she made up her mind.

“Nena, was it? You have three choices: kill this child, live quietly with this child in the ‘Forest of Evil,’ or make this child my own.”

“…Please,” Nena replied.

As a mother, there was no other option for her. Out of the three choices, the first two would leave the baby with no chance of survival.

“Alright. I promise to protect this child. But if you choose this path, once we leave this cave, you and this child will be strangers. Understood?”

“I understand,” Nena nodded resolutely, having made up her mind.

If someone like Gretel, a hero to the people, decided to protect the child, the citizens wouldn’t openly object. However, if word got out that the baby was the offspring of an orc and an ordinary woman, they might face public stoning or worse—murder.

It wasn’t hard to imagine that, should Nena be revealed as the mother, she’d lose any chance of finding work, leaving her struggling to survive. Knowing Gretel’s kindness, she might have already considered giving Nena a job in the Stuttgart household if it came to that.

“Alright, it’s settled. Lutz, are you okay with this?”

I understood her tone—this wasn’t her seeking my opinion as her partner but delivering a decision as a superior to a subordinate. Technically, I’m the head of our household, but I didn’t want to harm such a helpless baby either.

“Fine. We’ll raise the child as our own. But we’ll need permission from the royal family.”

“Yes, I plan to personally petition His Majesty and Beato-nee-sama. Lutz, you’ll come with me, won’t you?”

This wasn’t a request—it was an order. I gave a reluctant nod, and my strong-willed childhood friend broke into a radiant smile. In its own way, this made me happy.

The unexpected turn of events had delayed us, but we weren’t done with the cave. We still had to defeat the Orc General lurking in the depths to eliminate the threat.

We left Tseli in the room where the pregnant women had been confined. She had a grim but critical mission ahead—terminating the pregnancies caused by the orcs using her combination of light attribute “purification” magic and her skills as a midwife. Nicole stayed to assist, and we assigned two adventurers as guards before moving forward.

After two hours of searching, Helga’s magic reserves were nearly depleted when we finally sensed the boss’s presence.

“No doubt about it. One upper-tier monster and several smaller ones… The upper-tier one seems to be… enjoying itself,” Helga reported, adding some unnecessary detail at the end.

“Alright. Agathe’s team will attack from the left, Dorothea’s team from the right to target the General. Gisela’s team will handle the smaller monsters and attempt to rescue the hostage—Ilene. And… I’m sorry, but ‘Madam,’ please refrain from joining this time,” the guild branch leader directed, specifically telling Gretel to stay back.

I understood the branch leader’s reasoning. This was a matter of missing adventurers. Even if they relied on the lord’s help during the process, the guild naturally wanted to resolve the finale themselves. But I doubted these adventurers had the strength to defeat the General.

Surprisingly, Gretel didn’t object. She simply nodded, even though her usual self would have demanded to take the boss’s head herself. When I tilted my head in confusion, she responded with a faint smirk. Ah, I see.

“Charge!”

The three adventurer parties stormed in at once. The space opened into a large chamber, with a raised rock ledge resembling a stage. Atop it, the Orc General had a tall, naked young woman pinned face-to-face as he shook her violently.

“Damn it… kill me…”

So, even in this world, when a female warrior is assaulted by an orc, she mutters ‘Just kill me…’ I thought, shaking my head. This wasn’t the time for jokes—it was a boss fight.

The Orc General was unlike any ordinary orc. His body was 50% larger, not bloated with fat like most orcs, but muscular and toned.

But the biggest difference was his face. Gone was the typical pig-like nose. He had a sharp nose, chiseled cheeks, fierce eyes, determined brows, and thick, flowing brown hair. Apart from his pink-tipped ears peeking out from his hair, he looked like a hero straight out of a battle manga from my previous world.

If you won’t come to me, then I shall come to you!

The General’s massive body charged toward the adventurers.