"You're the chieftain, aren't you? Can't you rein them in?"
"Rein them in? How? I'm the chieftain, sure, but I'm still just the chieftain. I have to respect tradition, too. I don't have the authority to go against it." Kramsh explained with a pained expression. "In Avalon, tradition is tradition. That can't be changed. If I openly defied it, I don't know how the others would react. At the very least, I'd be stripped of my position as chieftain and sent to the Frost Snow Land to undergo ascetic training."
"Seriously? All this over the chance of becoming a legendary shaman? And it's only a chance. Besides, there's nothing wrong with becoming an Arcane Knight." Arando couldn't understand this kind of tradition at all. And as an Arcane Knight, he naturally looked down on shamans as a primitive profession. Well, professional prejudice was everywhere.
"Come on. Becoming a legendary Arcane Knight is only a possibility, too, isn't it? Besides, we Avalon Orcs look down on every spellcasting profession except shamanism. If you tell them how awesome Arcane Knights are and how much stronger they are than shamans, they'll rub your face in it. So don't."
To make his point more convincing, the old man had to explain Avalon's traditions to Arando. In the Year of Dark Boiling, the prophet Garul had gone through immense hardship to lead the Orcs who followed him to Avalon. And so that his people wouldn't fall into chaos and evil again in the future, he had painstakingly reinterpreted the original Shamanic Doctrine, making it more focused on order and shunning evil. He also had the shamans under his command tirelessly preach and teach it to all the Avalon Orcs, until every Orc living in Avalon accepted and believed in this new Shamanic Doctrine.
In a sense, to the Avalon Orcs, the prophet Garul was like a god. All Avalon Orcs revered him, so naturally, the shamans who directly carried on the prophet's teachings were respected by every Orc living on this land.
So in Avalon, even though every Orc wanted to become a great warrior, that didn't mean they looked down on shamans.
Because Orcs lacked spellcasting talent, there had never been many shamans in Avalon. There were at most a little over two hundred now, and even fewer legendary ones. So in the eyes of the Orcs, any Orc with a chance of becoming a legendary shaman was precious.
After joining the ranks of Order, the Avalon Orcs had placed even greater importance on tradition. They believed these traditions were the prophet's wisdom, and every Avalon Orc did their utmost to uphold them. Otherwise, what would set them apart from their chaotic cousins? Some Avalon Orcs even believed these very traditions were what made them stronger and taller than their cousins.
So asking an Avalon Orc shaman to give up the path of shamanism was like asking a priest in one of the churches outside to renounce their faith. It was an extremely serious matter. Never mind the clan's opposition, it would certainly draw the intervention of the Frostblade Clan's Grand Elder. What was more, Kramsh himself believed in the Shamanic Doctrine. He couldn't bring himself to ask Solam to give up being a shaman, even if nobody else objected.
After hearing Kramsh's explanation, Arando immediately realized it was impossible to make Solam give up being a shaman. Arando was a smart man; he wouldn't insist on doing something he knew couldn't be done. But he couldn't just give up, either. It wasn't easy to come across such a promising youngster: he had spellcasting talent, was incredibly clever, and had an excellent physique. Any way you looked at it, he was a perfect candidate for an Arcane Knight. Whether it was for revenge or to pass on his profession, Arando couldn't give up so easily.
So, like all clever people, Arando decided to muddle through.
"Do you think it would go against your traditions if I had Solam train as an Arcane Knight on the side?"
"That wouldn't be a problem. The traditions don't restrict that. The prophet himself was an outstanding warrior." Hearing that Arando wasn't going to insist on having things his own way, old Kramsh relaxed. Otherwise, he really wouldn't have known what to do.
"Oh, good. One more question: if Solam can't become a legendary shaman someday, will you blame him?" Arando didn't believe Solam would still care about the primitive, dull path of shamanism after taking up the path of an Arcane Knight, so he asked in advance. He didn't want to hurt the boy.
Kramsh wasn't a fool. How could he not know what his old friend was up to? He just felt it wouldn't count as breaking tradition, at most skirting the rules. And after learning what his old friend had been through, Kramsh truly couldn't bring himself to refuse again.
"That's fine, but we still need to ask Ram what he thinks. Otherwise, it won't work."
"Heh, don't worry about that. On the way here, Solam kept pestering me to teach him. I just hadn't expected things to turn out this way, so I didn't teach him." Arando really hadn't expected Solam to have such an incredible talent.
"Then it's settled." Kramsh was happy to agree.
"Will anyone object?" Arando still wasn't quite reassured.
"Don't worry. Even if someone objects, I can handle it. I'm his grandfather, after all. I can make this decision." Kramsh spoke with great confidence. "Come on, now that we've settled it, there's nothing more to discuss. Let's drink."
And so the two old men continued drinking.
After a night of drinking, both old men ended up drunk and didn't wake up until the following afternoon.
That afternoon, they told everyone about their decision. Solam naturally had no objections; on the contrary, he was delighted. Even if anyone else had misgivings, the old man's authority left them with no say in the matter.
But that evening, when the news reached Granny Karom, the old woman immediately came over with her flail. Without a word, she swung it around and aimed for the old man's face. Kramsh had sounded so confident the day before, as if he could handle anything, but reality was always cruel. Someone had come to knock him down a peg. If the old man hadn't still been quick on his feet, he'd have been in serious trouble.
Arando stared, dumbfounded, as a ferocious old Orc woman chased Kramsh all over the place with a heavy flail. She looked ready to beat him to death. And yet Kramsh, who had always had a fiery temper in Arando's eyes, didn't dare say a word. He could only flee in a panic.
He really was a legendary warrior. His superior stamina meant Granny Karom couldn't catch him even after chasing him for ages, though she ended up completely exhausted.
By then, everyone in the house had rushed over and hurried to hold the old woman back. They tried to soothe and reason with her, and finally managed to calm things down.
But as luck would have it, the old woman suddenly spotted Arando, who was feeling guilty and about to sneak away. Her fury exploded. She broke free of everyone's grip, summoned a Heroic Spirit to possess her, and charged at old Arando, demanding a duel.
Arando didn't know who the old Orc woman was, but seeing that even his old friend Kramsh had backed down, he naturally did the same. From everyone else's reaction, he could tell she was someone important. So after being possessed by a Heroic Spirit himself, he was chased by the old woman, who was terrifyingly strong.
Honestly, if Arando hadn't known magic, he'd probably have been left with only half his life. Damn, she was fierce! Even in a straight-up fight, Arando wasn't sure he could beat her. He'd always thought shamans were weak, but now the old woman's brutality had left him stunned.
Seeing the old woman use magic, the others didn't dare intervene. They might get caught in the crossfire if they rushed in. Besides, the old man was quite capable, and it would be very difficult for the old woman to seriously hurt him, so they could only watch from a distance.
That night, the Orcs of the Warsong clan witnessed the following scene.
Granny Karom chased the old chieftain and his human friend all over the place, flail in hand. The two old men were in such a sorry state it was hard to describe. Granny Karom chased them right out of the camp, only giving up when she still couldn't catch them. But she continued to block the camp's entrance, cursing up a storm. The two old men were so scared that they fled into the night and disappeared from sight. The clan's loyal warriors only stood by and watched their chieftain get driven out of camp without saying a word.
But the old woman still wasn't satisfied. She shouted that the two bastards had better never come back, or she'd make them pay. She also warned everyone not to take them in, or they'd be accomplices and she'd make them pay, too. Seeing the old woman's fury, everyone knew the old chieftain had really angered Granny Karom this time. Otherwise, he wouldn't have been so afraid. They knew what to do, too, and eagerly swore they would obey the old queen's orders.
And so the two poor old men had no choice but to stay out in the wilderness. Kramsh, especially, felt he'd never been so humiliated in his life. To be chased by an old woman in front of a friend he hadn't seen in years—and, even worse, to be forbidden from going home—there was no end to the embarrassment.
"Hmph! If she weren't older than me and a woman, I'd show her!" When you lost, you still had to put on a brave face. Otherwise, where would Kramsh's dignity go?
Arando stared at his old friend in complete disbelief. Damn, he didn't even want to admit he knew such a coward. If you had guts, you should've said that to her face. You didn't dare say a word back there, so why were you putting on a tough act in front of me?
"What's that look for? I just couldn't be bothered to stoop to her level. Don't think I'm afraid of her. What was it I was doing? Right, showing respect. Yes, respect."
Damn, how did I end up knowing such a coward? This is so embarrassing. Arando still said nothing, only looking at Kramsh with exasperation.
"Damn it, what's that look for now? Keep staring at me like that and I'll get mad!"
This time, Arando's gaze turned pitying.
"Damn it! If you're so tough, why didn't you fight back? You were chased around like a dog, too. If you've got the guts, go back and try it yourself." Kramsh then gave Arando a challenging look.
And then Arando backed down.
Before you continue