A Marriage Proposal

By the way, the girl hadn't even turned sixteen yet. Solam could only say: what a beast!!! In his previous life, a guy like Krum would've been thrown in jail. Who would've thought that Krum, who usually seemed so honest and simple, was actually a hopeless lolicon? (The author is a staunch admirer of mature women. Lolicons are heretics.)

So every time Solam saw that lovestruck look on Krum's face, he wanted to fire a Fireball at his lecherous mug and put him out of his misery.

But in the end, Solam couldn't withstand Krum's relentless pestering and had to give him a haircut. Six-year-old Iluter had no idea what had gotten into him, but he wanted the same hairstyle. When Solam refused, he sat on the ground and howled. There was no helping it, so Solam had to hold his nose and give the little brat the same haircut, too.

And so the three brothers strutted around every day, showing off their matching hairstyles.

The main reason Krum had come back this time was to have his parents ask for the girl's hand on his behalf. Her sixteenth birthday was just around the corner, and there were plenty of other wolves eyeing this piece of meat, so Krum had decided to strike first.

The family took this match very seriously, especially Aunt Solari, who had been worrying herself sick over her son. Krum had been honest and simple since he was little, and he'd grown up into an even quieter man. Usually, he didn't even have the nerve to speak to young women. Now he was twenty-one and still a lone bachelor. After all this time, her son had finally come around and taken the initiative to pursue a girl. Of course, she supported him wholeheartedly.

But over the past few years, the old chief had been grooming Karut to succeed him, so he'd handed many of the clan's affairs over to Karut. He simply didn't have the time. As for Aunt Solari, Granny Karom had grown increasingly frail and was mostly retired, so Aunt Solari had to take on more responsibilities. She was swamped with work, too, and neither of them had time to arrange Krum's marriage proposal.

Fortunately, Second Uncle hadn't had much to do lately, so he took charge of the matter. It also worked out perfectly, since Aunt Zaira could go home for a visit. After all, she'd been married into the clan for over a decade and had only returned to her family a few times.

The old chief wasn't going anywhere. By tradition, the parents' generation handled their children's marriages; there was no need for the old chief to step in. With the boy's second uncle there, the old man stayed out of it.

Still, it was a little discourteous for neither parent to attend the proposal. The other family probably wouldn't mind, given the relationship between the two clans, but the groom's side couldn't just show up without making some gesture.

So they spent the next few days preparing gifts. When asking for a girl's hand, the more lavish the gifts, the better. The old man brought out some treasures he'd kept tucked away, especially several bottles of fine liquor acquired from humans. Such drinks were extremely precious in Avalon.

Solam and Krum had grown up together, so there was no way he wouldn't help. He contributed his Snow Tiger pelt, along with some rare metals—all precious and hard-to-come-by goods. He'd also planned to offer his Snow Dragon pelt, but Krum absolutely refused. It was far too precious, and there was no telling when they'd get another one. After a lot of discussion, they decided to split the pelt in two and use the fur to make a garment as a gift. Half a pelt would've been a little embarrassing to present, but a garment was fine—beautiful and practical.

When old Arando heard about it, he was heartbroken. How could they turn such a fine pelt into clothes? In the end, he couldn't talk Solam out of it, so he settled for demanding that Solam save the hide from the Snow Dragon's belly and neck no matter what. Solam didn't mind that. Since they were making clothes anyway, it hardly mattered which parts of the hide they used. Besides, he knew the skin from the Snow Dragon's belly and neck was softer and tougher, and was the best material for making magic scrolls, so he agreed.

Solam also asked the old man for leave. His family wanted him to go along on the proposal visit, partly to have an extra pair of hands and partly to see if he might find himself a girl. After all, compared with Krum, the eldest, Solam, the second brother, was the one who gave them more cause for worry.

Solam's biggest problem was that Orc girls weren't interested in him. They didn't mind being friends, but the thought of marrying him was another matter. In truth, Solam also had a hard time accepting the looks of Orc girls. So, forget about sex—he'd never even been in a relationship.

Arando didn't object to Solam taking leave. He'd already taught Solam everything he knew, and what remained couldn't be learned overnight. In fact, Arando would've preferred Solam to study under a proper Mage; that way, he'd have a much brighter future.

And so, Solam set off with the group of relatives and friends a few days later.

There wasn't much to say about the journey. The group chatted and joked along the way, and soon reached the Frostblade Clan's territory. There were about twenty of them. A group of that many Orcs faced little danger as long as they didn't go looking for trouble, and Avalon didn't have things like bandits anyway.

The Frostblade Clan's territory, Frost Snow Land, lay at the northernmost edge of Avalon. It was a highland covered in ice and snow, and a place where Woolly Rhinos were plentiful. These animals were covered in long fur and looked much like rhinoceroses, which was how they'd gotten their name. They were just a little smaller than rhinos.

The Frostblade Clan made its living by herding these animals. And since Frost Snow Land was the most dangerous place in Avalon, its warriors were also renowned for their ferocity. Though not particularly numerous, they were still one of Avalon's great clans.

The close relationship between the Bloodaxe Clan and the Frostblade Clan went back to before the Year of Dark Boiling. The two clans had intermarried for generations. The Frostblade Clan took Krum's proposal seriously, especially since he was the eldest grandson of the Bloodaxe Clan's chief and the heir apparent. They'd sent people out to welcome the party well in advance.

This made the rest of the journey even more uneventful, much to the boredom of Little Iluter, who'd been eager to get out and see the world. He'd thought traveling with the adults would be fun, but all they did was travel. To reach Frost Snow Land as quickly as possible, they'd even skipped hunting and ate only the provisions they'd brought along. There was nothing fun to do.

Solam didn't mind. The purpose of this trip was to arrange Krum's marriage proposal, so there was no need for unnecessary complications.

Before long, they were escorted to the Frostblade Clan's territory.

Once they arrived, their first stop was to pay their respects to the clan's Great Elder. It was a matter of etiquette, after all. The Great Elder was the spiritual leader of the Orc clans.

They were soon ushered into the Great Elder's tent.

Second Uncle Trick first offered the Great Elder his regards and apologized that his elder brother and sister-in-law couldn't come in person. After all, it was a little discourteous.

The Great Elder, Dussel, was a frail old man in the twilight of his life. His gaze wasn't sharp or intimidating; on the contrary, it was warm and kind. Everyone could see the wisdom the years had left in his eyes.

"Heh heh, they serve their clan, after all. How could an old man like me blame them? You're here, and that's what matters." The old man's voice wasn't loud, but it was full of warmth, making everyone feel close to him as soon as they heard it.

"How's your father? Still as hot-tempered as ever?" To be honest, the only person in all of Avalon who could speak about old Kramsh that way was this Great Elder. After all, he was even older than Granny Karom.

"Father is doing well. He hunts when he has nothing else to do, or drinks and chats with his friends." As for the rest of the old man's remark, Trick had no answer, so he simply pretended he hadn't heard it.

"Mm. You and Barut can discuss the marriage between Krum and Lilia. I won't get involved." The old man first pointed to a middle-aged Orc sitting nearby, indicating that Trick should speak with him about the young couple's marriage. Lilia was the girl Krum loved, so she couldn't possibly attend a gathering like this. Barut was her father and the Great Elder Dussel's son.

"Oh, and is Solam here? Stay a moment." Everyone had been getting ready to take their leave. The old man was very advanced in years, and they didn't want to impose on him for too long. Even the marriage discussions could be held somewhere else. But suddenly, he called them back and asked for Solam.

Solam was just as puzzled. He had no idea why this respected old man wanted to see him, but he still stepped forward obediently. The others saw that the Great Elder had something to say to Solam. They were curious, but didn't dare go against his wishes.

"I'm Solam, Elder."

"Oh, oh. I'm old, and my eyesight's failing. I knew you were a Half-elf, but I couldn't get a good look at you. Your grandfather has told me a lot about you. He's very proud of you."

"Heh heh." When he didn't know how to respond, a foolish chuckle was always the best choice.

"I can sense the elements' affection for you. Mm, it's very strong. You must have made contact with a powerful being in the Elemental Plane. I wonder which Elemental Demigod has blessed you. You're quite remarkable." The old man asked Solam to come closer, looked him over carefully, and then said a string of baffling things.

Seeing the question marks all over Solam's face, the old man smiled and said gently, "Did something unusual happen to you during the Spirit Communion Ritual?"

During the Spirit Communion Ritual, Solam had heard and seen things in the vision. He'd told only Granny Karom, since the experience had felt strange. Granny Karom couldn't explain it either, but she shouldn't have told anyone else. How did the Great Elder know?

"Can you tell me what happened?"

Solam didn't think the old man would harm him, so he honestly told him about what had happened that day.

"Mm..." The old man considered his words, as if trying to find the right way to put it. "Four voices. It seems more than one powerful elemental being has taken notice of you."

"Elder, is that a bad thing?"

"Bad? Hahaha, quite the opposite! It's a very good thing. To be favored by the demigods of the elemental world means your talent has reached an extraordinary level."