Kaldara's Joke

"How could you say such a thing!"

Kaldara felt deeply wounded.

He had come over full of enthusiasm to thank Malone, never expecting this guy to question his intentions at every turn and even accuse him of poisoning the food!

"Can you blame me? Why would you bring us food? That's like a weasel wishing a chicken a Happy New Year—you're up to no good!"

Malone argued with righteous indignation.

"What? I know what a chicken is, it's just a bird! But what is this 'weasel' thing?"

Kaldara asked with a blank expression.

"In any case, I don't trust you. You must explain your intentions clearly."

Malone hadn't expected that he would accidentally use an idiom while speaking Orcish; not only did Kaldara not understand it, but it sounded strange even to his own ears.

"Fine. Just as you instructed, I did as you said and have already resolved the dispute between the Orcs and the Trolls, so I intended to do something to thank you."

"But I didn't know what you needed, and I don't have anything else, so I just brought this piece of smoked meat over."

Kaldara honestly explained his intentions.

"Really?"

Malone looked at Kaldara suspiciously.

"A Blademaster never lies."

Kaldara replied with a solemn vow.

That in itself was a lie—Malone didn't believe for a second that anyone never lied.

However, there were no suspicious points in anything Kaldara said, and Malone felt that if he really wanted to harm him, he wouldn't resort to poisoning.

"You believe me now, right!"

Compared to other Orcs, Kaldara seemed quite adept at reading the room.

"Fine..."

Malone sat down beside Teron Gorefiend, facing Kaldara, and positioned himself between him and Tiffany.

"You have no reason to lie, so I will trust you this once."

Malone said.

"Wouldn't it have been better if you'd just trusted me sooner!"

Kaldara complained, then unslung that strangely shaped, slender blade from his back.

"What are you doing?"

Seeing Kaldara pick up his weapon, Malone grew tense again.

"Cutting the meat! Or do you want to tear it apart with your hands? This stuff is harder than stone!"

Kaldara retorted irritably, then began to slice into the tough smoked meat with his longsword.

Kaldara was right; even for a weapon as formidable as those used by Blademasters, it was quite a struggle to cut through such smoked meat.

But what Malone cared about more was... if other Blademasters knew that Kaldara was using the symbol of the Burning Blade Clan to cut smoked meat, would they sanction him?

"You just said... the matter is already settled?"

Teron Gorefiend spoke up for the first time.

"Yes. Although the reaction from Zul'jin's side is still unclear, Kilrogg has already seen through my plan and thinks it is feasible, so I assume there won't be any problems there."

Kaldara cut off a fist-sized chunk of meat, skewered it on the tip of his blade, and extended it into the campfire.

Serving as a meat-cutting knife, a fire poker, and a barbecue rack all in one, this weapon of Kaldara's was truly a disgrace to the world of weaponry.

"If that is the case, then that is excellent."

Teron Gorefiend nodded.

"Tell me, Maicomarlon, how did you come up with that idea?"

Kaldara asked curiously.

Malone didn't want to show off; he didn't think helping the Orcs solve their internal troubles was a good thing, but since it had already happened, there was nothing he could do.

"It wasn't difficult. For example, in the eyes of Orcs, all Trolls look the same, and humans are the same way in the eyes of other races. Who would care if the guy whose head was chopped off was actually the culprit or not?"

Malone said casually.

"But how did you know the Trolls were more willing to maintain this alliance? How did you know the history of those guys?"

Kaldara was very curious about this.

"This... it's nothing really. Orgrim is also here in this world for the first time, and he seems to know everything, doesn't he?"

Malone brushed it off—he certainly couldn't say he was omniscient and knew everything—he wasn't God, just a transmigrator.

Fortunately, Kaldara didn't dwell on this, and Malone quickly changed the subject.

"Kaldara... you seem to be very good at tending a fire!"

Malone asked.

When Malone was young, he had never lived in those old-fashioned houses with hearths; nor was he an enthusiast of outdoor activities, so he did not know how to start a fire in this manner.

However, watching Kaldara's movements, it seemed he was quite proficient at it.

"Of course. Do you not know the origin of the name 'Burning Blade Clan'? The reason we are called 'Burning Blade' is because we are very good at starting fires, and we are also very skilled at using weapons."

Kaldara replied.

"Really?"

Malone asked in surprise—he truly did not know that the name "Burning Blade" came from such a bizarre source.

"Of course it's a lie, hahaha!"

Kaldara laughed wantonly.

"How could that be possible? Haha! But you don't need to feel ashamed; you aren't the first guy I've fooled like this."

Kaldara looked at Malone's unsightly expression and said with a laugh.

This guy must be a lunatic... Malone glared at Kaldara, thinking indignantly to himself.

Yet, what Malone did not expect was that the first person to "prank" him and joke with him since arriving in this world was actually an Orc.

Watching Kaldara, who was laughing so hard that tears were almost coming out, the anger in Malone's heart gradually subsided.

This Kaldara was the Orc Malone was most familiar with so far—Teron Gorefiend could only be considered half an acquaintance.

From Kaldara, Malone had learned many characteristics of Orcs that he had not known before.

The longer they spent together, the more Malone felt that these guys were, in fact, no different from humans.

They could cry and laugh, play and brawl, bleed and feel rage just the same... although they were temperamental and bloodthirsty, they also possessed a straightforward side.

If... if not for the manipulation of the Burning Legion, if not for the bloody and evil pact struck between Gul'dan and Medivh, who was possessed by Sargeras...

If the Orcs had not entered Azeroth through war the first time, then...

Could there come a day when humans and Orcs, like himself and Kaldara, could sit together, gathered around the same campfire, and converse happily?

Malone knew this was unlikely; every race found it difficult to accept other races with vastly different living habits, and even humans and Dwarves, who were allies, were not always on friendly terms.

But at this moment, Malone truly felt that there was no necessity for Orcs and humans to be mortal enemies.

Of course, Malone knew this was impossible; peace was merely the fantasy of pacifists, and the hatred between Orcs and humans was already as deep as the sea.

Even if a brief peace were to arrive, as long as a radical Warchief like Garrosh Hellscream held power, bloodshed and slaughter would be inevitable.