Annie wiped her tears, her voice choked with sobs, yet what she said made all the Half-Orcs around her burst into tears again.
"Th-this is just ordinary seasoning the people of Great Xia gave us..."
"Chief Grom and the others hired by Great Xia... not only get free food and lodging there, they also get to eat even more delicious foods unique to Great Xia!"
"And they get to eat them for a whole month!"
The Half-Orcs around her: "???"
They all stopped chewing.
Even more delicious foods unique to Great Xia?
For a whole month, too?
An indescribable bitterness, along with envy, jealousy, and resentment, grew wildly in their hearts.
"Waaah-"
For a moment, the sobbing grew even louder.
Eating his roasted leg meat, Warwick saw how hard his people were crying and felt rather baffled.
He had meant to comfort them with good food, but what was going on?
He quietly walked over to his father and voiced his question, seeking an answer.
The Old Chieftain gnawed on a beast's leg, his clouded eyes watching the weeping tribespeople.
"Let them cry."
"They've suffered all these years. They'll feel better once they cry it out."
Warwick fell silent for a long while before speaking softly.
"I just... never imagined our people were suffering this much."
"That a bite of food could make them like this."
Of course, he knew it was not merely a bite of food.
It was hope.
It was the first ray of light they had seen amid endless darkness and despair.
It was the prospect of a better life!
Warwick turned to look at the steel behemoths parked in the tribe's clearing, his gaze sharpening.
Filling their bellies was only the first step.
He would make sure his people never again had to shed tears