Chapter 228

The female orc stood apart from the rest: smaller in stature, her features softer and less harsh.

Long, dark hair framed her face, and if not for her green skin and pointed ears, she might have been mistaken for a beautiful human woman.

She clutched a simple staff adorned with feathers and beads, her knuckles white with fear.

"You seem to have potential as a magician," Alex observed, turning his gaze toward her.

She took a hesitant step back, her voice trembling. "W-what have you done to them?" she whispered, her grip tightening on her staff.

"They're merely sleeping," he assured her. "They'll awaken unharmed in a few hours."

Her eyes darted to her fallen kin and then back to Alex. "Why spare them? You had the power to..."

"To kill them?" Alex finished for her. He sighed softly. "Because violence isn't my goal. I wish to prevent unnecessary bloodshed."

She studied him cautiously. "Humans and orcs are enemies. Why would you warn us?"

"I can see that you're not all mindless monsters. Yo