Jeremy

Jeremy is Derek’s strongest subordinate and later successor as king of Anail’s underworld. Sent to observe Crockta, he instead becomes the orc’s companion in the defense of Chesswood and campaign against Thawing Balhae. Derek’s order to kill Crockta forces Jeremy to choose between obedience and freedom; he rejects the order, later kills Derek, and uses his new authority to support Crockta rather than the divine expedition. (Chapters 29, 40–51, and 198–201)

Biography

God Slayer and the Road Back to Orcrox

Jeremy begins as a feared subordinate who believes his place is beside Derek, but traveling with Crockta changes that certainty. He helps defend Chesswood, mourns Blackmore, and joins Crockta’s retaliation against Thawing Balhae. When Derek tests him with an order to kill Crockta, Jeremy conceals his shock, kills the executioners watching him, and accepts a future without his old organization. The choice costs him security but returns his destiny to his own hands; by Crockta’s road back to Orcrox, Jeremy has gone further and killed Derek, taking the underworld throne himself. (Chapters 40–51 and 198)

The new position does not reproduce Derek’s alliances. Jeremy questions Thompson about the expedition’s supply request, but neither man is willing to betray Crockta, and their refusal helps deny the army support in Anail. After the Grey God’s defeat, Jeremy remains king of the underworld but spends time eating and arguing with Thompson and joins a business handshake despite having no financial role. His latest appearance presents freedom as a continuing relationship with people he chose, rather than isolation from every bond. (Chapters 198, 201, and 227)

Appearance and personality

Jeremy is a young human man whose detailed appearance is not described. His physical presentation is defined mainly through motion: he travels and attacks like the wind, while his expressive face and constant noises contrast with Derek’s controlled demeanor. (Chapters 42, 46, 50–51, and 198)

He pretends to be rough and cold-blooded but forms attachments quickly. He commits severe violence against enemies and jokes during raids, yet grieves at Blackmore’s grave and risks Derek’s retaliation rather than murder Crockta. Pride is central to the break: Jeremy had believed he was more than Derek’s dog, and the kill order proves otherwise. His later theatrical management of the underworld reflects his own taste, not evidence that his methods are identical to Derek’s. (Chapters 46, 49–51, and 198)

Skills, powers, and limitations

Jeremy is an exceptionally fast swordsman. He can detect faint signs of danger that ordinary observers miss, pierce a user’s neck immediately after leaping behind Crockta, and eliminate the strong subordinates sent to execute him by breaking their formation before they can respond. His ability grows during the campaign with Crockta, but the corpus supplies no named technique, status window, martial rank, or supernatural movement power. (Chapters 29, 42, and 51)

He is also experienced in surveillance, raids, restraint, and underworld procedure. These skills let him follow Crockta, help dismantle Thawing Balhae bases, read the danger behind Derek’s letter, and eventually rule Anail’s organization. Numbers still pressure him at Chesswood, and the off-page killing of Derek does not reveal whether it was a duel, assassination, or organizational overthrow. (Chapters 40–51 and 198)

Relationships

• Crockta: Jeremy is assigned to watch Crockta but comes to call him brother, fight beside him, and reject an order to kill him. Their journey gives Jeremy both the strength and the example needed to choose freedom. (Chapters 40–51 and 75)
• Derek: Derek raises Jeremy from a back-alley boy into his strongest subordinate while demanding absolute obedience. After Derek marks him as a risk, Jeremy breaks away and eventually kills and replaces him. (Chapters 29, 50–51, and 198)
• Thompson: Jeremy’s friendship with Thompson includes chess, loud arguments, and a shared refusal to aid Crockta’s enemies. They remain companions after the war. (Chapters 198, 201, and 227)
• Blackmore: Jeremy fights beside the minstrel at Chesswood, hides tears at his grave, and volunteers to accompany Crockta in avenging him. (Chapters 41–50)

Items

No qualifying catalog item is confirmed as Jeremy’s possession. He consistently fights with an unnamed sword, but the corpus gives it no unique title, origin, or independent ability. (Chapters 42–51)