Chapter 49

I run silently through the forest.

I am used to it, but I am surprised that Rashid can also move stealthily.

No, perhaps it is only natural.

There are probably jobs of that kind in the "dirty work" he does.

I leap from branch to branch, hurrying forward.

Then, when I land on a certain branch, I hear a strange sound.

A squelching sound, as if something wet is being stirred.

A grinding sound, as if tensed flesh is being chewed.

Looking in the direction of the sound, deep in the forest, at a distance that requires focusing with ki to see, it was there.

I can only see its back.

All I can see is the back, curled up as if devouring a large dog that has become its prey.

The humanoid figure reaches out its hand and tears at the flesh.

Each time it does, it seems that air is being forced out of the lungs, and a gurgling sound comes from the dead dog's mouth.

Looking to the side, Rashid had a bitter expression.

"Damn... Maybe we should have stopped earlier."

"What is that?"

"Probably an ogre."

An ogre.

Another straightforward name.

It's hard to see from here, but looking closely as he said, there are indeed horns.

Sharp fangs can be seen in the mouth from the side profile.

A smile is on its face, and the narrowed eyes appear completely white.

"Can you tell me what kind of monster it is?"

However, what kind of creature the ogre is in this world.

From Rashid's reaction, I can guess that it's a monster we don't want to encounter. But I don't know anything else.

"…It's a monster that uses ki, so there's nothing special about it. It's just strong and tough."

I feel a bit relieved upon hearing that. If it's just that kind of monster.

"But the density of its ki is not normal."

I thought it would be easy to deal with, but the next words are ominous.

"Is it strong?"

"If they form a pack, they can even hunt dragons like the one we saw earlier. For us to take them on… it's probably impossible."

He readily admits our lack of power.

If it were just me, it might be different, but he has judged that he can't win either. I don't know if it's true, but it's certainly a tough situation.

"Then, what should we do? Can we just leave?"

"In other villages, if such a monster invades, it could lead to their destruction…"

He pauses, thinking.

"But we're still close to the settlement we just visited. If it invades there, it shouldn't be a problem."

"Well, there's Denah."

The name of the legendary explorer is not just for show.

"Then, let's leave here without being noticed…"

Just as I was about to suggest we leave, I realized something.

The ogre's eyes, those white eyes, came to mind. And it was smiling.

Cold sweat trickled down my back. This might be a bad situation.

"Mr. Rashid, if the ogre chased us, could we escape?"

"…It would be a close call. In the city, we might be able to escape, but in the forest, even at full speed, it might catch up."

"Then, if you were to fight it, could you win? No, how long could you hold it off?"

He looked at me curiously, then was startled when he saw my cold sweat.

"Holding it off would be tough… What's wrong? Why are you so…"

As he spoke, he realized and turned to look at the ogre.

Earlier, I saw those white eyes. That means.

"Can't be."

"Yes, I think it noticed us."

The ogre had been looking at us and smiling.

Rashid's expression turned to despair.

"But it's still eating that dog. It might ignore us."

"Maybe, but…"

It seemed to have grown tired of eating, and the ogre was staring at the dog.

"No, in that case, we should hurry and leave."

"Yeah, I agree."

We turned around quietly and started walking.

Both Rashid and I sincerely hoped we hadn't been noticed.

On our way back, I turned to look at the ogre one last time, hoping that the distant, bean-sized back would remain still.

Then, for the first time, the ogre made a big move.

It stood up and slowly turned its body towards us.

My blood ran cold.

"Mr. Rashid, hurry! And call Denah or Shium, anyone! Please!"

My shout surprised Rashid.

"What about you!?"

"I'll hold it off! Hurry! If you don't want to kill me, hurry!"

Rashid couldn't escape. I admitted that to myself.

Rashid seems to be a loyal person. If so, even if the prediction of "winning" is wrong, the prediction of "not winning" should be right.

And if Rashid can't escape, I can't either.

I can imagine that Rashid's full speed is about the same as mine, though I don't know exactly how fast it is.

Maybe I could escape if I used magic and ki together. Just me, leaving Rashid behind.

But that would leave a bad taste.

Even if it might cost me my life, I probably wouldn't regret it.

After a moment's hesitation, Rashid took off.

Straight towards the village.

As expected, he was much faster than before.

I don't know if I can survive.

But if I lose my life, as long as Rashid can deliver the information to Mr. Gustav, this mission will be a success.

Avoid a situation where both Rashid and I are killed.

That's what Mr. Gustav said before we set out, I think.

With my resolve firm, I glared at the ogre, and suddenly it started running.

Footprints were clearly visible on the ground. From the strong steps, it seemed the ogre was faster than Rashid had been earlier.

I fired a warning arrow at the approaching ogre.

I shot small stones at high speed from the ground. Each one would be fatal if it hit a human.

"GAHAAAAAAA!"

The ogre roared. The sound reached us from a distance, shaking the air.

The stones hit.

But it didn't even flinch.

The stones that hit its body shattered. The ones that missed pierced several trees behind it and disappeared somewhere.

"Of course."

I was almost resigned.

The ogre's body is reinforced by ki of an abnormal density. Magic can't counter it. Especially if the stones used are just ordinary stones with no reinforcement.

I'm not good at close combat, but it's the only option.

I activate my ki and prepare.

When it gets close enough to compare with my own body, the ogre looks even larger.

"Still big, huh?"

It's probably about one size larger than a mountain of a man.

Its skin is earth-colored, and it has two large horns. Indeed, it looks like an ogre.

The ogre, which is still smiling, approaches me without even panting.

Today is a bad day.

Today is a day of facing troublesome opponents, like Denah and the ogre.

The ogre stops a short distance from me.

Then, it swings its massive arm.

A loud sound echoes. The tree trunk it struck breaks and flies towards me.

"Whoa!"

I grab it and jump into the air. I dodge it gracefully, but how does it look from the side?

The ogre jumps at me.

And its large hand stretches out, aiming for my head.

I duck to avoid it and punch its extended arm with all my strength.

A dull sound is heard.

The ogre's muscle dents, and the mark of my fist remains. But the ogre shows no reaction.

I intended to break a bone, but it's not that easy.

On the contrary, my fist hurts.

My bones seem to be intact, but the impact of hitting something hard makes my knuckles throb.

"That hurts, already."

As I mutter, the ogre lands another blow on my body.

"…!"

The bone in my arm, caught between my torso and the ogre's fist, hurts.

It probably has a crack.

I quickly use a pain-relief spell to numb the pain.

The ogre probably thinks I'm weak, so it doesn't follow up.

I was clenching my teeth unconsciously.

I'm angry.

I want to get back at it somehow.

No, I want to hunt it down.

I sent Rashid to call Denah and the others.

We're still close to the village. Reinforcements should arrive in ten minutes.

I don't know if I can survive until then.

But I don't like its smug face.

I'll hunt it down before Denah and the others arrive.

I have no plan, but I've decided to do it.