Chapter 39

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"Hey, are you alone?"

Vaiz was already at the meeting place.

"Yeah, a lot happened. She might come later, but probably not in time."

I left a note at home with the location I was heading to, but there's no guarantee she'll see it.

"Do you know anything about Oga?"

"Well, just the general stuff."

"Then it would help if you could tell me about Oga."

At this point, anyone who knows more than me will do.

Vaiz was supposed to come anyway, so it should be fine.

"Got it."

"Let's head over quickly."

We immediately left the town and headed towards where Oga was. Just in case, I was already wearing the black cloak.

"What's that?"

Vaiz asked, looking at me as if I had something strange. Come to think of it, I haven't explained this yet.

"I told you before that I don't want people to know about my healing magic, right? So, to avoid being recognized, I wore this and fought swarms of monsters, and somehow I ended up being called the 'Jet-Black Savior'..."

"Isn't that... kind of lame?"

"Of course it is!?"

I know that much. When I overheard it in town, I thought it was a painful name, and then I found out it was about me...!!

But there's nothing I can do about it now.

What's more, the townspeople seem to find the name 'Jet-Black Savior' not only unremarkable but even cool, which is terrifying.

Anyone should be able to tell how painful a name that is, right...?

While listening to the information about Oga, we arrived at our destination.

According to the information, Oga is surprisingly humanoid. Of course, it can't fly.

It has nothing to do with a large moth. So, why is it called 'Oga'...?

Another important piece of information is Oga's overwhelming strength.

Oga's strength is said to surpass even that of a dragon. If you get hit directly, you're done for.

"Ah, I'm getting nervous now."

We haven't seen anything that looks like Oga yet, but it's probably close.

Goblins turned out to be no big deal, and while dragons were scary, we could run away.

But this time is different.

I already know it's strong. I might even die.

And this is a fight I can't run from—

"Vaiz, if anyone comes, please take care of it."

"Got it."

The townspeople don't know Oga is coming.

If someone from town comes out and sees us fighting, we won't be able to concentrate.

I asked Vaiz to tell anyone who comes that there's a dangerous monster and to keep them from talking.

I also told him to consult with a girl named Aura if she comes.

I thought I saw a faint shadow moving in the distance.

I squinted to see it.

The shadow was definitely getting larger, and even from a distance, I could tell it was huge.

"By the way, I never actually freed Aura and the others from their slave contracts."

"Wait, you had slaves?"

"Yeah, the one who was supposed to come with us this time was one of them. I told her she could be freed if something happened to me, and she just disappeared..."

I'm still thinking about it, but I don't understand why she cried.

"Um, that girl was Aura, right? Do you think she really wanted to be freed? I don't know the details of your relationship, but if she disappeared after you said that, I think that's what she wanted."

...Is that really possible?

Can a slave really not want to be freed?

I would want to be freed immediately.

Maybe if the master was really nice, I could understand, but my master is me.

I told her not to hold back, but I didn't really do much.

We wandered around town together every day, cooked together.

With a master like that, could she really not want to be freed...?

I won't know unless I ask Aura directly.

But I want to free her from slavery. I started thinking that way after the incident at the checkpoint when we came to the capital.

...Well, to talk to Aura properly, I need to defeat the Oga in front of me first.

By the time I realized, the shadow that looked like Oga was now clearly visible as Oga.

"Vaiz, you should stay back now."

"Got it. Be careful."

"Yeah, I'll do my best."

I was asked to hold it off, but I don't think another Oga would be taken down so quickly.

So, I might have to take it down myself.

I can't worry Asuha too much, but today, I'll push myself a bit.

To protect the town—

To protect everyone in the town—

And to talk to Aura properly—

I ran towards the Oga approaching in front of me.