Ch. 38
“Wait, sto—”
Trying to push my way through a crowd of muscular men was nearly impossible for me.
Even with Rai coiled around his neck, Kenta wasn’t panicking. In that split second, he had managed to wedge his hands between Rai and his throat.
The veins on his shoulders and forehead bulged, his thick muscles flexing as he struggled against Rai’s grip. But Rai showed no signs of letting go.
He had always endured quietly, but this time, he was genuinely furious.
[Stop, Rai. That’s enough!]
Since my voice wasn’t reaching him, I had to shout as loud as I could.
Just as Kenta’s expression began to shift from confidence to mild alarm, Rai suddenly loosened his grip and dropped to the ground.
He writhed furiously, twisting his entire body and rolling across the dirt in frustration.
[Kraah! You bear-like brute! I swear I’ll kill you someday!]
Every time Rai slapped the ground with his tail, the earth caved in slightly.
Ultimately, unable to contain his rage, Rai rolled and thrashed violently, his body crashing into a wooden bucket and shattering it into pieces.
The mercenaries, wide-eyed, quickly scurried away.
“Sorry, Rai.”
I hadn’t expected them to actually try cooking him.
Sure, the mercenaries had licked their lips and joked about how tasty he looked, but I thought they were just teasing.
—
At night, I always slept beside Anell. But having grown accustomed to a certain level of comfort, I found the borrowed sleeping bag to be musty and suffocating, making it hard to sleep.
Outside the thin tent, the flickering glow of the night watch’s campfire cast restless shadows, only making it harder to drift off.
As I tossed and turned, I felt something slithering into my sleeping bag.
[Rai!]
[What?]
Oh? Was this his way of sulking? His tone was curt.
[Your words are short.]
[…What is it, Master?]
[You’re mad, huh? Because I told you to endure it?]
[No, not at all. It’s just that Master always scolds me, never says anything when that bear of a man harasses me… always favors that useless Undine over me… constantly tells me to shut up… And… and! Hmph.]
You say you’re not mad, but that list of grievances tells a different story.
For someone over ten thousand years old, Rai could really hold a grudge.
He also hated it when I showed affection to other spirits.
Seriously, when was he going to start acting his age?
I decided to be generous and pulled him into a hug, patting his head.
[Come on, Rai, you know how much I care about you. We’re always together, right? That means we’re like family.]
[Like… family?]
[And as for Kenta—well, I have to endure it too. I owe this mercenary group a huge favor. It’s not like I want to put up with it.]
[You’re enduring way more than a little.]
[Hmph. And the whole ‘favoring Undine’ thing is a misunderstanding. She’s younger, so of course I take extra care of her.]
[Undine’s not a kid, though…]
I had been gently trying to comfort him, but he mumbled something under his breath.
[She is a kid. Can’t you tell just by looking at her?]
[That little water droplet is at least thirty by now.]
…What? How old?
[Did you say three?]
[Thirty! Three-zero. Ten times three.]
I dug at my ear with my pinky.
[No way, that makes no sense.]
[Spirits need to be at least that old to cross into the Middle Realm. Newborns can’t even make it here.]
[You’re telling me… Undine is thirty?!]
But she’s so cute! There was no way that innocent little face belonged to a thirty-year-old!
[It’s true. Very young spirits can’t handle the impure nature of the Middle Realm, nor are they skilled enough to use their abilities properly. Do you really think an inexperienced low-tier spirit could beat out a veteran in a summoning contract?]
“…I’m in shock.”
“Hm? What did you say, Geenie?”
“N-nothing, Anell!”
I had been so stunned that I muttered out loud, nearly waking Anell.
[Master, you can’t let appearances deceive you! Undine is the worst of them all! She pretends to be cute just to monopolize your affection!]
[Then tell me, how long do Undines usually live?]
[…A few hundred years?]
[…So thirty is young for them.]
[Well, yes, but—]
Rai, you sneaky little snake. You tried to turn me against Undine!
It was still hard to wrap my head around it. But when I thought about it, it wasn’t impossible.
Rai himself was over ten thousand years old. Compared to that, thirty was definitely just a kid.
I could make peace with that logic.
[That’s fine, then. Undine is cute, so she gets a pass.]
[Master, that’s blatant favoritism! You called me old!]
Rai’s head suddenly poked out of the sleeping bag, swaying accusingly in front of my face.
But come on, thirty and ten thousand years weren’t even comparable.
I hurriedly shoved his head back inside before Anell could notice.
[Keep your face hidden! Anell doesn’t like sleeping next to a snake.]
[So unfair! It’s not like I chose to look like this!]
[What are you saying?]
[I’ve always hated this form! There are cats and dogs out there—why did I have to be a snake?! This is all your fault! Take responsibility! I can be cute too, you know!]
I had only been trying to make up for today’s events, but Rai apparently had a lot more pent-up frustration than I thought.
Honestly, spirits were so high maintenance.
Snakes were cute, too! Why was he making such a big deal about it?
[Hngh.]
[Oh, stop whining! You’re so loud.]
[Master, you’re so heartless!]
[Enough! My kindness quota for today is maxed out.]
[…Wait, when exactly were you kind to me? I didn’t notice anything!]
[It just passed by you. Too bad, customer.]
Time for sleep. I absentmindedly patted Rai’s head.
Of course, spirits didn’t actually need to sleep.
Which is why Rai was so good at keeping watch.
[Today was exhausting. That wagon ride was brutal on my butt.]
[Hey, Master?]
[Hmm? Just go to sleep…]
As the exhaustion from unfamiliar travel and consecutive nights of camping caught up to me, I began drifting off the moment I closed my eyes.
[Do you like ogres?]
I barely had time to wonder what nonsense Rai was spouting this time when—
“EMERGENCY!”
The same sharp, jolting bell I had heard before rang out violently. Clang! Clang! Clang!
That was the sound of a monster sighting.
“MONSTER ATTACK! EVERYONE UP!”
As I muttered a short curse under my breath, Anell was already on her feet, equipping her armor with movements too swift for my eyes to follow.
“Geenie! Get out of the tent!”
“Huh?”
“Hurry!”
Before I could properly react, she grabbed my hand and pulled me outside.
The camp was already in full alert mode, mercenaries standing guard with weapons drawn.
How did they know an ogre was coming? I had Rai, so I had a cheat, but these people…?
“Three o’clock direction!”
From one side of the forest, birds scattered into the sky. At the same moment, a night watchman let out a desperate yell.
“Form up!”
“There!”
Anell swiftly shoved me under a wagon. I tumbled beneath it, barely processing what was happening, as she kneeled beside me, eyes sharp with warning.
“Stay hidden here. If things get too dangerous, run that way. Understand?”
“Y-yes.”
“Don’t make a sound!”
Leaving me with that stern command, Anell sprinted toward the ogre’s presence, twin blades gleaming in her grip.
“Raaaahhh!!”
With a thunderous roar, the ogre tore through the trees, shattering them like twigs beneath its massive frame.
Lying flat on the ground, I felt everything. The vibrations. The tremors. The sound. The wind.
I had seen orcs before. But this was my first time seeing an ogre—and it was about three times bigger than I had imagined.
If you placed a cow beside it, the cow would look like a puppy.
I let out an unintentional gasp.
“Whoa. It’s huge…”
[Even for an ogre, that one is unusually large.]
If Rai, the king of harsh criticism, admitted it was big, it had to be extraordinary.
Ogres were one of the strongest known monsters. They typically lived alone, often reigning as kings over their forest territories.
Judging by its size, this one might actually be the king of this region.
If that were the case… we were nothing but intruders to it.
“Formation!”
“Where the hell is Kenta?! Anell! Get over here! Everyone, move now!”
Even though chaos filled the camp, the loudest and most commanding voice belonged to none other than Shavel.
The same Shavel I had always seen as nothing but an annoying slavedriver was now commanding the battlefield with sharp, practiced precision.
The mercenaries moved as one, forming a tight, well-coordinated front.
So this… was a mercenary corps.
At first glance, they seemed like a messy mix of individuals, but when they needed to, they fought as a single unit.
It was a completely different style from the structured, polished battles of knights.
[Hey, Rai… do monsters show up this often? We’ve already run into so many orcs.]
[This is nothing. In the past, it was far worse. If you traveled through the mountains back then, you’d encounter monster hordes every few hours.]
[…Your definition of ‘the past’ is, what, ten thousand years ago?]
[Well, yes.]
“Hmmm…”
For something that supposedly happened a lot, this still looked extremely dangerous.
Now I understood why the king sent out monster-hunting squads regularly.
“Look out!”
Each swing of the ogre’s massive arm sent people flying like ragdolls.
Ogres were infamous for their overwhelming brute strength.
In the monster hierarchy, they were among the apex predators.
Comparing an ogre to an orc was like comparing a tiger to a dog.
A skilled warrior could take down one orc alone.
An ogre, however, required an entire team of elite fighters working together.
Good thing I paid attention during my monster studies classes—at least now I could calculate my odds of survival.
“…We’re at a disadvantage, aren’t we?”
[Crossing the mountains always comes with risks. And don’t forget—it’s a full moon tonight. Monsters are always more violent on full moons.]
“…Could you tell me something hopeful instead?”
The sky above us glowed, a deep violet moon illuminating the battlefield.
Was it really okay for me to stay hidden here? The ogre was getting closer. Should I run?
It didn’t take me long to realize why Anell had dragged me out of the tent before the battle.
The ogre’s massive foot came crashing down, flattening the tents in its path like paper.
If I had still been inside—
A shiver ran through my entire body.
Run? Stay hidden? My mind raced between choices.
Then—
The ogre suddenly leaped into the air.
It jumped so high that its dark silhouette was framed perfectly against the moon.
I had a bad feeling.
And that instinct was right.
The moment the ogre’s gigantic body came crashing down, I was hit with the thick, nauseating stench of a carnivorous predator.
“WHY?!”
Why is this happening to me?!
