Ch.24Ogre (1)

The news Felix Yeager delivered to me, that there was an ogre in the small forest near this village, was enough to give me a great shock.

“There’s an ogre?!”

“Yes. It was only one, but… it was definitely there.”

“Judging by how you’re lowering your voice, I see. Perhaps you’re the only one who knows about this?”

“…Yes. I haven’t told my family either. I was concerned about the chaos that would ensue if this information spread….”

“Well done. Very well done. I’ll try to handle this matter somehow…. Please maintain confidentiality.”

“Thank you, Lord Alzar.”

The reason both of us show such an intense reaction to the ogre is because of the overwhelming danger that the ogre species poses.

To make a comparison, this species called ogre, which could be classified as a subspecies or cousin of giants much like trolls, is a powerful hostile life form that causes a considerable number of casualties every year in the Western Continent.

Befitting a race that is innately classified as an intermediate subspecies of giants, these ogres possess robust bodies, and the physical abilities emanating from these bodies alone would qualify them as intermediate-level threats.

Their overwhelming physique, with an average height of 4 meters, is covered with muscle fibers reminiscent of wire, allowing them to boast tremendous strength, and the skeletal structure supporting that 4-meter bulk is also as hard and solid as metal.

Additionally, the ogre’s hide (skin) covering these bones and muscles is made of a material beyond imagination, with durability, shock absorption, and high magic resistance that’s hard to believe for what should be soft leather.

Without any special tricks, they’re simply tough and strong, making them powerless against higher-ranked enemies, but they also have no clear weaknesses that lower-ranked opponents can exploit—a typical strong-weak-weak-strong type of creature that maintains advantage in its tier.

If there’s any consolation, it might be that much of the durability possessed by the ogre species can be penetrated by well-crafted weapons, so they’re not completely impossible to deal with if there’s an intermediate or higher-ranked warrior (knight) present, which is essential when facing ogres.

However, despite these circumstances, ogres are nearly impossible to kill for lower-ranked opponents due to their uniquely robust durability, so it’s not uncommon to find entire villages evaporating once an ogre appears.

Ogres must consume enormous amounts of food daily to sustain their physique and physical strength, so they could devour all the humans living in a village and still have room for more.

Anyway, thanks to these characteristics, ogres are most commonly used as the standard that distinguishes between the lower and upper ranks of intermediate warriors, based on whether one can subjugate this monster alone.

But beyond this combat prowess, the most fundamental reason that increases the danger level of ogres is that the innate disposition of this ogre species corresponds to ‘evil.’

Like goblins, ogres who innately harbor malice in their hearts are a cannibalistic species. Even when better prey is available, they attack human villages because they want to see people suffering in pain.

Even though they can communicate—unlike trolls, they have sufficient language ability—they still choose violence.

Of course, this evil tendency of ogres is relatively better compared to goblins or orcs, to the extent that there are supposedly some ogre individuals who have adapted to human environments….

But assuming that the ogre in question is not one of those extremely rare exceptions would probably help us establish more solid countermeasures.

However, there were additional factors that made the situation worse.

‘It never rains but it pours….’

First, the small forest where this ogre was reportedly spotted was the very forest from which I had planned to obtain the timber needed for establishing my pioneer village.

In fact, the forest was too small to be considered a proper forest, so the basic “otherworldliness” of forests in this world hadn’t properly manifested there, which is why I hadn’t thought it would be dangerous.

Nevertheless, I had some concerns, so I sent scouts before officially beginning logging operations, and lo and behold, a variable I couldn’t have predicted emerged.

So while I was in a gloomy state due to this bleak situation, eating cold grain porridge, Yeager, who for some reason was still by my side, carefully opened his mouth while watching my reaction.

“Um, Lord Alzar.”

“…What else is there?”

“Yes. Actually… that ogre, no matter how I look at it, was carrying what appeared to be a sword.”

And upon hearing this, I was startled and instead questioned Felix Yeager.

“A sword? Are you saying it wasn’t a club that you mistook, but truly a sword?”

“Yes, my lord. I couldn’t confirm the details as I was fleeing in haste, but….”

“…No, that’s enough. I’m sufficiently aware of the danger.”

As I said, the mere fact that the ogre species was carrying a weapon was valuable information in itself.

The ogre species doesn’t generally have particularly high intelligence. Therefore, while ogres in civilized society might be different, most ogres appearing in the wild typically use clubs as weapons at most.

But for an ogre to not only wield a proper weapon but also potentially employ martial arts?

This is essentially like giving wings named martial arts to a tiger called ogre, so it’s inevitable that the danger level of the forest ogre would skyrocket.

‘…I need to prepare.’

This means that if we try to subjugate the ogre in an ordinary manner, there’s a high possibility we’ll end up in an untenable situation.

※ ※ ※

And so, after learning about the appearance of an ogre that possessed a weapon and had likely acquired weapon skills.

“Excuse me, Sister?”

“…Ah! Yes, Lord Alzar! Is there something I can help you with?”

First, I sought out Joanna, a priestess of the goddess of healing and life, ‘Debona,’ who was likely to become a reliable ally in this subjugation.

According to the personal information provided to me, she is a 24-year-old cleric who has been ordained as an official priestess for about 6 months.

Recognized as a talented individual who became an official priestess at the young age of twenty-four, she was a woman who seemed to embody the image that comes to mind when we think of a ‘priestess.’

Her face always maintained a sincere smile and warm expression that flowed from her heart, and perhaps because of this, just being near her gave one a feeling of softness and healing.

What she wore was the spacious official priestly robe of the Debona Order, made of white cloth with golden decorations.

Made of pure white, soft fabric, it looked like it would easily get dirty and damaged, but in some ways, it was actually more reliable than ordinary equipment.

Thanks to being consecrated with holy water by several official priests, its durability was sufficient to rival metal, and the sacred power dwelling within it was enough to drive away contamination and evil things just by contact.

In addition, her duties within the domain included treating the injured and sick, and managing mental health through confession, making her appear to embody the ideal image that a priestess of Debona should have, but….

“Sister, may I have a moment of your time?”

“My time?”

“Yes, actually….”

Being well aware of what kind of humanity an official priestess of the pantheon possessed, I explained the current situation to her without any hesitation.

And the result was exactly as I had expected.

“An ogre… and one that knows how to use weapons?”

“That’s right. Of course, there’s a possibility that it just possesses a weapon without knowing how to use it properly, but still, preparing for the worst-case scenario is my role.”

“Indeed, Lord Alzar’s words are correct. One can never be too prepared.”

Having recognized the seriousness of the situation with the appearance of an ogre that could potentially handle weapons, I finally decided to tell her the real reason why I had disclosed these circumstances to her.

“Priestess Joanna, in that sense, there are a few things I would like to request of you. Ah, of course, I’m not asking you to participate in combat.”

“Then… consecration and divine magic?”

“Yes, that’s right. Tomorrow, I plan to go alone to subjugate the ogre. So if possible, could you consecrate my equipment and cast divine magic on me?”

Divine magic, a type of magic that borrows the power of gods (mysteries), is not only excellent in attack performance but also very useful for supporting allies.

Defense through magic that protects the target, magical attacks that work regardless of close or long range, magic that heals allies’ injuries or poisoning, and buff magic for ally support.

“I can certainly do that. But I have one question.”

“What is it?”

“Wouldn’t consecration… be rather ineffective against a living being like an ogre?”

Indeed, consecration, which temporarily infuses sacred power into equipment, is said to have poor compatibility against living beings, but I still wanted it.

“Even if it’s minimal, that’s fine. In battle, that slight difference can determine the outcome.”

“In that case, I understand. May Goddess Debona and her husband bless such an excellent knight as Lord Alzar….”

Having secured support from Priestess Joanna, I was inwardly overjoyed while preparing for tomorrow’s ogre subjugation….

Time passed quickly, and the day I had decided to subjugate the ogre arrived.