episode_0011

“Why on earth is an ogre wreaking havoc here…?”

The wind-swept hill was considered a low-level area even within the game.

After hunting down goblins brimming with experience points and swiftly taking out the final appearing sorcerer, there was a memory of having one-shot the mage.

However, an ogre… I’ve never seen one in this area before.

It’s an elite ‘demon’ that would never come out from here.

“Groooar-!”

“Kieeek!”

The goblins and the ogre group unfolded a bizarre formation, pressuring the royal carriage.

Dealing with the swarming goblins was an easy task for the royal guard knights.

They were all at least Sword Expert level. They must be similar or even higher in rank compared to our Duke’s guard knights.

If only one ogre had appeared, they would have been taken care of at their lines.

But as mentioned earlier, the movements of the goblins and the ogre were peculiar.

“Pant, pant… Ugh, ugh… How did this… Cough-!”

“Protect the lady! Aaah!”

The guard knights had to focus entirely on fending off the swarming goblins to protect the carriage.

After consuming their time, the ogre swung a massive wooden club from the corner, overwhelming and killing the knights.

While they had seen creatures like horses and demons throw simple objects or use bows, they had never heard of them strategizing.

Watching the absurd spectacle from the hill, I snapped out of it upon hearing the screams.

“Prin-Princess…! Run away! It’s the end for us!”

“Sob….”

…There seems to be no time to think right now.

People are dying,

No matter what, I need to move. If I go to call our knights, it will be too late.

Having made up my mind, I reinforced my legs with magic, quickly leaped up the hill, and descended.

***

“Emil! Snap out of it! We can’t die here…!”

“Sob… Princess, please run… It’s futile…”

“How can I leave Emil behind and escape…! I don’t want that!”

“It’s not… allowed…”

Even her closest friend and most trusted direct female guard, Emil, was left battered after being hit by goblin clubs.

Tears welled up in Rosaria’s eyes.

She raised her staff towards the goblin horde with a determined expression.

“You, you villains…!”

“Kieeek!”

“Kiee! Kieeek!”

Rosaria couldn’t leave Emil, who was gasping for breath behind her.

“Flame Burst-!”

Rosaria wielded her staff and chanted the spell.

A massive ball of flame began to form in front of the staff, growing to 50cm before shooting towards the goblins.

-Fwaaah… Kwaagwang!

“Kieeeek!”

“Kieek! Kieeek!”

Several goblins died in flames before their eyes.

But more goblins kept coming.

The killings seemed endless, and the ogre behind continued to rampage, slaughtering the knights.

“This can’t be happening….”

Seeing the scene, Rosaria’s head turned white at the realization that she couldn’t do anything.

Why is this happening?

Is it the work of factions hostile to her?

No, that wouldn’t make sense. She is the Fourth Princess, a bastard child.

The First Princess, Second Prince, and Third Prince were all born from the same mother.

Among them, only the Fourth Princess, Rosaria, was born from a commoner mother.

Therefore, she would be irrelevant to the factions vying for power and succession. Then, this incident must have occurred naturally.

…It was unbelievable. Magic users capable of devising strategies were suddenly targeting her carriage? And preparing for a surprise attack?

Rosaria stared blankly at the fallen Emil behind her.

Emil, who was breathing heavily as if on the verge of fainting. There was a significant amount of bleeding on his left side, and the severity of the injury made him appear as if he had fainted.

Rosaria left her knights who were fighting off goblins behind and approached Emil.

“Emil, wake up. Please… Emil….”

“……”

Rosaria lightly brushed Emil’s forehead.

Tears streamed down to Emil’s chin and dripped onto his face.

“Why did this have to happen….”

It was like a bolt from the blue.

She suddenly wondered if the catastrophe could have been avoided if everyone hadn’t gathered to protect her.

Rosaria, already engulfed in the panic of battle, was rationalizing, as humans tend to do in their final moments.

While most people blame others, the pure-hearted Rosaria blamed herself.

She thought it might all be happening because of her.

Because she was a princess.

Because everyone had gathered to protect her.

She closed the door to her heart, blaming herself for everything that had happened.

It was at that moment, as Rosaria’s eyes began to close with self-blame, that a voice mixed with unfamiliar profanity echoed from behind.

“Damn! There are so many of them!”

Startled, Rosaria turned around.

And once again, Rosaria was taken aback.

…A bizarre scene was unfolding.

Someone moving unbelievably fast was plunging into a horde of goblins single-handedly, cutting through them effortlessly.

When the knights seemed about to be attacked by goblins from behind, he stepped in to block the attacks.

When a giant ogre seemed about to swing a wooden club, he agilely leaped up, carrying an unprotected knight, and escaped.

From the moment the unknown man intervened, the crumbling formation of the knights gradually stabilized.

Perplexed, Rosaria asked him,

“W-who are you…?”

“I can’t hold on much longer! I should have brought a few more Ganryeoncho roots if I knew this would happen…”

Approaching Rosaria near the carriage while carrying an injured knight, he said,

“We just need to take down that ogre, right?! Once we get the ogre, dealing with the goblin horde will be a piece of cake for the knights!”

“W-what…?”

“Are you out of your mind?! It can’t be helped!”

With Rosaria on his back, he once again focused on the enemy lines.

As Rosaria stared at him blankly, she shook her head vigorously and shouted at him,

“N-no! I’m completely sane now! So, are you an ally…?”

“Can’t you tell by looking?! Protect me a bit! You can use magic over there!”

“P-protect…?”

“I’ll clear a path through the goblin horde, so hold off the ogre for a moment! In that gap, I’ll finish off the ogre!”

“…?! O-okay!”

With those words, the slightly chubby man swiftly plunged back into the goblin horde.

It was unbelievable. He skillfully sliced through goblins’ throats with agile movements.

Despite his chubby physique, it was hard to believe.

“Ugh! Ugh! Hah!”

Advancing with minimal movements, he dodged, struck, dodged, and struck, swiftly moving forward.

He skillfully evaded goblin attacks, striking and dodging in a repetitive pattern like a seasoned hunter.

He was different from the other knights.

Was he a goblin specialist?

“Protect! What are you doing! Protect-!”

“Oh! Yes!”

Rosaria, who had momentarily lost focus, quickly regained her composure and chanted a spell while raising her staff.

“-Shoooo….”

Under the influence of the spellcasting, her red hair shone brightly.

After completing the incantation, she shouted,

“Flame Burst-!”

Raising the previous magic, the Flame Burst was smaller due to the Flame Burst shot, but it was enough.

Originally a spell not for killing but to hinder movement.

-Whoosh… Whoa!

The flame projectile she launched flew towards the ogre who was fighting alone, hitting him directly as he looked down at her.

-Kwaaah!

“Kuwooooo!”

The ogre writhed in pain as his flesh burned.

Then, it happened.

“Where are you looking, you insignificant fool!”

He reinforced his legs with magic and leaped high.

The ogre looked at him, but it was already too late.

His sword swung faster.

“Tingling~!”

-Fwooosh!

“Kuwo… waaaaah!”

He drove the gem-embedded sword into the ogre’s forehead.

More precisely, it was the ogre’s core shaped like a gem.

If the ogre’s core, where all nerves were connected, was damaged, the ogre would lose all senses and go mad, leaping around uncontrollably.

-Thud! Thud! Thud!

“Kuwooooo!”

The ogre swung a wooden club aimlessly, hopping around.

Not missing the moment, he skillfully pulled out the sword embedded in the ogre’s core, landed back on the ground, then leaped again.

In no time, spinning in mid-air with the sword aimed at the ogre.

The displayed sword technique was Thunder Sword Technique, 1st Form: Rotational Thrust.

With the acceleration from the rotational recoil, his sword pierced through the ogre’s tough skin easily.

“Uryaaaah!”

-Fwoooosh!

Thus, the sword plunged into the ogre’s nape.

Losing the spark of life, the ogre stopped moving and crashed to the ground.

-Kwaaah!

As the giant body hit the ground, the earth trembled as if an earthquake had struck.

“Oooh-!”

Surviving knights who witnessed the scene while facing goblins cheered.

Gradually regaining their morale, they refocused and began sweeping away the goblins.

A situation reversed in an instant.

Initially struggling against the ogre’s attacks, they shifted their attention back to the goblin eradication, tilting the balance in their favor.

Moreover, joining forces with the one who brought down the ogre, they swiftly continued clearing out the goblins.

“Who is that guy…”

In the midst of the changed situation, Rosaria, bewildered, could only stare at him as if she had seen a hero.