## Chapter 70 – Ogre Raid
After two passionate kisses, my whole body was on fire. My lower body swelled up like a pufferfish. If it got any bumpier, I might truly become a goblin’s club.
“Hehe, you’re all worked up.”
“…”
“We can go back down and do whatever you want, but let’s calm down for now, okay?”
I don’t think any man could calm down after hearing that.
More importantly, this isn’t the time.
—Smack.
I slapped my cheek hard. Get a grip. I almost made a fool of myself in front of Claudia. I can’t allow that.
—My reunion with Winia was the worst. The emotions Winia left me with were sadness and anger.
But I can’t let it break me. It’s time to stand up again.
I have Claudia, don’t I? I don’t need to be afraid of Winia or anyone else. No matter how skilled he is with magic, there’s always someone better.
“Yeah, I’m yours, Claudia.”
I conveyed my feelings to my girl.
“So you better take good care of yourself.”
Anyway, it seemed like the list check was done. The armored man looked around at us and said:
“Lady Isvant will be arriving soon! Do not act in any way that would be disrespectful to her! The guild will not be responsible for any incidents caused by individual misconduct!”
As he said that, a new procession began to ascend from the rear. It was a group of people armed with pretty good equipment. They wore the same style of clothing and moved with discipline, like soldiers.
“…Is that Lady Isvant?”
Copson said, resting his chin on my shoulder. What the hell? I was caught off guard for a second. No, I’m still caught off guard. He spoke in that position.
“Anyway, that was quite a sight. Even if you’re a couple, doing that kind of thing in a public place in broad daylight is morally questionable. You bold barbarian.”
“I have no words.”
It wasn’t my intention. I was embarrassed all over again. Everyone was watching. Claudia didn’t seem to mind kissing in public. She thinks a little differently than me.
“There’s a limit to how much you can make people jealous.”
“Wait, that’s the problem?”
“Then what is?”
“Ah… never mind. Anyway, she’s coming up.”
The armor of the soldiers coming up had patterns that I’d seen somewhere before. I realized that it was the crest of this city. There were ten of them in total, and they seemed to be Lord Isvant’s private soldiers.
The City Guard is also under the Lord’s command, but private soldiers are a bit different. If the City Guard is like the police, the private soldiers are like the military.
The soldiers who came up first lined up in formation. And then…
“Oh, oh, it’s her!”
Copson exclaimed. Then, one of the soldiers shouted loudly:
“Lady Isvant is entering! Pay your respects!”
I wondered what she looked like that made her so famous for being beautiful, so I frowned and stared at the entrance. Finally, the Lady came up.
She was a beautiful woman with red, rolled-up hair, like a typical noblewoman. Why do noblewomen all have rolled-up hair as if they’d made a pact? At the same time as that question arose, my mouth dropped open.
“Wow, what the hell is that?”
Behind her back, diagonally slung, was a huge double-edged greatsword. It was an exaggeratedly large sword that you’d only see in fantasy games.
It must have weighed dozens of kilograms, making it impossible to even carry, let alone swing, but she didn’t seem to be struggling at all, even with it on her back. Could she actually wield that thing? She seems a bit rough, unlike her appearance.
I naturally recalled the black-armored berserker from the depths of my memory. The one whose life was ruined because of his ugly egg. It was a blunt greatsword, similar to his.
Damn, she uses that thing? If I were her, I’d kill anyone who told me to carry that thing around. This is another world, after all.
“She’s so beautiful! Barbarian, what are you doing! Pay your respects!”
Copson exclaimed again, poking me in the side.
Well, she’s not that beautiful… Thanks to Claudia, my standards are sky-high, so I didn’t feel anything special. No, it was even more serious than that. Lately, no other woman besides Claudia looked like a woman to me. They all started to look like Copson. Is this some kind of curse?
Anyway, I couldn’t resist Copson’s urging, so I looked around and saw that all the adventurers were bowing their heads.
It was a fresh sight. These adventurers, who would rather die than listen to anyone else, were so obediently showing their faces? I read the atmosphere and bowed my head as well. That’s what nobles are like, I guess.
“Claudia, can you use something like that?”
I asked Claudia, still bowing my head. She was also glancing at Lady Isvant with an interested look. I guess ‘strength’ is her thing.
“No, that kind of weapon isn’t my style… but I’ve seen a lot of people use it.”
As expected, she’s lived a long time (presumably)… so she must have seen it. After bowing my head for a while, Lady Isvant, who had come close, opened her mouth.
“Are all the adventurers gathered, Sir Zauros?”
“Yes! They are all gathered, Lady Isvant!”
So the armored man who called our names was named Zauros. I don’t care what he does, so let’s move on. Just remember him as the name-caller.
“Hehe.”
“My Lady?”
Copson next to me was trembling completely. It seems to be like that. What should I say, it’s like an idol, she seems to be popular in that sense.
“Ooh, hohohohoho!”
But suddenly, Lady Isvant began to laugh in a very noble way.
In that moment, I realized. She was a noble. I couldn’t deny it. There’s no way anyone but a noble could laugh like that.
I thought I should pay my respects to her, a noble.
“At this rate, the ogre subjugation is as good as done! I can almost hear my father’s joyful voice from here!”
“L-Lady, please calm down for a moment…”
“Now, adventurers! Raise your heads!”
The Lady shouted with as much energy as her laughter. I cautiously raised my head. It felt like she was about to give a speech.
“So many adventurers have gathered to subjugate the evil ogres that threaten the city, and I am infinitely grateful to all of you! With this many people gathered, ogres will die like trampled maggots!”
…Trampled maggots?
That gruesome description made me think that this person wasn’t quite right in the head either. A person’s personality and character are revealed in their words and actions.
“I promise in my name! I will give a reward of 1 gold to anyone who plays a decisive role in slaughtering the ogres!”
“Wow!”
“Long live Lady Isvant!”
The morale increased instantly when she mentioned money. I also shouted cheers three times along with the other adventurers. With this much morale, even ogres will die like trampled maggots. Good expression.
“Then, Sir Zauros! Prepare to lure the ogres!”
“Yes!”
At those words, the soldiers began to move busily. Among them was a mage in a robe. He approached the watchtower with a staff with a white crystal ball on top and began to draw a magic circle.
“I will perform the monster lure, so please stay away.”
He pushed the adventurers away and began to draw a magic circle using the end of his staff. It was quite elaborate, even though he was drawing it on the bare ground. This guy must have drawn soccer lines in the army. Is he an art major?
After completing the magic circle, he began to burn incense on it. The soldiers brought some unknown objects. He gathered them together, rummaged through them, and then casually recited a spell.
“Mumble mumble.”
—Boom!
Then a small explosion occurred. White smoke rose above it.
“The preparations are complete. The ogres will appear soon.”
“Did you hear that! Adventurers, pair up and guard the surroundings! As agreed, I will give a reward of 1 silver to the first person to spot them!”
Hearing those words, the adventurers went to various places in the open space and took their positions. This was the moment when things got tense. The ogres will definitely die, but as certain as that is, there will be casualties on the adventurers’ side as well.
I went into the bushes with Copson and Claudia. I looked around and Winia wasn’t there. Still, I wanted to stay away from her as much as possible.
I guarded the surroundings like that. I didn’t have anything to do, so I took out some dried rations and chewed on them. Then Copson said:
“Hmm… first discovery, huh? If the three of us discover it at the same time, who gets the prize money?”
“I don’t know. Well, wouldn’t they give it to all three of us?”
“That’s too optimistic.”
If that’s the case, we can just get it and divide it among the three of us.
We chatted and ate while sitting down. We came out early in the morning and didn’t have time to eat. We took out the dried rations we had each brought and ate them.
“Here, ah~.”
Feeling bored, I broke off a piece of dried ration and held it in front of Claudia’s mouth.
She was shy for once.
“I, I can eat by myself… I’m not a child.”
“Don’t say that. You’re the one who treats me like a child, even though I’m all grown up.”
Ah.
She was a little shy, but she looked around and then took it, scratching my finger with her teeth.
What is this satisfaction?
“Claudia. Give me an ah~ too.”
“…”
This is happiness.
I rubbed my head against Claudia’s thigh and whined. Her face turned red and she did as I asked.
“H-Here, here… ah, ah~.”
It was a terribly tasteless dried ration, but it tasted incredibly delicious when eaten like this. Ah, I’m so happy. I’m so happy that I want to swear.
Isn’t this other world actually worth living in? I’ve only been thinking about going back home since I opened my eyes, but these days, with Claudia by my side, I don’t think about it as much.
There were many things I missed. But if I were to go back home, wouldn’t Claudia also become something I missed?
Well, I don’t even know when I’ll be able to go back in the first place.
“…”
Copson looked at us with a displeased expression. It must be really awkward. It’s a bit like being stuck next to a cheesy couple. It must be a thorny seat. I used to be the one who suffered, but now I’m the one doing it.
“Hey, Copson. You should get a girlfriend soon too.”
“Damn it, damn it. I can’t live with this envy. I always thought you and I were at least on the same level.”
“What the hell?”
Anyway, the mountain was quiet. Even the small monsters that usually appeared weren’t visible. I didn’t know if it was because there were so many people, or if they had run away to avoid the ogres.
“Katt, if we get 1 gold…”
“Huh? 1 gold?”
Claudia seemed to be thinking of taking the ogre’s head herself. Honestly, I’m so worried that I want to stop her. I should have seen the ogre myself.
“Let’s buy a house with it. Okay?”
“H-House?”
“Yeah~. A house. We’ll live there together. How about it? Settling down wasn’t my thing, but since this opportunity came up, it seems like it would be nice.”
“…”
I couldn’t help but nod at her aggressive advances.
