Chapter 174 – Cannibals (1)
【An ogre?!】
─Break! Veronica stood up at the sudden scream. The sleeping cat also curled up her tail.
“Fuck. I’m not going, so I’m getting tired of it.”
Firing the nutmeg, I put on my armor. After skilfully arming herself and raising her spear, Veronica screamed in bewilderment.
【My dear! Are you going to fight?!]
“Whether you fight or run, you have to get out!”
【Help me! I cannot stand by as you become dangerous! I promise I won’t get in the way like last time!]
Gathering mana between the horns, Veronica ignited her fighting spirit. It must be difficult for me to search for it, as I am the savior of his life and also the clue to unlocking the curse.
Loyalty and Silly! In both ways, Veronica had reasons to fight.
“──That ogre might use rune magic! Be careful!”
I shouted and went out without hearing an answer.
─Suddenly! Tyrsi also ran out from the next room. We made eye contact, exchanged opinions, and left the inn. Tyrsi was surprised to see Veronica running after me.
“Nord! What is that bicorn in the back?!”
“Animal Friends! My feet are a bit wide!”
I answered roughly and went out to the roadside. The sun had set, and the rural village with no lights was fucking dark.
“〈 Friar’s Lantern〉!”
Tyrsi raised her wand and activated her magic.
A flash of familiar magic light illuminated the road, and I saw an ogre walking from the other side of the village where the villagers were fleeing in panic.
‘Young. It’s worth my dick.’
Just as I heard from the orc, a gigantic ogre with four arms!
The youngster was dressed in his clothes and carrying clubs in two of the four arms that grew from his shoulders. His cannon-like outstretched hands were ferocious, as if they were about to pluck a man’s head alive.
“To the shelter!! Go to the village chief’s house!!”
“Quaaaaa!!!”
“Come on, vigilantes!! Where are those bastard bastards!!”
At the appearance of a man-eating monster, the villagers ran away without looking back.
Even the drunkards didn’t get their feet twisted, as if the alcohol was gone in fear, but the ogre kid wasn’t chasing the fleeing villagers.
Coo… Coo…
The sight of him walking leisurely, not paying attention to the prey running in front of him, made him look like a tyrant out for a walk.
I was very annoyed at showing such a relaxed attitude to the monster topic, but I was able to notice it because I observed it with such concentration.
‘… That bastard, are you looking at me?’
Could it be that you were following me?
Even on the way back to the village, I was still maintaining my ‘impression’, but the smell of blood on my clothes from the orc village would have remained.
If it was an ogre, he wouldn’t be surprised if he noticed the blood of the person he killed.
But why did you come after me?
No, the reason didn’t matter. What, did monsters always attack people for a reason? It may have appeared to get some calories before hibernation.
Tirsi, who aimed the wand at the ogre, bit her lip.
“If people don’t evacuate, we can’t use magic… “
Tirshi, who was talking like that, had to stop his words.
It was because the ogre pointed at us with an empty hand that had grown over his shoulder.
“ᚺ(Hagalaz).”
─Roaring!!
As the ogre cast his spell, a ball of fire the size of a basketball was created in the youngster’s hand.
The bastard held the cripple like a baseball and fired it at us!
“ᚦ(Thurisaz)!!”
It was Veronica who shouted next.
In the incantation chanted not telepathically, but through voice, runes appeared between Veronica’s horns. A magic resistance enhancement rune that Tabula once used! It became a translucent shield and tried to block the orbs of flame.
The ogre didn’t ignore it.
“ᛁ(Isaz).”
A rapid-fire cannon-like chant exploded in succession. It came like a wave of ice in the blink of an eye, shattering Veronica’s rune magic.
【──Magic Spells!?】
Confused Veronica. That meant that Veronica didn’t have the skills to counter the ogre’s magic in her hand.
I turned the spear like rowing and ran toward the barrage. Tirsi, who can’t use offensive magic because of people, pointed her wand at my back.
“〈 Breeze Walk〉!”
─Whewying!
It was a transfer speed buff that I had received once before.
“Thank you! Tyrsi!”
I tactfully adapted to the increased speed and cut through the claws as if playing lacrosse. ─Suddenly! Mithril’s blade cut the marble and caused an explosion.
I dodged myself in the range of the explosion without being caught. The flames that missed their target burned only the wood of the village in vain.
Sigh…
The flames burned and drove away the darkness. Tyrsi released 〈 monk’s lantern 〉 as if to save mana.
Even 〈 Susa’s Lantern 〉, which could be used for support by suddenly increasing the amount of light, was useless now. A blind ogre would only get in trouble if he used his magic.
I took the stance I read in the spearmanship manual.
‘Fuck. Why are you so good at using magic on a young ogre?’
Speaking of ogres, aren’t they old-fashioned idiots? It was to the point of getting a little angry.
Doesn’t that bastard have twice the IQ of a normal ogre because he has two goddamn heads? If he was just rampaging with his body, he would tie his feet and catch Tyrsy and Veronica with only magic.
“──Whoa.”
It was then. The ogre kept a distance of about 10 meters from us and stroked his chin.
“Are there two suitable guys? This is lucky.”
“… What are you chewing on?”
What the fuck I doubted my ears and opened my eyes wide.
A bit archaic, but perfectly human!
I felt like I knew why monsters and animals startled every time I spoke to them. It was such a shock that someone we never imagined would use our language!
“ᚺ(Hagalaz).”
As if the ogre expected us to be surprised, it fired a burst of magic. No, this bastard?!
“Are you trying to stun by talking?! Poondun snout is the exclusive property of earthlings!!”
I shouted and ran aside with Tyrsi on my back.
Kurururureung—!!
My 〈 Lightning Missile 〉 is incomparable to super-fast lightning! A high-speed lightning bolt came down and struck the spot where we had evaded.
Fortunately, Veronica is a master of rune magic, so she was able to avoid the ogre’s magic without my help.
【Cheet! It’s an outdated application!]
Lightning was a representative symbol of ‘unexpected disaster’. When attacking enemies with ᚺ (Hagalaz), lightning could be said to be the thinnest helmet.
“It’s static, you motherfucker!!”
I put down Tyrsi and shouted, but I couldn’t dig into the street.
If I fall from Tirsi’s side, that lightning magic will burn Tirsi.
‘You bastard, did you figure out the power balance of our team in that short time?’
At the point of bluffing with human words, I noticed that he wasn’t an ordinary guy. It felt like fighting a human rather than a monster.
‘Fuck it. If that’s the case, I’ll just kill it with the thought of fighting humans.’
The fireworks show was so splendid that even the villagers jumped out now. I asked Veronica.
“Veronica. You bastard, don’t you think you can’t kill him with magic?”
【… Have no face I think it will be difficult if I don’t aim for a surprise attack.]
Contrary to what I said in voice, Veronica answered telepathically. If this was the case, even the ogre pup wouldn’t be able to hear our plan.
【ᛁ(Isaz)’s rune is a magic that freezes and destroys the ‘spell formula that grasps the structure’. The author’s magic ability is on par with mine, and he is even a rune magician. The enemy is fully aware of my magic spells, so if it’s not a surprise attack, I’ll be destroyed.]
“Can’t you use that?”
【… You can’t do it that fast. I will continue pouring magic on him, wasting mana. Mana is consumed even with the magic spell.]
“Leave it.”
Even if you just do a good job of interrupting concentration and consuming mana, it’s fucking helpful. This is because it reduces the success rate of attacks and the enemy’s combat power.
I glared at the ogre and spoke to Tyrsi in Romanian.
〈 Tyrsi. He can break the magic he knows. I’ll block it, so try attacking with magic that he doesn’t know.〉
〈 Yes. Nord, in case of emergency, don’t worry about me and avoid me.〉
〈I won’t let that emergency happen.〉
Even while we were plotting, the ogre just stood still and didn’t move.
‘What the fuck, anxious. I don’t think there’s anyone who gives operation time to villains from another world.’
My thoughts were correct.
There is no chanting for rune magic, but concentration and mana control are required. Ignoring what we were talking about, the ogre was secretly preparing the earth magic.
“ᛃ(Jēra)──!!”
As if the ogre was shouting for the first time, he cast rune magic. The bastard’s empty hand suddenly emitted light, and the wind was sucked into the palm at a tremendous speed!
“Ugh!”
No, it’s not the wind.
It’s just that I felt it, but it was far from magic generating physical energy. I stumbled as if blood was being sucked out of pores called pores.
“Mother… !!”
【ᚺ(Hagalaz)!!】
Feeling dizzy just like me, Veronica fired her magic. A rock appeared from the sky and broke the ogre’s head.
“Huh.”
The ogre snorted and retreated to avoid the boulder. Despite his size, his feet were fucking quick.
Shouted Veronica, gathering her mana in her horn.
【Intercept!! This is the rune of mana absorption!! There is no countermeasure other than to attack and stop it!!]
Swallow!! What the fuck is that!! There’s even a mana absorption pattern, damn it!!
Tirshi and I memorized her spell while taking her mana away.
“Mana of lightning flowing through the sky! Become a seven-stranded nail and pierce it! 〈 Lightning Arrow 〉!!”
With a short spell, I completed the magic first. But the ogre pup didn’t even pay attention this time. As soon as I touched his body, my magic was scattered in vain.
“Is this bastard also a rune of ᚦ (Thurs)!”
My magic lacked firepower. Like Tabula, is an accessory that increases attack magic resistance a must-have for a rune magician?
However, it felt a little different from Tabula, who was half-human.
This guy was 100% an ogre.
Not a wild human, but a beast with reason!
I was sure of that because I had been sick of seeing monsters oscillating between beasts and humans.
“An offering to the god of corruption. The warmth of the waves. Yayang in white clothes. Loquat tree. I, the one who inherits the etiquette of the small bay. With a single harpoon, we will set up a tombstone that binds the gods!!”
Seeing the effect of my magic, Tirshi changed his spell. She put her hand in her bag and pulled out a small bottle. It was a bottle of liquid paralytic poison.
“〈 Chain of Sharp Harpoon〉!!”
─Charleurrrr!!!
The chain of paralysis coiled around the ogre and stopped.
As if the mana absorption rune had been turned off, strength began to come into the limbs!
“Your head is spinning for an inferior species.”
I made a dash not to miss the opportunity for Tyrsi to stop the enemy, but the ogre twisted his mouth as if it was a lot better than I thought.
“But Jim has already lost interest in you guys.”
– Hot! The ogre pumped his power to the point where the veins formed in the hands that held his club. Is the paralysis not working?
I raised my guard even while approaching, knowing that he would hit me with it, but the choice he took was completely unexpected.
“I will raise the flag of triumph with my mace.”
The ogre slammed his club into the ground. ─Quaaaaang! It must have been a trick or something, and dust that was not normal at all rose up.
Suddenly, my vision was blocked, so I had no choice but to stop.
“Tsk!”
I aimed the spear and raised my five senses.
If that bastard charged through the dust, I was going to take it. It was a reckless attack for being confident, but it was also ridiculous to argue for honor against a monster kid.
──However, that was a poor judgment.
“Nord! It’s a trap! 〈 Ice Missile 〉!”
Tirsi cleared the dust with 〈 Ice Arrows 〉 of the Infinite Spear, which can be activated quickly. An explosion of cold air drove away the dust.
In the place where the dust disappeared——not even the shadow of the ogre remained.
─Tak-tak-tak. The flames cooled by the cold were burning as if the previous battle hadn’t been a daydream.
I was dumbfounded and muttered.
“Meme?”
You say it bounces like this?
