Chapter 47

Chapter 48

The open space coincidentally made within the forest.

In front of the Ogres that were chatting about something there, a green figure of a person fluttered down.

When the Ogres noticed that it had come down from in between the trees, the green young lady──Nino calmly made an announcement.

「Although I have no particular grudge against you, this is an order after all.」

By the time the Ogres noticed the sparkling curved blades that were in each of her hands, both arms of one of them were already fluttering about in the air.

「Gah……GAAAA!?」

Maybe that scream had become a signal, several arrows pierced the head of the Ogre that lost both of his arms.

The one that fired arrows that easily pierced through his hard cranium, was Luuty.

*Zun* A heavy sound was made. And while in confusion of the sound of their comrade falling, the remaining Ogres took up their own weapons.

They were being attacked.

Their comrade was killed.

That fact spread out among the Ogres together with rage.

「Attack Earth」

Together with Shion’s voice, a huge mass of rock that was much bigger than an Ogre’s head was created, and sent one of the Ogres flying.

「GAAAAAAA!」

「Kuh!」

Together with a voice of anger, an Ogre swung down his iron large sword.

Kain fended that off with his sword.

Seeing his large sword get stuck as if it were striking the earth, the Ogre made an expression that said that he found it hard to believe.

That attack that might have crushed a normal sword with the Ogre’s superhuman strength, Kain caught it without a single nick in his sword and brushed it away.

For that, while Kain’s ability also played a role, it was probably related to the hardness of Kain’s sword.

「My fragile self implores.」

Together with Sharon’s chant as she had assumed a stance with her staff, a brilliance was lit in the blue-looking precious stone of her staff.

「I implore a sword. I implore an agent. Although my body is fragile, my heart is stern. My heart heart has become a sword, and desires a time to be wielded. Therefore, o agent, come forth. I implore that you be here to execute my will.」

Noticing Sharon’s chanting, one of the Ogres raised its club overhead and swung it into her to interrupt her but──it was repelled by Shion’s Attack Guard.

「Don’t get in her way. It’s just getting to the good part, you know?」

In response to Shion who looked like he was enjoying things from the bottom of his heart, the Ogre was overawed for an instant, then swung its iron club down on Shion.

However, even so, the Attack Guard that Shion put up was unyielding.

And then, a blue brilliance manifested before Sharon, and it repeatedly flickered.

「Come forth, Sword Spirit!」

The cluster of blue light converged together with that voice and took the shape of a person.

It was a swordsman.

Stylishly wearing loose clothing, it was a gorgeous man.

He had languidly taken his stace with the double-edged one-handed sword that he held in his hand, but he did not have a single opening.

His whole body uniformly shined blue, emphasizing that he was clearly not a person.

That was the Sword Spirit.

The Sword Spirit that had been summoned by Sharon, keeping its one-handed sword in a poor stance, approached the Ogre that repeatedly attacked Shion’s Attack Guard.

「Wh, who the hell are you……!」

Shion got away from the Ogre with a back step, and the Sword Spirit that slipped in between them made an upward diagonal slash.

The Ogre that had raised its iron club overhead in order to swing it down once again towards Shion was unable to even defend against it and received the attack.

What covered the Ogre’s body was iron armor. The Ogre, thinking that it was a mere attack from a sword, kept its iron club overhead and didn’t try to block it.

「Gi……go……buah」

The result──

With an attack that deeply tore through him along with the iron armor, the Ogre died.

Going *Zushin* (Thud).

Leaving the defeated Ogre that made a dull and heavy sound as it was, the Sword Spirit started to run towards the next Ogre.

「……It doesn’t seem to be commanded, does it.」

Seeing the state of Sharon who had placed a hand on her chest and was taking deep breathes, Shion muttered that.

The bluely shining Sword Spirit charged over to where Kain and Nino were fighting on the front line and swung its sword.

「If that’s the case……Does it possess its own will?」

Summon Magic.

There was no doubt that it literally summoned something that differed from the natural way of things.

If it had its own will, it probably wasn’t a mere clump of power.

Even the earlier chant, rather than being called a chant, one could judge that it was more of an appeal.

This meant that this magic known as Summon Magic still had room for development.

It would be a threat to leave it to mankind to use, but there was probably value to bringing it back to the Dark Continent and spreading it about.

With the face of someone that would be delighted if he told them about it coming to mind, Shion made a small smile.

He couldn’t bring them on the journey this time, but if they were to hear about this story, they might get mad that they weren’t brought along, is what he thought.

While Shion was thinking about such a thing, Nino lopped off the head of an Ogre.

What was troublesome about Ogres was that they had tenacious vitality. There were cases where they were still alive even if their heads were lopped off.

Since its head itself could also move, there were many that would drop their guard and end up being taken down together with it.

The reason why Ogres were said to possess three souls was due to this.

However, there was no one here that dropped their guard.

The Sword Spirit severed an arm that remained holding onto the axe, and Kain slashed his sword diagonally from the shoulder of the other Ogre.

「O light, gather and penetrate my enemy……Guillo Light!」[1]

Kain pointed the hand opposite from the hand that held his sword towards the Ogre, and from the palm, a dazzling beam was shot.

That beam pierced the Ogre’s chest, and vanished. Staring at the hole that opened up in its own chest with a surprised face, the Ogre died just like that.

「……O, ooh……My dear brothers……」

The last remaining Ogre, while keeping its large sword at the ready, had tears flowing from its eyes and was wailing.

The brothers that had pride in their tenacious bodies, but never acted haughty about it, and trained and raised each other up.

The fact that they were so easily massacred.

The absurd reality that they were suddenly attacked.

He lamented over all of that, however, the Ogre then changed his mind.

Hunting was a natural right as a living creature.

Just like how Ogres hunted Humans, Humans could also hunt Ogres.

Being hunted by such strong people, becoming part of their flesh and blood, and existing like that would become the best memorial service for his brothers.

That is why he also needed to boldly fight as a warrior.

「I am the Ogre Warrior, Gudion! I come forth!」

「I am Nino. I will remember that name for now.」

The large sword that Gudion swung down drew near Nino together with a thunderous roar.

From up above to down below.

Nino evaded that attack that, although simple, boasted having the strongest power and then used that large sword as a foothold and jumped.

「Nuu……!」

「Rest, Gudion.」

The Nino that drew near right before his eyes, and her swung curved blades.

Seeing those, Gudion sensed his own defeat.

Even so, feeling that just sitting like that and dying wasn’t good, Gudion quickly raised his large sword overhead──But, being faster than him, Nino lopped off Gudion’s head and landed.

Gudion’s body that had lost its head slashed the air where nothing was there……And just like that, collapsed face up on the ground.

And then, Gudion’s body stopped moving completely.

「……It seems to be over.」

Hearing Luuty’s words, Sharon sat down as if she lost her strength.

The Sword Spirit smiled with a sneer, turned into beads of light, and vanished. Kain hurriedly ran over to Sharon.

「A, are you alright!?」

「Y, yeah. I’m just a bit tired……」

While Luuty was pleasantly looking at the state of those two, Shion approached Gudion’s group and looked down upon them.

Although they were called Ogres, there were a wide variety of them, but Shion thought that these Ogres were respectable Mazoku.

Even if they were Mazoku where he didn’t know who had made them, when compared to the Mazoku of the Dark Continent’s former western part, they could be said to be noble.

Due to that, Shion judged that they were Mazoku worthy of adding them as subordinates.

「……In any case, there is no guarantee that the Ogres’ corpses won’t invite other threats. Since I will be disposing of them with strong magic, please go back ahead of me.」

When Shion said that with a serious face, Luuty nodded back also thinking that that is what should be done.

「I understand. Kain-kun, Sharon-san, let’s go.」

「Ah, yes.」

After seeing off Kain’s group as they went on the return trip under Luuty’s guidance, Shion turned his gaze towards Nino.

「……I think it was a risky wager.」

「It is because Nino is an actor. No problem.」

While looking down on Gudion’s headless corpse, Nino replied.

「Besides, Shion-sama was thinking the same thing, right?」

「……Well, pretty much.」

While breathing a sigh, Shion replied to Nino who had picked up Gudion’s head and placed it in front of his corpse.

After confirming that Nino had stepped back a bit, Shion chanted a single magic.

「Rebirth.」

It was Recovery Magic that could heal even fatal wounds.

Connecting Gudion’s head and body that should have been separated, it returned to being a body without a single wound.

That being said, if it were a Human, it would only finish at being a corpse without an scratch.

However, Gudion was an Ogre that could live even after having its head sent flying.

He glaringly moved his eyes, and slowly raised the upper half of his body.

「……Why」

The moment she lopped off his head, Nino muttered to Gudion to stay like that and not move.

Although he did not know the reason, Gudion accepted the command of Nino who was the victor.

However, after seeing himself being saved like this, Gudion was unable to understand the reason why Humans would save him.

Even so, thinking that there should be a reason……There was only a small portion but, he remembered stories of cases where those of his race abducted the females of mankind and turned them into their wives.

It wouldn’t be strange if there was also the opposite of that.

He did not boast about it, but Gudion had confidence that he himself had a beautiful form among Ogres.

With his prominent two horns, his beautiful darkish skin, and his thoroughly tempered large build, he had the self-confidence that he would be found as charming.

The female in front of him that called herself Nino was small, and slender.

For Gudion, he did not find that charming at all, and Gudion thought that that was most likely the case even among mankind.

Thinking that in that case, it couldn’t be helped that she sought after the charming male Gudion, Gudion consented to the idea.

His brothers being killed was something sad, but seeing as how they had lost, it couldn’t be helped.

As for he himself, with the fact that he lost but also had his life saved, he had no right to complain.

Above all, for her to have gone that far and seeking him as her spouse, even Gudion had no choice but to accept.

「……Understood. Why don’t we make some strong kids.」

「Shion-sama, this guy has the same smell as Aulokk.」

Being reminded of the Beastia who was working hard on routine tasks of the Demon King Castle in the Dark Continent, Nino made a disgusted face.

After Shion placed a hand on Nino’s head while making a wry smile, he turned his gaze to Gudion.

He had already confirmed that there was no one nearby.

It was for this reason that Shion made this announcement.

「Let’s introduce ourselves. I am Vermudol──The Demon King.」

「Nino. Demon King-sama’s attendant.」

Demon King.

Hearing those words, Gudion felt a bit of surprise.

「Demon King……However, Shuklous-sama had, died before I was born……」

「I do not know of that fellow called Shuklous. However, if you say that you are a Mazoku, then you have the right to serve me, the Demon King.」

He purposely did not use the word “duty”.

The fact is that Gudion──that Ogres were not Mazoku that Shion created, and this was purely him scouting him.

Shion thought that Gudion had the right to choose.

And because of that, he was even thinking that it would be fine to recreate the Ogres as a subordinate race with Gudion as the base.

「How about it, Gudion. You have the right to choose.」

「……What will happen, to my brothers.」

「Unfortunately, they are dead. Besides, the one I have expectations of is you.」

Hearing Shion’s words, Gudion closed his eyes and thought.

And then, after a few seconds, Gudion made a short answer.

「……Understood. I will obey.」

「I see. In that case, since I will be sending you over, rely on a man called Sancreed. If you say that you were referred by me to the Mazoku that are over there, they should bring you to him.」

After confirming that Gudion nodded, Shion turned his staff of Holy Silver to Gudion.

「Gate.」

After confirming that Gudion’s body was engulfed in light, Shion turned his eyes to the corpses of the remaining Ogres.

「……」

Softly muttering something, Shion invoked his magic.

With only that, the corpses of the Ogres excluding Gudion vanished without a trace, leaving nothing behind.

「Let’s head back, Nino.」

「Un.」

Like that, the Adventurer Shion headed towards the entrance to the forest together with Nino.

While the truth was known to no one.

Only the fact that the Ogres that attacked the logging site were annihilated was left there.

Translator’s Notes:

[1] Original: 収束光撃, Read as: ギオライト, Rough Translation: Focused Light Attack, Reason for translated name: Assumed that it shortened Guillotine for the Guillo part

Chapter 46

Chapter 48