CH 235

Ogre subjugation

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The group of Ogres that attacked Bakkenheim last night invaded the city under the cover of darkness.

It was said that they attacked sleeping houses and kidnapped the residents.

In the attacked houses, it seemed that blood splashes were scattered to the ceiling on top of being messed up.

The roars of the Ogres that echoed in the middle of the night and the screams of death from the residents seemed to make the neighbors feel even less alive.

It was said that an adventurer who lived near the house that was attacked went towards them with a sword in his hand, but did not return.

There were traces of blood on the ground, and they were heading towards the forest beyond the cultivated land that spread out to the south of the city.

There was an opinion that they should search the forest and subjugate the Ogres, but since the raid was late at night and they didn't know the number of Ogres, they could not calculate the necessary force and canceled it.

Then, at the time when the moon was tilting to the west and the date was about to change, I was standing on the outskirts of Bakkenheim to the southwest.

"Graciela-san, if there was an attack last night, they may not come tonight."

"No, they were able to get their prey last night without any resistance. They got a taste, they'll underestimate us humans, and they'll show up again tonight."

"But, if a bonfire is lit like this, wouldn't they be wary and not approach?"

"Nope, they attacked in groups. If they were alone, they would be on guard, but they will be arrogant about their numbers. Or rather, aren't you casually using me as a windbreak?"

"Th, there's no reason for such a thing to happen ..."

Hey, it can't be helped if it's exposed ... Or rather, the west wind is cold, isn't it.

We are the closest to the house that was attacked, right above where the blood stains were left.

Me and Graciela-san, who has the nickname of 'Demon Eater', and the members of 'Blue Gale who set up an ambush when I came to Bakkenheim before.

"Maa, this turmoil has nothing to do with you, who is based in Volzard, and I will do my best to protect you from the wind, but you don't look like an S-rank adventurer."

"That's true. Even when I look at myself in the mirror, I don't look like an S-rank."

"It's disappointing if you agree with me instead of objecting, even though I said you don't look like an S-rank."

"Even if you say so, it doesn't matter to me."

"Haa ... By the way, Kent, have you ever defeated an Ogre by yourself without using your genus?"

"I have. I defeated them in the Devil's Forest."

"Hou ... That's surprising. How many have you beaten in a single day. Four is the best for me."

While talking, Graciela-san proudly puffed out her chest.

"I counted seven of them, including the Rock Ogre."

"Se, seven of them? Did you defeat them alone? Without the help of your genus?"

The members of 'Blue Gale' who were listening were also surprised by the number seven.

"It's obviously bluffing. I can't believe you took on seven Ogres by yourself!"

The one who interrupted me and Graciela-san's conversation was an adventurer named Phil or Fal who got involved with me when I visited Bakkenheim for the first time.

Come to think of it, he should have been beaten by his comrades after the ambush, but it didn't seem like he learned much.

"How is it, Kent. I also have doubts about the number seven, but ..."

"If you don't want to believe it, you don't have to believe it."

"If you were to defeat seven Ogres with your physique, did you perhaps use attack magic?"

"That's right. At that time, I'd only ever wielded a wooden sword ... Rather, now that I think about it, I still don't have my own sword."

"You don't carry a weapon? Even magician-type adventurers carry swords and spears."

"For the time being, when I leave the city for escort work, I carry around a knife, but I don't usually carry one. That's because my genus are always together with me."

Hearing that my genus were with me, the members of 'Blue Gale' began to look around in shock.

"Fumu ... Master Reese and Lau-san vouch for it, so there must be no mistake, but I have a nature that only believes what I see."

"Even if you say so, I'm an observer this time, so I won't interfere."

"If you were in the position of subjugating, how would you defeat the Ogres?"

"Before they approach, fire off attack magic and it's over."

"What if they can avoid it?"

"If they could avoid it ... What should I do ... But, I don't think they can avoid it."

"Hou, that's a lot of confidence. For an adventurer, overconfidence is the number one killer."

"I guess. I've been on the verge of death a few times, so I understand."

Since I learned that I would be assigned to the same place as 'Blue Gale', I always had a shield of darkness ready to go just in case, and Fred was keeping an eye out from the shadows.

Or should I say, everyone in my genus, with the exception of Nero, was wandering around in the shadows wondering if it was their turn.

"Ugh ... Even so, it's cold, isn't it. They're not coming tonight, are they?"

"Haa ... Even though you're an observer, can you please not say things that will discourage me?"

"Excuse me. But, 

"Wauuh, Goshujin-sama, did you call?"

"Yup, let's all huddle together and warm up."

"Wafuu, leave it to me, leave it to me."

"Me too, I'll warm up too!"

The west wind is too cold, so I decided to call Mart and the others and be warmed up with a small Oshikura Manjuu.(TN:Oshikura Manjuu is a children's game in which three or more people stand back-to-back in a circle and shove each other. Literal translation is 'Don't cry when shoved'.)

"Nushi-dono, if it's shelter from the wind, we'll ..."

"I'd like to do that, but the Ogres might not come closer if Zeta-tachi are around."

"In that case, we can go eradicate the Ogres in one go ..."

"I want to do that, but please be patient this time."

I took turns stroking Zeta and the others who only showed their snouts and soothed them.

By the way, Nero seemed to be very relaxed and had no desire to work.

"Kent, just now ..."

"It's my Gigawolf genus. They're about twice as big as Bran, aren't they."

"How many monsters are you using?"

"I'm not using them, they're the same as my family. Three Skeletons, five Lizardmen, thirty-three Kobolds, one Storm Cat, and three Gigawolves, but some of them are still at Volzard. They're doing patrols, so I won't be able to gather everyone."

"Goshujin-sama, rub my belly."

"Me too, me too ..."

Yup, yup, thanks to Mart and the others, it looked like I would be able to survive the cold.

When Graciela-san and the members of 'Blue Gale' heard the number of genus, they looked at me as if I were a monster.

Right, right, if you mess with me, you'll be beaten by my genus. That won't happen ...

Basten reported when I was surrounded by Mart and the others.

[ Kent-sama, the Ogres are leaving the forest. ]

[ How many are there? ]

[ About fifteen of them. Among them, there are two Rock Ogres. ]

[ Roger, thank you. ]

On the south side of Bakkenheim, arable land spread, and it seemed that wheat and potatoes were cultivated.

Now that the barley had been harvested, we could look out over the forest, except where some leafy vegetables were grown.

However, the moon was hidden behind the clouds tonight, so normal people wouldn't be able to see beyond the bonfire.

The distance from the city to the forest was about 2-3 kilometers, and about ten minutes after receiving Basten's news, I could see the Ogres.

"Graciela-san, Ogres are coming."

"What, is that true?"

"Yeah, look, they can already be seen. The number is about fifteen."

"Ehh, where are they, where are they?"

"They're right in front of us. They're coming this way."

"Can you see them in this darkness ... Hey, turn on the floodlight!"

The light from the large magic tool illuminated the darkness, revealing the figures of the Ogres approaching across the field.

At the same time, a whistle blew, alerting the surrounding adventurers to the approach of the Ogres.

Mart and the others returned to the shadows.

"I'll be the commander! Magicians, start chanting. Archers, shoot your arrows!"

Graciela-san raised her voice, and the gathered adventurers prepared to intercept.

[ Kent-sama, another pack is coming from the west. The number is about ten. ]

[ Alright. ]

Far from looking down on humans, they might be a formidable group of ones who are thinking properly.

"Graciela-san, another pack is coming from the west. The number is about ten."

"What did you say, point the floodlights to the west! Don't point them all, you idiots! Let them shine in front of us too!"

When some of the floodlights were aimed at them, the Ogres who realized they had been spotted let out a roar.

"Ubooaaa!"

"Uboaaa uboooo!"

After exchanging roars, the Ogres that were approaching from the south changed course to the east, and those approaching from the west went north.

"What, where are they going."

"Hey, Graciela, what should we do?"

"The 1st to 7th squads will attack the eastern group! THe rest will hit the western group! Don't let them enter the city!"

The adventurers and guards, who were about to gather together, hurriedly moved to change their positions.

"Don't be so sluggish, move quickly."

"Shut it, don't push me, you idiot."

"Hey, the floodlight ..."

I've seen monsters being subjugated in Volzard several times, but I felt like Bakkenheim wasn't used to it, and the whole movement felt sluggish.

However, in the case of Volzard, it felt like they were attacking the surrounding area while defending the surrounding area, so it felt like everyone was fighting without even moving.

I felt that it would have been less confusing if everyone hadn't crowded together this time around, and would have gathered together when the battle started, or supported each other from the rear.

The packs of Ogres had split into two groups, and seemed to be trying to enter the city, leaving the adventurers behind.

Graciela-san and the members of the 'Blue Gale' headed to intercept the west pack, but I remained there to see how the two of them were doing.

[ Kent-sama, at this rate they will force their way into the city. ]

"That's right ..."

Adventurers who seemed to be using physical strengthening magic were chasing after them, but the Ogres ran so fast that many were unable to catch up.

In addition to that, the Ogres, who could see at night, ran calmly, but the number of interceptors stumbled and fell, and they dropped out one after another.

[ If they enter the city, there will be casualties among the citizens ... ]

"Reese-san told me that I shouldn't interfere, but I can't do that at this rate ..."

I sped ahead of the pack by diving into the shadows and heading east, and put out a large shield of darkness in front of the oncoming horde of Ogres.

"Buugaaaa ... Gafuu ..."

The Ogres collided with the shield of darkness that suddenly appeared and collapsed.

If I stopped them this much, the adventurers would be able to catch up.

Next, I moved to the front of the Ogres that were trying to go around from west to north, and blocked their way with a shield of darkness the same as before.

"The Ogres have stopped, now, magicians and archers, shoot! What's wrong, magicians ..."

Graciela-san gave the order to attack, but the magicians who weren't good at strengthening their bodies in the first place couldn't catch up.

I didn't know much about Graciela-san, but I got the impression that she was the type that usually worked alone and wasn't used to fighting in groups like this.

Maa, it seemed that the Ogres also collided with the shield of darkness with considerable force and didn't get up right away.

"Ubaa ... Ubooaaaaah!"

When the magicians and archers who caught up with them sporadically launched attacks, the Ogres seemed to have made up their minds as they approached with a roar.

"Spread out! Don't hit head-on! Let's go!"

After giving an order that couldn't even be called an order, Graciela-san couldn't wait to go to the Ogres.

Yup, she's the type of person who fits the word reckless.

In no time, the Ogres and the adventurers were jumbled together in a melee.

[ Reinhardt, what do you think when you've seen this much? ]

[ Both the person in charge and the people receiving the instructions are inexperienced. ]

[ Hey ... Do you think I should help out a little more? ]

[ Maa, it'll be fine. The number of people has begun to gather, and others will be able to cover them before they get fatally wounded. ]

It was true that even if the adventurers were in trouble, someone else would attack and distract them, and they would manage to escape in the meantime.

[ After that, as long as they don't get exhausted and support is delayed, they will be able to do something about it. ]

[ Then, all that's left is to just watch. ]

At the beginning of the melee, the Ogres showed the momentum to push the adventurers, but when those who caught up joined them, the situation gradually began to reverse.

The adventurers were instructed to aim at preventing the enemies from leaving first, so they dodged the Ogre's attacks while aiming at the legs.

At the same time, the magicians fired attack magic at the Ogre's face.

Ogres were much taller than humans, so if they were aiming for the face, they didn't have to worry about attacking their allies.

If they tried to mow down the adventurers at their feet, fireballs and wind blades would attack their face.

THe cooperation between the magician type and the knight type was going well, but there were beings who ignored such cooperation.

The Rock Ogres kicked without worrying about attack magic, and the adventurers were sent flying like soccer balls.

"Surround them! Strike from the sides and back! No matter how hard it is, it doesn't mean your attacks won't go through!"

"Ubooaaaah ... Ubaaubooaaaa!"

One Rock Ogre had been pulled out of the pack, and Graciela-san had joined in, and they surrounded it with about ten people, but it felt like it was all they could do to stop it.

The Rock Ogre didn't look like it was seriously injured, but it seemed pretty annoyed because the adventurers were clinging to it.

A cheer went up in the surroundings, and the Ogres fell down one by one.

"Once you've done the finishing blow, you can go around to support other people, and rest only after you've finished everything!"

Every time an Ogre was knocked down, the support for the other Ogres increased, and more Ogres fell.

And, the number of people surrounding the Rock Ogre steadily increased.

[ It looks like it has mostly been decided. ]

[ That's right, but they shouldn't let their guard down until they do the final blow. ]

[ That's right, but if they have this many adventurers, it should be fine. ]

[ Maa, that's right ... ]

Now, the Rock Ogre was surrounded by more than 20 adventurers and felt like it was getting beaten up.

There were only about three Ogres left, and their movements seemed to be slowing down.

"Ubaaaa ... Ubooaaaah ..."

The Rock Ogre's roar did not receive any response from its companions.

Its sturdy body was also stained with blood from repeated attacks.

"Okay, take a breather, kill this guy and drink some delicious liquor!"

"Oooooohhhhhh!"

Immediately after the surrounding adventurers raised their spirits, a fireball hit the Rock Ogre directly in the face.

The Rock Ogre staggered backwards, twisting its body, knocking it off balance and onto all fours.

"Not yet! Kill it!"

"Ubaaaaaa!"

The Rock Ogre, which was thought to have fallen, rushed into the adventurer's siege with its head lowered, just like taking a crouching start.

"Ugyaaaa!"

"Damnit ... Uwaa!"

"Chase it! Don't let it escape, chase it!"

The Rock Ogre grabbed a nearby adventurer and threw them at its pursuers.

On the other hand, the besieging adventurers had the skillful adventurers on the inside, and the surrounding magicians became a wall, delaying their pursuit.

[ It still has energy left. ]

[ When it comes to Rock Ogres, you can't let your guard down until you finish them. Rather than that, Kent-sama, it will escape at this rate ... ]

[ Hmm ... For now, let's wait until the attacking side gives up, and then defeat it. ]

[ You were told that you don't need to interfere, but is that okay? ]

[ Hmm ... Then, have the Kobold Corps watch over it. I'll do it after I ask Reese-san. ]

[ Understood. ]

It seemed that the Rock Ogre that escaped from the pack headed west, so I asked them to track it down.

When I went out, there was a strange atmosphere among the adventurers.

Those who finished off the Ogres couldn't contain their joy, but those who let the Rock Ogre escape were bitter.

Graciela-san also had a face that looked as if she had swallowed a bitter bug.

"One of them got away."

"Kent, where have you been all this time! If you know it ran away, why didn't you help!"

When I called out to her, Graciela-san grabbed me.

If you grab me by the nape of my neck, my legs will float.

"Master Reese told me that there was no need to interfere. Didn't I say that I was an observer from the beginning."

"Wouldn't it be possible for you and the monsters you use to defeat the Rock Ogre?"

"Yes, it's possible."

"Then, why!"

"I haven't received a subjugation request, nor have I been asked to help. That, isn't that your job?"

"Kuh ... That's certainly true, but if we let the Rock Ogre escape, we'll have to keep vigilance from tomorrow onwards."

"In that case, from the beginning, it would have been better if you asked me to take it down if you couldn't handle it. Besides that, aren't there seriously injured people? I should treat those whose lives are in danger."

"What is that ... Can you use healing magic as well?"

"If you have any doubts, it would be quicker to just let me do it. Rather, isn't the person who got hit at the end in pretty bad shape?"

When the Rock Ogre broke the siege, the person who was stepped on where it fell and the person who was kicked like a soccer ball were in dangerous condition with damage to their internal organs.

Both of them were adventurers and originally had stamina, so they could easily recover by casting healing magic.

A colleague who had been vomiting blood and was about to die rose to his feet, and the people surrounding them raised their voices in surprise.

"Amazing ... There are only a few healers like this in Bakkenheim."

"Maa, it's an emergency, so it's a service. Others, please do something about it yourself."

"Thank you. To be honest, I thought those two were done for."

"Then, I'll go report to Master Reese, so I'll leave the rest to you."

"Roger that."

Under the watch of the gathered adventurers, I slipped through the shield of darkness and into the shadows.

Now, should I report to Master Reese and return to Volzard.