Part 2 of 8
They used to be nothing but a baby and her caretaker, but they’ve been training hard over the course of this journey and they’ve come a long way.
Without my Appraisal skill, I can no longer tell how strong they are.
But according to the Demon Lord, they’re still coming along quite nicely.
It’s kinda like training has become part of their daily routine.
I guess it was me who got them into that habit, but it’s impressive that they’re keeping it up even though I can’t teach them anymore after the whole turning-into-a-god thing.
Is this how it was with Pavlov’s dogs?
Or are they just a couple of weirdos?
Well, I guess I get why Mera wants to keep training.
In the past, he wasn’t able to protect the baby bloodsucker’s parents.
I understand all too well the feeling of wanting to be stronger after suffering because you were too weak.
When my home went up in flames and I had no choice but to run away, I was frustrated beyond belief.
Mera must have felt a similar way, or probably even worse, since he lost the people he cherished.
He’s probably training now so that he’ll be able to protect the person he cares about if anything like that happens again.
Even if the person he’s trying to protect is kind of a monstrous vampire… But let’s just ignore that part.
Ahem. Anyway.
The baby bloodsucker, huh?
Her training regimen has taken a weird turn.
Most recently, she’s been training by having mock battles with Ael.
And that’s kind of what’s so weird in the first place.
I know Ael looks like a little girl, but she’s actually a super-strong monster with stats over a thousand each, y’know?
She could probably destroy a whole town on her own, maybe even a whole damn country.
And this kid is having practice battles against her?
There’s definitely something weird about that.
I mean, Ael isn’t going all out, of course.
If someone wants to fight Ael at her full strength, they’d better have an elder dragon or something on your side.
But even so, it’s crazy that Vampy can hold her own against Ael in a mock battle.
Not to mention, those battles get so intense that they can’t even have them in front of people.
You ever been in a carriage when two of the people just up and vanish, and then you hear a bunch of booms and crashes echo in the distance?
We’re talking comic book–level sound effects here.
If their fights are that crazy, I guess I can see why Ael would agree to them.
I bet some rando monsters wouldn’t even stand a chance against Vampy anymore.
Those are some scary little girls.
By the way, Ael is the only one who participates in these mock battles.
Why, you ask?
Because the other puppet spiders don’t know how to hold back.
Sael might accidentally kill the baby bloodsucker.
Riel, on the other hand, might accidentally kill the baby bloodsucker.
Fiel, you guessed it, might accidentally kill the baby bloodsucker.
So by process of elimination, Ael is the only one who can do it.
With the others, the only outcome I can see is Vampy accidentally getting killed.
And one of those who might accidentally kill someone, Sael, is currently lurking in the corner glancing at me.
Sael almost never acts on her own without being told what to do.
Sometimes her total lack of independence gets on my nerves, but that also means that she’ll faithfully carry out any orders you give her, which means she ends up on guard duty like this a lot.
Unless an emergency arises, she doesn’t have to do anything, so it’s perfect.
Although if an emergency did arise, I don’t think she’d be much help.
I can’t even picture Sael staying on her toes and adapting to a situation on the fly.
She can probably make the most basic decisions as a bodyguard, or so I’d like to think, but this is Sael we’re talking about, so…
At least I don’t have to worry about her doing something totally unexpected like Riel, but it’s still a little anxiety-inducing.
Other than that, she’s just as strong as Ael, but…having power and being able to use it are two very different things.
Putting these rather rude thoughts aside, I sit up slowly in bed.
I’ve been lying around for a good five minutes or so since I woke up.
Back when I had the Thought Acceleration skill, I could dwell on pointless thoughts as long as I wanted and only a few seconds would pass in real time, but that’s not the case anymore.
Time doesn’t conveniently slow down for me when I get lost in thought.
In other words, while I’ve been making this pointless, rude analysis of Sael, she’s just been sitting timidly in the corner of the room the whole time.
That’s pretty impressive in its own way.
If it was Fiel, I’m sure she would’ve gotten impatient and jumped on me by now.
When you think about it that way, maybe Sael is actually well suited to this kind of job.
For the most part, the only thing she has to do is sit still.
Riel is decent at sitting still, too, but in her case, I feel like there’d be a real danger of her forgetting that she was supposed to be a bodyguard in the first place.
I guess this is what they mean by choosing the right person for the job.
Although there is one more reason she ends up staying behind on guard duty pretty often.
Unlike her other limbs, one of the left arms that’s hidden by her long sleeves looks just like a puppet’s arm.
For the most part, the puppet spiders’ bodies are almost indistinguishable from humans thanks to my magical modifications.
Not only their appearance, but even the feel of their skin is similar enough that you wouldn’t know at a glance or a touch.
However, Sael’s left arm got destroyed by an enemy tank right before the UFO incident two years ago.
And since I got deified, I can’t produce thread anymore, which of course means I can’t make puppet parts with thread, either.
The Demon Lord has the same Divine Thread Weaving skill, so I casually thought she might be able to reproduce it, but she said, “Yeah, no, I can’t,” and threw in the towel immediately. I guess what I was doing was actually kinda crazy.
The Demon Lord did help me at the time, but I guess she couldn’t quite reproduce human skin like I could.
So Sael’s left arm is currently in an incomplete state, and while it functions just fine, it would probably look pretty strange to most people.
People might even guess that she’s a monster if they saw it, similar to how my eyes might give me away.
Which is why Sael often ends up being a shut-in like me.
I stand in front of the dresser in the room, then beckon to Sael.
When she hesitantly shuffles over, I gesture to her to help me get dressed.
Sael and the other puppet spiders love dressing me up, so I have them help me fairly often.
Heh, it’s so nice of me to offer to be these little girls’ dress-up doll for their entertainment.
It’s definitely not because doing it myself is a pain.
Nope, definitely not.
Sael retrieves some clothing from our luggage and carries it over.
Today, she’s picked out a short-sleeve shirt and a miniskirt, both of which show a considerable amount of skin.
Her fashion choices for me tend to be surprisingly bold.
Why is this the only time she decides to be independent?
She’s a puppet, so she doesn’t breathe, but I swear I can almost hear her huffing and puffing with glee.
Well, I guess it’s fine, since I’m going to wear a robe over it anyway.
Giving up, I let her dress me however she likes, then rub some lotion with a sunblock-like effect over my skin for good measure.
It’s not as effective as the Japanese stuff, but it’s better than nothing.
Folks in this world don’t seem to be too concerned about skin care, or I guess they don’t have to worry about sunburns and stuff thanks to their stats, so there aren’t a lot of beauty products like this.
In fact, most of the common folks here spend their days just trying to survive, so only rich people can buy luxury products like this in the first place.
Which means makeup and the like is actually pretty expensive.
This stuff puts a considerable strain on the Demon Lord’s wallet, I bet.
But I have no choice!
I’m not having her buy me this stuff for beauty’s sake; it’s because I’ll definitely burn without it!
As I make excuses to myself, Sael finishes helping me into my clothes, so I sit on the stool in front of the dresser.
Sael looks excited as she starts brushing my hair.
Since it’s rather smooth and frizz-free, it takes only a few strokes before she moves on to tying my usual braid.
I’m crazy susceptible to sunlight for the most part, but for some reason, nothing seems to damage my hair.
I’m still careful about covering up with a hood so it won’t get any sun, of course.
I do find it a little mysterious that my hair always stays this smooth, though.
You don’t think I’m subconsciously using my godly powers to keep my hair looking nice, do you?
Hmm. I can’t say for sure that that’s not the case, which is a little concerning.
It’s better than having unruly hair, so I guess I can’t complain.
But if I can use my powers for that, why can’t I use them for anything else?
It’s been pretty rough not having any powers these past two years.
Every time something goes wrong, I imagine how much easier life would be if I had them again.
So as Sael continues arranging my hair, I focus with all my might.
In my mind’s eye, I picture thread.
White, thin, sturdy spider thread.
I imagine it coming out of my fingertips.
But no matter how hard I will it, thread doesn’t appear.
Nothing happens if I try to picture Dark Magic or focus power in my eyes to use Evil Eyes, either.
While I’m trying these things, Sael finishes her work.
Checking in the mirror, I see myself looking perfectly well-groomed.
No luck today, just as I suspected.
Over the past couple of years, I’ve been trying all kinds of things to get my old powers back.
I’ve tried meditating to see if I could detect the flow of magic power and weight lifting to regain some physical strength—like I said, all kinds of things.
But every single attempt has ended in failure.
Skills and stats are how the system forces this world’s inhabitants to use their power, after all.
In other words, it’s a support system that helps guide people on how to use their power correctly.
Now that I don’t have that support anymore, I can’t use my power.
But the system is nothing more than that: a support system.
In the end, we’re the ones who are actually using the power.
By that logic, it should be possible to use my power even without the system’s help.
Güli-güli said himself that if I just learn how to do that, I could be as strong or even stronger than he is.
But I’ve got no idea how to go about that!
I’m like a little Japanese boy going around yelling, KMEHAMEHA!
Obviously that’s not gonna work!
How do I make it work?!
Just work already, dammit!
Ugh. I seriously have no clue.
Since I don’t know how to use my supposedly amazing power, I’m just falling flat on my face before I even begin.
It’s like I haven’t even made it to the starting line yet.
I used tons of skills and stuff before deification, so I have some idea of how it’s supposed to feel, or at least I thought I did.
At first I was optimistic that I’d figure out how to use it pretty fast, but it’s already been two whole years.
Even I’m starting to freak out now.
What if I never figure out how to use my powers, and I just stay this weak forever?
That’s not gonna happen, I think (I hope), but I guess it’s actually normal for humans not to have power in the first place.
Skills are an unnatural power granted by the system in this world, unlike Earth, where there were no superpowers or anything like that.
It’s normal to not have powers.
Maybe that’s just how it’s gonna be for me from now on.
But I know for sure that an enormous amount of power is resting inside me somewhere.
I just don’t know how to tap into it yet.
All I need is some kind of awakening that helps me figure out how to wield my power, and I’ll finally be able to see the light at the end of the tunnel, I hope.
Swallowing a sigh, I stand up.
I pull out my usual unfashionable robe from our luggage and throw it on.
It seems like a waste after Sael got me all dressed up, but I want to expose as little skin as possible, and I need a big hood to cover these creepy eyes of mine.
Besides, I have other reasons to hide my face, too.
So I pull my hood down low and head out of the room, Sael following behind me.
The inn we’re staying in is three stories, with our room on the second floor.
The first floor is probably a dining hall, so I’ll start with a late breakfast.
But when I go down the stairs and step into the dining area, there are already other customers, despite the time of day.
Two men are drinking booze in the early afternoon and chatting away.
Judging by their clothes, they’re probably adventurers.
I’ve kiiiinda got a bad feeling about this, but my hunger wins out, so I keep moving.
The two adventurers notice Sael and me entering the dining hall and stare at us dubiously.
Yeah, I guess I can’t blame them for being suspicious of someone wearing a sketchy robe with their hood up even though we’re inside a building.
Taking care to ignore the adventurers, I attempt to walk past them.
I would’ve liked to avoid them entirely, but they’re sitting at the table closest to the entrance, so no such luck.
Left with no other choice, I walk by their table.
That’s when it happens.
“Whoopsie!”
One of the men stumbles, clearly deliberately, and yanks off my hood.
The two men smirk at me.
Now they’ve done it!
I close my eyes immediately, so at least they don’t see those.
But obviously, with my eyes closed, I can’t see anything.
I don’t know what these two buffoons are going to try next.
“Ooh! What a beaut!”
I feel their breath unexpectedly close to my face, reeking of alcohol.
As I draw back, startled, I feel a sudden impact near my neck.
It’s nothing too forceful, but clearly one of the men has put his arm around my shoulders, although I can’t actually see it.
Drunken bastards!
This is why I don’t like to show my face!
Look, I know it’s weird to say this about myself, but I’m actually pretty hot.
Between my stunning good looks and my unusual skin color (or lack thereof), I tend to draw waaay more attention than I’d prefer to.
Which is why I avoid showing my face as much as possible.
But these drunks pulled off my hood, and now they have the nerve to mess with me even further?!
At first, I manage to remain calm.
Or rather, it’s more like my brain can’t even process what’s happening.
But after the next attack, my thoughts go flying in another direction entirely.
“Ooh, you’ve got more going on than meets the eye, eh?”
Huh?
What?
Hmm?
I feel a squeezing sensation.
Right around the area of my chest.
He’s feeling me up!
Honestly, I’m amazed I don’t faint on the spot.
If anything, I’m sure I’m seconds away from doing so.
But then I hear the drunk say something else.
“Hunh? What do you want, brat?”
Oh crap!
Without another thought, I reach out for Sael.
My eyes are still closed, so I’m just going on my instincts, but luckily I manage to grab her small shoulder.
Through my hand, I can feel her stop moving.
Whew, that was close.
If I was a second too late, a serious tragedy might’ve unfolded just now.
As you may recall, Sael doesn’t really act independently.
But there are certain things that she knows she’s supposed to do, based on prior experience.
And in this situation, I know exactly what Sael was about to do: eliminate the enemy.
You might think it silly for a powerful monster to regard some run-of-the-mill drunks as enemies, but Sael seriously can’t make judgment calls like that.
She doesn’t worry about the finer details. She just identifies anyone who messes with any of us as an enemy.
If it were Ael here, she would probably be able to chase off the drunks without anyone getting hurt, but Sael isn’t good with such delicate maneuvers.
All she can do is what she’s already been ordered to do, so you have to be extra careful around her in situations like these.
As much as I hate to say it, these guys probably shouldn’t get the death penalty for groping me.
And now it’s my job to save the lives of these drunken assholes even though they’re the ones who harassed me?
Unreal.
…Honestly, if you really think about it, should I really protect them at all?
If they’re gonna get drunk first thing in the morning and start harassing any girl who passes by, wouldn’t they be better off dead anyway?
“Hey! What do you think you’re doing?!”
Just as my mind wanders down this dangerous path while I start seriously considering letting Sael do her thing, someone shouts from the back of the galley.
Instinctively, I open my eyes a bit to see who’s speaking and find a well-built older lady stomping toward us from the kitchen.
She’s even bigger (and wider) than these well-built adventurers.
“If you’re going to bother other customers, I’ll have to ask you to leave!”
“Oh, uh, we’re sorry.”
Shrinking away from the woman, the drunks seem to sober up in an instant.
“Don’t apologize to me! Apologize to this poor girl!”
“Y-yes, ma’am! We’re sorry!”
You rule, lady!
The adventurers give me a quick bow before hustling out of the dining hall.
“Honestly. This is the problem with adventurers.” The lady heaves a sigh. “I’m sorry, young ladies.”
She’s got nothing to apologize for. If anything, she saved me, so I should be thanking her.
For the time being, I try to communicate with gestures that it’s no big deal.
“Not all adventurers are such awful boors, but my goodness. You’re a real beauty, too, so you’d best be careful.”
Yeah, that’s why I was wearing a hood and hiding out in the inn.
Although I guess maybe wearing a hood inside only makes me stand out more.
“Especially lately, when so many adventurers from abroad are coming to town. There might be some shady folks slipping in with the crowd, so mind you don’t get mixed up in anything dangerous.”
Huh?
Why are out-of-town adventurers gathering here?
Most adventurers in this world seem to pick one town and stay there.
Their job is to defeat monsters, after all.
They have to ward off any monsters that get too close to town every day, so they don’t usually stray far from their respective towns unless there’s a major reason.
So what’s the big development bringing people here right now?
“Seems an ogre’s appeared close to town. It’s even beaten a few adventurers who went out after it, too. So now other adventurers are gathering from the nearby towns and villages to fight it. Scary stuff, wouldn’t you say?”
Huh.
Ogre, you say?
If it’s turned the tables on a few adventurers, it must be pretty strong.
Some of the monsters in this world are similar to the ones that appeared in the stories back on Earth.
Maybe a certain evil god decided to make this one for a little entertainment.
I’ve never seen an ogre in person, but they seem to be fairly common monsters that show up all over.
Which usually means they’re the kind of monster that humans can handle.
So it’s unusual for them to be all that strong, but if this one’s killing adventurers, it must be a pretty special individual.
Not that I’m one to talk, but weirdly strong monsters do pop up once in a while, so I’m sure this is just another case of that.
For our group, though, an ogre’s not even a threat worth mentioning.
No matter how strong it might be, it can’t beat the puppet spiders with their thousand-plus stats, and even in the unlikely event that it could, we’ve got the ultimate weapon known as the Demon Lord on our side.
So this is really nothing to worry about.
“Now then! You came to get some grub, right? I’ll cut you a good deal to make up for all that fuss!”
Yaaay!
I’m way more interested in that than some random ogre!
A CERTAIN ADVENTURER’S OGRE HUNT
“Thank you all for gathering here today!”
The guild master’s rough voice echoes through the first floor of the guild hall.
The entire lobby is packed with adventurers who have gathered from nearby towns.
They’re all here to participate in the ogre hunt.
After the young adventurer Rukusso barely managed to escape with his life, he spread the word about the dangerous ogre.
Our guild master took action immediately, requesting aid from nearby guilds and sending out the call for adventurers.
The bait: the magic swords said to be wielded by the ogre.
Even adventurers have a hard time coming across magic swords.
It’s been announced that whoever defeats the ogre will be given the swords as a reward.
Naturally, adventurers from all over have come to join the hunt.
Of course, I’m also joining in for a chance at the magic swords, too, so I can’t really judge the others for it.
“Yo, Gotou. Yer lookin’ more serious than usual. Guess you’re all fired up to get revenge for your fallen comrades, eh?”
My fellow A-rank adventurer Regg throws an overly familiar arm around my shoulder.
We’re two of the highest-ranking adventurers in town.
“What makes you think that, huh? I’m just here for the magic swords, same as you. I ain’t the kinda guy who cares about revenge.”
“Whatever you say.”
I shake his arm off roughly, but Regg doesn’t seem to believe me in the slightest.
“Listen up, you lot! We’ve got a special request!”
Just as I’m about to snap back at Regg, the guild master’s voice bellows over us.
“As you know, we’re after a unique ogre! Its stats are believed to be higher than an ordinary ogre’s, and it possesses equally unique unknown skills!”
Though normally rowdy, the adventurers listen to the guild master in rapt silence.
I don’t want to be the one to interrupt, so I shut my mouth as well.
“Now, there are three things you should know about this ogre!”
This information had to have come from the survivor of the advance team of adventurers.
“First, it has abnormal regenerative ability! It heals itself in a way that cannot be explained by any known skills! We’re told its body will suddenly emit light, and then its wounds will be gone without a trace! There are even reports that it might be able to recover its MP and SP this way as well! One team of adventurers was able to corner the ogre, only to be wiped out after this monster’s fearsome recovery ability overwhelmed them!”
A murmur runs through the crowd of adventurers.
Among them, I see a young man biting his lip.
Rukusso, a promising young adventurer.
He was the sole survivor of the advance team.
And now, after treating his wounds, he’s joining the quest in order to avenge his fallen friends.
The rest of his team were friends of mine, too.
“Second! Its combat capabilities can suddenly increase tremendously! The effects are similar to Mental Warfare, but it’s clearly something more! The boost doesn’t last long, but its stats will be higher as long as it’s active! There’s no change to its physical appearance, so you’ll have to trust your gut!”
This doesn’t seem like much of a counterstrategy, but that’s how adventurers do things.
We constantly adapt and play things by ear.
That’s the fundamental rule, or maybe the hidden secret, of being an adventurer.
“Third! The ogre has magic swords! Two, no less!”
At that, the crowd of adventurers chatters excitedly, and everyone’s eyes seem to light up.
It’s no surprise, since most of the people here are after those swords.
“Quiet down! We’ve confirmed that the magic swords have fire and lightning properties! As promised, the two adventurers who contribute most to defeating the ogre will receive these swords!”
A cheer rises throughout the lobby.
Most adventurers can only dream of owning a magic sword one day.
“All right! Now, get out there, you lot!”
As soon as the guild master gives the order, the adventurers all head out to find and eliminate the ogre.
It’s a huge crowd, and all of them are adventurers experienced enough to be trying for a magic sword of their own.
No matter how strong this ogre might be, I doubt it can simply fight its way out when up against a mob like this.
“All right, Gotou! Let’s see which of us comes out with a magic sword!”
“Yeah, right. It’ll obviously be me.”
Bantering lightly, Regg and I head out to search for the ogre, too.
The magic sword is the main goal.
But I guess I can avenge the brave folks the ogre killed while I’m at it.
“This isn’t happening.”
How did we arrive at this current situation after that triumphant charge?
Adventurers flee in every direction.
An explosion coming from below blows the lower halves of several unfamiliar adventurers right off.
Some who managed to escape that fate were instead pierced by a flying sword or caught up in the resulting explosion.
Exploding swords? What in the world is happening?
The same scene unfolds all over the battlefield.
“No one said anything about this!”
Does the monster have more than two magic swords?!
I’ve never heard of an exploding magic sword.
And who would ever expect that it would have so many?
The ogre that’s creating this hellscape has taken up camp among the trees, pulling out magic swords that are thrust into the ground around it and throwing them one after another.
With each sword throw, an explosive boom echoes, and the number of adventurers decreases.
A massacre.
This is a massacre.
“Aaaaah!”
Hearing a desperate battle cry, I turn to see Rukusso holding his bow at the ready.
“You damn fool!”
I curse at him without thinking.
It’s obvious at a glance that Rukusso could never defeat this ogre.
I doubt his arrows will even leave a scratch on that beast.
Besides, how daft do you have to be to yell out before you attack someone?!
Rukusso looses an arrow.
But just as I expected, the ogre dodges the shot easily.
Then it pulls a sword from the ground and flings it toward Rukusso in clear retaliation.
“Tch!”
Clicking my tongue, I fling myself between Rukusso and the oncoming magic sword, swinging my own sword up to block it.
“Gah?!”
As soon as my blade deflects the magic sword, it explodes.
Damn, that hurts!
The shock wave sends me flying backward.
Dammit!
So they explode even if you parry them?!
My arms…seem to be intact.
I’m covered in blood, but I survived somehow.
“Urgh…”
But while I’m fine, Rukusso was still close enough to get caught up in the aftermath of the explosion.
His stats are lower than mine, so even though I’m the one who took a direct hit, he seems to worse off.
“You all right?!”
Of course he’s not all right, I snap at myself as soon as the words leave my mouth.
Anyone can see that the boy lying on the ground is anything but all right.
He needs treatment right away, or he’ll die.
“Damn you!”
But as if to prevent that, the ogre raises another sword aloft.
If one more of those exploding swords hits us, even if I survive somehow, Rukusso is as good as dead!
“Aaaaargh!”
But the thrown sword gets blocked before it reaches us.
“Regg!”
“Gotou! Take Rukusso and get out of here!”
Regg deflected the exploding sword just like I did and is now covered in wounds.
“I’ll buy you some time! Go!”
“Regg! Regg, wait!”
Heedless of my cry, Regg charges toward the ogre.
Another sword flies toward him, and Regg disappears in the explosion of flames.
“Reeeeegg!”
Even as I shout, I gather up Rukusso and start to retreat.
As I glance back one last time, I see the ogre’s sword slicing off Regg’s head.
“Dammit! Dammit all to hell!”
That day we tasted utter defeat.
THE OGRE’S MAGIC SWORDS
What have I done? What am I trying to do?
If you asked me to summarize my old life in a word or two, I wouldn’t know how to answer.
It’s probably the same for a lot of people, right?
By most standards, I was still pretty young when my life ended, but I still don’t think it was short enough to be summed up with a single word.
But if you asked me whether it was a good life, I don’t think I’d be able to nod.
“Kyouya, you’re a pretty stubborn guy, aren’t you? Keep that up and you’ll miss out on some of the best parts of life.”
The person who told me that was Shun, one of my high school friends.
One of the only friends I’d made since starting high school, he’d occasionally whip out sharp observations like this that cut right to the heart of the matter.
Our other friend, Kanata, was generally better at reading the room, but Shun had the ability to see right through your expression and catch of glimpse of the deepest parts of your heart without breaking a sweat.
I tried my best to act the part of a quiet, normal kid in high school, but I guess he saw through that…
Up until high school, I led a pretty rough-and-tumble life.
It all started when I was in kindergarten.
A bunch of older kids were trying to hog all the playground equipment, so I tried to chase them off on my own.
We’d been playing on the equipment first until these older kids suddenly showed up.
I put up such a fight that I made one of the older boys cry.
In the end, a teacher stepped in before the fight escalated any further.
But then she got mad at me, as if I was the one to blame.
Why did I get in trouble for doing the right thing?
At the time, I didn’t understand at all.
Looking back, though, I get it: Because I picked a fight, the other kids who were playing with me got caught up in it and got hurt.
Some of the kids my own age ended up crying, too.
The ones to blame for starting everything were definitely the older kids who had shown up and tried to take all the playground equipment for themselves. I have no doubt about that.
But was it right for me to pick a fight with those kids?
I’m still not sure.
But I think that was the moment when I first learned that my sense of right and wrong didn’t necessarily match everyone else’s, although I only vaguely understood that at the time.
After that, I still stuck to my own beliefs about what was right.
Even if that meant using my fists, which it often did.
In elementary school, I stopped bullies.
In middle school, I beat up boys who tried to shake down younger students for money.
I could go on and on listing these examples.
The more I acted on what I felt was right, the more others distanced themselves.
I found myself with fewer and fewer allies and more and more enemies.
By the time I graduated middle school, people in the neighborhood had given me the nickname “little ogre.”
I think it was because I was so short at the time.
All I was doing was what I thought was right, but nobody else seemed to see it that way.
In fact, they all seemed to think I was in the wrong.
So when I started high school, I picked a place that was a little farther away from my neighborhood and decided to be on my best behavior.
Just like that, my days became almost laughably peaceful.
As long as I turned a blind eye and pretended not to notice certain things, it was easy to live as a normal high schooler.
But once in a while, I found myself wondering: Am I really all right with this?
I played video games with my friends, stressed out about tests, thought about what to do after graduation.
As I lived out this normal high school life, a certain gloominess settled in the back of my mind.
Just like Shun said, I was being inflexible, missing out on life.
What does it really mean to be “right”?
Which course of action should I take if I want to do the “right” thing?
Looking back now, I can see all too clearly that worrying about such things was a luxury.
Once I’ve defeated all the adventurers, I let out a sigh of relief.
At the same time, the strength leaves my body.
I must have built up a considerable amount of fatigue without even realizing it myself.
Unlike the fights in my old life, these life-and-death struggles are incredibly stressful, as you might expect.
No wonder I find myself slumping to my knees as soon as the battle is over.
Still sitting on the ground, I heave a long sigh.
A burned smell surrounds me: not of wood but of flesh.
As well as the metallic stench of blood.
Looking around, I see the corpses of adventurers strewn everywhere.
Holes in the ground, created by the explosions, tell of the ferocity of the battle that just occurred.
I used up all the magic swords I had on hand.
Now I’ll have to make more.
Weapon Creation. That’s my unique skill.
This skill, which I’ve apparently had from birth, allows me to conjure up weapons at the cost of MP.
Depending on the amount of MP used, it can even add special effects to the weapons.
As a result, I can create what’s known as magic swords.
The first time I noticed that this skill existed was during dinner in the goblin village.
There were no forks or knives in the goblin village, so we normally ate with our hands.
It happened when the meat from the day’s hunt was on the dinner table.
It was so tough, I found myself wishing from the bottom of my heart that I had a knife.
Just like that, a flash of light filled the little room, and in the next instant, there was a knife in my hand.
It was a lot shabbier than the kind of knife I’d been picturing, but it was still unmistakably a knife.
Mysteriously, a knife had just appeared from thin air.
We didn’t know how it had happened until we used the village chief’s Appraisal Stone, the only one in the village.
The results showed that I had the Weapon Creation skill.
Once we learned that, my daily life changed ever so slightly.
I produced as many weapons as my MP would permit.
All I wanted was to be of some use to the village.
Unfortunately, since I had so little MP at the time, those shabby knives were about the best I could produce.
And making one of them used up all my MP, so I always had to wait for it to recover.
Even so, everyone in the village was grateful, since it gave them the ability to cut up the food they’d previously had to eat with their hands.
I was so happy that I kept making knives whenever I could.
Continuously making knives meant that my skill level went up, my MP pool increased, and so on, until I was able to make a proper kitchen knife.
I would’ve liked to make forks, too, but as the name implies, Weapon Creation can’t make anything but weapons.
I was probably able to create table and kitchen knives only because they’re technically usable as weapons.
Small knives, kitchen knives, and later, large knives that could be used to butcher meat.
After that, I moved on to short swords.
Then I was finally able to make proper long swords.
Gradually, I became able to make better, stronger weapons.
Until then, the goblins never had the means or resources to craft good weapons, but that changed dramatically thanks to my Weapon Creation skill.
Soon, they were able to defeat monsters they could never best before, greatly expanding the area in which they could hunt and explore.
That meant more supplies of meat and more resources that could be gathered.
My power was helping everyone in the village.
I was so happy and proud that I devoted myself even more intently to Weapon Creation.
Thinking back, that was probably the most fulfilled I’ve ever been.
The more weapons I made, the more my skill level increased, which let me make even better weapons.
And better weapons meant a better life for everyone.
What could be more worthwhile?
I now have far more MP and higher skill levels than I did at the time, so the amount and quality of weapons I can make doesn’t even compare to my abilities back then.
I couldn’t add special effects to weapons in the past, either.
I’m growing more and more.
But that isn’t fulfilling to me at all.
How can I be happy about making weapons used to kill people?
I once made weapons to defeat monsters for the sake of our livelihood, but now I make weapons to kill humans.
Though I’m making weapons in both cases, there’s an enormous difference.
…Then again, I guess a weapon is a weapon.
That much doesn’t change.
However, the way you use it changes its nature profoundly.
I’m using these weapons to kill people now.
I guess that’s the only difference.
That’s not the purpose I honed this skill for, but here I am.
I gaze at my surroundings again.
The broken earth.
The remains of adventurers, blown away or cut down.
Some of them are still in one piece, but many more are unrecognizably mangled.
It was the magic swords I made that did this to them.
Land mine swords.
As the name implies, they’re magic swords with a similar effect to land mines.
Usually, magic swords use the wielder’s MP to produce effects, so they’re used continually until they break.
The same is true of the two swords I use as my personal weapons, the flame katana and the lightning katana.
But land mine swords are different.
I preload them with plenty of my MP when I create them.
Then all their stored energy is unleashed at once when they explode.
Magic swords are supposed to be used over a long period of time, so if you imagine all that power coming out in a single moment, you can guess how intense that would be.
Still, it’s not as if the power they have is actually all that impressive.
Since they don’t have a wielder providing MP like most magic swords, they become one use only in exchange for an extra bit of kick.
Considering the amount of MP it costs to make them, regular magic swords are probably a lot more cost-efficient.
Still, the one-use-only swords are definitely more powerful, and the fact that they can be used without spending MP is a huge point in their favor.
And since I have only two arms and can therefore wield only two magic swords, the land mine swords are a lot more useful.
Once they’ve been set, they explode on their own as soon as someone steps on them.
All I have to do is create the land mine swords and set them in the ground.
There’s only one of me, so obviously I’m at a disadvantage whenever I’m outnumbered. That’s why I developed the land mine swords.
I can set them up as traps to help level the playing field.
The best part is, the more magic swords I make with Weapon Creation, the better my skill level gets.
With a higher skill level, I can create even better magic swords.
That means it’s in my best interest to create as many swords as I can, but like I said earlier, I can wield only two swords at a time.
Even if I insist on equipping myself with more, like you might in a game or manga, it’s not like the extras will do me any good.
And since I’d prefer not to let the magic swords I make go to waste, creating one-use swords that can be used from a distance was the perfect solution.
By that same logic, I also developed exploding swords for throwing along with the land mine swords.
These aren’t that different from the land mine swords, but the most attractive feature is that I get to choose who to attack and when.
At first, I thought I’d try making guns or something, but it seems that my Weapon Creation skill can’t make modern weapons.
Blades and bludgeons are no problem, but I can’t make anything that uses gunpowder.
So I developed exploding swords as the next best thing, and they turned out to be incredibly powerful.
Since they’re swords, my Swordsmanship skill boosts their attack power, and my Throw skill increases the accuracy and impact, so being hit by one already does a lot of damage.
And since they explode on top of that, they’ve got more raw power than even the land mine swords.
In fact, they’re even more lethal than guns.
The only difficulty is that, unlike land mine swords, I have to actually throw them myself, so I can’t use them if the target is outside of my throwing range.
But I can make up for that by using them in combination with land mine swords.
I place land mind swords all around me to make it difficult for enemies to get too close, and if they manage to do so, I can just throw an exploding sword at them.
The land mines create an invisible wall of defense, and the exploding swords are my battery.
In a way, I guess that makes me a living fortress.
Still, both land mine swords and exploding swords are consumable resources.
After they’ve been used once, that’s it.
My land mine sword defenses and my exploding sword offenses both have a limit.
When all is said and done, the only thing I can always rely on is myself and my own two swords.
The flame katana and the lightning katana.
They’re real, proper magic swords, unlike the one-use-only land mine and exploding swords.
Since they’re shaped like katanas, maybe it would be more accurate to call them magic katanas.
Just as the names imply, they’re imbued with the powers of fire and lightning respectively.
If I channel my MP into them, the blades become enveloped in flame and lightning, explosively raising their attack power.
They can shoot fire and lightning as well, allowing me to keep enemies away at midrange.
On top of that, just equipping them raises the wielder’s defense, granting resistance to fire and lightning, and even increases and heals HP and MP.
It’s not as effective as skills, but since they decrease damage and help with healing, they’re incredibly useful for long battles.
And since they can even automatically repair damage to their own blades, they’re virtually indestructible, as long as they aren’t completely destroyed in a single attack.
Making swords with this many useful effects was difficult even for me.
I’m extremely proud of them.
I even used the Naming skill to give them names, enhancing their effects further.
The Naming skill gives a name to objects or living beings, which improves their effects, raises their stats, and so on.
Naming living things can also give the namer influence over the named, so if a living creature doesn’t have a name, giving them one can place them under your power.
The naming alone doesn’t have that much effect, but if used in combination with other skills, you can even control the named living thing completely.
Which is how I…
An awful memory comes to mind.
I shake it off, trying to regain my composure.
After they formed such a large-scale hunting party, I doubt the humans will give up so easily.
In fact, now that they know that such a dangerous monster exists, they’ll probably get even more desperate to defeat me.
They’re not wrong to think that I’m a danger to humans, so I can’t blame them for making that call.
Still, that doesn’t mean I don’t find it aggravating.
Anyone would be angry if they were attacked like that.
As long as they’re going to keep coming after me, I’ll make preparations and be ready for them.
I’m not going to try to reach an understanding with humans now.
Humans can’t be trusted.
In fact, I’d like to wipe them all out.
Dark emotions start to well up inside me.
The taste of blood fills my mouth.
At first, I thought I must have clenched my teeth so hard that I bit my own cheek, but then I realize that I’m biting one of the adventurer’s corpses.
The tastes of blood and flesh in my mouth trigger old memories, bringing back the rage I felt back then.
All that fury threatens to take over my mind, but I shake my head rapidly, fighting it off.
Not good.
I have to remain calm.
It’s all right. I’m fine.
I haven’t lost my composure.
I have to stay calm and prepare for the humans’ next attack.
Tearing the dead adventurer to pieces with my mouth, I start thinking up my strategy to kill the next humans who come after me.
THE OLD MAN IN MOURNING
A heavy silence permeates the rocking carriage.
Even an old man such as myself would not venture to make a joke in this atmosphere.
The beautiful scenery of the imperial capital unfolds just outside the carriage window, but inside, the mood is dark and melancholic.
But this much is understandable, considering our destination.
Seated across from me, Tiva closes his eyes and bows his head grimly.
Tiva was in charge of leading the imperial army’s attack on Sariella in order to support the Ohts Kingdom, but thanks to the attack on Keren County by those spiders I was following, that invasion is no longer possible. Instead, we are returning home.
Tiva was investigating something else, too: the recent cases of children being kidnapped.
These abductions are happening not just in the empire but all over the world, and Tiva is in charge of leading that investigation.
At first, people suspected someone was capturing children and selling them as slaves.
But now, the scope has become even bigger.
The current theory is that a sizable organization is undertaking these crimes for a greater purpose.
In order to crush this organization and rescue the kidnapped children, Tiva led an imperial army to chase after the kidnappers.
However, the search has been less than fruitful.
They located a hideout of the organization, but the only people they were able to capture were hired thugs.
There was no sign of whoever is running the organization and no further leads hinting at its true purpose.
If even this large-scale investigation turned up neither hide nor hair of the leader, they must be quite formidable.
And now, we are headed to the home of one of the families victimized by these kidnappers.
A mother whose baby was kidnapped three years ago.
As you may gather from the state of our carriage, it is not good tidings we carry.
No, it is grim news indeed.
However, it is not the child’s death we must report.
“Sir Ronandt, I do not think you need accompany me inside.”
Unable to bear the silence, Tiva speaks.
He has said the same thing countless times since before we entered the carriage.
However, my answer is the same.
“How many times must I repeat myself? It is my burden to bring this news.”
“But—”
“Enough!”
My sharp tone silences Tiva at least.
I am the one who brought this information back to the capital to begin with.
I will not let anyone else bear this burden.
Tiva stays silent, perhaps sensing my determination.
The carriage proceeds through a quiet aristocratic neighborhood, finally stopping in front of one of the mansions.
For a noble family’s home, it is rather small.
That in itself is nothing unusual.
However, this mansion’s overall appearance separates it from the rest.
The garden is in ruins, and the house itself is damaged and dirty.
It’s obvious at a glance that it hasn’t been properly tended to in years.
The place is in such a terrible state that the entire grounds seem to give off a dark atmosphere, even in the middle of the day.
A listless butler stands waiting for us in front of this desolate house.
“Welcome. Thank you for coming.”
The butler bows respectfully.
Tiva and I bow briefly in return, then follow the butler inside.
Unlike the outside, the inside of the mansion has at least been minimally cared for.
The relative lack of furnishings makes it seem a bit dreary, but it has certainly been cleaned quite well.
And yet, the bleak, dark atmosphere remains.
The butler brings us to the parlor, where the master of the house is waiting.
“Thank you for coming today.”
The lady we’ve come to see bows her head automatically.
Part 2 of 8