Chapter 32
Thanks to the consideration of the border guard captain, we were able to cross the border immediately. The people seemed to think I had defeated the monsters, and even though we were breaking the sequence of crossing the border, they kept cheering and calling me a hero.
…Is this what it feels like to be a celebrity?
“Hero, why are you grinning like an idiot~? You look so silly♡”
“…I’m just happy to be praised.”
Honestly answering, the Saint gave a sly smile and said.
“Hmm♡ It seems like the hero is starved for compliments. You’re like a child♡”
“Doesn’t it feel good to be praised, regardless of age?”
“That’s true, but you don’t usually make such a cute… silly face like the hero~♡”
“…What kind of face was I making?”
“You looked like a grinning goblin♡”
…Damn.
What do I expect from you? Just tell me the destination, navigation.
“…Where are we going?”
“There’s a rest village in the neutral zone for those crossing the border. It’s getting dark soon, so we’ll rest there today and enter the kingdom tomorrow.”
“I see.”
It feels like a highway rest area.
“How much longer do we have to go?”
“Not much longer~♡ Are you tired?”
“Not really…”
“Your stamina is too weak, hero♡ Really, I should train you later.”
Damn, listen to me.
“But living in this neutral zone seems a bit dangerous.”
It was Chloe who spoke. Indeed, being in a neutral zone means not belonging to any country. That means you can’t receive protection from any nation. In this era where monsters lurk, can you really live in a neutral zone?
“Don’t worry about that. Both countries regularly patrol these neutral zone villages. There’s also a local militia within the village.”
“I see.”
“In the neutral zone, as I mentioned before, high-level monsters rarely appear, so it’s safe with just that. The chimera we saw last time was a special case…”
Suddenly, the Saint stopped mid-sentence and halted her steps.
“Saint?”
“Shh.”
The Saint signaled us to be quiet and carefully moved forward, gesturing for us to crouch down.
I looked at Chloe and asked with my eyes if she knew why. Chloe shook her head.
Following the Saint’s instructions, I crouched down and crawled towards her. She whispered in a very small voice.
“Do you see that? Even with your weak eyes, hero, you should be able to see it♡”
“…Green?”
There were monsters with green skin. Their bulky bodies and pig-like heads, along with the clubs in their hands. It was one of the monsters I had already encountered.
“…Why are there orcs here?”
“Seeing the village in ruins, it seems there was an attack.”
“Huh? This was a village?”
“See the building debris over there? Hero with narrow vision♡”
“…Ah.”
Right. Behind the orcs, there were collapsed buildings. But how did the orcs manage to destroy the village?
“Not ogres, but orcs can destroy a village like that?”
“Hmm, it’s not entirely impossible, but usually, orcs alone can’t turn a village into a wasteland. Especially since this village had a trained militia.”
“Then how did they do it?”
“Probably… a mutated variant that can intelligently lead the orcs has appeared.”
“A mutated variant… you mean like a Nol Chieftain?”
“You remembered♡ It’s a relief you’re better than a gorilla~♡”
“…Yeah.”
A mutated variant of orcs, like an orc champion or something?
“So, what are you going to do?”
“…The orcs haven’t noticed us yet, so we could pass by and inform the kingdom’s army, but that wouldn’t be very heroic, would it~?”
“Right.”
Leaving monsters that have harmed people behind, would that be heroic? The Saint seemed satisfied with my answer and said with a sly smile.
“Pathetic hero, it’s time for some training~♡”
“Huh?”
“Today, we’re going to hunt some orcs~.”
Suddenly, training here?
…Do we have time for that? Shouldn’t we just kill them all?
“It’s time for you to feel how much stronger you’ve become, hero. I’ll lure a few orcs over there, and you can fight them without blessings.”
“…Without blessings?”
Facing mid-level monsters without blessings made my body stiffen slightly.
“Don’t be too nervous♡ Even a pathetic hero like you should be able to handle mid-level monsters by now.”
“…How can you be so sure?”
“Don’t you trust my judgment?”
“…It’s not that.”
“Don’t worry, just prepare to fight the orcs. Chloe, you too.”
Chloe, who was beside me, pointed at herself in surprise.
“Me too?”
“You need to help the hero.”
“…Oh, okay. I will.”
The Saint was about to get up. I asked her.
“Can I really do this?”
“…You should have a bit more confidence, hero♥ Even though you’re pathetic, the orcs are even more pathetic~♡”
“…Alright.”
But how many orcs is she planning to lure over for me to handle? I hope it doesn’t take too long.
First, I need to think about how to deal with the orcs. They’re probably much slower than ogres or chimeras, right? So I should be able to block their attacks…
“Hey, hero.”
“Yes?”
While I was thinking about how to handle the battle, Chloe shook me.
What’s wrong? Stop shaking me and just say it. I’m getting dizzy.
“…Is that okay?”
“What?”
Chloe was pointing ahead.
I looked forward. And in my sight, I saw the Saint.
The Saint, moving so quietly that the orcs didn’t notice, picked up an orc’s club from the ground. Then she swung it at the pot they had placed on the firewood.
“Take that♡”
“Gurgle?”
With a crash, the orcs’ precious pot was shattered.
The orcs, unable to comprehend the situation with their heads, stared blankly at the pot and then at the Saint. Realizing what had happened, the orcs started to get furious.
“Gurgle! What are you doing!!!”
“Gurgle! Why did you break our pot!!!”
“Kyaa~♡ The ugly orc with a half-made face is chasing me~♡”
…She’s crazy. She’s really crazy.
The Saint, after breaking the pot, ran towards me at a speed that made it seem like the orcs could catch her at any moment. The orcs were within range. I immediately drew the Holy Sword and slashed at one of the chasing orcs.
Swish!
“Well done, hero♥”
The Saint passed by me, and the orcs, seeing their comrade suddenly slain, cautiously backed away.
“Gurgle!?”
“Gurgle!! Zekir is dead! The most handsome of our kind!!!”
…You all look the same, why are you judging who’s handsome? It’s not like you have your own league…
“Gurgle! Humans, kill them! Kill them and offer them to the chieftain!!”
“Gurgle! Alright, comrades!”
Come to think of it, orcs are known for their deep camaraderie.
When I slashed the orc earlier, I realized…
Alright, now I have enough strength to pierce through the skin of intermediate-level monsters without any blessings. If I fight well, I can handle a few orcs, no problem.
The orcs chasing the Saint were four in total. I took one down with a sneak attack, so three are left.
“Chwik! Palrup, go inform the chief!”
“Got it, Chwiik!!”
The orc named Palrup seemed like he was about to report the intrusion. Uh, what do I do now?
“Lightning Bolt!”
Zap!!!
“Chwiiik!!!”
“Chwik! Palrup!”
A bolt of lightning struck Palrup. It’s not like a thunderbolt would just fall from a clear sky… It was Chloe’s magic, of course.
“Thanks, Chloe!”
“I’ll handle that one! You take care of the other two, Hero!”
Alright, two orcs are way less of a burden than three.
I’m a bit worried about Chloe, but considering she melted an ogre’s face last time, I guess I don’t need to worry too much.
“Chwiik! This isn’t good! We need to kill this human and save Palrup!”
“Chwik! Right! We can’t abandon our comrade!”
…Why do these monsters have such strong camaraderie? I’m starting to feel like the bad guy here.
The orcs slammed their clubs on the ground and roared at the sky.
“Chwiiik! Orc warrior Prokgalt! I will engage in battle!!”
“Chwiiiik! Orc warrior Zapod! I will engage in battle!!”
Guess that’s their battle ritual. Kinda cool.
If they were a bit more honorable, they might’ve been like the orcs from Warcraft.
As soon as their roar ended, the orcs charged at me like arrows. Their speed didn’t match their bulky bodies. If this were my first time, I’d be panicking, but I’ve seen this speed before.
They’re fast for their size, but compared to the ogres, who are bigger and faster, they’re slow. Compared to a chimera’s speed, they’re practically crawling.
Maybe that’s why their attacks were so easy to see. I could tell where they were swinging, so dodging was a breeze.
“Chwik!?”
“Chwiik! He dodged our coordinated attack! He’s a seasoned warrior!”
Seasoned? I’ve only been a hero for about three months…
The orcs quickly regained their composure and continued their coordinated assault.
If I hadn’t fought an ogre before, this might’ve been tough. Each of their blows was heavy and threatening.
“…But I can see them.”
Swoosh, I felt the sensation of cutting through the orc’s skin. The Holy Sword cleanly sliced through the orc’s arm.
“Chwiiik!!!”
“Chwik, Zapod!!”
Zapod, the orc who lost his right arm holding the club, staggered back, and Prokgalt stepped in front of him.
“Chwiik! I’ll protect my comrade!”
…I really feel like the villain here. If you swap our races, I’d be the soldier protecting my comrade from the orcs.
“Stop with the noble talk about protecting comrades when you’re the ones raiding villages!”
I’m not saying this because I’m uncomfortable. It’s the truth, right?
“Chwiik! How dare you insult our camaraderie!!”
“Monsters talking about camaraderie… Stop raiding villages first!”
“Chwiik! Shut up, human!!!”
Prokgalt charged at me in a frenzy. Guess you’re feeling guilty too, huh?
He seemed more skilled than Zapod, whose arm I cut off earlier. But an orc is still an orc. Not much difference.
Whoosh!
“Chwik!? He dodged that…!”
“Die, you green monster!”
Thud!
The Holy Sword easily pierced through the orc’s body. The blade came out from his back.
“Chwi…k…”
I felt Prokgalt’s body go limp. He’s dead.
“Chwik! Prokgalt!!”
Zapod, who lost one arm, swung his club with his other hand in a rage.
An attack from his dominant hand was already visible, but using his off-hand… No need to explain.
As soon as I pulled the Holy Sword from the orc’s body, I blocked the club with the back of the sword.
Bang!
…Orcs are strong. I felt the vibration through the Holy Sword. Ouch, my hand’s tingling.
“Just die already!”
“Chwiik!”
I knocked the club away with the Holy Sword, and Zapod quickly adjusted his stance and swung at me again.
Swoosh!
Before the orc’s club could smash my skull, I sliced him horizontally. The heavy club stopped near my shoulder.
Thud, the orc’s massive body collapsed.
“Chloe…”
She hadn’t finished yet. Of course, Chloe was fine, but the orc named Palrup was a mess.
I wanted to finish this quickly, so I approached and stabbed the orc in the back.
“Hero?”
“I’ve finished my side. So I came to help… Was I overstepping?”
I felt like I stole the kill, so I asked awkwardly. Chloe shook her head.
“Not at all! By the way, you’ve already taken down two?”
“Yeah. It was manageable.”
Fighting strong monsters definitely makes you stronger faster. Of course, I’ve been training to build basic strength and stamina, so that’s why I’m improving.
If my eyes were bigger than my strength, I’d have struggled to pierce the orc’s skin.
…Oh, wait, this is the Holy Sword, so it doesn’t matter? It’s not that I’ve gotten stronger.
…Anyway, the Saint’s training definitely helped. My stamina and speed have improved a lot.
“You’re amazing, Hero!”
“It’s all thanks to the Saint’s training, really.”
Even if the training was hell, the results are undeniable. I should thank the Saint later…
“…Huh?”
“What’s wrong, Hero?”
“…Where’s the Saint?”
“…What?”
The Saint was gone.
“Saint!?”
Don’t just disappear out of nowhere, dammit!! Where did you go!?
“Hero! There’s something over here!”
“Huh?”
I rushed over to where Chloe was pointing. There was a piece of paper lying there.
[I’ll just take a quick look around the village~.]
…Haha.
At least say something before you leave, you jerk!!!
