Chapter 27
"I'm starting to get fed up with my own stupidity."
As I resist the urge to look away from the approaching leg of the Golden Ogre, I hear a voice.
When using physical enhancement, the timeline between thought and action often gets messed up.
This time was no different.
The moment my enhanced hearing caught that voice, I was laughing before my thoughts could catch up.
The right leg of the Golden Ogre, the one about to kick me flying, vanished from below the knee.
The Golden Ogre screams in pain as it collapses.
Blood spurts from its right leg, splattering across the fields.
Barely avoiding being caught in the Golden Ogre's fall, I manage to let go of the sword and fall on my backside.
"Honestly, this time I can't stand myself."
Erika mutters to herself while casually dispersing the Golden Ogre's splattered blood with wind magic as it flies toward her.
"There are so many points to reflect on that even listing them feels pathetic."
Saying this, she sheathes her sword and takes a step closer to the Golden Ogre.
The Golden Ogre struggles to get away from Erika with its uninjured left leg and barely functioning left arm.
"The control of power was off, the handling of distance between us was sloppy, the foresight of the situation was lacking, and above all, the arrogant thought of wanting to show off to Shin is so embarrassing I almost let unladylike words slip out."
The Golden Ogre desperately tries to escape from her.
An awkward furrow forms in the soft soil of the fields.
"So what I'm about to do is just venting my frustration. You probably won't understand, but I truly feel bad about this, you know?"
The Golden Ogre screams as it crawls away.
"Whoa."
Still sitting on my backside, I let out a sound as I witness the scene.
I see shimmering golden magic take form in the air with a density that's almost ridiculous.
Countless fire arrows, too many to bother counting.
Erika lets out a sigh-like breath.
In an instant, the fire arrows rain down on the Golden Ogre, and the sound of them slicing through the air combined with the massive explosions nearly deafens me.
The Golden Ogre's form was visible for only a moment.
I pray for the Golden Ogre.
What else could I do in the face of such a scene?
*
As she turns back after blowing away the rising dust with wind magic, Erika looks oddly embarrassed.
Not smug, nor relieved after venting her frustration.
She glances at me shyly, her eyes downcast, peeking over hesitantly.
What is this? She's way too cute.
I stand up, brushing the dirt off my pants.
"I wonder if the magic stone is still intact?"
I say, looking at the field now riddled with holes.
Fortunately, since the crops have already been harvested, no one should complain.
For a moment, Erika looks like she's about to say something but swallows her words, averting her gaze from me as she speaks.
"It should be fine this time."
"Any injuries?"
I already knew there weren't any, but I ask just to be sure.
"That's my line, isn't it? I've made a fool of myself."
Erika starts fidgeting with her hands in front of her chest.
Thinking I might never see Erika hesitating to speak like this again, I etch the image into my memory.
"Well... thanks for saving me. I'm grateful."
"You're welcome. And thank you as well. Thanks to you, I didn't get kicked all the way to Faltarl."
Getting embarrassed just from saying thanks? She's really cute.
As I think about this, Erika is still fidgeting with her hands in front of her chest.
What's this? I tilt my head slightly.
"And... I'm sorry."
"For what?"
"Your sword got completely shattered."
I stroke the empty sheath, look at the hole-riddled fields, and then force a brave smile.
Even the second son of a poor viscount family can put on a brave face.
*
Surprisingly, the village chief hadn't fled.
When we return to the village entrance after recovering only the Golden Ogre's magic stone, we're met with the incredulous stares of the village chief and the sister.
Not used to such looks, I start to feel awkward, but Erika, perhaps accustomed to it, maintains a dignified attitude and says:
"Village chief, is this acceptable?"
Since we explained things on the way back to the village entrance, Erika now understands what the village chief was trying to do.
What the village chief was attempting was simple—saving on the request fee to the Adventurer's Guild.
For a request to subjugate a strong monster like the Golden Ogre, the fee paid to the guild would be high.
Disliking that, the village chief used Bonbo as bait to lure adventurers, expecting them to spot the Golden Ogre and report it to the guild.
Dangerous monsters like the Golden Ogre become emergency subjugation targets if spotted near a village or town.
In other words, they could get it subjugated without paying a request fee.
I don't know if the village chief had knowledge of the Golden Ogre specifically, but ogres in general are well-known emergency subjugation targets.
He probably didn't care about the color difference.
Normally, this isn't a tactic people use.
Naturally, monsters don't care about human convenience, so they won't refrain from attacking just because it's inconvenient for humans. If a dangerous monster like this attacked, the village would be doomed to destruction.
However, when certain conditions align, quite a few villages attempt this risky cost-saving method.
This village, for instance, meets those conditions perfectly.
It's close to a town with an Adventurer's Guild, and while the village lacks a barrier, it does have a magic tool to repel monsters.
Monsters won't approach a place with a monster-repelling magic tool that makes them uncomfortable unless they have a specific reason.
Fortunately, there were no casualties or major damage, and even if attacked, a carriage could easily escape.
Being close to a town with an Adventurer's Guild also means a quick response can be expected.
If they're willing to accept a little risk, they can save money.
Thinking that way, the village chief likely took on far more danger than he anticipated just to cut costs.
At Erika's words, the village chief remains silent.
He can't openly admit it to adventurers, after all.
His square face seems to grow even squarer as he tightly purses his lips.
Erika probably wasn't expecting a response either, as she glances at him briefly before approaching the sister, who is still leaning against the fence.
"Are you injured?"
Despite the incredulous stare directed at us, Erika calmly expresses concern for the sister's injuries.
The sister, startled, responds.
"Better than before..."
At those words, Erika quickly checks the wound and sees that the protruding rib has returned beneath the skin.
Her breathing is still rough, but she's not in danger of dying.
"I see. In that case, we have a report to deliver to our client."
After confirming the injury, Erika moves to leave quickly, likely because she understands her own position.
It's not good for us to get too friendly with Church personnel.
It's better for both sides if we part ways swiftly.
"W-Wait a moment. Who exactly are you people?"
As we turn to leave, the sister calls out to us.
I could have ignored her—in fact, I intended to—but Erika stops and says:
"We're adventurers, a married couple from Hekatai. My name is Longdagger, Sister."
Erika gives a slight bow, then ignores the sister, who still seems to have questions, and starts walking away.
She mutters under her breath about accidentally saying we're a married couple, but I pray that it's not a complaint about this farce.