I want to say this is the worst.
Battle after battle, to the point where the mana in the pendants Suella and the others prepared for me is almost depleted.
Yet, I’m strangely calm.
My body isn’t stiff with tension.
My thoughts aren’t spiraling out of control.
On the contrary.
“The fact that I can laugh means I still have some room to spare, I guess.”
I’m enjoying the current situation.
If my mana runs out, I’ll be reduced to someone who only trained their body.
OOOOOO
Despite being in a situation where I might be killed by the giant ogre starting to move before my eyes, a smile is on my lips.
Is this also a challenge to my limits?
It shouldn’t be something that makes me want to try over and over again because it’s painful, yet my heart craves that time.
If I can overcome this hardship, I can move on to further progress.
I’m anticipating that possibility.
Perhaps that’s why.
“Kakkakka.”
What comes out of my mouth is that dry laughter, passed down from that ogre and the undead.
And the exhilarating sense of excitement in my chest.
Ah, I feel good.
Even though I’m dealing with this right after the New Year, and I was just accumulating frustration until a moment ago.
The moment I realized I could clear it, I felt this good.
Compared to what I was looking at unpleasantly just a moment ago, I feel truly good knowing I can unleash what’s been piling up on my opponent now.
“A formidable enemy, a big shot, nice. Ah, truly good.”
My thoughts, which were just moments ago about finishing this quickly, are now focused on enjoying myself.
I hum a tune like singing a song, and with slow but firm steps, I move forward.
The ogre, perhaps noticing my appearance, slowly looks at me.
“Hey, hey, don’t glare. Well, I can’t help it. You and I are enemies, so it’s natural to be looked at that way. Oh well, it saves me trouble.”
Hostility, no, is it a defensive instinct?
An instinct to take down a harmful opponent?
The chain, made of something other than metal, emits a sound that suggests its weight, accompanied by a noise befitting its massive size, and turns its body towards me.
“So? What are you going to do? You’ll die if you stay there.”
Meanwhile, as the battle is about to begin, I suddenly think of something and turn back slightly.
Turning back, with a lit cigarette swaying at the corner of my mouth, I saw the ogre girl whom I saved during the recent tentacle incident and had thrown behind me when the commotion momentarily subsided.
The ogre girl, I think Haruna called her when the blue ogre was around, but she never introduced herself.
Thinking it was okay to refer to her as an “ogress” – a rude thought, but out of a sense of obligation for having saved her, I called out to her as a final bit of meddling.
The ogress, perhaps her legs gave out, or perhaps she didn’t expect things to turn out this way, is just sitting there, staring at the giant ogre in dismay.
“Why is this happening… what is the point of all our efforts until now…”
The ogress mutters something as if in a trance, her words indicating that this reality is not the intended outcome.
“…”
Seeing the ogress, tears not visibly falling yet making her look like she’s crying, I hesitate for a moment about what to do, but ultimately say nothing, and at least step forward to keep her out of this battle.
A kind-hearted man would say a word or two of comfort here, but I have no words to say to someone who conspired in acts of terrorism and was my enemy until just a moment ago.
I inwardly smile wryly, thinking how narrow-minded I am.
And on top of that, she’s a heterosexual woman in a mentally distressed state.
Someone with a sense of justice would console her, and a lustful man would whisper sweet words with ulterior motives, but I don’t fit either category.
I understand justice, but I don’t sympathize with it.
Before I could harbor any ulterior motives, I already have three fiancées, who can be considered beautiful women of different species. Therefore, I have no reason to speak to her in that regard either.
So, I just give a warning and wave my hand as if to say, “Do as you please.”
Some might call me heartless for such an attitude.
But my attitude, too, has a reason.
“Haa…”
Consolation and reprimand are words that can only be spoken when you know the other person to some extent and have an established relationship.
I don’t believe the ogress now is seeking superficial comfort.
It’s easy to say, “It’s not your fault,” or “Keep trying,” without knowing anything.
To say, “Effort,” or “Don’t stop,” without understanding anything, is hypocrisy.
What’s the point of saying such superficial words?
Will it be comforting? Will it lessen guilt? Both are just self-satisfaction.
If I’m going to do that, I’d rather leave in silence.
That’s why I move forward in silence and do what I can.
Because I believe that showing it through action is more correct in this situation than speaking about it.
If I leave the ogre, who might go on a rampage, as it is, tomorrow’s headline will be about occult stories revived in modern times.
I don’t want to see such a headline.
Kirie-san might deal with it, but that doesn’t mean I should be complacent and leave it be.
In the first place, if I let such a thing go unchecked, it might blow back on the company.
“Hey.”
“?”
If there’s one thing I’ll meddle in.
“Watch carefully.”
To this ogress girl who seems on the verge of breaking.
“The way to fight I learned from an ogre I know.”
Just as the instructor taught through his back, I will try to emulate him and speak from my actions.
The words that naturally came out make my lips curve, but it’s not out of embarrassment or shyness.
It’s the truth, but I’m not speaking my inner thoughts.
I list various things, but in my heart, I’m excited to be able to fight such an enemy.
I feel a sense of regret about the time limit, but
There are days when I mutter about it being troublesome, and that heart is not a lie.
However, I also find myself enjoying it in conjunction with that.
Thinking it’s become strange, I look forward to how this emotional ratio will change in the future.
“Alright, shall we go?”
I believe this is also a switch in my emotions.
By deliberately voicing it, I prevent everyday thoughts from intruding.
However, something extraneous intruded into that thought.
“Ah, what are you going to do?”
“Huh? I already told you.”
The ogress girl, who had been absentminded until a moment ago, spoke to me.
I don’t understand.
Or rather, in this scene I don’t want to understand, my actions have caught her eye, perhaps.
If I were running away, I could understand.
Being stunned is also understandable.
Giving up is also not incomprehensible.
However, the ogress looked at me with disbelief in her eyes at my choice to stand up and fight.
“It’s a fight. The kind where an idiot goes straight ahead and knocks ’em down. It’s the best time.”
Therefore, to the ogress who can’t accept the reality before her, I turn around with a confident smile and reply clearly.
A ferocious one, implicitly telling her not to disturb my enjoyment.
Hearing that, the ogress’s expression turned even more disbelieving.
I understand that emotion, and I sympathize with it.
After all, last year, I was undoubtedly the same kind of person.
I give a wry smile once, then switch my focus and stir up my fighting spirit.
GUOOOOOOOO
Sensing the atmosphere, the giant ogre glares at me.
“Yo, you’ve gotten pretty big, Ogre.”
GURROOOO
“What is it, what is it? Did that collar make you unable to talk? How lonely.”
Even as I call out to it, my heartbeat gradually quickens.
I slowly approach it to narrow the distance.
Even as I take one step after another, my heartbeat intensifies.
The distance between the giant ogre and me is about fifty meters.
“How does it feel, when the mouth that was just talking about cherished wishes can now only utter roars? How does it feel to be in a state where you can’t fulfill your own desires?”
GRAAAAH!!
After much provocation, the attack finally came.
It thrashed its body, unable to move freely, annoyed by its immobility, yet it raised its massive fist and slammed it into the ground as if unwilling to kill me.
“Geez, why do I always end up with such big things to deal with? Should I seriously hold an exorcism next time?”
Recently, or rather, I feel like I’ve been fighting a big opponent at the end of every job.
And by now, I’m used to it; there’s no reason to be intimidated by mere size.
I nonchalantly deflect the storm and scattering rocks that attack me.
Even if rocks fall before me, or come flying at the side of my face at the speed of bullets, I don’t budge.
An attack thrown so casually is unlikely to hit me conveniently.
Attacks I can see and react to can be ignored.
Even if they were to hit, the attack would at most be like pebbles hitting my body, and wouldn’t reach vital spots like my face. The stones would fly past me to the rear, and even if the resulting storm tried to blow me away.
“Tch, the fire on my cigarette went out.”
I thought it was a waste, took the cigarette from my mouth, and firmly extinguished the fire.
As a smoker’s courtesy, I put the butt in my portable ashtray and looked at the giant ogre, which was smiling with satisfaction at the destruction it had wrought.
Then, its gaze, which had been fixed on the scene of devastation, turned towards me.
A smile formed at the corner of its mouth, as if looking down on me and mocking me for being small and weak.
“…How obvious.”
That gaze is now a familiar one. It doesn’t doubt that it’s the superior being.
And it has no doubt of its victory.
Mock me, mock me.
All that laziness, arrogance, and complacency.
“And thank you.”
The more the opponent is careless, the safer I become.
And when arrogance turns into impatience, my chances of winning increase even further.
“Well then, let’s get started.”
First, that complacency.
“I’m going to punch that condescending face.”
I’ll send it flying.
I lightly kicked off the ground and, in the brief moment of the opponent’s carelessness and lapse in attention, aimed for near its face. Since it’s on one knee, it’s not that high, but it’s still twenty meters, right?
At that height, I can fly near its face without any problem.
“Oraaa!!”
The smile I had on my face until a moment ago turned into a question of “Why are you there?” and its eyelids widened, reflecting my figure in its eyes.
It tried to defend itself instinctively, but it was too late.
Normally, I wouldn’t do a “telephone punch” like this, but now, I prioritize power over ease of hitting.
I swung my arm back broadly and instantly activated my magic crest.
As I swung back, I created a footing with mana at my feet, doubling its power, and it’s the full power strike I can unleash without using my hands in my current state.
The giant ogre’s cheek rippled like the surface of a lake struck by an impact.
A moment after the shock, the sound of the blow echoed in the air.
The giant ogre’s neck twisted unnaturally, and its posture collapsed.
It slid across the ground with a *Zudada-da* sound, and the chains connecting its limbs to the base stretched taut, stopping its further slide.
As a result, it took an awkward stance, and for a moment, the giant ogre seemed bewildered, not understanding what had happened, but then, realizing what had happened, its expression turned to anger as it got up.
GUOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!
A roar of anger, as if trying to shake the world.
The roar tickled my skin, but I only smiled more ferociously in response.
Perhaps it didn’t like that, as it got up and charged, trying to crush me with its entire weight, but I jumped to avoid its leg and landed another blow.
“Hey, what’s wrong? Is size all you’ve got, you fool?”
This scene was a replay of the previous one.
The giant ogre, which had fallen to the ground once again, got up with a surge of energy, as if unwilling to believe it, no, refusing to believe it, and let out a battle cry.
In response, I playfully beckoned it with a gesture, as if to provoke it, showing my burning rage.
This time, it slammed its massive fist down as if to crack the ground, but.
“Light!”
With a surge of my own, this time I didn’t dodge, but met its fist head-on.
Considering the size difference, by how many times? I repelled its fist, which was large enough to hide more than half of my body, with a *gukuri* sound, as if breaking something.
“What’s wrong, what’s wrong!! I’m still here!!”
The giant ogre, which refused to believe this reality, or rather, refused to accept it, continued to punch in succession, as if its broken fingers would heal naturally, but I met each and every one of them head-on, even though the ground cracked and the footing became unstable.
“Try harder!!!!”
One by one, I didn’t even consider dodging.
Overpowering the opponent’s attacks, showing that I am stronger, and enjoying the opponent’s attempt to surpass me.
This is precisely what a fight is.
The act of knocking down a giant body, and the act of fighting – perhaps my trait as a battle maniac is showing.
But, as if telling myself “this is fine,” the part of my mind that remained calm within my heated body decided how to use the little mana I had left.
That stance – the ultimate stance the instructor showed me when I challenged the Kuzuri’s dungeon in the past.
No, perhaps it’s not just a stance.
It’s simply an act of following instinct, making it easy to strike, delivering maximum power, and being optimal for defeating the opponent.
The strongest ogre’s strike, seared into my eyes.
When I took that stance, how did I appear to the giant ogre?
Did it just look like a human about to attack?
Or… no, there’s no need to think about that.
“Well, it’s time to end this, though I’m reluctant.”
Suella, Memoria, Himik – using the mana entrusted to me by the three, I fully activated my magic crest.
The absolute final blow, genuine.
The giant ogre, which had been repeatedly struck back, looked confused as if to ask “What are you?”, and when I took that stance, it clearly showed fear.
“Are you ready? Don’t worry. All I’m going to do is go straight ahead and punch you.”
Ignoring the opponent’s circumstances with a “who cares” attitude, I cut it off in my mind.
“However, this is taught by my instructor.”
Breathing, footwork, joint manipulation, linkage from the feet to the arms – refining all of that, and additionally maximizing the ability of my magic crest.
“Be grateful. Because with this one blow, I’ll straighten out your twisted spirit!!”
A human defeating an ogre with a strike learned from an ogre.
How ironic is that?
I throw everything into that one blow with a smile.
Piercing the wind? It’s not that gentle.
Crushing. The phenomena created by my fist advance forward, crushing everything, and pierce into the opponent’s thick chest plate.
The shock, concentrated on that single point, is released.
“Ah, I feel refreshed.”
The blow that ends it all.
I think so, as I’ve created a giant gaping hole in the area where its heart is.
Thinking that it’s still not as good as the blow my instructor delivered.
“Alright, passing marks.”
As soon as I landed, my mana was depleted, and the giant ogre fell.
Looking at its massive body, which would never rise again, I lit a cigarette for a post-work break.
Today’s Word:
With proper management, even when you have a small amount of leftover materials, you can sometimes make things work.
This is all for today.
Thank you, as always, for pointing out any typos and for your comments.
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*The first volume has been decided to be published by Hayakawa Bunko JA.*
*It was released on October 18, 2018.*
*The e-book version was released on October 31 of the same year.*
*Additionally, the second volume was released on December 19.*
*The third volume was released on February 20, 2019.*
*The content has been revised and expanded from the version posted on “Shōsetsuka ni Narō,” and includes previously unpublished interlude chapters.*
*Please be sure to check out the new releases as well!!*
*Also, a manga adaptation has been decided for Kodansha’s “Young Magazine The Third.”*
