Chapter 13 (1/2)

Ogre King

“How did this happen…”

Carlos was at his wit’s end.

Unusually, even Lulu had tender feelings toward him. So she put her hand on his shoulder and called to him.

“Give it up. If you’re going to follow Ria, you have to get accustomed to things like this.”

“Hah…”

Sighing, Carlos looked forward.

This is the large plaza of Ogre Village. In the center was two people surrounded by a large crowd watching them.

One is an ogre amongst ogres, the Ogre King. Holding a huge warhammer in his hand.

The other person, the girl who was the one Carlos was originally meant to protect, was Ria. Here she wore a katana, but only one of them. She’d even taken off her leather armor, and was lightly dressed.

Just how did this happen?

While rubbing the middle of his forehead, Carlos recalled a memory from two days ago.

Even if that was said so suddenly, the ogre took the party into the eatery.

Then, when hearing the small ogre’s name, Ria’s response focused on the other thing.

“But I’m not old enough to be called Anego…”

“Oh, sorry. Since it’s hard to tell human age, I thought you were an adult.”

Though Ogre Gig obediently apologizing was superb, hearing that he was still twelve year old was surprising.

The opponent that he fought and beat seemed to be an adult ogre.

“If you’re that strong at your age, isn’t that enough?”

“But isn’t Anego stronger?”

It seems I’m settled as Anego after all.

Is strength needed to live here? When I asked, he explained the situation.

Ogre families prioritize strength, with the strongest becoming the patriarch. The current patriarch is Gig’s grandfather, though there were tens of thousands of ogres nearby, slowly aging is still aging, and he said that he wanted to choose his successor.

Proof of being the strongest warrior was an ogre’s pride, and naturally Gig also aimed for that. However, I understood from watching him fight his opponent that there were no longer any opponents left for him in this village.

When I asked why his grandfather, the Ogre King, wouldn’t train him, I heard that for the sake of impartiality he wouldn’t do so for anyone; not even relatives.

“Even if you say that, we’re in the middle of a trip.”

“Then take me too! Anyways, the selection isn’t for another three years. I want to catch up to him even a little by then!”

“Ooh~…”

When Ria was racking her brain trying to find a way to decline, Serge pulled a bit on her sleeve.

“Nee-chan, let’s make this guy a comrade.”

Since he whispered, I replied in a low voice as well.

“Oi oi, isn’t he still twelve? I’d think joining us on a journey would be dangerous.”

“I used Identify on him though, he’s pretty strong. His ability scores were all high and his skill in Fist-fighting and Boxing were level 6. He has a few others too.”

Given that level 5 was already first rate, level 6 was incredible. Even so, he wasn’t a reincarnated person like Ria or Serge.

By the way, Ria rarely uses Identify. She roughly knows their strength by their demeanor even without using it.

“Maybe if you look at his war potential, but that he’s still a child…”

“Well, I wonder how old ogre adults are…?”

That’s the problem. In Serge’s case, ignoring his appearance he was a thirty year old. So even Ria didn’t have much opposition to it.

“You know Gig, Nee-chan is worried about your age. She said that leaving home at twelve was too early.”

Serge advanced the conversation on his own. Gig bared his fangs and laughed.

“Ogres are adults when they are able to hunt. Age doesn’t matter.”

“See, Nee-chan? Those two want another comrade too, isn’t it fine?”

Serge smiled triumphantly, but Lulu and Carlos felt uneasy. It was no wonder. Ogres used to be hostile against humanity, and even now are seen as warlike.

Still, they left the decision to Ria.

“For now, let’s consult with your family. I’ll be here until noon tomorrow.”