Macho Macho Man (1)
In every country, there existed training grounds for those who fought. Whether used by knights, soldiers, or arena fighters, places to hone oneself had always existed. Especially for the ogre tribe, who prided themselves as warriors, training was an indispensable part of daily life.
Only ordinary ogres who had no interest in combat and usually farmed, hunted, or ran workshops didn't train separately, but due to their innate strength as a race, they were often called warriors. However, among those with innate power, the true powerhouses praised as warriors never neglected their training.
"...This is......"
Neromeltia had entered the training ground with a pleased expression. She was pleased with the lively and well-maintained atmosphere of the village, and admired the noble spirit of the warriors who continuously trained themselves to protect their loved ones despite no external attacks for many years. Thinking about how upright and righteous these people must be to call themselves tribal warriors and train themselves, she deeply respected their dedication.
But the training ground established in the massive cavity inside the cave was very different from what Neromeltia had imagined.
"This is the training ground used by the tribal warriors."
"...Is it always like this?"
"It's daily life."
Like the mist that thickens over the lake every dawn, the inside of the training ground was so foggy it was hard to see. The pungent smell of sweat stabbing at her nose made it clear that this dense mist was an artificial phenomenon created by the warriors' sweat, and Neromeltia's expression began to gradually distort.
An ogre repeatedly lifting and lowering logs with rocks tied to both ends. An ogre holding heavy iron ore in both hands, repeatedly bending and straightening his arms. An ogre shouldering a massive boulder, repeatedly sitting and standing. An ogre with hands on the ground, repeatedly bending and straightening his arms to raise and lower his body. An ogre mercilessly punching his comrade's abdomen, and the ogre enduring the barrage of fists with his abs. An ogre tying a massive boulder with several tough vines connected to a pulley, then repeatedly pulling the vines with his back to the boulder. An ogre lying down with several heavy iron ores tied to his legs, then repeatedly swinging his legs in the air.
The cave floor was muddy. There were several puddles, and water droplets were forming on the ceiling and dripping down. It was a common sight in any cave, but Neromeltia intuitively knew this too was an artificial phenomenon, so her expression distorted even more. The droplets falling from the ceiling were steam from sweat condensed on the ceiling, and the muddy floor and puddles were their sweat.
Neromeltia quietly took out an umbrella from her Dimensional Storage and immediately opened it. Beatrice also silently took shelter under the umbrella. Neromeltia wrapped her arm around Beatrice's shoulder and pulled her close so that her body wouldn't be exposed outside the umbrella even a little.
The sound of droplets sporadically hitting the surface of the opened umbrella had never been so chilling. It would be rude to show negative emotions in front of those diligently training themselves, so Neromeltia forced her distorting expression into a blank one. She tried to suppress the emotions clearly visible on her face. Seeing Beatrice's brows furrowed, who usually maintained a dry expression, Neromeltia could tell how unbearable this sight was even for her, who was skilled at not showing emotions.
"Your biceps are even more developed than Terraris Rock! I'm falling for you, brother!"
"What about your deltoids as wide as the Decastras Mountain Range, brother! Those magnificent shoulders are a treasure, brother!"
Ogres smiling warmly and complimenting each other's muscles. Ogres getting along well, groping and patting each other's sweat-soaked bodies in a friendly manner.
"...Good heavens......"
Neromeltia's lips trembling clearly expressed her feeling of disgust. She couldn't bring herself to say anything, and what barely escaped between her faintly trembling lips was a dazed exclamation.
On one side, there were ogres showing off their bulging muscles in front of a large bronze mirror. They crossed their arms behind their backs to show off their chest muscles, and placed their hands on the back of their heads to show off their arm muscles. Each time, various parts of their muscles expanded and swelled, with fine veins and thick blood vessels protruding.
"Your quadriceps are lacking, brother! At this rate, you can't increase the weight, brother!"
"Oh, that's truly terrible! Brother, what should we do!"
"Don't worry, brother! Your sturdy lats prove your perseverance and solid foundation! If you focus on your lower body, you can grow even more, brother!"
Ogres evaluating each other's muscles, having heated discussions for even bigger muscles, pouring out their burning passion with quite serious attitudes as they sought muscle growth, and in the end, strengthening their close friendship while sharing training methods. Their eyes sparkling as if every moment was new while learning new training methods made them look happier than anyone else in the world.
"Good heavens...!"
As if her disgust had intensified and become unbearable, Neromeltia repeated the exclamation in a tone that sounded like she was crying. She couldn't say anything clearly, but she just didn't want to see this sight and felt disgusted. Her sensibility recoiling at the discomfort this unsightly sight provided and her reason suppressing her emotions to maintain etiquette in front of the ogres were fiercely battling.
An ogre lying on a long, narrow stone support that could only support his back and hips, lifting a log. Massive rocks were tied to both ends of the log, and the log was bending violently as it struggled to bear the weight. And beside this intense training, there was also an ogre raising his voice without sparing advice.
"One more time, brother!!"
"I-I can't...!! My strength is leaving...!!"
"If you can't do it today, you can't do it tomorrow either!! Don't you want magnificent pectoralis major!! Brother!!!"
"Krrrrgh...!! I'll lift it!! Brother!!! Uwooooooo!!!!!"
The ogre who somehow gathered the last bit of strength from his trembling arms and lifted the log one more time shed tears and embraced the ogre who had been advising him. The two massive bodies, soaked with sweat, touched with a splash, and sweat scattered in all directions. The ogre who had managed one more rep was shedding hot tears from a sense of accomplishment, and the advising ogre was also shedding tears of emotion with a pleased smile.
"Good heaveeeens!!!"
As if she could no longer endure it, Neromeltia lowered her head and covered her own eyes. She had wanted to stay quiet because she didn't want to express disgust at the hot friendship of wholesome men pouring all their passion into training their bodies, but gradually Neromeltia's reason was crumbling. Neromeltia, who could no longer look ahead, suddenly looked at Beatrice and couldn't help but be surprised. Beatrice staring ahead with an extremely calm expression. Neromeltia even felt respect for Beatrice who calmly dealt with this uncomfortable sight that brought such complex emotions without the slightest movement. Like the armor decorating the corridors of the Demon Lord Castle, she stood straight, unmoving, staring ahead.
"Beatrice, you're amazing. Aren't you bothered at all?"
"I've temporarily disconnected my visual circuits. Please let me know when you're done, Master."
Beatrice, who Neromeltia thought had been enduring while seeing all this, had simply been standing there with her vision self-blocked. Neromeltia couldn't say a single word of criticism at Beatrice's action of severing her own sensory circuits. Because she strongly felt that if possible, she would have chosen that method too.
"I don't go to the training ground."
"Moka, aren't you interested in training?"
"No. I just don't like it because it's dirty."
Moka speaking indifferently revealed his intentions as straightforwardly as his attitude. It was the truthful words that neither Neromeltia nor Beatrice could voice out of consideration for the ogres' feelings, but Moka said them casually. He truly was an extraordinary and transcendent ogre in many ways.
"Moka!! Who are these outsiders!!!"
Before they knew it, a massive ogre had approached in front of Neromeltia. A build even larger than Hugo, who had been particularly large among the ogres. His height approached six hundred mentols, and his broad shoulders were large enough to fit one more head than Hugo's. His body, clearly showing signs of having been intensely training, gave off a pungent smell of sweat, and his muscles, which had been stimulated, were violently swelling and throbbing. His curly, dense chest hair was soaked with sweat, dripping water droplets like a wet towel.
"My name is Oun! I hold the position of Ogre Chief! Pleased to meet you, outsiders!!"