Chapter 26: Ogre Subjugation
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 26: Ogre Subjugation
Fortunately, the town was located close to the border.
Then again, if there wasn't a town near the border, the guards wouldn't be able to serve on the castle walls.
Frillite and I entered the town and had a drink at a tavern. The only people inside were the two of us and the tavern owner.
That was because Frillite had shown her Hero's Badge and made everyone else leave.
Even though it was the only tavern in town, the villagers left without a fuss.
Thanks to her, I was able to feel the magnificence of power for the first time in a long while.
"So your ship was sailing along just fine until it met a storm, and when you woke up, you were in orc territory? And you got along so well with an orc you happened to meet that you became sworn brothers?"
Frillite pressed her temples as if her head was throbbing.
That was her reaction when I answered her question about what I'd been up to since leaving the capital, omitting a few details here and there.
I honestly couldn't understand why she was acting that way.
She looked at my nonchalant face and let out a deep sigh.
"You're truly lucky to be alive. If it weren't for a stroke of heavenly luck, you would have died several times over."
"What heavenly luck? I got through it all on my own."
"You really... Haa, never mind. It's my fault for leaving you alone, trusting you'd be fine."
"The way you say that, you sound like you're my mother or something."
"It just goes to show how reckless you've been!" Frillite shouted, jumping to her feet.
"Whoa, you scared me. Why are you suddenly yelling? I almost spilled my ale."
I licked the ale that had splashed onto the back of my hand.
Frillite stared at me with a dumbfounded expression, then slumped back into her chair as if all the energy had drained out of her.
She crossed her arms and shook her head.
"Fine. As long as you're safe, it doesn't matter how reckless you were. I won't say anything else. Just get some companions, now."
"I was planning to, even if you hadn't said anything."
"Haa... As I was saying... Hmm? You're planning to?"
"Yeah. It's about time I needed them."
The vitality I felt in my body wasn't what it used to be. This meant one thing.
It was time to go find the Giant Root Herb!
The dungeon where the Giant Root Herb lay dormant had strict entry conditions.
First, at least one party member had to be level 30 or higher.
I had met this condition a while ago while hunting monsters on my way to the border with the orcs.
My level was exactly 30, so the first condition wasn't an issue.
'The problem is the second one.'
The second condition for entering the dungeon was that the party had to be a party of four.
No more, no less.
It had to be exactly a party of four.
So, I needed to find three temporary companions to search for the Giant Root Herb with me.
Hearing my words, Frillite's expression brightened.
"A good thought. It seems you've learned a thing or two from your experiences. Don't worry about finding companions. I'll ask around in the Empire and..."
"No need for that. I'm going to find them at the Adventurer's Guild."
Frillite's expression turned ambiguous.
"At the Adventurer's Guild? Well... if you, a Hero, were to announce you're recruiting, many skilled adventurers would apply, but... do you have to?"
"I don't plan on revealing that I'm a Hero. I'm going to find companions as just another adventurer."
Temporary companions, just to explore the dungeon and get out.
Frillite frowned.
'She's got quite a range of expressions.'
The thought just popped into my head as we talked. I thought she had a really cold personality, but maybe not?
I think even the game NPC was described as having a cold personality...
After that brief thought, I focused back on what Frillite was saying.
"You're going to hide your identity as a Hero and find companions as an adventurer? I don't understand. Is there a reason for that? Why are you hiding the fact that you're a Hero in the first place?"
The reason I was hiding my identity as a Hero?
It wasn't anything grand.
It was because of the Giant Root Herb.
If I revealed my identity, my movements would be tracked. Then I'd probably get a tail. Frillite wasn't the type, so it would be someone sent by Gis or Lorian.
To get the Giant Root Herb, I had to go to a dungeon.
And dungeons were a kind of fortuitous opportunity that not only adventurers but also Heroes searched for with fire in their eyes.
If the people tailing me discovered the Giant Root Herb dungeon and reported back to their masters, things would get very, very annoying for me.
That's because the dungeon where the Giant Root Herb lay dormant had clearing conditions that were just as tricky as its entry conditions.
Honestly, I wasn't confident I could clear it on my first try.
Maybe on the second or third attempt...
And what if Gis and Lorian showed up while I was regrouping after a failure?
We'd probably have to throw down in a Mak'gora over the dungeon, wouldn't we?
...It didn't sound too bad, but the problem was what came after the Mak'gora.
Just as a kids' fight becomes a parents' fight, a Hero's fight can become a war between nations in an instant.
You might think I could just kill the tails.
But that wasn't a great method either.
Think about it.
This was Cloud, the ever-so-gentle Cloud who would willingly give up his own companions.
And that same Cloud suddenly finds his tails and kills them?
The act itself could be explained away as him having changed after the NTR incident. But their wariness of me would skyrocket.
They'd send more formidable people than before.
Like Howl, for instance. Or Howl. Or maybe Howl.
That fucking mosquito.
He never slept at night, which meant I lost several nights of sleep as well.
Hock, ptooey.
...Actually, once I get the Giant Root Herb, I don't really care if I have tails or not. After that, I'll kill them on sight, regardless of whether their guard is up.
Anyway, I had my reasons, but I couldn't tell Frillite about them.
She'd be just as crazy about a dungeon.
I put on a vaguely wistful expression and said, "It's because I'm worried Gis or Lorian will send someone to follow me, of course."
"Are you worried they'll try something strange? Don't be. As cunning as they are, they won't be able to harm you directly."
"Right, like you said, they can't harm me directly. But they can interfere, can't they?"
Frillite froze for a moment, as if she'd remembered something.
Was she thinking of the three who went to other parties?
She didn't need to worry about that.
If you get all three companions NTR'd in the mid-game, you can get three new ones. The problem is I can't go get them right now.
"...You're right. Those fools have already pulled their stunts. I understand now why you're hiding your identity, even lying to me about being friends."
Frillite drank her ale with a bitter expression.
"Huh? What are you talking about?"
"Didn't you just say it? That you can't reveal your identity as a Hero because you're worried they'll pull something."
"No, not that. The part about lying. Why is that a lie?"
"?"
Frillite looked at me with a puzzled expression.
"It's not a lie? Are you saying we're friends?"
"Weren't we? That's what I thought."
"Hmm??"
Panic flickered in Frillite's eyes.
Yeah, that was understandable. If I were her, I'd be thinking, 'Is this guy crazy?'
But I couldn't help it.
I'd had a taste of power for the first time in a while, and I couldn't escape its allure!
To persuade her, I calmly counted on my fingers.
"We've had a drink together, you've worried about me and comforted me, and you've tried to help me. On top of that, our conversation is flowing perfectly. Isn't that enough to call ourselves friends?"
"I-Is that so?"
"What's with that vague reaction? Don't tell me I was the only one who thought we were friends? I'm hurt."
"No, it's just... this is the first time I've had someone who could be called a friend..."
...?
"What's that supposed to mean? You don't have any friends?"
With a face like that, she didn't have friends?
What the hell? Was she trying to flex on me?
As I stared at her with a look of half-surprise and half-disbelief, she quickly added an explanation.
"I've held a sword since I was too young to remember. When I was a bit older, I went around subjugating monsters to gain practical experience. Because of that, I never had time to build friendships with my peers. It's not because I lack social skills!"
"Uh... uh, yeah. Okay, I get it. Calm down."
"What's with that displeased reaction?"
Frillite grumbled with a frown and took a sip of her ale.
Then she chuckled and muttered, "A friend... Not bad."
"So you'll acknowledge me as a friend?"
"You were the one who suggested it first. I have no reason to refuse."
Great, the plan was a success.
Now, if I ever run into trouble while wandering the Empire, I can use Frillite's name.
If I say I'm Frillite's friend, everyone will be so shocked they'll fall on their asses.
This is power!
And what's more, I have none of the obligations that should come with wielding such power.
It was truly pleasure without responsibility!
The symphony of those beautiful words sent a shiver down my spine.
Inwardly, of course.
Outwardly, I was the kind friend, Cloud.
"So, I'm your first friend, then?"
"I suppose so."
"To celebrate you making your first friend, you can buy the drinks today."
"Fine, drink as much as you want... Wait."
She, who had been speaking with a smirk, suddenly closed her mouth as if she'd remembered something. She narrowed her eyes and began to stare at me intently.
"Didn't I buy the drinks last time, too? And now you're telling me to buy them again?"
...I tried to get away with it, but she's annoyingly sharp.
"I bought them last time, so you buy them this time. I've heard that friendship is a relationship where both sides give and take, not one where one side gives unilaterally."
Where did she hear that, having no friends?
I held up both hands toward her.
"I have no money."
"No money?" Frillite asked, her eyes widening in genuine surprise.
It wasn't that I was completely broke.
I still had a lot of money left from the Lotus Flower Sword Art tournament.
However, after setting aside the money to send to Lina and Mars, my travel funds were going to be pretty tight.
"You mean you've already spent all the support funds you received from the kingdom?"
"I didn't even receive any support funds."
"You didn't? Why not?"
"It's money I'd have to pay back anyway. It's dirty and cheap. I'd rather not take it at all."
"That's true, but..."
"So let's do this. We'll make a bet, and the loser pays."
"A bet? What kind of bet?"
"Isn't it obvious what kind of bet you make in a tavern?"
I raised my glass of ale and said, "The first one to pass out pays."
Frillite smirked at that.
"You want to challenge me? Interesting. I accept."
Frillite and I clinked our glasses.
Cloud was confident he would win the bet. He'd always been someone who didn't get drunk easily. On top of that, after years of rolling around on the battlefield, his body had become capable of fighting even while intoxicated.
However, there was one thing he had forgotten.
His current body was not his original body.
And getting drunk was a matter of the body, not the mind.
No matter how strong Cloud's spirit was, it couldn't overcome the chemical reactions taking place in his frail body.
From the moment Cloud's tongue started to get tied, Frillite suggested that maybe they should stop.
But Cloud, with his drinker's pride, refused to admit defeat, and in the end, he got completely drunk and passed out on the floor.
"So stubborn..."
Tsk, tsk. Frillite clicked her tongue and looked down at the collapsed Cloud. Then she got off her chair and sat down on the floor next to him.
She gazed at Cloud's sleeping face and let out a deep sigh.
"What am I going to do with this guy..."
When Cloud had refused her help in the imperial capital and left.
Even though his whereabouts had become strange after that, Frillite hadn't been too worried.
It was because he had looked strangely calm when they were drinking wine. Plus, she had thought that since he was also a Hero, he would manage just fine on his own.
But what was this?
Listening to his story today, that wasn't the case at all. He was on an absurdly reckless journey for someone so weak. If his luck had been just a little worse, he might have died.
The thought sent a chill down her spine, and a mountain of worry washed over her.
How could she get this stubborn fool to listen? What could she say to convince him to find proper companions and travel safely?
It was while she was lost in such thoughts.
"Hnnngh..."
Cloud, passed out from the drink, suddenly let out a groan.
Frillite let out a dry laugh.
"Sleeping so peacefully, without a clue how worried someone else is."
Feeling a little spiteful, she pinched Cloud's cheek.
"Uwaaaah..."
She giggled at the strange groan. Without wiping the smile from her face, she looked at Cloud.
'A friend...'
Frillite was the only daughter of the Ferdiac Ducal Family, one of the most prominent in the Empire.
One might think that as an only child, she would have grown up showered with affection, but that was not the case.
There were two reasons.
The family tradition was too strict for her to be raised with affection.
And with her innate talent, she was the undisputed candidate to be the Hero.
From the moment she was born, she was served by all the servants. The attendants, the maids, even her personal valet—all treated her with restrained gazes, voices, and attitudes.
Her escort knights were a little better.
The escort knights were responsible for both protecting and teaching Frillite. They didn't spare praise when she did something well.
But that was it.
They, too, never brought up personal stories or showed their emotions.
This was possible because the Ferdiac family was a prestigious house that considered restraint a virtue.
She, too, had taken that for granted.
Until she overheard a conversation about soirées.
The stories she heard about them were beautiful.
In splendid venues with exquisite cuisine, young men and ladies would engage in pleasant conversation, their beautiful laughter blooming like flowers.
Some would even meet a heart-fluttering destiny there.
For her, who had lived her entire life in a restrained environment, a soirée was like something out of a fairy tale.
Then one day, an occasion arose for her to attend one.
No matter how busy she was with training, as a noble, she needed to be acquainted with other nobles.
Frillite waited for the soirée with great anticipation.
And just as her expectations were great, so was her disappointment.
The soirée was not a beautiful place for building friendships.
It was nothing more than the dirty political games of adults.
Of course, there were also pure, untainted nobles of her age.
But they were reluctant to approach Frillite. They put up a wall around their hearts and pushed her away, so obviously that even she could tell.
It was only natural.
Though Frillite herself was unaware of it, she was the only daughter of the Ferdiac family and the undisputed Hero candidate.
A figure who would one day stand at the pinnacle of power on the continent.
What if they made a mistake and got on her bad side?
Not only themselves but their entire family could be ruined.
It was common for lower nobles to try to connect with higher nobles, but when the other party was too overwhelmingly powerful, they would get scared and run away.
Of course, there were still many who tried to connect with her or use her somehow.
But Frillite cut them off cold.
Although she had been lost in a fantasy, she was not foolish. She could easily discern the intentions of those who approached her.
And thanks to that, until now, she had not had a single person she could call a friend.
Except for the one she had just made.
'It's strange.'
He'd barely seen her, yet he suddenly started acting friendly, and now he was declaring himself her friend. It was an incredibly bold move.
But why?
She didn't find it unpleasant. In fact, it was quite enjoyable.
'Is it because there's no malice?'
There didn't seem to be any grand reason for Cloud asking to be her friend. He hadn't approached her wanting something.
No, there was something.
'It was just for something trivial, like buying him a drink.'
Honestly, to Frillite, it seemed like a declaration of friendship made in a drunken stupor. For someone who became sworn brothers with an orc while drunk, what was so hard about making a friend?
Putting it like that made it sound like a shallow relationship, but Frillite was rather pleased.
It was the first time someone had approached her without any ulterior motives.
'But it feels less like I've made a friend and more like I've gained a little brother.'
He was unreliable and only made her worry...
And in the end, he made her pay for the drinks, too.
Suddenly feeling annoyed, she reached out to pinch Cloud's other cheek.
It was then.
"I'm sorry..."
Frillite's hand stopped at the words that flowed from Cloud's lips.
She looked at his face.
His eyes were brimming with tears.
"If only I had done a little better, you guys..."
The rest of the sentence was left unsaid. A single teardrop just trickled down his cheek. His face was filled with sorrow.
'Is he having a nightmare?'
If so, what kind of nightmare?
It was obvious without him saying.
She could tell just from his sleep-talking.
"So you were worried about them after all. About those three."
So that was it.
That was why he had refused her offer. Why he had been on such a reckless journey.
It was all to forget those three.
Frillite wore a bitter expression as she gently smoothed Cloud's messy hair.
His expression relaxed, just a little.
Frillite smiled faintly.
'Faster. A little faster!'
The cavalryman urged his horse on. The horse, having already run for dozens of miles, was panting with exhaustion, but it couldn't be helped.
This was an urgent matter.
'An ogre...!'
An ogre had appeared in the peaceful forest. The lord of a nearby city had formed a subjugation party, but it seemed they wouldn't be nearly enough.
If they fought, they would likely be annihilated.
But fortunately, he had heard that the Hero, Frillite, was in the area.
Frillite, known as the Red Demon.
If she joined the battle, the tide would turn completely.
Dismounting in the town near the border, the cavalryman ran quickly to the inn.
'Please be here...!'
The cavalryman threw the inn door open roughly.
And was left speechless.
There were only two people inside the inn. A man and a woman, both with the same red hair. The man seemed to be drunk and passed out, and the woman was gently stroking his head.
'According to the rumors, Lady Frillite has red hair...'
Could it be...?
"Excuse me, are you perhaps Lady Frillite—"
"Shh."
"Pardon?"
"I said, be quiet."
"But, this is an important..."
"Do you not understand what 'be quiet' means?"
When Frillite's eyes turned murderous, the cavalryman had no choice but to shut his mouth.
This is really urgent...
If I don't get there soon, everyone will die...