Chapter 21: If you're lacking numbers, then get more allies.

"Still, you’ve been dealing with monsters like that for a whole year?"

The Blood Ogre had been a formidable foe.

One-on-one, it would've been easy. But brute force through sheer numbers made it an unmanageable pain.

"No, the monsters were weaker at first. We had the southern soldiers who escaped to the village take care of them."

—Ah, now that she mentions it, there were a few of them at the start.

As I was recalling that—

"Then, does that mean the monsters attacking the village gradually grew stronger over time?"

Karen picked up the questioning.

For the record, the villager answering us was apparently the acting village chief. The original chief had been consumed by the miasma and never returned...

"Yes. It started out as just regular ogres, but they evolved little by little each day. Eventually, the soldiers couldn’t keep up—"

"—And that’s when I showed up. Me, remember?"

Rizel puffed out her flat chest with pride.

Among the women here, Yuto still had the biggest bust.

"You’re thinking something rude, aren’t you? For the record, I’ve been here for six months, and it’s been a Blood Ogre for over three. No changes. Probably hit its limit. But it's getting smarter. Not like it gained intelligence or anything—but more like it's being controlled. Coordinated, maybe?"

"That does ring a bell. Trying to steal a sword even if it costs you your life? That’s not something a wild beast does."

He coolly ignored a part of what she said and answered.

"Which could mean there’s someone calling the shots."

"Calling the shots?"

Karen reacted to Yuto’s comment.

"Yeah. Like a commander-type. Maybe just that one guy has intelligence and is manipulating the ogres."

"Isn’t that a bit too speculative?"

"Can’t deny it, though. And from what we’ve heard, the ogres have been attacking this village relentlessly. As if they’re trying to wipe out anything that doesn’t serve the miasma."

"So, you think there’s a purpose behind it?"

"A purpose, huh…"

Everyone fell silent in thought.

But then, the one who brought it up—Yuto—clapped her hands sharply, breaking the moment.

"Sorry. Let’s drop it. I’m curious about the purpose too, but it’s not the most important thing right now."

"The important thing... would be to eliminate the 'Demon Dragon' and, if possible, find the 'Hero' the traveler mentioned?"

"Yeah, but not right now."

She nodded at my words, then gently refuted them.

"First, we need to save this village. We have to either get rid of the ogres somehow or weaken them."

Without giving space for other opinions, she continued:

"It only took about two weeks to reach Elna Village—so, and this is extreme, I know—but in two weeks we might be able to reach the Demon Dragon. I don’t know how fast the ogres are multiplying, but I want to thin their numbers before they have the strength to launch another assault."

And then:

"If we can, I’d like to wipe them out completely so we don’t have to worry about what’s behind us."

She added in a small voice.

At that moment, I understood. Yuto wanted to take Rizel with us.

Pathetic as it is to admit, given how we’re currently struggling against monsters, the more combat power, the better.

But Rizel, despite acting like a goofball, had stayed in this village faithfully for half a year. With the village facing danger, I didn’t think she’d come with us.

And more than that, the fact that we’d be abandoning the village would surely cast a dark cloud over the three of us as well.

She must have noticed that I’d figured out her reason.

We exchanged a glance.

"If the ogres are starting to show signs of intelligence, they might flank us during the final battle with the Demon Dragon."

She emphasized, as if to drive the point home.

For now, we decided to put the heavy talk on hold and take a break after lunch.

Keeping ourselves tense right after a battle would wear us out.

None of us were trained as soldiers or knights, so our mental resilience wasn’t exactly top-tier.

We were, after all, just ordinary people.

"You’re kind of short for a half-elf, aren’t you?"

"Ahaha, people often say I must be part dwarf instead!"

Unusually for Yuto, she seemed to be in sync with someone.

She was chatting while hugging the wolf girl from behind.

True, most elves had tall, model-like figures. The girl in front of us didn’t quite match that image. And even her elf ears weren’t very noticeable with those dog ears in the way.

"Male werewolves aside, female ones tend to be on the short side~"

She added.

Apparently, in this world, a half-blood would generally take after one race physically, with only a few traits from the other mixed in. Lifespan and abilities usually depended on the dominant species. In Rizel’s case, she was essentially a pure werewolf in all but name.

"Must be nice…"

Yuto gazed dreamily at her, eyes half-lidded.

Her arms tightened ever so slightly around Rizel. Though Yuto had delicate, girlish arms, Rizel, being well-trained, didn’t even seem to notice.

I was starting to get a little worried.

Because I knew—dog-eared girls were exactly Yuto’s type.

She liked gentle, graceful girls like Karen, sure—but she could go for this type too. The difference between someone you’d want as a wife versus someone you’d want as a daughter.

How do I know that? Because Yuto is the kind of person whose mouth runs when playing games.

"I mean, I love this kind of girl, so it sucks when they’re enemies," or, "I’d love to take care of a girl like this"—I’ve heard things that really shook my image of her.

Strictly speaking, that promised ‘devotion’ was only supposed to bind my fidelity. It didn’t apply to Yuto.

—No, whatever happens, I choose to believe in Yuto.

Recalling the final clause of that promise, I shook my head.

"By the way, Yuto—are you dating Raiga?"

"Pfft!"

The girls—though one of them used to be a guy—had somehow transitioned the conversation into romance talk.

I’d been eavesdropping, and the unexpected bombshell made me spit out my drink.

"Not really? It’s more like a trial period or something."

"Trial period? What’s that, what’s that?"

"It means I’m still figuring him out."

Rizel thought it over seriously for a moment—

"Then, maybe I’ll go for Raiga myself. He’s the first guy I’ve met who’s as strong as me—well, aside from my dad!"

—Then dropped an even bigger bomb.

"Feel free."

—Hey, Yuto, deny it! Say something!

My silent scream never reached her, and time simply marched on.