Chapter 27: If It’s Tag You Want, Play It with Humans

“Ah…”

As we knelt down after surviving the fierce battle, Karen suddenly let out a voice.

“What’s wrong?”

Rizel didn’t respond. Because of the effects of her partial beast transformation, she had draped a cloak over her disheveled clothes to cover herself, but after that, she hadn’t moved an inch.

“...Did I ever mention that Yuto-san and Lord Raiga’s clothes are imbued with a special kind of magical energy? Back when we reunited right after I set out on my journey.”

“Yeah, I remember.”

Now that she mentioned it, I did recall something like that. It was in case we got separated during the journey, I think.

“I can track their location using this compass. And Yuto-san is still on the move.”

“What—”

The unexpected words took my breath away.

“Don’t tell me she’s being chased?”

“That’s highly likely… She might even be acting as a decoy.”

Unable to hide my unease, I turned to hear Rizel—who had recovered a little—speak.

“Raiga, go on ahead~. Once we’ve recovered, we’ll catch up after~…”

It bothered me to leave the two of them behind like this when they were completely exhausted, but—

“Sorry!”

I took off running.

“…This is bad.”

I muttered to myself in the forest.

It’s pathetic to admit, but I was already surrounded.

The advantage I had with Detection Sonar had collapsed almost instantly.

The ogres had begun encircling me with shockingly well-coordinated movements.

I’d entered the forest to lose them, but in reality, it seemed I was being herded.

—What the hell is going on?

I hadn’t done anything that would reveal my position.

At first, I had used long-range magic from a distance to lure them away from the village, but that was quite a while ago. It made no sense for them to suddenly start reacting now.

—Could it be… the miasma?

That strange gas that clouds vision.

Something that mutates and drives monsters mad. If that stuff serves as some kind of signal-transmission method—

No. Figuring out the cause isn’t what matters right now.

Understanding how I ended up in this situation can wait until after I survive.

What I need to think about now is how to get out of it.

Should I try to stall for time?

The longer I can hold out, the better the chances that Raiga will come to help.

It’s said that ogres can breed with other species.

In the worst-case scenario, I could offer myself—

The thought made my stomach turn.

That’s the worst possible idea. And more importantly, it wouldn’t work.

If they’re being controlled by the miasma, then the one behind it is the “Demon Dragon.” As one half of what they consider the greatest threat, there’s no way they’d try to keep me alive.

Hiding until Raiga arrives is probably the best course of action, but—it’s a slim hope.

Their net was slowly tightening around me. My Detection Sonar wasn’t picking up any new magic signatures. It was only a matter of time.

In that case.

The real reason I came to this forest wasn’t just to hide.

If I’d only wanted to hide, I didn’t need to pick this forest.

The reason I came here was because I’d sensed a massive magical energy—one clearly not from the ogres—and I’d grown curious.

—Could be a demon, could be a guardian.

Clinging to that one sliver of hope, I turned toward the source of the great magic.

Standing in front of me was an elven woman.

She looked about ten years older than Karen-san. Her soft green hair stood out. Rare for an elf, she carried a sword at her waist.

“And you are—?”

She asked, slightly surprised.

“My name is Yuto.”

Then I gave her a sly smile.

“I came to thank you for the barrier. —And let’s see… I’m the one you’ve been searching for.”

I said.

Her expression shifted into one of pure shock.

—Bingo.

I’d taken a gamble.

And judging by her reaction, I was right. She was the traveler searching for the "Hero."

Back then, I couldn’t tell whether it was a man or a woman, but I had guessed that she was scouting the area, hoping the Hero would stop by Elna Village. That theory lined up with the presence of such powerful magic—and the barrier that had been erected there.

“I’m—My name’s Myudy. If you really are the ‘Hero,’ then hey, that’s just perfect. So, what brings you to a place like this?”

Myudy eyed me suspiciously.

“Well, about that…”

“What?”

She looked taken aback by the apologetic look on my face.

“Sorry, but… I need your help.”

“The ‘Hero’ can’t even take down a single ogre, huh.”

Myudy swung a blade nearly as tall as she was. No, that single-edged weapon was more a katana than a sword.

Between this and Rizel’s dagger, I wondered—could this world have a country similar to Japan?

In one swift stroke, an ogre’s head and torso parted ways, and blood sprayed through the air.

I quickly looked away as best I could.

Collapsing here was not an option.

“Please don’t rub it in…”

“Hmph, whatever.”

She spat that out, then began chanting something.

I could feel the dark magical energy compressing—and then exploding outward.

The ogre that had been approaching from another direction vanished without a trace.

—Well, at least I didn’t have to see any blood that time.

Yeah right.

I made a mental jab at myself as I ran.

“Elna Village—the place you cast that barrier. Please take me there.”

That was the condition I’d given her.

And the reward—

“I’ll help you with your goal. Though I imagine our objectives are more or less the same.”

—was that.

Myudy agreed on the spot. And here we were.

She forged ahead boldly through the forest, never once letting her guard down.

Each time we ran into an ogre, she would instantly cut them down. Over and over.

When I first saw her sword, I had no idea why an elf would carry such a thing. Elves are typically weak in physical strength and rarely wield heavy weapons. I assumed it was a backup for emergencies—though far too large for that.

But the moment I saw her swing it, I had to revise my assumptions.

She moved with the precision of a master swordsman from our world—clean, fluid, with not a single wasted motion. She would circle around and strike in one blow. The fact that she could wield such a long blade so effortlessly even in a forest full of obstacles like trees spoke volumes.

On top of that, her magic skills were top-tier.

She could instantly identify a target and fire.

Casting magic in close quarters is no easy feat.

Without monster-level concentration, your focus would falter the moment you tried to dodge an attack.

Apparently, Myudy is one of those monsters. Even mid-chant, she showed no fear, dodging with only the minimal movements necessary.

With Detection Sonar, I could see the number of ogres decreasing rapidly.

Then, a new magical presence rapidly closing in on us.

—There’s no doubt. It’s Raiga.

“Thank god…”

I muttered under my breath.

“Hm? You say something?”

Myudy looked at me curiously, but I just laughed it off.