Chapter 25 — “The Red Ogres’ Hunt”
“If we stay perfectly still, the chances of being noticed are low. Those creatures have poor eyesight and hearing—but an extremely sharp sense of smell.”
Right. They had sprayed that scent-masking perfume earlier.
And judging by how the ogres hadn’t reacted to their presence at all, it seemed the perfume was actually working.
“Looks like their prey is that green drake over there~,” said the coachman, pointing toward a clearing in the distance.
Between the trees, Heidi saw a massive creature covered in shimmering green scales.
So that’s a drake…
It had two horns on its head, a long sleek body, and four sturdy legs—almost like a small dragon without wings.
The group of ogres was closing in on it, while the drake curled up, trembling in a defensive stance.
“I almost feel bad for it. I know that’s just how nature works… but still.”
“Me too! The drake looks like a good guy!”
Theo’s ears drooped as he agreed.
“They actually are gentle herbivores~,” the coachman added wistfully. “And I’ve always wanted to ride one since I was little…”
Even his voice was heavy with regret.
“Coachman,” Ber said quietly, “would you like to save the drake?”
“Of course I would~!”
“I have a plan that could work. Would you like to hear it?”
“Quickly! If it gets hurt, I’ll cry!”
“You’ll go out there alone and draw the ogres’ attention away from us—fight them far from here.”
“…Wow. That’s awful~! You’re just using me as bait, aren’t you?!”
The coachman shouted indignantly, but Heidi had a feeling Ber wasn’t just being reckless.
After all, the coachman was a sixth-circle mage—a veteran who traveled this dangerous forest often enough to map it. Ber wouldn’t suggest something impossible.
“You do enjoy being the center of attention,” Ber said evenly. “You might as well make use of your talent.”
“They’re not even people anymore!”
“They have eyes, don’t they? If they can look, they’ll do just fine. Now then—please go.”
Behind his scarf, Ber’s eyes curved slightly. He was clearly smiling.
Apparently, they’d grown comfortable enough to joke like that. Heidi figured men just bonded faster.
“But will they really go for me instead of their current prey?”
“They will. Red ogres have poor vision in general, but they’re drawn to red hues. They go berserk when they see it.”
Ber’s gaze lingered briefly on the coachman’s bright pink shirt. Pink counted as red, after all.
“…Pretty sure they’d charge at anything that moves,” the coachman muttered.
“Just go.”
“…Okay.”
Before Heidi could process what was happening, Ber rolled up his sleeves.
“Anyway, the decision’s made. I’ll send the coachman to the ogres myself.”
Send him? How?
The answer came immediately.
Ber grabbed the coachman around the waist like a sack of grain—and threw him.
“Ahahahahahaha!”
The coachman’s laugh echoed through the air, furious and echoing at the same time.
He soared so high he was barely a dot in the sky.
“Ber! You can’t just throw people like that! What if he falls and breaks every bone in his body?!”
Heidi flailed in panic, but Ber remained calm.
“He’ll be fine.”
“How can you be so sure—”
Before she could finish, the coachman landed—safe and sound.
No, calling that landing might not be right.
His entire body was wreathed in roaring flames.
“Whoa…”
It was like watching a fiery phoenix descend from the sky. Heidi’s mouth fell open in awe.
“That appears to be a spell—temporary flame armor to shield the body. At the sixth circle, it’s not uncommon,” Ber explained calmly. “I’ve seen battle mages do it.”
“Oh… I see.”
Her worry dissolved into embarrassment.
“Sorry for doubting you.”
“No need to apologize. I should have explained sooner. I’ve lived so long among mercenaries that I sometimes forget how normal people think.”
His sincerity softened her instantly.
Now that she thought about it, Ber had never done anything without reason. Even when his methods looked extreme, they were always effective.
She smiled. “No, I’ll try to adapt to your… ‘first-class mercenary’ way of thinking. So you can feel more at home here.”
Yes! she thought. If I can make him feel at ease, maybe he’ll stay—for good! Then we can build this farm into a real estate, a proper territory, a family…!
Ber, of course, had no idea about her little plan. He just looked at her bright green eyes and thought absently, The weather’s nice today.
Never mind the thick clouds overhead and the fog curling through the trees. To him, everything seemed a little brighter.
“Wow, that’s insane…”
Heidi’s voice pulled him back to reality.
He followed her gaze—toward the clearing.
There stood the coachman, face-to-face with the ogres.
The flames covering his body slowly drew back, gathering into enormous wings of fire on his back.
“Whoa…”
Even the ogres froze, lowering their clubs. They stared, mesmerized.
Just as Ber said, the coachman had an incredible talent for drawing attention.
He looks like a giant red ostrich, Heidi thought, both impressed and amused. Maybe more like a battle rooster. Either way, she couldn’t look away.
A sixth-circle mage in combat… this’ll be amazing, she thought.
“Bruk-sha-asana!”
The word burst out of his mouth like an incantation—and Heidi’s anticipation shattered.
The coachman pressed his palms together, raised them above his head, and bent one leg, resting his foot on the thigh of the other leg.
Like… a flamingo.
“H-how can something look that ridiculous?!”
Heidi wanted to scrub her eyes clean. She quickly covered Theo’s eyes too, for the sake of his innocent soul.
“Truly horrifying,” Ber muttered beside her, squeezing his eyes shut.
“You’ve seen something like that before?”
“…A few times on the battlefield.”
“The battlefield sounds awful.”
“It is,” he admitted wryly.
Still, whatever that strange pose was, it worked. The ogres had completely abandoned the drake and were now charging at the coachman.
He should’ve been a clown, not a coachman or a mage, Heidi thought—but then gasped.
Because his magic activated.
Between his triangle-shaped legs, a massive pillar of flame erupted upward, engulfing two ogres at once.
Fwoooosh!
The blaze roared sky-high. When it faded, two blackened heaps of charcoal remained.
“Uooohhh!”
“Grahhh!”
The remaining ogres, furious at the death of their kin, let out enraged cries and charged, gripping their clubs with both hands.
“Look out—!” Heidi cried, but Ber calmly patted her shoulder.
“Don’t worry.”
Just as an ogre’s club came down toward the coachman’s shoulder, the fiery wings on his back began to move—not with heavy flaps, but with light, butterfly-like flicks.
The coachman floated gracefully into the air, dodging the attack completely.
“Uhehehehe! Try and catch me now~!” he called playfully, circling high above their heads.
“…Strange. He’s moving so much, but I don’t feel any urge to cheer,” Theo murmured innocently.
Heidi just sighed and pressed her hands tighter over his eyes.
