BSS 38

Chapter 38

“Wait, wa—”

It was far too difficult for me to push my way forward through the mass of muscular men.

Kenta didn’t seem fazed by the thing wrapped around his neck. On the contrary, in that brief moment, he slipped his hand between his neck and Rai’s.

Veins bulged across Kenta’s shoulders and forehead.

His thick muscles twitched, but Rai had no intention of letting go.

Until now, Rai had been holding back, but this time he seemed genuinely angry.

“Stop, Rai. That’s enough!”

My voice didn’t reach him, so I had no choice but to shout.

Just as Kenta’s face showed signs of panic, Rai lost his strength at my urgent restraint and dropped to the ground.

Then, twisting his body in frustration, he rolled across the dirt.

“Grah! You bear-like brute! I’ll kill you for sure!”

Every time Rai struck the ground with his tail, the earth sank in.

Eventually, Rai couldn’t contain his anger and rolled everywhere. A wooden bucket was smashed to pieces by his body slam.

People widened their eyes and fled to avoid him.

“Sorry, Rai.”

I never imagined he would actually try to eat him.

The mercenaries had joked, saying, “That snake looks tasty,” but I thought it was just a joke.

At night, I fell asleep beside Anel. But having lived in a fairly comfortable lifestyle until now, the borrowed sleeping bag smelled stuffy and foul, making it hard to sleep.

The flickering fire outside the thin tent, left by the night watch, only made it worse.

As I kept tossing and turning, I realized Rai had crawled into the sleeping bag.

“Rai!”

“Why?”

He seemed to be sulking, speaking briefly.

“Short answers, huh?”

“…Why do you ask, Master?”

“You’re angry, aren’t you? Because I keep telling you to hold back?”

“No, Master, it’s just… you scold me all the time, let that bear-like human torment me without saying a word… and you fuss over only the useless Undine… always telling me to shut up… and… and! Sob.”

If it’s not that, then what is all that complaint attached to the end?

Rai was surprisingly petty. After living over ten thousand years, why would he still act like this?

He was also extremely jealous whenever I showed favoritism to other spirits.

This little guy had no sense of age whatsoever.

I decided to show a bit of kindness, holding Rai in my arms and gently patting his head.

“Rai, you know how much I care about you, right? We’re always together. That’s what it means to be like family.”

“Like family…?”

“And as for enduring Kenta’s harassment, I have to put up with it because I owe this mercenary group a lot. It’s not like I want to endure it for my own sake.”

“I’m enduring it a lot, not just a little.”

“Hmph, and it’s a misunderstanding that I only fuss over Undine. She’s young, so naturally I take care of her more, right?”

“Undine’s not a kid…”

I tried to soothe him, but Rai muttered his complaints softly.

“Undine is a child. Can’t you tell at a glance?”

“Undine, that little water-drop fellow, must be at least thirty this year.”

What? How old?

“Thirty? Three years?”

“Thirty! Ten times three.”

Did I hear that right? I poked my ear briefly with my pinky.

“No way, really?”

“To be summoned from the Spirit Realm to the Intermediate Realm, they have to be at least that old. Newborns can’t even cross over.”

“Undine is thirty?!”

So cute… and she’s thirty?!

“Yes. Very young spirits can’t adapt to the murky nature of the Intermediate Realm and are clumsy with their skills. Also, a newly born lower spirit could never surpass an experienced one to form a contract.”

“Shocking…”

“Eh? What did you say, Genie?”

“Nothing, sister!”

I quickly swallowed the words I had muttered in surprise. It seemed Anelia had woken up because of me.

“Don’t be fooled by appearances, Master! Undine is the most insufferable—she monopolizes your love by acting cute!”

“So… what’s the usual lifespan of an Undine?”

“…A few hundred years?”

“…Then thirty is still a kid.”

“That’s true, but…”

Rai was trying to drive a wedge between me and Undine!

Even though Undine’s innocent face didn’t match the age of thirty, I realized it made sense—Rai was over ten thousand years old, and Undine at thirty was still just a baby.

I had to admit, I was feeling a bit of self-congratulatory relief.

“That’s forgivable. Undine is cute.”

“Master, isn’t that discrimination! You called me old!”

Rai’s head popped out of the sleeping bag to protest, right in front of me. But thirty compared to ten thousand was incomparable.

I quickly shoved Rai’s head back into the bag so Anel wouldn’t see.

“Don’t poke your head out! Anel won’t like it if you sleep with the snake!”

“That’s too much! Did I choose to look like this?!”

“What now?”

“I hated this body from the start! There are dogs and cats, why a snake?! It’s all your fault, Master! Take responsibility! Sob! I’m confident I’d be cute too!”

I had tried to lighten the mood, but Rai had accumulated so much frustration with me. Spirits are so difficult to please.

Why do they complain when snakes are cute?

“Waaah.”

“Hey, stop crying! It’s noisy.”

“You’re too harsh, Master!”

“Shut up! Today’s kindness is over.”

“…Huh, when did you do that? I didn’t notice!”

“Just now, it brushed past. Customer.”

Enough sleep. I patted Rai’s head roughly.

Of course, spirits don’t sleep, but still.

So Rai did a good job keeping watch and handling the intercom.

“Today was tiring. Sitting in the cart makes my tail hurt.”

“But Master?”

“Hm? You’re sleeping, so…”

I was exhausted from the unfamiliar travel and consecutive nights outdoors. As soon as I closed my eyes, sleep came quickly.

“Do you like ogres?”

I wondered what nonsense he was spouting when suddenly—

“Emergency!”

A piercing bell rang violently, jolting me awake.

It was the signal for monsters appearing.

“Monster! Emergency! Everyone, rise!”

I muttered a short curse under my breath while Anel was already up, donning protective gear with incredible speed. I couldn’t even keep up with my eyes.

“Genie! Get outside the tent!”

“Huh?”

“Hurry!”

In my pajamas, Anel dragged me outside.

Outside, mercenaries had already taken defensive positions after hearing the bell.

How do they know the ogre is coming? I mean, I have Rai…

“Three o’clock direction!”

Birds flew from the forest, and a nearby night watch shouted immediately.

“Form up!”

“There!”

Anel quickly shoved me under the cart. I rolled under, nodding frantically as she gave instructions.

“Hide there, and if it gets dangerous, escape that way. Got it?”

“Yes, yes.”

“Do not make a sound!”

Anel left to confront the ogre, wielding sharp twin swords.

“Grrraah!”

With a roar that shook the ground, the ogre smashed trees with its massive body.

Lying flat on the ground, I felt every vibration vividly—the earth, the sound, the wind.

I’d seen orcs before, but this was my first ogre. It was three times larger than I imagined.

Next to it, a cow would look like a puppy.

I couldn’t help but marvel.

“Wow… so big…”

[Even for an ogre, it’s huge.]

If even Rai admits it’s big, this was no ordinary ogre.

Ogres are extremely powerful monsters, usually living alone and ruling the forest as kings.

Judging by its size, this might truly be the king of this area. To it, we were just rude intruders.

“Form ranks!”

“Kenta! Where are you?! Anel! This way! Everyone, hurry!”

Amid the chaos, the loudest and busiest was Captain Shabel, usually thought to boss people around unnecessarily.

He commanded the team with precision, and they quickly took their positions, weapons raised.

Mercenaries, huh. They seemed chaotic but were united when needed.

Different from the well-drilled knights.

[Rai, do monsters appear this often? Orcs appear a lot too.]

[This is actually mild. Before, it was worse. Traveling in the mountains, we’d encounter monster groups every few hours.]

[…You mean, almost ten thousand years ago?]

[That’s right.]

“Hmm…”

This happens often and looks very dangerous. No wonder the king regularly forms monster-hunting teams.

“Watch out!”

Every swing of the ogre’s hand sent people flying.

Ogres are known for incredible strength. Compared to orcs, the difference is like dogs versus tigers.

Orcs can be handled by a single strong warrior, but ogres require a team to hunt.

Monster studies from class are useful to estimate survival chances.

“Don’t we look at a disadvantage?”

[Crossing the mountains carries risks. Plus, it’s a full moon, when monsters become aggressive.]

“…Can you tell me something hopeful?”

A purple moon shone clearly in the sky.

Should I stay hidden here? The ogre was approaching. I needed to avoid it.

I understood why Anel had brought me outside.

The ogre easily stomped on the tents. If I’d been inside…

My body shivered uncontrollably.

Should I run? Stay hidden? I seriously considered my options when the ogre suddenly leapt into the air.

It jumped so high that its dark silhouette seemed etched against the moon.

An ominous feeling.

And my premonition was correct. When the ogre hit the ground, I smelled the foul stench typical of carnivorous monsters.

“Why!”

At me!