第４５７堀：裏方の裏方の裏方の仕事 (Part1)
Chapter 457: The Work of the Behind-the-Scenes of the Behind-the-Scenes
Side: Mauve
We were still hanging out at the inn, idly watching the moon in the night sky as we stood by.
"Man, why are we even doing this..."
Spending another day without a drink, just waiting around until the operation is complete—it’s agonizing.
"Sigh. They’re probably tearing the castle apart searching for them right about now..."
"Just be patient. We can't afford to make a move."
"Exactly. We have our own responsibilities, like coordinating with the Adventurer's Guild to search for the missing persons points. Let's focus on that."
"I guess so..."
I understand what Raiya is saying. If it ever got out that we adventurers were involved, it could easily turn into a problem for the entire guild. That’s why it’s more efficient to use people like Kirika, whose background is a mystery, or Steve, who can be passed off as a monster intrusion.
And as Curse said, we have the search for the missing adventurers to handle. We have to cooperate with the guild, so lending a hand in this other mess would be problematic. Yuki specifically told us that finding the missing adventurers is a top priority, as it might be an entirely separate incident. Since we’re the best ones for that job, we can’t just go running off.
"Still, we’ve got no luck. Back during the Noble incident, we just ended up dealing with Rosetta and her crew."
That time was brutal. I thought Yuki was going to do something insane, so I used a "bad feeling" as an excuse to drag Rosetta and the others away from the royal capital to train. Nothing happened, and Rosetta just laughed at me.
*“Ahahaha!! Has your intuition gone dull, Mauve? Well, at least the training was decent.”*
I was so embarrassed.
"It’s fine, isn't it? Nothing bad happened, after all."
"That's true. And honestly, I’d rather avoid being on the front lines or acting as the main combat force anyway."
"But still. Ever since the demi-human village, we’ve been stuck doing the work of the behind-the-scenes of the behind-the-scenes..."
*BOOM!!*
Just as I was about to keep complaining, a thunderous roar echoed from outside the window. We immediately tensed up.
"What was that? Doesn't sound like it's nearby."
"Yeah, it’s a distant sound."
"Could it be from the castle?"
For a second, I thought Kirika or Steve had been exposed, but it didn't seem that way. I could see a plume of dust rising from a direction different from the castle. I was glad the moon was out tonight.
"That direction... it’s the Adventurer's Guild."
"You're right. A fight broke out?"
"At this hour? Surely not."
It was already late enough that even the taverns had taken down their signs. Almost no one was awake.
"...What do we do?"
"For now, it doesn't look like our cover is blown."
"Hmm. With a commotion this big, anyone with a shred of nerve will be awake. Let’s go check it out. We might need to inform Kirika and Steve if the situation has changed."
We reached a consensus and contacted Yuki.
*“Understood. Try to grasp the situation. Don’t push yourselves too hard.”*
"Got it."
After a brief explanation and getting the go-ahead, we immediately headed for the Adventurer's Guild, but...
"...This is strange."
"Yeah. There isn't a soul around."
"Nobody woke up despite all that noise?"
For some reason, there wasn't a single person on the streets. If anything, it felt like a typical night. A bad feeling gnawed at me, but we kept running toward the guild. And when we finally arrived...
"Damn it! What is this thing?! This Ogre!!"
"Give everyone back!! Why isn't anyone coming to help?!"
Two adventurers were fighting with their backs to the partially destroyed guild building, clashing with a black Ogre carrying a massive sack. From the way human hands were dangling out of the bag, were they stuffed inside? Why would it do something like that?
Wait, no. Forget that for now...
"...Hmph!!"
I started with a surprise attack, aiming to sever the arm holding that giant sack!!
*Slash!!*
"Gugah!?"
I crossed paths with the black Ogre for a split second and managed to cut the arm, but it accurately tracked my presence and immediately swung its club at me.
*Tch.* I hadn't killed my momentum yet. Being able to keep up with this speed—this is no ordinary monster.
"Raiya!!"
"I know!"
Raiya followed up immediately, thrusting her spear to deflect the club.
...Just a deflection? It’s rare to find someone who can keep their weapon after clashing with Raiya; usually, only people like Yuki can do that. This opponent was more troublesome than I thought.
Well, Curse had already used magic to secure the main prize—the giant sack—before it hit the ground, and he was already retreating.
"Y-you guys are!!"
"Mauve-san!!"
They seemed to be from the guild and recognized my face.
"Yo. Looks like things have gotten pretty flashy here."
"Y-yeah! This Ogre just suddenly appeared!!"
"Yeah!! For some reason, nobody else woke up, just us..."
"Talk later. First, we take down this black Ogre."
Raiya began her assault, but the Ogre deflected every single strike with its club. Man, being able to parry Raiya’s spear like that... it’s truly impressive. Still, since I’d already cut off one of its arms, it was forced onto the defensive.
"A-alright!! We’ll help too!!"
"Y-yeah!! We can't let you guys do all the work, Mauve-san!!"
*Oh, crap.* The two adventurers moved to provide support, but the level gap was just too wide. They’d get themselves killed. They’d survived this long; no need to throw their lives away now.
"You two, get back! Help Curse look after the people in the bag! We’ll handle this guy!"
"U-understood!!"
"Please, take care of it!!"
The moment I said that, Raiya’s spear was knocked aside with force, and she leaped back to my side.
"Tch."
"It was aiming for them after all, wasn't it?"
"Grrrrr..."
The black Ogre glared at us with resentment. The troublesome thing about the Ogre species is their immense strength and vitality, but they also possess astonishing regenerative abilities. The wound Raiya had inflicted was closing at a visible rate.
Well, there’s a limit. A normal Ogre would eventually succumb to blood loss if you kept hacking at it, as its regeneration wouldn't keep up. It wouldn't be that difficult.
But what compensates for that regeneration is food. By eating, they fuel their regenerative powers. Experts say they use magic to facilitate that regeneration, so they likely absorb mana through consumption. That’s why it was targeting those two adventurers. It figured if it ate them, it could handle us.
That’s why, in the Adventurer's Guild, you need a certain level of skill to even accept a subjugation quest for these things. If it were just us, we’d aim for the head and end it in one strike. But this black Ogre didn't seem like it would go down that easily.
"How many times did you aim for it?"