"After the armored ogre attacked the village, it climbed up the rocky mountain.

　Garum the puppy said, and ran off to the rocky hill on the east side of the village.

'Dick, Cliff, go with me. Guard Garum.
"'It's here...

　The bats, Dick and Cliff, fly after Garm.
　Despite being a pup, Garm's feet are quite fast. He was climbing up the rocky mountain in a straight line.
　They looked very angry that they had been attacked in the village they were in.

We're coming with you, Odette. We're coming with you, Odette.
Yes, sir.

　I flew with Odette in my arms.
　The time is night. The moon is hiding behind a thin cloud.
　But I know where Garum is. We can't lose sight of the messenger.

"Garm has picked up the scent of an armed ogre.
What do you want to do?　Yuki.
If the enemy seems to be hiding, we'll find out where they are and let the soldiers know. As for his shield, though, I'd like to get to it first.
It's your most powerful shield against witchcraft, don't you think?
There's a saying. 'The strongest shield or the strongest contraption, who's stronger when they collide?'
'Are you talking about your holy sword?'
I don't want it to break. I don't want to use that one.

　Me and Odette fly through the air, using the trees growing on the rocky mountain as a foothold.
　I'm catching up ... and right below us is Galum the puppy.
　The bats, Dick and Cliff, are following on either side of them.

'Wow!　My God!　The scent of the enemy continues out to sea!'
"Goshujin! "The sea!　What do you need!

Did you find it? By the sea, sir?

　I landed once with Odette in my arms.
　Once again.........this time I jumped at once with double the "Boosted" and increased my altitude.

　Beyond the rocky mountains - to the inland sea, my vision widened.
　A white sail could be seen.
　I'm going to be able to find out what's going on.


''Guuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuck!


　And before that, I saw a huge shadow running down the rocky mountain.
　It's an ogre wearing a silvery yoroi.

'So that's the Armed Ogre.
'....It's big. Even for an ogre, it's pretty huge.

　The ogre doesn't know we're here.
　There is a ship on the shore with a bonfire burning.
　He was heading straight for the ship, drawn by its light.

'Why is there a ship in that place!　We don't even have a port!
The receptionist on the ferry said there's a demon on the inland sea that's running amok.

　That's why the ferry was closed to traffic.
　Because they couldn't use their normal course.

A ship from the other side of the river must have been chased by a monster and changed its course.
Yuki.....
What's up, Odette?
The flight path has changed. He's heading for the ship.
You wanna get out?
No way. But are you sure?　We didn't get asked to be part of the Adventurers' Guild, you know?
"I was just out for a walk on the rocky mountains. I ran into an armed ogre, so I fought him. Emergency evacuation.
'You're so good at finding excuses, dammit!

　Me and Odette fly straight to the inland sea.
　The sound of battle approaches.
　More than a dozen soldiers from the ship are fighting the Armed Ogre.

''Why is there such a huge demon in this place!
I've never heard of a Yoloi-clad ogre before!
Don't flinch!　Protect your daughter!

　I heard a shout.
　Perhaps in response, the ogre increased his running speed.


''Guh-ooh-ooh!


　Buh-uh.

"Huh...

　Odette let out a small scream.
Odette let out a little scream, because with a flick of her arm, two soldiers were blown away by the Armed Ogre's arm.

　When you get this close, you'll understand how terrifying Armed Ogre can be.
　He's twice the height of an adult. His arms are thicker than Odette's waist.
　In his right hand, he holds a huge club. In his left hand, he has a large, silvery shield.
　He also wears a full plate of Yoroi on his body.
　Where did he get it, an ogre-sized one?

''You said it just now. If the strongest shield and the strongest contraption collided, who would win?
Of course you do.
Which way, sir?
There's a lot of them. If you're only going to have one shield, this one will have to be an ordinary pike - an attack.

　With Odette in my arms, I took out two wands from my waist.
I drew a sigil with "Myster Blood" and let go of them, and they fly ahead of me.
　Me and Odette, Dick and Cliff, two wands.
　We have plenty of strength.

Odette, you need to calm the people on the ship. "Odette, you need to calm the people on board and give us the name of the Duke of Surrey, that should convince them.
I understand.

　I made sure Odette nodded and I dropped her down near the beach.
　When she landed on the beach, Odette's chest was heaving and she raised her voice.

'I am Odette-Slay, a sorcerer belonging to the 'Magic Guild'!　She is the eldest daughter of the Duke of Surrey!　I'm here to investigate the "Armed Ogre". My friends will assist you. Return to the ship and escape immediately!

...the daughter of the Duke of Surrey!
...Then the boy is a nobleman too?
"...where did they come from?　Don't tell me you've been flying in the sky!

　The soldiers start to make noise.

'This is Natasha-Torius, the eldest daughter of the Northern Frontier Count!

　From behind her, a petite girl appeared.
　She stumbled up to Odette and bowed her head.

My father's orders were to come here from the other side of the shore. But when we were crossing the inland sea, we were attacked by a monster that drifted ashore and washed ashore here.　No weapons, no magic works. That giant ogre!
We'll talk about it later. You must return to the ship!　We must flee to the sea!

　The girl named Natasha and the soldiers begin to follow Odette's instructions.
　It looks like we can leave it to them over there.

'Let's go, Dick, Cliff!
"Yes! "Goshujin!

　By the way, I've got another job for Garum to do.
　He's not ready for combat. I just don't want him to die.

...so this is the Armed Ogre.
"Buuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuu!

　I stood on the ground, looking up at the giant demon.
　Big.
　Much bigger than the ogre I fought in my previous life.
　There are such large demons in this era.

'Mm, it's impossible. There's no way we can defeat this thing!
Run away. Magician. You must run, too!

　There are still soldiers left around me, you know.
　Wounded men and women.
　I'd like to get away from them if I could but some of them are trapped. That can't be helped.

Let's just get this over with. Activate 'Flame Bloody Cannon'!

　I shot out a fireball from the emblem drawn on my right hand.

''Gufffff!

The "Armed Ogre" hides behind a large shield.
　The flaming bullets hit the silver-colored shield and disappeared.

''I see. I'm sure it's the same as the armor of the "Lord of the Phantoms".
"Guaaaaaah!
''Even if I tried to fight you with the Holy Sword, the other side has a longer reach. It's cumbersome.

No! Magic doesn't work!　My sorcerer was helpless, too!
'How am I going to beat him? This guy!

　Magic doesn't work, does it?
　Well, the soldier isn't wrong either.

''It certainly doesn't seem to be effective. From the front (.........)



　Do do do do do do do!


"Goo-oh!

　There was a thud, and a fireball exploded in the back of the 'Armed Ogre'.

　He turns around with only his head.
　I'm sure you'll be able to find out more about this.

''Guaaaah!

An armed ogre shields your back.

"Yes. "Efreet Bullets.
"I'm here for you!

　Do do do do do do do do!
　Don't do it, don't do it, don't do it!
　Doo-doo-doo, goo-doo, goo-doo!

"Geeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!

　The flaming bullets from three directions destroyed the Armed Ogre.

　The flaming bullets on the wings of my right hand, Dick and Cliff's wing, the efreet-blow, continue to spit out flaming bullets incessantly.
　If you point your shield at the flame bombs of me and Dick and the others, this time from your staff.
　If I blocked the flaming bullets from my staff, another flaming bullet would fly out of my blind spot.

'Geeeaaaaah!　Gaaaaaaaah!!!'

The 'Armed Ogre' yoloi cracked.
　It seems that the Yoloi did not have as much anti-magic protection as a shield.

　The main body of the Armed Ogre, which was exposed to flames from five different directions, was engulfed in flames.

'But your shield is still clean. Amazing.''
"Guaaaaaaaah!

The Armed Ogre howled.
　It runs towards me, stomping the ground.
　Realizing I'm the source of his magic.

But it's a little too late. I'm ready for a complex magical experiment.

　This is something I've been thinking about lately.
　I can draw a sigil (or two) on both hands, and I can use two magic at the same time.
　Then, what happens if you combine the emblems and activate them together...

'Flame God Blows' in the right hand and 'Earth God's Dance (Force the Earth)' in the left hand - simultaneous activation!

　I tried it anyway.
　When I put my hands close together, I heard a click.

"Guh!

　The ground shook.
The 'Force the Earth' is a magic technique that shoots stone spears out of the ground.
　But this one is different.
　Something bright red is spewing out of the ground...


　Dohhhhhhhhhh!


"Geeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!

　The spear of the red-hot rock pierced through the body of the armed ogre.
　The armed ogre's body was burned to the ground.
　The demon trembled its arms and legs and then stopped moving.

''I see, so combining two of the 'ancient magic' will change your ability?

　That's great, "Ancient Magic". There seems to be a lot of room for research.
　For example, if we combine flame-related magic with "boosted" magic...
　I'll be covered in flames and strengthened...?

...Wow. I really got to kill that ogre.
Well if there's a sorcerer like that, I'm sure the border problem will be solved in one shot.
Could you ask the princess to come to our territory............................

　I can hear the soldiers behind me.
　It's good to see you're okay.

So, the shield?

Armed Ogre's great shield was unharmed.
　The size of the shield is a little smaller than my height. It's not impossible for me to carry it.
I will contact the Magic Guild via the Adventurer's Guild and ask them to come and pick it up.

It could be an 'ancient artifact' or a replica of it.

　.... hmm?
　I looked at the ground and saw that a red crystalline body had fallen.
　When I looked above my head, I saw a hole in the heart of the Armed Ogre. It seemed to have fallen from there.
　........I'm curious.

''I'll 'hack' it later and check it out.
'Thank you for your help. Yuki.

　I turned around and saw Odette running towards me.

'Odette is the one who is tired. Thank you for evacuating the sailors.
This one wishes to thank you, my dear. The eldest daughter of House Torrius, the frontier countess who owns the territory on the other side of the river.

　A petite girl appears from behind Odette.
　She looks at me and bows her head.

'Thank you for your help. 'My sorceress.'
No, we're just passing through. We were just looking for this monster.
Still, that doesn't take away from the fact that you helped me. I would very much like to thank you for that.
Then in the morning, will you carry us to the 'town of Gazanon'?

　That big shield, it's not impossible to carry it on foot, but it's cumbersome.
　We'll take a ship.

Yes, yes. We were going to launch our own ship, so of course.
Also, it would be helpful if you guys could pretend that you were asked to take out this demon. We were attacked by this guy, and he asked us to take him out on the street.

　I asked for one more favor.
　The Adventurer's Guild won't complain if I receive an urgent request from them on the spot, and it will be easier to talk to the Magic Guild.
It would also make it easier to communicate with the Magic Guild.

''Yes. I was just about to go to King's Landing as well, so I'll tell the 'Magic Guild' about this.
You're going to King's Landing?
Yes, well it's just business, you know.

　The girl who introduced herself as Natasha-Torius laughed.

'Are you guys heading north across the inland sea?'
Yeah. I intend to.
Okay, here you go.

　The girl took the pendant off her neck and handed it to me.

''It's one of my thanks. This will come in handy for many things in Torrius territory. If you need anything, please mention Natasha-Torius' name. The rest........the rest.
No, I've had enough.
'No!　You saved my life, and no amount of thanking you will ever be enough.
That can wait. I've got some things I need to look into before morning.

"Uhh!

　At my feet, Garum the puppy barked.
　It looks like he's come back after finishing his search.

　The emblem of "Boosted" is painted on Garum's belly.
　I'm sure it was able to find what it was looking for by following the scent of an "armed ogre" in that state.

I found the place where the scent of an armed ogre is strongest!
My demons have found his lair. I'm going to go check it out.

　I said those things to Odette and Countess Natasha.