[INDEF. HIATUS] Regrets and Wishes: One More Chance

Chapter 18 - The Ogres

A little bit alteration for the 16th chapter in accordance with this chapter: I erased the part where it said that Ciel would negotiate with the village's lord. It might be only one line or one sentence, but the effect is actually significant for this chapter.

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第18章　大鬼族（オーガ）

The sky is slowly turning orange.

In a village located at the southwest direction of Lake Siss, lives there one of superior races inside the Great Forest of Jura. An informal collection of clans, together forming a kind of battle-fort home to three hundred—that is the ogres' home.

For a monster village, the ogres' village is already very decent. Their surroundings are clear from filth. Some grasses and bushes have cleanly been cut to create footpaths which connect nearly every house there is.

Their village could be said to be comparable to human villages. Their houses are not simple shacks or shelters like what most of lower-ranked monsters have. Their houses are built from woods and already having a carefully-planned design with each room having its own dedicated functions.

In fact, around four hundred years ago, there once lived alongside them a group of actual human warriors from unknown origin. The warriors came to the ogres' homeland, heavily wounded and seemingly lost in the forest.

By that point, the ogres were a belligerent bunch, more akin to monsters than they were now. But even then, they didn't attack the defenceless. The villagers were suspicious, but the chief warmly welcomed them. The ogres were a high-level race, not too preoccupied about food, so they took care of them.

The warriors were thankful for this. Around the same time, a lesser dragon was rampaging in the forest. Someone among the warriors defeated the dragon as a proof of their gratitude.

They then instructed the ogres in battle techniques and gifted their armour to them. One among them knew how to forge katana-style weapons, and after a long trial-and-error process, they succeeded in producing large number of weapons.

As a superior race, they undoubtedly possess a high level of intellect. It is proven by how they are able to keep their tradition going even after generations, after hundreds of years. Their strength obviously cannot be looked down at either. All of them combined are as strong as a small nation's knight corps—a force equivalent to three thousand fighters trained to the level of B-minus rank.

One can describe these ogres' life style as militaristic. The clans hold battle trainings with each other on a regular basis. Occasionally, they also join this or that side to assist other races when they fall into conflict with their neighbours.

They live as de facto mercenaries. Some of the clans had left some notable marks in the history, forming vanguard forces for one demon lord or another. All of the ogres here, who are currently living in this village, are descended from them.

They've been enjoying a long era of peace, rarely undisturbed by any kind of conflicts. To them, the monsters of the forest were nowhere near challenging enough. And as of late, they haven't even had any rampaging lesser dragons to deal with.

The ogres are doing the usual activities that they would be doing around these times, until an uninvited person comes to the village. He is wearing a beaked mask, a white robe, and a white hat. His left hand was holding a cane.

Some village guards who notice him immediately spring into action, drawing and pointing their swords at him. "Who are you?!"

"I'm the Great Majin Gelmud," the person declares. "I've come to request an audience with your chief."