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Volume 8 Chapter 218

The Ogre Chief

I am an ogre who has lived close to a millennium.
In the past, I fought off heroes. Thrice, in fact.
It became my tale of valor.
The first encounter was about nine hundred years ago.
My body, honed over a century, deflected not only the sword of the hero but also the spells of the sage.
The hero, after fleeing from our encounter, went on to defeat the Demon Lord reigning at that time without ever facing me again.
He chose to avoid clashing with me.
Then came the second and third times, these times confronting one hero.
This happened about three hundred years ago.
During the second confrontation with a hero, I indeed dealt the final blow to the hero.
However, he resurrected and stood before me once more.
The third battle was fierce.
That hero had become unbelievably strong.
Yet, even so, I emerged victorious.
My seven hundred years of experience in combat shall not bend to a mere recipient of divine power!
It so happens though, the hero I supposedly had defeated killed the Demon Lord of that era.
Rumors circulated that this hero possessed a skill bestowed by the gods, allowing him to resurrect endlessly.
Once again, I found myself evaded by a hero.
I do not presume to be stronger than the Demon Lord.
Had the hero come to me with the strength to challenge the Demon Lord, I would have surely been defeated.
However, the hero, possessing power enough to vanquish the Demon Lord, chose to avoid facing me.
While I regret not being able to protect the Demon Lord, I gained respect from monsters and demons worldwide for dissuading the hero from battle.
And today, I received a summons from the Demon Lord.
It was Demon Lord Citri.
Citri-sama expressed a desire to recruit several members of our tribe into the Demon Lord’s army.
Though none are as formidable as I yet, the elite individuals I have trained since childhood are ready.
With confidence, I decided to send them forth. They are sure to serve Citri-sama and the Evil God well.
Afterward, Citri-sama extended an invitation for me to join the ranks of the Demon Lord’s officers.
I was delighted.
For she had called upon me, who once failed to protect the past Demon Lord.
However, I couldn’t simply reply with, 『Yes, gladly!』.
My pride, having repelled the hero thrice, wouldn’t allow it, so I humbly declined.
In response, Citri-sama expressed her intention to build the strongest Demon Lord’s army in history and reserved a seat among its officers for me.
Tears threatened to fall.
I resolved to dedicate my life to her.
And that vow would soon be put into action.
As I went outside to intstaffuce the youths of our village to Citri-sama, there it stood.
I couldn’t believe I hadn’t noticed its immense magical presence until now.
It was the monster that had slaughtered our entire tribe.
The guards, the warriors, even my sons.
All their traces vanished.
Its words were undoubtedly true.
Though consumed by hatred, catching sight of Citri-sama in the corner of my eye, I regained composure.
I must protect Citri-sama from this monster!!
I lunged at it.
Since fighting off the hero three centuries ago, I never ceased my training.
Perhaps it was all for today, to protect Citri-sama.
The monster easily withstood my full-force blow.
Through our melee, I came to understand.
Even with the resilience of an ogre, I alone couldn’t stand against it, and that I would be killed here.
It was undoubtedly a monster.
Its swordsmanship seemed inferior to mine, honed over a millennium.
Yet, there was an ingrained efficiency in its technique, as if it had slaughtered ten thousands of monsters.
How did such a seemingly underage humanoid acquire such swordsmanship? I was curious.
In addition to its swordsmanship, there was the jet-black staff it wielded.
This proved to be a nuisance.
My beloved blade, forged from orichalcum, was shattered by that staff with a single strike.
I had acquired the sword when I had defeated an adventurer who had attacked me in the past.
The sword, which had withstood my power for hundreds of years without a single chip, was shattered without a second thought.
However, I can strengthen my body, I can make it harder than an orichalcum.
I discarded the handle, now useless, and focused my strength into my fists to strike at it.
The monster, using its jet-black staff, continued to parry my blows which would have even shattered mithril.
Occasionally, I was struck by the staff, causing immense pain. Perhaps, anyone else would die from a single blow.
While I desperately fought, Citri-sama had yet to attempt to flee.
No, she couldn’t flee.
There was someone obstructing Citri-sama’s teleportation to the Demon Realm.
There were two monsters.
I somehow managed to create an opening and fled from the monsters. I forcibly embraced Citri-sama, hoping she forgives me, as this is an emergency.
Although something soft was pressed against my hand, it’s too late for any desires to arise now.
Besides, while Citri-sama may be older, she feels more like a grandchild to me.
As her grandpa, I will definitely protect Citri-sama!
After distancing ourselves considerably from their presence, I released her into the sky.
If anyone could escape, it would be the daemon Citri.
—Or so I thought, a miscalculation on my part.
Another monster appeared behind Citri-sama, who was suspended in the air.
She had her wings sliced, causing her to fall, and I hastily caught her.
And now, Citri-sama and I are surrounded by five monsters.
I thought it was over.
Five monsters, each stronger than me at full strength.
The monsters began conversing as they surrounded Citri-sama and me.
At that moment, I felt Citri-sama’s magical power surge.
That’s right, Citri-sama hasn’t revealed her true strength yet!
I hurriedly stopped her. If she were serious, she could defeat and escape from these monsters if there were fewer than two.
For now, we must endure.
That’s the decision I made.
I would come to regret stopping Citri-sama at this moment, more than anything else.
「Good work. Couldn’t tame a monster even with five clones?」
The leader of the monsters appeared.