Ogre General Hunting
Today was the day to gather Ogre Magic Stones.
It was our Magic Stone collection day every other week.
I even took a day off from work, so I’m only at the shop three days a week.
The other two days, Tanya and Jenna take care of the shop.
Jenna initially followed me, but her fighting style was, well, too specialized for one-on-one combat.
Her swordsmanship was so precise that it was not suitable for hunting monsters.
So, she usually stays in the city with Tanya, guarding my shop.
Now, we have arrived at the usual Ogre habitat, but something seemed off.
It was unusually quiet, and the air felt tense.
Talat and the members of the Wildcat Claws were on alert, ready for any monsters that might jump out.
What could be happening?
Even as we ventured into the forest, we didn’t encounter any monsters.
It felt as if something has gone terribly wrong.
“Keuko, should we cancel today’s hunt?”
“No, Lady Lily, I’m concerned about putting you in danger, but I’d like to investigate a bit more. The strange state of the forest up to this point can’t be ignored.”
“Please don’t worry too much about me. Talat will protect me if anything happens. Let’s continue the investigation, then.”
We continue walking deeper into the forest.
Occasionally, we came across the remains of animals that have been ravaged, but we didn’t find much else.
However, Akumi continued to move forward without hesitation, indicating that she must have found something.
Eventually, Akumi gave the signal to stop, and we all came to a halt.
“… There’s a group of Ogres up ahead, including not only the regular ones but also some higher-ranking ones. What shall we do?”
Higher-ranking Ogres…
So, that means there could be an Ogre King among them, at worst.
If it doesn’t devolve into a chaotic fight, we should be able to wipe them out with my magic.
So, there’s no need to think too much about it.
“Let’s take them down. The city is close from here.”
“Understood. Could we have Talat create a barrier with his threads to isolate the area?”
Talat agreed to the plan and continued to advance while wrapping threads around the trees in the forest.
He completed the encirclement around the area where the Ogres had gathered.
Once the encirclement was in place, Akumi checked the Ogres’ condition from a high tree.
“The higher-ranking Ogres include 5 Generals, 12 Knights, and 7 Magicians. There are also quite a few High Ogres mixed in. It’s a bit challenging to count the total number of Ogres.”
“Hmm. The Ogre Generals may have escaped from our previous encounter with the Ogre King. The numbers of Knights and Magicians don’t seem too high. Now, we need to think about how to deal with their subordinates.”
“Let’s start with a preemptive strike using my and Tomoa’s magic. We’ll cast weaker spells this time to leave some materials behind.”
“That sounds good. When the Ogres’ movements are halted, we’ll charge in. Tomoa, make sure to protect Miss Lily.”
“Understood.”
“Alright, let’s begin the operation.”
Tomoa and I raised our staffs and gathered magic power.
The Ogres had gathered in an open area of the forest, but to prevent the forest from catching fire due to the wide range of our attacks, I used water magic, and Tomoa used ice magic.
My water magic could easily pierce through the Ogres, but Tomoa couldn’t.
Whether it was due to a difference in magic power or imagination, I wasn’t sure, but once my water magic hit, Tomoa followed up with her ice magic, freezing them.
“Here we go! Aqua Lance!”
“Ice Spear!”
Our magic was unleashed.
The regular Ogres were easily pierced and fell to the ground.
The higher-ranking individuals seemed to have some defenses in place and weren’t taking too much damage.
However, I estimated that we had wiped out most of them, at least up to the High Ogres.
Then, Keuko and her team attacked the surviving higher-ranking Ogres.
The magicians, armed with a staff, were the top priority and were quickly shot down by Akumi’s arrows.
The remaining higher-ranking Ogres sustained arrow wounds one after another.
Uhina engaged an Ogre Knight, using her shield to protect herself while striking, ensuring a clean kill.
Keuko confronted an Ogre General, engaging in a close combat battle, deflecting the General’s axe and cutting it down.
Tomoa and I provided support while trying not to draw too much attention.
The battle lasted about an hour, and the area was now filled with Ogre corpses.
“… Isn’t this going to take a while to dismantle?”
“Moreover, we need to report the appearance of higher-ranking Ogres like the Ogre Generals to the Adventurers’ Guild. Let’s send Akumi to the Guild, and in the meantime, we’ll dismantle the Ogres as much as possible. Tomorrow, adventurers will likely be dispatched for further investigation.”
“So we can’t head home today? Let’s just consider the number of Magic Stones we obtained as a win.”
That day, we dismantled the Ogres to the extent that was possible, extracting materials and Magic Stones.
The remaining unnecessary parts were incinerated. T
he next day, with the help of adventurers brought by Akumi, we disposed of all the Ogres, and we decided it was time to head back.
The Guild Master of the Adventurers’ Guild said something, but I didn’t pay it much attention.
We had already shared half of the materials, like Ogre Knights and Ogre Magicians, so they shouldn’t complain.
After all, I’m a Copper-ranked merchant.