Remember her words clearly.
I need to do my job properly so I can complain later to that idiot aniki who made such a sloppy plan.
But what did she just say?
Something about being called from another place.
That means summoning magic.
「So you were summoned from a different world?」
「That’s the story. Honestly, my original world was way worse than this one, so I don’t mind being called here. But every day is boring. All I want… is to fight. A hot, blood-boiling fight to the death!」
I’d really prefer to pass on battle-maniac talk like that.
A monster with such a huge body… in games, wouldn’t that be an ogre or a troll?
The name might not match exactly, but since dragons exist here, it’s possible.
「You’re not actually called an ogre or troll, right?」
「……」
She glares fiercely.
Okay… still haven’t wet myself.
「Knowing about ogres means… like Yaju said, you’re not from this world, are you?」
「Lucky guess.」
「……Whatever. I don’t care about the complicated stuff. Do what you want.」
She switches the hand holding me, gripping my left arm tightly with her right fingers.
「Even held like this, your ribs don’t break… you’re surprisingly sturdy.」
「What are you…?」
「……I’ll say it again. Call her. You have some way to summon her, right? Your watchdog.」
「No. She’s usually left alone.」
「Call her.」
Pressure squeezes my left arm harder.
My bones scream all at once.
It hurts.
It hurts beyond words.
「Call her.」
「……I won’t.」
‘Crack’
A clear, sharp sound comes from my left arm.
「Gah! A… aaaahhh!」
「Hurts, doesn’t it? I put enough force to crush it, but breaking hurts, right? I’ll keep snapping bones until you call your watchdog. We just need you alive when we take you. Arms and legs don’t need to work for that.」
「Haaaaaaaahhh!」
She touches the broken spot and fresh agony floods through me.
Tears spill out uncontrollably.
It hurts… burns with pain.
「Come on, call her.」
Something inside me feels like it’s about to snap.
It hurts that much.
But… Noie’s heart has been hurt even worse than this!
「I’d rather die than call her! You monster woman!!」
「……Still got spirit, huh? Then next I’ll crush your shoulder.」
「Bring it!」
She grabs my left shoulder,
‘Pop!’
Her left arm suddenly explodes.
-0-
「Wow～. First time I’ve seen someone bigger than me～」
With a surprisingly lighthearted tone, sharp arrows fly straight toward the ogre.
But she catches one with her right hand… and it bursts apart.
-0-
「Who do I bill these expenses to?」
「……Just send it to idiot aniki.」
「Argusta-sama!! You’re in shreds!!」
Lutte, the busty girl, jumps down from her horse and hurries over with her bow still at the ready.
The broken bones are from that thing, but the shredded clothes are definitely from the point-blank exploding spell arrows.
「Where are Frea-san and Mische?」
「Frea-senpai is bringing subordinates from the standby post. Mische-senpai and I rode ahead on horseback, but… things are way different from what we heard, right?」
「Send that complaint to muscle aniki too.」
Lutte, looking furious as she nocks an arrow, finally notices the slowly rising opponent and freezes in shock.
She hit it with two spell arrows, each capable of one-shotting a small dragon with a good hit, and it’s barely fazed.
「Argusta-sama! What is that monster?!」
「……You in ten years.」
「That’s a lie! If I end up looking like that, I’ll be as hopelessly single as Mische-senpai!!」
Is that really what you’re worried about right now?
I desperately try to stand, but a coughing fit chokes me as blood rises in my throat.
My mouth tastes like nothing but iron.
「You’re low on calcium～」
「Stop saying weird stuff. What’s the next plan?」
「There isn’t one. Where’s Mische?」
Last resort: use Mische as bait and run.
But the bait isn’t here.
「Senpai got off her horse midway to help the struggling knights.」
「She’s planning to sell them favors and force a relationship.」
「No… she’s planning to force a marriage.」
Knights, run for your lives～!
I manage to stand somehow… but we’re still at a disadvantage.
「How many spell arrows left?」
「This is the last one I’m nocking.」
「Go get more.」
「We’re out of stock!! Complain to Frea-senpai’s boyfriend if you want!!」
Ah. He actually exists.
I’d like to meet him someday.
The ogre stands up, brushing off dust all over her body… wait, is it getting bigger?
「It looks like it got bigger?」
「What a coincidence. I thought the same.」
「My gut is screaming to run right now.」
「Haha. Mine too.」
This is bad.
The monster in front of us is way beyond anything we can handle even if we push ourselves to the limit.
And I’m dead weight dragging them down.
「What fun toys you are. Onee-san… might have gotten a little heated.」
「Lutte. This is your fault.」
「How can you say that to the subordinate who came to save you?!」
I can say it as much as I want.
The ogre cracks its knuckles ‘baki baki’ and takes one step forward.
If this keeps up, we’re done for.
「……What’s this? Coming on your own without being called? Your watchdog.」
「Eh?」
Its gaze shifts away from us.
We follow it… and there, in the distance, stands a white figure.
Univance’s pride, the continent’s top Dragon Slayer, is really here.
Why?
I didn’t call her… why is Noie here?
「Noie, no! Don’t come」
A clot of blood rises and chokes my voice.
As I drop to my knees like it’s a signal… a white flash streaks straight toward the ogre.
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