Tricia the ogre waits for her regeneration to finish.
She’s confident in her self-healing, but compared to her opponent’s, it’s overwhelmingly inferior.
No matter how broken her body gets, she’s certain she can keep fighting.
That’s only natural for an ogre.
Cowering isn’t in their nature.
Even so… the way that doll-like girl keeps shedding tears with the exact same blank expression is somehow terrifying.
(Am I… intimidated by her?)
The thought sends shivers of intense excitement through her whole body.
Five years in this boring world… and finally, a worthy target has appeared.
Back in her original world, she was a dominant force.
A heretic, yes, but she crushed others with sheer strength and ruled them.
Now, a girl who looks like nothing more than an ordinary human stands against her.
In a situation like this, it would be strange not to feel thrilled.
「What’s wrong?! Univance’s monster! Come on… let’s kill each other!!」
She channels power through her entire body and steps forward, only to reflexively retreat.
Why did she back away?
The only answer she can give is the bizarre aura in those eyes.
The red-black eyes spilling tears… they’re swaying strangely.
(What is that gaze?)
An indescribable presence.
The red-black pupils tremble so violently it feels like they might start spinning any second.
Tricia instinctively raises her guard.
Then,
「Hehe… ahahahaha」
The doll starts laughing.
Like a broken toy.
-0-
What’s happening?
In front of her, trembling with pain, Noie turns her back.
But something’s different.
This version of her is… wrong.
What is it?
The eerie laughter doesn’t matter.
Maybe some days are just like that.
The full-body trembling could just be her body rejecting the unfamiliar smile.
What’s different?
…Ah. The ahoge is gone.
The emotional barometer, the little antenna-like hair that always reveals her feelings, is completely missing.
「Argusta-sama! Captain’s acting weird!!」
Lutte bursts out from the bushes, supporting my body as she shouts.
「Yeah… the antenna hair on her head is gone.」
「That’s what you’re noticing?! She’s laughing!! Captain is laughing!!」
Don’t shake me so hard! My arm… my arm…
「Let’s get out of here first. Where’s the horse?」
「I’m calling it, but it’s not coming back anytime soon.」
She keeps blowing her finger whistle to summon the horse, but with those two staring each other down, it’s probably hopeless.
What do I do? Should we stay put or, 『Run. Right now.』
Lutte reacts to the voice too.
Right, she has a blessing as well.
『That’s Fashi. Blood-soaked Fashi. If she comes out, you two will become targets too.』
What kind of whim is this? Trying to save me… even though she hates me?
『Yes. I hate you. A lot. But… if you die now, it’ll be inconvenient for me.』
「Um… Argusta-sama?」
Is the voice reaching Lutte too as she peeks at me worriedly?
Whatever. Not important right now.
What happened to Noie’s hair? Why did it disappear?
『…That was a seal. Someone used her hair as a toy and carved it in on a whim.』
A seal?
『Yes. And now it’s broken. The current her… could easily destroy this entire kingdom.』
Please save the bad jokes for my idiot aniki’s sloppy plans.
I force myself to stand through the pain, and Lutte catches the hesitant horse that finally arrives.
『Bring her back to her senses. If you truly love her.』
The voice fades away unilaterally, the presence retreating into the distance.
「Argusta-sama? Um…」
「By the authority of the former prince, forget everything you just heard. If you spill a word, I’ll pull strings from every direction to make sure you never get married.」
「……The horse is back. Let’s run.」
She says it with a strangely refreshed smile.
Do girls in this world really care that much about marriage?
Dizzy from the sharp pain in my left arm, I let Lutte push my butt to help me onto the horse… and then I see it.
Noie is laughing as she walks.
The ogre is purely on the defensive.
Every time Noie gets close, the ogre’s skin bursts open and fresh blood sprays out.
She can’t get near.
But the ogre plants her feet, twists her upper body, and swings a fist.
The skin on her clenched fist tears open, blood flies… yet the punch keeps its momentum and slams into Noie.
Noie is blown backward but just keeps laughing. Laughing and laughing.
That… isn’t Noie.
It’s not the Noie I know.
「Argusta-sama. What do we do?」
Lutte straddles the horse behind me, gripping the reins, frozen in indecision.
The real captain is over there in that state, and like it or not, I’m the highest-ranking person here.
More than that, if we stay nearby, she can’t go all out.
「Let’s run.」
「Is that really okay?」
「If I call Noie, she’ll come no matter what.」
「Then」
The moment she starts to turn the horse, I’m hit with a violent impact from the side and tumble off the saddle.
「You’re not getting away. Just die quietly over there. Jeez… things were finally getting fun.」
「Kuh…」
「Argusta-sama!!」
「Don’t come back! Keep going!!」
I shout at her as she hesitates, reins in hand, trying to turn around.
After a brief moment of wavering, Lutte urges the horse forward and gallops away.
This is fine.
If no soldiers are heading this way from the capital, I’ll raise hell with every department later.
Tasting blood in my mouth again… I’m gripped with terrifying strength.
「How about this?! Can you cut your beloved master to pieces?!」
「……Probably.」
「What?」
「Because that’s not Noie anymore.」
At the same instant, searing pain rips across my back.
「Aaaahhh!!」
「You still sane?!」
The ogre pulls her arm back, so only a few shallow cuts land.
Probably some kind of spell.
Knowing that doesn’t help, I have no way to counter it.
「Ahaha… everyone should just die. Everyone. Everyone. Everyone should be sliced up and die.」
The thing that looks like Noie laughs madly, sending invisible blades flying in every direction.
This is it… I’m dead, but none of them reach me.
「What a monster. That’s your wife…? Must be fun every day.」
「Yeah. Pretty fun, actually….Though right now it’s a bit much.」
「Don’t take my sarcasm literally.」
The ogre, shielding me, coughs up a thick clot of blood.
It’s fine.
Getting that spat on my head from above… you know?
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