Master and Slaves

Hearing Muriel’s voice at my back, I ran from that spot.

With my left hand I drew the greatsword Destroyer from my back, and with my right hand the one-handed sword from my left hip.

“Uooooooohhh!!!!”

Raising a war cry I charged into the group of ogres.

Spreading both arms like wings, I slashed at the ogres on left and right as I drew.

The greatsword on the left easily slashed an ogre and cut it in two, but because the one-handed sword on the right did not have a sharp blade, rather than cutting it became a form of striking.

I did knock down the ogre on the right as well, but I got caught and my speed and momentum were killed, and I spun clockwise on the spot.

I braced my feet and stopped the spin.

That place was the middle of the pack of ogres.

Looking around, several dozen ogres had surrounded me.

Since my purpose was to keep these guys from approaching Harold and the others, well, I had succeeded for the time being.

And after that I only had to defeat these guys, but…

“…A bit many… maybe?”

I muttered to myself looking at the ogres slowly closing in.

Their height was more than twice mine, and a muscular build to match was visible.

They wore almost no armor, but they gripped clubs as thick as my torso in their right hands.

Those sinewy giants looked like a wall with no entrance or exit.

…However, I would manage somehow.

I licked my lips, took my stance with the swords in both hands, and intimidated the surroundings.

In the gap when the ogres flinched just a little, I first charged at the ogre in front of me.

The moment the ogre raised its club straight up, I cut its torso in two with the greatsword in my left.

Then I jumped.

Toward a nearby ogre that still could not bring its club down, I slammed the one-handed sword in my right onto the top of its head.

Feeling a sound and sensation like a boiled egg being crushed, I landed with only both feet.

At the same time the upper half of the ogre whose torso had been cut in two slid off, and the ogre whose head had been smashed collapsed to the ground.

From behind another ogre brought its club down, but because I had not even put a knee down when landing I easily dodged sideways.

At the same time I turned around and stabbed the one-handed sword in my right, which I had switched to a reverse grip, into its solar plexus.

The ogre let out a muffled voice and knelt.

I raised the greatsword in my left and beheaded that ogre.

Then another ogre from behind brought its club down aiming at me.

Without time to rest I leapt over the headless ogre in front.

The club that had been brought down, carried by its momentum, smashed the headless ogre’s corpse.

I spun around, and seeing it literally smashed…

If this hits me, it’s all over.

As I broke out in a cold sweat, the ogre in front swept sideways the club it had brought down.

I dodged that by jumping and brought the greatsword in my left down just like that.

The ogre split vertically from the head fell to both sides at the same time I landed.

I took a breath and looked around.

Just slaughtering six did not make it feel like they had decreased.

Now then, what should I do…

And while I was thinking, the ogres attacked me.

Haa, I have no choice but to do it.

I dodged an ogre’s club, beheaded an ogre with the one-handed sword in my right, and split a torso with the greatsword in my left.

I dodged a club again, and then…

“Master!”

What I heard was Muriel’s voice.

While calling me, Muriel dispatched the outermost ogre with a single stroke.

“Ku!”

However she received a club swept by another ogre full on her shield and was sent flying.

Yet another ogre tried to slam its club down on the fallen Muriel.

“Muriel!”

I stabbed the two swords in both hands into the ground and chanted a spell rapidly while pouring in magic.

Source of life. Come forth from my fingertips.

“Water Jet!”

Bullets of water coming from my fingers flew toward the ogre trying to attack Muriel.

They also pierced several ogres in the way, and further opened holes in the bodies of ogres on the other side as well.

Of course a hole also opened in the chest of the target ogre.

At the same time Muriel rose and slashed in one stroke.

The ogre with a hole in its chest split into upper and lower halves and fell with a thud.

After confirming that, Muriel came this way while defeating ogres.

Did she not need my help?

“Thank you very much, Master.”

“No, did I do something unnecessary?”

“No, I was happy.”

Muriel put her own back against my back and watched my rear.

I had often seen it in movies and such, but actually doing it I could tell that having my blind spots I could not see protected reduced my burden considerably.

It helped a great deal.

“Muriel, I’m leaving the back to you.”

While saying that I took the two swords stabbed into the ground in my hands.

“…”

“What’s wrong, Muriel?”

To check on Muriel, who had fallen silent, I turned my face slightly to the side.

I saw Muriel’s face with her eyes wide.

She was looking at my face.

“…Y-yes, Master!”

When our eyes met, as if a spell had been broken, she immediately answered vigorously.

A full smile floated on that expression.

“Now, come!”

Behind me Muriel shouted toward the ogres.

Hahaha, reliable.

I also concentrated on the ogres in front of me.

That said, there were several dozen ogres in front of me.

Now then, how shall I cook them.

I licked my lips and took my stance with the swords again.

Then one ogre ran this way.

I drove the greatsword in my left into the ogre’s belly and cut it in two, then started running just like that.

Then I stabbed another ogre from below into the jaw with the one-handed sword in my right.

Whether from pain or unconsciously, the ogre began to thrash.

To pull out the sword I kicked its jaw while turning upside down.

However the sword would not come out.

While I was doing that, the ogre’s right arm, thicker than my torso, approached me.

I released my hand from the one-handed sword still stuck in the ogre’s jaw and received the ogre’s right arm with the greatsword as a shield.

Faster than expected, the intense blow as I had anticipated blew me away.

“Master!”

I heard Muriel’s scream.

I spun in the air and landed with both hands down.

“Muriel! Behind you!”

Muriel’s concentration had apparently become scattered because her attention was on me.

She apparently had not noticed the ogre raising its club behind her.

However Muriel, brought back to herself by my voice, leapt sideways to dodge the club and slashed its side with her sword.

Having a thick blood vessel there seemed the same for both humans and ogres.

It collapsed, spraying blue blood from its side.

“Muriel! Be careful!”

“I am sorry!”

Muriel apologized in a loud voice so as not to lose to the sound of clashing swords.

When we joined up we put our backs together again.

“Muriel, is there no reply from Julius?”

It was about the request for reinforcements I had asked of Muriel before facing the group of ogres…

“Yes, there is still no reply…”

Muriel answered in a low, small voice.

“I see… How is it? There are still a lot left, but do you think you can do it?”

“If it is Master’s order.”

When I turned a little behind me, Muriel was smiling with the corners of her mouth raised.

“All right, then I order you. Don’t do anything reckless. Survive no matter what.”

“…Yes, Master!”

Muriel answered after a slight pause.

What was that interval?

However there was no time for questions and answers.

Several ogres were closing in.

I ran toward the ogres again and slashed at an ogre with the sword that had become one.

…

“Haa, haa, haa, haa.”

The sounds of clashing swords, shouts, and screams from a moment ago had stopped, and now I could hear Muriel’s rough breathing.

After that I could only hear the voices and sounds of Harold and the others fighting in the distance.

“Muriel, are you all right?”

I held out my hand to Muriel, who was panting on one knee on the ground.

“Haa, haa, th-thank you very much, haa, haa.”

Muriel grasped my hand and stood up.

The hair stuck to her cheeks and the lips taking rough breaths were alluring.

And her swaying bare breasts were erotic.

“Now then, shall we go reinforce Harold…”

The instant I tried to say “shall we go,” a victory cry rose.

The place was where Harold and the others were fighting.

The combat had apparently ended.

“Let’s go see.”

I took Muriel’s hand and walked toward where the victory cry was echoing while avoiding the ogres’ corpses.

However…

“U… u, ugee…”

I felt sick, crouched on the spot, and vomited.

“Master, are you all right?”

Muriel spoke to me while rubbing my back.

The cause was the human corpses lying all over the area.

It was not that they were spreading a rotting stench, but I could not endure the cruelty.

“Gah… gu… haa, haa.”

Even after my stomach was empty the nausea and sickness did not change.

I even became dizzy.

Until now when I had fought demonic beasts, I had felt nothing even looking at their corpses…

Had the abnormality been so great that it still had not felt real?

However what now lay before my eyes was unmistakably human.

…I recalled when I first met Tiria.

“I’m fine, I’m fine.”

I said that to Muriel as if telling myself, and stood up.

“Now, shall we join up with Harold and the others.”