Can’t say go home quickly
A drum covered in animal hide beat to the climax of the rhythm, while a simple vertical flute made from a thin tree trunk played a deep bass note.
On the stone altar bathed in the morning sun, the heads and hearts of the marauding boar, the Bloody Boar, brought down by the tribe’s hunters were offered, and incense was burning.
In front of it, two figures faced each other, one large and one small.
Both wore crowns that seemed to be woven from tree bark. Well, one of them didn’t wear the crown directly on their head… in fact, their head was missing, and the crown was placed forcibly on top of a severed neck.
The larger figure was Nvadgi, the Ogre chieftain.
His robust upper body was almost bare, painted in vibrant colors similar to those on a stone club.
However, the paint was somewhat smudged due to his profuse sweating. He was breathing heavily, and his shoulders were rising and falling, whether due to the damage or stamina reaching its limit. From his legs to his abdomen, there were already numerous painful bruises.
In contrast, there was René, with a headless, slender upper body painted pure white. Breathing… well, considering there was no head, it was impossible. Furthermore, she wasn’t even sweating. That’s simply because René was an undead. However, facing Nvadgi, who was exhausted and battered, this was an incredibly cruel demonstration of superiority.
“Uuuaaaaaaaah!”
He let out a roar that could be described as a beast’s roar, Nvadgi swung down his enormous paint-covered stone club.
René responded to the attack, thinking only of smashing it. She thrust one leg forward as if stomping through the ground, swinging the club she held with both hands upward.
The two clubs clashed in mid-air, and Nvadgi’s club was diverted and slammed into the ground.
From the Ogres watching the battle, voices that were neither screams nor cheers filled the air.
“Haaaaaaaa!”
Within the gallery surrounding the battlefield, Udanosuke, holding René’s head, raised his voice in encouragement.
René immediately pulled her leg out of the ground and lunged forward with the club dragging behind.
She slid under Nvadgi’s legs, then rose to her feet, leveraging centrifugal force to strike the back of Nvadgi’s knees.
“Grrgh…!”
The impact was subtle, but even a formidable muscle-bound warrior like Nvadgi couldn’t withstand a blow to the knees. Accumulated damage to his lower body had made his footing unstable.
Nvadgi lost his balance and started to curl his back.
René promptly pounced on him.
She kicked Nvadgi’s sweaty back and used his broad shoulders as a foothold.
“I got you!”
“Uggh!?”
René’s stone club, swung down in a straight line, made a clean hit on Nvadgi’s head.
The crown was crushed, and after a moment, Nvadgi, who had been knocked out, fell like a felled tree with a resounding thud.
“Chief!?”
“It can’t be, the chieftain…!”
The Ogres finally let out screams this time.
The priest forgot his chants, the musicians forgot their performance, and everyone was bewildered by the earth-shattering turn of events.
A group of Ogres that seemed to be a medical team rushed to Nvadgi, carrying potions in wooden bowls.
Alastair, who assumed the battle was over, helped René put on a coat, and Udanosuke returned the head he had been holding.
René, with the crown removed and the head placed on her neck, looked around at the astonished Ogres.
“…I crushed the crown. So, I win, right?”
“Yes, um… Y-Yes, the winner is René… L-Let us, um, celebrate your victory in this battle…”
An Ogre priest, adorned with feathers of vibrant colors, finally regained his composure and recited a prayer with a trembling voice.
The duel was over, and René emerged victorious.
In other words, she had taken control of the tribe that Nvadgi had ruled.
“Ugh… I lost…”
“Chief!”
Nvadgi, having consumed a potion and rubbing his head, quickly got back on his feet.
However unstable his posture was, it was a testament to his incredible resilience that he didn’t turn into a crushed tomato, despite having his head hammered by a Dullahan’s immense strength.
Well, the crown must have acted as a cushion to some extent.
“The outcome is decided… I will obey…”
“Before that, may I say something? You’ve been preaching ‘no magic’, but you used Qi techniques!”
Nvadgi admitted defeat with a frustrated expression, his face wearing a vacant look.
Magic was considered a technique for the weak and was not allowed in duels…
That’s what Nvadgi had claimed, but as soon as the battle began, he had unleashed his self-enhancement buff using the «Golden Body» Qi technique.
Qi techniques were a form of manipulating one’s own body using biological mana.
They enabled self-enhancement buffs and physical techniques that were almost like magic in practice.
…To be honest, it was still a form of magic. While it required physical training for mastery, it was a skill used more by warriors than spellcasters. Regardless of how you framed it, it was still magic.
“That’s not magic; it’s a warrior’s skill!”
“No matter how you put it, the principles are the same! …Well, never mind. I don’t think we’ll have a situation like this again, but maybe I should train in Qi techniques or martial arts just in case.”
Relying on the physical abilities of a Dullahan in close combat and using magic to buff oneself when necessary…
That’s what René had thought, but she lacked experience with Qi techniques, which had made her struggle in this battle.
She hadn’t even learned advanced martial techniques that relied on equipment or mastered martial arts.
Regardless, by avoiding direct confrontations as much as possible, René managed to secure victory over Nvadgi. Nvadgi’s combat techniques were primarily designed for Ogres, which meant opponents of similar size and strength—essentially similar to himself. René had gained the upper hand by moving swiftly and skillfully.
However, René knew she couldn’t simply revel in this victory. The Ogres, who had secluded themselves in the jungle for generations, had continued to train in combat among their own kind and had limited experience fighting humans.
It wouldn’t do to keep losing to opponents who relied on their speed. René needed to think of ways to support the Ogres on the battlefield and ensure that they received proper training themselves.
“Then, as I said before the battle, you can remain as the Great Chieftain, but you must ensure that all the tribe members obey me. Agreed?”
“I unders… no, I understand.”
Nvadgi sat up again and, whether it was prostration or worship, he bowed deeply.
All the Ogres who had been present at the battle followed suit, creating a circle of obeisance around René.
“Alastair, prepare the action plan for our future actions. We’ll be moving as soon as Everis and the others return.”
“Understood!”
“…And before that, there’s something I’d like to do.”
Creating a red blade in her hand, René lifted Nvadgi’s chin with its tip, locking eyes with him.
“I’d like you to arrange for a certain path through the jungle. Get a few warriors who look impressive, if you can.”
A questioning glint flickered in Nvadgi’s gray eyes.
＊ ＊ ＊
In this region of the jungle, aside from the Ogre tribes, there were other monster inhabitants.
They lived in a large dome made of woven reeds.
Sunlight streamed in through gaps in the ceiling, casting a radiant glow on the green carpet of woven grass, which curiously appeared as lush and vibrant as living vegetation.
Towards the back of the dome, a section was partially submerged, leading into the river.
“We understand… Our clan will obey the Princess.”
The lizard-like monster sitting opposite René declared obediently.
These upright, lizard-like demons were known as Lizardmen.
They had generally streamlined, smooth bodies, but their heads, shoulders, and backs were covered in thick, dragon-like scales.
Their soft, scaly bellies bore tattoos, and they wore massive fishbone armor for protection.
They were a race inclined towards water, primarily living along waterways and underwater.
While they could function on land, the Lizardmen in this jungle region seemed to avoid venturing onto the surface, possibly due to fears of competing with the Ogres. The only exception was when Forge, the molten steel beast, caused forest fires.
The Lizardmen were responsible for firefighting to prevent the jungle from disappearing.
When the Lizardmen chieftain, Frushushilregy, declared an unconditional surrender, the Lizardmen gathered by the riverbank erupted in whispers, akin to hissing snakes.
“Chieftain, but…”
A young Lizardman with pale blue scales rose from the seated circle.
Frushushilregy seemed momentarily taken aback by his audacity, but he returned the defiant glare with stern determination.
“If you think you can win, go ahead and challenge her.”
“Gah…”
The young Lizardman’s words faltered.
René had deliberately allowed her oppressive aura to flow freely, even among the monster races, as servants of the Evil God, her very presence exuded an overwhelming malevolence that could be sensed by most.
It was clear to anyone with even a modicum of perception that there was a significant power gap.
Furthermore, at the entrance of the gathering hall, there sat the well-behaved magnificent Molten Steel Beast, Forge, which had served as René’s mount until now.
And behind René, the carefully selected Ogre warriors stood, ready for any situation. René had brought the very “threat from the surface” that the Lizardmen had feared.
What did that mean?
Nvadgi tilted his head suggestively, causing the Lizardmen to quiver in response.
“Can you really live by abandoning the sacred forest and river? You spineless old man!!”
The young Lizardman who had risen spoke, although he seemed unsure where to put his clenched fist. Still, he left in anger, his shoulders tense.
An uneasy atmosphere lingered after his departure.
“I apologize for the unpleasant scene… We would never dare to oppose you.”
“I know.”
Frushushilregy hastily interjected.
René’s ‘Emotion Detection’ picked up on the emotions in the room. It wasn’t disappointment.
Rather, it was more of a “we knew this was coming” reaction.
-Hmm… seems like a chief without charisma. If a young hopeful had risen among them, there might have been an internal conflict, possibly even a tribal schism.
René didn’t know how the chief of this tribe was inherited, but the support for the feeble, aging chief seemed rather weak. He couldn’t help but wonder if there were many Lizardmen secretly thinking like the young one earlier.
Well, René’s demands not only included submission but also the abandonment of their long-time dwelling, so it was understandable that some dissatisfaction was directed towards the chief who obediently followed.
However, in this situation, Frushushilregy seemed to be rather jubilant internally, directing a clinging emotion towards René.
Sitting on the grassy cushion, René narrowed her eyes and fixed her gaze on Frushushilregy.
“Chief, if you’re going to be so obedient, I won’t hesitate to cooperate. I want loyal soldiers. Train them well.”
“Yes, hahaha!”
Frushushilregy bowed his head.
For him, René’s visit was like a lifeline. Frushushilregy, who had lost his charisma within the tribe, could maintain his influence by becoming a proxy for the overwhelmingly dominant conqueror, René. There was no way he could win in a battle, so choosing the path of submission itself was hard to criticize.
On the other hand, René could easily control the Lizardman tribe by putting a collar on the chief.
In other words, it was a win-win situation.
René scanned the assembly of Lizardmen.
Just by turning her gaze towards them, everyone seemed to be frozen, and there was no one attempting to resist.
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