Chapter 53-54 – The Leader Has Not Changed
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[MC POV]
"The seniors are in danger! Please help us, Captain!"
"Seniors are in danger! Please help me, Captain!"
At the sound of the urgent voice beyond the door, I jumped up and opened it.
I could've said I was relieved she arrived while I was still dressed and unoccupied. But Fine's expression was far too serious for me to entertain such a trivial thought.
"What do you mean the Knights sisters are in danger, Fine?"
Agnes, sensing something was wrong, asked the question directly. Fine rushed over, nearly out of breath, and answered urgently.
"Haah… There's been a report about a strange monster in the forest… haah…!"
"A monster?"
"Yes! The knights went out to eliminate it after receiving a tip, but it's too powerful to defeat!"
At the mention of the knight sisters being in danger, Agnes' eyes instantly sharpened with the resolve of a knight commander.
Even though she had been cast out, her loyalty to her former subordinates had not faded.
"What's the current situation? Are the knights engaging with the monster?"
"They've been trying to buy time by avoiding a direct confrontation. But I don't think they can hold out much longer!"
"Understood. I'll grab my weapons. Lead the way!"
As Agnes began to leave with Fine, I stopped them both.
"Hold on a second, Fine. What does the monster look like?"
"There's no time for this, Dake…!"
Agnes was visibly impatient, but I needed more information.
"Fine, please. Hurry."
"He had greenish skin, like a goblin. But he was about ten times taller than an elf."
"Anything else you remember? Please be as specific as possible."
"And… Ah! When I heard the monster roar, I couldn't use the mana in my body for some reason! That's why the seniors are being overwhelmed!"
"Is that so? Alright. Agnes, take your weapons, but stop by here before heading to the forest."
"What? But if something happens to the sisters—"
"You said you'd follow my orders no matter what, didn't you?"
"…Okay. I understand."
"Make sure you stop by!!"
As the two elves rushed out of the room, I quickly turned on my phone.
I searched based on the description Fine had given me. Fortunately, I found some relevant information.
"Ogre?"
According to the app, ogres are solitary monsters with small populations. However, when they come across goblin groups, they often become their leader.
"The leader of the goblins…??"
We had already wiped out the goblins that had appeared in the forest. Still, it seemed suspicious that this ogre had no connection to them.
My suspicions were confirmed by the next line I read.
"A wizard goblin can summon an ogre through a ritual?"
If the ritual is completed, the ogre appears at the location where the summoning was performed after a certain period of time.
When the goblin wizard was killed by Agnes, the ritual had already been finalized. With time, the ogre eventually emerged in the forest.
Ogres feed on living beings—mountain animals, humans, and elves. Goblins often bring them food.
Then it hit me.
Back when I rescued the elves who had been kidnapped by the goblins, there was something that never quite made sense. Goblins don't usually take hostages or store food. So why had they kept those elves alive inside the cave?
I didn't understand it at the time. But now, it made perfect sense.
They weren't keeping the elves alive as food. They were preparing for the arrival of their true leader.
So that's what it was all about.
The mystery was finally solved. But right now, that wasn't my priority.
What I needed now was information on how to take the ogre down.
And I found it.
Ogres rely mainly on brute strength, but they also have a special ability—a magical roar. This roar disrupts mana flow, preventing anyone who hears it from using magic. That's why the knights were struggling so much.
I continued scanning through articles related to ogres as fast as I could.
There was no way I could let Agnes or Fine get hurt. And if I wanted to stay in the castle, I couldn't allow the knights to be wiped out by that monster.
A little while later—
"Dayke! I'm back!"
Agnes returned with Fine, still tense and impatient. I handed her the item I had prepared.
"W-what is this?"
It was the magic-nullifying necklace—the same one I used to escape from the barrier created by the goblin wizard.
"Fine said the Knights can't use magic, right? If you wear this, you'll be fine. Keep it on you at all times."
"Really? Thank you, Dayke."
"To kill it, aim directly at the center of its forehead. That's its vital spot. Its knees are also weak due to its large size, so target them if you want to slow it down."
"I understand. But… where did you even find all this information? No, never mind. This isn't the time."
Agnes turned to leave.
"Let's go, Fine!"
"Yes, Captain!"
I didn't follow them.
Part of me wanted to help in the fight. But I knew my presence might only cause problems for Agnes if the other knights saw me.
Based on what I had read, if Agnes could use magic again, she could take the ogre down easily. So I wasn't too worried.
Still, after spending so many days with her, I found myself quietly praying for her safety in my room.
—
"Kwaeeeeek!"
"Ugh…!"
The vice-captain clutched both ears at the sound of a roar so intense it felt like it was tearing the very air apart. As soon as she heard it, her mana stopped flowing. She couldn't use magic. The strength of the towering green-skinned monster was overwhelming, forcing her to retreat behind rocks and trees, relying on the forest for cover as she waited for backup.
"Vice-captain! Has Fine reached the castle? We can't hold out much longer!"
"She's fast. She should be there by now. We just need to hold on a little longer!"
The knights weren't simply hiding. They were using their knowledge of the forest terrain to their advantage—darting in, striking quickly, then retreating to avoid direct confrontation. Their aim was to wear the beast down gradually. But the ogre's hide was like armor. Their attacks did little damage and only increased the risk of retaliation.
"What if Fine really went to the captain instead of other troops?"
The anxious question from a subordinate wasn't without reason.
When the vice-captain had ordered Fine to return to the kingdom for reinforcements, there had been disagreement between them. Fine had insisted they needed to bring the captain, not more soldiers. And truthfully, the vice-captain had known Fine was right.
There was no way regular guards or even other knights could take on a monster that had already overwhelmed the kingdom's finest unit.
Still, the situation was desperate, and she had to send Fine off without knowing who she'd return with.
'I know. We need the captain more than anyone else. But…'
"If she really did go to get her… Will she come?"
No. She won't come.
She couldn't bring herself to say that out loud. Not on the battlefield, where hope was everything.
'But she won't come… There's no way.'
She remembered what had happened just two days earlier.
That night, when she had begged Agnes to leave the knights, she had gone down to the barracks basement where Dayke was.
She had been unable to sleep, burning with resentment toward the man who had taken their leader away.
Then she had heard the voice echoing down the corridor.
[Vice-captain, I'm sorry. I… as you said, I gave in to my desires.]
[So I'll stay with Dayke… I'll spend the rest of my life in his arms… bearing his children.]
After hearing that, the vice-captain had lost all hope of her returning. She had left without another word, carrying a heart heavy with guilt and defeat.
'So she can't come. We drove her away. I can't expect anything from her now.'
That's what she believed.
Right then—
"Aaaaah!"
The scream made the vice-captain whip around.
One of the knights had tried to ambush the ogre but was knocked to the ground.
"Louis! Run!"
"My legs… I can't move!"
The vice-captain's order was futile. The knight was injured and unable to escape.
The ogre, seeing its prey, lumbered forward with a roar, raising its enormous club.
"Queeeeek!"
"No!"
The vice-captain's shout rang out—but it was too late. The club descended.
Or so she thought.
Just before the blow landed, a spinning blue disc flew in from nowhere and sliced through the ogre's wrist, severing it cleanly.
"Ooooo!"
The ogre reeled back in agony.
The vice-captain stared in shock, not at the monster, but at the figure that had suddenly appeared.
'Captain? Why is she here…?'
"Louis, are you alright?!"
"Y-yeah, I'm okay. Thank you! But… why are you here…?"
"Hide, now!"
Before Louis could even finish her question, Agnes was gone.
Transported in an instant by her magic, Agnes reappeared beside her fallen weapon. She grabbed the sword she had thrown earlier and shouted up at the towering monster looming over her.
"I'll never forgive you for trying to harm my sisters, you monster!"
"Kwaeeeeek!"
The ogre roared and picked up its massive club with its remaining hand. It swung it at Agnes with terrifying speed and force, the weapon as thick and tall as she was, surging toward her like an enraged boar.
But Agnes vanished again in a blur and reappeared at the ogre's side, her blade shimmering with blue mana. With one clean strike, she sliced through the monster's other wrist.
Pashaak!
'Wait, what…? Isn't magic supposed to fail when that thing screams?'
The vice-captain watched in disbelief. She couldn't understand how Agnes was using magic so freely, unaffected by the ogre's roar. While she stood frozen in confusion, Agnes raised her eyes to the ogre's forehead.
She gripped her sword tightly, shifted her stance, and then dashed toward the beast's leg. With a sharp horizontal slash, she cut through its knee tendon.
Streams of green blood burst from its wrists and knees—wounds that no other knight's blade or arrow had managed to inflict. The ogre groaned and dropped to its knees, helpless at last.
Agnes didn't hesitate. She leapt into the air and drove her sword straight into the center of the ogre's forehead.
"Soooo…"
Its cry was weaker this time, almost like a whisper.
The towering monster, which had seemed as immovable as a mountain, finally collapsed. Its body hit the ground with a deep, echoing thud, and then it moved no more.
"Captain!"
The knights, who had been frozen in awe, rushed to her side. Their breaths were shaky from both relief and lingering tension. They had just witnessed something incredible, but along with the victory came an unspoken awkwardness.
"…Thank you, Captain. I didn't think you'd actually come."
The vice-captain's voice trembled slightly, filled with a swirl of gratitude and guilt. Agnes responded just as carefully, hesitating as she met her gaze.
"I'm sorry… I heard the Knights were in danger, but I didn't realize how bad it was…"
An uncomfortable silence followed. Neither Agnes nor her subordinates knew how to close the distance between them, despite everything they had just gone through together. No one could find the words.
It was Fine who finally broke the silence, her voice brighter and clearer than anyone else's.
"As expected, the captain hasn't changed!"
"Fine?"
The vice-captain turned toward her, surprised by her energy, but Fine continued with an even bigger smile.
"The captain hasn't changed at all! She's still the same leader we believed in! So it's okay—she should stay in the Knights!"
The elves around them stirred, voices murmuring in surprise.
Of course, many of them wanted Agnes to return. But the rules of the royal castle couldn't be ignored. Fine's words had shaken that delicate line between duty and emotion.
But Fine didn't waver.
Even with whispers surrounding her and uncertainty clouding the air, her eyes sparkled with conviction. Her joy was too big to hide, and she radiated confidence as she looked at Agnes—utterly certain that their leader still belonged with them.