“Hahaha! Hande was actually scared right onto the ground!”
The bald man Hande's performance made the bearded middle-aged man and his fellow mercenaries burst into loud laughter.
They weren't afraid of the bald man Hande.
“You, you! You're not! No... you are!” Ignoring everyone's ridicule, the bald man stared up at Ogre, who was sitting in his seat, with sweat dripping down his face.
This action left Nuosi completely dazed. She turned her gaze to Ogre.
What in the world had just happened?
It couldn't be that her shout had scared the bald man onto the floor, could it?
“If there's an issue, we can settle it at the arena or outside the city. Making trouble for others here isn't very nice, is it?” Ogre skewered the last piece of steak with his fork and popped it into his mouth.
Although the nutrition of elven green-fruits was sufficient, it wasn't comprehensive; he still needed to eat some meat occasionally.
“No, no, I won't ever dare to do it again!” Hande rested his hand on a nearby table, stumbling a few times before finally scrambling to his feet.
What had he just seen?
‘This guy, this guy is definitely not human!’ Hande's eyes were filled with dread as he looked at Ogre.
At that exact moment, he recalled the fear he felt when he had first ventured deep into the Forest of Monsters.
If he hadn't been lucky enough to run into an anonymous knight back then, he would have likely died in the bellies of those blue-skinned ogres.
That sense of helplessness was still buried deep in his heart, dominating him even now.
“This meat is a bit charred, and it has too much salt.” Ogre picked up a napkin, wiped his mouth, and then stood up to walk over to Hande's side.
Ogre's movements caused the already shaken bald man, Hande, to feel terror once again. “S-Sorry, I-I'm sorry!”
Hande instinctively took a step back, causing the small axe slung over his waist to clash against the table behind him.
If his legs weren't still weak, he probably would have run away long ago.
“Your button isn't buttoned.” Ogre raised his hand, intending to offer a friendly warning.
To his surprise, this movement caused Hande to slide and take another step back, ultimately landing right on a restaurant chair.
“Hmph...”
Speechless, Ogre chuckled softly, then withdrew his hand.
‘He's not a bandit or a thug... but there's barely a difference. What a waste of such a build. He's even more cowardly than I thought.’
It was only due to civilization that a fellow like this, who had lost his courage and made no contribution, was able to survive...
He really didn't know what the empire's laws were protecting sometimes.
“Lange!”
Just as Ogre was about to leave, Nuosi finally snapped back to her senses after this series of sudden developments.
“Hmm?” Ogre turned around at the door.
“Next time, I'll prepare the ingredients better,” Nuosi said softly.
It was her roundabout way of thanking him.
“I'll come again next time, then.” Ogre picked up his mask from his waist, put it on, and then walked out of the shop.
To Ogre, this was just a minor incident where their paths happened to cross.
Whether he received anything in return or not, he didn't care.
After all, if he expected a reasonable reward every time he did a good deed, Ogre would probably drive himself crazy with overthinking.
If there was one, he would accept it; if not, so be it.
It was merely a casual gesture.
Ogre looked up at the starry night and the full moon. He couldn't help but recall what his father had once said to him: ‘No matter where we are, the night sky is always beautiful...’
“It's about time to find a place to rest.” Ogre lowered his head and walked past the front of the Dawn Cathedral in the city.
...
Early the next morning, Ogre, now wearing a different outfit, arrived beneath the clock tower.
A good night's sleep had fully restored his clarity of mind.
‘Am I... feeling fear?’ Looking up at the unknown clock tower, Ogre felt a faint sense of unease rise in his heart.
This was already his third time coming near this place.
Ogre wasn't sure whether he was feeling anticipation or dread.
“Since I've already made my decision, there's no need to hesitate.” Reaching in to touch the black bead hidden in his robe, Ogre put aside his doubts and walked forward.
Soon, he smoothly arrived at this mysterious area.
The process was even smoother than Ogre had anticipated.
Beneath this massive central structure, there was barely any sign of other people.
“Despite this being the territory of the Church of Truth, there are barely any Truth guards in sight...” This unusual smoothness made Ogre tense up again.
Such an illogical place... was bound to hide some secrets.
‘A Cleric who turned into a vampire...’
Recalling the information Yade had shared, Ogre took a step toward the clock tower.
“This is a forbidden area of the (Truth) Church! If you have wandered in by mistake, please leave immediately. Otherwise, I have the right to pass judgment upon you!”
Finally, Ogre spotted a guard of Truth standing beneath the clock tower.
Unlike the Church of Dawn, the hierarchy of the Church of Truth was not visually apparent in their outward attire.
Their guard knights didn't hold war hammers and swords like the Knights of Dawn, but instead generally carried rod-like magic-patterned staves.
Curiously, however, they did not refer to these staves capable of firing explosive magic as magical artifacts; instead, they called them—guns.
These were staves exclusive to the Church of Truth, and Ogre didn't know much about them—he only knew that not even the black market sold these special 'guns'.
This was because the magic inside them was difficult to replenish.
“I have been entrusted by someone to visit,” Ogre said, getting straight to the point as he proactively took out the Silver Badge. “Could you please deliver this to the master of the tower...”
To keep a low profile, Ogre had dressed up in a very ordinary... dress for this outing.
He had even gone out of his way to alter his makeup, making himself look like an ordinary girl.
“Little girl, do you understand what you are doing?” Another Truth guard looked at Ogre with a strange gaze.
Bringing a token from the Church of Dawn to the territory of the Church of Truth—was this not an outright provocation?
Had he not been concerned about the status of the owner behind the badge, he wouldn't have been able to resist chasing her away on the spot.
“Please, Guard, as long as the master of the tower sees this, he will let me in.” Ogre also felt that something was slightly off.
Why was he stuck outside the door?
Could he have guessed wrong? Did he really have to wait another half-month before he could enter?
“Little girl, we would love to help you, but we aren't allowed to enter without authorization either. So, please go back,” the first Truth guard couldn't help but say.
Ogre was stunned. “Ah?”
They couldn't enter? Then what had he made so much mental preparation for?
“But I really...” Ogre pulled back the usually all-powerful Silver Badge, his face taking on a pitiful expression.
“Go back, little girl. If you keep lingering like this, I'll have to use force,” the other Truth guard warned once again.
“Alright...” With a soft sigh, Ogre prepared to leave.
He felt like he had come all this way for nothing.
‘Do I have to go find Yade again...’
Serandic's changes had made Ogre somewhat wary of his once highly-respected mentor.
But, if he truly couldn't enter the clock tower, then looking for Yade was his only remaining option. He couldn't simply escape the task entrusted to him by Grand Friar Fula.
Not to mention, he had received Fula's help before.
The main issue was the mark on his head... It would be hard to run even if he wanted to, especially once Fula was rescued.
Calculating the time, Macar should have already brought reinforcement from the Church of Truth to rescue Fula today...
“Uncle Einas!”
Just as Ogre was about to turn and leave, a well-mannered girl with short black hair walked past him, carrying a basket.
“Little Karen, why are you here today?”
Ogre turned around and saw the Truth guard from earlier greeting the short-haired girl warmly.
‘It's her...’ The reason Ogre turned his head was because he recognized this black-haired girl.
The deposit transaction from not long ago had been handled by this very girl—she was the receptionist of the Dandelion Chamber of Commerce, which belonged to the Church of Truth.
“Uncle Einas, today is a holiday! The chamber isn't open today, so I came early,” the black-haired girl, Karen, replied playfully.
“Hahaha, I completely forgot,” the Truth guard, Einas, chuckled.
“Hahaha! He just drank too much last night and mixed up the days,” the other Truth guard exposed his colleague.
‘Is she here to chat with the guards, or... is she related to the person inside the clock tower?’ Ogre slowed down, watching while pondering.
Karen pulled out two dark brown eggs from her basket. “Drinking is bad for your health. Try these tea eggs I just stewed—this is a delicacy I learned from the East!”
As she spoke, Karen stuffed the eggs into the hands of the two Truth guards.
“I only drink occasionally. Redona, didn't I tell you that little Karen is very thoughtful?” Einas happily accepted the hard-boiled egg.
“Thank you, little Karen. And as for your Uncle here, I'm different from Einas. I've already quit drinking!” the other Truth guard, Redona, said solemnly.
Anyone who wasn't blind could tell that these two Truth guards shared an unusually close relationship with this black-haired girl named Karen.
“Heh, in I go then!” Karen put the gray cloth back over her basket, then held it in front of her with both hands as she walked toward the door of the clock tower.
This action quickly prompted a reaction from Ogre.
“Wait!” Ogre immediately called out to stop the black-haired girl.
“Hmm?” Karen stopped in her tracks and turned her head in confusion to look at the girl who had called out to her.
For some reason, she felt like she had seen this girl somewhere before.
“I need to see the master of the tower. This is my token. Could you please bring it inside for the person there to see? I was sent here on behalf of his friend.” Ogre jogged over, stopping a short distance away from the guards, and stretched his hand out toward Karen. What he held in his hand was none other than the Silver Badge.
It wasn't that Ogre didn't want to hand the Silver Badge directly to Karen, but he was only allowed to walk up to this point.
“Little girl, do not approach any further,” the Truth guard warned, crossing the wand known as a gun in front of Ogre.
“It's fine, Uncle Redona. It's no trouble,” Karen said to the guard with a smile, before turning back and taking the initiative to walk over.
“Thank you.” Ogre stretched out both hands to hand over the Silver Badge.
The black-haired girl, Karen, pulled her basket back behind her arm and extended both hands as well.
“Little sister, wait for me here a moment,” Karen said with a smile after taking the Silver Badge.
Perhaps it was because they were both "girls."
Karen's tone was visibly much softer than when she had handled the deposit business for Ogre, lacking the previous formulation and businesslike coldness.
“Thank you for the trouble, big sister,” Ogre said, taking a few steps back with a polite smile.
He felt like there was a good chance this would work out.
‘What a coincidence...’ Ogre rejoiced inwardly.
Rate on N.U.
