Life as an Adventurer with the Banished Marquis' Daughter - Chapter 26: The Banished Marquis' Daughter is Strong, Part 2

Chapter 26: The Banished Marquis’ Daughter is Strong, Part 2

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Golden Ogre.

A monster with a straightforward name. 

Just as its name suggests, it is a giant ogre with golden skin.

Despite its simple name, it is a troublesome creature. 

Magic doesn’t work well on it, its skin is tough, and its massive attacks are powerful enough to kill you in one hit if you’re unprotected.

For an average adventurer, safely defeating one alone typically requires being at least rank 7, depending on their type. Only the extremely skilled or the extremely reckless would consider taking it on solo.

It’s not a matter of capability but of safety. 

The Golden Ogre recognized our presence and let out a roar. Though it was still far away, the magically charged roar made my body tremble.

“Three roars at once sure are intense.” 

Erika frowned at the roars of the three Golden Ogres. Perhaps she was imagining what would happen if they reached the village.

“Which one do we take down first?”

Erika, without a hint of fear, asked which of the three Golden Ogres we should tackle first. She looked impressive.

“Let’s start with the one on the right. We can’t let them reach the village, so we need to cripple their mobility first.”

Golden Ogres are rare in this area but quite common in the Kingdom of Faltar. My mentor often made me hunt them.

Though it was never three at once. 

Hearing my words, magical energy swelled around Erika.

“Let’s start with a distraction.”

The distance between us and them was about a hundred feet. Erika called it a distraction, but I was stunned by the scale of it. Dozens of arrows made of fire floated around her.

It’s a well-known spell called “Fire Arrows,” but usually, it’s just one at a time. I know many people who can shoot fire arrows in rapid succession, but I’ve never seen anyone launch so many simultaneously.

As her golden magic shimmered, the fire arrows were released. This level of power shouldn’t be called a distraction. I watched the Golden Ogres scramble to shield their heads with their arms as the fire arrows approached.

The fire arrows rained down on the Golden Ogres, causing numerous small explosions around them. This scene was far beyond what you’d expect from a mere distraction. As I thought this, I quickly enhanced my body’s strength. The soft dirt of the farm road exploded beneath my feet.

“Fast!”

Erika’s faint whisper was already distant. By the time she murmured, I was already behind the Golden Ogre, which was still crouching in a defensive posture. 

I slashed at its unguarded ankle as I ran past.

The Golden Ogre let out a cry of pain.

It swung its arms wildly, but by then, I had already put some distance between us. A moment later, Erika arrived beside me.

“I couldn’t keep up.”

For some reason, she sounded displeased.

“Isn’t it a lady’s duty to let the man take the lead occasionally?”

“Right now, I’m an adventurer.”

I thought about how even when we were adventurers, she probably never let me take the lead, but I wisely kept that to myself.

Besides, the Golden Ogre was standing up and glaring at us with eyes full of hatred. We were in close quarters, just a few steps away from striking distance.

My mentor once said that the one who looks away first loses at this distance. The Golden Ogres lunged at us from three sides with a speed that could rival a rank 2 or 3 adventurer. Despite its slashed ankle, it moved well but still too slow.

Before I could move, I saw where Erika’s magic was aimed, showing her trust in me. Just as I said initially, I charged towards the Golden Ogre on the right, while Erika’s magic targeted the remaining two.

I dodged the massive fist of the Golden Ogre on the right and used its arm as a platform to run up. As I enhanced my body to the maximum, I extended the enhancement to my sword as well.

It’s one of the few practical combat spells I can use, given my weakness in magic. The effect is simple: it makes my sword sturdier.

Incidentally, it has no name because I’m the only one who uses it. At least, I’ve never heard of anyone else using it. My mentor once said that if I could use such a foolish spell, I should just use a sturdy sword or hone other spells.

But for the second son of a poor viscount family, it’s a very useful spell. Why?

Because even when cutting through the thick neck of a Golden Ogre, which would normally damage any blade, my sword remains unscathed.

As the Golden Ogre’s head separated from its body, the golden skin rapidly lost color, turning a pale gray and losing any semblance of life. By the time I landed and turned around, its headless body shattered with a crash.

When a monster dies, it leaves behind a core called a magic stone, and its body turns into pale gray crystals known as magic stone fragments. Sometimes, parts of the body remain, but not this time. No luck.

Two more to go! 

With renewed determination, I put more strength into my limbs. But for a brief moment, I was stunned by the scene before me.

A commonly used spell for distraction after Fire Arrows is Fireball. Simple, versatile, easy to control in terms of power, and easy to cast. Some people even say it’s all you need for fire magic.

Fireballs.

Two of these fireballs hit the faces of the remaining two Golden Ogres.

Golden Ogre skin is known for its resistance to magic. If the spell isn’t strong enough, it often gets deflected.

In fact, Erika’s Fire Arrows earlier managed to slow them down but didn’t leave any significant injuries on the Golden Ogres, who focused on defense. The power of a spell depends on the amount of magical energy infused and the complexity of the magic circle constructed within the body.

Quickly cast spells have simple magic circles, making it difficult to infuse them with a lot of magical energy. Generally, casting a powerful spell takes time because it requires constructing a more complex magic circle that can hold more magical energy.

However, this doesn’t mean that simple magic circles can’t hold any magical energy. It’s just inefficient.

Is this what happens when you brute force through that inefficiency? It’s absurd.

I thought as I watched the Golden Ogres recoil from the fireballs. One barely survived, but the other had its head half-destroyed.

I couldn’t even imagine how much sheer magical energy was needed to produce such power with fireballs. However, my brief moment of awe was interrupted by the roaring of the Golden Ogres.

The Golden Ogre with its head half-destroyed let out a deathly roar. Erika wasn’t caught off guard.

Her attention was already on the other Golden Ogre. The roar that struck was the last, desperate cry of a dying creature.

As its body crystallized, the roar momentarily paralyzed Erika. With a deeply human-like scream, the last Golden Ogre raised both its arms.

Its skin split and its flesh charred by the fireball, the face twisted with the roar, revealing bone. Erika braced herself for the blow.

I couldn’t let that happen. 

Before I knew it, I had stepped between Erika and the Golden Ogre. It was natural to intervene, but my thoughts hadn’t caught up with my actions.

The roar from my throat and the magic coursing through my body were all beyond my conscious thought. Am I really this foolish?

Trying to deflect the Golden Ogre’s descending arm with my sword. Even with my body enhanced to the limit, my hand felt numb, as if I had struck a massive rock.

The Golden Ogre’s arm, covered in tough skin and thick muscle, twisted in an unnatural direction. 

One more to go.

I had only managed to deflect the right arm. I really should have gotten a better sword, even if it was expensive.

If I could have cut off both arms of the Golden Ogre, it wouldn’t have been this hard. My sword, having deflected the right arm, now collided with the left arm, trembling from the impact.

Then, an unexpected sensation ran through my hands. My sword had embedded itself halfway into the Golden Ogre’s left arm. 

My sword was just a mass-produced piece, not a high-quality blade.

I hadn’t focused on sharpness because I could always enhance it with magic. 

So, I knew that with my skill and the sword’s sharpness, I couldn’t cut through the tough arm of a Golden Ogre.

Damn it. If my hands weren’t numb, I could have let go of the sword.

I braced myself as the Golden Ogre pulled its left arm, throwing me off balance.

I couldn’t resist since I was already in an awkward position when I jumped in. I saw the Golden Ogre’s face twist with rage.

I could see its weight shifting onto its supporting leg.

I wondered how far I’d be thrown when it kicked me. As I watched its tree trunk-like leg swing toward my stomach, these thoughts crossed my mind.