Breakthrough with the Forbidden Master

Chapter 334 – Memories

“I ran away from home and wandered through the woods, unable to even touch the mushrooms and rabbits that were lying around, and just when I thought I was going to starve to death, Mr. Aka appeared.”

After escaping from Hakuki, there was no sign of any pursuers, and as the atmosphere gradually calmed down, I talked about that time.

“I was like, ‘Ogre!?, you got to be kidding me!?’ It was so scary and I was getting ready to fight, but then that guy with a huge and rugged body like Aonii said, ‘I won’t do anything~'”

“Hah, that’s just like Aka…… he’s strong, but he’s a little timid.”

“Well~, on the contrary, he said to me, ‘you’re hungry?’ or ‘I don’t do anything bad to humans~’…… I met an ogre for the first time in my life, and I was like, ‘This is an ogre……!?’ well, that was a preconception.”

“Well…… I guess it can’t be helped. That’s what happens when a human suddenly encounters an ogre in the woods.”

“Well~, the house deep in the forest that I was taken to was a cozy wooden house with a handmade garden, and once inside, you will find elaborate carvings and accessories…… Oh, by the way, that’s where I got what I showed you earlier. So, he said that he was going to cook some food ~ When I stood in the kitchen, he swung a kitchen knife and a frying pan with great gusto, and served me a messy meat dish. No~, I traveled quite a lot, but the meat dish I ate at that time was really good.”

“Oh, he was certainly good with his hands, but before I knew it he was growing a garden and even cooking?”

“Yeah. And when I said that it was delicious, he gave a huge grin and said ’that’s good~’.”

Memories of me and Mr. Aka. She had been listening from a little distance away, but before I knew it, Larou’iph was leaning over and listening to me up close, nodding in agreement and frowning slightly.

On the contrary…

“He~, so such ogres exist, do they?”

“But no~, not the same ilk as those that beset our village!”

“Mr. Aka is such a nice person. I want to meet him too~!”

“What a weird ogre……

Somehow, the Chieftain, his wife, Espie and Slayer stopped their work and sat around me, and even ……

“So, Young man. Did you forge a bond with that Mr. Aka?”

“Pray tell, what next?”

“Go on, do tell~”

Before I knew it, the other elves had gathered around and were listening to my story.

It was kind of funny, but I wanted everyone to know more about it.

About Mr. Aka…… that there were ogres like him……

“Mr. Aka said he wanted to become friends with humans…… by serving them food, playing games like Go…… so we played Go all night.”

But, of course, it’s not all fun memories.

“So, Mr. Aka said he wanted to eat cake…… so I went to town thinking I’d buy him some cake as thanks for helping me…… but while I was out shopping for cake…….”

Other things…… were heartbreaking……

“A group of Hunters…… attacked Mr……. Aka.”

“””””Eehh!??”””””

“By the time I got back…… they had burned his house and fields…….”

If I mention the Ninja Warriors here, it could complicate things, so I lumped them in with the Hunters.

But……

“Slayer, is it true? Are Hunters really that cruel!?”

“W, wait, even if you ask me …….”

“Slayer, are you a hunter? Listen here! You mustn’t become the sort of adult to recklessly attack others!”

“No, um, Mrs. Yitea……”

“Kuh…… Humans…… after all, the difference between humans and ogres are …….”

I felt like they were getting too emotionally invested.

Everyone was seriously angry about what happened to Mr. Aka.

But don’t direct your anger at Slayer.

“W, well, but…… in those flames…… it was the Hunters who had fallen…… as it turned out, Mr. Aka turned the tables on them. He was strong.”

“””””Oooooh, truly splendid, Mr. Aka! So kind, skilled in cooking…and strong!!”””””

“Ah, of course. There’s no way Aka would lose to such small-time soldiers!”

“But in the midst of that flame, Mr. Aka was crying because of the cowardly people…… he was sad…… and angry. He was kinder than anyone else, so he kept putting up with all sorts of things, and that anger boiled over.”

“You did nothing wrong, Mr. Aka ~!”

“That’s right, exactly…… which Hunter was it? I’m ashamed as a fellow Hunter!”

And, on the contrary, they raise their fists in joy…… they’ve grown too fond of Mr. Aka in so little time, haven’t they? I’m happy, though.

“So, there I was…… I thought I’d let Mr. Aka vent some of his anger that has been accumulating…… and decided to have a fight.”

“””Why!?”””

“Haha, it looks like what Big brother would do~…… huh? I mean, if it’s Big brother, then the technique you used at that time …….”

“That’s right, Mr. Aka’s crazy punch and my …….”

“”””Head-butt!??”””

“…… y, yes, that’s how we clashed with each other.”

Since that day, I’ve fought many different people. Even in between those fierce fights, I have continued to train, and I believe that I have become incomparably stronger than I was that day.

But, even so, I still end up using Mr. Aka’s power at that time as the standard in many situations.

That’s how strong, heavy, and great his fist was.

“From there, we went at it so hard and so fast…… Mr. Aka and I clashed head-on to the point where I thought I was going to lose my head. Right…… like today’s clash with Aonii, trying to expose everything that’s deep in our hearts.”

Even remembering it now gives me a headache.

But because of that……

“And even after all that…… as expected, Mr. Aka was still Mr. Aka. He came back to his senses…… and immediately burst into tears, saying sorry to me over and over again…… Even though we were both the same. But…… for better or worse, we got to know each other…… at that moment, I thought that Mr. Aka and I had become true friends.”

But right after that……