Chapter 59: Return to the Land of the Great One
The return to the settlement was not as eventful as Tanaka expected. The five ogres followed him quietly through the forest. Tanaka walked casually at the front of the group while Beta Wolf walked nearby, occasionally glancing at him over his shoulder. The ogres followed. That, in itself, was surprising. But the fact that they were going to meet everyone was a shock.
Tanaka turned around, looking at the ogres’ leader. "As I said before, our settlement is located in the deepest part of the Great Verdant Forest." The hammer ogre groaned dramatically. "You’re still explaining?" "You said that you want to know about the settlement."
Tanaka replied. "I want to know what kind of place could produce a slime such as you." The ogre grumbled. Tanaka replied, laughing. "Then let me tell you about it." The princess walked besides the group, clutching her staff. "How big is the settlement?"
Tanaka grinned. "Big enough for you to find a place to rest comfortably." "And how many monsters live there?" Tanaka stopped for a moment, thinking. "Quite a lot."
"That’s not an answer." The princess said. Tanaka turned to the princess, bouncing lightly on his feet "Nope." The swordsman kept silent the whole time, watching the forest with a calculating look. He observed everything; the trees, the paths, the wolves, the goblins and their interactions with each other and the environment. The warrior woman, on the other hand, crossed her arms and glared at the goblins every time one of them accidentally looked at her. They quickly looked away, scared.
She smirked. Beta Wolf exhaled silently in frustration. This was going to be a long trip.
Suddenly, Tanaka stopped. "Before we continue, I think we should take a look at your injuries." The hammer ogre looked at Tanaka with an unpleased look. "We’re fine."
Tanaka turned to face him. "You were knocked down by a slime." The hammer ogre’s face darkened. "I was not knocked down!" "You were," Tanaka said bluntly. "I slipped!" "You slipped because I hit you," Tanaka retorted. The hammer ogre clicked his tongue. "Whatever."
Tanaka walked towards him, healing oozes coming out of his body. The hammer ogre took a step back, surprised "What are you doing?" "Helping you." Tanaka said simply
"I don’t need any help." The hammer ogre said stubbornly. Tanaka continued walking towards him. "You do." He replied. "I said I don’t need any help!" Tanaka covered the ogre’s wounded arm with healing oozes. The hammer ogre’s eyes widened as warmth run through his body. His pain, along with his bruises, dissapeared. He was healed.
Tanaka turned to the swordsman and repeated the process, healing his injuries. The warrior woman did the same to the swordsman, then the princess. Lastly, Tanaka turned to the prince. The prince simply stood there, not resisting when Tanaka covered his wounds with healing oozes. When his last injury was healed, the prince looked at Tanaka. "You healed us, despite the fight," the prince said. Tanaka shrugged. "You guys are not my enemies anymore."
The hammer ogre grumbled. "He almost kill us!" Tanaka bounced towards him. "And you tried to kill me with that hammer of yours." The hammer ogre turned away. "That was different." He muttered. The princess laughed. "It was not." The hammer ogre glared daggers at the princess. "You’re not helping." He growled
"I wasn’t trying to." The princess said innocently. Tanaka chuckled. For some reason, he found himself liking these five strange individuals. They were strong. Unique in their own ways. And they had character. Especially the hammer ogre Tanaka could see himself being friends with him. Being like him, actually. The journey continued, with Tanaka explaining more about the settlement. "We have several districts in the settlement." He said "Districts?" The princess asked. "Crafting, farming, training, housing, storage, and the central square." Tanaka listed. The princess’ eyes widened in surprise.
"You have organized districts?" She asked "Yeah." Tanaka replied "What about food?" The princess continued. "We have crops." Tanaka answered. "What about weapons?" "We have blacksmiths." Tanaka said and the princess nodded. "And medicine?" "We have herbal gardens." Tanaka replied. The princess’ eyes gleamed. "What about education?" Tanaka paused. "That’s still under construction." He admitted. The princess gave a thoughtful nod. Meanwhile, the hammer ogre scratched his chin. "You have blacksmiths?" He asked. Tanaka smiled. "Yes." "How good are they?" Tanaka noticed the change in his expression. "Very good." He answered. "Better than me?" "I don’t know." He said. The hammer ogre smiled widely. "Then I want to meet them."
The princess shook her head. "Of course you do." She said. The sword ogre finally spoke. "What kind of weapons do they make?" "Anything we need." Tanaka replied.
The swordsman gave a small nod. He fell silent again, his expression unreadable. The warrior woman glanced at Beta Wolf. "So you’re the strongest wolf?" She asked. Beta Wolf stiffend. "I am the Beta of the pack." He replied. "That wasn’t my question." The warrior ogre said. Beta Wolf turned to her sighing sadly.
Alpha forgive me.
"Yes here but I have someone above me." He said simply. She smiled. "Interesting." She said
Beta Wolf immediately turned his gaze forward. Tanaka almost laughed. Once again, the warrior woman did not have to do anything threatening for him to look away. Her presence alone was enough. Meanwhile, the prince continued walking silently. His expression was calm, but his eyes showed that he was thinking about something. Tanaka paid attention to him. He did not ask many questions, which showed that he was still uncertain about everything. However, he started paying attention to what Tanaka said. Every now and then, his eyes met Tanaka’s. Tanaka simply watched, silent. The prince had already accepted him as a friend, and that, in itself, was enough
Soon, the trees started to thin out. The path became more spacious. The sound of people and various noises became louder. Tanaka and the others stopped walking. The princess looked forward, surprised. "What is that?" Tanaka smiled happily. "Home." He said. They walked through the last line of trees, revealing the Land of the Great One to the ogres’ group. The five ogres stopped dead in their tracks. Buildings littered the land. Smoke came out of chimneys. Goblins walked the streets, slimes bounced happily here and there, kobolds carried various supplies, Moss turtles transported wood, wolves patrolled the area, rabbits worked in the gardens, and many more creatures coexisted in perfect peace. The princess’ eyes widened. "This..." The hammer ogre was speechless. "You actually built all of this?" Tanaka nodded. "We did." He said proudly. The swordsman observed the area silently.
He took in the buildings, the roads, the training grounds, and the weapons the guards carried. The warrior woman looked around, her expression unreadable. "Interesting." she muttered. Meanwhile, the prince stopped walking, his amber eyes taking in everything. Tanaka smiled. "Welcome to the Land of the Great One." He said. A few monsters nearby noticed the group
Then the ogres
Then the prince
One goblin dropped the box he was carrying. "OGRES!"
"WHA-?"
"Five ogres!"
"They’re with the Great One!"
"What’s going on?"
Tanaka raised his hand. "Everybody, calm down!" The chaotic crowd finally silenced. Beta Wolf stepped forward. "They are not our enemies." He said. The hammer ogre crossed his arms. "Speak for yourself." He grumbled. The warrior woman immediately elbowed him. "Don’t start." She said. The hammer ogre rubbed his side, wincing in pain. The princess smiled. Tanaka turned around, facing the crowd. "Everyone, these are our guests." He said. The monsters looked at the prince, surprised. The prince looked around, taking in the sight before him. There was no fear in his eyes, only curiosity.
Suddenly, Tanaka’s expression changed. He looked towards the forest. The prince followed his gaze. "You sensed them too." he said. Tanaka nodded. "Yeah." He replied. The princess looked at Tanaka, confused. "Sensed what?" Tanaka smiled. "More ogres." He said. Tanaka looked towards the northern part of the forest. "About two hundred of them." The hammer ogre blinked. "You knew?" "Not exactly," Tanaka replied. "But I can sense them." The prince narrowed his eyes. He could sense them too. Their presence was still far, but it was getting closer.
The prince turned to Tanaka. "They must have sensed my aura." He said. Tanaka nodded. "Probably." The warrior woman smiled. "Then they’ll come." The princess turned her gaze towards the forest. "They’ll want to see the monster who defeated their prince." She said. Tanaka gave a small smile "That would be interesting." Beta Wolf’s ears drooped. "Two hundred ogres..." The warrior woman glanced at Beta Wolf. "Don’t worry, we are here." Beta Wolf looked at her and sighed. The hammer ogre chuckled. "I like this place already." Tanaka looked at him. "Why?" The hammer ogre pointed towards the crafting district. "Because I smell a forge." Tanaka laughed. "Then you’re going to like it here."
The princess looked around. She expected to see a settlement full of monsters, hiding from the world. What she saw was a place full of life, prosperity, and diversity. Tanaka turned to the swordsman. The swordsman was looking at the training grounds. The warrior woman was observing the warriors. The hammer ogre was looking at the blacksmiths. The princess was looking at the herbal gardens
And the prince...
The prince was looking at Tanaka
Tanaka now in slime form bounced towards him. "Come on." He said. The prince raised an eyebrow. "Where?" Tanaka smiled. "I’ll show you around." He replied. The five ogres followed Tanaka. The forest was silent behind them. Then the sound of footsteps started..
One set
Then another
Then many
The Land of the Great One was about to welcome two hundred new visitors