(Attendances… plz…)
….
The Next Day:-
The next day Reinhard found himself at the edge of the training grounds, a well-trodden patch of earth the goblins used for their training and spars against each other.
He had some time before Ellen and others returned, at which point he would inform them of the Orc Lord and accompany them back to the guild.
For now, he was simply observing others, drawn by a quiet curiosity after getting out of the kitchen.
On the field, the old, white-haired ogre, the master swordsman who had stood against the goblins, was putting the goblins through their paces.
To call it "training" was perhaps too generous. It was, to be frank, a complete beatdown.
Gobta and the other goblin riders were being beaten by the old ogre, who moved with fluid and fast movements.
He parried their clumsy strikes with a wooden sword, his movements fast and all precise, before sending them sprawling with a casual kick or a sweep of his leg.
Goblins were tough, not to mention named goblins, but they were like children before this old experienced ogre.
The other ogres had integrated into the village with surprising speed. Some lent their powerful frames to the construction of new homes, their axes felling trees and expanding the village's borders.
Others helped with daily chores, their presence steady and strangely reassuring. The young, pink-haired ogre princess, the sister of Ogre clan leader, had a good hand for weaving silk and knowledge about it. Her skills with textiles and silk already promised a new level of comfort and culture for the village and its many residents.
All in all, Rimuru's act of kindness was paying off by a much larger margin than he thought.
For the fourth time in as many minutes, Gobta landed on his backside with a groan, a cloud of dust puffing up around him. It wasn't that the goblins were weak, far from it.
Their evolution had granted them strength and stamina far beyond their previous self. But they were still pitted against the old ogre, an ogre whose age had only sharpened his skill and deepened his well of experience.
"They are weak," a deep voice rumbled from beside him. Reinhard turned to see the red-haired ogre, his arms crossed over his formidable chest, his gaze fixed on the one-sided spectacle.
"But," he continued, a thoughtful frown on his face, "compared to any normal goblin, their strength is abnormal. I heard they were all named by this village's master, Rimuru."
Reinhard followed his gaze, watching the old ogre effortlessly disarm another two goblins. "They are all Named monsters," Reinhard clarified, his tone even. "Rimuru is as well, though he is… unique. A far cry from the mindless, weak slimes you might find in a cave or somewhere else."
The red-haired ogre nodded slowly. "I thought as much. You being acquainted with him and all, so I assumed he was no ordinary slime. It also explains his confidence… his willingness to shelter us so easily, not even being suspicious of us or even thinking that it might cause trouble for others here in the village."
"A hypothetical question, is it?" Reinhard mused. "I don't know him that well. I helped him once, when we first met, but it is more likely he is wary of me than anything else. His decision to let you stay was an act of his own kindness. It had nothing to do with me."
The red-haired ogre's crimson eyes narrowed slightly. "Hmm… When I explained our situation to him yesterday, he made an offer to me and for everyone in my clan. He offered to give us names."
Reinhard's expression remained placid. "Hmmm… If I may ask, why are you telling me this?"
The ogre leader's gaze shifted, first to the old master who now stood, arms folded, as the goblins caught their breath, then back to Reinhard.
A complex mix of pride, desperation, and resolve swirled in his eyes. "I will tell you later," he said, his voice low and firm.
….
One thing led to another, and the unspoken questions hanging in the air soon gave way to the language of warriors.
Now, Reinhard stood within the training ground, a simple sword in his hand. Opposite him, poised and ready, were both the red-haired ogre and the old, white-haired ogre.
It was to be a spar: Reinhard versus the two strongest ogre warriors. To add a bit of a challenge, Gobta with his nonchalant mind, had suggested a condition.
Of course it was after he learned from Rimuru that Reinhard was strong… stronger than Rimuru. And he just suggested that thinking he might decline it, but surprisingly Reinhard accepted it like it was normal
A small circle had been drawn in the dirt around Reinhard, just wide enough for him to stand and take a single step in any direction. If he stepped out, he would lose.
To the onlooking goblins, it might have seemed like a deliberate handicap meant to humiliate him, a way to put him in a tight spot.
They couldn't possibly comprehend that this restriction would not alter the outcome by even 0.000001%. It made no difference in any conceivable possibility and the outcomes of this spar.
The two ogres, however, understood. As members of an honor-bound warrior race, they felt no insult at the arrangement or even when Reinhard accepted that.
On the contrary, that Reinhard had agreed to a spar at all was an honor. They knew the difference in power that separated them. This wasn't an insult; it was a fact.
The spar began not with a shout, but with a silent explosion of movement. The old ogre vanished. In the space between heartbeats, he reappeared at Reinhard's side, his blade a silver flicker aimed at his ribs.
Simultaneously, the red-haired ogre charged head-on, his own sword wreathed in roaring, crimson flames.
With a calm that bordered on serene, Reinhard's sword met the old ogre's blade, deflecting the surgically precise strike with an almost lazy turn of his wrist.
Without a pause, his sword then swung to meet the descending fire-laced blade of the younger ogre.
A sharp clang echoed across the field, the flames hissing and dying inches from his face. Not a flicker of concern crossed his features.
Their first coordinated assault was rendered utterly useless.
The next came, and the one after. The old master was a phantom, a blur of motion that flickered in and out of everyone's visions, striking from every conceivable angle, high, low, from the back, and from the sides. Each blow was delivered with lethal intent and without holding back and experience of countless battles in his long age.
Yet, not a single one connected. Every swing was met by Reinhard's blade as if he had eyes in the back of his head. He blocked, parried, and deflected with an unnerving, minimalist grace.
The red-haired ogre was in a similar state of disbelief. He unleashed his flame techniques, channeling his demonic aura into his strikes, but the magic sputtered and died before it could even fully form, snuffed out by Reinhard presence itself.
Throughout this flurry of attacks, Reinhard's feet remained planted. Even when the old ogre appeared directly behind him, he didn't turn. He simply blocked the strike with one hand, a small smile playing on his lips the entire time.
A minute later, the intense, one-sided spar concluded. The two ogres stood before Reinhard, their broad chests heaving as they gasped for air.
They had given it everything, the old ogre's peerless technique and speed, the young leader's ferocious, brutal power.
And Reinhard… Reinhard hadn't struggled. He hadn't even been strained. He had treated their all-out assault as if it were a mild inconvenience, which, truthfully, was an accurate assessment.
The red-haired ogre straightened up, his breathing still ragged, and took a step forward. He spoke in a voice no louder than a whisper, yet it carried clearly to Reinhard's ears. "You asked why I was telling you 'that.'"
His pride, the fierce pride of an ogre prince, was set aside. He knew the debt they owed Rimuru for his kindness to let them stay here. But his heart, his warrior's soul, was drawn to the man who had first saved them, the man whose power was as boundless as the sky. He knew it was a selfish, perhaps even an unworthy, request. But he had to ask.
He met Reinhard's calm gaze, the weight of his request in his voice. "What would you say… if I asked to be named… by you?"
….
A/N: huh sigh… see ya all in the next chapter.
Next two chapters are already on my discord.
Melatonin, spawn and many more on my discord … thanks for beta reading this fic and not to mention suggestions too.
Hoped you all liked the chapter and all.
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