The horns of ogres are, depending on the tribe, often a vital part directly tied to one’s identity. After all, they are a race so specialized in combat that they’re known as “warrior races.” While their massive frames and developed canines certainly embody what makes an ogre an ogre, it is undeniably true that the horns—seemingly governing both fighting spirit and offensive power—are the true symbol of the species. Therefore, ogres hold their horns in extremely high regard.
Since horns are living organs that grow, they require constant care. They are regularly trimmed to maintain their shape or regulate their length, and some tribes even carve symbolic patterns into them. However, no matter how close a companion may be, an ogre will never let anyone else touch their horns. Doing it themselves is a matter of pride for any ogre.
Most other races don’t even notice the effort involved, but in reality, there are trends and fads surrounding horn grooming: cutting notches to create bifurcated tips at the ends, carving evenly spaced ridges along the shaft, or sharpening them so keenly they could pierce through anything. “Back in my youth, I thought that looked cool,” is a common excuse heard from middle-aged ogres.
From a purely structural standpoint, all these modifications are disadvantageous. Yet, for hot-blooded young warriors who have survived countless brutal battles, seeing their ornate horns remain unblemished looks undeniably impressive. Of course, most of the time, they aim for such perfection only to break them off halfway through, leading to deep regret.
Enough digression. Arnie Boyd, a Private (recently turned nineteen, an ogre male of the pure-hearted variety), is a man entirely unconnected to such wicked horn modifications. After all, despite being a dual-horned ogre, he’s missing one. Due to various circumstances, it was ripped out from the root and will never grow back. At this point, even by ogre standards, he’s already quite the sight.
Still, he had been cherishing his remaining horn quite carefully—until just a few months ago, when it snapped off. Well, considering it came at the cost of saving a life and winning over a girlfriend, he could accept it. But lately, the horn has grown quite long again, and he’s been pondering what to do about it.
“Hey, Boyd, what’re you staring at in that mirror?”
“Oh, Private Rackman.”
As Earnie gazed into his hand mirror, troubled, his colleague Greg Rackman, a dwarf private, called out to him.
To put it simply, a private is an apprentice soldier—the lowest rank. Greg and Earnie are peers of the same age and rank, so formal speech wouldn’t get them in trouble. But given that Greg is a dwarf with a beard like a bear’s, there was something about addressing such a junior as Earnie without honorifics that felt awkward.
“Men staring into hand mirrors? That’s creepy.”
“Oh, ahaha… no, it’s about my horns.”
“Huh? Your horns?”
In the Celesta Northern Army Crossbow Corps where Earnie serves, ogres make up nearly twenty percent of the support forces—a rarity. Naturally, many hold strong attachments regarding their horns, and there are those who understand just how unusual—or pathetic—Earnie’s situation is. Greg recalled this and wore a slightly awkward expression. He wasn’t good at comforting people.
Seeing Greg’s hesitant face, Earnie panicked.
He wasn’t worried about the broken horn.
“I… no, I mean, um… maybe it’s time to file them into a conical shape?”
“Ah, right. When yours broke, it was like this.”
Greg made a five-centimeter gap with his fingers. In Earnie’s memory, it seemed a bit wider, but details don’t matter much. It wouldn’t do anyone good if others remembered incorrectly anyway.
“Yeah, well, that’s about it. But since they’ve grown quite long again, maybe it’s time.”
“Then let me lend you a really sharp knife.”
“N-no, I have grooming tools already.”
The real issue was whether he should even do this at all. Aesthetically, there’s no reason not to. The problem lies elsewhere.
Earnie’s girlfriend, Sylvia McLean—a human female on the verge of turning twenty and known for her innocence—was saved from a near-fatal collision with an out-of-control carriage thanks to Earnie’s selfless rescue attempt. Now, she carefully wears the broken horn he lost during that incident as a pendant around her neck.
I was truly delighted that she seemed happy when I gave it to her, but ever since then, I’ve occasionally traced the crease on its tip, using it as a reminder to be grateful for our meeting and for fate itself. Honestly, a single chipped horn is nothing compared to Sylvia’s flawless skin—so why worry about it? It’s just something like “Hey, Arnie, you’re still doing that,” or some other ridiculous nonsense I’ve been turning into an excuse to joke around. That’s the real problem here.
Now, this scarred crease has become one of our bonds.
But should I erase it? That’s the struggle I’m facing.
“I see… So, hit me then. Go all out.”
“If you could just spare me…”
Greg’s height is like that of an infant compared to Arnie’s towering frame, yet as a dwarf, he possesses enough power to knock Arnie unconscious with a single blow.
Feeling genuine malice hidden beneath his friendly smile, Arnie slowly stepped back.
“Hmm… Well, seriously speaking, if hitting you satisfies you, I suppose you can keep doing it however you like.”
“Eh? Yeah, well, that’s true… But it does look rather awkward, doesn’t it?”
Still, as an ogre, Arnie has his own sense of aesthetics and cares about what others think.
To be honest, a horn left broken and bent out of shape is simply unbecoming.
Having Sylvia see him like this would make her feel ashamed too, and that’s something he can’t bear to do.
“Hmm… What should I do…”
“Most people outside our kind wouldn’t care anyway, you know.”
“But Basson, there are actually quite a few ogres around, aren’t there?”
Caught between cultures, between love and appearance.
Sylvia could offer advice, but if she did, she’d end up looking lonely and saying, “It’s okay to trim it,” which would only make things worse.
As Arnie stroked his carrot-like horn, now without a tail, deep in contemplation, the front entrance of the barracks grew slightly more lively.
“Someone must be back.”
“It seems so.”
The noise had grown considerably over the past few days.
With the three-month leave granted to them unexpectedly, and now its end approaching within days, many soldiers were returning from their well-deserved break.
Even though they belonged to a military unit bound by duty, most of them were young men living alone, which fostered a strong sense of camaraderie.
Some even brought mountain-sized gifts, turning each soldier’s return after their first leave since forming the squad into something of an event.
But somehow, the way things were getting noisy felt a bit off.
“Oh, hey, Boyd, Rackman! Come here for a sec! And slap my cheeks! No, wait—if you two go all out, I might lose my head, so keep it gentle!”
“Did you just say that, Sergeant Jack?”
“A tap on the head will do, won’t it?”
“No, I meant something like that… Ah, come here already!”
The two glanced at each other, followed Jack toward the entrance, and found a massive bull standing there.
Or rather, an ogre subspecies male who looked like a bull: Corporal Kelly Isaac.
Beside him—or more accurately, leaning against his lower body—stood a woman with straight posture and an aura of dignity.
”…A woman? She doesn’t seem like a civilian.”
“That cloak is military issue. Same fabric as what the Anzoros squad carries.”
“N-no… Something feels off about her proximity to Corporal Isaac, doesn’t it?”
“No, it’s not that Isaac the Decapitator is just too big, right?”
“That guy alone could block the entire entrance.”
“No, no, no—I saw him walking toward us from over there, but that woman was riding on Isaac the Decapitator’s shoulder!?”
“Ugh…”
“What a scene. The most enviable situation for an Ogre, ranked number one.”
”…*”
Earnie glanced away slightly, having done this quite often at Silvia’s request.
Jang-Jack and Greg caught his glance immediately and shot him a sour look.
Setting that aside for now:
“It sounds like you’re introducing yourself. To everyone, right here in the entrance hall?”
“Oh, hey, we’re coming to listen too!”
“Wait a minute!! Damn it, don’t leave the short-legged ones behind!”
The three of them dashed forward with dota-dota footsteps.
“Pleased to meet you.”
As the woman in the cloak struck a formal Celesta military salute, the three reached within earshot.
Seeing all around them awkwardly smile and return the greeting, the trio hurriedly pressed their fists to their left chests.
“Oh, hey, what’s going on?”
Jang-Jack asked a nearby soldier. Before that soldier could speak, she offered a faint smile and repeated her words.
“Pleased to meet you as well. I’ve transferred today from the Celesta Western Army, Third Infantry Regiment. My name is Linne Mikagami, Regular Soldier. Branch remains infantry; I’ll be taking on guard duties.”
“Ah… uh, Regular Soldier Mikagami actually holds the title of Ace Knight by the way. Also a Wolf Beastkin. I’m from her hometown—or rather, we’ve known each other since childhood. She’s the granddaughter of my old man.”
Kelly was desperately trying to explain without causing any trouble.
Linne calmly removed her hair ornament and revealed her previously hidden ears.
“I enlisted because I admired Isaac the Decapitator. From now on, please take good care of me.”
“Oh, hey, Li… Mikagami?”
“Don’t push it, call me Linne. …And that should be clear enough, right? Kelly-san.”
“No, um… yeah…”
The look in her eyes and the way she moved radiated absolute trust in Kelly, while Kelly’s behavior was utterly bewildered and suspicious. Almost all forty soldiers gathered in the entrance hall understood instantly. “Yeah, yeah. Nice to meet you, Regular Soldier Mikagami.”
Representing them, Bit Williams—a human male aged 28 burning with jealousy—stepped forward with a grin, sharing Kelly’s rank as a Decapitator.
“And Isaac. After such a long journey, things aren’t great right now, but morale for training is sky-high among us.”
“A, ah… uh, Williams?”
“Of course you’ll lead the way, Isaac. As a Celesta soldier.”
“Calm down. Wait a moment. Let’s try to act rationally as Celesta soldiers.”
“Yeah, yeah. Nobody’s lost their rationality yet.”
”…………” Amid a height difference nearly double her own, the ox lowered its head with a menacing, slow advance.
“Haa…”
“Yeah, yeah, you’re really eager for training today. Good attitude—truly worthy of being Future Captain of the Hundred.”
“Iyo! Protocol for Acting Deputy Captain of the Hundred!”
“Shining bright as ever!”
As they chimed in unison, the soldiers hurried toward the armory. Soon, a few who had already returned began winding the crossbow strings with nostalgic enthusiasm, their movements crisp and practiced.
“Well,” said Bit—a human male aged twenty-eight, renowned for his perpetually fixed smile—declaring to Kelly with a radiant grin.
“Which do you prefer: fleeing while carrying a shield meant to deflect arrows, or running away empty-handed?”
“What kind of choice is that!!”
“You’d better decide quickly—I’ve been practicing archery myself and already have my weapon ready.”
“Gh… ugh… AAAAAAAH!!”
Kelly sprinted toward the armory at full speed.
“Alright, everyone, pursue her! If she grabs that arrow-deflecting shield, you’re authorized to fire!”
“Yeeeeeeaaah!!”
The crossbow squad chased after her in high spirits.
“Wait… please, what exactly are you going to do to Captain Kelly?”
“Just let it go, just let it go.”
Hank Bronson, a regular infantryman from the only remaining unit—the Anzerus Guard—firmly grabbed her shoulder and halted her.
“This is part of the ritual.”
“The ritual…?”
“Yeah… see, neither the Hundred Captain nor the Ten Captains of Anzerus are here right now.”
“What does that have to do with anything!?”
Before their conversation could gain any traction, the trigger for the large-scale archery drill had already been pulled.
“Uooooooh!! You guys aren’t actually aiming at me, are you!!”
“Sorry, Captain Isaac! It hurts us too, but this is training! Die!”
“We’re not doing this willingly either! Get lost!”
“Even if I concede that returning to Kun and snagging a beautiful girlfriend is one thing, don’t think you can get away with just bringing me along for show-and-tell without consequences, damn it! Sorry!”
“Don’t insult me using such awkward grammar!!”
The so-called “arrow-deflecting shield” was in fact an ultra-heavy shield lying discarded in the armory—one that even an ogre would struggle to wield. While it could technically deflect crossbow bolts at close range, Kelly’s massive frame meant she couldn’t fully hide behind it. “Gh! Got grazed! I got grazed, you bastard!!”
Even so, Kelly managed to escape with her life through sheer determination. ”…What kind of unit is this place anyway?”
“Welcome to one of the Northern Legion’s most beloved units.” It was meant as a joke, but probably also true.
Night had fallen.
The daytime commotion had finally subsided, and everyone was gathered in the mess hall for dinner, beginning their usual round of introductions—asking each other what they liked about Linne and Kelly’s coupledom.
“Well, that counts as a blessing in its own way, comrade.”
”…When I started dating Sylvia, it was great to have the Captain and Anzerus’s squad around…”
“Hahahaha. Well, Isaac wouldn’t go that far unless he was tough enough,” someone chuckled.
A bit apart from the group, Kelly and Linne looked slightly annoyed yet oddly content. Watching them, Earnie secretly wiped a bead of cold sweat while patting his chest in relief. Yeah. Everyone’s scary. “But…” Now even Kelly had a girlfriend. That meant he no longer risked being dismissed when seeking advice on matters of the heart. And though Kelly was technically a sub-species, she was still an ogre; there was shared understanding regarding how to handle horns.
“Alright.” After devouring his portion of spiced meat chunks—a super-male dish made for voracious ogres—Earnie followed Kelly as she stood up first.
“Horns?”
“Just file them down, why don’t you?”
As expected, both Kelly and Linne tilted their heads in confusion.
“No, but… I just don’t want to cut off our memories together.”
“Romantic, Boyd.”
Kelly laughed heartily, while Linne smiled gently and nodded.
Kelly was rough around the edges yet caring; Linne was quiet but steady. Side by side like this, they seemed quite the ideal couple.
“It doesn’t have to be romantic per se… but since you and Sylvia are different species, I’d hate to lose even a small thing that could strengthen your bond.”
“I see… But you two are so lovingly attached; maybe it’s time to gain a bit more confidence.”
“Physical tokens are lovely, but relying too much on them can make women uneasy. It might seem like you trust the object more than your own love.”
“Ah, I understand…”
“So perhaps taking the next step intentionally could be good.”
”…Next?”
“Yes. Why not turn carefully filing those precious horns into a new shared memory between the two of you?”
”…M-maybe… like this?”
Click-clack, click.
Sylvia meticulously shaped the horn using Earnie’s favorite small knife—large enough to look like an axe to humans—and a file.
“Oh, don’t round off the tip too much; that’s how kids file their horns.”
“Okay… Hey, why did you decide to let me do this?”
“W-well…”
“The Ogres’ horns are precious things. We entrust our pride to their form, which is why we don’t let others touch them.”
“Entrusting that to someone else… well, in my colony, it’s actually quite a serious form of courtship.”
”…Hey, Kelly-san. Can you… let me have yours trimmed?”
“Eh… ah, yes. …Damn it, you’ve gotten so spoiled lately.”
“My pride is the fact that Sylvia likes me. If horns are the shape of pride, then the ones trimmed by Sylvia’s hands are the proudest horns I could possibly have right now.”
”…Ugh.”
“Wait, isn’t that too cheesy? It’s a catchphrase Isaac taught me.”
“No… I’m happy.”
“So, I’ll go for your right horn—”
“Kate!?”
“N-no, then I’ll take the left one…”
“In place of my penis, it’d be fine if you two, big sister and Kelly-nii-san, gave each other a double-horn-fucking session♪”
”…H-horn-fucking… G-gulp.”
“Hey, wait!”
“Hahahaha, Isaac. What a coincidence.”
“Eh, Williams!?”
“So, who exactly is this Mikagami Sehei lookalike making inappropriate remarks over there?”
“No, calm down. Let’s talk things through. First off, this kid doesn’t speak standard Japanese well.”
“Mmhmm… I wonder which dialect ‘penis’ comes from. Maybe we can find out while exercising a bit.”
“Wait! Listen to me!”
This is connected to Isaac’s chapter in Side Story 2, and it intertwines quite heavily with that one as well. I’ll be posting that soon too.