The ogre race possesses one to three horns on their heads and is characterized by their overall massive stature. While not quite as legendary as the giants said to dwell far beyond the western seas, they possess a level of raw strength that can be considered the strongest in the Northwest Plains, including the Trot Celeste region. Their innate massive size and physical power guarantee a combat effectiveness that renders mediocre weaponry irrelevant.
According to the official tactical indices of the Celesta Army, if a standard human male in full combat gear and a dwarf light infantryman are both assigned a value of 1, an unarmed ogre male is equivalent to 2.5. In other words, no matter how heavily armored a human regular soldier may be, it is a tactical taboo to challenge an unarmed ogre with fewer than two men. When equipped with appropriate weaponry, their combat rating jumps instantly to 5—equivalent to a single unit of heavy shock cavalry. The ogres’ boisterous fighting style makes them the stars of the battlefield. One can only imagine how rare an “Ace Knight” must be to be expected to hold their own—and even prevail—against five such ogre regulars single-handedly.
But I digress.
It is a widely acknowledged fact, even by the ogres themselves, that their massive frames and somewhat monstrous appearances tend to strike humans as hideous. Of course, ogres do not find humans beautiful either. According to them, human women are “too slender and weak, which causes anxiety” and, while “cute, they fail to arouse passion, elicating only a sense of affection similar to that felt for livestock.” Naturally, the ogre race has its own aesthetic standards and sexual sensibilities.
While ogre women are not as muscular as their male counterparts, they are undeniably tall. As a racial trait, they possess exceptionally flexible anatomy, allowing their robust bodies to accommodate the ogre male’s phallus—which averages nearly 50 centimeters in length—by instinctively shifting their internal organs. Furthermore, women are generally the more energetic members of the species, and in some regions, they maintain matriarchal societies where polyandry persists. To an ogre, a “fine woman” is one who is tall, spirited, and strong enough to take a man’s prowess in stride—the polar opposite of the exemplary lady found in modern human society. Consequently, even in Celesta, where interspecies marriage is legally recognized, unions between ogres and humans are rare. Even when living side-by-side, the perception of ogres remains closer to that of an entirely “alien species” rather than something akin to the relationship between humans and elves.
It was within this context that an ogre youth managed to clear numerous hurdles to find a human lover. Arnie Boyd. A rookie private in the Celesta Northern Legion’s crossbow unit, stationed near the trading city of Basson in northern Celesta. This is the story of that miraculous couple. Actually, that’s a bit of an exaggeration. It wasn’t quite a miracle. But it was certainly something quite remarkable.
◇◇◇
In Basson, shared horse carriages patrol the streets at a leisurely pace. They don’t move much faster than a walk and stop frequently to let passengers on and off, but the fares are cheap and the drivers are often flexible. It is essentially a public works project—a way for retired riding horses to get some exercise during their daily strolls.
Sylvia Maclain boarded such a carriage and requested to be taken to the Great Stadium on the other side of town. A magic show was scheduled to take place at the stadium that day. By “magic” here, I do not mean sleight of hand, but true sorcery. Researchers from the Capital University’s Department of Magic travel the length of Celesta once a year, putting on visually spectacular displays to raise research funds. This annual magic show had become Sylvia’s favorite event of the year.
”…♪” “You seem to be in high spirits, young lady.” Sylvia responded to the old driver’s words with a beaming smile. “Yes, I look forward to the magic show every year!” “Ah, so that’s the season. Perhaps I’ll take a look myself while I’m dropping you off.” “You’d be missing out if you didn’t, old man!” “Hahaha! Well, as long as no other passengers pile in before we reach the stadium!”
Clop-clop, clatter-clatter. The carriage continued its slow, rhythmic journey toward the stadium.
Arnie was on grocery duty that day. He had traveled to Basson, pulling a handcart alongside his superior, Decurion Kelly Isaac. “Why is it that we’re the ones on grocery duty?” “They should just make the humans do it.” Complaints during grocery duty are universal. However, there was a reason for their grumbling.
Arnie (a Plain Ogre, 277 cm tall) and Kelly (a Minotaur Ogre, 310 cm tall) couldn’t fit in a carriage together. Well, it’s not that they couldn’t fit—troop transport carriages are designed to accommodate ogres—it was just that they couldn’t sit on the driver’s bench. Therefore, whenever these two were on duty, they used a hand-drawn cart instead of a carriage. Even for the strength-proud Ogre race, there was something deeply unsatisfying about doing the work that a horse could easily handle.
“I’m telling you, the ceilings in Basson’s general stores are just unbearable.” “I guess for a Decurion, you’re mostly on all fours, huh?” “Before you joined, I was over there placing an order and some local kid pointed at me and yelled, ‘Look, the cow is shopping!’” ”…Sigh.”
The Minotaur Ogres are a minority ethnic group living in clusters near the Great Desert Labyrinth in central Celesta, and they generally have bovine features. Since being called a cow was a regular occurrence for Kelly, Arnie didn’t know how to react. Kelly didn’t seem particularly angry about it either, letting out a heavy sigh. “So now, whenever someone says that to me, I’ve decided to strike a muscle pose while yelling, ‘I’m not a cow, I’m an ogre!’” ”…Muscle posing, huh?” “It cracks them up. You should try it next time a kid scares you.”
Kelly Isaac. Surprisingly, he was quite fond of children. “But at that time, I was mostly on all fours, so I couldn’t even strike a pose. I couldn’t even deny being a cow. It was incredibly frustrating.” ”…I wish they’d just build everything to our size.” “Tell me about it.” Due to the limitations of construction technology, it was difficult to achieve that for residential buildings (even if castles and military facilities were a different story).
The two of them pulled the cart along, rolling through the main street until they stopped in front of their usual general store. Basson is currently one of the fastest-growing cities in Celesta. Rapid growth meant frequent construction, which meant many ogre construction workers were around. A pair of ogres didn’t stand out particularly much.
“Alright, Void. You go in and place the order.” “Me?” “I will never forget that humiliation.” ”…Sigh.” Well, Arnie could manage to get in and out if he ducked a little. He accepted the task and turned to enter the store. It was then.
CRACK!!
“Waaaaah!?” “Wh-what? What was that!?” A massive sound, loud enough to rival thunder, echoed through the blue sky. The ground even shook. Arnie and Kelly jumped in fright. They weren’t the only ones startled; residents began peeking out from all over the city, looking around in confusion. In the midst of the chaos, a carriage tore around the corner ahead at high speed. “Hyaaa!!” As the carriage swung around, an elderly man tumbled off the driver’s bench. “Wh-what happened?! What was that!?” “The horses got spooked and stopped listening to—ow, ow, ow!!” “Old man!?” As Kelly helped him up (or rather, picked him up), the old man groaned in intense pain. It looked like he had broken his arm. “Damn it, get a doctor…”
“W-wait a second! There are still passengers in that carriage! A girl is in there!” “What!?” Looking ahead, the carriage was careening out of control with such momentum it looked as if it might overturn at any moment. Kelly ground his teeth, unable to even begin to predict how this would end. “Damn it!” “Decurion! We have to do something!” Arnie tapped Kelly on the shoulder. Kelly snapped out of it and looked at Arnie. ”…Do you think we can?” “We’re the strongest of the Celesta Army, after all!” “You said it.” Arnie was young, and he still held dreams for the military. Specifically, the idea that a soldier’s first duty is to be the first to aid citizens in crisis—a concept that seems obvious, yet is incredibly difficult to uphold. After years of military service, Kelly had found that the sheer weight of swinging a sword made it all too easy to forget that sentiment before he even realized it. Kelly laughed. An ogre’s face looks ferocious when it smiles, but to Arnie, that grin was more reassuring than anything else. “Let’s go!! Follow me, Void!!” “Yes, sir!!” The two ogres took off. The citizens of Basson gasped at the sheer impact of the two massive figures sprinting at full tilt.
An ogre’s massive size functions as an advantage during movement. A well-trained ogre’s sprint is fast, proportional to the immense power of their massive lower bodies. While they couldn’t catch a naked horse, they could just about manage to keep up with a heavy carriage. However, the dozen or so seconds lost during their decision-making proved costly, and they struggled to close the gap. Even after running several hundred meters, the two had not yet reached a distance where they could reach out and grab it. “Damn it… Void, at this rate, we’re going to lose them right in the middle of the main street!” “Yes, sir!” “It’s all or nothing. You fly!” ”…Huh?” For a moment, Arnie couldn’t grasp what Kelly was saying. It was only natural. On a road as well-paved as this, jumping wouldn’t make them any faster. However, as a Decurion, Kelly had a reputation for sudden flashes of tactical brilliance. Despite his bovine face, his mind was far from bovine-like dullness. “I’m going to hurl you! You rescue the passengers from the carriage!” ”…Wha—whaaaat!?” Even so, it was an outrageous plan. Yet, Arnie believed in Kelly’s competence as a Decurion. If he said it could be done, it could be done. ”…Understood. I’m counting on you, sir!” “Alright… HRAAAAAAAAGH!!” Without a moment’s hesitation, Kelly grabbed Arnie’s arm, his entire musculature swelling. The expansion was so great that, despite his already enormous frame, he seemed to grow even larger. With that raw power, he hurled Arnie forward with everything he had. “W-whoaaa, ooooh!!” Arnie flew through the air, spinning wildly. Tracing a beautiful parabola seven meters above the Basson main street, he went— “OGH!” THUD! He landed on the roof of the carriage—or rather, he smashed through the roof and became embedded in it.
“Eek!!”
Inside the carriage, Silvia McLain let out a terrified shriek. It was understandable; the carriage was already careening out of control and shaking violently when an ogre suddenly crashed through the roof.
However, Arnie shook his head and sat upright.
At the end of the main street sat a tavern. If the horses continued at this runaway speed, there was a high probability they wouldn’t be able to make the turn and would crash straight into it.
The impact was right before his eyes.
With his body hanging out of the carriage, Arnie felt a surge of panic.
“Ugh, AAAAGH!!”
He couldn’t think; he couldn’t do anything. He simply reached out instinctively. He grabbed something soft, and—
CRASH!!
A moment later, as the horses attempted to turn, the carriage couldn’t keep up. Just as expected, it tilted and slammed into the wall.
◇◇◇
It was two days later when Arnie opened his eyes.
”…Void! Void is awake!”
Lying in a fluffy bed in the town clinic, Arnie moved his body slightly. Everything creaked and groaned, but it seemed his limbs were all still intact.
Seeing him stir, Centurion Diane let out a sigh of relief.
Overwhelmed with joy that people had been worried about him, Arng suddenly burst into tears and muttered, “I’m sorry.”
Hearing Diane’s voice, the first person to burst into the room and leap toward Arnie was—
“Thank goodness…!!”
Silvia McLain. The girl he had saved.
Arnie’s final act had protected Silvia without a scratch. Amidst the collision with the wall and the crushing of the carriage, Arnie’s massive hand had shielded her completely.
The first thing Silvia saw upon waking was Arnie, his hand gently cradling her to protect her even as it had partially demolished the mortar wall.
And then…
”…Um! I’ll take care of everything for you, Mr. Void!”
“No, really, I’m fine. I’m sorry for the trouble.”
“You’re my lifesaver, so please, let me do this!!”
”…U-Uh, okay.”
Overpowered by her persistence, he ended up having Silvia assist him with everything—from meals to even helping him use the restroom—for about ten days.
One month later.
”…Decurion Isaac. Could you swap my cleaning duty to a different day tomorrow?”
“Oh? What’s up, Void? Are you going on a date with that human girl?”
”…I’d prefer if you didn’t act surprised, but… it seems so.”
”…WHAT!?”
Kelly shouted as he slammed his chair back. The other squad members began to gather, wondering what was happening.
“What is it? What’s going on? Explain yourself, Isaac.”
“O-Oh, Smyson. Apparently, this idiot is going on a date with a human girl.”
“Are you serious?”
“I am.”
“What do you mean by this, Void!?”
“I-I mean, well, even I don’t really know…”
The next day.
Dressed in a complete outfit—Kelly’s hand-me-down sea beast leather jacket, accessories like the belt and bracelet crafted by Andy, a clean shirt thoroughly laundered by Diane, and the stylish shoes selected by Anzelos—Arnie prepared to meet Silvia.
”…”
He couldn’t help but think he might be being teased a little. However, the parchment used was far too high-quality to be used for a joke, and the letter written upon it overflowed with sincerity.
—Dear Arnie. I would like to invite you on a date. Let us go to the arena together this Sunday afternoon. I believe you will come, so I will be waiting in front of that tavern. —Silvia
The wall of the tavern had still not been repaired. The painful memory resurfaced. Arnie’s single horn had snapped halfway through from the impact of the collision.
”…I wonder if my horn is around here somewhere.” On a sudden whim, he approached the crumbled wall. As he searched the wall and ground carefully, he found what he was looking for, lying partially buried in the dirt.
”…Haha, found it.” “Found what?” “Wha—Whoa, Silvia-san!?” “Hello, Arically!”
Silvia was standing there, leaning in to peer at what was in Arnie’s hands. Arnie had been far too nervous and was trying so hard to distract himself that he hadn’t noticed her at all.
“U-Um…” “It’s okay. You don’t have to say if you don’t want to. More importantly… right?” “Y-Yes. Understood!”
She held out her hand, palm up. Arnie took it, resting his hand gently against the base of her fingers.
”…Are you… are you serious about this date with me?” “Did you think I was lying?” ”…But, I’m an ogre.”
Ever since she realized she was one year older than him, Silvia had suddenly started acting like an older sister. For the record, Arnie was eighteen, and Silvia was nineteen. No matter how young they were, an ogre’s face was rugged and intimidating. Silvia’s presence—teasing him one moment and leaning in close to embrace him the next—was a complete mismatch for someone like Arnie.
“Fufu. …You know, Arnie, I like your hands.” ”?” ”…Just because. When you gripped my hand so tightly that time, enclosing it… my heart fluttered a little. They felt so warm.” “Uh…” “Is that not enough?” ”…Eh?” “As for the reason why I fell for you.” “E-Eeeeh!?”
Arnie flustered as she said “I love you” so casually. Silvia smiled, clearly enjoying his innocent reaction, and squeezed Arnie’s index finger, which was as thick as a child’s arm.
“It’s strange, isn’t it? Once you fall in love, no matter what you do, I find everything about you adorable.” “Ugh… A-Adorable…?” “Mhm♪”
Arnie, who had never been called cute before, wore an indescribable expression. Taking his hand, Silvia happily led him toward the stadium.
There were no events scheduled at the stadium that day. On days when nothing was happening, the facility was open to the public, serving as a place of relaxation for citizens to enjoy track and field or ball games. Since there were no spectators around to peer inside, the stands the two had entered were almost entirely empty.
“You know, I heard it was actually because of that magic show.” ”?” “That big boom sound. The one that startled the horses.” “Ah… I see.” The Magic Research Department of the Capital University strictly focused on the study of magic; it wasn’t a place where master practitioners gathered. Even when mistakes occurred, the amount of power being manipulated was small, and since the damage was far less than that of alchemy research, there was even an air of tolerance, as if such failures were accepted as minor calamities.
“I mean, someone almost died, so it was pretty intense.” “Yeah. Seriously. If you had died, Arnie, I might have hated magic shows for the rest of my life.” ”…I’m not that easy to kill. You’re the one who almost died, Silvia.” “Yeah. …But you know, I’m actually a little grateful. If that hadn’t happened, I never would have met you.” ”…” Arnie turned bright red. He hunched his large frame and scratched his head sheepishly. His reaction was so blatant and innocent that Silvia, even as the one who had said it, felt herself blushing. After they spent several minutes simply staring at one another, Silvia changed the subject to break the heavy, stalled atmosphere.
“By the way, when I was little, I could never see anything when I came to the stadium. I used to ask my dad to give me a shoulder ride all the time.” “O-Oh.” “When I was on someone’s shoulders, the whole world looked different. I kept begging my father to do it until I got quite a bit older.” She smiled. Then, leaning her weight against Arnie’s back, she spoke in a pleading tone. ”…Arnie, will you give me a shoulder ride?” “W-Wait, really!?” “Is that a no? I thought since you’re so big, you might be able to carry me.” “N-No, I mean, carrying one or two humans would be a breeze… but, well, I’d end up touching your butt!” ”…Pfft. Ahahahaha!!” Silvia burst into laughter at Arnie’s incredibly awkward remark. Arnie stood there blankly, wondering if he had said something strange. “It’s fine, it’s fine! A shoulder ride doesn’t count as ‘touching’! Come on, lift me up!” “Ugh… alright, here goes.”
Arnie carefully lifted Silvia onto his shoulders, trying his best to hold her by her waist and knees. Suddenly, Silvia’s field of vision shot upward. The world transformed. “Wow… amazing, so amazing!” ”…Sigh, um, well…” Because Arnie was hugging his own head, Silvia’s chest pressed against the back of his head, making him feel restless. A few seconds later, he realized her skirt was a bit short; panicking that he might accidentally flash her underwear to the entire stadium, he began shifting his body in small, frantic movements. The movement looked almost like he was swaying her to soothe her, and Silvia began squealing with laughter like a child.
After continuing like that for a while, Silvia suddenly began patting Arnie’s head. As Arnie waited to see what she was doing, a curious voice drifted down from above his head. ”…Arnie, your horn… it’s not growing on the left side, is it? Were you always like this?” “No. It happened a little while ago.” It wasn’t actually that long ago. It had only been a few years, but Arnie decided to act a bit grand. Using the word “a while ago” made him feel a little more important, as if he were standing on equal footing with his elders.
”……”
Since it seemed she was waiting for him to continue, Arnie cleared his throat. He felt that, truth be told, this wasn’t really something he should be telling just anyone, but he felt he could share it with Silvia, since she had told him she liked him. Besides, it would help fill the silence.
”…I was born in an ogre colony near the coast close to the border of Afilm. The Dragon Palace was nearby.”
“Uh-huh, I see.”
“I… well, I once helped a dragon there. They were so grateful that they gave me a dragon treasure as a token of thanks.”
“That’s amazing!”
Dragons. The strongest and most solitary of all races. They avoided contact with other races, forming a hidden village known as the Dragon Palace, where they lived in isolation. Their treasures possessed astronomical value, making them the envy of every adventurer.
“I brought it back to the colony, but… they decided I had stolen it from the dragons, and they were incredibly angry with me.”
“What…?”
“As punishment, they pulled out this horn of mine. It hurt so much I thought I would die.”
It had been a coincidence that Arnie helped the dragon. While he was hunting in the mountains, he had come across a young member of the dragon race collapsed with a fever.
Dragons are a different species from wyverns. There is an intelligence gap between them similar to that between apes and humans, and the dragon race typically lives in human-like forms. If they lived in their true forms, the Dragon Palace would not be large enough to house them, and it would no longer be a hidden village. Seeing the young dragon, Arnie felt the natural awe one feels toward a legendary creature, but since he was still just a child himself, he was brave enough to carry him all the way to the Dragon Palace. Grateful for this kindness, the dragon offered him a treasure: a beautiful orb known as a Dragon Jewel—a supreme gem that never clouded, never scratched, and never broke. The adults in the colony were speechless when Arnie returned with it. They concluded it was impossible for a dragon to give something so valuable to a mere child; they decided he must have snuck into the Dragon Palace and taken it as a prank. Then, fearing retaliation on their own behalf, they decided to force him to perform an act of atonement. They suppressed Arnie as he wailed that he wasn’t lying, and as punishment, they tore out his horn. They then ordered him to climb the mountain and apologize to the dragon. Even the young Arnie could feel, instinctively, that the adults intended for this to be a sacrifice.
“The wound where my horn was pulled out hurt like death, and it was a terrible night with the rain pouring down. I stumbled into the Dragon Palace and apologized just like I was told… and then, the dragon person apologized to me through tears. They said they had done something terrible and begged for my forgiveness. Even though those people had only given me a treasure. But seeing them cry like that when they saw my wound… it made me so happy.”
”…Arnie, you…”
“But as a sacrifice, I could never go back. So, I had the dragon person treat my wound, and then I went to Queca to become a soldier. …Back in my hometown, I’m probably presumed dead. Hahaha.”
”……”
“That’s why, honestly, I like people of other races much more than ogres. When people from other races are kind to me, it makes me so happy. It makes me feel like I deserve to be alive. A-um, but I never expected someone as beautiful as you, Silvia-san, to tell me you like me. I’s just… I’m a bit carried away today, hahaha.”
”…I am so sorry!!”
“Haha… huh?”
Arnie was startled by the sudden apology. He knew the story had turned heavy, but he hadn’t expected her to burst into apologies so abruptly. However, Silvia simply reached out, stroked Arnie’s broken right horn with her finger, and then clung to his large head, breaking into violent sobs.
“Sob… I’m… I’m so sorry… because you’re so big, I just… I fell in love with you somewhat aimlessly, and I said things like ‘I like you’… uugh, I’m sorry… even though your horn is broken, even though it broke because of me, even though it was your last remaining horn…”
“I-it’s okay. The root is still there, so the right side will grow back.”
“But, but… uuuugh… I… you… I didn’t realize… I didn’t know how much you… how much I loved you… I’m sorry… I’ll make sure… I’ll truly… love you… Arnie-kun, I promise, I’ll love you properly next time…”
“C-calm down, please calm down. I-I don’t need you to do it ‘properly’ or anything like that. Just you liking me is enough to make me happy.”
“Arnie-kuuuun! Waaaaaaaahhhh!!”
Overcome with emotion, Silvia began to wail uncontrollably, ignoring all logic. Arnie was troubled. Truly troubled. Silvia continued to sniffle and sob like that until nightfall.
”…I’m sorry. I felt so bad for you, Arnie-kun, that I just lost control of myself.”
“Haha… w-well, I’m glad I got to see a cute side of you, Silvia-san.”
To be honest, it had been behind her head the whole time, so he hadn’t been able to see. Silvia rubbed her nose several times, then, with a sudden, serious expression, looked up at Arnie. “S-So, let me say it properly… I, Silvia Macraine, truly love you, Arnie. I’ve fallen for you.” “Y-Yes.” ”…So, um…” ”…” ”…” Momentum lost. Silvia hung her head, her face flushed deep red, while Arnie, equally beet-red, stood there at a loss. Just then, out of the corner of Arnie’s wide field of vision, he spotted a familiar bovine face. ”!?” Kelly. And at her feet, Andy. Andy was sitting cross-legged, pointing his thumb downward in a silent boo. It was incredibly immature. Kelly was pumping her fists in front of her face, signaling, “Go! Go for it!” What are those two doing? Arnie wondered, stunned, but after a moment of thought, he understood the meaning of Kelly’s “Go!” sign. That was right. Arnie had to move forward. This was that kind of moment. “Um,” At the sound of Arnie’s voice, Silvia jerked her head up. Arnie leaned in, looking her straight in the eyes with earnest intensity. “I… I love you too, Silvi… I do. …And, well, I want you to be my girlfriend.” ”…Yes!” Silvia leaned in smoothly, pressing her lovely lips against the ogre’s massive ones in a kiss. The setting sun cut along the mountain ridge, creating a gentle twilight for the lovers.
◇◇◇
“Decurion Smaison.” “Hm? Oh, if it isn’t Private Void, the man with a girlfriend.” “Ugh… actually, I have something to consult you about… regarding her.” “Tch. What, you want another custom accessory? I don’t have much taste, so I can’t keep doing this every time.” “No, well, it is an accessory, but…” ”…Ah, I see. If that’s the case, fine. Just wait a moment.”
Silvia usually worked the fryer at a deli in a corner of Basson City. That evening, Arnie showed up without an appointment, which was rare. “I’m sorry, the sign is already—oh, Arnie.” “Silvia. Um… well… could you, please, take this?” Suddenly, a small piece of jewelry was thrust toward her. It was a handmade necklace by Andy, made by coating one of Arnie’s horns in varnish, drilling a hole through it, and threading a thin chain through. “Eh… is this…?” “Yes. Because… I want the person I love most to be able to hold onto my horn.”
“Listen up, punks! …Dammit. Listen to me. I might be stuck in a place like this right now, but back in my hometown, there’s this incredible beauty! She’s got huge breasts! And a tiny, snatched waist! There’s a girl back home who is madly in love with me! And get this—she’s a half-elf!” “There he goes again. The Decurion’s ‘imaginary girlfriend’ monologue has started.” “Is it time already? Ma’am, could you wrap up the tab?”
“I’m telling you, it’s not in my head! I’m seriously telling you, having a girlfriend like Void is just not happening! Listen to me, you idiot! Moron!”
Tonight, as always, various races were sharing drinks in the Crossbow Squad, and all was peaceful.