To the west of the continent is the Kingdom of Alto.
It is the second largest country on the continent in terms of land area after the Empire, and the oldest in terms of history.
Perhaps because of this, the people of the kingdom tend to be proud and have a hard time getting along with people from other countries.
Anton, the garrison commander of the citadel in the western part of the kingdom, is a proud royal citizen.
However, he also has a sense of responsibility, and he works hard today.
The duties of the kingdom's garrison commander were many, but one of them was to train his men in the training grounds.
When he had beaten about ten men with his sword until they couldn't stand up, one of his subordinates rushed in, out of breath, and reported to him in a panic.
'Captain Anton, one ogre and a dozen or so goblins have appeared!
"Goblins and ogres are in league with each other?
Anton rolled his green eyes at the unusual report.
But he was not so stubborn as to deny it without a head start.
'Yes, a merchant from the south in a carriage has been attacked and his guards have been killed. We need to exterminate them as soon as possible!
It's all right. I'm going in.
Anton makes a quick decision.
'Twenty would be enough for that. But I'm going to put a scout ahead of you to see if there's anything else wrong.
Yes!
Hearing the captain's orders, Denrei runs out.
A garrison should be able to safely win at least a one-on-one battle against the goblins, but Anton makes a more solid decision.
Forty minutes passed before they got ready and set out, but no one cared.
'I'll leave you in charge of staying,'
Anton said this to the same thirty-year-old second-in-command who had come to see him off as he mounted his horse, and then commanded his men on horseback.
'Ride out!'
They leave the west gate and head to where they were reported.
Then they encountered a goblin and an ogre who had just finished eating a horse that they had apparently killed.
There was nothing unusual about it, but the soldiers and the horses they rode in were frightened.
'It's no use. We'll get down and fight.'
When the soldiers dismounted, the horses would run away.
The soldiers didn't mind too much, as they had been trained to come back if you called for them.
More of a problem would be the ogres and goblins.
When they see Anton and the others, they stand up with their clubs and short swords in their hands.
It was obvious to everyone that they were ready to kill the newly emerged humans.
'I'll take care of the ogre! You guys take care of the goblins!
As soon as Anton gave the order, he drew his sword and pounced on the ogre.
The ogre grinned and caught Anton's sword with his spiked black club.
'What?'
He froze for a moment in surprise.
The fact that a mere ogre would stop his sword is something that has never happened before.
The ogre takes advantage of the opportunity to swing the club with all his might.
It is hopeless for a human to defeat an ogre in a simple power match.
Anton is a muscular man who weighs seventy kilos, and although he is lightly armed, he is also equipped with metal armor.
Even so, he could easily be blown more than five meters away.
He stood up swiftly, his expression twisted with anger and humiliation.
''The Ogre-like .......''
It was the voices of his men that made him regain his composure.
''Captain, these guys are strong! It's like they're not just goblins!
Anton, who was upset by someone's shout, looked over and saw the sight of the goblins playing a good game with his men.
(Ba, silly ...... kingdom's defenders are about as goblins ...... no way?)
He was almost crushed by the unbelievable sight, but then a thought occurred to him.
'They could be High Goblins or Goblin Lords. If it's either of them, it's no wonder they're hanging out with ogres!
High goblins are the upper-ranking species of goblins, and goblin lords are the upper-ranking species as well.
Although their appearance is difficult for humans to discern, their strength differs greatly, to the point where ten goblins and one high goblin are said to be equal in strength.
The Goblin Lords are said to be evenly matched with five or six high goblins, so it's probably the high goblins that are fighting with their subordinates.
(You useless bastards! (You can't even tell the difference between a goblin and a high goblin!
Anton cursed in his brain at the soldier who had contacted him to shelve himself.
If he knew it was a high goblin, he would have brought about fifty soldiers with him.
Even if the high goblins were a strong enemy, if it was four against one or five against one, they would have won without a problem.
The current situation isn't much better.
The Ogre is looking at him with a grin because they think they have the advantage.
(Geez!)
This was a hunch, and Anton was angry.
The feeling of being a lowly ogre with no other option but to be powerful, dominated his entire body.
Still, he quickly repressed his rage and tried to keep his cool.
There was no way a man who acted on his emotions could be the captain of the city's garrison.
It was a quiet position because it was a peaceful place, and it was a position that any nobleman would be able to become, but Anton, a proud royal citizen, did not approve of it.
''Hold on until I defeat the ogre!
If everyone's movements are blocked, there is no way to call for backup.
The most realistic option would be for Anton to defeat the ogre and help his men.
'Ta, captain ......'
His men, instead of being inspired by his words, are completely outnumbered.
''You guys are still the kingdom's defenders!
Anton was angry, but it was an absurd accusation for his men.
Those who would be the guards of a peaceful place are all those who are looking for pay and have no high morale or ability, and there is no one who can win against high goblins.
Those who have the motivation and ability will go to the Flower Royal Capital or go to areas where demons occur more frequently for merit.
If one of them is killed, the high goblins will go to join their friends and slash them from behind.
If the high goblins were to attack from behind when they were struggling, there would be no hope for them, and one by one they would be killed.
''My, my, my, you useless bastards!
Anton didn't mourn the death of his men, but showed his anger at the useless tools.
He was confident if he was one-on-one with the Ogre, but if he was fighting the High Goblins at the same time, he had zero chance of winning.
If you turn your hateful gaze on the ogre, you'll get a generous smile.
Apparently, he believes that he has won or lost.
(I'll make you regret that leeway!)
Anton takes out a certain tubular magic tool from his pocket.
With his mouth pointing upwards, he pressed a button on the side, and a red line stretched out towards the sky and spread out in a circle with a loud sound.
It is a magic tool that is used to notify the surroundings that a formidable monster has appeared.
'If you see this, rescue will come. Knights stronger than me will also come. Your fate is over.''
His face was distorted in an indescribable way.
His expression was a combination of anger and hatred at the end of his life and joy at being able to return the favor in a small way.
'Suck it up, pigs!'
Anton leapt at the ogre, proud of his victory, even though he was doomed.
He tried to defend his honor by at least defeating the ogre.
But the ogre easily stopped the attack again, and the high goblins thrust their swords at you from diagonally behind on either side.
...... After this, the ogre and the high goblins were defeated by the rushing troops, but the information was kept under wraps.
It was an unbearable humiliation for the upper echelons of the kingdom to have the captain of one city's garrison killed by the ogres and goblins.