It’s okay because it’s not human

Chapter 12: "A Bearded Knight is Fine Too (01)"

"Orcs aren't bad."

Until now, whenever I thought of orcs, I considered them to be brutish and pig-like. But seeing them like this, their only real differences were slightly darker skin, a more robust physique, and slightly upturned noses.

On closer inspection, their bodies were muscular, and their chests, a symbol of motherhood, were quite well-built. Among the knights, many of whom liked muscular women, their bodies were surprisingly well-received.

"There's a reason there are so many half-orcs."

In the past, mixed-race offspring were often born as a result of war crimes during conflicts, but in today's peaceful times, most mixed-race children were born out of interracial marriages.

At first, I thought, 'No way, orcs?', but after a while, even I started thinking orc women weren't too bad.

"At first, it was disappointing, but now it feels... alright."

It seemed the senior knights' intention was exactly this.

Eating, sleeping, getting dirty, and moving together as equals—these experiences would nurture camaraderie while reducing romantic or sexual tension, helping them see each other not as men or women but simply as knights of the opposite gender.

However, for us, deprived of female companionship for so long, such plans had little effect. Worse, this kind of conversation only amplified our eccentric desires. And most importantly...

"The female knights are surprisingly attractive, aren't they?"

Contrary to expectations, the mixed-race female knights were stunning.

At first, I thought orcs were dirty, but they were cleaner than us. Even when exhausted, they washed up, applied mud packs to their skin for care, and went to bed. Seeing their efforts, I couldn't help but find them charming.

Of course, among them, the dwarf female knight bothered me the most because of her beard. It hurt my eyes every time I saw her. But as time passed, I got used to it. Now I could look at her and think, 'Ah, a dwarf knight.'

This is the power of familiarity—it's terrifying.

"If they were human female knights, we might have been disappointed."

Human female knights wouldn't have surprised or fascinated us. Seeing them act just like us would've only reinforced that they were people too. But because they were of different races, the differences stood out and made us adapt quickly.

"Who's your favorite?"

"Definitely Garnya!"

"Right, Garnya's amazing."

The most popular female trainee knight among us was Garnya, a full-blooded orc. Some said her prominent tusks were attractive.

"These guys are making excuses."

Of course, I knew the real reason they liked Garnya. She had the largest chest. Every time she removed her armor to rest, everyone's eyes were glued to her chest.

It didn't matter whether it was an orc's chest or a human's—if it bounced, these guys liked it.

"Hey, what do you think about Erin?"

"Erin?"

The half-ogre Erin, whom I sparred with initially, still wore her helmet and kept her body tightly covered with her armor. Unsurprisingly, she wasn't popular.

She growled at us whenever we approached, so unlike the other female trainee knights, she didn't get along with us or chat much.

"She's beautiful."

"There's no way a half-ogre could be beautiful, right?"

"No, trust me. She is."

My roommates, Dane, Jake, and Levin, stared at me skeptically.

"Think about it—this guy gets turned on by goddess statues."

"Oh, right."

"And he... didn't he do it with air once?"

"Ah, yeah."

"And a slime... isn't he still carrying that thing around?"

"Ugh!"

As my roommates revealed my past misdeeds, the others nodded knowingly, clearly thinking, 'Of course, it's him.' But I was serious.

"She's beautiful, though..."

"Oh, by the way, our group is on night watch tonight."

"Why is it always me?"

It felt like I was always stuck with the night shift. Sure, I was there when the senior knights drew lots, but still...

"The female knights must have it rough."

We were 150 men, so even with two-person shifts, it took 75 turns before the same person had to watch again. On the other hand, there were only 34 female knights, so each one had to take shifts twice or even three times as often.

"Ugh."

And as fate would have it, my watch partner for the night was Erin.

"So that's what burning eyes look like."

Perhaps because of her ogre blood, every time Erin glared at me, her blue eyes seemed to pierce through her helmet and the darkness.

"She hated me from the start."

The plan was simple: patrol together briefly, then head to a quiet spot and use my slime companion, "Mollang," discreetly.

At the end of our shift, I nudged the next guy awake and stepped outside the camp. I was ready to let Mollang take care of my frustrations when I heard rustling behind me.

"Who could it be?"

I turned toward the sound and saw blue flames flickering in the darkness.

"Why is she following me?"

She was looking around, probably tracking my footprints. As expected of a knight, she seemed adept at following trails.

"Damn it."

I pulled myself together and revealed myself before she could find me. Sure enough, Erin flinched, stopped, and stared at me.

"This girl really followed me here in the middle of the night. Doesn't she know danger?"

Well, being a half-ogre, she could easily knock out most attackers with her fists.

"What are you doing here?"

I couldn't exactly admit I was sneaking away to use Mollang, so I tried to phrase it vaguely.

"...Bathroom."

"...Right."

Whether she agreed or was judging me, I couldn't tell. Her helmet and the darkness obscured her expression. Only her bright eyes were visible.

"And why were you looking for me?"

"...duel."

"duel? Oh, you're not going to bring up my so-called tricks again, are you?"

Back in our first year, many claimed I used tricks to defeat them in sparring because I could cut without visibly drawing my sword. Some even accused me of sabotaging their gear beforehand.

"It's the same. I release mana on the blade to strike, then deactivate it."

In reality, my sword was just faster. Most knights would emit mana along their blade continuously, but I only activated it at the moment of impact. This made it seem like I wasn't using it at all.

While this technique caused a lot of unnecessary fights early on, now most avoided sparring with me, calling it boring.

'Thanks to that, I usually don't step forward even during sparring matches with other knight orders.'

This time, though, Dane caused some trouble, and because he sent me out in his place, I had no choice but to get involved.

"Is it just because you're fast?"

"If I were just fast, there would be afterimages. I simply activate my Mana Saber exactly when needed."

Would it be okay to reveal this kind of secret?

Well, swordsmanship depends on how you wield it, even if you teach it the same way. Plus, what I do isn't really a trick; it's more of a unique habit of mine. Others wouldn't be able to copy it easily, and even if they did, I wouldn't care.

"I see..."

"So, are you here because you don't accept the results and want a rematch?"

"What are you talking about?"

"Even if you're trying to hide it behind your helmet... your eyes are practically blazing with fighting spirit right now."

Hearing that, Erin sighed and removed her helmet.

"I'm not mad."

She looked slightly pouty but not furious or trembling with anger over her loss.

"If my opponent is strong, losing is only natural. I was just curious about your method."

Her blue, glowing eyes weren't aflame with rage; they just shone naturally, like the reflective eyes of a cat in the dark.

"So you just came to satisfy your curiosity about that?"

"Yes. Is that a problem?"

Was she implying that she interrupted my private activity just for this?

Of course, Erin wouldn't have suspected that I'd sneak out during training to do something as absurd as indulging in personal time. But for me, this was no small issue.

"If that's all, then you should— Hngh!"

At that moment, my slime started biting me.

Even while I was talking with Erin, the slime clamped onto my... personal area, her soft teeth digging in. Suddenly, she intensified her grip.

'What's wrong with it all of a sudden?!'

This wasn't my thing. Pain wasn't my preference. Even though the slime's teeth were soft and wouldn't leave marks, the sensation of biting was enough to make me flinch each time.

"Are you okay? Are you hurt?"

"No, no, I'm fine. Just— nghhh!"

"You don't look okay. You're sweating, hunched over..."

'Of course, I'm not okay! There's a slime biting me there!'

Erin wasn't leaving, making it impossible for me to resolve the situation by removing my pants. Instead, she approached with concern.

"Don't come closer! Seriously, stay back— ahhh! It hurts so much!"

The slime intensified her grip, and I couldn't hold back a scream. Erin's expression shifted as if she had discovered something.

"You're being attacked by an invisible monster, aren't you? There's something in your pants."

Yes, there is something in my pants... a slime. But why was she...?

"I'll catch it for you."

For a moment, I looked at Erin's small hand and calculated:

1. Erin is a half-ogre.

2. As a half-ogre, she wields a heavy battle axe with one hand.

3. My private parts are fragile.

4. If she grabs them with that kind of strength...

"NO! Absolutely not!"

"What's wrong? Just hold still for a second."

"Don't do it! Please don't!"

What kind of dialogue was this, given the situation? It felt like our roles were reversed. Regardless, I was genuinely desperate.

Meanwhile, the slime seemed oblivious to my panic, continuing her relentless bites. Erin, misunderstanding my distress, tightened her grip on my shoulder with surprising strength.

"Hold still. I won't hurt you."

'That doesn't sound reassuring at all! And why is she so strong?!'

Her grip was unyielding, making escape impossible. She used her other hand to reach for my groin.

Squish!

"Something big is in there!"

That... that's mine.

"Wait, let me just..."

The slime, now fully wrapped around my private area, was being gripped and shaken by Erin as she tried to pull it free.

Fortunately, she seemed to be adjusting her strength so as not to harm me, but the process...

'This feels... like a handjob... except there's only a slime in the way. Isn't this basically happening for real?!'

Yes, at this moment, I was essentially being forcefully... assisted by a half-ogre female knight.

"Nnghhh! Stop, please—!"

"Just a bit more! I think I'm almost there..."

"Almost there?!"

"Whatever this thing is, it's clearly hurting you. Just hold on."

While her intention was pure, her actions were far from it. Finally, she mustered her full strength to pull the slime out of my pants.

Squelch!

"It's a slime? Why was this in your pants— oh?"

Her eyes then fell on my exposed... sword, which had been revealed after the slime was removed.

"...Oh?"

I tried to hold back, but the limits of my restraint had been reached. The moment I saw her expression shift from shock to embarrassment, I couldn't stop myself.

Splat!

Before she could react further, my "sword" released its pent-up energy, coating her face with its... essence.

A thick, white, water-elemental of energy