Chapter 72 | I, the Ogre

‘A newspaper?’

Ogre looked at the newspaper in Maqi's hands with interest.

The Dandelion Daily was an auxiliary publication of the Church of Truth.

Events from all over the world could be found in its pages, making it one of the few efficient information channels available to common folk.

Of course, the news printed in it was at best reliable in fact, but not necessarily in timeliness—expecting to get firsthand intelligence from a daily paper was asking a bit much of the Church of Truth.

“Set it aside for now,” Mima said with a smile, pointing off to the side.

“Gelin, um...” Macar’s face flushed slightly.

“Ahem.” Mima cleared her throat, interrupting whatever Macar was about to say.

That wasn't how confessions worked. Expressions of affection were meant to happen naturally once a relationship was already established; blurting it out like this was a surefire way to ruin his chances.

Could he really not wait a little longer?

“Um, I’ll go grab a bag so it’ll be easier to carry the books later...” Prompted by Mima’s look, Macar ultimately didn't dare say what was truly on his mind.

Stuffing the necklace in his hand back into his pocket, he stood up and left the table.

Ogre: “?”

Was something like that really worth mentioning to me?

“Sister Gelin, I’ll braid your hair again in a bit. Oh, right! I prepared a thick cloak and a scarf for you...” Maqi set down the newspaper and took a scarf and cloak off a nearby rack.

'A scarf and a cloak...'

Ogre realized that this would indeed help conceal his identity, and it was certainly far less conspicuous than a mask.

The cloak Maqi held up was a thick, hooded cotton cloak trimmed with fluffy fur around the edges, colored blue on the inside with a white border.

With winter approaching and temperatures dropping, wearing something like this wouldn't look out of place at all.

The scarf served a similar purpose.

Once he put these two items on, most of his face would be covered. Combined with a changed hairstyle, he would look much more low-key than he did now.

As long as his face wasn't exposed, any outfit, no matter how strange, counted as low-key to Ogre.

'It's just a short trip out anyway, so there shouldn't be any trouble... Well, even if there is trouble, they'll be looking for Macar.' Ogre nodded at Maqi to express his approval.

“I’ve prepared some new clothes for you as well. It’s getting cold out, so you have to take care of yourself,” Mima said, pulling out a pair of newly styled thermal leggings for Ogre.

She believed no girl could resist a style like this.

“The weather is so fickle, dropping cold all of a sudden.” Maqi hung the unfolded scarf back up.

Ogre was still eating breakfast, after all; those were gear for going outside.

“All right...” Ogre nodded casually, then glanced toward the blazing fireplace.

'Has it really gotten that cold already...?'

Ever since inheriting the ogre physique, Ogre’s sensitivity to temperature changes had dulled by the day.

A temperature shift of more than ten degrees felt like only a few degrees to him—even ordinary fire didn't affect him much.

Eating the Electric Eel later on had only heightened his sensitivity to pain, which had little to do with temperature.

'My skin is gradually becoming tougher and more sealed...' Ogre could feel the enhancements provided by his ogre skin steadily strengthening over time.

The abilities he acquired were not static.

Except for enhanced vision, all the abilities Ogre had acquired so far grew slightly stronger through practice and adaptation.

This was especially true for the resistance boosts from his ogre physique.

After all, this was the ability he had digested the longest and that had influenced him the most.

“Indeed, it’s chilled right down. It’s already this cold, so who knows if this Great Cold Wave will be even harsher than before,” Mima remarked with a tinge of worry.

“Don’t worry, Mom, we have the Church,” Maqi replied. Being a Knight, her constitution was naturally much stronger than Mima’s.

Because of that, her experience of the cold wave since childhood had never been as severe as Mima’s.

“Gelin, Aunt Mima.” Macar walked downstairs carrying a large satchel.

He was dressed much lighter than anyone else present.

Gazing at Macar, who clearly didn't mind the freezing wind, Ogre felt a wave of emotion rise within him. In the past, whenever a cold wave struck, his father would do everything he could to find warm furs and enough firewood to keep little human Ogre from freezing.

The eve of a cold wave was always his father’s busiest time.

It had all been for the weak, human Ogre. After all, with an ogre's physique, such cold was nothing at all.

'I suppose this is a side effect of increased cold and heat resistance... It makes me feel less and less like a human...'

It wasn't just ogres. In fact, for most powerful creatures, environmental adaptability was inversely proportional to sensitivity.

Dragons, for instance.

The world was never fair...

When facing a cold wave, a dragon merely needed to sleep through it, whereas weak creatures had to struggle desperately to survive.

To a dragon, a cold wave was nothing more than an utterly ordinary dream... It would probably never understand the brutal slaughters low-level monsters engaged in just to survive the cold.

Of course, it didn't need to understand either.

“Do you really need to carry such a huge bag?” Mima hadn't expected the brat to bring down the biggest bag in the house.

Anyone who knew better would think he was going to buy books, while anyone who didn't would think he was moving out.

“Is there something wrong?” Macar asked, puzzled.

Was bigger not better?

This bag was a new style he had bought from a shop; in a boy’s simple mindset, gear was always better when it was bigger and more plentiful.

Actually, Ogre also felt carrying a large bag was quite practical. Loading it with more books was a fine idea.

If someone else was willing to carry such a big bag when traveling together, Ogre would be more than happy to let them.

It clearly had plenty of space—he could bring back a lot more resources that way.

“Good...” Ogre nodded with a smile.

This gave Macar a burst of confidence. “See? Miss Gelin likes it too.”

“Sigh... Big Brother.”

Maqi really wanted to facepalm. She felt her brother was utterly hopeless—Seriously, are you really just going out to buy books?

Who carries such a huge bag on a date?

However, since Ogre had nodded, she couldn't say much either, assuming the girl was simply being considerate.

Mima opened her mouth to speak, but ultimately closed it.

She realized that there was a reason some people stayed single.

“Why is everyone so quiet? Here, Miss Gelin, let me peel another egg for you.” Completely oblivious, Macar set down the heavy bag behind him, stepped forward, and picked up a bird egg.

Staring at Cousin Macar, the ultimate conversation killer, Maqi let out a deep sigh in her heart. She used to think her brother was single because he had high standards, but now she finally understood.

It might not be a matter of standards at all.

“By the way, Gelin, what do you usually use for skin care? Your skin looks so good. Is it milk?” Having run out of topics, she could only improvise one.