The Tough-Faced Owner of A Fluffy Cafe ~ The Strongest Mercenary Feared as the Headhunter, Living Leisurely Surrounded by Little Girls and Cute Monsters ~

Episode 002: Headhunter, Saving People

Today’s weather is pleasant, with the warm rays of the sun shining down.

“It’s almost time…”

Wiping the sweat from his forehead as he walked, Ack murmured while looking at the last city of this country faintly visible in the distance.

As a mercenary, Ack often heard stories from various countries.

Among them, the Kingdom of Karm was said to be the most comfortable country, with mild climate and good public order.

So, Ack had always thought that the Kingdom of Karm would be the best choice if he ever opened a cafe.

And after quitting as a mercenary, Ack had traveled to the Kingdom of Karm. Crossing several countries, he was about to reach his destination, the border with the Kingdom of Karm.

Ack was excited with the goal in sight.

“What’s this…”

Just as if to ruin such a pleasant atmosphere, Ack sensed the sound of battle coming from a little further ahead.

Among them, there were also women’s voices mixed in.

Someone might be under attack.

Thinking so, unable to stand idly by, Ack sprinted at full speed.

In about ten seconds, the whole picture became visible.

A single covered wagon was surrounded by numerous monsters, stranded.

The monsters had a grotesque appearance resembling bipedal pigs, with bulging bellies and thick arms and legs as thick as a woman’s torso.

Their strength was extremely powerful, and just one blow from them could kill an ordinary person.

They were called orcs, with overwhelmingly fewer females, and they primarily reproduced by impregnating females of other races.

Among those other races were, of course, humans, where they killed the males and abducted the females.

So, it was common sense among mercenaries and adventurers to eliminate them as soon as they were found.

And above all, they were not cute at all.

There was no hesitation in killing them.

Around the wagon, several men were already lying down, and the ground was stained red with blood.

Seeing that they didn’t even twitch, it seemed that they had already breathed their last.

“Damn it!! Why are there orc packs in a place like this――Guwaaaaah!!”

“We’ve brought back so many fine catches――Giiiyaaaaah!!”

“If I knew this would happen, I wouldn’t have gone slaving――Ugeeeeh!!”

Even the men who had survived when Ack found them had been killed before Ack arrived.

However, from what was heard, it could be inferred that they were criminals.

Ack couldn’t bring himself to sympathize.

The orcs that killed the men flocked to the wagon.

At that moment, several women screamed.

“Aaahhh!!”

“S-Someone, please help!!”

“Nooo!!”

As soon as the orcs heard those voices, they drooled and grinned vulgarly.

For them, the screams of human women were nothing but an essence that drove their instincts.

The orcs breathed heavily, tearing the cover off the wagon to take out the women.

Inside, several dozen women were locked in a huge cage, crammed together. They were innocent humans brought from various places by the men killed by the orcs.

With such a large number of women, it was understandable that the orc with a keen sense of smell would be attracted.

The orc tried to twist the iron bars of the cage to take the women out from the inside. However, the cage was unexpectedly sturdy, and it seemed to take some time even for the orc.

However, the women, unaware of this, cried out in fear, further exciting the orc.

However, the orcs, who were focused on the women, did not notice the approaching wonder called Ack, who had pulled out a large sword from his back.

The fact that the women were trapped in the cage worked to their advantage.

“Hmph!”

Ack swung his sword behind the orc.

“Goo――”

Before the orc could say anything, its head was lost.

Its remaining body collapsed on the spot.

“Gooaaah!!”

“Goggoooo!!”

“Gogogogo!!”

At that moment, the orcs realized that their comrades had been killed and panicked.

In front of the strongest mercenary known as the “Headhunter,” who caused chaos on the battlefield, they were nothing more than practice dummies.

The orcs were beheaded one after another like cutting grass.

When only a few remained, an orc attempted to counterattack Ack, but his punch without weight was ineffective against Ack’s sturdy stance.

――Bash!

“Haa!!”

Ack lightly caught it with his left hand and immediately slashed its head with his right sword.

“Gooaaahh!!”

“Gogogooahh!!”

Realizing that they couldn’t win, the orcs scattered and fled into the forest in panic.

“Haaah!! Hmph!!”

However, with a loud voice, Ack swung his sword with determination. Even though it should have been out of reach, all the orc heads around him, along with the surrounding trees, were cut off as well.

The remaining bodies lost their strength as they ran and fell forward, breathless.

“Haa… Hoo… Haa…”

Having defeated all the orcs, Ack sighed and regulated his breathing.

Then, he turned around and approached the women he had saved.

“Kyaaaah!!”

“Don’t come near us!!”

“I-It’s a monster!!”

However, despite their pleas, the women, now covered in orc blood, screamed hysterically at the sight of Ack, his face stained with blood, even more than when the orcs had approached them.

Though he understood, Ack felt a little disheartened.