After Retirement, Living a Stud Life in Another World - 234

Chapter 234: Next Up, Orcs?

In the end, Gretel was right about the first wave of enemies. Most of the fifty monsters were goblins, and the adventurers cut them down as easily as mowing grass. Well, as the lord’s forces, we don’t earn rewards for slaying monsters, and if the adventurers can handle it, there’s no need for us to intervene.

But no sooner had the first group been defeated than a second wave appeared. This time, it was orcs—dozens of them. The twenty or so adventurers struggled against the orcs, who relied on brute force and charged in overwhelming numbers.

“Time to act… Tseri, follow me! Haaah!”

“Yes!”

With a spirited shout, Gretel’s body began to glow with a platinum light. In the next instant, Tseri, clad in priestly robes, rushed forward to guard her childhood friend’s back. While Gretel’s valor was nothing new, I was surprised to see Tseri keeping up with her movements as if she were a seasoned warrior.

“Tseri can also use body enhancement magic, you know. I heard she was considered the best martial artist in the royal capital’s church. I couldn’t even compete with her in close combat!”

Michaela shared this information in her lively, anime-like voice, speaking into my left ear. She wasn’t fazed by the sight of the orc horde and stayed glued to my side.

“Don’t you want to fight too, Michaela?”

“Well, I used to take down orcs when I was six or seven, so it’s nothing new for me. If stronger monsters show up… No, no, my job is to protect you, my lord!”

Ah, right. Michaela had been hunting monsters and exploring labyrinths with adventurers since she was five years old.

“If you had the chance, would you want to be an adventurer again? If so…”

If there’s something Michaela wants to do, I’d like to make it happen. After all, she’s younger than me and seems to have been dealt a rough hand in life until now. But Michaela widened her eyes in surprise for a moment before breaking into a big smile.

“Hehe, my lord, you’re such a strange master. Not only did you free me, a war slave, and give me this noblewoman’s status, but now you’re even saying you’d let me do what I want. Normally, you’d say, ‘I’ve done this much for you; now serve me for life.’ Instead, you’re thinking about setting me free to follow my dreams? I want to ask you a million times what kind of softhearted thought process that is!”

“Is it so strange to want the women around me to be happy?”

“It’s absolutely strange! Normally, it’s women who think about making the men around them happy. But for me, being assigned as your guard has been such good fortune. I want to serve you for the rest of my life!”

It felt like I was being scolded, but Michaela’s big, expressive purple eyes shone with kindness. Well, as long as she doesn’t dislike me, I guess it’s fine.

“Oh dear, my ‘Lady of the House’ is locked in battle, and here you are flirting with another woman. Lord Lutz, you’re quite something.”

A sweet, anime-like voice snapped me out of my thoughts. It was Nicole, looking exasperated. Well, yeah, normally, not even glancing at your wife while she’s fighting would be unthinkable.

But my wife is anything but ordinary. She’s the strongest close-combat fighter I know, and her magical abilities have leveled up significantly. Unless she’s ambushed, it’s hard to imagine her getting hurt by mere orcs.

As I turned to look, the scene was exactly as I expected. With a glowing magical silver axe, Gretel tore through the battlefield, leaving no enemy standing for more than three seconds. While the adventurers struggled to take down twenty orcs, she had already cut down thirty on her own. It was impressive how efficiently she worked, though it was clear her trust in Tseri, who flawlessly covered her back, was part of it.

Tseri wielded a heavy mace—unusual for a woman—with ease. She calmly intercepted the attacks of the physically superior orcs and countered with precise blows to weak points like knees and elbows. Her movements were those of a seasoned warrior. No wonder Ayaka had said she wanted her on her team. Seeing this unexpected side of Tseri, who had only shown me her devout—if somewhat stalker-like—priestly demeanor, I found myself captivated.

“So, Princess Beatrice was right!”

“What do you mean, Michaela?”

“Her Highness told me, ‘Lutz is weak to strong women.’ She even said, ‘So you should try it too!’”

“Wait, what?”

“Oh, no, forget I said anything! Forget it!”

What does that even mean?

Just as I was about to press Michaela for an explanation, my beloved wife decapitated the last remaining orc.