Donchichi was living peacefully.
He ate when he was hungry, slept when he was tired, and smashed things when he felt like it.
That was Donchichi’s daily life.
Among the ogres living in the North, there was no individual as large and strong as him. He became the leader of his tribe before reaching adulthood, and though many ogres feared him and banded together to challenge him, he crushed them all without exception.
Donchichi was the ogre lord, ruling over the northern forests.
That was, until the so-called emperor of the tiny humans appeared.
“Donchichi, is it? The North is my domain.”
“Nonsense. This is my land.”
The ogres spoke the continent’s common tongue. Their intelligence wasn’t high enough for precise communication, but ever since an ogre lord long ago learned human speech, they had continued to use it.
“Oh? You speak human language?”
“Ogres have no language. Use human words.”
“I see. Very clever, Donchichi.”
“Not at all.”
By nature, Donchichi would have charged at the humans trespassing in his forest and crushed them all, but there was a reason he couldn’t.
Two humans stood flanking the emperor.
“Grrr…”
Instinctively, Donchichi growled a threatening sound, but neither of them reacted.
He didn’t even need to fight to know—they possessed strength equal to his own.
No, perhaps even greater.
It was a shock that turned Donchichi’s world upside down.
How could these small, weak humans be so strong?
To him, strength was proportional to size.
Among ogres, he was the largest. Having never seen anyone bigger, Donchichi believed himself the strongest being in the world.
So how could these humans, smaller than newborn ogre pups, radiate such a powerful aura? He couldn’t understand.
The human emperor spoke.
“The North is my domain, Donchichi. Do you have any objections?”
“Objections exist. This is my land.”
“Even if it’s my land.”
“Grrr…”
One of Donchichi’s defining traits was his intelligence—unusual for an ogre. Strong and rational, he ruled as an absolute ogre lord.
He realized he had to cooperate with the human emperor.
There was no way he could defeat these humans.
After all, submission to the strong was an ogre’s nature.
He had no pride to cling to.
“Very well, Donchichi. If you become my vassal, I will entrust you with the northern forest and provide you with food regularly. How does that sound? In return, you only need to fulfill my requests when called upon. It’s not a difficult task.”
“Food… curious.”
“Come here.”
At the emperor’s gesture, humans pulled a cart forward and placed it before Donchichi.
Inside was a plump black ox.
Though he occasionally hunted cattle wandering the forest, he had never seen such a large one.
Donchichi drooled, eager to eat, but the emperor laughed and stopped him.
“Wait, Donchichi. I’ll make it taste even better.”
“I want taste.”
Soon, a human mage appeared and began roasting the meat whole, sprinkling some mysterious powder over it.
Before long, the black ox was perfectly grilled.
“Try it.”
With trembling hands, Donchichi picked up the meat.
The aroma alone made it hard to keep his composure.
The moment he took a bite, his eyes snapped open wide.
“Flavor… supreme. Very exciting.”
“If you become my vassal, you’ll eat this to your heart’s content.”
“Much to consider. Donchichi will eat and think.”
“Go ahead, think as much as you want.”
As Donchichi ate, he kept an eye on the two humans beside the emperor.
One wore a mask, hiding his face; the other smirked at him.
“Your Majesty, shouldn’t we rough him up a bit to keep him in line?”
“No need. Yalta, Donchichi is a smart ogre.”
The smirking human’s arrogance made Donchichi want to teach him a lesson, but Donchichi was clever and self-controlled.
He knew that if the masked man joined the fight, it would be disadvantageous.
Besides, he might never get to eat this incredible food the emperor had made again.
Donchichi made his decision.
“Your Majesty, loyalty.”
“Oh, Donchichi, you’re so clever…”
“Much honored.”
“Eat plenty.”
“Shameless. Two more, please.”
“Very well. Bring another one!”
“Loyalty, loyalty.”
Donchichi immediately pledged allegiance to the emperor.
He had been skilled at pleasing others since childhood, which allowed him to learn battle tactics and forest knowledge from the previous ogre lord.
“Eat up.”
Then the arrogant human called Yalta spoke again.
“Your Majesty, he’s more like a pig than an ogre.”
Donchichi had reached his limit.
“You there, human. Very rude.”
“Yalta, stop it. Donchichi will calm down.”
“Ogres even tattle now.”
“You’ll be smashed.”
“Wanna try?”
“Now’s good.”
As Donchichi and Yalta growled at each other, the masked knight stepped in to mediate.
“This is before His Majesty. Both of you, show respect.”
Instinctively, Donchichi sensed the masked knight was stronger than Yalta.
In any case, that’s how Donchichi became the emperor’s vassal.
“Then, Donchichi, next time I will invite you to the palace. Until then, take care.”
“Your Majesty, long life and prosperity.”
“Yes, yes. Ha ha ha ha!”
The emperor laughed heartily and departed.
Afterward, Donchichi’s life didn’t change much.
He still ate when hungry, slept when tired, and smashed things when he wanted.
Only now, he regularly ate the black ox sent by the emperor, and occasionally, when ordered, he would go to the human city and cause a ruckus. In return, he received even more delicious food.
Life as the emperor’s vassal was satisfying.
Thus, Donchichi lived a peaceful life.
Until one day.
Outside the forest, an unpleasant aura stirred. Instinctively, he felt repulsed.
He planned to stay far away, but then he caught the scent of the crown prince.
The emperor’s son was much like the emperor himself, so proper etiquette was necessary.
Donchichi uprooted an apple tree as a gift and went to find him.
But something was off.
The crown prince was different from before.
There was something unsettling about him.
Donchichi felt uneasy but held back. He was the emperor’s vassal and a respectful ogre.
“Donchichi. I have a task for you.”
“I, loyal to the emperor. If possible, I will do it.”
“It’s not difficult. You just need to stand still.”
From the crown prince, a strange energy began to rise—something Donchichi had never felt before.
Terrified, he stepped back.
His heightened senses screamed at him to run.
“That’s dangerous. Dangerous.”
“Look.”
“I don’t want to see.”
“Donchichi. Loyal ogre. This is an order. Stand still.”
Before Donchichi could react, the crown prince pulled out something.
A piece of parchment.
At that moment, Donchichi’s vision darkened. A colossal tower appeared, looming over the world. At its peak, a glowing red eye stared down at him.
It was enormous.
Strength was supposed to be proportional to size.
Compared to this tower, Donchichi was nothing but a tiny insect.
Black smoke billowed from his entire body. His eyes turned a deep crimson.
“Grrrr…”
Donchichi realized he had changed.
He was still strong and clever, but now, he was an extremely violent ogre.
Uncontrollable madness surged through his body.
“Donchichi. Where are your friends?”
“My friends. Inside the forest.”
“Won’t you bring them?”
Donchichi fetched two more ogre friends. At first, they were startled and tried to flee, but as their ogre lord, Donchichi beat them all into submission and dragged them along.
The crown prince was pleased and showed them the parchment.
All three ogres became extremely violent, just like Donchichi.
“Loyal ogres, sleep for a while. You’ll wake up soon.”
The crown prince folded the parchment.
Instantly, the minds of Donchichi and the two ogres went dark.
Donchichi dreamed.
He ran freely through the northern forest.
But sleep always ends.
When he opened his eyes again, Donchichi and his two friends found themselves in unfamiliar land. Before them stood a massive castle.
Seeing it, rage boiled inside him.
“Smash it all.”
A voice echoed within.
Without hesitation, Donchichi and his two friends charged.
The walls were high, but Donchichi was just as big. He rammed the walls with his body, knocking down half of it.
Humans panicked and shot arrows, but they barely tickled him. Donchichi kept battering the walls, then grabbed the battlements and leapt over.
Suddenly, countless human buildings appeared.
So many tiny humans gathered here, it looked like an anthill.
“Smash it.”
Donchichi obeyed the voice inside.
Besides his master, the emperor, all humans were insignificant.
They weren’t as big or strong as him. Their skin was fragile, crushed to death with a light stomp.
And yet, these insignificant creatures hurled tiny weapons like toothpicks.
Donchichi was overwhelmed by an irresistible urge.
He ate when hungry, slept when tired, and smashed when he wanted.
Now, he wanted to smash—and eat again.
Donči let out a savage roar. His two ogre companions echoed the cry. Though not as fierce as Donči, they were still formidable figures who strutted proudly through the northern forests.
“Humans, weak.”
With that, they crushed the approaching human soldiers beneath their feet. The bodies flattened instantly, reduced to nothing but pools of blood.
Then, the knights—stronger human warriors—arrived.
“You damn ogre bastard!”
One stabbed Donči’s thigh. The sting was sharp enough to provoke anger.
“Insult, unacceptable.”
Donči retaliated with a powerful punch.
The man flew straight into the city wall, shattering into pieces that dripped down like broken shards.
Fear spread like wildfire.
The humans began to flee.
Donči’s fury only grew.
If they were going to run so easily, why bother swarming him in the first place? Creatures that acted so recklessly without knowing their place wouldn’t last a day in the northern woods.
Donči and his two ogre friends rampaged wildly.
With every stomp, human bodies shattered, scattering limbs and gore in all directions.
Donči snatched a chunk of flesh still heavy with meat and shoved it into his mouth. Each bite soaked his jaws in blood—a gruesome delicacy.
“Tell His Majesty! A mad ogre has appeared—”
He grabbed a shouting human by the collar. Terror froze the man’s eyes as Donči grinned wickedly.
“P-please, spare me…”
“Grrr…”
“Please, have mercy.”
“Human. Fly.”
Donči hoisted him up and hurled him straight into the air.
The man soared high, struggling at the peak before plummeting down.
He died in a brutal fall.
The two ogre friends burst into laughter.
“Bet, bet.”
“I can throw better.”
“Last place loses.”
“Ready?”
They bantered as they grabbed humans nearby, tossing them skyward one by one.
Sometimes they crushed bodies into tight balls before flinging them; other times they dangled victims by their toes like toys. Under the ogres’ cruel amusement, humans met grisly ends.
To humanity, these three ogres were nothing short of a disaster.
It didn’t take long.
In a single night, an entire city was reduced to rubble.
The enraged king dispatched his knights, but the ogres had already smashed the city and surrounding villages to pieces.
“Grrr…”
A few days later, Donči awoke to find human armies encircling him on all sides.
“Numbers, excessive. Very, dangerous.”
“Just humans. We, capable.”
His ogre friends exchanged words.
But Donči remained silent.
He was a clever ogre, fully aware that stubbornly fighting a losing battle was pointless. It was far wiser to retreat and strike with surprise later.
Yet, a strange impulse stirred within him.
The towering spire and the eye perched atop it seemed to push him forward.
A fierce violence coursed through his veins.
Donči pounded his chest and roared.
Kraaaaaaah!
The primal power in his roar struck a deep, instinctual fear into the humans.
Fear.
It radiated outward.
The once-confident human army shrank back in an instant.
To Donči and his ogres, that was the signal.
Sensing weakness, they charged forward, trampling humans without mercy.
News spread across the continent: Donči, one of the Ten Strong and a loyal servant of the Emperor, was laying waste to Liberta.
The Empire denied it.
In fact, they blamed Liberta.
The messenger continued.
“Liberta kidnapped Donči and has been tormenting him. Since they’ve provoked the Emperor’s servant, military action is being considered.”
Yuri blinked.
“How shameless can they be?”