Chapter 888: Insatiable Appetite

"I was born in a small ogre settlement called the Teremak Village, located in the Eastern Province."

Ragnora said softly.

"It was one of several ogre villages in the region. Nearby human towns lived in relative peace with us, often hiring the ogres for physical labor since my people are naturally strong. Life was simple, peaceful, and harmonious."

She paused, a wry smile touching her lips.

"But the day I was born...the entire village was thrown into absolute panic."

Cassius raised an eyebrow, genuinely curious.

"Why is that?"

"Because of the color of my skin." Ragnora said, holding up her massive, beautifully smooth hand, tracing the vibrant crimson hue of her skin.

"Normally, ogres are born with skin that is either deep green or pale blue. That is how it has been for thousands of years. But when I came out...I was a bright, fiery crimson red."

Cassius gave a thoughtful nod.

"Ah...don’t tell me it’s like the Lamia villages? If a Lamia child is born with pure white scales, the village views it as a curse and completely ostracizes them or throws them out?"

He felt a sudden pang of concern, wondering if Ragnora had suffered a tragic childhood like Nala.

To his surprise, Ragnora shook her head.

"No, actually. They didn’t kick me out or treat me like a monster. They just found it incredibly strange. But honestly...I think they completely forgot to worry about my skin color very quickly, because another, far more shocking anomaly presented itself immediately."

"What was that?"

Ragnora let out an embarrassed, sheepish laugh.

"My size. Even as a newborn baby...I was easily four times larger than a normal ogre infant."

Cassius’s eyes widened slightly.

"My poor mother almost died trying to give birth to me."

Ragnora continued, scratching her cheek in awkward dismay.

"They had to rush several high-tier healers from the nearby human town just to save her life."

Cassius could easily imagine it. Ogres were already massive, but a baby four times the normal size?

He had a hilarious, bizarre mental image of a giant baby Ragnora using an entire uprooted oak tree as a rattle.

’She must have been terrifying...but ridiculously adorable.’ He thought with a soft smile.

"Despite my terrifying size and strange color." Ragnora said fondly. "My parents and the village accepted me with open arms. They loved me."

Cassius broke into a warm smile. "So it’s a happy story after all! They didn’t cast you out."

Ragnora’s smile faltered slightly, turning heavy.

"I wish it were that simple...but soon, a major problem began to surface. One that changed my life forever."

She sighed deeply. "Ever since I was an infant...my appetite was completely, insanely enormous."

Cassius listened intently as she continued.

"Even when I was just a nursing baby, I would suck my mother dry every single feeding. She used to cry and ache from the sheer agony of it, because no matter how much she fed me, I never stopped."

"She had to feed me over twenty times a day just to keep me from crying of starvation."

Cassius winced slightly, a sympathetic grimace touching his face as he imagined the sheer physical toll on her mother.

"It didn’t stop as I grew older." Ragnora continued. "If anything, it got worse. I was stronger than any child had any right to be. I broke my cradle within weeks. I tore toys apart just by holding them."

"And..when I was hungry, I didn’t cry—I broke through doors. My parents’ house had holes in the walls shaped like a small ogre child who kept crawling through them instead of using the doorways."

Cassius burst into a sudden, surprised laugh.

"You’re joking!"

"I am completely serious!" Ragnora groaned. "Our house looked like a piece of cheese because of me! My poor parents were in absolute disarray."

"But still...they persisted. They loved me, repaired the house, and raised me until I could walk on my own two feet."

Her expression darkened slightly.

"But walking only made things ten times worse. As I grew, my strength and my hunger exploded exponentially. I would sit down for a meal and devour an entire week’s worth of rations meant for a full-grown adult...in a single sitting. And I would still ask for seconds!"

"It makes complete sense, commander."

Cassius nodded in deep understanding.

"Your body was rapidly developing. A child possessing inhuman physical strength requires a colossal amount of energy to sustain that level of potential."

Ragnora gave a nod of agreement.

"Back then, I had no idea. It was only years later that I discovered the truth—I possess the awakened bloodline of a Primordial Titan."

"Even a sliver of that ancient blood force waking up inside a mortal body causes strength, speed, and durability to skyrocket...but it demands an unfathomable amount of sustenance."

She let out a somber breath.

"My parents were simple physical laborers. They were not rich. They worked from dawn till dusk, but they simply did not have the financial means to keep me fed."

"Yet, because I was their precious daughter, they starved themselves to feed me.They persisted and persisted..."

She swallowed hard, her voice lowering.

"By the time I was six years old...my daily consumption reached a point where I was eating a week’s worth of family rations for a single meal."

"And I was still breaking the furniture, crushing floorboards just by walking, and accidentally ripping doors off their hinges because I couldn’t control my power."

"And my parents. They couldn’t afford to feed me properly. They couldn’t afford to keep repairing the house. They couldn’t afford..."

She trailed off.

Cassius waited.

"One morning, when I was six years old, I woke up and called for my parents. I was hungry, as always. I wanted breakfast."

She was quiet for a long moment.

"They were gone. They’d left a note. Just two words: ’I’m sorry.’"

Cassius’s hands clenched into tight fists under the table, a cold shadow crossing his eyes. He knew where this was going.

"They abandoned me." Ragnora said softly, leaning back into her chair with a heavy sigh. "I know they cherished me...but the sheer burden of raising me was far more than two poor workers could handle."

"They didn’t have the heart to sell me or drop me in a dangerous forest, so they packed their bags in the dead of night and fled the village, praying the community would take care of me."

Cassius looked at her, his heart aching. "How...How do you feel about them doing that to you?"

Surprisingly, Ragnora waved her hand casually.

"Honestly? I don’t blame them at all. The fact that they managed to raise a monster like me for six whole years, going hungry themselves just so I could eat...is a miracle! I was a curse on their lives. I sincerely hope they went on to live a peaceful, happy life without me dragging them into poverty."

Cassius stared at her, deeply moved by her unbelievable grace and lack of resentment.

He wanted to say so much, to curse the parents who left a six-year-old child behind, but he kept his tongue and simply asked.

"What happened next? Did the villagers step up?"

"They did." Ragnora said, her face brightening with fond memories. "Our village had an incredible sense of community. When they found me alone, they pitied me. Every single day, the families would take turns bringing massive pots of food to my house. They treated me with profound kindness."

Cassius felt a surge of gratitude toward these strangers who had shown such compassion.

"That’s remarkable. Most villages would have turned their backs."

"I was lucky." Ragnora agreed. "For the next several years, the village provided for me. And I helped them in return. Even as a child, I was stronger than most adult male Ogres. I could lift objects they struggled with, haul heavy loads, assist with construction. It was a fair exchange."

Her lips quirked into a smile. "Several of the men started weight training because of me. I think I bruised their pride."

Cassius chuckled. "I can imagine."

But Ragnora’s smile faded. "Unfortunately, good things don’t last. When I was thirteen, the village elders called a meeting. The entire community gathered, all wearing apologetic expressions. And they told me I had to leave."

"What!?" Cassius was genuinely confused. "But you said everything was working well! You were helping them, they were helping you—"

"It wasn’t about that." Ragnora’s voice was heavy with resignation. "It was my hunger. It had grown exponentially as I matured. Even with the entire village contributing, I couldn’t be satisfied. So I started hunting on my own—going into the forest at night to catch animals."

"That’s a good thing, right?" Cassius said. "You were being self-sufficient!"

"Well..."

Ragnora scratched her cheek, looking deeply embarrassed.

"What do you think happens when a growing Titan hunts in a single forest every night for months?"

Cassius’s eyes went wide. "No way...You didn’t..."

"I ate the entire forest." Ragnora confessed, hiding her face in her hands. "Boars, bears, deer, giant beasts—I dragged them all back and devoured them."

"By the time I was thirteen, the village hunters went out for a routine hunt and realized the entire forest was completely devoid of life! There wasn’t a single animal left! Instead they found a mountain of animal bones buried behind my house..."

Cassius sat frozen, utterly flabbergasted.

’She ate an entire forest’s ecosystem to extinction?!’

Seeing his stunned expression, Ragnora frantically waved her hands, her face burning purple.

"Please don’t look at me like I’m a monster! It wasn’t my fault! It was the Titan bloodline demanding fuel! I really couldn’t control it!"

"I’m not judging you!" Cassius quickly raised his hands, chuckling warmheartedly.

"I’m just...genuinely awestruck. That is an astounding level of caloric intake!"

He then tilted his head, a sudden doubt crossing his mind.

"Wait...but during lunch today, and even dinner, you ate a lot, sure, but you didn’t engorge yourself like a black hole. How?"

"Because my body finished its rapid growth phase." Ragnora clarified. "Back then, my potential was exploding, requiring massive amounts of energy to build my frame and awaken my mana core."

"But once I hit adulthood and reached a stable threshold of my power, my appetite settled into a manageable level."

"Hehe. If I still ate like I did at thirteen...the Holyfield military provisions would be bankrupt in a week!"

Cassius burst into laughter. "Fair point!"

"Anyway." Ragnora said softly, her tone turning gentle. "The villagers had no choice. If I stayed, I would have had to hunt in neighboring territories, which would have sparked a bloody war with neighboring ogre tribes."

"The village couldn’t afford to feed me, and I was destroying their ecosystem. So...they threw a massive farewell feast, let me eat until I was completely full, and sent me off with blessings. I left my home to explore the world, determined to find a way to survive without burdening anyone."

"And how did that go?" Cassius asked quietly.

Ragnora let out a dry laugh.

"I got picked up by a slave trader."

"PFFFFFT!"