Chapter 20: Hobgoblin Fight

Hobgoblin Fight

「Has anyone seen Meena anywhere?」

When the sun set, a maid with light brown skin was giving instruction to the other maids inside the mansion located beside the castle. However she noticed that there was one girl who wasn’t here.

The lake shore castle was one of the guest houses that belonged to Dandall. The royal family borrowed it for the sake of the first princess’s recuperation. Although it was called a castle, it wasn’t really that big. The soldiers, servants, and the common maids were given boarding room at the mansion beside it. The palace also dispatched their own maids, but they couldn’t just send out dozens of maids, so dozens of maids were sent from Dandall and other noble houses that were their relatives to help out.

That girl called Meena had only just turned of age. She was one of the maids sent by other noble house and her background was a daughter of a merchant house who was working as maid to learn etiquette. She was a hard worker but she was somewhat lacking in worldly sense. She had an unpredictable side to her like how she gave her lunch to stray cat and so on, because of that this maid paid a close attention to Meena.

That woman was a high ranked maid who worked in the palace to serve the royal family. Her gaze looked around searchingly. Then one of the maids who was posted in the mansion raised her hand fearfully.

「U-umm……Sera-san. If it’s Meena, the perhaps she is bringing food for the child who had just arrived……」

「Child? Is it a child who someone brought here?」

「The adventurer who came the day before yesterday brought the child……though I didn’t see it myself.」

「……Viro is it?」

Previously Sera had asked the people she trusted to introduce her to a quick witted child.

A noble retainer brought a nine year old kid to her. It seemed that the kid was the child of a relative. He was quick intelligent to some degree, but he never did any servant work before and resigned when he reached his limit several days after that.

Then someone from a merchant house brought her a ten years old child. The child was intelligent and would do any work happily, but it seemed the child’s parent had whispered something into his ear. The child was obviously scheming to come into contact and make connection with high ranked noble. The introducer noticed that and apologized before bringing the child home.

Sera asked for a『 child』 partly because she wanted a guardian that had the perspective of children, but she also had the intention of securing manpower that could be used in the future starting from now. If she just wanted a guardian, then Sera’s son that she brought here with her would be sufficient. She was making this plan in consideration for when the crown prince became the king, thinking that it would be nice if her child could obtain a reliable coworker, but it seemed that finding a 『useful child』 younger than ten years old was harder than she thought.

Sera was a 『dark side’s knight』 under the direct service of Margrave Melrose. The total number of the dark side’s knight was 427, but most of them were spread out throughout the country rather than at the capital. They replenished their personnel by recruiting from Melrose’s subordinate clan and their branch family, and also scouts or people of similar professions that they got acquainted with through trusted connections like the military, even so their job was to collect information from all over the country……and also from other countries. Because of that they were still very lacking in manpower.

Sera was still in her late twenty and she got reassigned as support in the rear after marrying, but she had to return to the actual scene like this and took command. That was just how insufficient the manpower of the dark side’s knight was……especially for personnel like Sera who could do “combat” to directly corner the enemy.

And then around two days ago, the adventurer Viro arrived here just barely within the time limit with a child in tow.

The adventurer party Rainbow Sword was a rank 5 party that was famous even in this country. Several of the members had been replaced, but Melrose House had been in friendly relationship with Rainbow Sword since more than a hundred years ago. Currently Rainbow Sword was in a hiatus state, but Viro had accepted the request to take charge of the security of a part of this area as an individual.

When making that request, Sera whimsically asked him to introduce her to a usable child without really expecting anything to come from it. And when Viro arrived, he also didn’t say anything to her about it, so Sera too had forgotten about it until now.

The former adventurer scout Castro was the one in charge of the introduced child. Viro was also the one who introduced him to her. Castro was an inflexible man with a difficult personality, but he was diligent and could be entrusted with behind-the-scene work.

Where did that Castro placed that child? After two days had passed, he should have given a report to her even if he found out that the child was actually useless, but he hadn’t heard anything from him. In addition there was also something that was worrying her. Around several days ago, there was a goblin subjugation carried out at the neighboring territory. She got the report that several goblins had managed to escape from the subjugation.

There would be no problem if the child was assigned to work within this residence but…….

「Call Castro here. Right now.」

『GUGAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!?』

The needle dagger that should pierce the skull was deflected and ended up gouging the hobgoblin’s face before stabbing the bottom of its neck. The hobgoblin screamed in agony from that.

……Surprise attack failed. I instantly made that judgment and immediately kicked on the flailing hobgoblin to take a distance from it. I designated one of the goblins that was still dumbfounded and unable to grasp the situation as my target. I rolled horizontally and pulled out the weighted cord from my waist band and swung it down.

*Gagonn!*

『……Gugaa……』

I had increased the weight by putting in fifteen bronze coins inside. The lump of coins hit the crown of its head and easily reaped its consciousness. My training showed result. When I poured magic power into the cord that was knitted from my hair, the weapon could hit an unmoving target with a sure certainty. I dealt a lethal damage to the falling goblin by stabbing its throat with the needle dagger before rolling away to distant myself from the goblins.

『Gugagagah』

The hobgoblin was pressing his hands on its face to endure the pain, but it was directing eyes of anger and hatred toward me from between its fingers. The remaining three goblins also finally realized that there was an enemy. They hurriedly readied their rusty short sword.

「…………」

Even so its skull was too thick……. My lack of power also played a part, but it was a miscalculation that I failed to kill it with a surprise attack from right above using my whole body weight. Furthermore the impact from the failed attack made my hand to be a little bit numb. It wasn’t to the degree that would hinder my movement, but it diverted my focus just a little bit. If my opponent was a human, just the neck wound would already be lethal, but as expected from a monster. Its vitality was strong.

.

▼Hobgoblin Rank 2

【Magic Power : 63/68】【Stamina : 214/340】

【Overall Combat Strength : 96 (With Body Strengthening : 111)】▽5 DOWN

.

But its stamina was considerably reduced. Its left eye was also crushed when I gouged its face, so its combat strength was also reduced. But, looking closer the needle dagger’s tip was bent. I thought it was steel but was it just cast iron……. What now? The current me couldn’t find a way to kill the hobgoblin while also taking on the goblins.

『GUOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOH!!』

『Gugya』『Gyagya』『Gyagah!』

The hobgoblin kept pressing one hand on its face as it pointed its finger at me. Then its subordinate goblins screamed while attacking. But that action of the hobgoblin allowed me to see a small chance of victory inside. If they all attacked simultaneously, my only choice would be to run around until my stamina ran out. But surely there was a reason why the hobgoblin didn’t move by itself.

Several possibilities surfaced from the knowledge in my head. I instinctually chose the most likely reason from among them, then I turned my back on them and started running. Seeing that the hobgoblin screamed in anger and only the goblins chased me. ……Perhaps, I was right?

There was no way its brain was alright after receiving the impact that numbed my hand and bent the dagger’s tip. Surely the hobgoblin was having concussion right now. To prove that, it slightly staggered when it stepped forward because it wanted to chase me. But I couldn’t focus at the hobgoblin alone. Although the ones chasing me were only goblins that were called as the weakest monster, they still had combat power that was equal to mine.

I had fought goblin several times before. When we got attacked by three goblins at the highway, Viro told me to kill them alone one by one as training. The number here was the same like before, but this time I needed to face the three of them simultaneously.

The combat strength of a goblin was about the same with a city adult, but just as Viro said, in the end combat strength was nothing more than a rough estimate. Combat strength would increase when magic power increased. But in the end that only increased the number of times you could use Battle Skill, made it easier to maintain body strengthening, and heightened your capability to continue fighting, but it wouldn’t increase your attack power unless your occupation was related to magic. In the case of goblin, they were stupid but they had cunning and cruelty. They would target your weakness without hesitation, but that could also become an opening to be used.

『Gugya?』

I ran while throwing the slightly bent dagger like a friendly toss to the forefront goblin. That goblin dodged the dagger in an exaggerated way. That happened in one second. Seeing that its gaze was definitely absorbed toward the dagger, I threw a throwing knife toward its throat that became wide open.

『Gyah』

The knife pierced its shoulder instead of the throat, but I stepped forward in that instant and swung down the weighted cord.

*Gagon!* The weight made a dull sound when it directly hit the goblin’s head. It slightly shifted from my target. I confirmed that the goblin was still conscious and moved to my next action. A goblin approached before I could finish off that goblin. Seeing that I showed a hesitating gesture whether I should pick the dagger or not. The goblin grinned seeing that and threw away its rusty short sword and picked up the dagger with splendid appearance before assaulting me.

*Zaku-!!*

『……Guggya』

The goblin swung the dagger like it was swinging a normal short sword. When it hit my shoulder, my black knife lunged out and tore the goblin’s neck. Blood spurted out from there.

Goblin was said to be nocturnal, but it didn’t mean they had night vision skill. They could only see light at the same degree with other wild animal. This goblin didn’t even notice that the dagger didn’t have any sharp edge at its sides.

Experiment over. I thought that there might also be goblin that had night vision due to individual difference, but there was no sign of that.

The goblins’ number had decreased just as planned so I erased my presence and blended into the tree shadows. The third goblin was bewildered when it suddenly lost sight of me. I sneaked behind it and stabbed my knife diagonally toward his heart to avoid hitting the bone.

『……Gu, gugya……?』

It was then the first goblin finally recovered from its damage. It saw its dead comrades and looked around for me, but it couldn’t find me who was hiding with stealth. But I didn’t let my guard down and approach it needlessly. I took out several throwing knives and carefully fixed my aim.

『Gyaah!?』

The throwing knives stabbed the goblin’s shoulder again. Where to aim to take away its combat strength with one attack? Where to stab to kill it in one attack? There was no better training than actual battle. The riskier the battle to your life, the higher the result should be.

My next knife stabbed its arm. The rusty knife the goblin was holding fell into darkness. And then the goblin finally started running away. When I threw my knife at its back, it flew beautifully just like I wanted it and pierced the goblin’s spine. Could it be……I had learned it?

I was curious but there was no time for me to relax and appraise myself. I hurriedly picked up the throwing knives. When I finished, the hobgoblin that finally became able to move again caught up with me.

……Its wound already stopped bleeding. This was why monster with strong vitality was troublesome.

『GUGOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOH!!』

Perhaps because its subordinates were killed or perhaps because it found me who wounded it, the hobgoblin raised a howl that was filled with anger. I watched it with a cold gaze.

Why are you angry? You are an enemy right? What’s the problem with enemies killing each other?

The hobgoblin howled angrily once more as though it heard the voice of my heart.

(Good……)

The annoying numbness was also almost gone completely. I moved my fingers to check while observing the hobgoblin.

Even though the neck wound should be lethal for human, its bleeding was already stopping. However it was a really deep wound so its stamina was halved, and because its left eye was crushed its overall combat strength was still lowered. Even so its combat strength was more than twice of mine. Normally it wasn’t an opponent that I could fight head on and win, but there wouldn’t be another good chance like this where a stronger enemy was wounded and wasn’t used with only having one eye.

The hobgoblin found me while I was in stealth. And so it could be assumed that it had either night vision or search skill but……it didn’t detect me when I was above the tree, so most likely it was the former.

There was also the possibility that it detected me from the smell of goblin blood on me, but the hobgoblin was also covered in blood so that possibility seemed low. ……But in that case, if it had night vision, as expected I would be found out with my stealth level 1 if it was aware of my existence.

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Its weapon was……hand axe? It was like an axe that woodcutter usually used, but it only looked like hand axe when it was the large hobgoblin using it. Hobgoblin was a rank 2 monster, so I assumed that the skill it had was axe skill level 2.

There were also monsters that had Pressure depending on their race if they were high ranked, but I didn’t feel any pressure from it even after it was raging that much, so it must really didn’t have it. If it had other skill than it would be defense and martial art at most. It seemed there was also a type of goblin that could use elemental sorcery, but its combat strength should be a bit higher if it could use sorcery.

It had night vision but it was blinded in one eye just now so it wouldn’t try to throw axe or stone in that state. Conversely if it threw at me then it would also become an opening that I could use. For now let’s kept my alertness toward sorcery and long range attack at low level.

「…………fuu」

I slowly inhaled and then exhaled to wipe away the slight fear in me. I’d settle the fight with it here. I understood that running away was wiser and the correct choice but……you, became nourishment for my strength.

『Gugaa……-!』

Perhaps it felt my resolve to fight and kill it, the hobgoblin also became vigilance toward me even through its feeling of impatience. It readied its rusty hand axe in its right hand while slowly closing the distance. I also raised my black knife while moving to my right to circle into the blind spot of its crushed left eye. There was no more need for stealth. If I split my focus for that, my attention would be slightly diverted and my mobility would decrease. ……Let’s train that if could survive this.

I paid attention to my footwork and used body strengthening in full strength while throwing a knife from its blind spot without showing any preliminary movement just like Castro did.

『Gugah!』

The hobgoblin noticed that something was thrown toward it and immediately blocked the knife with its left arm. Unlike the bandit chief, this thing was decisive. It wasn’t an opponent that I could let my guard down against since the start, but seeing that I raised my vigilance a step higher.

『Gaaah!!』

The hobgoblin vigorously stepped forward and swung down its hand axe. I leaped to the blind spot at the right side to dodge that. Originally it should be able to cut me down while my posture was unbalanced like this, but the hobgoblin still wasn’t used to only have one eye and couldn’t catch up to me who ran to its blind spot.

『Gaah!』

Even so it swung its axe haphazardly toward its blind spot. I would obviously die if I got hit even once. I pushed in my emotion that was getting scared even deeper to the bottom of my heart and calmly continued to circle to the blind spot to evade the attacks.

Offense and defense were exchanged back and forth where even a moment of carelessness would lead to death. I needed to settle this before it could get used to fight with one eye. But to defeat it, I could only rely on Battle Skill. But, if I couldn’t defeat it in one attack of that, I would easily lose my life even if it only counterattacked weakly because my body would be locked up after using Battle Skill. I would be able to see a chance of victory if I could crush its remaining eye, but as expected the hobgoblin was also wary toward that. It carefully deflected my knife that aimed at its eye.

Was there some way……no……there was just one way. However, I would be cornered to even greater predicament if I messed up. But, perhaps that would be better compared to recklessly charging forward or allowing my stamina to keep getting reduced like this.

Live or death. Now, let’s decide it.

『Gugaaaaaaaaaaaah!!』

I ran backward while still facing it to escape to the darkness of the forest behind me. The hobgoblin could see me clearly with that and gave a chase.

My plan was to make this guy used night vision skill. Unlike my night vision that saw “color”, the normal night vision was a skill to “see” by visualizing inside the brain the “reverberation” of magic particles filling the air that was caused by the movement of wind and living things. Viro taught me that human could only learn night vision skill until level 1 because our basic sensing ability was low compared to demihuman and monster. As a monster this thing must be used to use night vision regularly. That was exactly why my plan would be effective.

Just as planned, I entered into the dark forest where night vision was necessary and immediately used stealth while focusing to cast sorcery.

「──Toon Pure──」I used the words that meant 『at that place』 that I found in the incantation of darkness sorcery Noise. After that I could only rely on my imagination, magic power control, and my sense to see “color” of magic particle.

I breathed in only the darkness magic particles that filled the surrounding and dyed my own magic particles in darkness color. I ejected that magic power with magic power control and sent it away to the place I designated. Doing that made my magic power decreased drastically and I staggered.

『GAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!!』

The hobgoblin saw that my movement stopped for an instant and caught up. It saw the chance to win and brandished up its axe high above its head.

Most likely it was axe skill’s Battle Skill, Break. The axe was swung down together with magic power. Shockwave was radiated from it and the space where I was at was pulverized. If a kid like me got hit with a level 2 Battle Skill, I would literally get pulverized. But see──

*Gats-!*

『Gah……!?』

The hobgoblin swung around its arms in confusion when it suddenly got stabbed with a blade from the side. I who was right at its side was blown away.

「…………」

I endured the pain from getting blown away even while standing up and spat up the blood that pooled up inside my mouth from my cut lip. The hobgoblin didn’t attack me during that time. It was unable to.

Because the hobgoblin’s face……its remaining right eye had a skewer stabbed deeply into it. I had completely taken away its sight.

『GUGAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!!』

The hobgoblin whose sight was imprisoned in darkness howled in the night.

The 『me』 that you slashed was my “human shape” that I created from darkness magic particles. It would immediately get exposed if we were in a bright place but, the more familiar someone was in using night vision the more they would be deceived by this trick. Darkness magic particle was a particle and shapeless. Therefore most thing was possible depending on your magic power and imagination……that was the hypothesis that I formed. I’m glad it worked well.

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But, this was a 『sorcery』 and also 『magic』 at the same time, so it consumed my remaining magic power until it was just one step away from the limit. I felt a slight feeling of hunger that was close to the sensation of magic power exhaustion. I licked the hobgoblin blood that spurted on my face. The taste of blood made me felt slightly high strung.

「Now then……」

『Gugaa……-』

When I muttered, the hobgoblin heard my voice and its body jerked fiercely. It raised a growl like a cornered beast. I already had no remaining magic power to use Battle Skill and body strengthening. I had no more strength to defeat you. But you were only unable to see but still had strength remaining to fight right?

Struggle and put your life on the line in order to survive.

Because I’d accompany you till the end……until you died.

「Meena!!」

「……Ah, Sera-san!」

When Sera found Meena in the darkness, the girl sank down on the ground in relieve.

When Sera questioned Castro in the mansion, it seemed he left that child to keep watch over the forest that was the boundary of this territory. Castro was born in a slum. Due to the weight of the sin that he committed in the past, he loathed people who also came from the slum like him. She didn’t know what happened in his past, but because of that Castro loathed those who betrayed their comrade and would never tolerate such people. It was because he was such person that he could be trusted in some respect, but to think that he would direct that feeling of him even toward a child, she never even thought that he was actually that twisted.

Furthermore there was a possibility of goblins straying into the forest where that child was stationed. That information didn’t reach until Castro’s level. When they imagined the airheaded Meena bringing food for the child there and two people became casualties if they were unlucky, as expected even Castro turned pale from that.

There the two of them hastily went to search for the two in order to secure them into safety in a hurry.

「Calm down Meena. What happened?」

「T-that’s……I keep hearing the roars of multiple monsters from the forest. I……was scared and ran away, but, there is a child there so……but……but」

Her testimony made Sera and Castro to exchange glance, wondering if there were really goblins showing up here.

「I understand. Castro, send her back and then return here with Viro. I’ll search for that child.」

「I’ll do it-!」

Castro too had no intention of making a child died. He only wanted to drive away the slum kid that he loathed. Was it regret that surfaced on his face……but, Sera shook her head at him.

「I’ll decide how to deal with you later. Follow my instruction right now.」

「……As you say.」

This time Castro obediently withdrew. Perhaps he was aware that he almost disobeyed order. Sera entrusted Meena to him and dashed as though she was blending into the darkness while readying two thin knives made from mythril that she hid in her sleeves into her hands.

If it was a child that Viro brought then perhaps she could defeat at least one goblin. However a youngster that was proud of their own strength rushing to face enemies in a number that they couldn’t win against only to have the table turned on them was something that often happened. If the enemy had number that was impossible to win against then one only needed to run away. But……what would happen if it was a situation that one couldn’t run away from?

Meena heard the voices of several monsters. Then they should be very nearby. And if there was yell then it was also possible there was a battle going on. Who was the one fighting? Why was Meena able to escape even though she was that close to it? And then if it was that child who fought, what was the reason she couldn’t escape?

(Don’t tell me……)

Castro said that the child was a slum resident from her appearance. But much less a child who lived in slum, even Sera and her son who had been trained since childhood as a clan of the dark side couldn’t so easily challenge an opponent that they couldn’t win against in order to save someone else.

If that was what happened, then perhaps that child wasn’t alive anymore. In the worst case, she would have to show that child’s corpse to VIro who brought her here. Sera’s feeling turned heavy when she imagined that.

.

Sera sniffed the smell of blood inside the forest and soundlessly changed the direction she was running.

She immediately found the trace of blood. But there was only the corpse of a goblin there. She couldn’t find the other monsters or the child.

Sera used her level 4 Search skill and followed the track of blood. And then she found something in the darkness at the other side of the forest──

(……There is something.)

Sera reflexively stopped running from the sharp killing intent that was radiated from the other side of the darkness.

This kind of killing intent wasn’t something that a goblin could emit. There was a rank 2 monster there……at the worst case the monster might be the equivalent of rank 3. Her equipment was a bit lacking to face a monster that was rank 3 or above, even so Sera readied her knife and stepped forward without hesitation.

「……This is.」

Over there was three goblins lying dead on the ground. There was also a monster corpse that was clearly hobgoblin with countless wounds carved on its whole body. It told her of the fierce battle that occurred here.

And then……in front of the corpses of those hobgoblin and goblins, a blood soaked child was radiating a cold killing intent like ice while standing with her knife still held in a fighting stance like a wounded beast.

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