Chapter 7
Enri stood before the Great Forest of Tob. Of course, she was not alone.
Beside her were the four members of 'Foresight' and the Goblin Troop's assembled members.
The fully-armed goblins and humans made their final checks of their personal equipment. They topped up their waterskins and made sure their blades were sharp. Everyone was well-geared, but they carried little baggage. That was because the plan was to swiftly complete their work, and not to mount a long expedition in the forest.
Not all people had been assigned to Enri's protection. Their objective was to thoroughly scout the surrounding area and further verify the information the goblin wolf riders had collected. That is to say, they were to carefully observe the current situation within the Great Forest. In order to protect the village, they had decided to scout its surroundings. The ones who would delve deeper into the woods were the former workers.
Only three goblins would accompany Enri. Them, and one more person: Nfirea. He had made his preparations too, dressed in suitable clothing for going in the forest. With Nfirea around, the herb harvesting trip would definitely be a success.
Perhaps he sensed Enri looking at him and turned around, asking "What's the matter?" Although Enri had waved her hands as though to say "nothing, nothing," one of the surrounding goblins took notice and drew closer to Enri's side.
He was a goblin whose body was so muscular and athletic that it would be hard for bystanders to think that he was a goblin. His torso was protected by a crude but practical breastplate and the greatsword he used was sheathed on his back.
This was Jugem, the leader of the goblins, named after a fairytale goblin ranger called 'Jugem Juugem' by Enri. As an aside, there were other named knights who did battle alongside the goblin ranger and their names were also used for the other goblins.
"There shouldn't be anything wrong… what's the matter?"
"No, really, it's fine! I was just looking at him."
"That's great, after all, once you're in the forest, you can lose your life over even a tiny slip. If anything's wrong, anything at all, you tell me."
"That's right, Ane-san. Just like we agreed before, we're all scouting the forest, so if anything happens and we can't get there in time… it'll be okay, right?"
Jugem's brutish face contorted with what looked like an expression of worry, and he glanced at Enri's face. Seeing that, Enri smiled and replied to him.
"It'll be fine. We won't go too deep, and they'll protect me."
"That's good to hear…"
Jugem followed Enri's line of sight to the three goblins ahead of them. Then he shouted.
"Oi! You punks! You'd better not let Ane-san take so much as a single scratch, got it?!"
"Got it!" The three goblins, Gokoh, Kaijali and Unlai, responded with a hearty shout.
"And Ani-san, you'll be taking care of Ane-san too, right?"
Enri suddenly noticed that Kaijali, for no apparent reason, was busy flexing his muscles in a front double biceps pose.
You mean I should take over from here?… kah! "Of course! You can count on me to protect Enri!"
For a moment, Enri saw Nfirea showing his shiny teeth as he radiated self-confidence through his smile. His attitude now was very different from his usual one and, to be honest it felt kind of gross. However, that was probably just his excitement about trekking into the forest. Enri smiled, feeling like she was his big sister.
"Thank you, Enfi. I'll be in your care."
Strange, is he doing a side chest pose now…? What's with that?
"Ah… oh, about that, I prepared a bunch of alchemical items that I made myself, so leave it to me!"
After seeing Nfirea's second sparkly smile, the smile fell off Enri's face.
"Uh… mm, sure."
"Ah, well, it's been settled… although. Honestly speaking, even if we weren't doing this dangerous job, this…"
Jugem turned to look at Enri, showing her a sour expression. Enri was starting to get a little annoyed after hearing this question again after answering it so many times in the village, but because he was only asking out of concern for her, she couldn't just ignore it.
"That might be true, but the fact remains that without the herbs, we can't get any money…"
"How about animal skins? We can get those."
"That's not a bad idea, but herbs are the most valuable."
Animal pelts and medicinal herbs were in completely different price categories. The difference was comparable to that between the heavens and the earth. Granted, some especially rare animals had skins that were worth a fortune, but those were few and far between.
"If Ani-san could share his…"
"We're combining the accounts of the Bareares and ourselves. We work together and split the benefits. We can't just take it all for ourselves."
Helping each other in difficult situations was a keystone of village life, it was only expected that most of their income would be earmarked for the community's benefit. This was also why greedy and selfish households could not be established, such behavior would never be permitted. Self-sufficiency was a strict requirement.
"If that's the case, then it's definitely… and like that too… well, if you lived with Ani-san, you could certainly pool the wealth… but… looks like nothing's stopping that…"
Jugem's words gradually lost their force. He knew that he couldn't stop Enri from entering the Great Forest. Although Enri didn't want to make things difficult for Jugem and the others who cared for her, she would not be swayed from her course.
After all, she had decided to venture into the forest despite knowing its dangers because she had heard Jugem say, "We can't repair our gear".
Whetstones helped, of course, but caring for and repairing metal weapons required the services of a professional blacksmith. Which meant that a subtle danger threatened all the goblins. If their equipment deteriorated, it would mean their lives would be in danger. The maintenance of their battle gear was essential.
What could she do for them, who had pledged their lives to protect hers? She couldn't just hide in safety and enjoy the fruits of their labour. Just as they had given their all for her, she too had to do everything she could for them. That was Enri's decision.
The goblins weren't just Enri's bodyguards, they were the village's protectors. If she decided to press that point, she could probably extort from the villagers the required money to equip the goblins. However, Enri decided to give up on that idea. No matter what, Enri was simply trying to repay the goblins' service through her own efforts. This expedition was the proof of that.
"Normally, the safest thing to do would be to confirm the area was free of danger before you went in…" Interrupting from behind was the goblin mage, Dyno.
She was an arcane magic caster who wore a humanoid skull for a helmet. In her hands was a staff that was even taller than herself, made of simple, gnarled wood. She dressed in some form of exotic full-body tribal costume that managed to emphasize her meager bust. Her face seemed softer than those of the male goblins. Enri could recognize this because she was their mistress, but normal people probably wouldn't be able to pick up on those details.
"… However, you can't confirm it's safe, can you?"
"Mm, that's right. Sadly, we can't do that. The most we can do is confirm that the forest seems peaceful, but even that needs time. And if we want to find out when tensions are going to run high again, that'll take even more time."
If they did that, they would miss the opportunity to gather the desired herbs. After hearing Dyno's words, a firm conviction gathered in her eyes and she made her reply.
"It'll be fine, we won't go too deep."
Hekkeran chimed in. "Don't worry, guys. If anyone will run into trouble, it's us who will run through the forest looking for monsters."
"It would be safest if we'd all stuck together as usual. Splitting up our fighting strength is just asking for trouble." Dyno muttered under her breath.
"If we did that, then we'd be forced into reacting to the enemy, right?"
"That's right. If any of the monsters coming to the village decide to settle down in the forest, getting rid of them for good would be extremely troublesome. Once they build a nest, they'll never leave. Even if we chased them away, they'd come right back after a while."
Since the balance of power in the forest had changed, reconnoitering the Great Forest, especially the area surrounding the village, was critical. This was the first pass. The first pass implied that the danger was the greatest. As such, they could only arrange for a few people to escort be Enri.
"Good. Well then, let's move! Finish up here and meet up with Ane-san!"
In response to Jugem's call, the goblin troop thundered their assent.
The interior of the Great Forest was as humid as usual.
Although they had only travelled about a hundred and fifty meters in, the temperature had fallen by several degrees. This was simply because no sunlight shone in here. That said, the interior was not completely pitch-dark, and Enri could still see what was happening around her. It was like being in a room with the air-conditioner turned up to full blast. In this way, Enri and the other four members of her party advanced into the forest.
Apart from the gentle sounds of the tree branches swaying and the occasional cries of birds or beasts, there was nothing but the footsteps of Enri and her companions, echoing loudly under the green vault. The other teams had already gone deeper in and they could no longer be heard.
Enri and company formed a roughly triangular formation as they advanced into the forest. In the center were Enri and Nfirea. It was very difficult to maintain a wide formation in the forest. Normally, they would have gone single file, but in order to protect the two of them the goblins had insisted on doing things that way. They lost speed as a result, but that couldn't be helped.
As they moved deeper inwards, Nfirea began looking up and towards the north. He was looking for a treasure sleeping in the dense forest: medicinal herbs.
Enri was not a novice to herb-gathering. A girl her age would know all about herbs that could be taken orally or smeared on an affected area, or the ordinary herbs used as ingredients for potions. However, in this field she was completely outmatched. Not only was Nfirea thoroughly familiar with medicinal herbs, he even knew which ones were useful as bases for alchemical compounds.
"Found any rare herbs?"
Of all the questions Enri had asked, this seemed like the one he was waiting for. The surrounding goblins took their poses.
A double bicep flex again… is that the latest trend or what?
The tilt-headed Enri did not notice the faint expression of annoyance on Nfirea's face.
Why didn't I tell them to stop posing… it sucks to have no courage…
"Well, see that brown moss over there?"
As it turned out, there was a thick layer of such thing growing on the bark of a tree trunk Nfirea was pointing at.
"That's Bebeyamokugoke. Mix some with a healing potion and it'll slightly improve its effects."
"Oh, really? I thought it was just a simple patch of moss and missed it. Without Enfi, I probably would have ignored it completely. As expected of Enfi."
"Really now, Ani-san's pretty amazing. Is it worth a lot?"
"It's worth quite a bit of money… ah, wait. Don't pick it. What Enri and I are aiming for is worth even more. If we can't find it, then we'll pick this on the way back."
"Then, Ane-san, is that all?"
"Hm? Kaijali-san, what do you mean?"
"Actually, what sort of herbs are you looking for?"
"We didn't tell you? It's a herb called Enkaishi. Afterwards we'll grind it up."
"Ah, so that's what it is. Got it. Although, even if you describe it to us, we won't be able to tell the difference. Then, let's move on."
Step by step, they ventured further into the forest. As they went on, their noses started itching from the thick scent of the forest's fragrance.
There was no sign of human activity here at all. Immersed in this place, Nfirea felt like this was a world where humans were weak and tiny. Then, he opened his mouth to speak.
"Let's start looking around here. We're looking for places with lots of shade and humidity… are there any water sources nearby? That herb sometimes grows near them. There's no sign of any monster activity around here, what a stroke of luck."
With his vast experience as a herbalist, it was unlikely for Nfirea to make a mistake. The goblins and Enri replied in approval, so the group put their things down and the burden decreased greatly.
"Ahhh… Ane-san, could you go give Ani-san a hand?"
"Ah, yes, that's right. Enfi must have his hands full by himself."
Enri walked over to where Nfirea had put down his luggage and assisted him in his labors.
"Thanks, Enri."
"No problem, Enfi. Although, now that I think of it, all this specialist equipment is amazing. You need so many things…"
Out of the corner of her eyes, Enri could see the goblins nodding in a wordless "very good, very good" manner. Although she was surprised by why they were so happy, she eventually decided that her first priority was getting the job done.
"Then, let's start the search!"
With a throttled "Oh!" to keep the noise down, they began. The goblins watched the perimeter while Enri and Nfirea began gathering the herbs. Although Enri had been prepared for the work to be difficult, they were fortunate and soon found growths of Enkaishi. The dense sheets grew thickly in the cracks of tree trunks.
"It's over there. We found where they grew right away. As I thought, it's best when I'm with Enfi."
"No, it's nothing like that. We're lucky we found it in a deserted area. If there were monster tracks, it would be pretty nasty."
To the two humans, the large quantity of herbs, while not exactly a treasure in its own right, was akin to a small mountain of coins. Enri desperately fought the desire burning in her heart. This place was dangerous, it was better that she put her greed aside and worked to steadily complete the job.
So Enri knelt down and began to pluck, minding the roots of the herbs. Enkaishi's medicinal value resided in its roots. But you couldn't just pull the roots out like that. This rare grass was incredibly hardy and it would grow again as long as the roots remained. It seemed a shame, but depleting this patch of herbs (which had been quite a challenge to find in the first place) by overharvesting it would be like killing the goose which laid the golden egg.
A strong odor seared her nose as she did the picking, but since she was used to that sort of thing, the smell didn't impede her work. Compared to Nfirea's house, this smell was like heaven. She plucked the herbs stalk by stalk and then carefully placed them into the bag on her back. If the goblins came to help, they would probably have finished faster, but they were too busy watching their surroundings. Enri wasn't nearly stupid enough to take them off their sentry duty to help her.
In comparison, Nfirea's harvesting methods were like poetry in motion. He swiftly pulled them out of the ground without pause, in such a way that didn't damage their potency as medicine. This technique would even impress fellow professionals in his field.
Enri silently watched Nfirea, who was staring at the herbs with a diligent expression on his face. The face that had become so familiar looked like someone else's before her. … He's a man now. And he knows how to use his hands…
Nfirea suddenly raised his head. He must have sensed the stoppage in Enri's work since he asked her what was wrong.
At that, Enri lowered her head in embarrassment.
"Ah, well, I think you're amazing at this…"
"Really? I didn't think it was that fantastic. I'm only a dabbler when it comes to herbalism. This level is about par for the course."
"…Is that so."
The conversation ended thus, and in the slow passage of time, the stock of herbs in their large backpacks grew. After filling up slightly more than half of them, the goblins crouched next to the two of them as if looking for somewhere to hide.
Seeing Enri's surprised face, Kaijali silently gave a hand signal. This was an emergency. Enri, who understood, pricked up her ears. From the distance came the sound of plants being trampled underfoot.
"This is…"
"Something's coming. It's coming for us… or rather, it's advancing and most likely it's going to end up here, so we need to get away from here for a bit. Let's move."
The five of them rushed into hiding in the shadow of a nearby tree. They didn't go further because they didn't want to make noise on the nearby vegetation. If the other party was just going around, there was no need to risk discovery like that.
The five held their breaths and prayed the source of the sound would turn in another direction. But unfortunately it did not happen and the approaching figure finally came into Enri's field of view.
"Eh?!"
A tiny gasp of surprise escaped from Enri's mouth.
It was a ragged-looking little goblin. His body was covered in tiny wounds which bled profusely. His breathing was rapid and uneven, and the smell of his blood and sweat spread throughout the area. Even though goblins were already smaller than humans, this goblin was small even for another goblin. To Enri and the goblin's trained observation skills, they came to the same answer of 'child'.
The goblin child looked fearfully to his rear, in the direction where he had come from. There was no need to listen up for the sound of trampling plant life that followed from behind him. From the looks of things, they were hunter and prey.
He suddenly tripped and fell, then frantically moved his spasming feet, taking cover in a patch of shade different from Enri's own.
"That―"
"―Quiet."
Gokoh had not even looked at Enri as he interrupted her. Those unrelenting eyes were fixed on the direction where the kid had come from.
Just over ten seconds later, the hunter revealed itself.
It was a huge magical beast that resembled a black wolf. The reason why they could instantly tell it was no ordinary wolf was because of the chain wrapped around its body. The serpentine chain did not hinder its movements at all, as though it were merely an illusion. And two horns sprang from its head.
Nfirea muttered the name of the beast to himself.
"Barghest…"
Although it could not possibly have heard him to answer, the creature barked like a dog. Then, its face twisted. It was an evil grin that no mere beast could ever make. It slowly looked around its surroundings and its eyes settled on the tree where the goblin child had hidden. The barghest had a bloodhound's scenting ability. There was no way it could not sniff out the goblin child who had bled so much on the way here.
From the look of things, the reason why the goblin had managed to get here wasn't because he could resist the barghest. Rather, it was because the barghest was a sadistic creature; or maybe it was because it was a hunter that liked to play with its food.
Suddenly, the barghest stopped moving, surprise knotting its face, and it stared at the place they had gathered the herbs from.
Enri pulled her face back. The others quickly followed suit.
Behind the tree trunk, Enri opened her hands. Her skin was green and speckled with stray bits of plant matter. Beside her, Nfirea did the same thing. The sap and juices from the herbs we picked…
This was the same sort of thing her little sisters were soaked in when they ground up the herbs. Although those with numbed noses (like themselves) wouldn't mind, the powerful stench still hung in the air. Her heart raced.
"It's started moving. …Is it coming this way? Hasn't noticed us, has it?"
Unlai, with his ear on the tree to listen, flashed a querying hand sign.
"… Are you telling me it can't use its sense of smell?"
"What do you mean, Ani-san? Don't monsters have very sensitive noses…?"
"It's because of that," Nfirea said as he explained himself.
The key point was that because it had an extremely sensitive sense of smell, the stench floating in this area was particularly effective against it. The barghest had confused the scent of Enri's hands and bag with that of the already-harvested areas. Even better, the smell had covered up their original scent.
Although the powerful stench was everywhere, if they fled in haste, the noise and the displaced air from where they were fleeing might catch the barghest's attention.
"Then, let's use the kid as a sacrifice and be done with it. We don't know how strong this barghest is and engaging it without prior knowledge would be too risky."
These cold words made Enri look at Gokoh's face.
However, these words were logical ones. The goblins put Enri's personal safety as their top priority. With that in mind, avoiding combat with that magical beast was only to be expected. They would sacrifice one of their own kind for that without a second thought.
The words he said, judging by their conviction, were not mistaken at all.
But Enri hated this sort of thing. Even if they were of different species, not helping someone you could help would disgrace herself as a human being. Who knew, if she had not been a silly village girl who had never known a goblin attack and lacked a sense of danger, she might not have thought that way.
Enri looked around to the others. The goblins knew Enri's wish. They just didn't want to speak it. After that, Enri looked to Nfirea.
"Enfi…"
"Haa… I'll help. Who knows, that goblin child might become a valuable source of information. If we don't find out why he fled here, it might end up causing danger to the village."
The goblins knitted their brows.
"Is there a chance you might lose?"
"Greater barghests are pretty strong. But from the look of that guy's chains and the size of his horns, I don't think he's of that type. If it's just a regular barghest, we're sure to win, though it'll be a tough battle."
"Wait a minute. Ane-san is going to stay here, right? You should avoid danger."
Enri swallowed. She knew what she was saying was only to satisfy her ego, and her foolish words would endanger not just herself but the others around her. But even so, Enri opened her mouth to speak.
"…If we abandon someone we could have helped, it would be as bad as tormenting him ourselves. I don't want to be like those people who harm the weak. Please!"
Kaijali, who had been watching Enri's earnest expression, sighed in defeat. At the same time, the monster's strange bark rang out. They could clearly hear the sound of mocking laughter within it. In response came the goblin child's pitiful wail.
There was no more time for confusion or debate.
"It can't be helped. Get him, lads!"
The goblins took the lead in jumping out, followed by Nfirea.
Enri felt a terribly wrenching pain in her heart as she watched the warriors who went into battle to fulfil her wishes. All she could do was watch them from behind. Enri thought At the very least I should stay here and watch them, without allowing myself to lose focus for even a single moment.
The four who had leapt out saw the barghest pressing the goblin child down beneath it. The goblin child sported new wounds but was not dead yet, because the barghest had the bad habit of toying with its prey.
The monster stopped and it stared at the group of people who had jumped out. Then he looked back at the goblin child with a growl. Perhaps it was afraid that its prey had led it into a trap.
"Hey hey, come on boy," Unlai said, pointing to himself with his thumb. "Want to play? I'll play with you. Come on."
The barghest's following bark was full of menace, but it didn't scare the goblins. In a natural, flowing motion, Kaijali drew the machete at his waist and the others followed suit.
"No need to think so much. I'll teach an old dog like you new tricks. How about we start with 'play dead'?"
As a response to the goblins' taunts, the barghest squeezed the goblin child it was stepping on, and he let out an angry growl.
Although it couldn't speak, its actions made its intentions clear. "Make a move and I kill the brat." However―
"Very good! Go ahead and kill him!"
The three goblins ignored the barghest's move and stepped in with growls of their own.
This unexpected response brought confusion to the eyes of the barghest. The monster could not have known that the goblins had not shown up with the intention of saving the goblin child. They were only here because of Enri's wish, and their attitude was "as long as we tried to save him, it's more than good enough".
Since they had shown themselves for a confrontation, if they didn't kill the barghest their precious Enri might get hurt. Because of that, they needed to finish off the barghest for good. So if the goblin child was murdered, if that wasted their opponent's first action and let them seize the initiative, then the goblins would gladly let the kid die.
Seeing itself reflected in the blades of three machetes, the barghest understood that it could not use its hostage against them and stopped moving. It was confused as to whether or not it should kill the boy it was pinning down.
Taking his life would be easy. It would be gone in one bite. However, if it did that, there was no question that it would be hacked to pieces by the weapons of its incoming enemies. The threat to its life led the barghest to its decision.
Ignoring the goblin child, the barghest leapt at the goblins to meet their attack. The monster was heavier than a goblin and as such the barghest was hoping to pin its foes under itself and finish them off by ripping their throats out with its fangs.
However, this was a poor choice.
The targeted goblin easily twisted out of the way of the attempted attack and, almost at the same time, the other two goblins on the left and right slashed at the barghest with their machetes. One blade was deflected by the barghest's chains, but the other ripped into its body, sending blood everywhere.
And then a small hurled vial shattered after hitting the tip of the barghest's nose. The vile miasma which now clogged its eyes and nose drew an agonized howl from the barghest. At that moment, three more jolts of pain ran through its body.
It could sense that it was in trouble from the outflow of blood alone. The barghest wept, its vision shaky and blurred, and made its move. Its target was the one who had thrown the vial, a human.
However, the barghest had only taken a few steps when its feet stuck onto something below and could not move. Looking down, it saw that the ground was covered a bizarre glue-like liquid. The bizarre liquid was not absorbed by the earth.
"The glue won't hold it for long! Take it down in one blow!"
In response to the human's voice, the goblins shouted their battlecries and charged. In addition, the human released a powerful spell from its direction.
The barghest was using all its strength to try and pull its paws from the ground. Although its movements were slowed because its feet were still coated with adhesive and dirt, it was still able to fight.
Watching the goblins close in for the kill again, the barghest used its superior intellect (compared to a regular beast) to accept the fact that these goblins were mighty foes.
This barghest knew three methods of attack.
Goring, piercing its foe with its horns. Biting, then knocking its foe down and raking it with its claws. Unlike stronger barghests, it did not have any special abilities. But in truth, it had an ace in the hole. This tactic would completely abandon defense, and if the barghest failed, it would be doomed. But now wasn't the time to worry about holding back. It had to make full use of what could be the last few seconds of its life.
The barghest howled wildly, checking the advance of the enveloping goblins. While it did so, a voice resounded. "[Reinforce Armor]!"
The spell from behind, cast by Nfirea, made the goblins' armor glow brightly.
The barghest panicked while the goblins in front of it simply grinned. Maybe it made them a little reckless, but with their defence boosted, the goblins advanced as one. Perhaps it might be called a foolish move, but then one could also say it was a brave step forward to quickly end what could be a long battle.
That was what would have happened, if the barghest had not expected them to do this. If it could change its facial features as easily as a human, it would have smiled to itself as they entered the range of its trump card.
The chains on its body made the sounds of a snake as they suddenly came to life. The thick and crude shackles began spinning with tremendous force.
The special ability Chain Cyclone would severely wound the goblins, if not kill them outright. The barghest was giving this its all. This was a big move that could only be used once a day and after the chains were used it would be unable to use them as armor for at least ten seconds. High risk, high return. The unexpected attack threw off the goblins' edge. This was a fatal mistake. But―
"—Get down!"
A thunderous order cut through the air before the chains could. The goblins who should have been too late to evade it had nimbly dropped to the ground, as though the voice had injected them with a fresh dose of vitality.
The chains rattled as they hit nothing. The barghest that had bet everything on this attack looked to the one who had shouted and its eyes widened.
And then, the barghest's forelegs and one rear leg were severed from its body. It howled in pain. It tried to recover its chains, bare its fangs, threaten them, but the goblins were having none of that.
"Ani-san, no need for magic support. For safety's sake, just put up an alarm around this place."
The barghest, which knew it had already lost, desperately tried to get away. Its usually agile body was now cumbersome and slow. That was only natural considering that three of its four legs were now stumps. Even so, the barghest wanted to flee with all its might.
But the goblins thought otherwise. Sticky blood coated the grass all around and the stench of iron drowned out the odor of the plants as the barghest finally fell.
The goblins smiled as they had won without suffering any harm, then looked to the goblin child from where they were standing, bloodstained machetes in hand, almost knee-deep in the gore and viscera spilling from the corpse of the monster.
The kid had been hurt badly and had lost the strength to flee, but he still forced his body upright against a tree.
"H-Hey, who are you guys? Which tribe are you from?"
The goblins looked at each other, wondering how to respond to the questions of a kid who was half frightened and half suspicious. In each other's' eyes, they wordlessly discussed the strategy for what kind of attitude would yield the most benefits and what kind of information they should reveal.
But Enri felt that there were more pressing matters than that.
"We need to take care of his wounds first. What can we do, Enfi?"
The kid was hurt very badly and he had already lost a lot of blood. Left alone, he would definitely die. Although Enri had no idea how to help him, she was hoping that her childhood friend would know what to do.
"The most normal herbs can do is stop the bleeding, it won't help all the blood loss. However…"
Nfirea began rummaging through his pouch.
"… There's the newly-created healing potion. I wanted to hand it to Gown-san, but… could you show me your wounds?"
Nfirea walked forward, withdrawing the potion vial from his robe.
"W-wait, what's this dangerous-looking liquid? Is it poison?"
Hostility flashed across the kid's frightened face as he saw the purple potion. From Enri's point of view, perhaps even Nfirea's point of view, this was a natural reaction. The potion looked too much like poison for him to not be on his guard.
However, the goblins were very upset by the child's choice of words and they immediately stalked over to him. "Oi, brat. Ane-san's the one who decided to save you, along with Ani-san. You better watch your mouth, especially to the people who rescued you. That's for your own good too, got it?"
The kid turned to look at the blades brandished before him. Although he was only a child, he did know it would be a bad idea to anger the goblins in front of him. He sagged visibly, like a puppet whose strings had been cut.
Enri felt that it would be better if they didn't have to intimidate the kid, but she knew the goblins had their own rules. It wouldn't be a good idea for her to butt in with her human sensibilities.
"I-I'm very sorry."
"Ah, it's all right. Don't worry."
As he answered, Nfirea smeared the potion on the kid's body. The wounds were visibly closing up.
"Uuuoooh! What's this? It smells so gross, but it feels so good!"
The kid felt the stares of the surrounding goblins on him and trembled.
"Ah… no, I mean, ah, th-thank y-you very m-much..."
"Oh, looks like the brat has some manners after all."
"Very good! This way, I can tell Gown-san that the experiment was completed without a hitch."
Nfirea looked around, fumbling for approval. Enri and the goblins got what he meant and nodded to him.
The potion Nfirea created was made from the materials provided by the great magic caster Ainz Ooal Gown, who was the savior of Carne Village. Not only was there no need to spend money on research fees, but he even provided all the necessary ingredients. With that in mind, the meaning and value of the potion that he had created was plainly obvious.
"You, you used me as a guinea pig!"
Unable to read between the lines, the kid gasped in shock. Enri and Nfirea grinned in response. A reaction like this was only natural from someone who didn't know the full details of the situation.
Although the two of them had at least managed to smile at the reaction, others present were not so forgiving. The goblins present could not moderate their rage, and spat utterances like, "that little bastard!" and so on.
Enri held out her hands to try and calm them down. This reaction was only natural for a clueless kid, and because he was a kid, it wouldn't do to overreact.
"Well, if Ane-san says so… anyway, we should get moving. Who knows what other monsters will be drawn by the scent of blood."
"And, although we won… Ane-san. Please don't do this sort of thing ever again, okay? Our job is protecting you."
"What a mess. Still, hearing Enri's voice like that really scared me."
"…Well, it's because of that voice that we're fine."
"Oi, brat, you'd better not run off. We have a lot of questions to ask you and if you don't want to go home in pieces you'd better answer up truthfully."
"Unlai-san…"
"Ane-san, this is for the village's sake too… get over here, kid."
The kid got up, slowly and painstakingly. His wounds were healed, so they shouldn't impede his movement, but his stubborn resistance made his movements slow.
Gokoh, whose machete was dyed red with blood, spat on the ground.
Enri turned to Nfirea for help. However, he silently shook his head. As she turned to look at the goblins, she saw that there was steel in their eyes, and with it, silent approval of their colleague's actions.
"Ane-san, don't worry, I won't kill him. I just want to ask him some questions about what's going on. Besides, don't you think he'll die if we left him here?"
It seemed as though the question was aimed more at the goblin child than Enri herself. He seemed to get it, and the resistance in his heart faded away.
"I got it… I won't run off…"
"That's good. Then we'd better get moving. Kiddo, can you confirm that there's only one of those barghests around here?"
"…I can't. Apart from them, there's several ogres too. I don't know if any of them chased after me. And I'm not a kid, I'm Agu, the fourth son of Ah, the chieftain of the Gigu tribe!"
"Agu-kun, hm."
"I thought that 'Kid' was enough for him…"
"It was already too much. 'Brat' suits him better…"
"… We'll discuss that later. It's not like it's important enough to argue about it now. Since Agu wants us to use his name, maybe we should, in order to build trust between us?"
"Ani-san's really mature. Then let's gather our things and go."
In accordance with Kaijali's words, the group set off in silence while watching their surroundings warily. The heavy atmosphere that hung around them was almost visible to the naked eye.
Although Enri wanted to lighten the mood with some conversation, the forest was not a place for humans. Or at least not for her. She could not act lightly here, especially considering there might be further pursuers after them.
The tension that filled their bodies seemed to melt off as they stepped out of the dark, shadowy forest, and was replaced by a gentle, idle feeling. In that moment, they felt that they had finally returned to the world they were used to.
Nfirea, walking beside Enri, sighed in relief with an "Uwah~". ·
The goblins' movements had also lost their tense edge, but Agu's expression still looked stiff. He seemed confused by the sunlight and the wide spaces, and it showed on his face. He was a long way from the shadows of the forests where he had grown up.
"Our village is there."
Agu's face scrunched up as he followed Enri's finger to the distance.
"What? That wall? It feels… feels kind of like that Monument of Destruction."
"Eh? Monument of Destruction?"
"That's right. It's a scary new place in the Great Forest. Anyone who goes near it will perish. They say there's monsters there too."
"You say everyone who goes near it will die, but you sure know a lot about it."
"…while the Monument of Destruction was still under construction, the bravest ones from our tribe went there and saw monsters building it."
"Did you know about this, guys?"
"No, I'm sorry, but this is new to us too. If we go too deep into the forest we might meet enemies even our boss can't defeat. So we try not to go too far."
"…Hey, which tribe are you three from? You're stronger than any goblins I've ever seen before, so where…"
Agu sneaked a glance at Enri before asking: "Do you serve the humans?"
"Is that weird? Isn't it normal to work for someone who's strong?"
"But strong people… no, I mean, I've heard that humans as a race have strong members… but you are a woman, right? And the one with his hair covering his face is a man, right?"
Enri got an answer she could accept from Nfirea, who was muttering beside her.
"Enri, I think this child has never seen humans before. At most, he knows what his fellow goblins told him. Also… is it really so hard for goblins to tell us humans apart?"
"Well, our clothes… are different…."
"Like I said, he doesn't know things like that. Don't all goblins wear the same thing? Of course, sometimes there's civilized goblins with a country of their own, but he's not one of them."
Enri understood, but as she thought about it, she realised she hadn't answered Agu's question.
"… That's right, I'm a girl."
"So are you a magic caster?"
"No, why?"
A profoundly disturbed expression appeared on Agu's face.
"I'm a magic caster. An arcane magic caster," said Nfirea.
"…You two are husband and wife, right?"
"Ehhhh?!" The two of them exclaimed in perfect harmony.
"No, I mean, in some races, the wives can share their husband's power and authority… is it not like that?"
"No, no, it's not like that at all!"
The surrounding goblins seemed to want to say something in response to Enri's adamant refusal, but all that anyone saw them doing was sagging their shoulders in silence.
"Then… what's going on? How come that woman's the strongest?"
"We call you a kid because you don't understand why. Ane-san's strength isn't something that can be seen with the eyes."
Enri wanted to deny that, but Agu's earnest eyes looking at her exerted a pressure that left her unable to speak.
While Enri was confused, Kaijali spoke again. "Then, another question for you, brat. Why were you being chased by those guys? What happened?"
"This―"
"—Say, can this wait until we get back to the village?"
"That's right, that would be a better idea, -su."
The female voice surprised them all who exclaimed in surprise and looked to the source of the sound. What they saw was a stunning beauty. She was a woman with twin braids and a tanned skin. She was dressed in what she called her maid wear and carried a strange-looking weapon on her back. She was a suspicious-looking individual, and at the same time a familiar one.
Lupusregina Beta.
She was a maid serving under Ainz Ooal Gown, the savior of Carne Village, and she had been responsible for delivering the alchemical items to the Bareares as well as commanding the stone golems. Her cheerful and carefree attitude, plus her good looks, made her very popular with the villagers.
However, she had the bad habit of appearing out of nowhere like she had just now. The villagers believed that it was only natural that a maid in service to a great magic caster should know magic of her own and Enri had shared that opinion too. Even so, appearing like that all of a sudden was still frightening.
"Lupu-san, w-where did you…?"
"Really now, En-chan, I've been following behind you guys from the beginning, su. Strange, didn't you guys notice? I thought everyone was just ignoring me, su."
"The Lupu-nee, could you stop playing around?"
"Uwaaaa, people think I'm just a joker, su… ahh, I was just kidding anyway, su. Don't mind, don't mind, su."
Silence resumed, until someone sighed tiredly with a "Haaaa."
"Well, not like there's anything wrong with that. So who's this little goblin? …Could, could it be!"
Enri felt the goblins between her and Lupusregina swapping annoyed looks.
"Fufu — Enfi-chan, you got cucked by a goblin? Fufufu."
While everyone's eyes went glassy and lifeless, Lupusregina was laughing it up.
"What's all of this then~su. A pure, innocent boy's love, trampled just like that, su. What a riot, su! Fuha! … All right, enough kidding around, what really happened?"
Agu's body trembled fiercely as though he had seen some kind of monster.
Although, Enri could understand why. Lupusregina's cheerful expression changed ceaselessly, like a high-strung person under stress. As the smile changed, it revealed the true face of Lupusregina beneath, which was horrifying in how far it differed from the her initial expression.
"Aw, don't worry, I won't eat you, su. It's okay, su. C'mon, tell onee-chan all about it, su."
"Lupu-nee. We should talk about this later. Didn't you agree on that?"
"Oya? Hm, I definitely don't recall saying something like that~su"
"…"
"…Ah! I hope Beta-san can hand this potion to Gown-sama. It's newly developed, but its effects have been tested and proven."
"…Oh? Enfi-chan finally made it?"
"That's right. Unfortunately, it's not red, but I think we've made significant progress."
"― Well, that's great. I'm sure Ainz-sama will be very happy to hear it."
With that, Lupusregina's attitude seemed to have become that of a normal person, not the flighty, carefree girl from before.
However, that expression only lasted a moment. In the next, she was back to her old self.
"Ahhh, how exciting! Really, I picked a great day to visit, su. No need to call me Beta. Lupusregina will do, su. Just for you…"
With the high-spirited Lupusregina in tow, they entered the village gates.