NOVEL NEXT Chapter 10
The green goblin, ‘Amutar Arkshkil,’ was engulfed in fear.
Are we really attacking humans without any plans or strategies?
That’s absurd.
Our kind knows only one thing and is oblivious to the other.
Those people have magic staffs that could blow a hole in a goblin’s forehead with just a flick of a finger.
Since Amutar’s parents died that way, he understood the terror of that scary, rigid staff better than anyone.
“Hey, what’s a goblin doing with a helmet?”
“Kuruk, shut up.”
“What a coward.”
“Shut it.”
Regardless of what his fellow raiders said, Amutar donned an orc’s skull on his head.
He didn’t think it would stop any attacks, but he honestly didn’t believe his tribe could successfully raid humans.
And why not…
Ding, ding, ding, ding!!
“Kiiee! We got caught!!”
One goblin stepped on a trap laid between the trees.
The pieces of metal connected to the trap started clanking together.
“Why did you step on that?!”
“Kuruk, do you think I knew it was there? Kuruk.”
“Keep your eyes wide open!”
“How was I supposed to see it?! Kereku.”
Bang, bang, bang, bang, bang.
The alarm signaling an enemy invasion began to sound.
Humans rushed to grab torches and moved frantically.
“Elder!!”
“…Once we’re caught, we shouldn’t be given time to respond.”
The Elder reached slowly forward.
“I have something we got from human adventurers for times like this. Khuhuh.”
The Elder pulled out a round object.
It seemed metallic, emanating a foul stench, and the Elder tossed the black sphere the size of his head behind his waist.
“Kieeek!!”
With the Elder’s scream, the black sphere soared high into the sky.
Like a boulder shot from a catapult, it flew accurately towards the human village’s wooden fence.
A moment later.
Kwaaaang!!
A tremendous explosion occurred as if a spell of explosion had been cast.
“Applaud!!”
The Elder goblin raised both hands high and wore a triumphant expression, while the goblins cheered at the suddenly destroyed fence.
“Just as expected from the Elder!”
“Incredible! To take down the fence in an instant!”
“Kuruk, even goblins have to use their brains. Khuhuh.”
“…If only we had just thrown it into the crowd of humans, we would have killed them all.”
Amutar’s muttering went unheard by anyone.
Regrettably for him, not a single individual, not even the so-called Elder of the village, existed to have a conversation with him at a level similar to that of ‘humans.’
“Goblins, charge—ooork!”
“Kieeek!!”
“Ugh…”
Without any strategies, the goblins, with the fence destroyed, began to rush forward, while Amutar quietly grasped a wooden stick filled with poison.
“…I’m sorry, good luck.”
Crack.
“I’ll feast on the demons. Kuruk.”
After coating the thin needle with paralysis poison, Amutar carefully began to follow behind his fellows.
Waaaah!
In the chaos of battle between humans and goblins, Amutar hid in the shadows, merely waiting for an opportunity.
*
“Goblins! Damn it, they’ve broken the fence!!”
“How did those goblins manage to use a mana bomb…?”
“That’s not the issue right now! Bring a bow! Even a crossbow! And bring a shield to at least block their shots!!”
Total chaos.
The villagers of Hero’s Village gathered around the Holy Sword.
Among them were myself and Lucius, tied up with ropes.
Why were we here?
It was because the Chief’s son had pointed a gun at Lucius and me, threatening us to bring us before the altar of the Holy Sword.
For negotiation.
“Goblins, calm down! This is the Hero’s Village with hundreds of years of history! You know what will happen if you invade recklessly!!”
“Nothing will happen. Kuruk.”
The Chief clutched his shoulders and began negotiations, while one elderly goblin, who appeared to be their leader, stepped forward and mocked the Chief.
“The reason this place has been safe all this time is that there was nothing to gain from raiding here. It would be more profitable to ambush the mercenaries passing through this area than to assault you lot.”
“But why?!”
“Because the scent of delicious prey has begun to waft in the air. Kereku.”
The goblin elder’s eyes locked onto me.
The humans’ gazes also landed squarely on me.
“Just as I thought…!”
“Are they after the Witch of Disaster…?!”
“They call her the Sorceress of Crimson Lotus.”
They really don’t listen to reason at all.
Even though I was lying, no one among them could discern truth from falsehood.
“If we hand over this woman, will you leave?”
“Yes, Kuruk. If you hand over the woman, we’ll spare your lives.”
“You goblins….”
“What? Goblins? Want a taste of the black bomb?!”
“N-no, please….”
Whether human or goblin, when faced with a force that could harm them, they tend to lower their heads.
Faced with goblins who destroyed the fence using a mana bomb, the humans could only tense up in preparing to face the enemy.
Just in case, to avoid any sudden turns.
“You can save yourselves if you hand over the woman. What are you doing…?”
“Offer up the Witch of Disaster! Offer up the blood of the Witch of Disaster!!”
The Chief’s wife screamed in despair.
“We must offer the blood of the Witch of Disaster to escape the impending death! Kieeek!!”
Despite being human, the Chief’s wife made a sound more bizarre than goblins, gone mad.
Perhaps she was very sensitive to the demonic energy emanating from me, and in an already troubling mental state, she was worn out from sensing my energy.
“Let’s behead the Witch of Disaster!”
“No, let’s hand her over to the goblins!”
The problem was that the ‘Witch of Disaster’ she was yelling about seemed to be pointing towards me.
And the real problem was…
“N-no! Everyone, she is not just any witch! She is the Hero who sealed herself after defeating the Demon King!!”
With a face like he was about to cry, Lucius, bleeding from the shoulder, yelled loudly.
“Handing over our Master to them is no different from sacrificing a Hero to the Demon King’s army! Please calm down!!”
“How do we know if it’s true or not? What kind of hero are you talking about?!”
“I’ve lived my whole life without ever hearing of the Sorceress of Crimson Lotus!!”
“Who cares! That woman is said to have spoken the name of the Demon King that must not be uttered! Then just go die already!!”
The humans, who had lived with all manner of demons in the Intermediate Realm, fell into such a panic in just this situation.
I could guess how little sense of crisis the villagers of this town had.
“In my time, humans used to form their assault teams before demons approached them and attack.”
It’s uniquely nostalgic.
Five hundred years ago, when I raided human villages, to avoid battles occurring in the village, humans would wait in the forest, lurking, ready to ambush the Demon King’s army.
– What are the humans doing now, not even resembling elves!
– We learned from the elves, you bastards!
Memories of dealing with guerrillas in the woods before heading to the village were vividly resurrected.
Especially, the ranger unit stationed in the stronghold once managed to land a near-fatal blow against one of my legions.
And yet…
How could a hundred humans be quaking in fear against just a hundred goblins at most, a tribe of moderate size at that?
I had no clue why they’ve grown so weak over five hundred years.
“I must take care of Lucius.”
Perhaps all humans across the continent are like this, and Lucius might be a very special existence among them.
Perhaps Lucius could be the best target among all the humans I will encounter in the future.
So, I couldn’t kill him here.
And I couldn’t die here either.
“My Master is not that kind of witch! Everyone, please…!”
“Enough. You’ll bleed out from your shoulder, Lucius.”
I stopped Lucius, who was trying to persuade the villagers.
“If words won’t resolve this, then the only way is to prove it through action.”
“Shut up! According to our village’s legacy, you are a calamity that will destroy not only our village but humanity!”
To turn the situation around, logic was necessary.
Recalling memories from five hundred years ago, I silently began to speak, reflecting on one of the things I had experienced.
“Ah, I see. That was the curse left by the Demon King.”
“What… what did you say?”
“When I woke from my seal to claim the Holy Sword, it was a trap set by the Demon King to kill me.”
Countering incitement with incitement.
“Long-standing traditions? Legacies? Hah, the efforts of the Demon King’s subordinates to prevent the Holy Sword’s seal from being lifted over hundreds of years. Foolish humans, carrying on a secret while being unaware of their deception.”
“N-no! That can’t be true!! My ancestors clearly said so!!”
“Offer up the blood of the Witch of Disaster!! Kieeeek!!”
“…?”
Is it true?
It was something I said to buy some time, but I thought the Chief was lying to deceive Lucius, but it seems there really is a legend that “the Witch of Disaster will bring ruin to this village.”
‘That isn’t wrong.’
This town of heroes will surely meet its end today.
“Then let me prove it. The purpose of my arrival here. And… the birth of a new hero for humanity.”
With a flick.
I smoothly untied the ropes.
Using the remaining mana, I singed one end of the rope slightly, and it naturally fell away.
“Arise, Lucius. The hero I have chosen.”
“M-me…?”
“Yes.”
I reached my hand out to Lucius.
“The Master of the Holy Sword is you.”
“That sorceress is trying to awaken the hero! Kill her—!!”
With the Elder goblin’s fierce shout, goblins charged toward us en masse.