Chapter 23

Chapter 23

Chapter 23: Karaldin The reason I willingly came to the goblin nest was simple. I had no intention of obediently following Charka around and steadily building my career. To be precise, I could do that, but if there was a faster way, wouldn’t it be better to use it? In that respect, wiping out a goblin horde was an excellent achievement. If a rookie adventurer single-handedly slaughtered a goblin horde, there would be no need for bothersome skill verification. Even if goblins weren’t much, a party of dozens would force most adventurer parties to flee, so it was the perfect way to prove my skills. The goblins’ sling-based rock throwing was definitely annoying, and if hit properly, it was threatening enough to kill you instantly.

-Thwack.

However, even such rock throwing didn’t do much damage to me. I brushed the stone dust off my forehead and threw the stone spear in my hand.

-Thunk!

“Kreek!?” A goblin screamed as the stone spear pierced its stomach, and the other goblins flinched at the sight of their fallen comrade. However, no goblins charged. Was it because I had pulverized the few that had charged earlier? I thought they would all rush at me at once, given their numbers, but they were surprisingly docile. Were they cowardly, or just cautious? “Keee!” As I was thinking that and casually taking a step, a shriek came from right next to me. Without needing to turn around, I reached out and grabbed the neck of the goblin that had charged. “Queek!?”

-Crack.

Then, I put strength into my hand and snapped the goblin’s neck. We might have even shared a night together, but if it charged, I had no choice but to kill it. The goblin struggled for a moment, then went limp. Unlike Monkers, these guys were a bit more intelligent but physically weak, so it was easy to kill them with my Qi-enhanced strength. As I released my grip, the goblin’s limp body slid to the cave floor.

-Thud.

“Keee!!” “Keruk! Ker-keruk!” The goblins, seeing this, cried out as if excited. A dozen or so goblins surrounded me, screaming and throwing stones, but of course, none of it worked.

-Thwack.

I waved my hand to deflect the incoming stones and continued to walk forward. Massacring them wasn’t bad, but it was meaningless. They must have a place where they kept their loot.

-Tap. Tap.

As I moved, the goblins retreated in response. The number of goblins surrounding me gradually increased, but none of them actually charged. We maintained that strange standoff for a while. “Krrruk!!” Then, a shriek with a slightly different resonance than before was heard. Turning my gaze, I saw it was the same goblin chief from before. “Oh, hello?” Since it was my first experience with a goblin, I raised my hand in greeting. The chief responded to my greeting. “Keee!!” With a splendid cry. As if emboldened by that cry, the goblins all charged at me at once. // No matter how weak goblins are, you can’t win if you’re overwhelmed by numbers. It’s not a matter of defense, but of strength. If they charged in a swarm, ready to die, I would gradually become overwhelmed, even with my Iron God Armor protecting me. And if I were captured like that, it wouldn’t end with just a bit of fun this time. I would definitely be in for a rough time. I like being taken advantage of, but I didn’t intend to live here as a goblin sex toy for the rest of my life.

-Tap.

Knowing that, I took a stance. I was a little bothered by the fact that my breasts were shaking because I wasn’t wearing anything, but I decided to think positively and be grateful that I had breasts to shake.

-Thwack.

“Kreek!?” First, I kicked the goblin that charged at me. The goblin, struck by a kick with full force and proper posture, flew through the air and crashed into the cave wall on the other side. The succubus who gave me knowledge of martial arts didn’t just use Succubus Absorption and Yin Demon Art. Her title was a bit much, but she was a master of martial arts who had deeply studied various weapons and techniques. When you think about it, it’s only natural. The reason she was able to make a name for herself with such a crude internal energy like Yin Demon Art was because she had a deep understanding of martial arts. My knowledge was limited, so I don’t know what she went through, but I’m confident that I inherited some of her martial arts skills. Of course, it took the dedicated help of Seran and Keir, as well as my friends from the slums, to master it. …Looking back, I hit them a lot when I was young. I can understand why they bullied me so much. I even think I should let them get back at me later to even things out. “Kreek!!”

-Whoosh!

While thinking about this and that, I kicked another goblin that was charging at me. The power was a bit weaker because it was a different consecutive kick than before, but it was enough to incapacitate the goblin. Was it because I moved so vigorously? The semen inside my vagina and intestines was slowly flowing down my thighs. I tried not to pay attention to it, but I couldn’t help but be a little bothered by it.

-Pow!

I punched the goblins that were charging at me next.

-Whack!

Maintaining my breathing, I took a light stance and punched each one, one at a time.

-Pow-pow-pow!

“Kieeek!?” “Kreek!!” Three goblins screamed and fell in an instant. The goblins’ momentum faltered, and they hesitated. “Kreek!!” Still, some of them were brave. Just as I was about to counterattack with a punch against two goblins charging at me simultaneously, I realized that the goblin on the left had something shiny in its hand. “Krruk!?” Instead of punching, I reached out and grabbed the neck of the charging goblin. The goblin swung the dagger it was holding and stabbed my arm.

-Stab.

Of course, it didn’t work. The tip of the knife only pressed slightly against my skin. There wasn’t even a scratch, let alone blood. That’s only natural. I had already experimented with it. “Kieee!?” The goblins’ momentum faltered even more when they realized the dagger wasn’t working. Fear was etched in their eyes, and their steps towards me hesitated. They had stopped throwing stones at some point.

-Crunch.

I snapped the neck of the goblin I was holding and took the dagger it was holding.

-Swish.

Holding the silver, shimmering dagger, I swung it lightly once. It was light and usable. It wasn’t my dagger. It was the dagger that the goblin chief had been holding earlier. Turning my head to look at the goblin chief, I saw that it was staring at me with shocked eyes. Well, it would be a waste to throw away the weapon I just took, but should I catch that guy first? Catching the chief would be better than killing the other goblins. But since he was my first experience with the goblin race, should I spare him? But the chief’s corpse would be the best evidence. I made my decision and channeled the internal energy I had been carefully preserving into the dagger and threw it at him.

-Thunk.

The dagger pierced the neck of the goblin chief, who was standing there blankly. “Krrut…!”

-Thud.

The goblin chief collapsed, bleeding from the neck, and rolled across the cave floor. // After that, it wasn’t too difficult. After killing a few more goblins, they screamed and fled out of the cave. I thought about following them, but since it was night, it seemed better to just let them escape. I returned to the cave where I had been tied up and freed all four of the women who were in the same situation as me. “I’ve taken care of the goblins. Let’s leave this place when it gets light.” The women were staring at me with blank faces. They seemed unable to believe that they had been rescued in such an absurd way. They had eyes, so they must have seen me taking down the goblin sentries. But they couldn’t have seen anything beyond that because they were tied up. The brown-haired woman who had cursed at me earlier looked even more surprised. Her expression was a mix of embarrassment, shock, and a bit of apology, making for a very strange face. “Are you… by any chance, a knight?” The brown-haired woman muttered, looking at me in disbelief. I found that a bit funny. A female knight being raped by goblins? Does such a thing even exist? …Come to think of it, there’s no reason why it shouldn’t. Maybe it exists in the Astaltine Empire, even if it doesn’t in the Kilkerd Kingdom. Or maybe I could try it later. Still, humans are a bit better than goblins. If I were to be captured, I’d rather it be by a band of thieves. “No, I’m just an adventurer. For now.” I was planning to become a knight later if I had the chance, so I answered vaguely. I was planning to try it once I found my friends. It would be even better if I had noble friends. I still can’t forget the night I spent with the guard captain in Lakers. Of course, Charka was big, but he was lacking in skills. “…I, it’s amazing. You took down all those goblins without any weapons…” On the other hand, the black-haired woman who had stopped her earlier looked at me with admiration. I smiled wryly and nodded at her gaze. I like contemptuous gazes, but I’m a bit awkward with compliments like that. Especially since I didn’t do it to be praised. But before I could feel embarrassed, she bowed her head to me and expressed her gratitude. “…Thank you for saving us.” I was grateful, but I was more surprised than feeling like it was natural. I thought I would be blamed for not saving them sooner. In fact, the two pregnant women were giving me complicated looks. It was a look mixed with gratitude, faint resentment, and resignation. “…Thank you.” Still, it was better than meeting their end in a goblin cave, so they thanked me. Wandering around the forest at night was crazy, so we stayed in the cave. I realized while being dragged to the goblin cave that it was quite far from the entrance of the forest. It would take at least an hour to walk. Even if I was okay, it would be difficult to lead four burdens. We lit a fire in the cave and sat around it. Then, as if reality had returned, the two pregnant women began to sob as they looked at the fire. “Sniff, sob… sob…” The black-haired woman approached them and offered comfort, and I silently left the area. Then, the brown-haired woman followed me. She mumbled an apology as she looked at me. “…I’m sorry. I said some harsh things earlier, but at the time…” “Well, I don’t really care, but in the future, when you apologize like that, you can just say you’re sorry. Don’t make excuses.” “Ugh. Okay. I, I’m sorry…” Still, unlike her first impression, she didn’t seem to be a complete psychopath. I’ll let her off the hook. If I hadn’t learned Yin Demon Art, if I didn’t have Succubus Absorption and had to get pregnant with a goblin’s child, I would have reacted similarly to her… but I wouldn’t have. Still, there are individual differences, so I’ll respect that. First, I needed to find the place where the goblins kept their loot, so we wandered around the cave and talked. “I’m Eira, and the black-haired girl from earlier is Mien.” According to Eira, she and Mien were adventurers in the same party. “…About three days ago, we were attacked on our way back from completing a quest. It was a quest to defeat a troll and get its blood, but Roan, who was in charge of the front line, made a mistake, so we used more magic than planned. We managed to catch the troll somehow, but we also lost some of our equipment, so we couldn’t win.”

It’s said that Aira’s party was annihilated by the goblins’ rock throwing, and she and Mien were dragged to the nest like this. “…So, that’s how I ended up like this.” Aira raised her arm with a bitter smile. Her body, illuminated by the torch, was covered in bruises. No matter how weak goblins are, they can’t be ignored. They are a race that lives in the Meshin Great Forest, and they have stubbornly survived among formidable monsters. “Still, I guess I’m lucky.” Aira muttered blankly, looking behind her. She must be talking about the two pregnant women. I nodded silently. The two women were said to be from a village near Karaldin. They went up the mountain to gather herbs and were kidnapped by goblins. As a woman, carrying the child of a goblin, a demi-walker, is a terrible thing. It would be different if they gave birth. If they returned to the village in that state, all that would remain for them would be endless accusations and contemptuous glances. And they know that best. “But what can we do? We have to live.” I replied in a nonchalant tone. I couldn’t say that I understood the despair of carrying the offspring of something that wasn’t even human. I probably wouldn’t despair either. When I said that, Aira looked at me with a bewildered expression. “…You’re really amazing. Mien and I…we cried all day after being dragged here…” I could tell that the goblins’ grand welcome was included in the words ‘after being dragged here.’ Hmm, I don’t think it’s something to cry about, though. Is it because of the environment I grew up in?