episode_0022

The women who were kidnapped in the goblin lair took turns finishing their showers. They washed their bodies in the flowing water and wiped off the sticky goblin semen.

The women became relatively clean.

While the women were showering, I changed my clothes as well. The space was filled with spare clothes.

“Can everyone walk?”

It was time to start moving slowly. The village must be worried as well.

We couldn’t stay in the goblin lair any longer.

“Now that everything is settled.”

We cremated all the bodies and conducted a funeral as best we could. It was possible because Nine was a priest.

I don’t know why vampires can handle sacred power, but…

He seemed more devout than any priest when praying for Nine’s blessings. Who could call Nine a vampire after seeing him?

“We can walk.”

Thanks to Nine’s sacred spell, the women’s physical condition had greatly improved. They must have been healthier than before they were kidnapped by goblins.

The women’s distress was largely due to psychological factors.

“First group.”

The victims were divided by village. There were quite a few small villages around the goblin lair.

Let’s take these people there.”

It would be a waste of time if everyone rushed together. It was much faster to spread out to each village.

The goblin lair was like a delivery HUB, and we were deliverymen.

It might seem a bit rude to treat the victims like goods. But there was no better analogy than this, so I hoped you would understand.

“I understand, Father.”

“Hmph.”

“Dad, see you later.”

The first groups each took the victims and moved on. It seemed fast yet slow.

The heart urged the feet to move faster, but the stiff body didn’t comply.

Only a few people remained in the goblin lair. There were fewer than ten people.

Women who had not been enemies in surrounding villages. Adventurers, mercenaries, travelers, etc…

“If you have somewhere to go, you may leave.”

Those remaining would go to our village. We planned for them to rest and recover physically and mentally in the village first, and then leave on their own once they were ready.

“Sir, why did you send the master away? Isn’t it you who should go?”

“….”

Jenny is the son-in-law of the village chief. She naturally stayed in the lair.

She kept nagging at me.

“Why did you ask Olivia Group 1 to do the job? Shouldn’t it be you instead of Olivia?”

Now she openly called Olivia “master.”

“Hehe…”

Only a hollow laugh came out because it was absurd. She seemed not to know who had come to save her.

Or maybe she knew but pretended not to.

“Behave yourself, just. Before I crush your forehead with my Amageton.”

“Amageton?”

“One punch from me will smash your forehead. So behave yourself.”

“Who do you think you are? A hero? Is it okay to say that?”

Jenny is the daughter of the village chief. By the village chief’s standards, she is a granddaughter.

As the granddaughter of the village chief, who enjoys unrivaled power in Gyeok-oh Village, she naturally has a strong personality.

I had forgotten about that.

“When you were trembling in fear of being kidnapped by goblins, you were cute.”

“What?”

“Since you seem fine now, let’s go.”

I returned to the village with Jenny.

***

“Jenny!”

“Oh! My granddaughter!”

People were waiting in front of the village gate. They must have prayed continuously for Jenny’s return.

As soon as they saw Jenny, they ran towards her frantically. They were faster than the female goblin who found prey.

Especially the village chief was quick. At this rate, he might tear his remaining knee cartilage and become unable to walk.

I was worried.

“Mom! Dad! Grandpa!”

Jenny, who had been acting up, was a gentle puppy in front of her family. As soon as she saw her family, she jumped and hugged them.

“It was only towards me.”

The reunion of the village chief’s family. The village ladies wiped away tears.

Even though menopause had come, it seemed like female hormones were still being secreted.

“Not yet menopausal? Still far off?”

Perhaps because they had suffered a lot, everyone seemed to have severe presbyopia. It would be troublesome if age was judged based on appearance alone.

While trying to guess the ages of the village ladies by myself, the women following behind me expressed their gratitude.

“Thank you for saving us.”

“It was something I had to do, really.”

I rescued Jenny while looking for her. It wasn’t like I had shown such great kindness to deserve thanks.

“Dyke.”

In place of the sobbing village chief and his son and daughter-in-law, an elderly man approached me. The women who came with him were asking with their eyes who they were.

“They are victims who were kidnapped in Goblin Hollow. Since they are not from the nearby villages, we brought them to the village for now.”

“Oh… is that so?”

The old man scanned the women up and down. Lust flickered in his eyes like insects.

“Well then.”

I was worried someone might cause trouble. It would be strange to smash the old man’s head just because he looked at me menacingly…

From the perspective of a former warrior, it’s quite something.

“Come in. Let’s continue the conversation inside the village.”

The old man took the lead.

The victims safely entered the village. But whether they will remain safe is uncertain.

Mockery or harassment is nothing in this world.

“That’s something they’ll have to deal with on their own.”

It wasn’t my concern. My role ended after rescuing the victims.

Their future lives were up to them.

“I’ll take them to the cradle of abundance. We have plenty of rooms available since we have few guests.”

“Oh? If you do that…”

The old man glanced at the victims, licking his lips. Other men also sparkled with their eyes.

An old man with a bald head, a middle-aged man with a bulging belly, and a young man with a sturdy physique.

They were all crazy about women.

“…”

Their gaze was particularly focused on one woman. She was the first to escape with the children from the cave.

Suddenly…

She seemed to feel the men’s gazes and glared back. It seemed she wasn’t the type to tolerate harassment and mockery.

She was the opposite of Dennis.

“…More like a mercenary than an adventurer.”

Judging by her personality and scars, she seemed far from an ordinary traveler. She gave off a strong vibe of a mercenary who lived by the sword.

“That is the cradle of abundance. There should be no shortage if you stay for a while.”

“Thank you for your consideration.”

“I hope you have a comfortable stay.”

Clank, clank…

I opened the door to the cradle of abundance and went in. The bell rang, and the people inside looked at me.

Dennis, who was manning the counter, Lisa sticking close to him, watching the second floor, and Olivia vigorously cleaning the floor with a broom.

“Welcome.”

I brought the women. They were unfamiliar faces.

But Dennis had already understood the situation. He simply provided a room.

“Lisa, show them around.”

That was Dennis. Every time the hero party returned in disarray, he took care of them with utmost sincerity.

Even when they returned suddenly after completing their mission as heroes and wandered aimlessly, Dennis didn’t ask anything.

Lisa jingled the key ring and climbed upstairs. The victims followed hesitantly behind her.

“You’ve been through a lot.”

“Even suffering. It’s nothing, really.”

When I was active as a solo hero, it was even more severe. Back then, the monster levels were high, and there were many lives I couldn’t save, making it difficult.

Dennis approached and handed me a cup. Ice cubes were floating in it.

I gulped down the cold water.

“Kuh…!”

I liked this atmosphere. I envied it.

A woman welcoming back a man from work, along with a noisy child.

“Olivia.”

Olivia No. 2 didn’t have a loud personality. She was calm and serious, more guarded than her peers.

Perhaps still carrying the bad experiences from childhood. I felt sympathy when looking at her younger self.

“I’m an idiot.”

It’s all about the hymen issue. Just because I shared my first experience, I ended up liking Olivia No. 1 for no reason.

She’s just a crazy girl who talks nonsense.

It’s only been a day since we met. Looking back, it’s quite amusing.

Is it the lingering attachment to Tina?

“What’s the point of thinking about it now?”

I shook my head to clear my mind.

Approaching Olivia No. 2, who was focused on cleaning, she flinched as I got closer.

“Why are you cleaning alone?”

“I feel like I should clean too. You feed me and put me to sleep.”

I wanted to be useful. I felt that determination.

Mature. I had to mature early to survive in such an environment.

Is it natural?

“Tina was like that too.”

Tina wasn’t emotionally immature. She grew up in a poor village.

She was more mature than her peers.

Although I got beaten up by the blond, tanned hooligan…

“Jangha.”

Should I say something? After hesitating, I complimented her and gently patted her head.

Touching below the shoulder seemed a bit premature for us.

At that moment, the inn door opened. Everyone in the hall turned their heads simultaneously.

Sizzle sizzle-.

“An orc?”

It wasn’t an orc. It was Olivia No. 1.

Then Olivia No. 2 clung to my leg.

“Uncle, hug me.”

“Huh?”

Ah. She needs the warmth of a father.

And Olivia No. 1 was here at the right time. If I show affection to No. 2 in front of her, No. 1 will probably like it too.

I lifted the small Olivia and hugged her. She was so light due to her small size.

“You son of a b***h!”

“!”

“You b***h! I told you not to do it!”

Olivia No. 1 suddenly exploded. Using short-range teleportation, she blinked right in front of me.

And she tried to grab little Olivia by the hair.

Instinctively, I pulled out a kitchen knife from my pocket and swung it. Instinctively, to protect Olivia No. 2.