episode_0023

The goblin subjugation took place in the mountains outside the city. Since it was a bit far away, it was better to take a carriage.

Since it was already a burden to pay to rent a carriage, which was not a lot of money, the guild provided the use of the carriage free of charge only to adventurers carrying out goblin subjugation quests.

As expected, because the guild has a lot of money, these welfare services are good. If the guild size had been small, I would have had to walk without much effort.

“I’m here to subdue goblins.”

“Do you have a request?”

“Here.”

We showed the request form and got on the carriage. The carriage, which was larger than usual, was closer to a bus than a taxi. I had to travel between the city and the mountains periodically and ride with other adventurers.

Subjugating goblins is not a difficult request. It wasn’t something a veteran could do. Because of this, it gave the impression that the people in the carriage were fresh young people rather than worn-out adventurers.

‘Hehe, cute guys.’

There were many people who looked younger than me and seemed nervous even though the task was only to kill goblins. Maybe some of them would kill for the first time today.

They will either die in the future, become adventurers of silver level or higher, or quit being adventurers before then.

I wish I didn’t die, but that wasn’t something I could do. Because dying the way you want is not as easy as you think.

“Excuse me.”

As we entered the carriage, I felt people’s attention.

Even if it was a harmless impression to me, if you look at Catherine’s appearance alone, she was tall, had a sturdy body, and had a sharp face, so based on first impressions, she had a lot of force.

Adding in the small shield and one-handed ax on his waist, I think he would look almost like a human butcher to a novice adventurer.

Shocked.

‘… … ?’

what. Why are you surprised to see me?

I didn’t like the way some people looked at me.

My face doesn’t look as rough as Katrin’s, I’m tall but shorter than Katrin, and although I have muscles, my body is slimmer than Katrin’s.

‘But why are you looking at me?’

I couldn’t understand why he looked shocked when he saw a man as delicate as me.

We chose an empty seat and went in. I went in first and sat down. Catherine sat to my left, and to my right was a young adventurer who looked like she had just taken off her girlish clothes.

There was another woman who appeared to be in the group at the window to her right, and from the looks of it, it seemed like she was a friend.

When Catherine and I appeared, I could see that both of our bodies stiffened.

‘You don’t have to be nervous.’

Of course, there are some nasty adventurers who start arguments for no reason, but we are good people. He probably seemed nervous because of Katrin, but it wasn’t just that Katrin was a scary person.

‘Even if I tell you, it won’t change anything.’

Even if we said at first sight that we weren’t scary people, how many people would actually listen to us? It would be better for the other person not to talk to them.

We waited in uncomfortable silence to arrive at our destination.

.

.

“Phew. It’s finally arrived.”

“I was so frustrated that I thought I was going to die.”

The carriage arrived at the beginning of the mountain and we were freed from the uncomfortable atmosphere.

“People were scared because of you.”

Catherine laughed at my logical point.

“You don’t have an ordinary look either.”

“If you look at her face alone, it is true that she looks much scarier.”

“You are uncharacteristically tall, so I don’t think you are easy either.”

Even though she is older, Katrin never gives up on a single word. Coming from a Confucian country, it would be right for me to lose. Besides, she is also a beauty. If it had been so scary ugly, I would never have been able to give it up.

“… Let’s stop arguing pointlessly.”

“Hehehe.”

For some reason, I hurried up the mountain path, leaving behind Catherine, who was smiling so unpleasantly.

“Hey, let’s go together!”

“Come quickly!”

.

.

Subjugating goblins was objectively not a difficult task, but there was one big problem.

“Ha, damn it… No, it’s really hot.”

Katrin blurted out something without thinking, then looked at me and hurriedly turned around the curve. There’s no need to go that far.

“Just speak comfortably. It’s not like we don’t know each other.”

“Aren’t you hot?”

“Of course it’s hot for me too. Can’t you see I’m sweating?”

Katrin and I were riding up the mountain, sweating profusely. My physical strength was relaxed, but the stress caused by the heat was a different problem. No matter how many times I experienced hot and cold, I never got used to it.

“It would be easier to leave everything to the ranger… .”

Rangers are experts in rough terrain. Since they were high-quality personnel equivalent to well-trained knights, they would be able to hunt down goblins as if they were stamping them to death.

Armed forces were not only helpless, but they were able to move much more efficiently because they were people who went in and out of the mountains as if they were home.

“Those people aren’t free enough to hunt down goblins one by one, right? And that’s because quests that allow adventurers to gain experience are also needed at the guild level.”

“I know. I know, but I just complained once.”

“Tsk tsk. Young people are.”

“I’m jealous of you because you’re older.”

“… … .”

Subjugating goblins is considered a quest that all beginner adventurers must complete in Quien. This is because the experience of dealing with enemies in the harsh environment of the mountains is precious.

It was consistently popular because it was a quest that allowed you to develop perseverance and practical experience while dealing with weak enemies called goblins. It’s a steady seller in the request world.

… In fact, even if you don’t want to do it, other adventurers force you to do it. I know because I experienced it.

“I really can’t see it. It’s not all hidden.”

All we have encountered so far are wild animals. It’s been a while since we climbed the mountain, but there was no trace of the goblin.

“Haven’t you already caught almost everything?”

Catherine grumbled, wiping the sweat from her forehead. I felt even more uncomfortable because I was not in casual clothes and was lightly armed.

“It’s been a while since I received a request, so I guess I’ve caught a lot of them.”

No matter how prolific goblins were, it was difficult for them to survive with adventurers searching for them. I didn’t have high expectations, but I was a little disappointed that I couldn’t find a single one.

“But if you come all the way here and don’t catch a single one… .”

Still, the significance of this request was to be with Catherine, so there was no need to go through any more trouble.

“It wasn’t a request made for money anyway. Shall we go back the way we came and look for it?”

Katrin nodded. Sweat was dripping down my face.

“Okay, then. Even if you go and catch a few more, it won’t be much.”

We left our regrets behind and went back the way we came. It’s a pity that I couldn’t catch the goblin, but it was fun talking with Katrin. At least it wasn’t a boring journey.

.

.

While I was in the middle of a personal conversation, something caught my senses.

“So, my husband… .”

“Shhh.”

When I gestured for her to be quiet, Catherine immediately closed her mouth and lowered her posture. Regardless, she was a seasoned adventurer.

He said in a low whisper.

‘Be quiet and follow me.’

‘What’s going on?’

‘I think there’s a fight.’

She followed behind me, with me leading the way. We moved secretly, being careful even to step on the ground.

Slowly, Catherine seemed to notice the presence as well. Her expression became serious and her tone sharpened.

We crept closer to where the sound was coming from. I could hear people shouting from down the hill.

Catherine and I lay face down on the ground and stuck out our eyes.

There were six people down there.

They were divided into two and four groups and faced each other.

‘… Those people.’

A familiar face. The people surrounded by four people were the young adventurers riding next to me in the carriage.

All six people had their weapons drawn, but anyone could see that both of them were outnumbered.

‘Three women and one man?’

The gang slung their weapons over their shoulders and relaxed.

Just by looking at their faces, they looked like they were delinquent and used to murder. Maybe I was the type of person who enjoyed going beyond what was familiar.

“… … .”

A slight anger appeared on Catherine’s hard face.

As I looked at her, she also looked at me.

Nod.

We nodded at the same time.

“Yaaaa!”

It’s not a good idea to make noise during a surprise attack, but if you’re going to get caught anyway, it’s not a bad idea to yell and embarrass the opponent.

Moreover, Katrin’s shout is a War Cry, a type of technique that uses mana. It would be a mistake to think that this is an ordinary cry.

The opponent’s level was not that high, so he covered his ears and stumbled. If you do this, you can feel at ease.

Katrin struck the opponent’s head with her shield, knocking him down, and I also incapacitated one person by swinging it with the sheath rather than pulling out my sword.

Everyone looked at us with eyes full of confusion at our sudden appearance.

It was a situation where an outsider appeared out of nowhere and knocked down two people in an instant. No one moved, as if they had been struck by lightning.

I spoke solemnly as people looked at me.

“First, let’s listen to the story.”

Anyone can see that that bully 1234 was in the wrong. However, jumping to conclusions is prohibited. There was a good chance that the other two people were responsible.

It could not be overlooked that the young adventurer could actually be a criminal with a deep mind and a knack for acting, while the gangster could actually be the victim.

It’s just ‘just in case’, but there was someone in the past who gave me advice that making hasty judgments can lead to danger.

The person who gave me a lot of advice as an elder recently had a history of violating my mouth.

Sometimes bold decisions are necessary, but it looks like there is no one with enough talent to threaten us here, so it would be right to listen to the story slowly and make a judgment.

If Yangachi and his group are the victims, I plan to give them an apology and some money. Since I controlled my strength, I don’t think I was seriously injured.

Of course, I also kept in mind the possibility that he was hiding his skills or a secret. However, I also hid my skills.

“First, let’s talk first.”

The adventurer duo was given the right to speak first.

“Hey, what are you guys?”

The gangster seemed to be dissatisfied with my decision and tried to argue with me. It was commendable that he had the guts to maintain his delinquent character even after seeing two of his companions lying on the ground.

I said kindly.

“Hey, sister. We don’t have to have two mouths to hear a story.”

I thought he might not have understood because I said it a little differently, but fortunately he seemed to understand well.

I turned my gaze towards the adventurer, leaving behind the quietly silent bully.

They were still scared, but they seemed to realize that we had saved them.

“Don’t be afraid and calmly tell me what happened.”

A little hesitation. But it wasn’t long.

Of the two adventurers, the woman sitting by the window, who looked colder than her colleagues, shouted in anger.

“Those people tried to kill us! I’m going to kill you and take what you have… !”

According to what I said, they were not just gangsters but thieves.

If you are a fledgling adventurer, you will not be particularly suspicious even if you do not return from the mountain. Unless disappearances were frequent, it was rare to go as far as investigating them.

Someone thought. Killing makes more money than goblin hunting.

Therefore, there were a few people who tried to make money by killing people instead of goblins.

But you have to listen to both sides before making a judgement.

It was time to listen to the arguments of Yangachi and his group.

“Now my sisters-”

“Eight!”

Their choice is a question-and-answer dance.

Pow.

He takes out something and throws it, and smoke spreads out with a popping sound.

The effort it took to prepare for something like that was truly amazing and incredible.

But I am not alone. Ethan’s right-hand man, Katrin, who considered herself a loyal servant, rushed at the moment the gangster took out something.

Gang.

… .

Gang.

The situation ended with a clear sound. After defeating them one by one, Katrin walked out of the smoke with a confident smile.

‘Oh, that’s kind of cool.’

As expected, since it became a face, it was cool to have a poop form.

We tied the arms of the robbers and murderers (attempted murder). Even if I couldn’t catch the goblin, I caught the criminal, so it was a benefit.

This will cost a lot more than just a few goblins.

Because this is what happened, I decided to go down the mountain with the adventurer duo.

“Thank you so much for saving my life.”

“Thank you so much! If it weren’t for you, we would have died.”

I was proud to see him bowing at the right angle and saying thank you. After all, saving people is rewarding. A happy smile appeared on my face.

Catherine skillfully comforted the adventurers. Even though he seemed childish, I thought he was older than me.

After taking a moment to calm down, we started going down the mountain.

I, the stronger one, monitored the signing room, and Katrin, an experienced adventurer, stood by the newbies and taught them various adventurer know-hows.

They also listened with bright eyes, as if they knew that this was a rare opportunity. Seeing that pure appearance made me feel at ease.

‘They seem like cute chicks.’

Although I didn’t get what I originally set out to achieve with this request, I was able to obtain unexpected results.

‘Things are going well today. It would be a good thing as long as we get down safely like this.’