"Will you do something later?" Suu asked as if trying to lift up the mood. Valta shook her head, prompting a smile from the other woman's face. "Do you wanna help me with the hobs' training for today?"

Curious by the offer, she agreed. They walked towards the black camp, where they were greeted by looks of respect and confusion alike. It was their first time seeing a human woman different from Erina or Suu, and to their dismay, she was blonde. Since she was wearing no more than a tank top and her chiseled arms and back were showing, their first thought was whether she would be as strong as the other humans. Obviously, the lack of black hair was already worrying enough. She could be weaker because of it— they thought.

They reached the center of the badly-positioned huts, a small dirt patch that acted as a plaza for the hobgoblins. With sticks on their hands and makeshift wooden swords, they stared up to the pair of humans that had entered the scene.

"Can you speak their language?" Suu asked the woman by her side.

Valta shook her head. "I'm versed in human languages since they all sound close. I cannot speak another."

"Then pay close attention." Suu cleared her throat with a smile. Her voice turned from a soft Kuulkiam to a rough gurgling sound in a matter of seconds. "Sorry for the lateness, guys. I was showing our new friend around, she's a human-like Thom and me. She'll be helping with practice today, so get your weapons and get her one too. Get in line and wait for your turn."

Surprisingly for Valta, the humanoid monsters were organized and knew how to follow instructions, whatever those instructions had been. They picked different basic weapons and tools from shacks and weapon racks made out of sticks, and made a circle in the plaza. Suu had grabbed a wooden sword herself, and the blonde woman had been given a similar weapon by a reluctant hobgoblin. She wasn't especially good with bladed weapons, but it seemed like a fun activity to sparkle her new life with.

The black-haired woman entered the circle and positioned herself in the very center. Around a hundred hobs were surrounding her with their weapons at the ready, not many of them much shorter than herself. They looked scrawny and their stances were a mess, but there were still a hundred of them. Compared to the tense expressions on their faces, the woman was showing a calm smile.

"The test today is striking my chest. Remember that longswords and shortswords are made to pierce, not slash. Unless you're using a scimitar or a similar weapon, always use the length of it to gain an advantage with your enemy. Don't get in my range, stab at my vulnerable areas, and don't be stupid! Do that much, and I won't wipe the floor with you!"

"Whooo!"

A warcry exploded from their mouths. Valta couldn't figure just what type of speech could arouse such excitement in an unintelligent subspecies like hobgoblins. Although she was about to try and brush off that derogatory statement from her thoughts, the collective uproar stopped and a set of individual attacks began. It took the monsters some time, but after one or two brave fighters, the rest began to swarm towards Suu with the intention to pierce her chest.

A wooden sword came from her left side towards her midriff, but a slight movement to the right was enough to evade. She used the movement of her dodge to push her arm forward and strike her opponent's arm, successfully knocking out the weapon just in time to turn around and kick away another hob's attack. She spun in place and parried off a wooden stick with the hilt of her sword, giving her the chance to push forward and throw the attacker to the ground, allowing her to grab the stick and disarm another hob on her left.

Every comeback and every defense seemed precisely calculated, albeit maybe because her rivals fell short of being skillful. Valta knew full well that someone like Suu wouldn't need to worry about getting hit with wood, but her dedication to the fight was genuine enough that she had tried in every moment not to get hit. It was both humiliating and educating for the monsters, a demonstration of superiority but also of love for her craft. It didn't feel like simple practice. Taking every fight you went through as a life-threatening event was important to keep your life, and she seemed to know it well.

Her swift movements continued for several minutes as she dodged every attack and returned it to her opponents, and although some of them attempted second attacks and unarmed charges, they were thrown back just as easily. The few attacks that did manage to hit her just bounced right off from her legs or arms, but they never got close to striking her midriff or chest.

After launching the final blow towards a hob's stomach and throwing him to the ground, the match ended. They were all rolling on the ground with pained faces, but Suu was quite satisfied. Her accelerated breath calmed down soon, making her look relaxed as she discarded the weapon on her head that had been turned to splinters. The blonde woman approached her and silently stood behind.

"Good job."

"Thanks!" Suu smiled. "They've gotten a bit better. It doesn't feel like I'm hitting a toddler anymore, it's more like smacking a preteen now. You may not think that way, but they've gotten a bit better. Fighting against a soldier in the real battlefield would probably make fire their instinct a bit more tho."

"I thought Thom had no intention to fight a real war."

"Did he tell you how he plans to achieve that?" Suu rolled up her sleeves, revealing bruises all across her forearms. "He wants to talk Miel into letting the monsters live close to Pontya. Set up an embassy and have us establish conversation. Make a living for the monsters and get them jobs."

Valta nodded. "So we're going to war."

"It's not an ill-intended idea. But Thom..." Suu's smile turned warm. "He's always been a kid that can't see the world for what it is. He probably got that from his father, you know? Even after he told me many years ago that he'd renounce to his dreams, here he is, pretending to be a lord. The ones in charge of the horde don't even see him as anything but a farmer. A pawn to keep their people fed."

Valta looked around. Those soldiers of theirs were not simply underprepared for a proper war, they were incapable of fighting a battle. The woman knew Suu was not just any soldier, she counted with the reality-bending Skill Master that Thom had once skimmed over in their talks.

Was there anything she could for Thom in this situation?

She wasn't dumb. She knew Suu was there for Thom, and Erina was there for Suu. In equal measure, she was there because of the black-haired man, and her separation from the society she had inflicted herself. If she managed to convince Thom of leaving those monsters and their camp behind, they could easily cross the border and escape towards a country where they weren't known. They could have a free life. As humans.

"Well, your turn." Suu tapped her shoulder, breaking into her thoughts. "I know you're not a swordsman, but you're pretty agile. You can deal with them."

"I don't have your defense." Valta stated with an unmoving face. "Normal humans die when outnumbered."

"Hmph." Suu smiled and showed her the purple batches across her arms, bruises from the attacks she had received before. "I wasn't using it."

Valta received a wooden sword and stood placed in the middle of the circle. She wasn't showing it on her face, but she wasn't willing to lose to a younger girl.

This time, it was fifty of them. They launched themselves at Valta one by one or in pairs, but they didn't receive a response as aggressive as Suu's. The woman focused her reactions on dodging every attack and disarming her opponent, then counterattacking with her legs or throwing back weapons. Her attacks to the chest of the hobs were weaker than the girl's, but equally as precise. Her match extended for longer although there were fewer opponents, and she received several more hits to different parts of her body. By the end, she was touching her arms in pain, but content with the result.

"Uwah... I didn't think an archer could pull that off!" Suu happily slapped the blonde woman's back, sending a wave of pain throughout her body. "I guess a noblewoman is a noblewoman after all. It wouldn't be a bad thing if I gave you a few classes in swordsmanship in the old man Arburson's way!"

"Thom's father?"

"Yeah." She nodded. "It includes getting hit until you cry and learning how to deal with cuts and internal bleeding! After a while, you get used to it and things stop hurting. The excitement of getting stronger every time you recover makes you feel excited for the next hit you'll receive! Will I be able to withstand it? Will I fall down? You make yourself that kind of question and it makes you enjoy—!"

"I pass." Valta raised her hand.

While they were talking, noises of surprise began to raise between the hobgoblin mob. They parted away as the bustling and growling became more and more audible, enough that it called for the women's attention. Their eyes were set to the direction of the eastern huts, from where the hobgoblins were being the noisiest, where they had begun to walk away to let someone pass through the middle.

Soon, from the crowd emerged the tall figure of a woman. Her rough features and horned head gave her off as something else, however, and her bone-white color with hints of spotted gray just proved it further. A hobgoblin, and one that dressed in a thicker coating than the rest. She was not just anyone, but one of the eight original hobgoblins, Pulung.

The others were stranged. The two humans seemed alerted. A furious expression was plastered all over the white hobgoblin's face, one akin to the one someone who had just seen a villain in front of their eyes would make. It could have looked just vaguely ominous for anybody else, but to the two women that were being subjected to her gaze, it was clear that the murderous intent was directed towards Valta.

She clenched tightly onto the pike she was holding on her hand. The blade was a light color of red, etched on a light gray wooden pole. It seemed to go perfect with her tall, lanky legs and arms that couldn't be seen in the other members of her same race. In her hands, it looked like a mortal statement.

"Deepened steel." Valta sighed. "Harder than steel. Easily enchantable. Twice as heavy."

「New information acquired. According to this plane's terminology, [Bookreading Guide] makes use of its permissions to change titles and analyze compatibilities with the surroundings, and renames [Titanium Skin] to [Red Steel Skin] according to the—」

"Not the time, Skill Master." Suu bitterly smiled. "The pike... That girl has been coming weekly with that thing on hand. Sounds like she shouldn't have one."

"Human of blonde hairs!" She suddenly screamed. "You dare put a foot on our territory after what you've done?! You have murdered one of our own, yet you feel brave enough to step in and act like you belong here?! Black-haired woman, get away from her or I'll slit your throat just the same!" Her gravy voice was filled with fiery rage as she yelled her lungs out.

"What's she saying?"

"She wants to kill you, Valta."

"Figured."

"I told you to move!"

The hobgoblin bolted towards the two of them with her pike pointing at the blonde woman's throat, but was stopped by a sudden parry from her side. A cloud of dust lifted behind them. Suu pushed her feet into the dirt as a vicious kick was already on Valta's way, sending her magic through the ground and shifting the earth below to push the hob several meters back. The black-haired girl fell to her knees shortly after.

Pulung landed on her two feet and brandished her weapon. There was still rage on her eyes.

"You okay?" Valta asked Suu in a hurry. The girl was bleeding through her nose and her whole body was badly trembling.

Suu cleaned her nose and shook her head. "Yeah... I just cast a spell without naming it..."

"Why are you protecting her?!" Pulung yelled. "She killed Plung, so why are you protecting her?! If you don't want to end up dying too, you better step aside!"

The white hobgoblin swung her pike above her head, then placed it in front of herself in an arrow position. Her aura twirled out of her chest and formed a sheathe for the blade, an imitation of an aura blade, although weaker.

"Shut up..." Suu gritted her teeth. "I've got one hell of a headache right now..." She looked up towards Valta. "She said you killed another hobgoblin... Probably looked like her."

"Umu." Valta nodded. "I did."

"Bitch! You dare nod?!" Pulung's veins popped up on her neck. "Face me!"

"Did she just ask for a duel?"

"Yes."

"Come." Valta raised her own weapon.

The white hobgoblin shot forwards once more like before, but this time she was dodged. After seeing the movement once, Valta was able to move to a side and parry it off more efficiently, getting in closer to the polearm bearer. She tried to strike at her hand, but the hob's movements were absurdly fast. She jumped back like a string to make space between them once again, and stabbed twice towards Valta's abdomen. The woman jumped back too and summoned the ghost on her back, creating a bow in an instant. If she wanted to play long-range, Valta could allow it.

Pulung once again went for the woman's neck, something that hadn't worked before and wouldn't work now. Valta twisted on the spot and caught the spear between her ribcage and arm, launched the sword upwards, and caught the pole with her now-free hand. The ghost grabbed the wooden sword and placed it on the string, launching it towards the white hobgoblin's abdomen, who was just letting go of the polearm to escape.

Shack!

She spat a mouthful of saliva as a blunt but sharp object collided with her midriff. The hobgoblin stepped back and held her stomach in pain, gasping for air that would not enter her lungs. She knelt and held onto the dirt, trying to control the muscles that would not obey her.

"You've lost." Valta grabbed the pike and held it by her side. Her expression was cold as she looked down on the defeated monster. "Shoo."

"Ugh...! Arck...!" Pulung raised her head while biting on her lower lip. "That... My master... gave me that! Give it back...!" She tried to stand up, but miserably fell down to the dirt. Tears had begun to roll down her pale face, a sad scene for anyone that could feel empathy for something like her.

"She looks like a kid." Valta looked at Suu. "Are all hobgoblins this young?"

"They..." Before Suu could say another word, she fell face-flat onto the ground. Her arms twitched a little before she finally shut off, completely silent and immobile. Valta clicked her tongue and crouched beside her. She checked the girl's pulse. It was all normal. It should have been a circuit in her brain as it was to be expected from using spells without chanting.

Without much time to think, Valta quickly dropped the pike and tried to lift Suu off the ground. She couldn't help but notice that she was incredibly heavy for someone that barely reached her chin. With the help of the ghost, she was able to pull her up and carry her. Valta looked back to the hobgoblin on the ground and shook her head. She seemed like a lost cause. The others around her didn't seem to have any intention to stop her, either. She started hastily walking in the direction of the treehouse.

Plung felt their presence get away from her, and raised her head in surprise. She stood up and stumbled towards the front. There was disbelief painted all over her face. Was that woman really turning her back while she could still hold a weapon? Had the blonde woman declared herself victor so easily and walked away? Did she really have so little respect for Pulung, so little that she didn't see her as an enemy even after killing her sister?

The white hobgoblin clenched her fists tightly, and a flame was ignited in her heart. She shut her mouth and cleaned her tears, then slowly grabbed the weapon on the ground. The other hobs were smart enough to act as if they hadn't noticed what she was doing— to ignore the fact that she had already positioned herself in an arrow stance and was ready to attack.

Swooosh!

Valta felt the vibrations of the air behind her back, but it was too late. Carrying Suu on her arms, it was impossible to react quickly enough.

The polearm swept her feet and immediately brought her to the ground. A foot stamped her head on the dirt and her left arm was grabbed on the spot, pulled from. Just when she was about to shake the monster off, a swarm of black hobgoblins threw themselves on her and restricted her arms and legs, rendering her completely useless. She summoned the ghost to protect herself, but her awkward position made it easy for Kulung to slash at it with her imperfect aura blade, effectively disbanding it. Pulung pulled and twisted harder from Valta's arm.

"Hmph." The blonde woman didn't utter a word of pain.

"I suppose this is what arrogance gets you." Pulung smirked with a victorious tone. "Unlike you, I like to kill the people that lose to me. Sorry I didn't do it before..."

She accommodated the weapon on her hand and pointed at Valta's back, exactly in the middle so she could pierce her heart. The red glimmer of the blade seemed to glow under the bloodlust of the monster holding it, a vicious urge for revenge.

"I just want to make sure that you die!"

Splurt!

A wet sound reached Valta's ears. Then, an agonizing scream. A cloud of dust was lifted beside her, and then a flash stroke around her. Six more wet sounds came as the heads of the hobgoblins that were holding her suddenly fell to the ground, their blood turning the ground a darker color.

"Gyaaaaaaah! My arm, my arm!!"

Pulung slid back and dropped off Valta's body. Her forearm had been severed clean off her limb, and she was now bathing herself in her own blood as she desperately tried to stop it from going all out of her body.

Valta looked up. She found Thom Arburson's image looking back at her, his eyes bloodshot and a dark glimmer in his pupils.

He turned to the crystal girl beside him. "Can you cure that?"

"If it was severed clean. It will hurt her."

"Good."

Thom disappeared from the spot and appeared beside Pulung. She was petrified as the man grabbed her by the mouth and crushed her hard enough to break her jaw, then punched her gut so she would be silent.

"I don't know why do you think you're important enough to be fucking around with humans, but you clearly need to be put on your place."

Bang!

She was slammed on the ground hard enough to knock her out for a short second, but as soon as she woke up she was gasping for air and crying once again. The crystal girl had already retrieved the arm and had pulled several hairs from the hobgoblin's head to tie it to her finger. She stitched it up quickly while the hob screamed in pain, Thom holding her other arm with his bare foot, crushing her wrist with enough strength to break it. She didn't know what they had planned for her.

The sound of wind chimes began to echo in the plaza as the other hobgoblins looked at the scene unfold in pure terror, paralyzed by the death of six of their own in nothing but two seconds. Had that man ever reacted so violently to anything?

As the crystal girl's chanting ended, the hob's arm began to reattach. Her screams became demonic screeching as the bone fused back together, the flesh melted into one, and the nerves tied themselves up to form a single one again. It lasted two minutes, one hundred and twenty seconds in which no one knew what to do besides watching one of the eight originals be tortured in front of their eyes. It was damaging in its own way.

As soon as the arm healed, Thom let go of her. The girl coiled up into a ball and cried in silence, trembling from head to toe while holding her arm, which she could now feel again.

"Hmph." Thom stood up. "You and your people should keep your hands off of mine."

He walked towards Valta, who was already standing up and cleaning her arms from the blood that splattered from the killed hobgoblins.

"Are you okay?" He asked.

"It doesn't feel good to be rescued."

"I won't do it again." He scoffed. "I went overboard."

There was no doubt about it. The bodies of half a dozen beheaded hobgoblins were a good testament of how badly he had controlled his impulse. When he looked back at it he couldn't help but sigh. He would have to deal with the consequences of his actions later, but now was not the time. He locked his heart away and threw a menacing glance to the crowd of shocked watchers, sending shivers down their spine.

"Clean this mess up and go do something meaningful with your fucking time!" He yelled. However, the hobgoblins didn't move. They seemed to be too scared to get any closer or further away.

Thom sighed internally, then let go of his aura. "Didn't you hear me?!" He growled at them, and the mob began to move. Some of them picked up the remainders of their comrades and others took Pulung to safety with her weapon, while Thom looked at Suu on the ground.

"Thanks." Valta stated.

"... I fucked up." He touched his face, rubbing the big bags under his eyes. "It hasn't been the best day. But that doesn't excuse me from killing people in the horde."

"I would have died if you hadn't."

"Yeah..." Thom picked Suu up from the ground and sighed. "I know. At least I had that much clear."

With the bustling sound behind their backs of hobs picking up a mess, Thom and the girls walked towards the treehouse. As she followed them, the crystal girl seemed strangely happy, for some reason.