Chapter 8

The goblin lord came towards the spot we had just been in.

He stopped moving, as if detecting traces of us being there earlier.

Goblins are monsters the size of a young human child.

Goblin lords on the other hand, have a height of about 1.5 times the size of the average adult male.

It’s torso, legs and arms are all thicker. It’s honestly closer to an orc than a goblin.

Ario and Josh are both shaking in their boots.

Goblins are basically nothing. In a one-on-one fight, even F-rankers won’t have a hard time dealing with them.

However, when they become a goblin lord, even a B-rank adventurer might be in danger if they go against them alone.

No matter how many F-rank adventurers take on a goblin lord, it’s impossible for them to win.

Therefore it’s natural for Ario and Josh to be afraid of one.

By the way, F-rank is for newbies, and the moment they become E-rankers is proof that they stop being one.

D symbolises a full-fledged adventurer, C is for skilled adventurers, B for first-class, and A-rankers are the cream of the crop.

Throughout history, S-rank has only ever been bestowed to a minimal number of adventurers.

I whispered towards Ario and Josh.

「Calm down」

「But……」

The moment an F-rank party meets a goblin lord, they are without a doubt doomed.

However, I am an S-ranker.

I killed the Devil King, who would most probably destroy the world, on my own.

Mere goblin lords can’t even pose a threat to me.

「When the time comes, leave the goblin lord to me. You guys escape」

「We can’t just leave you to die……」

The same conversation I had 10 years ago.

It feels a little nostalgic.

「ＧＡＡＡＡＡＡＡＡ」

The goblin lord seems to have noticed our presence.

The goblin family in general possesses a good sense of smell. It probably discovered us from our scent.

However, I don’t think it knows where we are precisely. It might be because its sight isn’t as good.

As it let out a shout, it swung its weapon:

A large steel club. As it hit the walls of the tunnel, a deafening sound rang out.

The rocks were smashed and scattered around the floor.

I carefully observe it.

I can defeat goblin lords easily. However, this one seems suspicious.

A goblin lord leading a large pack of goblins is usually quite clever.

However, I can’t seem to sense a hint of intelligence from this one.

In the first place, stealing livestock only a few at a time is pretty dodgy in itself.

It’s weird for goblins which do not possess intelligence to not steal the whole herd at once.

And there’s even 30 of them.

Let alone the livestock, it wouldn’t be weird if they kidnapped all of the villagers.

It’s as if they’re pretending to be a small pack of goblins.

Moreover, they placed lookouts at the entrance.

That is proof that they are an organised group.

I can’t believe that this goblin lord which lost its patience and smashed the walls is capable of such a thing.

Most probably someone or something is controlling them from behind the scenes. I don’t want to let that guy escape if possible.

That is why I carefully observed them.

That guy may appear if he judges that the goblin lord can’t stop the intruders by itself.

Either that or the goblin lord may return to report to him.

I waited for that to happen.

「ＧＲＡＡＡ……ＡＡＡ？」

The roaring goblin lord stopped for a moment.

「Haaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa」

Someone dashed straight in from the tunnel’s entrance.

She’s fast. The moment she came close enough, she stabbed at the goblin lord.

The person who came in is a beast girl. She seems to be quite the warrior.

Her slender sword managed to accurately pierce towards the goblin lord’s vitals.

「ＧＡＡＡ！！」

Contrary to its large build, the goblin lord managed to quickly deal with the attack.

Swinging the gigantic steel club as if it was but a twig, it parried the girl’s attack.

「Get out of my way, goblin!」

Skillfully controlling the distance between them, the girl toyed with the goblin lord.

However, the goblin lord too reacted splendidly.

Both parties couldn’t land a fatal blow. They fell into a stalemate.

「Amazing……」

Whispered Ario. At that moment, the girl’s ears moved imperceptibly.

「You guys over there! If you’re trying to escape, now’s the time!」

As expected from a beast-girl, her ears are extremely sensitive.

「Ario, Josh, run for now」

「Y, yeah」

「Understood」

「Be careful of surprise attacks」

「O, okay」

They both took a shortcut and dashed towards the exit.

「ＧＡＡ！」

The goblin lord tried to chase after Ario and Josh. However…

「You’re not getting past me!」

The girl stopped it in its tracks.

I asked the girl.

「Do you need help?」

「Why didn’t you run?!」

「There is no need to」

「Do as you like. Don’t you dare get in my way though!」

The girl faced the goblin lord with a serious expression.

Even if she told me not to interfere, I should watch over her.

Each adventurer has their own circumstances. It’ll be fine if I act when it’s starting to get worse.

An equal fight unfolded between the girl and the goblin lord.

They are evenly matched. The only difference is their weapons.

―― Snap

The girl’s sword snapped.

She exchange blows with the gigantic steel club with it. It’s no wonder that it broke.

Losing her weapon, the girl was cornered into a defensive fight.

Furthermore, she can’t receive a single blow. This can’t go on.

I asked her once more.

「Do you need my help?」

「No need! Don’t worry about me, just get out of here」

Drawing a short sword from her hips, the battle started once more.

However, she couldn’t defeat it even when she was using her sword. There’s no way she’ll win with a short sword.

In the blink of an eye, the short sword was sent flying.

In a panic, the girl took some distance. The club then smashed right at where she had been.

「Ugh……」

The girl let out a frustrated groan.

She’s at her limit. It’s only a matter of time before she falls.

「No more asking. It’s my turn」

「I said I’m fine, so just ru――」

「I was the one who arrived here first though」

Saying that, I grabbed the sword at my back.