NOVEL NEXT Chapter 30 - Chapter 30: The Goat
Chapter 30: The Goat
Four hours hiding in the crevice.
Kuro and Shiro are fiercely battling the Kidanakemo. I’m just hiding in the crevice, clutching Pink as if praying. Pink is getting slimy with my sweaty hands, looking completely lifeless. Sorry, Pink.
But seriously, how tough are these guys? Just watching them makes me exhausted and worn out.
“Gugyaaa! Gyagyagya!!”
“…………………………..!!”
“Nmeheeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!”
They’re fighting endlessly without getting tired. I can’t take my eyes off them, but just watching them puts a strain on my heart. Despite feeling nauseous from fatigue and tension, they’re still full of energy. …Should’ve opposed this more if I knew it’d turn out like this.
By the way, the opponent is a goat. A muscular, lean type, and big. It also has backward-curving horns. About 5 meters in length and 2 meters in height. It’s about the same size as the SUV I used to ride in my younger days. Despite being relatively small among the Kidanakemo, the intimidation it exudes when confronted is extraordinary. The thugs and thieves I’ve encountered before seem like children playing in comparison to this presence. It’s incredibly fast, powerful, and above all, resilient. Blows from maces, knives, or axes barely affect it since it mostly charges in straight lines. So, I guess it’s relatively safe, but its speed makes it difficult for Shiro, who has been repeatedly knocked back by its headbutts. Seeing Shiro’s massive body being effortlessly thrown several meters away almost makes me scream. If I were hit, I’d undoubtedly die instantly. Still, Shiro quickly gets up each time and readies her weapon as if nothing happened. She’s quite resilient too.
“Nmeheeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!! Nmeheeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!!!”
“……………………………………!!”
Oh no, she got knocked back again. At first, I thought my heart would stop, but I’ve gotten used to it. However, both Shiro and the goat seem considerably weaker than when they started, occasionally staggering. While their fighting spirit remains undiminished, they might be reaching their physical limits.
“Gugyaaaaaaa! Gyaggyaggya!”
Meanwhile, Kuro shows no signs of fatigue. It’s reassuring to hear Shiro say she’s okay. Kuro has been relentlessly attacking vulnerable spots like the eyes, mouth, and anus, causing significant discomfort to the goat and reducing the burden on Shiro.
“Gugyaaaaaaa! Gyagyaggya!”
Sometimes, Kuro even rides on the goat’s back and dances. Quite relaxed…
“Meeeeeeeeh”
….
Thirty more minutes pass. Shiro has been attacking with her machete and mace countless times. Gradually, the goat seems reluctant to receive the attacks, occasionally appearing to stumble. But so does Shiro. She’s been breathing heavily for about an hour now, and the frequency of her attacks has increased. Her machete is already broken, and she’s now fighting only with a bent mace. While there are no visible injuries on her body, her clothes are in tatters, leaving her almost half-naked. Maybe it’s time to intervene. Shiro seems completely unharmed, and Kuro, with her high energy, seems to be improving her movements gradually. Yeah, it’s me who’s lacking composure. However, intervening with Pink now might ruin everything we’ve done so far. So, I decide to use a different approach. I secretly set up a trap, a simple rope snare I improved from Menas’ sturdy rope. It’s triple-woven, so even the Kidanakemo’s leg strength shouldn’t easily break it.
Timing the rope pull just right, it should entangle its legs and restrict its movement.
“Kuro! Shiro! Let’s use the trap now! Lead it over here!”
“Gugyagyaggya!”
“Yeah!”
“Meeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!”
Here it comes. It looks pretty wobbly up close.
“Yoisshoooooo!!”
“Gugyaaaaa!”
Oh, Kuro skillfully guided both hind legs.
“All right!! Got it!!”
“Nmeheeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!”
….
With a tremendous noise like the ground shaking, the goat finally fell over. Without delay, Shiro jumps in and relentlessly batters its soft belly with her mace. Kuro also slashes wildly with her knife.
“……………………..!”
“Gugyaggugyaggya!”
“Nmeeh! Nmehehh!”
The goat seems to be in unbearable pain. It struggles wildly to stand up, but its hind legs are entangled, and Shiro’s relentless assault prevents it from getting up smoothly. Meanwhile, the mace continues to strike with dull thuds. If this doesn’t finish it off, Pink’s intervention will be inevitable. To ensure a perfect position, I approach the goat as much as possible.
“Nmeheeeeeee!? Mee!? Meeeeeeeeeeeee!!”
As I approach with Pink on my head, the goat, which had been struggling to regain its composure, suddenly starts trembling with fear. It stops struggling and just stares at me with frightened eyes, allowing Shiro and Kuro to attack without resistance. Despite being a Kidanakemo, its eyes seem normal. Surprisingly, does it have some level of rationality?
“Oh! Wait, Pink!”
Pink descends from my head and climbs onto the goat’s belly.
“Both of you, hold on! Pink seems to…”
The goat is now shedding tears and trembling. I’m starting to feel a bit sorry for it. Shiro, while keeping an eye on the goat, also has a subtle expression. Kuro is dancing in victory.
“Meee… Meme… Meeee…!”
Every time Pink opens and closes its mouth on the goat’s face, the goat makes strange sounds.
This guy… is it playing around? Perhaps Pink had accumulated stress from being in my sweaty hands for four hours…
“Pink… please, don’t bully it too much…”
As I say this, Pink seems satisfied and smoothly climbs back onto my head.
What do we do in this situation?
“Hey, what should we do?”
“Hmm…?”
“Gyau? Gyau gyau gyau!”
“Meeee…”
Shiro has completely lost her motivation. Kuro continues to pet the goat, her eyes sparkling as she asserts something.
Ah… does she want to keep it as a pet? Hmm, this might be really bad. It would be a disaster if it went berserk. I’d die in no time.
“Kuro… I mean, keeping this thing as a pet…”
“Meeeeeeh…”
“Gyau gyau!”
“………..”
The goat looks at us with pitiful eyes. It’s really stirring up guilt… Even Shiro is looking at me with those eyes. But weren’t you just bashing it with your mace earlier…?
Oh, it’s a female goat. Can you milk a goat? Well, at least its fur could be useful.
…That could work.
“Kuro, Shiro… make sure to take care of it properly.”
“Gyauu!”
“Yeah.”
“Goat. We’ll spare your life, so behave yourself.”
“Meeeeh.”
Whether it understands or not is a mystery.
And so, the hideout gained a new pet.