NOVEL NEXT Chapter 18
“Come quickly! At this rate, Lady Diolia will catch up to us all!”
“Well, but… are you sure it’s okay?”
“What do you mean?”
“Catching goblins. It might be a bit tough for a guy.”
“Don’t worry about that.”
I must act like a man after all.
I hope they don’t compare me with the fragile young men around here who don’t match my appearance at all.
If my former comrades saw me worrying about catching just one goblin, I wonder how they would react.
It’s unnecessary worry, but at least they considered me for a moment.
I shrugged lightly and continued speaking.
“I’m not just saying I’ll protect you for nothing, you know.”
“…Yes.”
“And besides, wouldn’t it be strange if someone with Princess Shione’s praised archery skills couldn’t even catch one goblin?”
“That’s fair enough.”
Before long, Shione had returned to her usual tone as she stepped down from the carriage.
In the distance, I could hear the faint crackle of goblins, perhaps as Lady Diolia faced one.
Now that the knights of the Expert were stepping in, if we delayed any longer, not a single one would remain.
I quickly reached out to her.
“Take my hand. I’ll guide you quickly.”
“…Do we really have to hold hands?”
“I hate to impose, but it’ll be easier to inform Princess Shione about the battle if we hold hands.”
“Then I suppose I have no choice.”
I took Shione’s hand.
It was quite small and delicate, too dainty to have once held a sword.
I held Shione’s small hand tightly and hurried my steps.
“You’re holding too tightly, aren’t you?!”
“Just a moment, excuse me.”
As I approached the carriage ahead, I could see Lady Diolia’s back in the distance.
She was elegantly slicing through a goblin charging at her with her sword.
Since goblins live in packs, there were still quite a few left, so we could easily handle this.
I pressed myself against a tree at a suitable distance.
Then I looked at Shione, who was awkwardly maintaining her stance while holding my hand.
She seemed a bit too flustered over just holding hands with a guy.
What would she do in front of her fiancé?
I pulled Shione closer to me.
As she fell into my embrace without resistance, I spoke.
“What are you doing?”
“The advantage of a bow lies in the distance. Us archers usually start battles by ambushing the enemy while evading their gaze.”
“Isn’t it possible to fall?”
“If we fall, wouldn’t we be spotted? I know it feels uncomfortable, but please bear with me a bit. Now, look at that goblin.”
Standing about the height of a ten-year-old, with dark green wrinkles, and an ugly, bulbous nose etched with sheer malice in its eyes.
Yet, for all that, this monster had pointed ears, as if it aspired to resemble the elven race.
The goblin was shouting something at Lady Diolia in the distance.
“Targeting a moving enemy is much harder than hitting a stationary one. The basic principle is to predict the enemy’s movements and shoot accordingly.”
“Ah, I understand.”
Shione’s body appeared rather stiff as she responded.
Why was she getting tense over just one goblin? Doesn’t she have enough courage?
“You don’t need to be so nervous. It’s just a goblin, after all.”
“…It’s not the goblin.”
“Pardon?”
“It’s because you’re too close to me…!”
“Ah.”
“Can you move away a bit?!”
Is this the extent of it?
In this world, it seems like a woman should have a more carefree personality…
Yet she’s turning out to be bashful.
I took a few steps back from Shione and quietly nocked an arrow to the bowstring.
“…This should be a good distance.”
Nod, nod.
Finally, Shione’s gaze shifted from me to the goblin.
Swoosh.
As the taut bowstring pulled back, I held my breath.
Thwack!!
The fierce arrow flew through the air, shattering the breeze.
For a foe like this, there was no need for prolonged aiming, and I executed a swift sliding release.
“Keek!! Keck…!!”
The arrow pierced the throat of the goblin lunging towards Lady Diolia, and it crumpled to the ground, lifeless.
With this successful goblin catch, Diolia and the other goblins turned their attention to me.
Simultaneously, three goblins began to charge at me all at once.
They probably think it’s easier to deal with me since I’m a guy rather than Lady Diolia.
Unfortunately for the goblins, it wasn’t long ago that I had pentrated the brow of the Goblin Lord, their king.
I fixed my gaze on the goblins as I spoke.
“Of course, once detected like this, the archer must also move. Standing still and shooting arrows without sufficient protection or skill is risky.”
I walked slowly around while shooting arrows whenever there was no obstacle between me and the goblins.
Thwack!! The bowstring snapped back with a resounding noise.
“Keck!!”
The brief cry of the goblin echoed around as I dispatched one more with a precise shot.
As the goblin approached me, I held my gaze steady on it.
That nasty smirk on its face suggested it thought it could toy with me now that it had gotten close.
Sorry to break it to you, goblin, but your approach was purely because I had no intention to kill you just yet.
What good does it do to shoot arrows? Shione wanted a longsword back at the carriage.
The goblin charged at me, wielding a broken sword in its hand.
I calmly disconnected my stance and slashed its arm with my own sword.
“Keek!!!”
How can such a voice come from a goblin’s throat?
With a shriek sharper than nails on a chalkboard, the goblin dropped its weapon.
I quickly thrust my sword into its neck, ending its life.
“Keek….”
It was quite a gruesome sight, but such is life.
I sheathed my sword and wiped off the blood.
Shione, who had witnessed the entire scene, was staring at me with wide eyes.
Her gaze was filled with an inexplicable pity.
“…You’re quite skilled.”
“It’s just a goblin.”
“Did you receive this kind of training before coming to the Count’s House?”
“I regularly trained against goblins using both archery and sword combat.”
“It seems like it would have been difficult for a weak man….”
I recalled the memories of my former host at her words.
Indeed, he was someone who struggled even to catch a single goblin.
A person who would spend sad days gloomy at the sight of blood.
But that’s in the past.
“I eventually adapted as I kept doing it.”
I’m saying my former host was the one who felt that way; I feel fine.
As I collected and organized my arrows, Lady Diolia approached, informing me that all the goblins had been cleared.
“We have dealt with all the goblins blocking the path. It seems the claim of an increase in goblin numbers has some truth to it.”
“Thank you, Lady Diolia.”
“As Princess Shione’s escort, it was the least I could do.”
Once we climbed back into the carriage, we began to move forward again.
And I asked.
“…Is there something on my face?”
“No, it’s nothing. Um….”
“Pardon?”
“Want a cookie?”
All day, Shione had been giving me these vague gestures.
The taste of the cookie wasn’t too bad either.
*
Night fell, we camped, then as the sun rose, we moved again. Four days had passed.
In this time, I ended up taking on all the chores, cooking and even keeping watch at night.
It turned into quite the exhausting routine, fortunately, with some help from Ian, the homey priest, and a little from Diolia.
If I had done everything alone, I would have faced quite a hassle and many tedious tasks.
Shione, being the second daughter of the Count’s House, would finish her tasks and retreat to her carriage to laze around.
While this life was arduous for me, it probably seemed to Shione like fun camping.
I pondered this as I looked out the carriage window, and sensing she’d grown tired of simply gazing outside, Shione finally spoke up.
Her tone had reverted back to her usual dignified speech.
“We will soon reach a town; let’s rest for a day there.”
“A town, you say?”
“Yes, this morning, Lady Diolia told me we should be arriving at a small town today, and it might be nice to rest and refresh ourselves there.”
Sigh—
Shione sighed as she stared blankly at the carriage ceiling.
“I’ve spent three days riding without dismounting, and now I’m getting restless.”
“….”
It was astounding that she was expressing restlessness while lying in the carriage like back at home.
If she just got up to wash the dishes and cook soup like I did, she probably wouldn’t be tired of sitting in the carriage at all.
As I silently watched Shione, she turned to look at me.
No, literally she looked up at me.
What a sight; she was lying on the carriage floor covered with a blanket.
“What are you staring at?”
“…It’s nothing.”
“Isn’t it tough just sitting still? How about you lie down with a blanket too?”
“I reckon if both me and Princess Shione lay down, there wouldn’t be enough room in the carriage and we’d end up touching one another… is that okay?”
“Um, well….”
Shione covered her face with the blanket.
“Now that I think about it, I suspect you’d be better off sitting.”
“…Yes, I’ll do that.”
Was she telling me to sit or to lie down?
I was dying to shoot an arrow into the air out of sheer irritation, but I somehow managed to hold back.
“Yawn… Wake me when we reach the town.”
“Understood.”
Isn’t she the one complaining about being restless? And yet, she was going back to sleep again?
Well, upon reflection, it had been years since she had locked herself away in her room, munching on cookies and sleeping away her days.
I decided to abandon the idea of understanding Shione’s mindset.
But hopefully, I could get some rest in the town.
As I waited with unfocused thoughts, anticipating the town’s appearance, a sudden notification arrived.
[Quest Established]
「For Her Safety」
「In the small town you are approaching, an ominous atmosphere is emanating. Recently, fanatical believers of demons have infiltrated the town and have begun to solidify their power. The Shianella family, which has carried the spirit of demon-slaying for hundreds of years, stands as their arch-nemesis; thus, the title of Count offers no protection against the wrath bred from their zealotry. Safeguard Princess Shione Shianella until you leave the town undetected.」
「Reward: Increased Bond with Shione Shianella」
「Failure: Death of Shione Shianella」
Seeing the phrase ‘Death of Shione Shianella’ caused my expression to crumple uncontrollably.