14 – Goblin Cave
“But why do I have to go in alone?”
“There are many reasons. Are you curious?”
“Tell me quickly. Before I get angry.”
I glared at Siz with a frown.
Siz looked at me with an incredulous expression and opened his mouth.
“First of all, as I said before, the cave is too narrow.”
“I see a lot of people who are slimmer than me.”
“It’s the weapons that are the problem. We use bows and spears as our main weapons. They are not suitable for use inside the cave.”
Siz paused for a moment and began to recite a magic spell.
Then, roots sprouted from the ground and formed a dark spear.
It was the first time I saw magic so close.
I was so amazed that I didn’t think of closing my mouth.
“If it were normal, we would have ambushed them outside and killed them by dehydration. Goblins are a race that can’t stand hunger. They would all come out if we waited for a few days.”
“Why are you not doing that this time?”
“We received information that there is a kidnapped elf. If we block the entrance, the starving bastards will eat the elf they captured.”
“Why did the goblins kidnap the elf?”
“They’ll use any hole they can find?”
“……”
What the hell. Why are these goblins so scary?
“Well, anyway, someone has to go in.”
“But it’s a bit risky to go alone.”
“The passage is too narrow to deploy multiple people. And our hunting team is all monster hunters. We took this mission because the search team was busy, but there are many parts that are not suitable for entering a narrow place. It would only be a hindrance if we go in together.”
“What about you?”
“Do you think I’m any different?”
Shiz looked at me with a sharp gaze, holding a spear he summoned with magic.
It was as if he was saying, ‘Do you think you can fight in a tight space with this weapon?’
Yeah. I understood what he was saying.
The problem was that I understood it too well and didn’t want to go in anymore.
“So you’re sending me in.”
“I’m sending you because you’re you. I heard how you killed the monster. You sliced it to death by sticking to it, right?”
“Yeah. I killed it by almost digging into it.”
“Then you must be confident in close combat. Stop talking and come back.”
Shiz returned the spear he had created with magic to the ground.
Then he dusted off his hands and gave me the final nail in the coffin.
“Well, if you really hate it, you don’t have to go in. But you’ll have to take responsibility for the loss of honor that comes with it.”
Loss of honor.
It might sound trivial at first, but for me and the high elves, it was as good as death.
If rumors spread that a druid candidate ran away from a fight, they could face divine punishment from the angry goddess.
They had to act like a druid.
That was one of the promises they had made with the goddess of nature, Trias.
“Fine. I’ll go in then. I’ll go in.”
I answered and steeled myself as I checked the chainsaw I was holding.
The fuel was about half full. The battery was almost full.
This much fuel should be enough to get through this battle.
I had done the maintenance well, so I didn’t have to worry about malfunctioning, and it was such a sturdy product that I didn’t have to worry about breaking it during the fight.
If anything broke, it would be me before the chainsaw.
“Sigh. Well, let’s go die then.”
After finishing all the preparations, I headed to the cave and glanced at Pii.
Pii was hiding behind Siz’s leg and peeking out his head to look at me.
He had been doing that ever since I told him to come with me.
Geez. Did you really think I would take you with me?
I snorted and shook my head as I entered the cave.
“Wow. This is not going to work.”
Then I had to come back out and pick up Pii and hold him in my arms.
[Ah! Why are you doing this to me! Just go by yourself!]
“It’s too dark to see anything!”
[You can just light it up with magic!]
“I don’t know how to use magic! You do it!”
I think I can’t do without Pii.
* * *
I entered the cave and moved carefully along the wall.
Around me, green light orbs summoned by Pii were floating like fireflies.
The minerals that sparkled in the light and the strange plants and animals that I saw occasionally.
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If it weren’t for the goblin-infested cave, it would have been a sight that I would have liked to stroll and admire.
But the occasional screams and the stench that stung my nose were proving the danger of this place.
I must never let my guard down.
As I swallowed my saliva and moved my reluctant steps, Pii, who was sitting on my shoulder, opened his mouth.
[Gaul. I just realized something while using magic. We’re in a bit of a pickle.]
I glanced at Pii, who was bowing his head with a serious expression.
Why is he acting like this all of a sudden? He’s scaring the listener.
I stopped and asked him what the problem was.
Pii nodded and answered softly.
[You can’t use magic at all right now, can you?]
“That’s right. That’s why I brought you along.”
[This is a bad situation for a druid candidate. If you get caught, you might get into trouble.]
“What kind of trouble?”
[Druids are known to be proficient in natural magic. If you reveal that you can’t use magic, you will be doubted as a druid candidate.]
I wondered if this was a problem that had to be brought up now, but it was not something I could ignore.
I could not be recognized as a druid if I did not learn natural magic.
Considering the reaction of the elves towards me, it was a plausible story.
They were already frustrated that they couldn’t eat me, and if I gave them a reason to do so, it would be a disaster.
I asked Pii for a solution.
“Can’t I just learn magic?”
[If that was the case, I wouldn’t have brought up this nonsense.]
“Why? I can really learn hard.”
[The magic of this world is a miracle that God gives in exchange for mana. So not everyone can use it just by learning. You have to be acknowledged by the God you serve to receive the miracle.]
It seemed that the magic users of this world were more like priests than magicians.
I nodded to show that I understood, and Pii tapped my cheek and continued.
[But you have your mana contaminated by the blood of the tree spirit. And you also have a grudge from the goddess of nature. I don’t think Trias will give you magic.]
“Oh.”
[You see? You have to find a way.]
I had no doubt, because the evidence was too clear.
If magic meant a miracle bestowed by God, then I was almost impossible to use magic.
Even if I ignored the fact that my mana was tainted by the blood of the tree spirit, I was hated by Trias, the source of magic.
Somehow, I was recognized as a druid candidate, but there was no way that Trius, who hated me, would give me such a convenience.
“Sigh…”
How can I deal with this frustrating situation?
As I stood blankly and sighed, Pii told me not to worry through telepathy.
[It, it’ll be okay! If it’s dirty, just clean it up! Let’s go back to Eldenore and see if we can purify the mana. There must be some way.]
“…Will Trius give me magic if I purify the mana?”
[Trius is fickle, but he’s fair to everyone! If you purify the mana, he’ll surely give you magic even if he hates you.]
Let’s try to purify the mana to impress Trius.
I nodded weakly at Pii’s suggestion.
‘I should have asked to be sent to the human village if I knew it would be this hard.’
Suddenly, I felt a surge of regret, but it melted away as soon as I saw Pii’s face.
The tree spirit who forgave me and saved my life.
I wanted to thank him, but I felt like I was missing the opportunity.
Later.
Goblin extermination is the priority now, so I’ll talk to him later.
As I thought that and picked up the chainsaw, Pii whispered to me, pointing to the front.
[Let’s think about it after we get out of here. Look ahead. There are goblins.]
I snapped to attention at the word goblin.
I lowered my body and cautiously looked ahead.
The dark cave lit by green magic lights.
Two small monsters revealed themselves.
“Karak!”
“Kiaak?”
Small green creatures.
They looked exactly like typical goblins.
They were shrieking in wonder as they saw the floating magic lights.
I frowned at the sight.
I thought goblins would be either amazing or scary to see, but the actual emotion I felt when I faced them was completely different.
‘So disgusting.’
Hatred.
Only hatred filled my mind.
I loosened my breastplate and hid Pii inside it, whispering quietly.
“Hold on tight.”
Pii settled in the breastplate and peeked out his head, asking me.
[Are you okay? Can you do it?]
I nodded and reassured him.
I fought and won against a monster, so why can’t I handle goblins?
I was already familiar with using mana to enhance my body, so there was no problem.
“Hoo….”
I exhaled all the air in my lungs, recalling the previous battle.
And then, he breathed in as if his chest was about to burst, filling his lungs with the mana in the air.
He repeated this breathing pattern.
Maybe it was because he was conscious of mana breathing for the first time, but he felt strange sensations that he had never noticed before spread throughout his body.
It was hot but refreshing, thrilling but gentle.
It was like soda instead of blood flowed through his veins, a addictive sensation.
[Then I’ll hide here.]
Seeing me like that, he seemed relieved, and Pii went into his chest plate and said.
I waited until Pii settled in, then slowly got up.
His vision was dyed green, and a rough excitement and satisfaction surged.
With this, he had raised his physical abilities to the maximum possible.
Now all that was left was to fight.
He slowly lifted his head.
“Karak!”
“Kieung?”
Two goblins were chatting with each other, showing their backs to me.
He wanted to sneak up and take them out quietly, but that was almost impossible under various circumstances.
The passage was too narrow to sneak up on them, and the chainsaw was a very noisy weapon, even if he used a motor instead of an engine.
Then there was only one way left.
‘Frontal assault.’
He pressed the chainsaw’s ignition button and pulled the trigger.
The battery light turned on and a sharp whirring sound echoed through the cave.
―――!!
Naturally, the goblins’ attention was drawn to me.
“Keeek!!”
They started to run towards me through the narrow passage.