Meanwhile, Hans and Sophia were facing off against the goblin army as per Isaac’s orders. Technically, Ras was also with them, but he wasn’t playing a major role.
That’s because Hans and Sophia were handling all the goblins on their own. As a result, Ras realized his own limitations. Goblins weren’t particularly challenging opponents, but he never imagined being so overwhelmed by the duo that he couldn’t even swing his sword properly. Indeed, these were the fallen knights Isaac had mentioned. Their strength was beyond imagination.
The goblin army, true to its name, boasted at least 100 goblins, but now only about 10 remained. Hans noticed something odd.
“They’re not retreating?”
Goblins were nothing more than rabble. That meant when the situation became unfavorable, they would usually flee. Yet, even after losing over 90% of their forces, they still didn’t retreat?
“Hans! The goblin leader has appeared!”
“Ah, so they had a backup plan.”
“Boss? Goblins have a leader?”
“There shouldn’t be such a thing.”
Goblins were low-level monsters. Naturally, there were no variants among them. Their fate was to be used as expendables under others for their entire lives. Leading a goblin army would be a higher-level monster.
Soon, the leader revealed itself. It was a massive creature, four times the size of a human, with green skin and covered in slimy mucus.
“A troll leading the goblins. That’s classic.”
“You’ve faced trolls before, right?”
“T-Troll? That’s a mid-level monster!!”
Ras was stunned, not expecting to face a troll while hunting goblins. However, unlike Ras, Hans remained calm and said,
“Consider yourself lucky it’s just a troll, newbie.”
“What?”
“I’ve heard of a party where a lich appeared and wiped out everyone except one.”
“A lich…?!”
“Right! A troll is actually one of the easier foes.”
“Then, this will be a good opportunity for practical training.”
Trolls were far from easy enemies. With thick skin that could deflect most metal weapons and mucus that healed wounds quickly, they were no ordinary mid-level monster.
However, the two were remarkably composed in front of the troll. They were even thinking of using the troll as a training example. If it hadn’t been for the slashing attack that came from behind, that is.
A slashing attack, cutting through the ground, became a line that pierced the troll’s neck precisely. The troll, struck at its vital point in one hit, lost its life immediately despite its regenerative abilities.
“The troll was killed in one hit?”
“Is everyone alright?”
Of course, the slashing attack’s owner was Isaac. Ras could only stare in shock. Few heroes could defeat a troll in one hit, as far as Ras knew.
“Master! What was that?”
“Hm?”
“I was planning to use that for training the newbie.”
“I’m sorry. I didn’t consider that.”
To think that someone would complain about killing a monster in one hit when such achievements were right before their eyes. Was this the strength of a new guild? Even many established guilds might not measure up.
“Master, the goblins are fleeing. What should we do?”
“Kill them all. That was the request.”
“Gladly.”
Finally understanding the situation, the goblins began to flee, but they were all caught by Sophia and didn’t manage to escape far. Thus, the goblin army was completely annihilated.
“The request isn’t over yet.”
However, Isaac remained vigilant. Even though they had cleared the goblins that invaded the village, there might still be goblins remaining in their lair.
“Let’s return to the village.”
“A sound decision.”
“Ah, can we finally rest?”
“Monsters that don’t make any sense.”
Ras was now truly impressed by the Iron Shield’s strength. Ironically, he had been a newbie in Gideon for five years, which was due to the difficulty of adapting to the guild.
Most newbies either couldn’t endure the excessive military discipline or couldn’t cope with strange rules. Even if they managed to adapt, they sometimes faced total annihilation due to mistakes in monster extermination.
For Ras, who had gone through all that, the Iron Shield, despite being a newly formed guild, had an incredibly bright future with its powerful members.
“I was a bit worried at first, but it’s a relief.”
On the other hand, Sophia was internally relieved. She had thought Isaac had changed after becoming the guild master, but she now reaffirmed that was not the case.
“If the protagonist’s village were to be wiped out…”
In reality, Isaac had other thoughts.
***
The next day.
At dawn, with Dig whining as usual, they set off. Thanks to Sophia’s relentless tracking, they easily found the goblins’ lair. What happened next was as predictable as daylight.
The few remaining goblins stood no chance against the power of the Iron Shield. Within an hour, the lair was completely exterminated. The villagers, overjoyed, celebrated with exuberance.
They had suffered greatly under the goblins’ attacks. Only now could they finally gather the bodies that had been rotting outside the village. The jubilant mood soon turned somber as a funeral began.
Surprisingly, Isaac and his group attended the ceremony as well. Leading by example, Isaac, followed by all his guild members, paid their respects to those who sacrificed their lives for their loved ones and neighbors.
“You even helped gather the bodies and attended the funeral… I don’t know how we could ever repay you…”
“Think nothing of it. This is the duty of a hero.”
“A hero… If only all heroes were like you.”
A bitter smile tugged at the village chief’s lips. In Gideon, most heroes were ruthless pragmatists. They sought only two things: gold and the creation of their legendary stories.
To put it bluntly, if something wasn’t profitable or didn’t promise to immortalize them in legend, heroes wouldn’t hesitate to turn their backs. That’s the kind of people heroes were.
Even this particular request had been left untouched until Isaac accepted it, the reason being obvious: it wasn’t profitable. No one wanted to take on a mission that didn’t pay well.
Of course, they couldn’t blame the heroes for risking their lives, but still, if they wished to be called heroes, wasn’t there a better way to act? This was the sentiment shared by the village chief and the people.
“I’m sorry we couldn’t offer you more.”
How much could a small, impoverished village truly scrape together? Even after gathering every last coin, the sum was meager. Isaac accepted the reward and asked:
“Will you be alright?”
“It will be hard, but we’ll persevere.”
“You’re strong.”
“That’s too kind of you.”
Despite the many neighbors and family members they had lost, the villagers’ eyes were not filled with despair but with hope for the future. Though their village lay in ashes now, Isaac believed in them.
He was certain they would rise again someday.
As much as they regretted it, it was time to leave. All the goblins had been wiped out, the mission was complete, and there was no reason to stay in the village any longer. But just as they were about to depart:
“Wait!!”
All the villagers had gathered to see them off, but no one had expected a child to suddenly rush forward.
It was a peculiar child with black hair and glittering golden eyes. The villagers, startled by the sudden action, hurried to pull the child back.
“Hold on, let’s hear what the child has to say.”
“Huh? But…”
“I want to become a hero too! Please take me with you!!”
Only the child’s voice echoed throughout the village. The reactions were mixed—some scolded the child, while others sighed in resignation.
The fact that the child was an orphan, often treated poorly by the villagers, likely played a part. But there was one person who faced the child directly: Isaac.
“Being a hero isn’t a glamorous life. Only those who’ve swallowed countless tears and despair can carry that name.”
“Even so, do you still want to be a hero?”
“Yes!”
There wasn’t a trace of hesitation in the child’s response. Isaac nodded. Sophia, who had been struggling to keep up with the situation, yelled:
“Wait, are you seriously thinking about taking this child with us?”
“That’s not a good idea.”
Hans and Sophia’s opposition was understandable. They couldn’t just take in everyone who seemed pitiful. How would the guild function if they did? The child might have their reasons, of course.
Judging from how the villagers treated the child like a nuisance, it was obvious. But making decisions based on momentary sympathy was something they would definitely regret later.
Hans and Sophia, of all people, knew this too well, which is why they opposed. Until they saw Isaac’s eyes. For the first time, his gaze was heavy with something deeper.
“Trust me. This isn’t a decision made out of mere sympathy.”
“Then what exactly are you seeing in this child?”
“The look of someone prepared to die protecting their family.”
Isaac summarized his reasoning in a single sentence.
“I saw a hero in that moment.”
In truth, he was just taking the child because they were the protagonist.
But, of course, he couldn’t say that out loud.
Subscribe
Login
0 Comments
Oldest