9: From A Certain Adventurer’s Perspective (2)

The thing that had suddenly appeared in front of the ogre did nothing.

It didn’t launch a surprise attack—it simply landed there.

The goblins froze, every eye turning toward the new kind of monster.

The first to move was the ogre—it swung its club and smashed the intruder’s head.

Taking the blow full-on without even flinching, the creature drew coarse, jeering laughter from the surrounding goblins.

What in the world had it come here for?

It was such an incomprehensible monster that I found myself wondering that out of place question.

The shield-bearer pinning my thighs laughed too, and, apparently intending to resume, arched his body to lift my hips.

I was painfully aware there was no time left. I was just about to bite my tongue when—I froze from the shock.

Had that really been the sound of a blow?

It felt as if the very air around us had vibrated, and then the ogre was sent flying horizontally, slammed into a pillar.

The suddenness of it froze not just me, but every goblin present.

The newcomer leapt at the ogre pinned against the pillar, and as it collapsed, stomped through its head upon landing.

“GUOAAAAAAHH!”

It roared.

A cry of victory.

Not only had it shrugged off the ogre’s attack and ended the fight with a single strike, it had mercilessly finished the job.

(So that’s it…! This thing—this is what caused all the previous failures! The goblins must have just scavenged the bodies of the exterminators it killed!)

If that was the case, it made sense that other professionals sent here had fallen.

No matter how many there were, goblins were still just goblins. Without adventurers’ gear, they wouldn’t be able to push back an ogre.

“Gigii! Gyag-gyag!”

At the shield-bearer’s shout, the goblins surged forward again, and Rena was struck in the head with a club, losing consciousness.

Four goblins lifted her and began to move off slowly.

(They’re going to take us!?)

There was no way I could allow myself to be knocked out too. I thrashed with all my strength to free my pinned arms.

As expected, the club was raised before me. I thought, “Too late—” but then, that monster’s roar rang out again.

I glanced over to see it leaping at a staff-wielding goblin.

A faint wisp of smoke rising from the monster’s body suggested the goblin had used the staff’s magic—only to succeed in angering it.

(But this… this is a chance!)

When the staff-wielder was turned into a lump of meat, the goblins panicked and began fleeing in every direction.

The ones trying to take Rena were gone, and so were those holding me down.

The moment I was free, I reached for the broken staff and drove it toward the shield-bearer still clutching my leg.

The goblin clutched at the staff lodged in its throat, trying to pull it free—but I had no intention of allowing that.

Bending my freed leg, I kicked it in the stomach with both feet. The staff slipped from its hands, and it collapsed onto its back, blood spurting.

One threat gone.

But a greater danger still remained.

I caught a glimpse of it in my vision, and leveled the broken staff at it, glaring so as not to lose eye contact.

I knew it was useless, but this wasn’t the sort of opponent I could turn my back on.

The new monster stared right back.

Perhaps it was watching the staff’s tip—perhaps it was wary after seeing the goblin’s earlier attack.

(First time in my life I’ve ever been grateful to a goblin…!)

It was still a bad situation, but I would do what I had to do.

Keeping my staff and gaze trained on the monster, I slowly backed up, feeling behind me with my free left hand for Rena.

We stared at each other for some time before my hand finally touched her.

I grabbed her arm and drew her toward me bit by bit.

I couldn’t risk looking away, so my movements were rough, but I managed to get her safely in my arms.

Now, whatever happened, I could at least die with her.

That thought brought a smile to my lips.

“Gah, ha.”

From the sound it made, the monster might have been watching me.

(Did it just laugh? Was it mocking me!?)

It turned its back, as if to say it had lost interest, and began to walk away.

But in front of it lay our gear—and Liesel’s sword.

And, unbelievably, it picked up the gear, grabbed the sword, and started to leave.

“Wait! Take the money, take the potions—just leave that sword!”

It couldn’t possibly understand human language.

Even knowing that, I couldn’t stop myself from shouting.

“That’s… that’s our team’s property! It’s proof that we survived!”

I didn’t even know what I was saying. I nearly rushed after it, but stopped, just yelling.

No matter how much I shouted, it never looked back.

“Don’t go! Just leave the sword!”

Even pointing my staff at it didn’t stop it.

With no way to stop it by force, my knees buckled.

Grinding my teeth at my own helplessness, I watched it go.

“Remember this! As long as you hold that sword, I’ll hunt you! I’ll kill you!”

I knew it was the bark of a beaten dog.

But watching the proof of our survival carried off, able to do nothing but stand there, I couldn’t not say it.

That was my first encounter with it.

“Is that the end of your report?”

Back in the adventurer’s guild of Saisaros, in the reception room, I finished my account while lying on a sofa before the guildmaster.

He’d been complaining lately about his hair turning white, but it was about to get a lot worse.

The appearance of a monster of such threat would do that.

Thinking, “Go ahead and go bald,” I stifled a yawn.

I was too tired to even sit up, so I reported lying down. Even an incompetent man like him had no room for idle chatter when hearing of a “new monster species.”

He’d listened to the end without interrupting, but inside he had to be reeling.

“Yeah, it’s speculation, but I think that thing’s the reason all the other exterminators—our colleagues—failed.”

I’d already changed out of my tattered clothes. Rena was sleeping in the guild’s nap room.

We’d stripped the dead for clothes, but even covered in blood we’d been held up by the gate guards for quite some time. Only now could we finally rest, and the fatigue of two days of forced marching came crashing in.

With my report over, I told the guildmaster, who was deep in thought, “I’m going to sleep,” and closed my eyes, surrendering to unconsciousness.

He might have said something, but I’d already reached my limit.

I next awoke just before noon the following day.

Since I’d gone to sleep in the evening, that meant I’d been out for over half a day.

A message awaited me—I’d have to give a more detailed report.

Rising from the sofa, I headed for the nap room to check on Rena.

I’d been there before, so I went straight to the door and opened it without knocking.

Inside, Rena sat up in bed, gazing out the window.

“If our enemy were still alive, I’d at least have something to drive me.”

She said before I could speak.

“The one I should kill is dead… my brother’s dead… Jista’s dead… what should I do?”

“There’s still something to be done. Liesel’s sword was taken. I’m going to get it back.”

“Diera-neesan, the team’s gone. I don’t think you should do anything reckless.”

Even as the youngest on the team, Rena had seen enough to recognize the abnormality of that monster.

“I know I shouldn’t do anything foolish.”

“Then—”

“But I can’t not.”

I shook my head.

I knew it was stupid.

But I’d lived my life by doing such stupid things.

“If I gave up here, I wouldn’t be me anymore.”

Rena said nothing, just looking at me.

She must not want to lose anyone else.

Her brother was gone, Jista was gone… she was barely holding herself together.

“Not wanting the other to die goes both ways.”

I said with a smile.

But she didn’t smile back.

“I’ll get our sword back. So please, wait for me.”

I did feel guilty for making her wait.

It wasn’t that the words “Come with me” hadn’t crossed my mind.

But in the end, I’d just pushed through with my own selfish desire to keep her safe.

“I will come back. I want you to be the place I come back to.”

I stroked Rena’s head gently, like she was my real little sister, as she cried silently.