Chapter 5: Goblins, Demons, and Children (1)

Duncan was, in many ways, at his wits' end.

Having a travel companion was a good thing. He'd been getting nervous about crossing the Empire's territory alone anyway. Now he didn't have to worry about some two-bit monster or highway bandit jumping him.

The problem was his so-called "travel companion."

He wasn't scared of monsters or bandits anymore because the barbarian was way more terrifying than any of them. I mean, come on, what normal person wouldn't be absolutely terrified of someone who ate demon corpses and slaughtered dozens of people single-handedly?

Duncan spent every waking moment walking on eggshells, worried he might piss off the barbarian. He stayed on high alert all day, carefully throwing out questions when he thought it was safe.

"Would you... would you like to eat, my lord? I've got some jerky and dried potatoes."

"Would you like to rest here, my lord? I-I can get a nice warm fire going."

"So, uh, how did you end up in the Empire's territory, my lord? Oh, I get it. I'll keep quiet."

It wasn't easy at all. No matter how hard he studied the barbarian, he couldn't read the guy's intentions at all. And the barbarian only let him ask the bare minimum questions. There was no chance to relax or try to get on his good side.

The guy barely talked and constantly gave off this murderous vibe. In Duncan’s eyes, he was less like a person and more like a wild beast. Duncan felt like he was sticking his head in a lion's mouth every single day to perform some death-defying circus act. The stress was eating him alive and his eyes were getting more sunken by the day.

Still, if that had been the only problem, he might have been able to endure it.

The real issue was the barbarian's absolutely insane marching pace.

Duncan was a traveling merchant. That meant he had quick feet and stamina that could outlast most people. But compared to this barbarian, he might as well have been a toddler who just learned to walk.

Tell the barbarian which direction to go, and the guy would already be way ahead before Duncan knew it. And by the time Duncan caught up, gasping for air, the barbarian would casually drop a word or two and take off again.

"Move."

"Let's go."

"You're slow."

“Heck, huff, huff, huuurgh…”

Then the barbarian would just stare at him until he arrived, as if threatening to smash his head in if he was late.

It was a good thing he was the guide. If the barbarian had been leading the way, they might have been dozens of kilometers apart by now. The merchant could only shake his head in disbelief at the tireless barbarian.

‘Oh, god, I’m going to die… Is this man’s legs made of steel or something?’

He didn't have the guts to ask the barbarian to slow down. The brutal journey, combined with constantly watching his every move, turned Duncan into a complete wreck in just a few days.

Duncan made a decision. If he wanted to live, he had to run away soon. He had to find an opportunity to escape, no matter what.

And that opportunity came sooner than expected.

It was a night when thick clouds swallowed the moonlight, leaving only the dying embers of the fire for light. The barbarian had rolled over toward a tree trunk and was fast asleep. Duncan had crushed some medicinal herbs into the spear wound earlier, but the guy didn't seem to feel any pain as he slept soundly.

Duncan held his breath and watched the barbarian for about half an hour. He wasn't tossing and turning, so he must be sound asleep. If he was going to escape, now was the perfect chance.

‘Hmm...’

The merchant's gaze lingered on the large bag sitting next to the tree trunk.

That bag contained basically his entire fortune. Oil candles, wool blankets, flint, soap, dried food, a silver mirror, antique rings... All together, it was worth enough to set up a decent market stall in the city.

But it wasn't worth more than his life. If he went near the tree trunk, he might wake up the sleeping beast. Duncan decided to cut his losses and leave the bag behind.

He crouched low and carefully brushed aside the fallen leaves as he crawled forward. When he reached the grass, he finally straightened up. He gradually picked up the pace, then broke into a desperate sprint the moment he left the forest.

Under the dim sky where there was only darkness, it looked the same whether his eyes were open or closed. He couldn't see a damn thing but kept running blindly forward.

Thick drops of sweat rolled down his neck and his lungs felt like they were about to burst. His heart pounded against his chest like an angry visitor banging on a door, and his joints screamed in agony. He couldn't even keep his mouth closed as drool was dripping from his chin.

“Hah, hah, hah… Keck, kheh, haaa…”

How long had he been running like that?

Bending over with his hands on his knees, Duncan thought he should be safe now. The barbarian wouldn't know which direction he'd gone, so it would take forever to find him. He was finally free.

Alas, it was just wishful thinking.

“Where are you off to in such a hurry?”

A low voice grabbed him by the hamstrings. Duncan's legs gave out like they were broken and he staggered badly. A cold sensation slithered up his spine.

He turned his head to see a menacing silhouette emerging from the darkness.

‘N-No way… How?’

It didn't make sense. He'd run so fast.

How the hell had the barbarian caught up in this pitch-black darkness? Did he fly through the night like an owl?

But now that he was caught, the question was pointless. Duncan swallowed back a wave of nausea and managed to speak.

“Hah, guk, n-no, th-that’s… I…”

"Running away? Why are you running?"

"Huff, wheeze, my lord, it's not like that..."

"Don't you want the payment we agreed on?"

The clouds parted and moonlight poured down like translucent fabric. The blade hanging from the barbarian's waist gleamed with an ominous light, a reminder that Duncan's life still didn't fully belong to himself.

Duncan held back the desperate urge to piss himself and threw himself face-first onto the ground.

"I'm sorry, my lord! I've committed a terrible sin! I should never have forgotten the grace of you saving my life, but foolish me got careless and..."

Kadim crouched down to eye level and cut off the merchant's words.

"No, I don't want an apology. I want a reason. If I don't fix that reason, you'll just run away again. Explain. Why did you run?"

Duncan hesitated, then finally came clean.

"It's just... your pace, my lord... it's too fast for me to keep up... If I kept following, I felt like I'd collapse soon..."

"..."

Kadim fell silent for a moment. Duncan squeezed his eyes shut, thinking that blade might come down on his neck any second now.

Surprisingly, Kadim didn't scold Duncan. He just sat quietly, lost in thought, then said. "Let's go back. From now on, I'll walk a bit slower."

"...!"

That was the end of the conversation.

Kadim turned his back to the moonlight and headed back the way they came. Duncan stared after him in a daze for a moment. When the clouds swallowed the moon again, he snapped back to reality, got up, and chased after the barbarian's broad back.

***

Impatience was his default setting. The brisk pace was a habit he had picked up in his first playthrough.

In the barren and hostile Demon Scape, food and water were never plentiful. On top of that, drinking demon blood gradually eroded his sanity.

Rest and leisure were foreign concepts. Any delay meant doom. Never knowing when madness might consume him, Kadim and his companions used to rush forward, saving even their eating and sleeping time.

But now there was no need for that.

‘...Whew.’

Kadim took a deep breath and calmed his mind and body.

The area around them wasn't that dangerous. They had plenty of food and water. The madness might return someday, but at least not now.

Besides, there was a reason to slow down. The merchant was proving to be quite a useful guide.

Kadim had a pretty detailed map of the continent in his head, but it was from three hundred years ago. Mountains and rivers could change thirty times over in that span. Without a capable guide, he'd never be able to navigate properly.

Kadim matched the merchant's pace and walked leisurely. The merchant finally got some breathing room. Eventually he even had enough energy to study the map and occasionally offer suggestions to Kadim.

“There’s a lot of friction on the border between the Empire and the Alliance right now, so we might run into some Paladins. We don’t want to get wrongfully arrested again… so how about we take a little detour and go through a less guarded area, my lord?”

Most Paladins would apparently arrest any heathen on sight. The barbarian could only sleep peacefully once they reached Free Cities Alliance territory.

‘The Order of Elga wasn't like this three hundred years ago...’

It really hit home how much he'd fallen behind the times. He wanted to take the fastest route possible, but there was no choice. Kadim clicked his tongue softly and nodded.

Kadim and Duncan headed south. They were pretty lucky as they went several days without having to draw their weapons.

No friction meant fewer stationed soldiers, and fewer soldiers meant worse security. Duncan smiled with relief, saying it was a miracle they hadn't run into any fights here.

Kadim's thoughts were a bit different. He looked down pensively at the hardening blood clots in his leather water pouch.

‘This blood will be useless soon. I need to secure some fresh demon blood just in case...’

For all the talk about demons swarming across the continent, they weren't that easy to encounter. When he asked why, Duncan explained that achievement-obsessed Paladins were hunting down nearby demons with fiery eyes. Kadim made a short tsk sound after hearing that.

The journey continued. They crossed green plains and thick forests, and before they knew it, evening was approaching. A small stream appeared between patches of grass dotted with violets. At the end of the stream sat a cluster of small huts.

It was the first village they had seen since they started their journey. Duncan unfolded his wrinkled map and stroked his beard.

“Hmm, it’s not on the map… Looks like a slash-and-burn farmers' settlement… We should ask for food and a place to stay there tonight, my lord.”

Even a bug-infested old house would be better than sleeping outdoors in the cold dew. The merchant smiled at the thought of sleeping without worrying about getting his clothes wet.

But the barbarian's instincts sensed something was off. Kadim narrowed his eyes without showing any excitement.

“There are no fires lit anywhere.”

"...Excuse me?"

“It’s dinner time, but not a single house has a fire going.”

He was right.

There were over a dozen chimneys among the crude rooftops, but not a wisp of smoke was rising from any of them. If people were living there normally, it would be impossible.

Duncan's smile gradually faded.

"...Is it an abandoned village, my lord?"

"Don't know. Won't find out until we go check."

“A-Are you going to go? What if a monster or a demon showed up and they all ran away…?”

The barbarian bared his teeth in a savage grin upon hearing that.

"Now, that's welcome news."

It was a smile that would make anyone's heart sink. There was no time to stop him. Kadim left the stunned merchant behind and strode boldly toward the silent village.

***

As he got closer, it became even clearer that something was wrong.

An eerie silence. Not a shadow of a person to be seen. But the pitchforks and hoes in front of the huts weren't rusted. There were busy footprints on the cleared path. It was clear proof that people lived here and had been here just a moment ago.

‘No corpses. They weren’t wiped out by monsters… Did they sense the attack in advance and flee?’

Maybe there had been periodic raids. Slash-and-burn farmers usually move their settlements every few years. It was entirely possible they'd unknowingly trespassed into some monster's territory.

Then he heard a faint sound from inside one of the huts.

—Kieek... kiiii...

It was a cry he recognized. His large hand moved toward his sword hilt. He drew the blade from his waist and stepped into the hut without hesitation.

A short figure barely reaching his waist lunged at him.

—Kieeeek!!

A clumsy sword strike flew at him. Kadim wasn't fazed. He'd expected an ambush from the moment he opened the door. He lightly swept his sword up from below his waist and deflected the rusty blade.

Clang—!

—Kiik!?

It was a light counterattack for the barbarian, but not for the monster. Unable to withstand the recoil, the creature staggered backward. Kadim seized the opportunity and brought his sword down vertically with tremendous force.

Crack—

It didn't even get to scream. The barbarian's blade split the monster's head clean in half in one blow. The strike was so powerful that the cross-section was weirdly flattened, like it had been crushed from above.

The green dwarf collapsed to the floor, limbs twitching. The split facial muscles contorted independently. Blood and brain matter seeped between the loose floorboards.

Kadim let out a short, hollow laugh.

A goblin—now that was perfectly fitting. Yeah, the first monster you encounter on any journey should always be a goblin.

But... when you thought about it, this was strange.

Unlike what the media in his previous world portrayed, the goblins in this world weren’t particularly violent. They were actually more timid and wary than most wild animals. Hell, there was even a saying that goblins would run away just from hearing a baby crying.

Therefore, for them to attack a house and strike first like this meant something was seriously wrong with this situation.

And when something seriously wrong happens in this world, it usually meant a “certain being” was involved.

The goblin just now had blood red eyes..

That unsettling color was another piece of evidence. When monsters were influenced by that being, their eyes would always turn that shade.

His grip on the sword tightened slightly.

‘...Heh, look who decided to show up.’

The barbarian's lips curved into a gentle arc at the thought of getting fresh demon blood.

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