Chapter 7: Goblins, Demons, and Children (3)

Tonight, the forest was destined for chaos.

Flickering light danced like lanterns mourning the soul of the dead, as a line of torches clawed at the quiet darkness.

But these weren't proud conquerors of the night. Their steps dripped with hesitation and their faces under the flames were rigid with fear. Most of them were like frightened animals with their senses on high alert, constantly scanning the dark bushes around them.

"Th-That..."

"Ack! You scared me!"

Flap flap.

Six or seven men jumped out of their skin at the sound of some unknown bird taking flight. One guy even mistook a firefly for the glow of a goblin's eyes and made a fuss. Another nearly got hurt when another man swung his pitchfork after being startled by footsteps.

Only one person in the group wasn't swept up by fear. The broad, dark-skinned man followed the guide at the front.

Kadim's face was as impassive as if he had forgotten all emotion. His stride was so fast that he almost overtook the guide several times.

This impromptu courage training finally ended when they reached the cave area. Quick glances were exchanged in a fierce, silent battle. Someone kept poking another guy in the ribs until the man who'd lent his hatchet stepped forward awkwardly.

"Ahem, we'll... head back now and wait. The goblins might suddenly attack the village..."

It was a pathetic excuse, but Kadim didn't care. People scared of demons wouldn't be much help anyway. Better to fight alone than drag along dead weight.

Still, he couldn't go completely alone. Kadim looked at Duncan and jerked his chin.

"Merchant, you're coming with me."

"Huh? Me?"

"I need someone to hold a torch while I fight the demon."

Kadim had decent night vision, but he couldn't see through complete darkness. To fight in a cave where not even a speck of light got in, he needed someone to hold a light.

"..."

Duncan stared at the cave. It looked like a black maw gaping wide. He swallowed hard without even realizing it. Maybe it was his imagination but he thought he could hear faint screaming from inside.

‘Ugh... I really don't want to go in there...’

But he had no choice. The barbarian gave him an indifferent look and the villagers were busy avoiding his gaze. It seemed no one was willing to take his place.

"...Understood, my lord. Haah. Let's go."

Duncan let out a heavy sigh, as if the world were collapsing The villagers handed him spare torches and flint before scurrying away like they were fleeing.

The two men stood before the cave. When light fell inside, they could see a path that sloped gently downward. It widened as it went deeper, and a thin stream trickled along the edges. Kadim took the lead while Duncan carefully followed behind, lighting the way.

No demons or goblins jumped out from the entrance. For a while, Duncan carefully scanned the stalagmites and rocks where they could hide. But he couldn't see hide nor hair of any creatures. The screaming he'd heard earlier must have been his imagination too.

Duncan relaxed a bit and glanced at Kadim as he tried to make conversation.

"My lord, may I ask you something?"

"..."

"Why don't you scold those people? Why help them instead? They're cowards who offered their children to a demon and won't even go rescue them themselves."

It wasn't a question he expected a proper answer to. He had just brought it up to break the awkward silence.

Kadim glanced sideways at Duncan.

"Have you ever faced a living demon?"

"Huh? Oh, no..."

He hadn't. Even though demons were said to be running rampant across the continent, whenever rumors about them circulated, he always took detours. So the only demons this merchant had seen were corpses in black markets.

The barbarian let out a small sigh and gave a fairly long explanation.

"Humans who directly face demons become different than before. All noble will to live is broken, leaving only bone-deep fear and a desperate desire for survival. Few humans were able to overcome that and stand against demons, but you can't expect that kind of self-discipline from ordinary people."

"Uh, but my lord, even so, how could they sacrifice their own children? Even beasts know to cherish their young..."

"Sometimes, to survive, you have to cross through mud and swallow filth. Even if it's ugly, you can't just condemn them for the choice they made to survive. Didn't you hear their excuse? They had no other choice."

"N-No, but even so, from the child's perspective, it's like the whole world abandoned them! What meaning is there in a life saved through such terrible acts?"

"..."

The barbarian's face hardened. No answer came to that last question. Duncan thought he'd misspoken. He turned pale and covered his mouth with his hand.

But Kadim wasn't angry. He just quietly thought about how the positions seemed reversed.

Duncan's moral sense was much closer to Kadim’s homeworld. Closer than his own, which had been completely twisted after cleaning up the Hero's messes and crossing a bloody river of hell.

'...Even if I do return to reality, will I be able to live a normal life?'

It was a meaningless question. The question Duncan had thrown out to change the subject was far more meaningful.

"A-anyway my lord. Do you think the kidnapped children are still alive?"

Kadim closed his eyes. He recalled the habits of demons he'd faced in the past.

It didn't take long.

"If the demon were less cunning and less evil, it would have killed them. But if it's cunning and evil, it definitely kept them alive."

"Eh? What do you mean..."

Just as he was about to ask if he had it backward, a bizarre, guttural cry came from ahead.

— Kiiiek, kieak!

— Kik, kieeeee...!

Red eyes hidden in gaps between stone pillars glinted in the light. A murderous intent touched their skin. Duncan forgot all about his questions and started backing away.

"Hii, hiik!"

The merchant stumbling over a rock and the barbarian hurling his hatchet happened almost simultaneously. The hatchet that cast wavering shadows following the torch's movement struck precisely between the lead goblin's eyes.

Thwack—!

—Kek!

It happened so suddenly that the goblins didn't even notice. They just looked puzzled at their fallen comrade.

Meanwhile, Kadim drew his sword and charged in.

"HAAAAA!!"

Squelch —

— Grulk, hihek...

The blade pierced through a throat. The goblin made a deflating sound as it staggered. Kadim kicked the body to pull out his sword, then bent down to retrieve his hatchet.

Thwack—

Another one fell with the axe blade buried in its forehead. Kadim smiled coldly. The goblins finally came to their senses and rushed at the massive barbarian.

—Kieeeeeeak!!

One goblin swung a club as thick as its own thigh..

Kadim swung his sword briefly to knock the club away. Then he pulled the blade back and quickly drew a straight line across its side. The membrane split like it had been torn with a hacksaw, and squirming intestines spilled out.

—Kihik, kihihihihik!

—Kieeeeeee!!

Two goblins leaping like frogs.

There were many stalagmites around, so he couldn't swing his sword widely. Kadim held the sword in a reverse grip, the flat of the blade against his palm, holding it only with his fingertips. Then, he swung it forcefully, like a short pickaxe.

Swoosh—thwack, thwack!

— Kek!

A narrow, fan-shaped trajectory was drawn in the air. The crossguard, packed with tremendous force, crushed their skulls. The goblins couldn't withstand the impact and tumbled across the floor.

Kadim gripped his sword normally again before cutting his hand. The narrow space he was in made it difficult for him to use his sword to the fullest. He decided to slaughter the remaining goblins with his hatchet.

He pulled the hatchet from a caved forehead and drove it into another. He crushed the hand holding a rusty poker and split the head from the crown. He kicked a fallen one and brought the axe down on its neck. He struck a torso, then chopped through the exposed, arched spine.

Under the barbarian's bloody massacre, the goblin numbers quickly dwindled. Over twenty corpses were scattered on the ground and only three or four remained standing.

—Kieeeee, kieak!

—Kihihi, kiik, kiik!

Their aggression peaked, but they hadn't lost their fear. The surviving goblins whimpered in terror and fled frantically. The green dwarfs' forms disappeared into the darkness.

Duncan held up the torch with a dazed expression and looked around at the bloody carnage.

"Huok, huk, dear god..."

"We're chasing them right away. Most of the pack is dead, so they'll definitely return to the demon."

Kadim acted like nothing had happened. Duncan wondered who the real demon was as he followed the barbarian.

The widening path suddenly narrowed dramatically at one point. What had been wide enough for three or four people to pass comfortably shrank to barely fit one person. Kadim turned sideways and used the back of his axe to break stalactites and stone pillars while tracking the goblins.

The path soon widened again. This part didn't seem to have been originally wide. It was a passage made of damp limestone walls with clear traces of crude excavation. The goblins must have expanded it to make it their base.

Then, Kadim's eyes twitched.

A fishy smell hit his nose.

"Fall back. There's a demon nearby."

"What? Hueok!"

Duncan hesitantly stepped backward.

Kadim gave instructions in a low voice.

"Stay at a reasonable distance, but absolutely don't run away. Goblins might track you down in groups and kill you. If one or two come at you, just scorch them with the torch and drive them away."

"Uh, uh, uuu..."

Kadim quickly scanned the surroundings. The smell was quite distinct so it was definitely close by. The blood-stained axe blade trembled.

But it was strange. The demon's form didn't enter his vision and no sounds could be heard. He couldn't sense its presence either. Kadim concentrated and narrowed his eyes.

He detected the demon's location through the wall where light fell.

Between the thick stalactite shadows, a bizarre outline with sharp protrusions appeared.

Scrape—

He sensed movement and hastily stepped back but was a beat too late.

He managed to cover his face and avoid having his eyes gouged out. But he couldn't prevent the three diagonal lines from being drawn on his forearm.

Kadim endured the burning pain with a hardened expression.

—Ah, human... You're a human I haven't seen before.

The demon licked the blood drops on its claws while murmuring eerily.

It looked exactly as the villagers had described. Grotesquely bulging eyes and sharp teeth, red skin and scrawny arms, large claws and hands. At first glance, it looked similar to goblins but had a much more deformed and chilling atmosphere.

However, not everything in the villagers' description matched.

‘...Damn it, it has a horn.’

A horn about the size of a finger joint protruding from its temple. That horn was a proof that this demon was evolving into a mid-level demon. Kadim chewed his lip with a look of dismay on his face.

The demon seemed very pleased with that expression and smiled grotesquely.

—I like humans. Because they're weak and obedient, you know? Even these goblins tremble before me… If I tell them to offer their young, they do as they are told… Ki, kihik, kihahahihek…

The combat power of low-level and mid-level demons was on completely different levels.

Low-level demons could usually be defeated by just a dozen untrained men if you didn't get scared first. But facing mid-level demons, it’s hard to gain victory even with a whole troop of elite soldiers armed to the teeth. Kadim's failure to avoid the surprise attack was all due to the demon's agility being far beyond ordinary levels.

—But you killed too many of my goblins. I'm starting to dislike humans. You need to beg for forgiveness.

"..."

—I'll give you a chance. That arm, you will not use it anymore. Cut it off with your axe. Cut off your arm, and eat all the bone and meat, then leave. You cannot leave before that.

It was a relief that the horn was still that small. It must have just started evolving after kidnapping the children. If it had been a mid-grade demon with a fully grown horn, it would definitely be difficult for the current Kadim to handle.

The demon approached Kadim while tilting its neck grotesquely. A much rougher voice than before flowed out, like roughly scraping metal.

—You, why aren't you listening to me?

"..."

—Ah, you're listening now? You'll listen well to me from now on, yes?

Kadim frowned. It seemed to have babbled something for a while but he was lost in thought and didn't hear any of it. The content probably wasn't worth listening to anyway.

So Kadim answered like this while reaching for his waist.

"No, I don't listen to what blood bags have to say."

Rip —

Then he tore open a leather canteen and drank the sticky blood inside.

A thick stench filled the air. The putrid blood scent filled the air. The demon's eyes shook roughly for a moment upon smelling its kin's blood.

—What... Why would a human drink that...

It was old blood but not without effect. A surge of energy began to boil up from the tips of his crown to the bottom of his sole. His vision trembled and dizziness struck. His muscles swelled and hot breath escaped his lips.

The duration wouldn't be long. The berserker, vowing to make it a quick fight, threw the leather waterskin. Kadim's eyes flashed crimson as he raised his hand axe.

The moment it faced that chilling blade, the demon felt an unfamiliar fear seeping into its bones.

 

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