Chapter 10
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 10
Chapter Title: 4 Silver Coins
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Sprinting along mountain paths was harder than I'd imagined.
Especially with steep inclines, the act of running itself was downright dangerous.
But I had no choice but to keep going.
The goblins' speed was nearly identical to mine, but these were creatures who lived here.
The mountain trails were second nature to them.
Every time I stumbled, they gained a little ground.
I gritted my teeth at the sight of the goblins closing in, spewing their incomprehensible chatter.
If I fell even once, they'd swarm right over me.
That future played out unbidden in my mind, my legs trembling.
Could I really trust Ban?
No matter how urgent it was, was following him here the right call?
Should I turn back now, grip my sword, and fight?
But... could I even win?
A whirlwind of thoughts scrambled my head.
Still, my legs didn't stop.
I don't want to die.
I absolutely didn't want to die, and there was something I had to do no matter what.
"Arghhh-!"
I let out a yell.
The goblins reacted like they were thrilled by my scream-like shout, their ragged breathing echoing louder.
With so many victims from the start, why hadn't a proper subjugation team been formed?
At a glance, there were more than eight casualties.
Yet instead of rallying their own forces, they'd outsourced it to the Adventurer's Guild.
Even in this rotten world, that seemed too off.
"Damn...!"
Fortunately, just as Ban had said, the roots and jutting rocks seemed cleared away.
As long as I didn't miss my step, I wouldn't fall.
I ran with short strides, as fast as I could manage.
My breathing grew ragged.
My ribs ached like they were stabbing into my lungs.
I wanted to collapse right then and catch my breath.
But no one knew better than I did that stopping wasn't an option.
I could feel them right on my tail.
I barely dodged a filthy hand stretching out to grab me.
At this rate, capture was inevitable, so I rolled the dice.
I veered off the predetermined path, plunging straight into the underbrush.
Ban would be hiding and waiting near the trap anyway.
As long as I reached the trap, the route didn't matter.
Covering my face, I leaped into the bushes.
My clothes snagged and tore on branches, twigs snapping.
Broken twigs scraped my skin.
It stung, but I could bear it.
Blood beaded up and trickled down.
I pushed off the ground, leaning my upper body forward.
From here on, it was all downhill.
A slip and tumble meant defeat; focus and sprint meant victory.
My foot struck the earth and hung in the air for over a second.
The next one did the same. If I fell like this, the goblins wouldn't even get me—my head would smash open first.
But this was my best shot.
Knowing that, I boldly planted my next step.
"Kieek-!"
One goblin couldn't handle the slope, tumbled, and rolled.
Its head cracked against a rock, blood spraying.
A foul stench wafted up.
Almost there.
Relief washed over me, but I snapped back to full alert.
I'd seen too many cases where complacency at the end ruined everything.
"Arghhh-!"
I screamed again.
A signal that I was coming.
The goblins chasing me thought I'd backed myself into a corner and strutted in triumph.
I barely vaulted over the trap site, but the goblins couldn't react in time and plunged into Ban's pit.
One froze in panic, floundering, only to get skewered by Ban's spear from behind and die pathetically.
"...Hoo."
Ban swept his hair back as he walked toward the pit.
He peered inside, then gave me a sour look.
"Seven, eight with the one I got... where's the last one?"
"...It fell chasing me and died."
"Huh."
I sighed at the sight of Ban approaching and scanning my slumped, legless form.
"I'm fine, so hurry and finish those off."
The pit was deep enough they couldn't climb out, but not so deep they'd die from the fall.
I pointed at the pit, and Ban clicked his tongue before jabbing at it with his spear.
Unpleasant screams erupted.
Judging by his weapon maintenance, he wasn't some amateur.
Yet the screams dragged on endlessly.
It looked deliberate, like he was drawing out the pain.
"...What are you doing?"
"Nothing much. Just venting."
Come to think of it, Ban had scouted ahead, found the village first, and planned the strategy.
Which meant he knew what state it was in.
His cruel venting might look brutal, but I couldn't help understanding.
"Mister."
"...Just call me Ban."
"Ban."
"What."
"The goblin village was small, sure... but people got hurt. Why no subjugation team?"
"You don't know?"
What don't I know?
I tilted my head in confusion, staring at the ground, and Ban explained the situation.
Monster problems are adventurer business.
"...Pardon?"
"The guild brass are rotten to the core. They hassle anyone else trying subjugation with letters and complaints. Unless you're some major noble, no one wants to tangle with the guild, so they just dump requests on them and look the other way."
"Why...?"
"Who knows."
Ban scratched the back of his head irritably, grumbling.
He probably didn't know the full story either.
"Forget the depressing talk. Let's butcher these goblins."
"Noses, right?"
"Yeah. Need proof for the payout."
I struggled to my feet on wobbly legs and approached the pit.
For goblins, their long noses count as subjugation proof.
So, just lop off the noses.
Ban lowered a rope inside. I descended into the goblins pierced through, their guts, blood, and filth oozing everywhere, slogging through the mess as I sliced off noses one by one and tossed them out the other side.
It was so grotesque and nauseating I nearly vomited, but I barely held it down.
"Kid."
"It's Ellie."
"Got curious all of a sudden. What if I just drop this rope here?"
"...Pardon?"
"Then I wouldn't have to split two shares with you, right?"
"That's not funny."
The pit was just over two meters deep. Drop the rope, and I'd be stuck.
The soft earthen walls were too crumbly to climb.
"Kidding. Just wanted to warn you that diving straight into a pit is risky."
"...Sigh."
Why was someone his age so childish?
I cut off every nose, signaled to pull me up, and he obediently hauled the rope, lifting me out.
"Let's head to the village. Cut the nose off the one that died tumbling on the way, and clean the place up."
"Sounds good."
No matter what, that creepy totem had to go for any sense of closure. I trudged onward wearily.
Ban had me gather dry twigs when we arrived. Once I piled them up, he lit them and set the totem ablaze.
It was already a bug nest, apparently.
As it burned, centipedes, maggots, flies, and all sorts crawled out in a revolting spectacle.
Relieved it was finally over, Ban spoke up.
"Braver than I thought, and dumber too. Wanna keep working with me?"
"...No thanks."
"Aw, come on. Next time something like this pops up, 7:3 split. Deal?"
He grinned playfully, crouching to meet my eyes. Startled, I squeezed mine shut.
But they'd already locked gazes.
"...You."
I said nothing.
I knew exactly what was coming.
"You're disgusting."
This wasn't his usual light tone.
No joking around.
Just cold fact, laced with contempt.
The guy who'd been messing with me moments ago.
The guy who'd just suggested teaming up.
Now he showed raw disgust, like a different person.
The hatred he'd shown while burning the goblin totem—he was directing it at me.
As if I were on par with that brutal, horrific thing.
His iron grip clamped my throat. I shook my head in resistance, but he didn't let go.
In the end, my line was set once more.
"...S-Sorry... sorry..."
I didn't even know what I was apologizing for.
But I had to say it.
Couldn't breathe right; my voice came out weak.
Ban flung me to the ground.
"Ow-!"
My head spun. Breath wouldn't come.
Body twisted in agony, but eyes stayed shut tight.
It's because I looked into his eyes.
Time will pass, he'll calm down, back to normal.
Believing that, I curled into a ball.
Braced for the pain to come.
...But it never did.
I slowly got up and looked around.
"...You headed down the mountain first?"
Glad it wasn't worse, but worry gnawed at me.
"...What about the quest reward."
Four silver coins.
How was I supposed to claim them from someone who'd shown that much disgust?
Sighing deeply and kicking at stones, I spotted something gleaming in the moonlight beside me.
I picked it up: four silver coins.
"...Even mid-disgust, he settles accounts clean."
Impressive or not, I never wanted to cross paths again—or even acknowledge him if I did.
Once disgust like that takes root, it doesn't fade easily.
"...At least I made some money."
A proper quest success payout, no deficit.
"Hehe..."