Goblin Subjugation (5)
Powerlessness is an agony no one should have to bear.
Crane had known that truth since he was a child.
He was five years old when it began. His eldest brother, eighteen at the time, died in a sudden riding accident. Their mother and father wailed; his second brother stood frozen, not knowing what to do. Their father—ninth sole heir of the line—had finally been blessed with three sons, only to lose the firstborn who was meant to succeed him. Something inside the man cracked. From that day forward he forbade both remaining sons from ever leaving the house.
A year later the second brother, freshly seventeen, sparred with a practice blade indoors and took a tiny cut on the tip of one finger. The wound blackened and festered, fever rose, and within a fortnight he was dead as well.
That was the moment Crane’s memories turned to pure torment—a nightmare that settled over his life like a curse. Every object that might conceivably endanger the family’s last hope was removed. Locked inside, stripped of everything, the boy had only sweets left to soothe his nerves. The frantic, obsessive eyes of a father terrified for his heir, and the silent, fearful eyes of a mother who dared not speak, still haunted him. Whenever those memories returned, Crane felt the air leave his lungs. Nightmares always ended the same way: he woke gasping as if he were drowning.
At last the day arrived. By family tradition he left his parents’ side upon reaching adulthood and entered the Academy. A boy who had done nothing but read books behind closed doors turned out to have a gift for study; he passed into the Literature Department and, with the family’s influence, transferred into Swordsmanship. Freedom—at last. Yet the soft, clumsy body and the timid, withdrawn personality he had grown into made friendship impossible. If he remained isolated here, he would leave the Academy with nothing. The weight of being the sole heir of a great house made him tremble. So he grew desperate. He threw himself into sword practice without any foundation and found he could not keep up with the lessons. The other students had received elite training since childhood and possessed real talent besides. They quietly ostracized him, mocked him. He was sick of it. Even at the Academy he remained alone—until recently. For the first time he had someone he could call a friend.
“Of course. At least, that’s how I see it. We’re precious friends.”
Miss Blair had meant every word. How could she still say that after what he had done? He had betrayed her kindness. She had even let him touch her chest out of goodwill, and he had taken advantage of his injured friend while she slept. He had been caught, beaten, and cast out. And now that same girl was in the hands of goblins, in mortal danger.
If nothing changed she would be raped, dragged to their nest, bound, and forced to bear goblin young until she died. Therefore he had to take her place on a path that might kill him. Her capture was his fault; the responsibility was his. Even if he died, Miss Blair had to live. To that end he would kill as many goblins as possible and buy her time to escape. And if he succeeded—if he died in her stead—someday she would tell her grandchildren about the brave friend named Crane Brunner.
He no longer knew how much time had passed. Even the last gray of dusk had vanished. The silent darkness that settled over the forest only helped his approach.
In a small clearing among sparse trees, human and monster were tangled together. Dirt and semen streaked the girl’s body. Occasional soft moans escaped her; her eyes were unfocused. It would not have been strange if she had already fainted. The goblins were so absorbed in the girl before them that they never looked around.
Crane raised his sword toward the nearest goblin’s throat. Fortunately he was tall, and the raw power of his large frame was second to none. He swung the blade he had already prepared and sheared straight through the beast’s nape.
Shunk!
A sharp sound tore the air; the head flew free. A clean kill. The body lost its balance and collapsed, pouring blood. The sword was a family heirloom—far too fine a weapon for mere goblins.
The moment a comrade fell, another goblin charged. Crane twisted the blade and brought it down in a vertical cut. With a wet thud the steel sank deep from shoulder to waist. The problem was that the sword would not come free. He clenched his grip and wrenched, but it stayed lodged. Three goblins remained. They did not flee; they drew crude blades and closed in. Crane swung a clumsy kick.
No chance it reaches…
The largest of the three raised its sword. He needed to free his own blade and block, yet it still refused to move. Too late to dodge. In that white-hot instant when his mind searched frantically for any way out, the goblin suddenly froze.
Then, with a sharp pop, the sword came free. He brought it straight down. A heavy crack as steel met skull; the head split open and the body slammed into the dirt. With the apparent leader dead, the remaining two stumbled backward in panic. Crane reset his stance and faced them.
Thrust! Thud!
Flesh tore. The wide-eyed goblins stopped moving. A moment later, through the gap between their fallen bodies, May appeared.
“I killed three of them.”
Her top was gone. She held a dagger in her right hand and was smiling. She held herself upright a second longer, then her legs gave way and she sank to the ground.
“Haaah… I’m gonna die…”
Crane finished the goblins by cutting their throats, then hurried to her side.
“Miss Blair!”
He caught her collapsing body in his arms.
“You’re too late, Crane…”
A hollow laugh left her lips; she seemed to lose consciousness.
When I came to, I was sitting in front of a campfire. I remembered meeting Crane, but nothing after that. I must have blacked out—hardly surprising in the state I was in. I think I had already fainted once while it was happening. Still, the sound of fighting had dragged me back; I pulled the dagger I kept strapped to my thigh and stabbed the goblin that had its back to me.
No deep wounds, but my body was a wreck. Everything hurt. Only then could I see who had come to save me. I had hoped for Professor Anton and the others, but it was only Crane. Once every goblin was down I finally let myself relax—and promptly lost consciousness again.
“Ugh…”
Pain dragged me out of sleep. I opened my eyes.
“Hurts…”
“Miss Blair, here—water.”
“Mm… thanks…”
I pressed a hand to my head and drank from the canteen he held out. Cool water slid down my throat and the world slowly came back into focus.
“How did you get back?”
“I was already on my way when I heard the screaming.”
“I see…”
I let out a long breath and looked at him with dazed eyes. His face was full of pity and apology.
“I’m sorry. If I had arrived even a little sooner, you wouldn’t have had to go through that…”
“It’s fine. I’m alive, aren’t I? A few days’ rest and I’ll be good as new.”
“Um… I’ve heard that when something like this happens to a noble young lady, it becomes difficult for her to marry. In that case… I will take responsibility.”
His face was flushed with emotion, his voice completely serious.
“What?”
“I’ve made up my mind. The Brunner family is a respectable house, and I am its sole heir. My parents will not object.”
“Ah…”
Now I understood what he was saying. A small sound of realization left me.
“So you’re asking me to marry you…”
He pressed his lips together and gave a single, firm nod.
“No, it’s fine. Really.”
It wasn’t the first time something like this had happened; no need to make a fuss. I folded my arms and thought for a moment, then slipped a hand into my skirt pocket and pulled out a crumpled paper packet containing a small pink pill. I tossed it into my mouth and washed it down with water from the canteen. With the contraceptive taken, there was nothing left to worry about.
“Anyway—what do we do now?”
“We keep heading south.”
Crane held out a few wild raspberries.
“I found them while walking alone. They’re not very sweet.”
“Thanks…”
I tipped the berries into my mouth. Tart rather than sweet, tiny seeds catching on my tongue.
Thud. Thud.
Someone was approaching the fire. Crane and I both drew our swords and rose. Every muscle in my body screamed, but in this dark forest there was nowhere left to run.