Chapter 6
Chapter 6
Translated by POWERPUFF
“Y-Yeah.”
“Yes, th-thank you.”
The two girls nodded while stammering.
From the sound of their voices, it seemed the one who had screamed was the priest girl.
They were already adults, but to me, they still felt like girls.
Because rather than “beautiful women,” the word “pretty girls” suited them better, and more importantly, the nuance didn’t stir any lewd excitement.
I lowered my gaze and looked at the beastkin girl’s limp arm.
Her elbow and forearm were bruised, and it looked like she couldn’t move it properly.
“Are you really alright? Isn’t your arm broken?”
Just looking at it made it seem incredibly painful.
“I-I’m fine! This is nothing! Compared to losing my life… ah, ow.”
She waved the hand holding her dagger as if to say she was fine, but her eyes welled up slightly as she sheathed the dagger at her waist and gently touched her limp arm.
The beastkin girl gave an awkward smile.
“Ahaha, now that the tension’s gone, it hurts again… Elsie, heal me a bit.”
She looked at the priest girl.
“Yes, Noah! Heal!”
The priest girl hurriedly got up, placed both hands on the beastkin girl’s broken arm, and used what seemed like a healing spell.
That must be divine magic.
A soft pale green light enveloped the beastkin girl.
“Phew, it hurts much less now. Thanks, Elsie.”
“No, I’m the one who should apologize, Noah. If I were more skilled, I could’ve healed even a broken arm right away…”
“Hahaha, you’re still an apprentice priest, Elsie. You’ll improve with time.”
It seemed priests started out as apprentices.
That aside, it was my first time seeing divine magic.
No, it was my first time seeing magic at all.
Since Elsie was still an apprentice, her skills were probably lacking.
How powerful could divine magic become when mastered?
If it could even restore a hymen, wouldn’t that mean someone could remain a virgin forever?
But personally, I wouldn’t want that kind of play since it would involve bleeding every time.
Still, it definitely sparked my curiosity.
Before I knew it, I was staring intently at the pale green light surrounding the beastkin girl.
“Um… is something wrong?”
“Huh?”
“You’re staring at Noah.”
“Oh, sorry. It’s my first time seeing divine magic, so I got curious and ended up staring.”
The beastkin girl tilted her head.
“Huh? First time? You’re a high-rank adventurer, aren’t—”
Kkeeeeeeek!
Just as she was about to ask me something, the hobgoblin let out a shriek.
All three of us turned toward the sound.
Kkeek! Kkeeeek!
The hobgoblin I had sent flying had gotten back up and was now shouting while gripping a club in its left hand.
Drool dripped from its mouth, and it snorted heavily, completely enraged.
“A hobgoblin?!”
“It’s still alive?!”
The two girls were shocked.
Given how far it had flown, anyone would have assumed it was dead.
I thought so too.
It seemed I had held back too much to avoid blowing it apart.
Its right shoulder was completely crushed and unusable, but it hadn’t lost its life.
“Please wait a moment.”
I walked slowly toward the hobgoblin.
I had just met two pretty girls.
I wanted to talk more with them, and even more than that.
To do that, raising my favorability was very important.
If I showed my strength well here, wouldn’t their impression of me improve a lot?
“Kyaa! A strong man! So cool! Hug me!”
I didn’t expect that kind of reaction, but if they at least thought of me as dependable, that would be a great success.
Kkeeeeeek!
The hobgoblin screamed and charged at me.
A goblin is still a goblin, even if it’s a hobgoblin.
No matter the difference in strength, it would attack until death.
That kind of tenacity made it easy to build fantasy settings in my head, but this time I just wished it would quietly go to the afterlife.
Showing my strength again was a good opportunity, but continuing the conversation mattered more.
The hobgoblin reached me, raised its left hand high, and swung the club down.
Whoosh!
I grabbed its wrist with my right hand.
Kkeek! Kkkeeeek!!!
It desperately tried to move its arm, but my strength kept it completely still.
I tightened my grip.
Craaaack!
Kkeeeek!
Slowly, the hobgoblin’s wrist crushed, and its grip on the club loosened.
Thud!
I caught the falling club with my left hand and swung it at the hobgoblin’s head.
Baaang!
Crack!
Its head tore off from its neck, slammed into the wall leaving a large bloodstain, and rolled across the floor.
Thump.
When I released my grip, its body collapsed backward.
I tossed the club aside and turned back toward the two girls.
“Amazing…”
“To defeat a hobgoblin so easily…”
They stared at me in a daze.
My heart lifted slightly, but I kept my composure.
Stay gentlemanly.
Showing excitement could wait for the bed.
“It’s done. What were you about to say earlier?”
“Ah, um… aren’t you a high-rank adventurer?”
The beastkin girl seemed convinced I was high-rank after seeing my strength.
“No. I just became an adventurer today.”
“A newbie?! No way! Not even high-rank, and you defeated a hobgoblin in one blow…?”
“Noah.”
“Huh? What is it, Elsie?”
“He’s our lifesaver. It’s rude to speak to him like that.”
The priest girl seemed displeased with Noah’s casual tone.
“Ah… you’re right. I’m used to speaking casually. I’m sorry.”
Noah bowed her head.
“It’s fine, you can speak casually.”
Casual or polite, both had their charms.
“No, that wouldn’t be proper. You saved our lives, and you’re older too.”
She seemed to think I was older because of my build.
“I’m 20 years old, so it’s fine.”
“Huh?!”
“What?”
Noah widened her eyes in shock, while Elsie tilted her head in confusion.
For a moment, I worried I just looked old.
“Do I look that old?”
“No! It’s just that you’re really strong! So I thought you were a high-rank adventurer, and they’re usually older!”
“Yes, that’s right! Sorry! We didn’t think you’d be the same age.”
So they were my age.
“Wow, same age and same newbie, yet this strong? You’re amazing!”
Even if it sounded a bit forced, praise still felt good.
“Thank you. But is your arm okay?”
“Yeah, it’s fine. The pain’s mostly gone. I’ll get it properly treated at the temple later.”
Her ears perked up.
“Oh right! We haven’t even introduced ourselves! I’m Noah! And this cute one is Elsie! Thank you for saving us!”
Noah smiled brightly.
Elsie bowed politely.
“My name is Elsie. Thank you so much for saving us… and sorry for assuming you were older.”
“It’s fine. I’m Rentt.”
Showing annoyance here would only hurt future possibilities.
“So your name’s Rentt! But really, you’re not high-rank?”
“No. I just registered today. I’m F-rank. What about you two?”
“We’re E-rank. It’s only been 10 days since we started… and you don’t have to be so formal. We’re the same age.”
“Yes, please speak comfortably. I’m used to this way of speaking because of the temple.”
“Alright.”
Hearing that they were okay with casual speech felt like a good sign.
“Then I’ll talk casually. You’re heading out of the dungeon, right? I’ll escort you to the warp device.”
It was quite a distance. Walking together would be a good chance to bond.
“Really? Thanks! With someone like you, we feel safe!”
“Thank you, Rentt.”
“Hey, Elsie, don’t call him that. Just Rentt.”
“Yeah, I prefer that too.”
“Then… Rentt. Please escort us.”
“Leave it to me. Let’s go.”
But Noah stopped me.
“Wait! Before we go, we need the hobgoblin’s magic stone!”
Right, I had forgotten.
That would sell for more than a goblin’s.
“Got it. I’ll be right back.”
I walked quickly to the corpse, plunged my hand into its chest, and pulled out the magic stone.
It was pale green mixed with purple, about the size of a fist.
When I returned, the girls stared in shock.
“You… pulled it out…”
“With your bare hand? Haha… amazing.”