Chapter 10
Chapter 10
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 9
Chapter Title: Newbie Adventurer Bern (7) - Goblin Lord
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Riding was the exclusive privilege of the wealthy.
Horses were living creatures that devoured an enormous amount of money just to acquire and maintain, so unless one possessed considerable wealth, it was impossible to bear that expense.
Even successful adventurers weren't entirely barred from it financially, but honestly, very few owned horses personally.
They were useful for long-distance travel, but often a hindrance in combat. Adventurers fundamentally operated in parties, so to maintain mobility, not just the individual but the entire party needed horses.
If you had that kind of money, why spend it on horses when you could invest in precious gear, potions, or magic tomes?
In other words.
Blanca had never ridden a horse in her life.
No, she had never experienced anything moving 'faster' than a person running.
"Kyaa! Kyaaaaah!"
"Keep your mouth open like that, and you'll bite your tongue."
Stop if you know that, you idiot!!
Blanca wanted to scream that, but she didn't have the spare breath for it.
The dizzying scenery flashing by and the uneasy sensation of floating in midair were gnawing at her nerves in real time.
All she could do was cling to Bern with all her might to avoid falling off.
Thanks to that, Bern felt a soft sensation pressing against his back in various ways, but the terrified Blanca had no time to worry about such things.
-Kuek?
Running while shrieking like that, it was shameless to hope no one would notice.
The goblins who caught on to the anomaly spotted Bern and Blanca and assumed combat stances, but Bern didn't draw his sword or set Blanca down to prepare—he just charged straight into the goblin horde.
And kicked one of the small green bodies flying with his foot.
Bam!
The ribs around the goblin's chest shattered instantly, and its internals were pulverized.
The goblin died on the spot without even a scream, let alone resistance.
The other nearby goblins froze, not even knowing what had happened, and Bern said without hesitation,
"Fire."
Instead of asking 'where' or 'at what,' Blanca gritted her teeth and thrust out her right arm silently.
Tree Burning Magic shot from her hand and struck amid the dazed goblin group.
-Grreeek!?
It was a low-level spell and not even a direct hit, so none died immediately.
But the scorching heat exploding right in front of them was enough to cower them, and Bern swung his sword with his free right hand to clean them up.
"Keep doing it like this. But you might need to use mid-level spells later, so tell me in advance if your mana runs low."
"Got it, so slow down a—mph!"
Blanca's grumbling cut off abruptly.
Without even turning around, Bern could guess what happened and shook his head inwardly.
'That's why I warned you about biting your tongue with your mouth open.'
There was no need to worry that Blanca might strangle him if she heard that.
Whether she knew his thoughts or not, right now she was choking his neck without restraint.
She was just desperately clinging to avoid falling, but for an ordinary person, that would block their breathing. Bern, whose body was extraordinary to begin with, was fine, though.
After that, it was mostly repetitive simple work.
Bern never slowed down, and even when goblins blocked the way, he kicked them aside or had Blanca fire magic without stopping.
"Fire."
Boom!
"Launch."
Boom!
"One more."
Boom!
Blanca's magic accuracy wasn't great.
She missed more often than she hit.
Bern didn't reprimand her for it.
With her unstable posture and dizzying field of view, it was understandable.
But Blanca was different.
She had a goal: subjugating the lich. This commission was the first step toward that.
Bern was showing off his abilities and performing brilliantly, while she clung to his back making mistake after mistake?
Blanca wasn't the type to brush that off as 'unavoidable.'
Bern realized that too.
Her reaction speed and spell precision were gradually improving.
Truly a good talent—no, a good comrade. With that thought, Bern turned his gaze forward.
The end of the first fork.
Piles of food and materials of various kinds came into view, stacked like mountains.
This path seemed to be the goblins' warehouse.
In front of the warehouse stood a goblin whose head was a full size larger than the others, exuding an ominous aura.
High-quality leather armor and helmet. A gleaming iron sword. Eyes glaring straight at Bern.
Bern didn't know it, but this foe was the number two in the goblin horde.
The Goblin Lord had ordered human slaves to craft dedicated armor for him and bestowed one of the only three iron swords in the horde—something they couldn't produce themselves—demonstrating the Lord's solid favor.
At present, he was as strong as a decent human warrior, and with potential to become the Lord's knight if a true goblin kingdom was established.
Unlike his kin, who rarely exceeded elementary school low-grade intelligence, he possessed the wits of a middle school second-year, and he roared at the approaching Bern.
If translated into human speech, his goblin tongue would be something like this:
-Come at me, human! By the great sovereign's command, this treasure vault shall not yield to anyone!!
And Bern simply responded to his roar.
Thwack! Slash!
There was no dramatic verbal exchange, no eye contact, no fierce sword duel between different races.
Bern flicked a pebble up with his toe to smash the goblin's face, and while it flinched, he severed its head with his sword.
The demon, the only one present who could understand the number two's words, shook her head from the shadows.
He could have played the mid-boss or rival against a proper newbie adventurer. What a shame to run into this guy.
"Seems like this path ends here. Let's head back."
"Put me down for a sec."
Bern nearly said, 'Can't we grab the rewards later?' but shut his mouth.
He thought it would be too dismissive.
Blanca had proven competent so far and was a veteran with more adventuring experience than him.
If she, who had followed his plan without complaint, said something, there must be good reason.
Blanca examined the warehouse here and there, then nodded.
"As I thought, they've gathered oil separately."
In the corner of the warehouse was a large oaken barrel filled with liquid emitting a distinctive smell.
Likely oil extracted from game or tree fruits, collected in one place.
Bern took interest too.
"Planning to use it for fire attacks? But burning it here won't mean much, and carrying the barrel as-is would be tough."
"Just watch."
Blanca pulled something fist-sized from her bag. To Bern, it looked like a clump of yellowish-brown cotton.
When she dipped the cotton in the oil, it rapidly absorbed it, growing in size.
Oddly, even though over half the oil in the large barrel was gone, the cotton's volume only doubled at most. And despite being fully submerged, its surface remained fluffy.
"Magic item?"
"Not magic, but made from mana-infused plants, yes. An alchemist developed it as a waterskin substitute—it can hold more liquid than its own volume without leaking unless physically damaged."
"Sounds revolutionary."
"But no one uses it. Volume shrinks, but not weight. Once you cut it open with a knife or something, it keeps deflating until all the contents spill out. For a waterskin, you need to drink what you want and store the rest, but this can't, it's not reusable, and it's not cheap either. The shop flew off the shelves—actually, it went bankrupt."
"Why do you have it then?"
"That alchemist hired me as a bodyguard, saying it was revolutionary and weirdos might steal it. When the shop tanked and he couldn't pay, I took it instead."
"......"
Finally, the cotton absorbed all the oil from the barrel and became volleyball-sized. Blanca said matter-of-factly,
"Take it out."
"Pardon?"
"Its volume didn't grow much, but the weight's the same. I can't carry it, so you do it. Throw it at enemies when you need big firepower. I'll burn them up."
Bern tilted his head, wondering if this was right, but obediently picked up the cotton clump.
As fluffy as the surface was, it wasn't hard to hold in one hand.
When the two returned to the initial fork, they saw the goblin horde milling about confusedly nearby.
From the atmosphere, they still didn't grasp what was happening.
Bern and Blanca crushed them with kicks and low-level spells, then charged down the second path.
It was similar to the first fork up to the midpoint, but the depths were entirely different.
It was a factory.
One filled not with goblins, but humans.
"......"
The humans moved mechanically, crafting weapons and armor for the goblins, their faces filled with resignation and despair.
They weren't even properly clothed—their garb had been stolen too, treating them entirely as 'resources' for the goblins.
Goblins wielding clubs and short whips oversaw them, and upon spotting Bern and Blanca, panicked and tried to shout something.
Slash!
Of course, the two didn't let them.
Bern and Blanca cut and burned the goblins without precedence, filling the workshop instantly with blood and the smell of cooking meat.
Bern asked the humans,
"Are all the survivors here?"
"Huh? Yes?"
"What's going on...?"
The captives stared blankly, unable to answer properly.
The nightmare goblins had died like bugs without a fight; their brains couldn't catch up.
As Bern frowned,
"No! There are about ten more inside!"
From the factory corner.
A man who had been scratching notes into wood with a sharp stone suddenly jumped out and answered Bern clearly.
Bern asked again,
"Goblins inside too?"
"There were, but they just got called away somewhere. None now!"
"Can you gather everyone here and prepare to evacuate anytime? Not right now—the entrance has plenty of goblins."
"We can!"
"We're going to smash the leader. Is it down the left fork from the junction?"
"Left leads to another fork—take the right there! Big guy with golden-glowing eyes!"
A remarkably sharp attitude.
Not ideal that the others were still dazed, but this smooth communication was suspicious in its own way.
Bern's eyes quickly scanned the man.
'A quick-witted human.'
Working alone on what looked like paperwork, eyes more alive than the others—he seemed to have cooperated with the goblins for better treatment.
Even now, with goblins dying to Bern and Blanca, he'd switched sides instantly.
He'd betray them without qualms if they fell behind, but Bern didn't care.
Better than the frozen ones for utility. As long as you didn't show weakness, right?
"Then it's yours."
"Yes sir! Leave it to me! Hey! You lot! Chance to escape! Move it!!"
Blanca side-eyed the man as he naturally took command, looking incredulous.
"Can we trust that guy?"
"Better than apathy."
The two returned to the junction once more and took the last path: left.
As the man said, another fork—right this time.
Progress was smooth.
Not a single goblin blocked them.
They guessed why but stayed silent, not slowing down.
Thus they reached the cave depths.
A massive cavern large enough to swallow a whole mansion.
Not the chaotic rabble so far, but numerous goblin troops in full battle readiness.
"—So you're the ones who trampled my territory and caused this uproar."
The Goblin Lord, seated on a leather-upholstered chair mimicking human fashion, greeted them.