Be Careful What You Wish For (3)

"Be careful what you wish for." I didn't know the customs of my hospitality, but it felt a bit off to entertain someone fully armed with armor and weapons. Especially when those so-called guests were discussing whether to capture or kill their host… Well, that made sense. If I were in their shoes, I'd probably kill or chase off a goblin sitting by a campfire too.

"Since when do goblins know how to make fire?"

"No way. And what's with that weird hat and pants it's wearing?"

"Hmm, maybe it's some other race that just looks like a ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠goblin."

"Then couldn't we sell it for a high price?"

Rusted armor and weapons. On top of that, a filthy and ragged appearance. They clearly weren't regular soldiers or guards. Deserters, perhaps? …Running away wasn't an option. This was open terrain, and one of the three had a bow. I'd definitely get hit. Sure, there was a chance they'd miss, but that relied too much on luck. So the only way out left to me was—

Strike first, strike hard.

The words surfaced in my mind as if carved into bone. In that instant, my body was already sprinting forward like an arrow.

Crack!

The first target I aimed for was the archer. My hand, infused with internal qi, struck the archer's neck with full force.

"Guhk!"

"Wh-what?!"

"His neck broke?! From a mere goblin?!"

Carelessness is an excellent ally. Even so, chatting with your back turned while an enemy stood right in front of you? Their bravado far outstripped their skill. In contrast, I approached with the desperate resolve to kill without fail. I poured what little qi I had into my hand blade. Thanks to that, the troublesome archer's neck snapped, and I ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠even managed to snatch the sword he had been carrying.

"You filthy little bastard!"

"Wait! Don't charge in alone!"

Good. One of them's lost his temper and is rushing me. He must have been close to the archer. Or perhaps losing a comrade to a goblin was an unbearable humiliation. Either way, it gave me the chance for a one-on-one duel. But it wouldn't last long. I had maybe ten seconds at most. I had to finish this guy off in that time.

Grabbing the sword I'd just taken from the archer with both hands, I thrust it forward with all my strength.

"Idiot! A goblin can only jump so high…"

"So you did have a plan after all."

"…?!"

He'd clearly intended to counter. The moment I drew the sword, he raised the shield on his left arm to block. The problem was that I'd already read his move. His muscle tension and the way his eyes flicked toward the shield gave him away. The blade, flowing like water around the shield wrapped around his arm, pierced straight through his neck in an instant.

"Kuhk!!"

A horrifying sensation of slaughter traveled up my hand. At the same time, dark red, hot blood began to flow down the sword. But I had no time to feel guilt over killing. The last remaining man had already started moving.

His timing was too perfect to call it a belated reaction. In the end, I had no choice but to abandon the sword.

"Hoo, finally got you, you annoying little pest."

"Don't tell me you used your comrades as bait?"

"Comrades, my ass. Anyone who gets taken out by a single goblin is useless to us…"

A momentary lapse in attention. No, it was closer to an unavoidable opening. I'd deliberately engaged in conversation to catch my breath, and I didn't miss that gap. Even with my training, I was still weaker than a human. If this ambush failed, it would be over. So… I had to mobilize everything I had and kill him for certain.

"Guhk!!!"

I concentrated every last bit of internal qi left in my dantian into my fingertips. In that fleeting opening, I unleashed all the qi I possessed!

The hand blade, closing the distance in a flash like lightning, cleanly pierced through the deserter's neck—hard and sharp as a spear tip.

I shook the blood from my hands and let out a sigh inwardly. Surprisingly, the shock of killing wasn't that severe.

As expected, the soldiers I'd just fought seemed to be deserters. I understood the rest, but what exactly was Karma? Judging by how it decreased after dealing with evil people, it seemed like some kind of alignment… Maybe it was related to goblin instincts. Indeed, the violent instincts I'd barely managed to suppress through daily training now felt considerably dispersed.

Just in case, I collected everything useful from them, dug a hole by hand, and buried the deserters' bodies.

That confirms it. Killing someone increased the proficiency of the Vagabond skill, and raising proficiency removed stat restrictions. In the end, the structure required killing people to raise skill proficiency. But that didn't mean I could kill just anyone. Just like now, if I killed in self-defense or dealt with evil people, my instincts would weaken. The opposite would only strengthen them.

Come to think of it, there's no problem. As long as I only kill in self-defense or obvious scum like this, it'll be fine.

I had no intention of falling to the level of a mere beast. Especially not an ugly goblin…!

Fortunately, there was a map among the deserters' belongings. Their base seemed to be nearby. I might as well go take a look.

A gloomy darkness and settled dust filled the prison. The ears of the small, cute elf girl locked up alone there twitched. An elf's hearing was quite good. At the very least, she could tell there had been a commotion outside the prison. For a moment, anticipation lit up the girl's face. Maybe her older sister and brother had sent someone from the forest to rescue her.

"Over here, I'm over here…!!!"

The frail girl's voice echoed through the prison. Who could blame her pure desire to escape from hell? But the small, innocent elf girl would soon realize that had been a hasty choice. The one who appeared after cutting down the wooden door upon hearing her weak voice was none other than a small green monster.

"G-goblin?!"

Goblins. Small and unimpressive in strength, yet their infamy was widely known among monsters. It was no wonder even the girl recognized them. She'd thought she could escape hell, but a goblin? Hope began to turn to despair in an instant. The goblin that approached the girl raised its sword with all its might. And then… it cut the shackles binding her.

"…?"

"What are you standing there dazed for?"

"I-it talked?!"

"Are you going to stay there? If so, I won't stop you, but…"

"N-no! I'm getting out!"

For a moment, she thought it was a dream. After all, not only had a goblin spoken, it had even saved her. But this wasn't a dream that would scatter after a single night. Everything was a cold, vivid reality.

Following behind the goblin as she stepped outside, the girl couldn't help but gasp at the scene of carnage spread before her eyes.

"D-did you kill them all?"

"Those who live by the sword die by the sword. They merely received their due."

Half the palisade had been split in two, and the humans who had once been its masters lay sprawled about, bleeding like trash. But the girl was only briefly startled. She didn't feel any particular ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠pity or sympathy for them. After all, they were bandits who kidnapped other races and sold them as slaves. If anything, she thought they got what they deserved.

"S-so, what happens to me now?"

"You should return to where you belong."

"I can go back? To my home?"

"…Wait a moment."

"I was wondering why you didn't show up at the trading spot… What in the world is going on here?"

"Don't tell me that goblin did all this by itself?"

She could go home. The moment the wish she'd only dared to dream of came true, tears nearly welled up in the girl's eyes. That is, until the sound of hoofbeats of despair reached her ears.

The girl's head turned forward. They were there. Knights clad in brilliant armor. More than twenty of them. Watching the scene, the goblin clicked its tongue.

"It seems they've been in league with the bandits from the start."

"What? What do you mean…"

"No matter how rotten, a knight is still a knight. They wouldn't want to do dirty work themselves. So they made a deal with the bandits."

What did that mean? In the end, there had never been any hope to begin with. The girl's eyes began to fill with despair once more. Crossing one mountain only to find another blocking her path. As if to say she wasn't qualified to be happy.

The knights who had surrounded them in an instant slowly closed the distance. It felt like a guillotine of despair tightening around her throat. In contrast, the goblin calmly took up a stance. Then, in a calm voice, the words flowed from his lips.