The Troll and the Goblin Shaman

"Damn it! Too late already."

The goblins had fled toward the Western Forest, just as he'd predicted. By the time Luden arrived, riderless horses were already milling about at the forest's edge. His father, his men—and even Kevin—had all gone in.

"No helping it, then."

The suddenly triggered chain quest. And the events of his past life. Considering both of those, the danger was clearly far from over.

With no time to hesitate, Luden drew a short breath and stepped straight into the forest.

"Footprints. This way?"

Countless tracks marked the ground where so many had already passed. Kevin would have followed these too.

Luden picked up his pace and ran.

Please, don't do anything reckless.

Had his prayer been answered?

After running for a while, Luden soon heard the sounds of battle.

Right up ahead!

"Ghk—"

"Kevin!"

Kevin was surrounded by a horde of goblins, fighting for his life. Even at a glance, he was clearly being overwhelmed.

Closing the distance in an instant with the skill, Luden drove his sword into a goblin's back.

"Kyaak!"

Thrown into confusion by the sudden assault, the goblins panicked. Luden didn't miss the opening—he drew the dagger at his belt and stabbed another one through the eye.

"Kevin, snap out of it and raise your sword!"

"Wh-what—right!"

Kevin, frozen in shock just like the goblins, came to his senses at those words and threw himself back into the fight.

The situation was quickly settled.

"Whew. Looks like I wasn't too late."

"You—why are you here……?"

"Is that really what matters right now?"

Kevin flinched under Luden's withering stare. Well, at least he seemed to understand he'd done something wrong.

"You idiot. Think before you charge in. What's all this, running off all hot-blooded like that?"

"S-shut up. I could've handled them myself even if you hadn't come."

"Sure you could. The guy getting his butt kicked sure talks a big game."

"Ghk."

Out of arguments, Kevin shut his mouth.

Luden frowned at the sight of his immature little brother. They said the clever ones cause the biggest disasters when they slip up. Somehow, the kid seemed even more thoughtless than he himself had been.

Come to think of it, he's only twelve.

Either way, now that he'd found Kevin, they needed to get out of the forest quickly. The quest wasn't complete yet, which meant the danger hadn't passed.

"Let's get out of here first."

"What? Just leave?"

"Then what? Were you planning to chase after Father?"

His silence said it all—that was exactly what he'd been thinking. And there was an unusual impatience in his manner.

Luden deliberated for a moment, then stepped close to Kevin.

And then—

Thwack!

"Ow!"

He smacked him across the back of the head with everything he had.

"What the hell was that for?!"

Kevin roared in outrage. But Luden only grabbed him by the collar and yanked him right up to his face.

The moment Kevin met Luden's eyes, he flinched. Those teal eyes, so unlike his own, were chillingly cold.

Wh-what…?

Were those really the eyes of a human being?

That frigid gaze, as if it were seeing straight through him, left Kevin unable to say a word.

Luden spoke quietly.

"Hey. It's fine to be confident. But before that, shouldn't you read the situation first? You're not the kind of guy who lacks that much judgment."

"Ghk."

"Or did you think this was some kind of training exercise? If so, I'll knock that head of yours into shape."

He was still young, so maybe he could be forgiven this once. But if he kept this up in the future, that was a problem.

Why is the boy who'll one day rule the territory so reckless?

Just as in his past life, Kevin was the one who would succeed their father as lord in this life too. He had the aptitude for it, and he was well recognized by the household.

Unlike Luden, who had gone astray in every possible way, Kevin was the upright one. If Kevin became the successor, Luden ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠could leave the territory with an easy mind.

In that case, I'd better train him properly, starting now.

Having settled his thoughts, Luden released Kevin's collar.

"Your careless actions could put someone else in danger. I get that you want to look good in front of Father, but cool your head a little."

"Ghh. Listen to you, acting all high and mighty."

Still, Luden's words seemed to have landed—Kevin didn't push back any further.

That was enough. Once he came to understand his position, he'd never act so rashly again.

"Now, then."

BOOM!

The color drained from Luden's face as he was about to say they should head back. Kevin's expression hardened in the same instant.

BOOM! BOOM!

Along with the massive sounds, tremors in the ground were drawing steadily closer.

Something was coming.

The moment that instinct struck, the trees before them snapped and the thing revealed itself.

"GRRAAAAAAAGH!!"

"Good heavens—a Troll?"

"Insane."

Luden and Kevin were aghast.

A figure over three meters tall, its entire body covered in shaggy hair—without a doubt, a Troll.

A dangerous monster whose raw strength and terrifying vitality made even seasoned knights struggle against it.

Why would something like that be in a forest like this…?

"Kikikikik."

"What's that?"

Then a nasty cackling wormed its way into their stunned ears.

They whipped their heads around to find a strangely dressed goblin perched atop the Troll's shoulder, looking down at them.

"A Goblin Shaman?!"

Luden recognized it at once. How could he not? Only once in his past life—but he had faced a Goblin Shaman before.

Only then did everything fall into place.

I see. That's why the goblins were acting so strange. It was that thing's doing.

The Goblin Shaman used its innate magic to cast special curses on its own kind. The mindless ferocity of the goblins that attacked the village must have been its work.

And with that same power, it had even enslaved a Troll.

"Damn it."

His fist clenched so hard his nails bit into his palm.

Why hadn't he considered this possibility sooner? The moment he'd seen how abnormal the goblins were, he should have suspected a Goblin Shaman's existence.

Now it all makes sense. Why the damage was so devastating in my past life. It was because of that thing.

He had his answer, but it brought him no joy whatsoever.

The mere presence of a single Goblin Shaman made the danger beyond measure. Add a Troll on top of that, and it explained why the damage had been so great even with a Count present.

And Kevin must have run into these very creatures and been overwhelmed.

Luden kept his eyes locked on the Troll and the Goblin Shaman as he spoke.

"Kevin. As you can see, things look bad."

"Y-yeah."

Kevin's voice was trembling. Fair enough—he couldn't blame him.

A Troll and a Goblin Shaman. Either one alone was deadly enough; who could have imagined the pair showing up together?

But this was no time to freeze up.

"Wait for your chance and run. When I give the signal, sprint and don't look back."

"……Why are you so calm?"

While he himself felt like collapsing on the spot, how could Luden be so composed? Because Kevin had always thought of him as pathetic, ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠it made even less sense.

Was this really the same Luden he knew?

Luden answered with a laugh that didn't fit the situation at all.

"Beats me. Maybe from all the rolling around and scraping through experience, I guess."

"What?"

Kevin stared at him, dumbfounded—but there was no more time for talk.

The Troll raised its massive arm high and brought it down in a single stroke.

CRASH!

The Troll's fist buried itself deep into the earth where the two had stood a heartbeat before.

Just imagining taking that blow sent a chill down his spine, cold sweat streaming down.

"Akcha!"

The Goblin Shaman moved then. Words steeped in curse-magic spilled from its mouth, and lightning burst from its fingertips.

"GYAAAAH!"

Kevin barely rolled out of the way.

"Worry about the Shaman more than the Troll."

"Thanks for the tip—so fast!"

A Goblin Shaman wielding all manner of curses was a greater threat than the Troll.

Maybe because it's been kept as a pet—the Troll's movements are simple.

Of course, ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠taking even one hit wouldn't end in mere pain, but he could see openings to exploit.

As he dodged the Troll's fist and the Shaman's curse turned toward Kevin, Luden's eyes gleamed.

Luden shot forward and drove in right beneath the Troll. From here, even the Goblin ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠Shaman couldn't attack him easily.

Though far short of what the Count had shown, the wind steeped in sharp killing intent followed his blade and sheared through the Troll's ankle in an instant.

"GRRAAAAAAAGH!"

The Troll shrieked and dropped to one knee. The Goblin Shaman on its shoulder staggered along with it.

"Now! Run!"

At Luden's shout, Kevin turned and bolted.

"Hey, couldn't we just finish it off right now while it's down?"

"Don't say stupid things. Did you forget the Troll's regeneration?"

A wound like that would heal in the blink of an eye. Unless they could kill it outright, running offered far better odds of survival than gambling their lives for nothing.

At this point, we should get clear and link up with Father as fast as possible.

Just informing Count Kaisar of this would spare them the losses of his past life. Given enough time to prepare, the Count could subjugate both the Troll and the Goblin Shaman. He'd done it before, after all.

So Luden hurried to regroup with the Count, taking Kevin with him.

But—

"Rapuchar."

CRACKLE-BOOM.

A mound of earth suddenly erupted, blocking their path.

Behind them, the pursuing Troll and Goblin Shaman had already cut off their retreat.

Realizing they had no intention of letting them go, Luden scowled.

He'd at least meant to get Kevin out alive.

"Tsk. No way around it, then."

"What do we do now?"

"What do we do? Lie down and die quietly, I suppose?"

Kevin shook his head vigorously, as if to say absolutely not.

Luden chuckled and pulled his cherished trump card from his pocket.

"Mmm. Tastes not bad."

"Bread? You're eating bread at a time like this?"

Ignoring the are-you-insane look, Luden ate the bread.

This bread was the hidden ace he'd been keeping.

"Calm down. Even if it's time to go, a man should fight on a full stomach."

"Are you sure your head isn't broken?"

"Perfectly fine, so shut up and get ready to fight."

Power surged from within his body. At that pleasant sensation, Luden raised his sword with a confident grin.

"If it's come to this, we'd better see this through to the end."

"Kyaak!"

Swish.

Cutting down a goblin creeping up behind him in a single stroke, the Count surveyed his surroundings.

The goblins that had swarmed them already lay scattered everywhere as cold corpses.

"My lord. I see no more goblins in the vicinity."

"Hmm. So that's the last of the ones that attacked us, then."

But the Count's expression did not soften.

The goblin horde they had fought had been stronger than ordinary goblins—and utterly without fear. In some ways, they'd felt like well-trained soldiers.

One or two might be excusable, but when hundreds of goblins behaved that way, something was deeply wrong.

"Don't assume it's over. Search the area."

"Yes, my lord!"

The knight withdrew to carry out the order, but the ominous premonition he'd felt for some time would not fade.

A Count who had spent long years on battlefields knew from experience that this kind of instinct could not be ignored.

Every time, something terrible had followed.

Perhaps I shouldn't have brought them after all.

For a moment, the Count thought of his two sons.

One had only just begun to mature; the other was grown, but precisely because of that, had a tendency to drive himself too hard.

He'd hoped this trip might teach them something, but events had not unfolded as intended.

Even leaving them behind in the village wouldn't have eased his worry.

"I pray nothing happens."

It was the wish of a father of two boys—not the lord of Kaisar.