Ossan Boukensha – 116

Goblin and Food

---

I was surrounded by enemies. If they unleashed the arrows now, they would hit the other goblins as well. And yet, they released the arrows as if they did not care.

“Tsk.”

I quickly ducked under them. There were not many archers. Two goblins fell from friendly fire.

However, ducking down near an enemy was a bad position to be in. As if this was its chance, the goblin in front of me swung down with its long club. I went to my knees and managed to block it with my sword and then sweep it aside. Then I jumped up and rammed the hilt into the goblin’s face.

It stumbled back, and I saw the sorcerer up ahead. Now it was my chance. It was already chanting its next spell, but I moved towards it before it could finish.
But just then, an orange light flashed.

I quickly moved out of the way. A fireball came flying from the side and barely passed me. I hadn’t realized that there was another one. By then, the first sorcerer had finished chanting.

“%$%&!”

And like that, a wall of fire appeared in front of me. That was surprising, coming from a goblin.
Being separated now put me in a bad position. There were still goblins behind me. If I dealt with them, then magic would come and hit me in the back.

I would just have to fight the goblins while being wary of what was behind me, and then make my way around the wall of fire. It was just as I thought this. The sorcerer ignored me completely, and instead made its way towards the altar.

Perhaps it had realized that I was here for Yutere. Or was it something else? I didn’t know, but I could not allow it to hurt her. I had no choice now.

“Me-zroi-tar-mez-rei. Protection!”

While blocking the club of a goblin, I cast the protective spell. With my status, I could block their attacks with ease.
After activating the magic, I bent my knees, took in a deep breath and then held it.

“…!”

And like that, I jumped towards the wall of fire.
With my eyes closed and my body curled up. The hot wind scorched my body. It was only a brief moment but felt longer. And then I rolled onto the ground.

“Gah.”

I exhaled and got back up to my feet. The wall of fire was about one meter thick. I had burns all over my body. But I could still move. After assessing the damage, I moved towards the altar.

What I then saw was the sorcerer as it stood behind Yutere. He had an evil grin. And behind him, was a large monster.

“Mei-lei-mote-sei Heal!”

If it was going to laugh carelessly, then I would take the time to heal. I had never seen the monster before, but it was very big. It looked like a thick snake with short arms and legs. And even when it was on all fours, it was still taller than a goblin. It was covered in scales and looked tough.
I suppose this was their trump card. A monster they would feed in order to keep.

However, I didn’t care about any of that. It didn’t matter what it was or how strong it was.

If I turned back now, I could not say that I did everything in my power to help Yutere. I had no choice but to fight.

“Hah…”

I sighed. Such promises should not be made so lightly.

With my sword on my shoulder, I took one step forward. The sorcerer was not pointing its staff at Yutere. It might be a threat, but I wasn’t going to wait to find out. Besides, the other goblins would reach me from behind.

The hobgoblin sorcerer and I glared at each other. And then the monster behind it opened its mouth…and bit the sorcerer’s head.

“Huh?”

It was so unexpected that I was stunned. The monster then picked up the hobgoblin with its mouth. The goblin’s limbs flailed, and then I heard the snapping of bones. Eventually, it stopped moving.
And then it was swallowed up by the monster.

I shook my head. This was no time to freeze. Regardless of what this monster was, Yutere was still in danger.

While the monster chewed on its food, I climbed up onto the platform. From what I could see, she did not look injured. She was just unconscious.
I wanted to cut off the ropes immediately, but the monster then lowered its head and looked at me with suspicion.

“Hya!”

I swung horizontally towards its head with my sword. The monster twisted away and dodged it. From what I could see, though its limbs were awkward, the snakelike body moved very swiftly.

“Gugya-ga!?”

I heard the screeching of the other goblins. They were clearly surprised that the sorcerer was eaten as well.
However, the situation was still bad. Maybe even worse than before.

Seeing my hesitation, the monster opened its mouth and attacked again. I could see the rows of small, sharp teeth. It was all I could do to hold my sword diagonally and block it.

“Tsk.”

Not only that, but each of its attacks were heavy, and I stumbled backwards. My foot hit against the bar that Yutere was bound to. I could not retreat any farther. As I stood my ground, an arrow landed on the ground close to my feet.
When I turned around, another arrow came and bounced off my armor. Apparently, their arrows had little force.

Still, this monster had eaten their leader. Why don’t they attack it instead? It wasn’t very loyal of them.

While the archers were not much, they were still a distraction. The monster then rotated its body, and its tail lashed out at me. It was too quick, and I had no time to dodge it.

“Hyaah!”

If I couldn’t dodge it, then I would counter with all of my might.
There was a dull ring as my sword came down, cracking the monster’s scales. However, it was not enough to cut the flesh beneath.
Then the tail swung, and I was thrown against the wall.

“Gah!”

I rolled on the ground and then stopped. The goblin archer retreated in surprise. While I was winded, I could not stay on the ground. I had managed to not let go of my sword, and I swung it now, cutting through the goblin’s torso.

When I looked to the platform, the monster was up there, looking at Yutere. But it did not do anything.
And so I dropped my sword, picked up the torso of the goblin archer, and threw it at the monster.

It spun, splattering the area with blood as it shot through the air. The monster then turned around and caught it in its mouth.

And then without hesitation, it began to eat it.

Next Chapter