* * *
I glanced around.
Of course, there was nothing like a proper weapon in sight.
All I could find were sticks and branches of varying thickness.
“When you’ve got no teeth, chew with your gums,” they say.
I moved quickly and grabbed the sturdiest-looking branch.
—Kikikiki!
“…You’ve got to be kidding me.”
The goblin had reached me. It saw me standing there with a basket in one hand and a thick branch in the other, and let out a snickering laugh.
Its jagged mouth twisted into a wide, mocking grin, clearly meant to intimidate—or belittle—me.
Then it raised a long sword high and leapt at me.
Its clumsy, exaggerated attack was probably just for show, meant to draw out fear.
Whoosh—
I twisted to the right, dodging the downward swing, then raised the branch.
The goblin was just landing.
Before its feet even touched the ground, I struck hard at its shoulder.
Thwack!
—Kiiik?!
It flew off its feet, its eyes going comically wide in disbelief. Like it couldn’t even fathom being hit.
It tumbled across the ground but scrambled back up fast, grinding its teeth.
Gone was the smug look. Now its gaze burned with red rage.
Tatatatat!
Its steps quickened, and its aura turned vicious.
It raised its sword straight, aiming right for my heart.
I shoved the branch forward.
Clang!
Our weapons clashed just in front of me.
As expected, a blunt branch was no match for a sharpened blade.
Its sword dug into the branch’s body, eating into it.
The goblin let out a low, mocking laugh, clearly feeling confident.
“Like hell I’m going to be laughed at by a goblin.”
Even if I was stuck using a branch, I was still a Caldrich.
There was no way I’d let a goblin look down on me.
I raised the branch again and struck back.
Clack!
My obvious swing was easily blocked—but that was exactly what I’d planned.
Thud!
—Kik…?!
I hit again, this time with more force. The goblin’s arm shook violently.
It grabbed its sword with both hands to counter.
But I wasn’t done. I swung hard again, even stronger, smashing into the blade.
CRACK!
We clashed with full force.
The branch should’ve snapped, but I’d angled the blow to strike the flat of the blade, not the edge.
It kept the goblin from slicing through.
And just like that, its arms dropped, leaving it completely exposed.
I didn’t hesitate.
With all the strength I had, I slammed the branch straight into its unprotected stomach.
—Kikkit?!
I felt the clean hit through my hand.
Its body bent like it might fold in half, then flew backward, crashing into a large tree where it finally stopped.
I walked over and looked down at the collapsed goblin.
It let out a faint groan, foam bubbling at its mouth, clearly unconscious.
I hesitated—should I finish it off or not—before just tapping the ground with the end of the branch.
No need to bully a weak monster any further.
After all, I still have my family’s honor to consider.
‘At this point, it probably won’t be attacking people so easily again…’
It must’ve thought I’d be an easy target, walking around alone in such inconvenient attire.
But after taking a beating like that, it wouldn’t dare recklessly attack anyone again.
The goblin’s eyes fluttered open.
“Don’t come near this area again.”
—Ki… Kiki…!
Its eyes widened in shock.
Then it scrambled to its feet and bolted away, tripping over itself in its panic.
Not that I could understand it.
Was that a cry of acknowledgment—or just a scream of terror?
I casually tossed the branch aside and looked at my basket.
After all that movement, the contents I’d neatly arranged were a complete mess.
I split them roughly into two piles and glanced around.
There were still plenty of Lichel trees nearby.
But this being monster territory, not many people would dare venture here.
‘No helping it.’
Might as well fill the basket a bit more before heading back.
That greedy little thought—just a bit more, just a bit more—led me to pick until the fruit and leaves reached the basket’s brim.
They say simple labor clears the mind.
Surprisingly, getting away from complicated thoughts like this did lift my spirits.
The pounding in my head had eased.
So focused was I that I hadn’t noticed how far I’d wandered from the city wall.
‘You can see the wall that clearly, how could anyone get lost?’
The healer had warned me not to get lost, which made me tilt my head.
Even without thinking, that massive wall stood out well enough to see from a distance.
Just follow its outline and you’ll reach the city in no time.
Plucking one more Lichel fruit and placing it in the basket, I saw it was truly full now.
As a reward, I picked a ripe one nearby and popped it into my mouth.
“Mmm~ tastes good.”
It might not look like much, but it was sweet as ever.
The taste lingered pleasantly in my mouth, and I felt a burst of satisfaction from finally filling the basket.
That’s when it happened.
—Kiki…!
As if it had been waiting, a goblin suddenly leapt out.
Not the one from before, surely a different one.
Narrowing my eyes, I examined it closely.
But the wounds I’d inflicted earlier were still fresh on its body.
Its eyes burned with bitter resentment, and it raised a long, crooked finger to point directly at me.
No doubt about it—same goblin.
So maybe… monsters don’t deserve mercy after all.
—Kroooaah!
And it wasn’t alone.
This time, it had brought a stronger monster with it.
Standing tall with puffed-up shoulders, the goblin gestured furiously, as if tattling on me.
The hulking orc beside it, easily twice its size, let out a deafening roar.
That bulky frame might look like it’s made of fat, but it was all muscle.
The orc swung a huge, wicked axe that looked like it could cleave a human head with ease.
It struck the ground with a thunderous blow.
Boom—
The sheer force of its arm split the earth so deeply it looked like the ground would crack in two.
‘Where did that orc come from?’
They usually travel in groups.
Yet now only two stood before me.
The orc took a heavy step forward.
No matter how big it was, normal footsteps shouldn’t make that kind of noise.
Goblin or orc, they both seemed to enjoy intimidating people.
They were really putting on a show—maybe I should at least pretend to be scared.
My acting skills have improved a bit.
Drawing from past experience, I quietly placed my basket behind a nearby tree.
‘Ah, the branch… shouldn’t have tossed it.’
It was already chipped and battered from earlier, but still—it felt like a waste now.
Voom—
I hadn’t even started acting, yet my hunched posture and cautious scanning of the surroundings must’ve looked like fear.
The orc let out a low chuckle, raised its axe, and swung it in a wide arc.
The goblin beside him cackled quietly.
‘They look like a perfect match.’
Not that it mattered to me. I was more focused on scanning the ground for a suitable branch.
Anything I picked up carelessly would just snap.
It needed to fit in one hand, and be the right length and thickness.
Finally, I spotted one that might work.
Crash!
Twisting my body lightly, I dodged the orc’s axe that had suddenly come down toward me and threw myself toward the branch.
The axe slammed into the earth again.
The orc, apparently not even realizing I’d dodged, flailed its arms and tore through the surroundings.
—Grrrr…!
* * *
