Farewell to the hero! chapter 33

* * *

“Yeah, I’m hurt, Isa.”

I’m really hurt. He continued with a teasing tone, laughing lightly despite the torn and bloody palm as if it were nothing.

Then, Kaindel wiped the blood off my cheek with his uninjured hand, though he made no effort to clean the blood streaming down his own arm.

Instead, he carefully erased the smear from my face.

“Your pretty face is all messed up.”

“……Don’t.”

I frowned even harder.

I was worried about him, but he remained completely unfazed.

I couldn’t understand why Kaindel, with such a deep wound, acted as if it were someone else’s problem.

Now my eyes stung for a different reason.

I lowered my gaze, unable to meet his intense stare any longer.

His pale hand, which I was still holding, came into view.

The injury was severe.

Though the bleeding had lessened, blood still flowed freely.

It seemed it would take some time for it to stop completely.

I’d seen people die from blood loss back in Luther Village.

Even a small wound could cause someone to lose blood frighteningly fast.

Infection could follow if the wound wasn’t treated properly.

The fear that something terrible might happen if I didn’t do something overwhelmed me.

This wasn’t the time to be standing around.

At least I could try to stop the bleeding.

I scanned the area for a clean cloth, but Owen, who had approached without me noticing, touched my shoulder.

When our eyes met, he adjusted his glasses.

“Even without medicine, I’m here. Step aside.”

“…….”

It was only then that I realized Owen was there.

In my panic over Kaindel’s injury, I had completely forgotten that we had someone in our group who could heal.

Relief washed over me.

Thank goodness.

I smiled faintly to myself.

I had been so worried because we had no medicine for such a severe wound, but Owen’s healing abilities were reliable.

I released Kaindel’s wrist to let Owen take over.

It wouldn’t be easy to heal in such cramped quarters, so I wanted to give them as much space as possible.

The easier it was for Owen, the faster Kaindel’s wound would heal.

Kaindel’s eyes followed me as I moved away.

Only when Owen stepped in front of him did his gaze finally break.

Kneeling beside Kaindel, Owen placed his hand over the wound, pressing gently here and there as if assessing the damage.

Soon, a faint light began to seep out from under Owen’s hand.

The light slowly knit together the torn flesh of Kaindel’s palm.

As the wound healed, the blood that had been pouring from his arm thinned and finally stopped.

The ground, once soaked with blood, hardened and dried.

After a while, Owen spoke as the healing light faded.

“This was my mistake. I should have been quieter, but I let my guard down for a moment.”

“Hmm.”

Owen’s eyebrows twitched at Kaindel’s unenthusiastic response to his sincere apology.

“But from now on, you need to take care of your own body first.”

“I had no choice just now. There wasn’t enough time to draw my sword.”

“Even in extreme circumstances, it’s the same. If you die, we lose the reason we’re here. No matter how strong my healing powers are, I can’t do everything.”

“I’ll be more careful.”

Kaindel nodded obediently.

Though he didn’t explicitly promise to prioritize his own safety, his lack of argument suggested that he agreed with Owen.

After a while, Owen finished and withdrew his hand.

“All done. I couldn’t erase the scar because of the dense mana in the mist, but it should disappear by tomorrow.”

At that, I examined Kaindel’s hand.

What had once been a mess now looked clean.

A faint apricot-colored line remained where the wound had been, but it was nothing to worry about.

As soon as Owen moved aside, I hurried back to Kaindel’s side.

I examined his hand closely, relieved to see the bleeding had completely stopped.

Kaindel chuckled softly as I sighed in relief and admiration.

He even extended his hand as if inviting me to take a closer look.

His hand was now perfectly visible.

While I was carefully inspecting his palm for any remaining injuries, Sehir, who had walked over, broke the silence.

“So, what’s next?”

“If there’s a magic circle, we’ll have to break it.”

In response to Sehir’s question, Kaindel shrugged as if the answer was obvious.

Then he stood, rolling his wrist as he adjusted his clothes.

Watching him, Owen spoke up.

“I’ll go with Ruen to check.”

“No, take Sehir and Daniel too.”

Sehir’s eyes widened in surprise at Kaindel’s unexpected decision.

Sensing the need for an explanation, Kaindel added,

“We’ll need you, Owen, to break the magic circle. Ruen to navigate the mist, and Daniel because only his mice know the exact location of the cave.”

“Wouldn’t it be better if I stayed behind to guard the camp?”

“Without Ruen, it would be impossible for us to spot goblins from a distance. If we do encounter them, it will become close-quarters combat, not long-range. In close combat, I’m better with a sword than you.”

In short, Kaindel was saying he could guard the camp alone.

But he was right in his reasoning.

The goblins were greedy, and they wouldn’t leave the horses at the camp alone.

If everyone went into the cave, the remaining supplies would surely be taken.

Therefore, one or two people had to stay behind to guard the camp.

As he said, Daniel, Owen, and Ruen absolutely had to go.

Sehir, who could attack from a distance, was better suited to protect them than Kaindel.

With the four of them together, fighting goblins at close range wouldn’t be as disadvantageous.

So, does that mean I’ll stay behind with Kaindel?

That thought naturally came to me as I guessed Kaindel’s intentions.

He hadn’t specifically mentioned my role.

It was likely because I didn’t have any abilities that would be useful.

Still, seeing that I was excluded from the group going to the cave, it seemed I’d be left alone with Kaindel.

But with his injured hand, Kaindel wouldn’t be able to fight easily.

I decided I would need to assist him as much as I could.

Just as I resolved to help, Kaindel glanced back and flashed a small smile.

Then, picking up the sword that had fallen to the ground, he thrust it in the direction he had been watching.

Squawk!

A disgusting cry suddenly filled the air, and I turned to where he had stabbed.

There, pinned to a tree by Kaindel’s sword, was a goblin I hadn’t even noticed.

Its sagging green skin, crooked nose, and glistening blood-red eyes left a strong impression.

The goblin, desperately wriggling to free itself from Kaindel’s blade, finally dropped its worn axe.

The fallen axe rolled on the ground and stopped at my feet.

Its blade was old and stained with a little bit of blood, though I couldn’t tell whose it was.

“Ugh.”

I felt an eerie sensation, as if something nasty had stuck to me, and I nudged the axe away with my foot, biting my lower lip.

Meanwhile, Kaindel, who had been watching the goblin struggle for its life, eventually withdrew his sword with a calm, almost merciful expression.

As soon as he did, the goblin let out a pained cry, and smoke began to rise from its body. Then, a small, bright red core, like a broken gemstone, popped out.

It was its life core.

“Now, don’t waste any more time and go dismantle the magic circle.”

Six. Kaindel added quietly with a grin, showing no sign of concern.

If anything, he seemed excited, like he was enjoying the rare opportunity to move around.

Looking back, perhaps my worries that Kaindel might struggle against the goblins were unnecessary.

Neither Kaindel nor the others had seemed particularly bothered by the goblin attack.

It was as if the goblins weren’t even considered a threat.

Though goblins were lower-level monsters, they still caused trouble for many people.

Yet Kaindel’s group handled them with ease.

How many monsters had Kaindel fought before?

While I was pondering, Sehir, counting the remaining arrows in his quiver, responded, “I’ll be back soon.”

---

“Then, shall we climb up there?” Kaindel, after watching the others quietly sneak off, looked down at me with a mischievous grin and gestured upward with his chin.

“Up there?”

I followed his gaze in confusion and saw a thick tree branch come into view.

* * *