Chapter 10

Goblin Lord aimed at Fonsie and pounced in a single breath.

Raising his club, he swung it down with all his might, aiming for Fonsie's head.

—He's fast.

Fonsie dodged instinctively, putting distance between them to avoid the attack.

“Gyuaaaaa!”

Enraged, the Goblin Lord lunged at Fonsie.

The club he swung had the power to shatter bones. However, when the enemy unleashed a powerful blow, Fonsie didn't hesitate to leap forward.

Lowering his stance, he let the club pass over his head. The wind pressure that brushed his hair spoke of its immense power, making his hair stand on end.

But Fonsie swung his sword without a moment's hesitation.

In a situation where a single misstep could shatter his skull, a normal person would feel a slight unease and inevitably react more slowly. Perhaps, in a sense, Fonsie was anxious, which is why he didn't hesitate.

Even a moment's hesitation would allow Phelitia to get a hundred steps ahead.

Fonsie's goal was to catch up to her. Therefore, he couldn't afford to lag behind in spirit.

“Wooooo!”

With a roar, he tightened his grip on his sword. His target was the legs.

Despite the momentum, his sword traced a delicate path and struck the Goblin Lord with a loud *zash* sound, wounding him accurately.

The blade didn't sever the leg, but it cut deep enough to expose the bone.

(Yes! This will take away his mobility!)

In the previous battle, the Goblin Lord had flown around the trees, toying with the soldiers. With this in mind, Fonsie decided to immobilize him first.

Despite his fierce fighting spirit, he remained calm.

When the Goblin Lord's stance wavered slightly, Fonsie immediately prepared to counterattack. However, the Goblin Lord was pointing a hand at him.

The rising magical power signaled the activation of a spell.

(Damn, at this distance—!)

Suddenly, a wall of fire was unleashed. It wasn't aimed at Fonsie; if it had been, he could have narrowly avoided it.

But it was directed at the ground.

The fireball exploded upon contact, gouging out a deep hole in the earth.

The distance between them was short, and they couldn't avoid the shockwave.

The Goblin Lord's attack could be described as a desperate move. Fonsie leaped back instinctively but was still blown away by the blast, groaning in pain from the burning sensation.

Amid the rising dust, Fonsie used the "Presence Concealment" skill.

The Goblin Lord had lost sight of him, so the skill would be effective now.

He managed to crawl away and move from the spot. Hiding behind a tree, he caught his breath.

(…I've been had. But he must have taken damage too.)

Using a detection skill to locate the enemy, he could tell that the Goblin Lord hadn't moved much.

Given that the ground had exploded, the Goblin Lord's legs, which were closer, must have been injured. Therefore, he couldn't move quickly anymore.

Fonsie was undoubtedly battered and bruised. However, using the last of his magic to activate "Healing Power" made him feel a bit better.

That was enough. He would push through with determination.

He took out the repeating crossbow from his waist and, as he leaped out from behind the tree, fired an arrow at the Goblin Lord.

The arrow pierced the Goblin Lord's leg, which he hadn't yet noticed.

“Gyaaaaaaa!”

Whether from anger or pain, the Goblin Lord roared and glared at Fonsie with bloodshot eyes.

However, he didn't charge forward.

So Fonsie continued to fire the crossbow.

After a few arrows struck, the Goblin Lord began to stagger. The previous attack had cut his leg, making it difficult for him to walk.

Despite this, the enemy, determined not to let Fonsie escape, didn't even notice the blood gushing from his wounds.

(I'll meet him head-on!)

Fonsie put away the crossbow and readied his sword.

He exhaled, focusing his concentration. As the Goblin Lord approached, the pressure increased, but it no longer bothered him.

He focused solely on the enemy's attack and poured his entire soul into the sword strike that was to come.

With a heavy slicing sound, the club was swung diagonally downward.

Fonsie held his breath, focusing on the trajectory.

He stepped back slightly, and the club's force grazed his chest.

A tingling sensation spread through him, but he had no time to dwell on it. This moment would decide the battle!

“Take this!”

Stepping forward quickly, he thrust his sword with all his weight.

The sharp thrust went straight through, piercing the Goblin Lord's neck and shattering the bone.

As the resistance suddenly lightened, the sword tip pierced through to the other side. Pushing forward with the momentum, the Goblin Lord fell backward.

A dull thud echoed, and he didn't get back up.

Fonsie, breathing heavily, looked down at the Goblin Lord. There was no sense of accomplishment, only a strong feeling of having grown stronger.

“Good…!”

Fonsie clenched his fist.

He didn't know how far he was from the hero, but for now, he would forget that and savor the feeling of the power he had gained.

If he continued on this path, he would surely achieve his goal one day.

As he stood there, the Goblin Lord's body began to disappear, leaving only the severed head.

Since he hadn't been given a quest, taking the head back would have no meaning. However, feeling a sense of pride for defeating a strong enemy, he decided to take it as a trophy.

Then, he picked up the large magic stone.

It was better than he had expected, and it would be a sufficient reward even without a quest.

(His armor is in tatters, so I should get a new one.)

Having been hit by a fire spell at close range, his armor was torn and unusable.

He could afford it with the money he had.

While thinking about this, Fonsie collected the scattered goblin magic stones and set off for home.

As he walked through the forest, the pain in his body intensified. During the battle, he had been in an excited state and hadn't noticed it, but now, in a calm state, it was quite painful.

The sky had turned dark, and the stars were visible.

Feeling the lonely night air and avoiding monsters, he eventually emerged from the forest.

Seeing the city, he let out a sigh of relief. As he approached the gate, he was stopped by the guard.

“You're out late. Did you catch a big one?”

Smiling, Fonsie casually took the Goblin Lord's head out of his bag, feeling a bit proud.

“I caught a big one like this.”

“What…! That's a Goblin Lord!”

Seeing the guard's stunned reaction, Fonsie felt glad he had brought it. At least it wasn't a complete waste.

“Well, a Goblin Lord isn't good for materials, so there's nothing much I can do with it.”

“…You don't know?”

When Fonsie asked, the guard handed the task to his partner and went into the guardhouse. When he returned, he was holding a piece of paper.

“There was an announcement from the bigwigs today.”

Looking at the paper, Fonsie saw that it stated a reward would be given to whoever defeated the Goblin Lord.

This fact hadn't been known in the western city, but upon further inquiry, it turned out that after the forest was reopened, this information was announced later.

This was to encourage people to conduct the investigation.

“…It's quite a large reward.”

“Of course, otherwise no one would go into the forest. If the reward is high enough, some people will go treasure hunting.”

“I see. Still, if I had kept quiet, I could have taken the Goblin Lord's head from some unknowing fool, right?”

“Anyone who does that is even more foolish. If investigated, it would be exposed, and even if it succeeded, my life would change. Someone who can defeat a Goblin Lord alone can't just be a guard.”

He was proud of being a guard.

Fonsie couldn't help but say,

“…You're impressive.”

He remembered being called impressive by the guard earlier.

“Yeah, I aim to be the best guard in the world.”

Fonsie smiled at the man's playful gesture. He thought he was already the best, but it wasn't his place to say.

“Go on, go now. If you're late, others might rush out to claim the Goblin Lord.”

“Right… the building at the end of this road. I'll go right away.”

As Fonsie was about to run off, the guard stopped him.

“Wait, you're going in that outfit!?”

“Oh, right. I need to wash it; it's dirty and disrespectful.”

“No, that's not it… Ah, never mind. Come with me.”

The guard led him to the guardhouse, which was filled with his personal belongings. He rummaged through a bag and found a clean set of clothes.

“…It might be a bit loose, but it's better than what you had.”

“Is that okay?”

“I'm just lending it to you, so return it properly.”

Taking the clothes from the smiling guard, Fonsie quickly changed.

“Not bad, you look handsome. Even that beast girl might look at you differently.”

“…You were watching?”

“Of course. As a guard, I remember the faces of everyone who comes and goes. Otherwise, there's no point in standing here.”

Indeed, a scarecrow would do just as well if he just stood there.

The guard then patted his back.

Fonsie bowed and ran into the city.

Due to the forest being off-limits and the lack of a citizen's guild, there were fewer men carrying swords.

However, now, with his new clothes, Fonsie felt like a well-off young man, free from any sense of inferiority. Just changing clothes made him feel more dignified.

He could go anywhere without feeling embarrassed.

Thinking this, Fonsie arrived at the location and realized his mistake.

In front of a large mansion, armored soldiers stood guard, and beyond the open gate, expensive furnishings were visible.

Even in a rural city, the buildings used by those in power were quite expensive.

Fonsie, who had come from a small village, almost fainted.

“Do you have any business here?”

When a soldier called out to him, Fonsie hurriedly took the Goblin Lord's head out of his bag.

Seeing the soldiers' shocked faces, Fonsie couldn't help but think,

(I made a mistake!)

Feeling the soldiers' puzzled gazes, Fonsie could only shrink back.

While the soldier verified, the villager who had defeated the Goblin Lord stood stiffly, tense and rigid.