'Are those the adventurers who took the request?'
Two in the vanguard, one archer, and one mage. A well-balanced formation.
Judging by their still youthful faces, they must've just recently come of age. Still, with that kind of party, they wouldn't fall to goblins so easily.
Verden's form turned transparent.
It was merely a spell that concealed appearance, but there's no way those young adventurers would notice. The thought that someone might be watching them from the sky wouldn't even cross their minds.
Alright, let's follow them.
Verden began tailing the adventurers just as they were leaving the village.
***
Whoosh──thud!
An arrow struck a goblin square in the forehead.
The archer Mirna, who held the lowest rank in the party—White-rank—tilted her chin up proudly.
"How was that? I've gotten better, right?"
"Bragging about shooting something right in front of you…"
"Is your nose thirty meters long or something? Want me to break it?"
As she glared fiercely, the warrior Locke immediately shut his mouth. The two were childhood friends, so bickering like this was a common sight—but doing it in the middle of a request? What if a goblin overheard them?
Unable to watch any longer, the mage Iris stepped in.
"That's enough. Did you forget we're on a request?"
"Sorry, sis…"
"We'll be quiet."
"Good. Mild, did you find any traces of goblins?"
Mild pointed to the base of a tree. There were scratch marks where a goblin had passed.
Locke took the lead, followed by the rest of the party. As they hunted goblins that had strayed from the group and made their way through the forest, a hidden cave appeared in the corner.
At its entrance stood a totem made from animal skulls—the symbol of a Hobgoblin.
"Just as expected. As long as we're careful with the cave's terrain, it shouldn't be dangerous."
A Hobgoblin is an evolved form of a goblin. At most, it's just a bit larger and stronger.
Mild stepped on the totem and snapped it. Iris then cast a spell on each of her companions, including herself.
Gradually, the interior of the cave came into view.
If they used torches, there was a high risk of being spotted, and if the flames went out, they could be ambushed and wiped out. The presence of a mage alone drastically increased a party's survival rate.
...The sound of trickling water and goblin cries could be heard.
Upon spotting them, Mirna launched a surprise attack and pierced a goblin's head. She didn't forget to retrieve her arrow. The goblin subjugation was progressing smoothly.
But just then, a low, loud growl echoed from deep within the cave.
A Hobgoblin? Mirna, on reconnaissance, cautiously peeked in to take a look.
'What the…?'
A monster the size of an orc, with the face of a goblin. Its mouth was torn all the way to its ears. It looked around at the goblins nearby, then grabbed one and bit into it.
Crunch. Crackle. Snap. At the grotesque and spine-chilling sound, Mirna turned away.
"What is it? What's wrong?"
"Well, it's just…"
As Mirna explained, everyone's expressions turned serious. For accurate confirmation, Iris—an academy graduate—checked the monster herself.
A massive goblin that consumed its own kind. While there were similar evolved species, like the Goblin Champion, such powerful demi-humans wouldn't be hiding in a cave like this.
'Then… a special-type individual?'
But Iris quickly shook her head.
If that were the case, the village would've been wiped out already. Iris observed the creature as objectively as possible and came to a conclusion.
It was large, but aside from cannibalizing its own kind, it had no other special traits.
In short, subjugation was possible.
At Iris's decision, the other party members nodded despite their fear.
They'd fought and killed orcs before—taking down a goblin like that shouldn't be a problem. With that thought, the adventurers formed a line.
Fear faded, and reason returned.
After finishing her support spells, Iris launched a surprise attack alongside Mirna. An arrow lodged into the monster's face, and the mana burst stunned it, making it let out a monstrous scream.
The battle had begun.
***
'So this is how adventurers hunt.'
Verden had settled comfortably atop a ledge inside the cave, observing the battle leisurely.
Of course, he didn't intend to just sit back and watch them get brutally slaughtered by that goblin monster. If things got dangerous, he planned to step in.
Though it would be a bit annoying to explain why he was here afterward.
'Good thing I probably won't have to.'
The goblin monster… Let's call it a Clown Goblin.
The Clown Goblin had habits similar to a Clown Orc, but that was about it.
It didn't have the strength to rip a human apart in one blow, and eating goblins didn't make it stronger or heal its wounds.
It was just a slightly larger, grotesque-looking goblin.
'And that mage…'
A female mage called Iris, who handled second-tier enchantment-type spells.
Her situational awareness was quite sharp. She supported her teammates by properly using first-tier spells like Mana Arrow and Mana Burst.
The rest of the party fought desperately to protect her.
A textbook strategy, through and through.
But reality always finds a way to throw in an exception.
[Kyaaaaaaah!]
A blade grazed the Clown Goblin's face. As blood flowed into its eyes and its vision disappeared, it thrashed about violently. There weren't many goblins left now, so all they had to do was wait until its stamina ran out.
Then, the Clown Goblin grabbed a goblin and swung it around.
Bang! Crash! Blood splattered across the ground. The goblin, used like a weapon, was soon reduced to pulp and flung far away.
Right toward where Iris was standing.
"Sis, watch out!"
Too fast for an untrained mage to dodge.
In her panic, she saw the goblin's mangled face closing in.
An invisible path of wind. Swept up by it, the goblin's trajectory twisted at the last moment and grazed past Iris.
Her blue hair fluttered as it brushed against her back.
"Are you okay?! Did you get hurt anywhere?"
"Huh? Oh… yeah. I'm okay, Mirna."
It had only grazed her hair, not her body.
Iris rubbed her damp palms together. Her hands trembled faintly from the close call.
'I almost died…'
If it had hit her directly, her skull would've been crushed.
Even if she survived, her days as an adventurer would've been over. The dream she had nurtured since her days at the academy, gone in an instant.
'But how did I dodge that?'
The goblin's path of flight.
Even if she called it luck, it had been an impossible trajectory to avoid. Yet it suddenly changed right in front of her. As if swept up by something.
'I'll think about it later.'
Subjugation comes first.
Iris pulled herself together and joined the battle. Not long after, an arrow pierced the Clown Goblin's eye, and its neck was sliced. They even dealt with the fleeing goblins and took a moment to rest.
Locke approached Iris with a guilty look.
"Uh… I'm sorry. I let it through and our leader almost…"
"No, you did well. You kept the monster's attention on you. It's my fault for letting my guard down just because I was far away. Don't dwell on it too much."
Reality is ever-changing.
If you assign blame for every little thing, a party like this could never last long. Locke, now feeling slightly better, nodded.
And Verden had been watching that exchange.
'So in the end, nothing special.'
It hadn't been a waste of time watching how adventurers fought, but in the end, he'd learned nothing from the Clown Goblin.
Was it just a coincidence? He'd had a hunch it was connected to something, but aside from its appearance, nothing stood out.
Having finished his thoughts, Verden got ready to leave.
Just then, he felt a presence at the cave's entrance.
"Well now. Seems an uninvited guest has shown up while I was away."
What now?
***
A figure dressed entirely in black, a rapier at his waist. Despite walking, no footsteps were heard. A man with a clean-cut face, yet there was an eerie air about him.
Instinctively, the adventurers formed up. Iris, holding her staff, asked the man,
"Wh-who are you?"
"I'm the owner. Of that poor experimental subject you all ruined."
His finger pointed at the Clown Goblin.
"Tch. I made sure to restrict its activity, but to think it crafted a totem in the meantime. No matter how much you tamper with the brain, suppressing instincts in the wild must be impossible… Just to be sure, did you notice anything unusual? Like behavior not typical of goblins, that sort of thing."
"…"
Iris didn't answer right away.
The man who'd suddenly appeared was suspicious in every way, and nothing about him suggested good intentions. As the silence stretched on, the man sighed softly.
"I see, nothing then. Tsk… The 'Doctor' will throw a fit once he hears the experiment ended with no results. But, what can you do? What's done is done. I'll dispose of it and hurry to prepare the next one. Yes, that's the right choice."
"…What are you even talking about?"
"Oh, no need to worry about it. I enjoy talking—whether to others or to myself. Anyway, do you have any last words before you die?"
At his casual declaration of murder, the adventurers' faces hardened.
Still, as the leader, Iris gave a subtle signal to her team to prepare, and to buy time, she asked the man,
"Why… why are you trying to kill us?"
"There are lots of reasons. You interfered with the experiment, killed my property, and you'll report it to the Adventurers' Guild when you return to the city."
"…What if we don't say anything?"
The man burst out laughing.
"Ah, I figured someone would say that. It's funny though. Do you know how loose-lipped humans are? And even if you didn't talk, that's not really the point. To be honest, I just do it because I enjoy killing."
The man drew his rapier. At the same time, the energy he released spread through the chamber.
An indescribable pressure choked Iris's party.
'If he's awakened his aura, then he's at least Gold-rank…!'
He was far beyond what Iris's party—made up of those below that tier—could handle. Locke's shield trembled, Mirna couldn't even fully draw her bow, and sweat streamed down the always-composed Mild's face.
Iris bit her lip hard enough to bleed and cast enchantments on her teammates. It was a desperate struggle to survive.
Smiling, the man simply watched—then moved.
Death approached.
"Now, before you die, I'll show you what overwhelming power truly means."
"Doesn't seem that overwhelming to me."
"Ha ha. Just so you know, I despise empty bravado like that… Huh?"
Why did that voice come from the side?
As soon as the thought crossed his mind, BOOM! Mana exploded at point-blank range. The man was instantly blown away and slammed into the wall. Dust rose from the darkness.
Verden, now visible after releasing Invisibility, descended to the ground with all eyes on him.