Chapter 6
“A kid like you shouldn’t be wandering alone in this dangerous forest.”
Sharon walked ahead on the muddy path, chattering incessantly.
“Those slimy creatures just now are called Popilas. We generally call them Acid Slimes. Those things are incredibly tough; you need a sword to cut them in half. If they touch you even once, your flesh will split open. Last time someone in our village fell for their tricks, their whole hand rotted away. Even going to a big city and using magic couldn’t cure it.”
So magic really does exist!
“Uncle, what is magic?”
I asked feigning ignorance, trying my best to maintain an expression of knowing nothing. No, wait, I really do know nothing.
The flat-headed man next to me, Eiger, turned around. He drew circles in the air with his hand and wiggled his fingers in front of me.
“Little sister, it’s… it’s that thing, you know? Inside that round circle, lots of fire, lightning, and water pop out. It can even save people. Do you know how to use it?”
“Is it very powerful?”
“Of course! Magic is very strong. In our village, if a family has a child with magical talent who returns after completing their studies, wouldn’t they become a wealthy and noble family? Even the parents could enjoy a good life!”
It seems there are no mages in the village, which is a bit of a pity. But tagging along to have a look is fine too; I need more information about this world.
“So, Uncles aren’t mages then.”
“Hah, we’re just small-time hunters, half-militia really. We come out to hunt and feed our families.”
Eiger shook the basket on his back. It was heavy, seemingly filled with something.
“Luck wasn’t bad today. Caught four or five hares. I can give my kid a meat feast when I get home, haha…”
Thinking of his family, a smile gradually bloomed on the flat-headed man’s face.
Seeing his child happily eating meat is the greatest reward for a father’s hunting. Right now, his mind must be filled with a beautiful scene of warmth and harmony, the whole family gathered around eating meat soup. Compared to my miserable childhood, their happy life might make me jealous, but I have to face reality. I can never gather around a table with my parents again. Even though I’ve reincarnated, I’ve become a loli Demon Lord, and a vampire to boot.
Right, a vampire… In the eyes of humans, I’m an immortal heretic, an existence that should be nailed to a silver cross. And a Demon Lord is at best a target for the Hero to subjugate. Being both a vampire and a Demon Lord, I bear a double sin.
I did consider staying in my room and not going out, but curiosity about the outside world and magic drove me to leave the Demon Lord’s fortress. Otherwise, these cute long boots that look quite expensive wouldn’t be stepping in these small puddles, splashing muddy water with a splash-splash sound.
We walked along the muddy road for a while.
“Sharon.”
The flat-headed man called for Sharon to stop, taking his longbow off his shoulder and nocking three arrows.
“Yeah, heard it.”
Sharon, walking in front of me, bent his knees, drew the two swords from his body, and assumed a combat stance.
“Little sister, step back. It’s Goblins! Damn it, they probably smelled the blood. What bad luck.”
It was likely the hares he shot in his basket; blood had been dripping from it all along the way.
I obediently retreated to the back.
More than twenty short figures leaped nimbly out from the shadows of the bushes.
Are these Goblins…? They look pretty much like the ones in comic books.
Dark green skin, all with extremely long pointed ears and hooked noses. They held long knives suited to their stature in their hands, while their right hands held wooden shields. They chattered and squeaked in a language I couldn’t understand, and no pupils could be seen in their white eye sockets.
“Guraaaaaa!! Guraaaaaa!!!”
Letting out shouts like a charging bugle, these Goblins, who were shorter than even me, charged at the three of us.
“Sharon, cover me! Don’t let these dwarves get close.”
《Bow Skill: Triple Shot》
“Thwack!”
Eiger’s feathered arrows shot out. With the sound of cutting through the air, three Goblins were hit in the chest and fell to the ground in response.
“Little beasts, don’t think about taking another step forward!!”
Sharon spat out the foxtail grass in his mouth, held his dual swords, and swept forward. Several Goblin heads were sliced off and sent flying. Blue blood sprayed from their cleanly severed necks, and their ugly half-bodies slowly fell to the ground.
The remaining Goblins swarmed up, using their shields as a rampart and swinging their knives at Sharon.
《Sword Skill: Spiral Sword》
Sharon’s body emitted a blue light, and he began to spin in place like a top, forming a small whirlwind. Why do I feel like I’ve seen this move in some online game?
“Clang clang clang clang…”
The Goblins’ knife strikes were all blocked by Sharon, and at the same time, the wooden shields they held shattered.
“Snap.”
One of Eiger’s swords also broke.
Yes, it was the long sword that had been corroded after cutting the slimy creature.
“This is bad.”
He retreated a few steps, tightly gripping the other long sword stained with blue blood in both hands, wary of the Goblins’ every move. The so-called sword skill just now seemed to have consumed a lot of his stamina; sweat soaked his hair, and bean-sized beads of sweat slid down his cheeks.
Presumably, the fighting style of a dual-wielding swordsman is different from a single-handed one; the breaking of a sword would more or less affect his performance. Sigh, I feel a little guilty. If not for helping me, with their skills, Sharon and Eiger could have escaped.
Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh. Another three feathered arrows flew past. This time the Goblins blocked them with their knives. Another somewhat careless Goblin was only hit in the left hand and didn’t lose its combat ability at all.
The short dwarves had no intention of retreating, pressing closer step by step.
