Goblin Knight - Chapter 390



Only Krnovel

EP.390 Young Mongma (2)

“So, while you were secretly colluding with our greatest enemy, what do you think of the prey I brought back by sweating and shedding blood on my own?”

“I told you it wasn’t like that… … .”

Blanc nodded, observing the reindeer while Nellyvia puffed out her cheeks and sighed.

A single shot to the neck from an ice pick that was as transparent as glass and hard to see. He would have died instantly, and he probably wouldn’t have known why he died until the moment he died.

Even the blood that flowed out would have frozen, so there would not have been a trace left.

It was a perfect hunt.

“Excellent… You’re even better than me at not spilling your prey’s blood. It may be a new experience, but you really are a quick learner.”

“Huh. Trying to cheer me up with compliments won’t work.”

“I’m serious. I think I can feel at ease with this.”

“… … .”

Nellyvia looked at him with discontented eyes.

“You speak as if you are going to go somewhere far away.”

“I will after everything is over. Even if it doesn’t, I might collapse… … .”

“Don’t say anything weird.”

“… … Hmm.”

Blanc, who was furious, quietly tied his tail and put the butcher knife into his hide.

As the slaughtering was being carried out in a slightly heavy atmosphere, Nellyvia suddenly spoke up.

“Have you still not changed your mind about leaving?”

“Huh? What?”

“You said that before we met the werewolves, you would take me back to our territory and then leave as a wandering knight.”

“… … Isn’t it too early to be talking about that? Not only are we still being chased, but Mephis is waiting for us right in front of us to eat, ready to cut off our heads at any moment?”

“Yes. You’re probably listening to me too. But it doesn’t matter. I’m asking you, Blanc.”

Nellyvia said with serious eyes.

“Last time… I couldn’t speak properly. I remember saying that you were convenient and fun, and that I wanted to hear about the outside world.”

“Yes. Then you must remember my answer, right? To prove that I am worthy of your loyalty. Did you feel like doing that?”

“……okay.”

“ah?”

Blanc stopped his hands and looked at Nelivia.

It was a sunken eye.

“This time, the werewolf thing was going so fast that I didn’t have time to properly look back on anything. Even at the end, that unknown executioner kid joined as a watchdog.”

– He’s not a kid! He’s the same height!!

“Shut up! I’m talking seriously! And, in the first place, if we want to, we can change our body shape as much as we want!!”

Nellyvia continued, cutting off Mephis’ words coming from the campfire.

“So this hunt was a good opportunity to focus and look back on the incident. I didn’t know that I would be in secret contact with that executor in such a short period of time… … .”

“I said it was a misunderstanding.”

“Well, we’ll see. Anyway, this is my conclusion.”

Nellyvia winked bitterly at Mephisto.

“They seem to be preparing for war.”

“… … .”

“It’s not about targeting a specific race. It seems like they’re trying to eradicate all monsters from the continent, whether they’re demons or werewolves.”

“Why did you think so?”

“Boldness.”

The girl tapped her neck.

“The first executioners I encountered tried to kill me even though they knew I was a princess of the Demon Tribe.

Well… that could be possible. Even if a reckless demon who ran out of his own territory on his own two feet were to be stabbed in the weak spot and die a violent death, would the truth be known? I was the one who erased all the clues that the demons could have traced.

But the werewolf case is different. They invaded the werewolf territory and after a long period of operation, they destroyed an entire civilization and almost succeeded in annihilating the race.

No matter how secretly you try to carry out your work, something like this cannot go undetected. Sooner or later, this news will have reached the monsters around you, and some of them will suspect that there are humans behind it.

It doesn’t matter if there is no clear evidence left. What matters is that ‘those insolent prey guys dared to show their hostility to the monster with their dirty tricks.’”

There is no way that the executors and the religious order were unaware of this natural procedure in advance.

Therefore, a more natural guess would be… … .

“We did this after we had prepared ourselves to the point where we didn’t care if the monsters showed their hostility.

Evidence? We don’t have to go far. Not even a hundred steps away, isn’t the ‘proof that all preparations are complete’ listening to this story with its ears wide open?

The Executor, who had been acting as a mere messenger or judge for a long time, has now become the strongest spear in the sect and can hunt monsters.

And likewise, the humans who had been fighting each other for a long time seemed unable to handle the problems that arose in various places after uniting under the name of the empire.

“If the Empire is in a situation where it needs to divert its internal discontent elsewhere, and the sect has grown strangely powerful and is running wild like this, there can only be one conclusion.”

Nellyvia said with a sigh.

war.

War is coming.

“… … Until now, I thought this problem was just me and you who got involved with me. I thought it would be over if only the two of us could return safely.

But the more I think about it, I don’t think that’s true. Rather, I keep thinking that my being attacked and the extinction of werewolves is just the beginning.

The real problem is that they were already fully prepared and the monsters weren’t at all.

We were… too strong.

They were so strong that they didn’t even think that humans would be a threat, and there was no need to unite.

Even after they learn that the werewolves have been wiped out, they will remain so for quite some time. All they see on the outside are werewolves who have gone mad for unknown reasons, so they will be more wary of human tricks than of human power.

You’d think that if you just crushed them with force before they did anything weird, it would be over…

That’s not it. Their ‘trick’ is also dangerous!”

Because I had been exploited by the executors and at the same time had witnessed their inaction several times.

Nellyvia’s hands were shaking slightly.

“After the war, no one would think we would lose. Not even humans.

But… I don’t think that’s going to happen. I don’t know if we’ll lose, but I think we’ll never win if we keep going like this.

I wonder if our glory will remain after the days when enough blood is shed to wet the earth and dye the rivers.

So… Blanc, I’m telling you again.”

After a long story.

Nellyvia looked straight into his eyes and said.

“I realized their danger, but I just felt threatened, and I didn’t know what the real danger was. It would be hard to get sympathy if I shouted to go back and prepare for war. But-”

“Why… I, who know their circumstances well, am different?”

“okay.”

Nellyvia nodded heavily.

“Blanc, I… we need you.”

“… … .”

“I won’t say it’s for me anymore. Not just for me, but for the countless number of our compatriots who will be sacrificed in the war, and also for the people who will die in vain.”

Nellyvia asked, holding out her small hand.

“Will you be our knight, Blanc?”

To that suggestion.

Blanc, who had been staring at Nellyvia for a moment without saying anything… shook his head quietly again.

“… …Why?”

“… … .”

“Is it because the responsibility is too heavy? No… It can’t be. You are the one who willingly gave up your life to protect a completely different race. You are the one who cannot turn away a hand that is asking for help. In that case… … .”

“… … .”

“… Is it because of me?”

Nellyvia asked in a trembling voice.

“Am I not the right person to ask for help?”

“No, that’s… … .”

“Because I am not worthy of your loyalty, because I am not good enough for you to trust and help?”

“Nellyvia.”

“… … That’s right. Actually, if I think about it carefully, I don’t have the right to say such things. You protected me, taught me many things, and considered me a colleague. I owe you more than I can ever repay.”

The girl muttered as if she had convinced herself.

It was an extremely bitter voice.

It seems as if there is even a hint of regret mixed in… … .

It was the voice of evil that allowed him to look back on his own life, as he was able to understand and respect Blanc.

‘That’s not it.’

I wanted to say that wasn’t the case.

You don’t trust Nellyvia? How could you? She was the girl who would become Annelie, and she was already showing signs of that.

Just as I would do anything for Annelie, I would do anything for Nelivia.

But… this time, it’s different.

Because he had to go back.

‘The operating time of the rabbit’s feet and magic shoes depends on the life force of the owner. Although the exact time limit is unknown, it is known that a lot of time has already been deducted.’

I’ve already been on the brink of death twice here. That means the time I can spend in the past has become shorter, and it could be even shorter in the future.

I don’t know when I’ll be back.

That means, even if you swear here that you will protect Nellyvia and her people from war… it is almost certain that you will not be able to keep your oath.

And a promise that cannot be kept is no different from a deception.

‘I have to tell you that I can’t stay by your side for long, that I have to leave soon… ‘

If only I had my way, I would confess to the fact that I had traveled through time here.

There was a different problem than before.

It was Mephis’ presence that was listening to the conversation.

Although she is still tolerant of them due to the influence of the platinum coin, she is ultimately an executor and has not built up enough trust.

There was no telling what would happen if she found out now that Blanc had leapt through time.

So, all we can do now is… … .

“It’s not a question of how good or bad you once were, Nellyvia.”

“……huh?”

“If I had intended to argue with that, I wouldn’t have saved you.”

“Then… why? What’s the reason! You always try to avoid it or gloss over it, but you’ve never once given me a proper explanation!”

“… … I can’t say.”

“Look at that! Even now-”

“I can’t say it, but I can say this.”

Blanc looked straight at Nelivia and said.

“I saved you because you were you.”

“uh…….”

“And that feeling is still the same. You asked for my help, so I want to meet that expectation. But this time, I can’t. I can’t… I can’t.”

“… … .”

“… … I’m sorry. This is really all I can say right now. I know it sounds like a mess. But… please.”

He said, carefully covering her hand.

“Can you believe me?”

“… … .”

Nellyvia couldn’t give an answer right away.

Blanc, who was also angry at her for her baseless beliefs, blushed and opened and closed her trembling lips several times.

He lowered his head so that his eyes could not be seen, and muttered very quietly.

“… … Cowardly.”

“Huh?”

“I will believe you. I will believe you… So let go of my hand… … .”

“Oh, I’m sorry.”

Blanc, who had taken his hand away, let out a tense breath and said, “Ha.”

“And thank you for believing in me. Let’s leave this story at that and go back… … .”

“But let me tell you one more thing. You, don’t get too close to that Mephis guy.”

“Huh? Of course-”

“Don’t come closer than necessary!!”

Nellyvia suddenly shouted in anger.

While I was bewildered by the incomprehensible conversion, Nellyvia muttered something.

“(I was sure of it. This guy is much more dangerous than I had guessed. If this continues, something more troublesome than that enforcer becoming an enemy will happen. I really need to keep a good grip on the reins. No, wait, isn’t that better for survival? If I can somehow charm him once… But the problem is what happens after that… If that kid starts looking at this guy, how do I stop him…)”

“?”

The language itself was different, so it was unintelligible.