Translator: CinderTL
"Goblins?"
Roland frowned deeply as figures emerged from the dense forest.
The creatures had pointed ears, protruding fangs, and hideous, grotesque faces.
The only difference from his memories was that their originally green skin was now covered in eerie crimson markings.
While goblins were often considered the lowest-ranking demonic beasts, even weaker than kobolds, Roland didn't let his guard down.
The bloodthirsty glint in their triangular eyes was completely at odds with their reputation for cowardice.
What was even more unsettling was...
"More than a dozen... No, wait!"
As more and more goblins poured from the forest, Roland gripped his sword hilt tightly, his knuckles turning white.
It wasn't fear that gripped him.
With his current strength, he could effortlessly slaughter ordinary kobolds, so he naturally wouldn't be intimidated by these smaller goblins.
But a vast numerical advantage could often compensate for individual weakness.
After all, he was flesh and blood, and his stamina would eventually run out.
Thinking this, Roland subtly glanced around, discreetly searching for an escape route while speaking.
"Young Master Darco, something's not right. We should prepare to flee."
"Heh! So it's these green-skinned mongrels!"
But Darco ignored Roland's cautious advice, instead licking his lips with excitement.
"Roland, have you encountered goblins before? This is my first time seeing them outside of books."
Darco gripped his sword hilt tightly, his body tense and eager.
"I heard the manor guards say that the Adventurer's Guild offers eight copper coins for each of these mongrels' ears on their bounty list."
"And if you hunt enough of them, you'll even earn the cheers of everyone present!"
As if envisioning himself being surrounded by admirers for his bravery, a fiery gleam ignited in the young noble's eyes.
"Don't be rash, Young Master Darco."
Watching the goblins form a simple formation and slowly advance, Roland lowered his voice to warn him.
But Darco simply grinned dismissively.
In Darco's eyes, these half-human-tall green-skinned demonic beasts were no more dangerous than the wild wolves he had hunted in the past.
"Mere goblins? What's there to fear? Watch me!"
Before Roland could stop him, Darco drew his sword and charged forward. The silver blade sliced through the sunlight in a fierce arc.
The goblin at the front, still raising its rusty short sword, didn't even have time to parry before its head flew off, spraying blood.
"Exhilarating!"
Darco didn't flinch at the blood splattering on his face. With a triumphant growl, he pressed forward without pausing.
His swordplay was both elegant and precise, a hallmark of noble training. Wherever his blade passed, goblins wielding crude wooden clubs fell screaming.
But Roland saw a fatal flaw in the Young Noble's technique.
Darco's swordsmanship was indeed superb, and his strength far exceeded that of an ordinary man. However, his movements were too textbook, almost rigid, clearly lacking real combat experience.
Every angle of his swings, every step he took, followed the strict rules of his swordplay manual, showing no adaptability to the enemy.
As Darco continued to slaughter goblins, pushing deep into the enemy ranks, three goblins suddenly attacked him simultaneously from different directions.
Their coordination was flawless. One swung a nail-studded wooden club in a feint from the front, while the other two thrust rusty short spears at him from his left and right sides.
Darco hastily parried the frontal attack with his sword, but the flanking assault caught him off guard.
Though he barely dodged, a bloody gash still opened across his left arm.
"Damn mongrels!"
He cursed through gritted teeth, preparing to retaliate, when he noticed five more goblins forming a semicircle around him, their fangs bared and cunning glints in their eyes.
At that critical moment, a dark figure suddenly cut through the battlefield.
"Get back!"
Roland's low shout exploded in his ears.
Darco instinctively retreated half a step. In the next instant, Roland's sword swept through the air like a whirlwind.
There were no fancy flourishes, only the most direct slashes and thrusts.
The first strike severed the left goblin's wrist. The second pierced the throat of the right-side attacker. The third, a horizontal slash, cleaved the goblin charging from the front in half.
"That's incredible swordsmanship..."
Darco's eyes widened.
This sword technique, born purely for slaughter, was utterly unlike the noble swordsmanship he had learned.
Without pausing, Roland said sternly, "Don't just stand there! They're closing in on us!"
Only then did Darco notice that the remaining goblins had changed their formation.
They had scattered. Some were climbing into the treetops to hurl stones, others were circling around to cut off their escape route, and five of the strongest goblins, wielding crude weapons, were slowly advancing.
"These beasts... they actually know how to use tactics?" Darco cursed incredulously, tightening his grip on his sword hilt.
"Keep moving! Break through to the left and rear!"
Roland lunged forward, his sword piercing a goblin's eye socket with deadly precision.
"Take out the ones with throwing weapons first!"
The two men spun back-to-back, moving in a circle.
This time, Darco had learned his lesson. He abandoned his pursuit of perfect form and instead imitated Roland's practical combat techniques. Though still somewhat clumsy, it was more than enough to deal with the unskilled goblins.
Raw strength combined with simplified movements proved increasingly lethal. Each strike cleaved goblins and their weapons in two.
Roland's Lion Swordsmanship was on full display in the battle.
Whenever golden subtitles appeared in his vision, he felt his understanding of the Lion Swordsmanship deepen. His iron sword moved as if fused with his arm, responding to his every whim.
As blood sprayed, the battle intensified.
Realizing their conventional tactics were ineffective, the goblins began to charge forward in a chaotic frenzy.
"Damn it!"
Cursing under his breath, Darco gritted his teeth against the sharp pain from his arm wound and swung his iron sword with all his might.
But the constant bleeding slowed his movements, making it increasingly difficult to parry the goblins' increasingly ferocious attacks.
Roland, keenly aware of the young noble's predicament, had to split his attention between fighting his own enemies and deflecting lethal blows aimed at Darco.
The battle, which had once favored their side, was now visibly turning against them.
Just then, a goblin that had been perched in a tree throwing stones suddenly dropped down, its rusty dagger aimed straight for the back of Darco's neck.
"Above!"
Roland roared, drawing the dagger from Darco's belt and throwing it with all his might. It pierced the attacker's throat with deadly accuracy.
Seeing the goblin's corpse fall at his feet, Darco broke out in a cold sweat.
"Thanks, Roland! Your skills are simply..."
"Save the praise for later!" Roland interrupted, pointing towards the dozen goblins gathering at their escape route.
These creatures were slowly forming a shield formation. Several held broken wooden shields in front, while others gripped spears, thrusting them through the gaps.
Though crude, this formation was highly effective against Roland and Darco, who were outnumbered and surrounded.
"We can't let them stabilize their formation!"
Facing this situation, Roland disregarded the difference in their social standing and shouted, "Darco, stick close to me!"
With that, he suddenly accelerated, veering sharply just before reaching the shield formation to exploit a weakness in its structure.
His sword swept sideways, cleaving through the outermost goblin, shield and all.
As a gap opened, Darco immediately understood. Roaring with fury, he charged into the formation, his iron sword whirling like a windmill, instantly crushing the goblins before him.
With a twist of his wrist, the sword blade plunged precisely into the chest of another goblin.
As Darco watched the green-skinned monster writhe in agony, about to burst into triumphant laughter, the dying goblin suddenly let out a piercing shriek. Its bloodied claws clutched desperately at the sharp blade, refusing to let go.
"W-what?"
Darco was momentarily stunned, instinctively yanking his sword free.
In that split-second of hesitation, another goblin, nearly severed at the waist, mustered its last ounce of ferocity and thrust its short spear with all its remaining strength.
The rusty spear glinted with cold light under the sunlight before plunging deep into Darco's calf, sending a spray of blood into the air.
"Aaaah!"
With a bloodcurdling scream, Darco gritted his teeth and beheaded the goblin. Then, collapsing to his knees in agony, he was instantly drenched in cold sweat.
"Damn it!"
Seeing this, Roland swiftly plunged his longsword into the throat of the goblin before him. Turning, he forcefully pulled Darco to his feet.
"Can you still walk?"
"Barely."
"Tsk."
Watching the endless stream of goblins pouring from the dense forest, Roland couldn't help but click his tongue and frown.
Without hesitation, he pulled the short spear from Darco's calf and tore off a strip of his own clothing.
Taking advantage of the distance between them and the approaching goblins, he quickly bandaged Darco's wound and then shoved him forcefully backward.
"Run! Don't look back!"
"But... Roland..."
Darco stared at the slender back of the young man, who was several years younger than himself, momentarily stunned.
His lips trembled, but he finally grit his teeth and shouted, "Forget about me! Just escape yourself!"
"Stop talking nonsense!"
Roland had already drawn his bow, nocking an arrow and pulling back the string as he barked, "Go find the guards and call for help!"
Darco wanted to argue, but seeing the resolute look in Roland's eyes, the Young Noble could only croak out, "Roland! You must live until I return!"
With those words, Darco stumbled and disappeared into the depths of the forest.
Once he confirmed Darco's safe retreat, Roland let out a long sigh of relief.
If it had been anyone else, Roland would have fled alone the moment the battle began. After all, aside from the days he spent as Darco's stable boy, he had only known the young noble for half a day—hardly enough time to risk his life for him.
But Darco was the only son of Baron Forslin.
If the young noble were to perish while Roland survived, even with Hawk's protection, he would likely still face the Baron's wrath.
Of course, Roland had no intention of sacrificing himself.
In truth, without Darco weighing him down, these small, green-skinned demonic beasts posed no real threat to him, despite their overwhelming numbers.
Watching the green tide surge forward, Roland closed his eyes and focused his mind.
When he opened them again, the world seemed to slow to a crawl.
[Focus] trait activated!
(End of the Chapter)
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