The Guild Master Whose Hobby Was Helping People Found Himself Surrounded by the Strongest, Overly Attached Members - 15

Chapter 15: That Green Guy

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After leaving Envel Village, we stepped into the entrance of the forest. The trees stretched high, their leaves spread wide as if to block out the sun. Dappled shadows danced across the ground, and the smell of damp earth and rotting foliage stung my nose. The air was thick and muggy.

“…Something’s wrong, after all.”

Sera furrowed her brows, stopping as her hand hovered near the sword on her shoulder. Normally she walked with a spring in her step, but now she moved cautiously, suppressing her presence.

Just as the old woman in the village had said, something was off. Everything within sight was still, yet the air brushing against our skin carried a subtle unrest. The wind howled far away, but here it felt like time itself had stopped. Or was it just the atmosphere playing tricks on us?

“There aren’t even birds here.”

Lisette stopped, tilting her head back to peer up at the trees as she muttered softly. She was right. Despite all these trees, there were no cries, no flapping of wings. Instead, faintly, from somewhere unseen, came another sound.

“This isn’t… The sound of the wind, is it?”

As I strained my ears, a creeping unease spread through me. A heavy, damp sound slithered closer from beyond the leaves. Footsteps squelching as if soaked in water. Something was moving.

Ragnar’s hand suddenly slid to the shaft of his spear.

“There are presences ahead… Numbering over ten.”

His low voice left no room for doubt. It wasn’t a joke. his instincts as a knight were telling him the truth. I scanned the surroundings. Among the trees, I caught sight of unnatural shadows—small eyes flashing from between the leaves.

“They’re coming!”

The moment I shouted, the underbrush exploded apart. Green skin, tattered armor, twisted mouths full of jagged fangs lunged out at us.

“Goblins…!”

Sera drew her sword. Before I knew it, the same figures were swarming from every direction in my field of vision. Still, they were only goblins. Even considering their cunning, they were no more than D-rank monsters—nothing that should give us trouble.

“Sera and I will handle these. Ragnar, watch our rear. Lisette, scout the surroundings.”

At my command, everyone nodded and moved into position. Letting Ragnar or Lisette fight goblins directly would have been a poor choice. I had seen SS-rank strength with my own eyes before.

Ragnar had once punched a hulking magical beast ten meters through the air. That kind of power unleashed on goblins would be effective, sure, but the noise would be so overwhelming it could attract unnecessary enemies.

As for Lisette—well, she was unsettling in a way I couldn’t quite place. Best to avoid the risk.

“Alrighty! I’ll do my best and show Master how awesome I can be!”

By contrast, I fought with steady caution—or rather, I couldn’t fight any other way. And Sera, being a swordswoman, would make some noise, but—

She tripped. Flat out dove into the dirt.

Damn it. 

She could never perform well when she knew I was watching her. At least, by some stroke of luck, the sword that flew from her hand pierced a goblin’s gut, taking one out.

“Sera, just protect yourself! I’ll take care of them!”

“Uuu… I’m sorry, Master…”

I shifted my stance to keep Sera at my back and steadied my breathing. I relaxed my shoulders and cleared the noise from my vision. I didn’t reach for the longsword strapped to my back, but instead drew the short sword at my hip.

Against goblins, maneuverability and precision were key. One, two, three. The goblins leapt from the brush in turn, baring their teeth as they rushed into range.

One at a time. Make every strike count.

The first goblin raised its crude club. I slipped past with a sidestep, sliding my blade into the back of its knee. A tendon snapped with a shriek. Ignoring it, I twisted my body low, darting like a snake to the side, and drove my short sword upward into the throat of the second.

Blood sprayed. With two down, their corpses created a blind spot, and the third goblin hesitated.

Without a pause, I lunged into its space, ducked beneath its arm, and thrust into its ribs. That made three. More than ten still remained.

“Master, the rear is safe!”

Sera’s voice called from behind me. She seemed focused now on watching our backs. That much at least gave me the freedom to concentrate forward.

“Good… Now it really begins.”

More goblins closed in, this time five at once. If they jumped together, it would be troublesome, but—

“I’ll take the initiative.”

I snatched a small stone with my left hand, aimed, and hurled it. It struck one goblin square in the forehead. As it flinched, I surged forward, sliding my blade low into another’s knee. Its stance buckled; I followed with a roundhouse kick to send it sprawling.

In the opening created, I thrust clean through the throat of the goblin on the far right. No wasted movements. No unnecessary strikes. Each one precise, each one fatal. Calmly, dispassionately, I cut them down.

Only one goblin remained. It stumbled backward, trembling, stepping over the corpses of its companions in fear. But I couldn’t let it escape.

Wiping the blood from my sword onto my sleeve, I stepped forward silently. When it turned to flee, I advanced without hesitation, reversed my grip on the blade, and struck in a single slash.

The forest fell silent. It was over sooner than I had expected. I steadied my breath and wiped my short sword clean.

“Master… You were amazing.”

Sera approached, eyes wide.

“…Are you hurt?”

“No, I’m fine. Thank you for protecting me. Even though I couldn’t really do anything in the end…”

“No. You watching my back let me fight without worry.”

Sera’s eyes shimmered faintly with moisture. That was when—

“Shin-sama! Twenty meters ahead, behind that fallen tree! There are people!”

Lisette’s voice rang out.

“You two, let’s go!”

The three of us rushed forward. Beyond the fallen tree lay two human figures, caked in mud and blood, lying helplessly on the ground.

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