The strange laugh echoed again.
"Heh... heh..."
It was faint.
Almost carried away by the wind.
Kael stood completely still.
His right hand rested on the hilt of his sword while his eyes slowly scanned the tall grass around him.
*Don't rush.*
That was one of the first things he had taught himself while training.
An enemy you couldn't see was more dangerous than one standing right in front of you.
The grass swayed gently.
Nothing.
Then...
A rustle.
To his left.
Kael immediately turned.
A small green figure darted between the grass before disappearing again.
"So it really is a goblin."
He didn't chase it.
Instead, he crouched and looked at the ground.
There.
Fresh footprints.
Small feet.
Bare.
And there wasn't just one set.
"...Five."
Kael counted quietly.
"No... six."
They were trying to hide their tracks, but they weren't experienced enough to erase them completely.
He followed them at a slow pace.
The further he walked, the quieter everything became.
Even the birds had stopped singing.
---
Nearly twenty minutes later...
Kael reached a rocky hill covered with bushes.
The footprints stopped there.
He frowned.
"They disappeared?"
He searched carefully.
Then he noticed something.
One of the bushes wasn't growing naturally.
Someone had bent the branches to hide an opening.
Kael slowly moved the branches aside.
Behind them was a narrow path leading underground.
"A cave..."
He didn't enter immediately.
Instead, he climbed onto a nearby rock and observed the entrance.
Minutes passed.
Then...
A goblin walked out.
It carried a sack over its shoulder.
Inside the sack...
Kael heard a sheep bleating.
"So that's where the livestock went."
The goblin looked around nervously before walking back inside.
Kael watched silently.
Then another goblin appeared.
Then another.
One...
Two...
Three...
Seven.
Kael frowned.
"There are more than I expected."
He kept watching.
After several more minutes, two larger goblins came out.
Unlike the others, these wore crude leather armor.
Each carried a rusty spear.
"They're guards..."
Kael whispered.
"This isn't just a random group."
He slowly climbed down from the rock.
His mission was to investigate.
Not attack.
He looked toward the hidden cave once more.
"If I go in alone..."
He already knew the answer.
It would be stupid.
No matter how much he had trained, he wasn't strong enough to fight an entire goblin nest by himself.
He turned around.
"I'll report this first."
---
By the time Kael returned to Greenwood Village, the sun had already begun setting.
The streets were quieter than usual.
He headed straight toward the Adventurer Guild.
The moment he walked inside...
Lyria looked up from the counter.
Her shoulders immediately relaxed.
"There you are."
Kael blinked.
"Were you waiting?"
She looked away.
"No."
"You were."
"...Maybe."
Kael smiled a little.
"I found something."
Her expression immediately became serious.
"What?"
"Not wolves."
She stood up.
"Come."
The two walked into a quieter room behind the counter.
It wasn't very large.
There was only a wooden table, several chairs, and shelves filled with old records.
Lyria closed the door.
"Tell me everything."
Kael nodded.
"I followed the tracks from the farm."
She listened carefully.
"They led to a hidden cave behind the eastern hills."
Lyria quickly picked up a notebook.
"A cave..."
"There are at least nine goblins."
Her quill stopped moving.
"Nine?"
"And two larger ones wearing armor."
Her eyes widened.
"Goblin Fighters..."
Kael nodded.
"I think so."
She slowly finished writing.
"Anything else?"
"They've been stealing livestock."
"No humans?"
"Not yet."
Lyria let out a long breath.
"That's... actually good."
Kael looked at her.
"Good?"
"They're still gathering food."
She folded her arms.
"If they were already kidnapping people..."
She didn't finish the sentence.
She didn't need to.
Kael understood.
Silence filled the room.
Finally Lyria looked at him.
"You did the right thing."
"I almost went inside."
She stared at him.
"...You what?"
"I changed my mind."
Lyria put both hands on the table.
"Kael."
"Hm?"
"If you had entered that cave..."
She sighed.
"...you probably wouldn't have come back."
Kael scratched the back of his head.
"I figured that out."
"You figured it out after finding the entrance?"
"...Yes."
She closed her eyes.
"I don't know whether to call you brave or hopeless."
Kael laughed quietly.
"I'll take either."
She couldn't help smiling.
"Idiot."
---
Not long after...
Heavy footsteps echoed through the guild.
An older man with broad shoulders entered the room.
He had short gray hair and a thick beard.
A long sword rested at his waist.
Lyria immediately stood.
"Guild Master."
The man nodded before looking at Kael.
"So..."
"You're the young adventurer who found the goblin nest."
Kael nodded respectfully.
"Yes, sir."
The Guild Master studied him for several seconds.
"I read your previous reports."
"The wolves."
"The alpha."
"And now this."
Kael remained silent.
The older man crossed his arms.
"You don't exaggerate."
"I only write what I see."
"Good answer."
He walked toward the map hanging on the wall.
Lyria pointed toward the eastern hills.
"The cave is approximately here."
The Guild Master frowned.
"...Closer than I expected."
He looked at Kael.
"How certain are you?"
"Eighty percent."
"Eighty?"
"I didn't enter the cave."
The Guild Master nodded approvingly.
"Good."
"Knowing when not to fight is also a skill."
Kael was slightly surprised.
Most people would probably have called him a coward.
Instead...
The Guild Master praised him.
The older man looked back at the map.
"We'll send a proper subjugation party tomorrow morning."
Lyria let out a relieved sigh.
Kael asked,
"Can I come?"
Both of them looked at him.
Lyria answered first.
"No."
Kael blinked.
"...That was fast."
She folded her arms.
"You've been an adventurer for less than a week."
"I know."
"You've already fought monster wolves."
"Yes."
"You discovered a goblin nest."
"Also yes."
She pointed at him.
"That's enough excitement."
The Guild Master chuckled.
"She's right."
Kael sighed.
"I expected that answer."
The Guild Master smiled.
"But..."
Kael looked up.
"You discovered it."
"So you've earned the right to observe."
Lyria looked surprised.
"Guild Master?"
"He won't join the front line."
The older man looked at Kael.
"You'll stay behind experienced adventurers."
"No heroics."
"No charging ahead."
"No ignoring orders."
Kael nodded immediately.
"I understand."
The Guild Master smiled.
"Good."
"Be here tomorrow before sunrise."
After saying that, he left the room.
Silence returned.
Lyria looked at Kael.
"...You're smiling."
"I am?"
"You are."
Kael rubbed the back of his neck.
"A little."
She sighed dramatically.
"I have a bad feeling about tomorrow."
Kael laughed.
"I'll stay behind the veterans."
"You promise?"
"I promise."
She looked at him for a long moment before finally nodding.
"...Fine."
"But if anything feels wrong..."
"I'll retreat."
"No."
She looked him straight in the eyes.
"You'll run."
Kael smiled.
"...Alright."
"I'll run."
Lyria finally smiled back.
"Good."
Outside, the sun slowly disappeared beyond the hills.
Neither of them noticed the pair of glowing crimson eyes watching the village from the distant forest.
The goblins were not alone.
Someone else...
Had been watching Kael ever since he entered the forest.