The goblin champion screamed in pain as he stepped back. Nubie turned her head and noticed Gabriel charging toward the other champion who had remained behind. The latter, having noticed the young man, rushed toward him in turn. But a few meters from the goblin, Gabriel leaped into the air while shouting:
- Sword of the Sky, first form: Eternal Separation!
The goblin raised and brandished his sword to receive him, but at the moment of impact, Gabriel's blade sliced the giant goblin sword in two before cutting the goblin himself from head to toe. One part of the goblin fell to the left and the other to the right, spraying blood.
At the same moment, Nubie took advantage of the situation to regain courage and use her last strength to jump onto the other large goblin already mutilated by Gabriel. She grabbed his shoulder and avoided a counterattack with the back of his hand by performing an acrobatic move to pass behind the monster and wrap her legs around his head to stab the fairly sharp tip of her bow into his ear.
Blood gushed out again.
The monster screamed as it staggered backward while Nubie pulled out the staff to drive it deeper into his head. She aimed at the same spot again and struck him once more, again and again and again and again, seized by something like hysterical madness.
Gabriel then took advantage of the situation to use his technique once more and cut off the goblin champion's legs, who fell backward while Nubie continued to strike him until the monster collapsed onto the ground on his back. She climbed on top of him and continued to hit him again on the ground, again and again, with all her rage, screaming and yelling until the monster's brain, mixed with its blood, flowed onto the ground under the furious gaze of the young girl.
Completely out of breath, she stood up on the monster's body and stared at it carefully. Then she looked at the other one whose two halves lay at Gabriel's feet. She also looked at what remained of the giant eye behind them, and finally at the corpses of the hundreds of goblins massacred by the good work of their saviors. Her agitated breathing finally began to calm as she moved away from the monster's body, stepping back cautiously, as if afraid to see the nightmare come back to life.
- It's okay! It's all over, Gabriel said to reassure her.
The young girl cast astonished eyes at him before considering the blood-covered bodies of the monsters around her. Then, large drops of tears began to flow from her eyes without her being able to wipe them away. She let herself fall onto her buttocks before bursting into tears without restraint.
And she was not the only one. All the girls who were in the cave, still conscious and alive, were crying bitterly with her. For them, this hell had just ended. Gabriel himself eventually fell to his knees because of his serious injuries inflicted by the eye. He tore part of his clothes to bind his wounds, because his mission was not finished. He also had to bring the girls back to their homes.
Nevertheless, the cave had been completely cleaned. The battles over, helped by Nubie, Gabriel brought all the young girls back to the village as he had promised. But the reunions were not the easiest. These girls had known hell, and it showed in their eyes and in their behavior. While some burst into tears in the arms of their parents and partners, others showed no emotion and remained as expressionless as rock, while others still seemed fearful and frightened.
The villagers welcomed them with blankets and first-aid kits more or less suitable. Their joy at finally seeing their families reunited mixed with a deep, unspeakable sadness in an emotional and cruelly tragic atmosphere, according to Gabriel, who could not help but feel pity for them.
As for himself, he quickly received the necessary medical care for his wounds. He collapsed to the ground just after trying to walk; the woman treating him deduced that he must have lost a great amount of blood on the way back. The village chief, the old man, ordered that he be taken to a room so that he could rest. Lacking the means to give him a transfusion, they prayed that he would one day awaken from his injuries.
And fortunately for him, he recovered very quickly.
At noon on the second day after the battles, Gabriel had gone to sit under a tree a little distance from the village and was watching it from his slightly elevated point of view: a green hill. He was enjoying the pleasant climate and the beautiful scenery to relax when he was joined by the old man who had asked for his help and his daughter. The old man came to sit near Gabriel, while his daughter handed him a leather bag and a coat before leaving immediately.
- Thank you again, Mister Gabriel. All the villagers are very grateful to you, you know?
- What will happen to those young girls? the young man asked, thinking of those poor victims of the goblins.
- They will be taken to the temple and will receive appropriate help. Unfortunately, that is all we can do for them. This kind of experience tends to traumatize us for an entire lifetime, so all we can do is pray for them.
- I see! I hope they will recover. Such beautiful and young girls… it's a shame they disappear in this way.
- We will never be able to thank you enough for bringing our children back alive. Thank you again.
- It wasn't free, so there's no need to thank me that much.
It was at that moment that Gabriel noticed Nubie walking toward them. Gabriel stood up to greet her, a little worried about her mental state. Because, as the old man said, this kind of thing tends to mark an entire life.
- You look pretty good today, he said before finding himself foolish, considering the situation.
- Mister Gabriel, I came to thank you on behalf of all my friends whom you saved, the girl said.
- Well, let's say it was like that, Gabriel replied when the old man approached Nubie and said:
- You too are among the victims of these monsters. If I understood correctly, you and your team of adventurers had come to hunt them by answering our request sent to the guild. We are truly sorry. All this because of us…
- Don't apologize, old man, the young girl interrupted. We did nothing at all. Out of greed, we accepted this mission that seemed easy, and without even gathering information about our enemies, we rushed headfirst into the cave when we should have gone through the village first to make our presence known. We fell into their traps. The giant eye blocked our magic with a simple area attack. Then the two Goblin champions massacred our swordsman and also the tank by crushing them until they were unrecognizable. And then, the goblins relentlessly attacked Tomie and Blanca and me...
Even though she tried to hold back her tears and give herself a strong appearance, Gabriel and the old man could still feel it: the immense sorrow in the young girl's voice as she pressed her left shoulder so hard that she was hurting herself with her own fingernails.
- You seem to be holding on, the young man murmured.
- I have no choice. Blanca has a blank stare and she hasn't said a single word since. And Tomie is seriously injured, she is almost unrecognizable, so I'm the only one who can take them to see specialized doctors, and I also have to announce the death of the two others. I…
Gabriel placed his hand on Nubie's head and pulled her against his chest before whispering into her ear.
- You are strong! You will make it. You will manage to rise again from this tragedy. Life is not all pink, and when it wants to, it can be very cruel. But you, on that day, you fought for yourself and your comrades. Never let yourself be broken, and if you feel weak, then become stronger. And if one day you manage to rise again from all this, come see me. Yes, I would really like to have a girl as strong as you on my team, haha.
- I'm not… as strong as you…
- Yes, you will make it! the man insisted. I know it because I saw you get back up once, and I know you can do it again, so never stop fighting.
The young man's words touched the girl straight in the heart. She hugged him tightly and buried her head completely against his chest, releasing all the tears of her body that she had been trying to hold back for two days since the disaster. Forgetting all sense of shame and dignity, she screamed, cried, and wept with all her strength as much as she could... no matter if people were to mock her or call her weak, childish, or even pitiful. She let out all the tears in her body without restraint.
As for Gabriel, he did not let her go and continued to hold her tightly in his arms until she finished and felt better. She wiped her tears and thanked Gabriel once again before saying her goodbyes. Then she went to join a wagon in which were her two other friends as well as the bodies of the two boys, before setting back on the road. Before climbing into the wagon, she turned one last time to look at Gabriel and, without a word, she left... knowing that she would never forget that face.
Gabriel and the old man remained on the small hill, watching the wagon move away. After that, Gabriel stretched in turn while preparing for his departure.
- Well, it might be time for me to go too.
- You are leaving us already?
- Yes! I have things to do elsewhere.
- I understand! We have done as you asked. Here is a bag filled with food and water for three days, and a horse has also been prepared for you.
- Good! Thank you! the young man replied as he noticed the horse tied at the bottom of the hill near the main road.
He returned one last time to the village with the old man. The inhabitants had found their lives again, or at least were trying to. The old man's daughter brought new clothes to the traveler, and a man brought him a horse already prepared for departure.
- You can at least stay for dinner. It would make us happy and...
On the old woman's face as she spoke to him, Gabriel could still see worry. Surely the fear of the return of the monsters that had terrorized them, which made her so anxious.
- Don't worry. During the two days I spent here, I took care to carefully check the area and there was no trace of monsters, so everything should be fine. But still, ask for a guard for your village. You are never too careful.
That reassured the still-hesitant minds about his departure a little. After that, he mounted his steed and attached his two swords before resuming his journey. He crossed the village to the gate before stopping and turning around one last time to look at the village he might never see again. He met the gaze of a few villagers who had come to witness his departure before turning back and continuing on his road, nothing more, nothing less.
The sun resumed its course and time continued to flow at full speed. Thus, two days passed after Gabriel's departure from the small village.
After two days on the road, he managed to reach a fairly dense forest. It was raining, so he wore his cape and moved slowly through the rainy, dense forest.
- Haaaa, I'm not far from the city of Dania anymore. But damn, I'm exhausted and I'm starving. They gave me rations for three days but... they underestimated my appetite. I hope they didn't have any other problems after my departure. And then, whatever. The most important thing is that I'll soon see her again, the traveler thought, happy and joyful. I'm almost nostalgic about returning to this city. It's been about three years since I last came. I wonder if beautiful Nina waited for me, he wondered before starting to daydream. Oh yes, beautiful Nina, she was the only one who was kind to me when I arrived in this world. Her beautiful smile lit up my dark and harsh days. Oh yes, I will marry her. It's thanks to her that I left to train so I could earn more and marry her. Haaaa my beautiful Nina, I love you. You are the sun of my days, Gabriel shouted in the woods when he heard the sounds of hooves and cries coming from somewhere in the forest.
He strained his ears to listen better and soon spotted where the sounds of hooves were coming from. Galloping at full speed, he drew closer to the main road and, at the same time, to the noise in question. Still galloping alongside the road between the trees, he soon noticed a white carriage pulled by four horses and chased by about ten men on horseback.
Ignoring the situation, he decided to stay back and observe the scene a little longer. The men on horseback were gradually catching up to the carriage. Two of them managed to move to both sides and tried to reach inside the carriage with their lances.
But they were repelled by some kind of barrier. So the two men turned their attention to the horses, piercing with their lances the two leading ones. They thus caused the violent fall of all the other horses and the carriage itself. The carriage fell violently onto its side and slid for a moment on the muddy road until the link between the horses and the carriage was cut.
The attackers, having thus caught up with them, dismounted from their mounts to surround them. One of them seemed to be leading the others. He ordered his underlings to calm down since they were all hot-blooded, overexcited men with vicious and disturbing smiles.
He stepped forward and addressed someone.
- Come on, come out of there. I know you're alive, and I wouldn't like my men to be forced to come get you. And what if we tried to settle this with... hmm, diplomacy? he said. It's simple, you let yourselves be taken, and I... I promise that not only will you have a painless death, but on top of that, I'll be the only one to take you through the little hole, hahahahahaha.
"BWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA HA"
Clearly, the leader's words greatly amused his subordinates, who burst out laughing. When suddenly, a gust of wind violently tore off the carriage door, which was now pointing toward the sky, and sent it flying through the air. As a result, the armed men took combat stances when, bursting out of the carriage, appeared a little girl who looked like a twelve-year-old child.
Short white hair, dark red eyes, sharp teeth, an outfit that stopped just at the level of the navel, and a short skirt that covered only half of her thighs. Above it all, a large white cape that did not seem attached to anything, as if it were floating around her. The girl, her arm raised toward the sky with a magical staff bearing a blue crystal, spoke with great pride and a heavy voice despite her small size:
- Band of larvae, who do you think you are dealing with? I am the one and only mistress of the supreme water magic of the entire continent. I am the greatest magician in history. I am both the most beautiful and the cutest woman in the whole world. I am the daughter of the great mage and Count Liner. The one who shatters darkness and devours the sun. The one whose reputation has humility only by her own will. Yes, you guessed it, I am the one and only "Lily Lulu Roupi Roman Sol Liner." How dare you attack me, you bunch of ignorant and repulsive fools.
Her declaration left everyone speechless.
Even Gabriel, who was observing the scene hidden behind the bushes, was greatly surprised by the girl's stupidity, while she herself smiled proudly.