For Aria, expressing emotions was merely a bothersome set of actions.
Having seen the worst outcome of her life at such a young age, she believed that the only time her emotions would fluctuate significantly was when she sought revenge on that demon, Andras.
However, for some reason, every time the man before her, Lev Denec, spoke, she felt as though her firm will was being tested.
– Nod if you believe me.
Unknowingly, Aria found herself nodding her head.
It was undoubtedly her pure intention.
“Alright. I’ll explain it simply.”
“…Yes.”
As they heard the distant snickering of the bandit group, Lev shared all his suspicions while keeping his gaze fixed that way.
*
“Then they’re all in cahoots…”
“Yeah. So we need to pinpoint the location of that coachman. If he’s targeting us, he’s probably still around here.”
“Understood.”
It wasn’t particularly difficult.
Though Aria never actually learned application magic like surveillance or detection spells, ever since that day, she found herself able to use them easily.
‘But how does this guy know that?’
The secret Aria hadn’t even told her academy professor was detection magic.
Others probably only knew about divine magic and healing magic.
Pushing aside the question that suddenly popped into her mind, Lev continued.
“Release the surveillance magic on me…”
“…”
“Instead, put it on that coachman. He’s probably a demon in disguise.”
“That person just now was a demon…”
At this, Aria’s heart momentarily wavered.
She indeed had vowed to trust Lev, but asking to release the surveillance magic made her uneasy, considering that her reason for following him here was to confirm if he wielded dark magic.
“That’s…”
As Aria displayed her hesitation, Lev quickly whispered.
“If I wanted to kill him, I could have easily done it while he was with the carriage.”
Thinking back, that was true.
Once he noticed, there was no need to go through all this trouble.
It would be easy to attack the coachman from behind.
Besides, he had a history of taking down enhanced rag demons in one hit.
“But the reason I didn’t attack back then was to give you trust.”
His deep, dark eyes were persuading Aria.
“Check who the real demons are.”
“…Understood.”
*
In front of me, Aria closed her eyes and concentrated.
I took a look toward the distant bonfire, keeping an eye on the movements of the bandits.
In truth, my claim that I could kill the thief from the carriage was mere bravado.
Having already talked to him first, my stealth skills had been nullified.
Since my crossbow was strapped to my backpack, once I aimed and loaded it, the thief would surely notice and react.
‘What kind of monster turns a mere goblin into something terrifying?’
This damned creator must have set the entity value to F rank while improving the gimmicks.
“…Found it.”
“Where?”
“At the small river flowing behind the valley, he’s letting the horses drink. He’s lying down next to it.”
Aria’s voice was calm, but I could sense her fatigue.
She probably used up a lot of magic power.
It wasn’t just simple surveillance magic that provided alerts when using large amounts of magic; it was more like a skill that scanned the surroundings, akin to clairvoyance.
“Drink.”
I pulled a potion from my backpack and handed it to her.
“…”
“We agreed to trust each other.”
For a moment, Aria hesitated but then gulped it down in three swigs.
“And he is, as Lev said…”
It seemed a bit shocking to discover that the coachman disguised as a human monster was indeed lurking nearby; her voice trembled slightly.
Even in the Hwanseangaka, Aria had experienced PTSD regarding demonkind.
Yet, seeing that she stepped up to save Edwin was truly impressive.
“Cold?”
“No.”
Despite saying so, when I looked at her legs sticking out from her outdoor cloak, she was wearing a skirt.
It wasn’t even the combat training uniform but the attire worn during theoretical classes.
With the temperature dropping significantly at night, it must have been quite uncomfortable for her.
I pulled out a large blanket that was almost like a rag from my backpack.
“Come here.”
“…What?”
“Don’t worry, I won’t eat you, so just get closer.”
Too lazy to explain, I grabbed Aria’s shoulders and pulled her down.
She was already drained of energy, so she was easily drawn close.
“What are you doing…?”
“Shh!”
With my finger on my lips, I covered her face with the blanket.
Even in the darkness, I could feel that Aria’s eyes were shaking more fiercely than ever.
Maintaining a distance of about a hand’s breadth, where only our breaths shared the space between us, I whispered to her.
“Can you use enchantment magic?”
“…?”
In this nonsensical story, Aria could use healing magic, divine magic, and surveillance magic, so it was likely she could engage in enchantment via the divine magic.
—————————————————
[Aria Bluebell]
▶ [Average Status]
: 2.2
▶ [Specialization]
Healing Magic (3)
Divine Magic (3)
Surveillance Magic (2)
▶ [Unique Traits]
Healing (Lv.3) (Details Hidden)
Surveillance (Lv.2) (Active) (Details Hidden)
—————————————————
After the last test, she also leveled up, attaining the third circle of divine magic.
However, this magic is characterized by illuminating the surroundings during casting.
If used carelessly, it could reveal our location.
That’s why I wrapped up completely.
“………”
“As Hazel did for me in the test.”
“………”
Understanding my intention without the need for more words, she replied briefly and dryly, “…Yes,” and began to recite a divine spell.
–Shaaa…
True to her efforts as an honor student, it didn’t take long for the enchantment to activate.
—————————————————
[Holy Shine]
[3rd Circle Divine Magic]
Grants a ray of light piercing through the darkness to the target. Inflicts additional holy damage proportional to the caster’s magic power.
If the target is a demon, healing effects are reduced by 50%, and an extra 10% damage is inflicted.
[Usable 2 times]
—————————————————
As expected, it’s like having a bowl of rice soup.
Divine magic is effective against demons.
This is an immutable truth and foundation.
Combined with the benefit of the water dragon and additional damage from demonization, it became a much stronger combination than dealing with rags.
Plus, my stealth abilities were reactivated, so my damage meter would surely explode.
Good…
I left my backpack behind, just strapping the crossbow to my back.
Seeing this, Aria stood up too.
Aria looked as though she had used up all her mana; not only her magic power but her body temperature seemed to have dropped.
“Enough. You stay here.”
“No. I also want to… go with you…”
–Sssrrr…
Her words didn’t continue any longer.
[Vitality Potion (B)]
[Rarity: C]
Fully restores exhausted mind and body. Instead, you slip into sleep proportional to your mana and stamina.
A scene that would fit right in an action movie.
It was all due to the potion’s effects.
Aria’s complete overcoming of her fear of demons would come later.
What was about to unfold was still a lot for her.
Moreover, if she saw me demonizing, who knows what kind of confusion would arise.
I threw a blanket over Aria casually and left to hunt that fiend.
*
Meanwhile, at the riverside, Dovrek was laughing as he gazed at the sprawling night sky.
No? He was roaring with laughter.
The song passed down among the goblin clan since his childhood.
-*Kill the man~♩ Rape the woman~♪
Among them, he who was recognized for his high intelligence, always reigning as the leader.
However, a frog in a well can only see a fragmentary night sky for so long.
Moreover, he would never be able to adventure in that vast world.
This passive form was why the goblin clan has always been considered low-level monsters and the reason they hadn’t been exterminated until now.
Yet, Dovrek chose differently.
He believed he was different from regular goblins and blended in with humans for the sake of his abilities.
The name Dovrek was his alone among scores of goblins.
He was satisfied with this human life, believing this was where he truly belonged.
‘I wonder what that girl would taste like~?’
In the past, he was solely focused on stealing, but now, his disguise skills, ability to hide presence, and flatter were getting more sophisticated.
He utilized these fully, deceiving women who would typically flee at the sight of a goblin, raping them again and again.
And just before killing them…
Tadaaan, guess what? I’m a goblin!
The expressions that could only be seen in that moment were truly…
“Crhehehe!!!”
No matter how many times he did it, it was enjoyable, a kind of pleasure beyond the realm of mere goblin antics.
Now he could act on his own will.
“Ugh… Can’t take it!”
He headed toward the back of the carriage filled with luggage.
–Cut off the man’s limbs~♪
–In front of the man~ the woman♩!
The melody and rhythm typical of what a goblin might think.
Humming that vulgar tune, he awaited the eve of his feast.
–Creeeak…
“Ughhh!!!”
Then, in the wooden crate of the wagon, there was a woman bound inside.
Tears streaming down her face with clear evidence of having cried and dried multiple times.
This sight only provoked Dovrek further.
“Hoho… didn’t I tell you to behave?”
Though he wore the guise of a human, his essence was still that of a monster. Dovrek grinned and began to sing his last line.
“Rape and rape again…”
–Boom!!!
In an instant, a blinding flash erupted, flipping Dovrek’s body over.
–Hiiiing!
–Fwoosh!
With a loud explosion, the horses went wild, and all the birds in the forest flew away in unison.
His body rolled toward the riverbank, landing on its back.
“Gahhh… Wha… what the hell…”
Even getting struck by lightning would hurt less than this.
–Ssshrik…
With his groans, his disguise began to unravel.
This trick was the quintessence he had built up until now.
It was everything Dovrek had.
“Ah, no… cough!”
Eventually, all that remained was the small, green-skinned body of a goblin.
–Huff, huff. Huff…
“Can’t… breathe…”
A large hole had formed in his little chest, allowing him to only breathe through his throat.
Even that was hardly sustainable.
–Hack!
“Guh!!!”
A powerful impact struck Dovrek’s wing joint.
He could no longer elicit even a groan.
–Gulp. Gulp. Gulp.
A clot of fluid shot out from his throat three times.
A man was standing, crushing his back with his left foot.
“You really lack fundamentals, don’t you?”
“Save me…”
The only sound Dovrek heard was the chilling metallic sound of the crossbow.
