Mill and Gi Da ran at almost the same time when they heard that scream, but because of her injuries, it was Gi Da who arrived first.
There Gi Da saw that a fearsome adventurer had caught Reshia by the neck, prompting Lili to quickly reach for the sword by her waist. But it was neither her nor Reshia who had screamed just now, but the human women who had followed Reshia.
“GU, GURURUAa!”
Anger filled Gi Da at the sight of the king’s treasure being manhandled, and he kicked off the ground to strike out his spear against the adventurer.
“Hmph.”
But Gulland only snorted as he brandished his sword and easily dodged Gi Da’s spear. In the next instant, blood spurted out of Gi Da, and he fell to the ground.
“Let go!” Reshia demanded, but Gulland only laughed at her.
Then he saw Lili point her blade at him. “What are you doing? I’m not so nice as to hold back against little kids and women.”
Like a voice from hell, it chilled Lili’s heart when she heard it. But enduring the chill running up her back she only prayed she would not shake holding her sword as she glared at the man before her.
“If you raise your hand against my master, then I will stop you even at the cost my life.”
“Master, huh? You should go play house elsewhere, this here’s my playground, you see.”
Gulland swung his great sword.
Lili found her legs shaking at that, and for a moment she even felt death, causing her to reflexively close her eyes.
But the blade never came, and what resounded next were only the sounds of metals clanging and a tongue clicking.
“…What are you doing?” Gulland asked, to which the assassin answered in a voice filled with more hate than when she spoke to the goblins. “What am I doing? What are YOU doing, Gulland? Let go of her now!”
Mill had jumped over Gulland and attacked him, then after fixing her posture, stood opposite him.
“And if I say I won’t?” Gulland choked Reshia even harder, causing her to choke.
“I will cut those fingers!” As Mill grit her teeth loud enough to be heard, she jumped high up in the air with her talons crossed over each other. Lili wasn’t sure what was going on, but she held her sword anyway and went after Gulland. The both of them together should be enough to deal with one adventurer.
But things didn’t go the way they expected. Gulland’s great sword, heavy as it was, was much faster than they could have ever thought. He easily parried Mill’s attack from above while deflecting Lili’s attack from below.
“What’s the matter girls? Didn’t you want to play? Well, bring it on!”
While Gulland made fun of the two girls, the sound of a pained groaned suddenly reached their ears.
“The hell?” Gulland said looking down on his feet from which a small layer of skin had been cut. It was Gi Da who had cut him. And though it was but a scratch, that attack had done more than enough: it managed to get his attention. And that was not something Lili or Mill would let pass.
“Tch.”
Immediately, Lili unleashed her Three-Stage Slash against Gulland, who then blocked with his sword, but then sensing another presence from above, Gulland struck up towards the air, but his sword met nothing.
“What?” Gulland said in surprise.
“Over here,” Mill said as she struck out with her talons toward the hand holding Reshia. At that, even Gulland had no choice but to let go and withdraw his hand.
“Lady Reshia!” Mill called out.
Reshia was momentarily shocked upon seeing Mill so earnestly run up to her, but she quickly shook that off and ran up to the wounded Gi Da.
“Solace to allHeal.”
As that healing light wrapped itself around the goblin, everyone was taken in by Reshia’s heavenly face. The light stopped the gushing of the blood from the wound as it healed the goblin. It was truly a miracle, and everyone who saw it couldn’t help but be charmed. There were even some among the humans who had followed Reshia begin offering prayers to her.
There was a world of difference between Reshia’s Heal and the White Hand of Life’s. When Reshia used Heal a great amount of mana gathered in the area, so much so that it seemed even the spirits would kneel. And the afterglow upon her after healing made it seem as if the world was blessing her. That resplendent figure of hers was truly beautiful.
Her velvety fingers flowed, and light, fleeting like fireflies, followed after them. Then as she gently touched Gi Da’s body, the lights entered him, and life came back to the goblin.
Gulland stepped forward. “That’s a pretty good skill, lady. It makes me want you.”
Gulland spoke haughtily, but Reshia didn’t react, as she only focused on healing the goblin. But that only roused Gulland’s interest even more.
The knight who’d sworn loyalty to her and the assassin with a favor to pay stood before Gulland.
“Why are you stopping me?” Gulland asked.
There was scorn in those words, but more than that was the desire in his eyes.
“I’ll kill you,” he spat, to which Mill spat back with new found hate, “The feeling’s mutual.”
At that, Lili also readied her sword, and they both prepared to face Gulland.
“You know if you’re worrying whether I would kill that girl or not, you can relax. I took on a job to bring that girl back. There’s no way I’d kill her, right?” Gulland reasoned.
“I wonder…” Mill said as her eyes brimmed with killing intent.
“Man, can’t a guy get some trust here? But you know we really can’t have that girl healing any more goblins than this. If you’re not gonna move, then you better stop her.”
Though as arrogant as ever, there was some truth in his words that Mill couldn’t deny. After all, she had been fighting monsters day after day, so Reshia’s behavior was truly not something she could comprehend.
But just when Mill was about to call out to Reshia…
“Just kidding!!” Gulland swung his great sword with both of his arms. Mill managed to defend with her talons, but she still reacted too late, and she had no choice but to take on the brunt of Gulland’s attack.
“Kuhaa!” Sent flying by Gulland’s attack, Mill crashed into a tree, and then slid down to the ground.
Gulland went after Lili next, but though she managed to block his attack by luck, Gulland’s attack dragged her for several meters until her body finally couldn’t take it, and she was sent flying along with her sword.
“Now, Ms. Saint, if you would just kindly move your hands away from that thing.” Gulland said as he pointed his sword at Reshia.
Looking up at Gulland, Reshia said, “There are no monsters or humans before me. If someone is wounded, I will heal them.”
“Oh, how nice. Then in that case why don’t you go and heal those two I just sent flying. I might have held back, but they won’t be moving for a while like that.”
Gulland didn’t mind at all that Reshia was glaring at him, but when he noticed that she had no intention of moving, he hit her on the cheek.
“You’re in the way, girl. You want to heal the wounded? Why don’t you go bring that house playing of yours to those peace-loving idiots. I’m sure those perverted old geezers would happily wave their tails for you!”
“What are you doing!?”
Even as her cheeks ached, Reshia kept her sharp gaze at Gulland, who had brought his sword up.
“You went through all that trouble to heal this thing, but too bad! Because it’s gonna turn into a corpse anyway! Ha ha ha ha!!”
As the wind wrapped around the sword and lightning crackled, the sword spun.
A sword of storms gathered around Gulland’s sword.
“Stop it!” But Reshia fearlessly covered for the goblin.
“G-Gulland…”
“Lady Reshia…”
Seeing the other two girls stand up, Gulland snapped his tongue.
“Tch… Stupid brats!”
But just when Gulland was about to let loose his sword, a cold voice resounded.
“Let loose that sword, and you’ll find yourself guilty of treason.”
“…Gowen Ranid,” Gulland muttered with a sour face as Gowen Ranid leisurely approached him and the saint with his long sword drawn.
“Reshia Fel Zeal, I presume?” Gowen said to the saint.
“Yes,” she replied.
“Would you do us the honor of traveling with us? It is a request from the king.”
Reshia sent a fleeting glance at the goblins before making her decision. There were women and children amongst the goblin. If she refused here, these men would surely try to take her by force. And with no power of her own to resist, it would be nothing more than a futile attempt.
“If I go will you leave the goblins alone?” Reshia asked not to Gulland but to Gowen. The latter seemed more trustworthy after all.
“…Very well.”
“Please make it so that Master Gulland won’t lay a hand on them either.”
Gowen looked toward Gulland.
“Go bring the saint home, Knight of Storms… You understand what I’m getting at, right?”
“You’re giving up merit of the saint? What are you scheming?” Gulland asked as he gripped his sword.
“I have my reasons,” Gowen calmly replied.
After diligently thinking about it, Gulland agreed, “…Fine. I’ll go back. The goblins ain’t interesting anyway.”
Then as he smiled a fierce smile, he looked toward Mill. “Mill, go guide our saint. I’m sure you can do at least that much, right?”
Mill hated Gulland to the pith of her bones, but her respect for Reshia went above that, so she quietly nodded and approached Reshia. When Reshia’s fingers touched her, a light enveloped her whole body, and in the next instant, her wounds were healed. She’d been heaving and puffing all this time, and yet a mere touch was all it took to bring her back to shape. But what’s more was that the warmth from that light made her feel guilty for keeping some secrets.
“…Thank you very much,” she said.
“I didn’t know you became an adventurer,” Reshia said.
“Sorry, I know I should’ve told you, but…”
After a short exchange, Reshia, Mill, and Lili went together.
“GURUuu… Lord Lili, Lady Reshia!? Where are… you going!?”
Gi Da bellowed angrily when he woke up. Immediately, Reshia tried to warn him.
“No, Gi Da!”
But Reshia’s words were too slow for Gulland’s swift sword.
And all that sounded next were the cries of a monster and the sadistic laugh of a man.
“What have you done!”
Reshia tried to go to Gi Da, but Gulland grabbed her.
“You don’t have to heal it. Take her away, Mill.”
Though pained, Mill nodded and forcefully took Reshia away.
“Forgive me, Lady Reshia.”
She would not let her approach the “monsters” any longer.
“Lili!” Reshia called, and Lili stood between Gulland and Gi Da.
“Isn’t it enough!? This goblin can no longer fight.”
Lili unsheathed her sword, and Gulland walked away sneering under his breath, “Suffer and die for that is the punishment of wounding me.”
Gowen looked at Lili before following after Gowen, but he didn’t say anything. When Lili took a look at Gi Da, she gasped.
Gulland’s attack had pierced his lungs, and his left arm was broken.
—I can’t save him.
But she still stopped the bleeding and bandaged the goblin. When she ran out of gauze, she cut a part of her clothes.
“Forgive me, Gi Da. I have to protect Lady Reshia. You will have to go the rest by yourselves.”
Leaving only those words, Lili stood up.
“I’m sorry… I…”
As she held her fists tight, she cursed her own weakness.
Then she went to the humans who were with the goblins and told them to decide for themselves whether they would go with Lady Reshia or live with the goblins.
The goblins all gathered around Gi Da, and while the humans looked at each other for a moment, in the end, they all decided to go with Reshia and Lili.
There’s no helping it. Every time she thought that she couldn’t help but curse her powerlessness.
“Kuun…”
The gray wolf, Gastra, rubbed itself by her feet as if to console her.
“You want to come too?”
Of course, the gray wolf could not possibly have understood her, but it barked back in response as if to console her.
