Goblin Knight - Chapter 327



Only Noblemtl

EP.327 Once Upon a Time (7)

Nellyvia, who was watching the series of scenes, let out a small laugh.

When Blanc looked at the girl, wondering what on earth was so funny, Nelivia nodded as if what he said was indeed right.

“It’s definitely not boring. This short moment is much more exciting than the ten days I spent in the city of prey. How many minutes has it been since we met? Huh?”

“Be quiet, Mongma. I know full well that I have terrible luck.”

Blanc muttered lamentingly as he looked at the dirt hole the rats had made.

“What was that swarm of rats just now? Normally, I would think it would be gagging, but I’ve never seen anything like it.”

“That’s also interesting, goblin. Why on earth would a wizard awaken that kind of epic magic?”

“Narrative magic?”

Blanc tilted his head.

It wasn’t a word I was hearing for the first time.

Because I still remember when Ella was explaining to him the final stage of the imagery, Annelly interrupted and said, ‘It’s like narrative magic.’

“Surely… I heard that it was a magic that processed one’s own narrative into mystery and manifested it in the world. So does that mean that group of rats is the narrative of the caster?”

“… … .”

“Nelivia?”

“Oh, no… I was just a little surprised.”

Nelivia was looking at Blanc with wide eyes as if she was seeing him again.

“As a magician, you wouldn’t even know of its existence unless you reached a certain level. Were you also quite knowledgeable about magic?”

“Uh… um… … .”

“A goblin who is well-versed in travel knowledge, and is so powerful that he can’t even stand up to ordinary prey, and is also well-versed in both the knowledge of the religious order and the knowledge of magic…?”

Nellyvia looked puzzled.

It seemed like the common sense she had in her head was clashing head-on.

It’s hard to imagine that all that knowledge, and even power, came from one individual.

How could we possibly know that it was something she herself had passed down in the distant future?

“I told you, this world is so vast and there is so much to learn that your limited knowledge is not even a handful.”

“No, but even so, you’re out of standard… … .”

“So what you’re saying is that the horde of rats reflects the life of the sorcerer? I don’t quite get it. How?”

“… … Well, I guess you lived a life close to rats. Or maybe you lived a life like a rat. Either way, isn’t it a life suited to buying and selling food fluids?”

Nelivia sensed that Blanc had no intention of going into detail, so she puffed out her cheeks in discontent and finished her explanation roughly.

I thought that if I had teased him a little more, he might have been able to tell me more about what he knew… … .

‘… … I’m tired.’

I felt both my body and mind screaming.

It hasn’t even been a day since I time-jumped in a tattered state. In fact, it’s surprising that I’ve been so fine until now.

Perhaps it’s because a new source of magic power has emerged.

Unlike the time of Annely, he is always looking to dominate her, and if she lets her guard down for even a moment, she will be transformed into a monster with an unstoppable magical power.

‘For now… let’s stop here about the slave traders and the rat swarm. Thinking about it any further won’t give us a good answer. More importantly… … .’

Blanc glanced at Nelivia.

She was still glaring at him with a look of discontent, but it seemed that she was still trying to dominate him, judging by the voice in her head growing stronger every time Nelivia secretly strained her eyes.

Blanc said with a deep sigh.

“The sky is getting dark already. I guess I should prepare dinner. How have you been eating so far?”

“What? I’m dreaming of these feeding fluids-”

“I’m talking about how those slave traders were handling the children’s meals, Mongma.”

“ah.”

Nellyvia pointed to the back of the carriage.

“Do you see that seam over there? There used to be another small cart behind there. That’s where the food was.”

“……however?”

“When the bandits you slaughtered a little while ago showed up, you ran away so excitedly that you took off the cargo bed first to increase the speed of the carriage, so it must be rolling around somewhere in the forest. Moreover… … .”

Nellyvia tapped the grass umbrella Blanc had given her with her hand, as if there was no need to say anything else.

The rain was still pouring down.

Even if we could somehow find the food that was loaded onto the cart, it would be soaked and a mess.

Nothing really works.

Blanc sighed as he scratched his head in annoyance, but ended up just hitting his helmet instead.

“Wait here.”

“What are you going to do?”

“I have to prepare dinner.”

“In this weather?”

Nellyvia asked in a puzzled voice.

Princess Mongma, who grew up as a greenhouse flower, probably doesn’t know if hunting on a rainy day is really possible.

Unlike a girl who woke up at the crack of dawn on a rainy day to catch small birds and rabbits with traps to provide Blanc with a breakfast in the distant future… … .

… … Blanc looked blankly at the girl.

“I can’t starve you.”

“No, I can eat dreams, so it’s okay-”

“… … Yeah, that can’t be possible.”

Blanc didn’t care what Nelivia said, and went into the forest, fiddling with the dagger in his bosom.

Only Nellyvia was left behind, looking perplexed.

* * *

Since Trasha joined the group, he has rarely gone out hunting for beasts himself.

So I was a little worried that the hunt might not go as planned… but fortunately that didn’t happen.

Compared to when I first set out on my trip, my senses and reflexes were sharper and I was able to show off my abilities even in the heavy rain.

Thanks to this, Blanc was able to achieve the feat of slaughtering a poor deer that was thirsting in the lake with just one dagger.

But that doesn’t mean the wildness has died yet.

Blanc, feeling genuinely better for the first time in a long while, returned to Nellyvia with the dead deer in his hand.

“What? Deer? Are you offering me deer meat now, goblin? I am honored, but I refuse.”

“ah?”

“I once tried deer steak, which was sold as a delicacy in the city of the goblins. Oh, the rotten and gamey smell! I can’t even consider it as entertainment! It may be okay for you, a goblin, but I have a very picky palate!”

“… … .”

“Seriously, if you’re going to offer something, bring something like chicken. Why, the Keterkin fried chicken from a place called CFK was really good… … .”

What is this?

So… is this… the side dish complaint?

Blanc, who had been brain-paralyzed by the princess’s tantrum for the first time in his life, barely recovered his brain function and began to resume his actions.

Ignoring what Nellyvia was saying, he cut down trees with his hands and sword and built a makeshift workshop/kitchen/camping ground.

It’s deer grooming time.

The skin is removed, the entrails and blood are drained, leaving only the edible meat.

This will be enough to feed them both, plus the children who are still sleeping.

He uses his great strength to boldly throw away the things that need to be thrown away, and lights a fire to cook only the meat.

Certainly, as she said, venison, if cooked incorrectly, can have a strong gamey smell and be difficult to eat. The source of knowledge? Needless to say.

But Blanc also gained something from watching Anneli cook from behind.

That means I have memorized how hot the fire should be, how long it should be cooked, and what seasonings to add at what timing.

It was truly unfortunate that we couldn’t get seasonings like salt because of the circumstances, but fortunately, the herbs and fruits that Anneli used to get rid of the fishy smell were available nearby.

– Chiiik… … .

At first, the pieces of meat that didn’t even have a form that could be called a dish began to take on a certain flavor as they were marinated in fragrance and skewered and grilled with fruit.

The distinctive, savory smell of meat, the scent of fruit seasoning that has naturally permeated the air, and even the sound of oil drops sizzling and dripping.

When I took a bite of the slightly undercooked one, it tasted like it could be had at least for a 0.6 Anneli, if not a 1 Anneli, so it was a great success.

While Blanc was proud of his achievements.

“… … .”

Princess Nellyvia, who had been complaining and grumbling the entire time he was preparing and cooking the deer, came up to him without saying a word and stared intently at the skewers.

If you look at it from the side, it was a face with many mixed emotions.

Starting with the question of ‘Is this really the meat I ate?’, the greed of ‘I want to eat it, it smells so good that I’m sure it’ll be delicious,’ but also the pride of ‘How can I eat it when you told me so many times not to?’

There was no way to stop the laughter from creeping in.

“Why, Princess. Are you perhaps craving something?”

“No… That, no way, is that possible? I clearly told you that it doesn’t suit my taste, so there’s no need… … .”

“I see.”

“oh!”

Blanc chuckled and pushed a well-cooked venison skewer through the slit in the helmet.

Nellyvia watched the chunk of meat disappear with eyes as if the world had come crashing down on her.

… … It’s against the rules to do something like that with that face. Blanc took out one of the skewers that he had made a little smaller on purpose and handed it to her.

“Eat if you want.”

“Do you, do you feel sorry for me? I don’t need that! I’m a dreamer! Food and drink are just a passing pleasure. What we really need is a sweet dream-”

“No. I thought the kids would wake up by now, so I intentionally made them a little more, but if it keeps raining like this, we won’t be able to eat in the end. Isn’t that too bad?”

“… … .”

“Please, at least for the sake of my sincerity in creating this?”

“… … If you say so, then… Well… For the sake of the deer that fell in vain to you… I really don’t like it, but I have no choice but to eat it… … .”

Nellyvia grumbled something, but then quietly accepted the skewer and put the meat in her mouth.

Her purple eyes opened wide and formed a round arc.

I know because I’ve been watching it for a long time. It’s the expression that comes out when you’re in a really good mood.

And in fact, even if you didn’t look at it for long, anyone could have guessed it by looking at the way the girl kept moving her mouth without caring about the oil on the corners of her mouth…

“… … Phew.”

Because I saw the girl’s pure smile, which seemed like it had been a long time since I had seen her, I felt like my tension was relieved somehow.

Blanc finally took off his helmet, leaned against the tree, and exhaled deeply.

If I were to follow my original routine, I would have finished washing up at a nearby body of water, but now I am too tired.

Washing up, and sorting out the remaining problems, including the kidnapped children… Tomorrow morning.

Let’s think about it tomorrow morning.

So Blanc was enjoying a brief moment of rest.

Suddenly, he saw Nellyvia stop eating and just look at him.

“Why is that? Is there something wrong?”

“no…….”

Nellyvia said with a puzzled look on her face.

“It’s a lot different from what I thought.”

“You already knew about goblins, didn’t you?”

“No, it’s even worse because I knew… … .”

“huh?”

Blanc tilted his head.

It was simply because I didn’t understand what she was saying.

When I tried to get up to ask more detailed questions, Nellyvia waved her hand and dismissed it as ‘nothing’, then clicked her tongue as if she found herself dumbfounded.

There is no such thing.

Blanc lay back down and quietly closed his eyes.

It was such an awkward night, feeling the warmth of the fire but not the warmth of those I had become accustomed to.