Goblin Knight - Chapter 348



Only Noblemtl

EP.348 The Fall of the Moon (27)

Daughter, my lovely daughter.

The power of ‘leap’ that you are born with is strong, but… it is too strong for you to handle it yet.

It is a power that transcends the law of the world, and it may be chased if it is discovered at least once.

To whom?

… … Well, well… Should I call him Dalnim?

But I know.

No matter how much I emphasize the danger, you will be a day when your curiosity is ahead of my warning over time.

That’s a perfectly natural impulse.

It’s foolish to try to stop it since you can’t stop it.

So, daughter.

In preparation for when that moment comes… Will you promise me three things?

One, use your power only for good.

This is so obvious that I don’t need to explain it, right?

Next one, don’t try to change history.

There is only one timeline left in this world, so trying to change it is pointless.

And the last one is… … .

absoluteness.

Never, no matter what happens, don’t look at the future.

Because foreknowledge is the most terrible curse in itself.

* * *

What kind of person was Lord Noil?

Blanc’s first impression of him was that he was a poor drunk.

He was one of the fallen knights after the war, and he used to cause trouble in the village tavern, relying only on his meager military power.

But in fact, he was someone who could have become a new hero in the past.

The outstanding leadership that brought down those who were no different from beasts, the strategic plan that always brought victory and the inaction… Even the goodness that tried to protect a child who was entrusted to him during a mission until the very end.

A true knight who lacks nothing.

People called him Mengye, ‘the brave lion’.

The reason he had no choice but to become a mere drunkard was because of plots and betrayal.

He lost his men to a trap set by the imperial nobles he had thought were his allies, and he himself was branded a cowardly deserter.

Even the villagers he tried to protect until the end betrayed him and framed him as a coward.

All I could do was run away and lose everything.

Yet, at the last moment, he willingly gave his life for the village members who had betrayed him.

He ended his life as a brave lion, not as a ‘cowardly cat’, a derogatory term that followed him for half his life.

That should have been the end of the story… … .

“That name… why is it coming out ‘now’?”

Blanc still doesn’t know exactly what time zone he fell into.

But it is clear that this is the period before the Yulma War, and there is a record that Noil was drafted right after the war started… so he wasn’t even drafted.

There was absolutely no reason for Noyle’s name to appear.

And yet.

“Oh, is that a name you know? Goblin?”

“I know, but- this is impossible! Saintess, tell me! What exactly did the great wolf messenger give you?”

Blanc briefly forgot about his conflict over whether he should use honorifics or not and continued to nag the saintess.

But the saint’s answer did not come right away.

No, I couldn’t come back.

“That… that’s right, that can’t be… … .”

The werewolf saintess’ face, which had been filled with hope until just a moment ago, was distorted with frustration and despair, and she was muttering in disbelief.

“Still… Still not enough?”

“Saint?”

“This level of despair has struck, and there is nothing we can do in the face of the impending destruction… Is this not yet a disaster that requires the appearance of a savior?”

“Saint, please answer… … .”

“Then what awaits our race in the future? How much longer will you have to test us before you feel satisfied!? Great Wolf! Please, I beg you, tell me something-”

“Listen to me──!!”

bang!!

Blanc, who couldn’t hear any more, kicked the floor and shouted loudly.

As the saintess was startled by the waves that shook the entire temple and made the vines’ leaves fall, Blanc landed in front of her and spoke nervously.

“Yes, I feel really bad that the stranger who came at an unfortunate time is not the savior you expected, Noil Kyung! But is that the right behavior for a leader who is in charge of a group right now!?”

“Wh, what-”

“Even though I am not the savior you worship, I have information about him! Then what you should have done was to ask me about it, not to get frustrated and blame your god!!”

Blanc pointed outside annoyed.

“We’ve only just arrived here, but we already know how horrible this place is!”

Our once compatriots are falling into a frenzy and attacking their own kind indiscriminately, and the frenzy is contagious! There is no solution other than isolation!

In that desperate situation, the reason they still had hope was because of you, Saintess! They were expecting you to find a way, literally sacrificing their bodies to buy time until then!

But what are you doing now? Is it your job to lament and blame the owner who won’t even return right away just because the expected guest didn’t show up?!!”

While the saintess stared blankly at him, Blanc clicked his tongue and spat out.

“If you have time to waste lamenting, find a way. Live up to the expectations of those out there who trust you. Either squeeze information out of the strange goblin before you, or use it to break the situation.”

“… … .”

“Really… you don’t want it to be so late that you can’t do anything, do you?”

Blanc let out a small sigh as he poured out all the emotions that had been building up in him without him realizing it, because the saint’s pitiful appearance was so frustrating.

Only then did the saint ask in a trembling voice.

“All, you… … ?”

“… … Now you see me properly. Blanc. Blanc, the wandering knight. I once stood on the same front as Sir Mengye Noyle.”

“That, that… is impossible. That person-”

“That’s right. It’s impossible. Just as you heard our story and declared that the Saint’s echo was an illusion.”

Blanc turned around and jumped down to the ground where Nelivia was.

Blanc spoke while standing next to Nellyvia, who had no idea what was going on.

“I will tell the rest of the story with Nellyvia. Arrange for a place for the three of us to talk.”

“… … Does she know what I think is ‘impossible’?”

“I don’t know. But I don’t want to keep unnecessary secrets from my colleagues. I hope you’ll take that into consideration.”

As Blanc spoke calmly, the saintess looked at him for a moment and then recited a small spell.

The vines that had been entangled with the walls of the temple began to move, soon creating a passage leading inside.

“Come in. I’ll prepare the tea.”

“at las.”

Blanc entered through the vine passage.

Nellyvia, who had been blankly staring at the sight, quickly followed Blanc.

* * *

The place the saint led them to was inside the large tree that formed the main axis of the temple, a place where the inner tree had been dug out and processed into the shape of a small tea room.

Even though it is a temple of werewolves, the furniture is all small and human-like, so it must have been a reception room for a different race from the beginning.

As I sat on the chair and looked around, Nellyvia asked me in a whisper.

“… … Goblin.”

“Why is that?”

“A little while ago, you said… that you didn’t want to keep unnecessary secrets from your colleagues. Right?”

Ah. Blanc predicted her next words.

It’s probably a story about a secret he’s hiding.

“I know what you’re curious about, but I can’t tell you. It’s not an unnecessary secret-”

“Of course I’m curious about that too.”

Nellivia said, putting him on the chair.

“Am I a colleague to you?”

“I don’t know why you’re asking such an obvious question.”

Blanc asked sincerely. It was an obvious question that didn’t even require thinking about.

But Nellyvia remained silent with a face that seemed completely unacceptable, and then she swallowed hard as if she had made up her mind about something.

“… … It’s not like that, it’s obvious.”

“ah?”

“Look, Goblin. I don’t know what you think, but… I… I have absolutely no reason to consider you a comrade. Objectively.”

“What did you want to hold on to your colleagues?”

“That’s not it!”

Nellyvia cut him off, speaking urgently.

“Goblin, just as you think, we demons are arrogant! But it’s not because we’re stupid, it’s because we have the right to be arrogant! Right now, I don’t have the right to be… That’s why I can’t understand!”

“what?”

“That’s why you respect me… why you see me as a colleague and not some useless burden!”

Nellyvia’s voice was trembling as she shouted like that.

But at the same time, I was desperate for answers.

“Yes, to be honest. I’ve had this question since the moment you saved me, but I was afraid to say it out loud… I thought this question would be the trigger for you to abandon me.”

“That’s stupid. That’s not going to happen-”

“No. Because, as you just said in the conversation, you subconsciously recognized me as a comrade who must protect you. It was only when you realized that that you were able to muster up the courage to speak out… Goblin.”

Nellyvia asked with wavering eyes.

“It’s clear that you consider me a comrade. But… why on earth do you consider me that way?”