Volume 3 - CH 11.2

Act 3-11.2: Prince and Goblin

「No… get away… get away from me…」

Regena started crying again.

「LET GO OF REGENA!!」

Omiros tried to stand up again, but he fell again after the human-goblin kicked his flank.

「GUH!!」

The human-goblin then stepped on his back as he caught Regena’s arm.

「SHUT UP!!」

The human-goblin put more strength into the foot that stepped on Omiros’ back.

「Uuuh…」

Omiros groaned in pain due to the increased pressure on his back.

「LET’S JUST TRAMPLE HIM TO DEATH!!」

The human-goblin put more power into his foot to the point that Omiros couldn’t breathe anymore.

「Stop, stop what you’re doing to Omiros…」

Regena cried as she pleaded.

「Is that so? Well, let’s do as you say.」

The human-goblin eased the power he put into his leg a little bit. As a result, Omiros’ pain was lessened. Yet, he still couldn’t move as he was still under the human-goblin’s foot.

「Hyi…」

Regena let out a frightened gasp. Omiros, who could barely raise his face, then saw the human-goblin embrace Regena.

「You’re a female human, huh.」

The human-goblin touched Regena’s face and sniffed her smell as he said so.

「You’re softer than female goblins, and smell so nice.」

The human-goblin spoke with an excited voice. The memory of Regena’s face at that moment had etched itself so deeply into Omiros’ brain, who couldn’t do anything in that situation.

「L-et…. Regena…」

Omiros, who couldn’t talk properly since his back was trampled underfoot, ended up crying too, truly vexed with how powerless he was.

「IT’S DECIDED! YOU’LL BE MY WOMAN!!」

The human-goblin bellowed as he licked Regena’s face.

「H… HYIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIAAAAAAAAAA…」

Regena finally couldn’t hold back her disgust and screamed at the top of her lungs.

「You’ve been marked by my saliva, you’re already mine! My name is Goz, my woman!!」

The human-goblin called Goz laughed as he introduced himself.

「I’m gonna pick you up once you’ve become an adult so, wait for me!!」

Goz left after he made such a declaration.

Leaving Regena sobbing, and Omiros paralyzed.

◆

Omiros shook his head as the first morning light fell on his face.

（I dreamed of that situation again huh, and it’s become more and more frequent as of late.）

It was a bitter memory in which he failed to protect Regena.

After the human-goblin left, Omiros and Regena were found by the adults who were looking for them.

Ever since then, Omiros had put even more effort in his training in order to become stronger. He wanted to become strong enough to protect Regena from any danger that might come for her in the future. It was for this very reason he had left Algore for a year, training through experiencing real life combat.

Ironically, Regena had already gone by the time he returned.

Omiros, who lost his goal, had no idea why he put more effort in his training anymore.

He got out of bed, changed his clothes, and left the room.

「Good morning, prince Omiros.」

He was greeted upon leaving his room.

When he turned to face the one who spoke, he saw the figure of a girl.

「Please stop with that “prince” alreadyRiette…」

Omiros couldn’t bring himself to get used to being called prince. Moreover, he didn’t want to be called with a title he had gained by sending Regena into the Goblins’ nest.

「Why though?」

「Just call me like before…」

「Understood. Morning, big bro Omiros.」

Rilletes was Maxis’ little sister.

Since his father was always busy, Omiros was raised by Maxis and Rilletes’ parents. The three of them were raised like real siblings. That’s why she always called him big bro Omiros.

「Will you venture into the mountain again?」

A cold light ran in Rilletes’ eyes as she asked.

Maxis and Rilletes’ parents were killed by Qupis—she was against the idea of him looking for Regena.

「Not today. I have to make some preparations as I’ll be attending the banquet in Velos kingdom…」

Omiros and Parsish were going as Algore’s representatives in the Velos banquet, which will be held five days later. Omiros was quite busy with the preparations.

「So that means you were planning to go into the mountain if you weren’t busy with preparations?」

「….」

Omiros was at a loss for words upon hearing Rilletes’ remark.

「She’s already dead…」

「RILLETES!」

「Big bro Omiros is the only one who insists that she’s still alive. Why… do you insist? No human, not even a skilled warrior, has ever returned alive after entering the Goblins’ nest…」

Rilletes was right. Omiros knew that Rilletes was right, but he then recalled Goz’s matter. That human-goblin might have taken Regena after discovering her in the Goblins’ nest. He started to think that the increase in frequency of him seeing that dream about his past was probably due to that—he wanted to believe that Regena was captured by Goz because that meant she was at least still alive.

Since there was such a possibility, it was only natural for him to search for her whereabouts in the Goblins’ nest.

Omiros had never told anyone about that story. No one had believed him when he mentioned the existence of the human-goblin named Goz. Though they might have believed him if Regena had spoken up, she didn’t want to talk about the nightmarish incident.

Naturally, Omiros couldn’t bring himself to force Regena to give her testimony since he understood just how terrifying this experience was for her. It was probably the most traumatic experience for her.

The only one who had trusted them was Regena’s mother.

Regena’s mother was a kind woman who treated Omiros kindly despite knowing that he came from the rival family of her husband’s family. She had given her daughter an enchanted talisman, her family’s heirloom, to Regena in order to protect her from Goz.

Regena’s mother had already passed away two years ago. With her passing, Omiros was the only one left who believed in the existence of the human-goblin called Goz. Everyone else—including Regena—didn’t believe him whenever he talked about Goz. In Regena’s case, it was obvious why she had forgotten.

The things that Omiros was doing probably looked like a fool’s errand in Rilletes’ perspective.

「That’s why I’m telling you to please stop endangering your life by going into the Goblins’ nest every day looking for a dead person… It’s already too late.」

Rilletes spoke with a gloomy look on her face.

「SorryRiette…」

Omiros, who knew that Rilletes was only being logical, patted her head as he apologized to her. She was worried about his safety. Nevertheless, Omiros, who knew the truth, couldn’t bring himself to stop his search.

「It’s okay, hero Parsish is with us you know. I’ll definitely returned safe and sound…」

Rilletes made a strange look on her face when Omiros said so.

「Is something the matter Rilletes?」

「It’s about Parsish-sama… I know that it’s rude to badmouth our benefactor behind his back like this but… I often feel something is amiss about him.」

「Something is amiss?」

「Yeah… I can’t explain it in a better way aside from saying that there’s something unusual about him…」

Omiros knew that Rilletes was an extremely perceptive girl. She definitely meant it since she voiced her concerns.

「Come to think of it, where is that guy right now?」

「Dunno. I’ve yet to see him today.」

Rilletes replied by shaking her head.

Omiros knew that Parsish often went missing for days.

「Just where the hell did that fella go when he knows that we have to prepare for our journey to Velos?」

Unfortunately, no one could provide Omiros with an answer.