Ryuu Kusari no Ori -Kokoro no Uchi no “Kokoro”-

mans with green dwarf-like body.
Goblins, they are wearing dirty rags on their bodies.
And in their hands, they have weapons such as rusty knives, swords, and clubs.

 

Goblins are demihumans found all over the continent, but they have low intelligence and attack people indiscriminately, so they are a race that is targeted for subjugation like demon beasts.

 

What caught my attention more than that was the three students who were fighting.
A petite male student wielding a hatchet-like knife while chanting his magic, a wildcat girl who is slaughtering goblins, and an elf girl shooting arrows one after another.

 

“Shīna Yuliel …” 

 

She healed my injuries yesterday, shortly after, I was angry and was the one who hit her with bloodlust with all my might.

The three defeated the goblins one after another with accurate movements.

Eventually, the three of them defeated all the goblins without difficulty, but because I was too distracted, my slightly moving body shook the bushes I hide in.

The next moment, a flash of light crossed in front of me.

 

=================================

 

“This is the end!”

 

Mimuru used the knife to tear the remaining goblin and stabbed it.

She looked around to see if there were any goblins left, but there didn't seem to be any goblins alive.

 

“Tom, are the things you collected alright?”

“Yeah.
No problem.”

 

Tom tapped the bag hanging from his shoulder.

They had finished gathering and encountered the goblins on their way back to the city.

That's right, they “encountered” them.

 

A little while ago, when the three who had finished collecting and were on their way home came to this open place, about 10 goblins suddenly appeared from the bush in front of them.

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At first, the three of them thought they were ambushed, but it was rather the goblins who were taken aback by the sudden encounter, and after somehow speaking with “Gyaagyaa”, they suddenly attacked with their weapons.

Of course, the three who were attacked counterattacked.
As a result, all the goblins were defeated.

 

“But what was that? They didn't seem to ambush us, nor did they seem to be chasing their prey …”

 

At that moment, they heard a rattling noise.
Shīna quickly nocked an arrow in her bow, and she immediately shot an arrow at the bush.

The arrow that was released disappeared into the bush, but she nocked her arrow again and glared at the point where it had disappeared.

 

“…
Come out.
I know you're still there.”

 

After she called out, silence flowed for a while, but soon a male student, Nozomu, appeared from the bush.

 

“……you!!”

 

Shīna's expression that confirmed the appearance of the other party intensified.
She leaked out a slightly strong voice.

She certainly has a delicate relationship with Nozomu, and thinking about what happened yesterday, her mood suddenly worsened because he kept going to the forest without hearing her advice even though she had scolded him many times.

 

“…
Um …
Hello …”

 

On the other hand, Nozomu had an awkward and subtle expression because of yesterday and this morning incident.

 

“Hmm~~~.
You're that Nozomu Bountis ~~.
I saw you this morning, but your face is a bit dull~~”

“Mimuru, knock it off …”

“……………………….”

 

Mimuru looked at Nozomu, and Tom told her to stop.
Shīna remained silent, folded her arms, and glared at Nozomu.

She doesn't speak because she tends to preach if she opens her mouth, and that's what happened last night.

 

“…………. Sorry  for saying your face is a bit dull.”

 

Nozomu was worried about Shīna, but he tried not to look at her.

 

“Nozomu-kun …
wasn't it? Is it okay for you to enter the forest alone?”

“Eh, well, maybe …”

“……………………….”

 

Tom asked Nozomu, but Nozomu was more concerned about Shīna and could only give an ambiguous answer.

When Nozomu glanced at her face, her well-organized eyebrows were further raised.

 

“By the way, I had something I wanted to ask~~.
What did you do to that black-haired princess?”

“Stop it.
Mimuru”

 

Ignoring Shīna's moody appearance, Mimuru asks about Nozomu’s relationship with Irisdina, and Tom stopped her again.

 

“Eee~~! I'm curious.
Why does that princess care so much for such a dull man~~.
Eh! Are you two dating !?”

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“…
No, We are not dating …”

“Ee ~~ Really ~~? Then !!”

“Mimuru, you should stop doing something stupid every time”

“Eeh ~  It's such a great opportunity~ boring~.”

 

Nozomu isn't dating her is the truth, but Shīna scolds Mimuru, who was trying to pursue further.

Perhaps because she wasn't happy with Nozomu's response.

Mimuru made a dissatisfied voice, but she reluctantly gave in.

However, Shīna's atmosphere had changed from a moody one to a tense one.

 

“This isn't the time for that.
Like I said before, the spirits are strange…
It seems they're afraid of something…
We need to get out of here right away.”

 

Tom's face tensed up instantly, and Mimuru's playful expression changed completely.

Given that she is an elf who can respond to spirits, she says that there is no presence of animals that should be in the forest.
Nozomu also found that the forest is now a much more troublesome place than usual.

When Nozomu decided to leave the place and try to move, he was startled by the sensation of many sharp arrows pierced through his body.

 

“!!!!!!”

 

With a dense premonition of death, his body instantly shifts to a combat stance.
His muscles tensed up a bit and his heart beat faster, sending thick blood throughout his body.

Nozomu looked at the bushes in the corner of the forest.
He felt a tremendous sense of intimidation from the depths of the bushes.

Perhaps Shīna and her friends had noticed his gaze, they were glaring in the same direction as Nozomu.

 

Eventually, a demon beast emerged from the bush.

 

However, it was definitely not some kind of ordinary demon beast.
Certainly, it has four legs down to the ground like a beast, and its appearance is very similar to that of a wolf or a wild dog, but its size is clearly different, its body length is longer than that of an adult, and its height is also about as high as Nozomu's chest.

 

Above all, its appearance was covered with something like black sludge, and black smoke was rising with a squelching noise.

There were no eyeballs in the eyes part, only something painted red contained there.

It was a demon beast they had never seen before.
At least Nozomu had never seen such a demon beast in this forest, nor had he seen one in books.

 

“What …
is that …”

“A, ah ………”

“………”

“U, uwa ………”

 

A voice leaked from Nozomu's mouth, and Shīna made a groaning voice.
Sweat dripped down Mimuru's face, and Tom took a pratfall.

 

Black Demon Beast.

 

Nozomu and the others were clearly being shaken by an unknown enemy that couldn't be expressed in any way.

 

“Vu~ooooooooooon !!!”

 

The roar reverberated, and the trees in the forest shook as if they were scared by its cry.

In the next moment, the black demon beast lowered its body in an instant.
It aimed and rushed towards Nozomu and the others as if they were its prey.