Leave a comment

“Seriously, you never fail to surprise me with your evolution every time we meet,” the lady exclaimed, her eyes filled with astonishment.

My subordinates behind me were happily dancing and indulging in a new delicacy called “sandwiches.” It was a food they had never tasted before, which the lady had distributed, proudly claiming, “It’s just a ready-made dish I made with my cooking skills.”

However, despite the cheerful atmosphere, the lady seemed troubled, frequently tilting her head to the side.

Feeling a weight in my heart, I couldn’t help but ask her, “Is something bothering you?”

“Oh, no, not exactly a problem. Well… I was just contemplating what to do next since, given your rapid growth rate, you will soon surpass any challenge that this trial space has to offer.”

“Really?” I didn’t fully understand the situation, but it seemed that I was the cause of her concern.

“Have I done something wrong?”

“Oh, dear, not at all. It’s quite the opposite. You’re remarkable. I dare say specimens like you are rarer than hen’s teeth.”

Once again, her words confused me, but it seemed like she was praising me.

“Am I really impressive?”

“Very much so.”

Her sincere words filled me with joy. Perhaps this was the perfect moment to finally pursue my long-held desire to find a mate…

…
……
………

“Enough already. I’m tired of this act of yours,” the lady interrupted, extending her palm toward me with an unhappy expression.

“This is truly the last time I’ll forgive you!”

As this was the phrase I heard every time, it had become a familiar occurrence these days.

◆◇◆◇

Ichijiku here.

It has been two months since then. During that time, I evolved smoothly once again and became an advanced High Goblin, reaching a stature comparable to that of an average human. My appearance has improved as well. On a similar note, Ninomae has evolved into a Goblin General. He now stands half a head taller than me and has developed enough muscles to hold his ground and fight on par with pig-faced demons like Orcs.

We no longer fight unarmed these days; instead, we wield the swords and axes we scavenged from dropped adventurer equipment. And unlike before, we are no longer naked but wear trousers or leather armor we obtained from the skeletal remains of humans in the dungeon.

I have expanded my legion to a count of 30 goblins. The number of kobolds has also increased, although it fluctuates constantly, making it difficult to determine the exact count. However, there should be around 50 of them.

Feeding all these mouths has become a challenging task, so we moved our base to the lower levels where we can find satisfying and nutritious caterpillars. Occasionally, we hunt lost adventurers there as well. However, it seems that our presence has become a nuisance to the humans, as we are currently under siege by a group of 20-30 of them in a surprise attack.

“Gigi, Ichijiku. That area needs help. Let’s go!”

Indeed, the location Ninomae pointed out, delivering a blow with his rusty axe to an approaching adventurer, has weaker defenses than the others.

But I had a hunch.

It was something similar to what I have often done using fellow goblins, luring the target into a trap intentionally.

“That’s a trap. Go in the opposite direction! Charge together in the opposite direction!”

With my voice acting as a signal, everyone turned towards the spot that seemed to have a larger group of humans at first glance and charged there with a battle cry.

As expected, panic instantly spread among that group of humans. Upon closer inspection, although they outnumbered us, they were all weak and inexperienced young males. Their plan must have been to bluff with numbers and set a trap.

Analyzing the situation, I struck at the weakest and most foolish among them.

“Wooooa— wait! Why does that goblin have a different color than the others?”

However, somehow, that foolish male managed to barely catch my sword with his own.

“Beware, Joey! That goblin is the leader of this group. You’re no match for him.”

“I won’t know unless I tryyyyy!!”

Locked in a fierce sword fight with the human, he countered my attacks with equal ferocity.

“Take this!”

With a swift and cryptic movement, he deflected my sword and launched a strike towards my torso.

“Tsk.”

Reacting quickly, I evaded the blow just in time and surveyed the chaotic scene around us. It had turned into an all-out brawl. Ninomae was doing his best, swinging his axe to fend off any humans trying to harm me.

I needed to defeat my opponent quickly so I could focus on the rest of the situation.

“I won’t die in this place. Not for me, but for that person!”

I shouted, motivating myself.

“W-What the hell? You can talk?!”

Clang!

Sparks flew as our swords clashed once again. Despite his initial foolish appearance, he had some skill.

“Of course. Everything I do is for that person. The only reason I strive to become stronger is to mate with them!”

“Ugh, fighting against a talking opponent… seems tough. Wait, did you say that person is a female?”

“So what!”

As our blades clashed repeatedly, we found ourselves exchanging words.

“No, I mean, it doesn’t matter. I was just thinking that even goblins can experience the feeling of falling in love.”

“…What is this ‘falling in love’ you speak of?”

“Well, um… it’s when you can’t stop thinking about someone, wanting them by your side, yearning to see them smile… something like that.”

His words seemed to ask for an answer, but they perfectly encapsulated my own feelings.

“Hmm, I suppose so. When I saw that person looking down, I felt an overwhelming desire to do something for her. I want to become a suitable mate for her.”

“Oh, I see! That’s exactly it, man! I can relate!”

“I see. So you also have a female you want to mate with.”

“M… mate? It’s unsettling to suddenly talk about that!”

“Is it?”

“It is! It starts with being friends, gradually getting closer, then ki… kiss, hug, and eventually… well, you know.”

“Hmm, I didn’t know. Is that why I get strange reactions when I talk about my desire to mate?”

“Well, yeah. Even I haven’t reached the kissing stage.”

“I see, it’s good to know… uooooo!”

Suddenly, arrows rained down on us from the group that had approached from behind.

“Damn, don’t they realize that I’m also here!?”

At that moment, I noticed we had taken considerable damage, but in turn, we had managed to eliminate the humans in this area.

I glanced at the male who had been locked in combat with me. He was fuming at the attacks from his comrades, who had drawn him away from here.

“Alright, there’s no point in staying any longer. Everyone, hurry and escape!”

At my command, Ninomae and the remaining survivors of my legion turned and ran in the opposite direction, away from the humans.

I, too, prepared to make my escape but paused for a moment to call out to the male. It was a simple whim of mine.

“Hey. Good luck to you as well. I hope you get to mate with the person you desire!”

“Haha! Same to you! I’m cheering for you from the bottom of my heart.”

We exchanged cheers and smiles before parting ways.

◆◇◆◇

Well, it’s unlikely that we will ever meet again. Nonetheless, those of us who remained started to heal our wounded bodies and focus on planning our comeback.

Coincidentally, I had the opportunity to meet that person again soon after, though…

“Whoa, you’ve evolved once more. This trial space won’t be much of a challenge for you anymore. Perhaps it’s time to move on to an advanced level.”

As she said that, the lady swiftly healed everyone’s wounds.

Once I was healed, I gathered the courage to follow the advice of that male and asked for a kiss, but once again, I found myself staring at the ceiling.

Did I make a mistake somewhere…?