The Crown Prince Who Raises a Side Character-Chapter 9: New Adventurer Bern (7). Goblin Lord

Riding was a privilege of the wealthy.

Horses were creatures that drained an immense amount of money, both in purchasing and upkeep. Unless one was exceptionally wealthy, the costs were simply unsustainable.

For successful adventurers, it wasn’t entirely impossible to afford a horse, but honestly, very few adventurers actually owned one.

While useful for long-distance travel, horses often became a hindrance in battle. Moreover, since adventuring was fundamentally a team effort, maintaining mobility meant that the entire party needed horses.

If one had that kind of money, why waste it on a horse instead of rare equipment, potions, or magic tomes?

In other words—

Blanca had never ridden a horse in her entire life.

No, she had never even experienced moving ‘faster’ than a person running.

This chapt𝒆r is updated by frёewebηovel.cѳm.

“Kyah! Kyahhhhh!”

“If you keep your mouth open like that, you might end up biting your tongue.”

Then stop and let me down, you lunatic!!

Blanca wanted to scream that at him, but she didn’t have the capacity to do so.

The rapidly shifting scenery around her and the unsettling sensation of floating in the air were gnawing at her nerves in real time.

All she could do was cling to Bern with all her strength, desperate not to fall off.

As a result, Bern’s back was experiencing a certain soft sensation in multiple ways, but Blanca was far too terrified to care about such things.

—Kuuek?

With all the screaming she had done while galloping, expecting not to attract attention would have been shamelessly naive.

The goblins, having sensed the disturbance, discovered Bern and Blanca and began preparing for battle.

But Bern did not draw his sword. Nor did he stop to let Blanca down so she could ready herself. Instead, he simply charged straight into the goblin horde.

Then, he kicked a small green body into the air.

Puhhhk!

The goblin’s ribs shattered instantly from the force of the kick, the impact driving shards into its organs and turning them into a gruesome mess.

It died on the spot without even having the chance to scream, let alone resist.

The other goblins nearby froze in place, unable to comprehend what had just happened. Bern, however, did not hesitate.

“Fire.”

Blanca didn’t bother asking ‘where’ or ‘what.’ Instead, she clenched her teeth and extended her right arm.

A spell to burn wood fired from her hand, striking the dumbfounded goblins.

—Gghiiek!?

It was a low-tier spell and hadn’t even landed directly, so none of the goblins were immediately killed.

However, the explosion of scorching heat before their eyes was enough to make them flinch. Bern seized the moment, swinging his sword to finish them off.

“Keep doing it like this. Though if we need to use mid-tier magic later, let me know in advance if you're running low on mana.”

“Got it, so at least slow dow—mmpf!”

Blanca’s grumbling was abruptly cut off.

Without even needing to look back, Bern could guess what had happened and inwardly shook his head.

I did warn her that keeping her mouth open would lead to biting her tongue.

Had Blanca heard his thoughts, she might have tried to strangle him on the spot.

Fortunately, Bern had no reason to worry.

Regardless of whether she knew what he was thinking or not, at that very moment, Blanca was clutching his neck with all her strength.

To her, it was simply a desperate attempt to hold on and avoid falling.

For an ordinary person, this kind of grip would have been suffocating. But Bern was anything but ordinary.

What followed was a repetitive series of actions.

Bern never stopped running.

Whenever goblins blocked their path, he didn’t slow down. He either kicked them aside or instructed Blanca to fire magic.

“Fire.”

Boom!

“Shoot.”

Boom!

“One more time.”

Boom!

Blanca’s accuracy wasn’t particularly great.

She missed more shots than she landed.

But Bern never scolded her.

Given her unsteady position and the blurred scenery, it was understandable.

Blanca, however, felt differently.

This translation is the intellectual property of Novelight.

She had a goal—defeating the lich. This mission was the first step toward that goal.

Bern was displaying overwhelming skill, while she clung to his back, failing repeatedly?

She wasn’t someone who could just accept that as an inevitable situation.

Bern noticed.

Her reaction speed and spell accuracy were improving.

Thinking to himself that she was indeed a valuable asset—or rather, a great companion—Bern turned his gaze forward.

The first fork in the path.

At the end of it, a mountain of food supplies and materials came into view.

It appeared to be a storage area for the goblins.

Standing before the storage was a goblin, taller than the rest by at least a ★ 𝐍𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐥𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭 ★ head. There was something different about him.

High-quality leather armor and a helmet. A gleaming steel sword. Sharp eyes locked onto Bern.

Bern didn’t know, but this goblin was the second-in-command of the horde.

The goblin lord had shown him exceptional favor, having human slaves craft custom armor for him. The steel sword he wielded was one of only three within the horde, a rare treasure.

At present, he was as strong as an average human warrior. And if a true goblin kingdom were to be established, he had the potential to become one of its knights.

Unlike the majority of his kin, whose intelligence barely exceeded that of an elementary schooler, he possessed the mind of a middle schooler.

As Bern approached, the goblin let out a ferocious roar.

If translated into human language, it would have been:

—Come, human! By the great lord’s command, I shall not surrender this treasure hoard to anyone!!

Bern responded simply.

Thwack! Slash!

There was no exchange of grand words, no fierce duel between two warriors of different races.

Bern kicked a stone at the goblin’s face, stunning him momentarily, and in the next instant, sliced his head off.

From within the shadows, a certain demon shook her head.

Had he faced an ordinary rookie adventurer, he might have been a mid-boss or a rival character. But of all people, he had to encounter this guy.

“This path seems to be a dead end. Let’s head back.”

“Wait, let me down for a second.”

Bern almost said, We can collect rewards later, but held his tongue.

He realized that saying such a thing would be too dismissive of his companion.

Blanca had proven herself plenty capable. She had also been an adventurer far longer than he had.

If she had a reason for stopping, then it was worth listening to.

Blanca inspected the storage area, nodding after a moment.

“Just as I thought. They’ve been collecting oil separately.”

A large barrel sat in the corner, filled with a liquid that had a distinct smell.

It seemed like the goblins had been gathering oil from their prey or harvested plants.

Bern became intrigued.

“You plan to use it for fire tactics? But burning it here wouldn’t be particularly useful, and carrying the entire barrel would be difficult.”

“Just watch.”

Blanca took out something the size of a fist from her bag. To Bern, it looked like a clump of yellowish cotton.

When she dipped the cotton into the oil, it absorbed the liquid rapidly, swelling in size.

What was strange was that, despite more than half of the large oak barrel’s oil disappearing, the cotton ball had only doubled in size at most. Even though it had been fully submerged, its surface remained dry and fluffy.

“Is that magic as well?”

“It’s not magic, but it is made from a plant imbued with mana. An alchemist developed it as a water pouch alternative—it can absorb a liquid volume much greater than its own size. As long as the surface isn’t physically damaged, it won’t leak.”

“That seems like an incredibly innovative item.”

“Yeah, but no one uses it. While it reduces volume, it doesn’t reduce weight. And once you cut it open with a knife, the contents spill out all at once until it shrinks back completely. For a water pouch, you’d want to drink just as much as you need and store the rest, but that’s impossible with this. Plus, it can’t be reused, and it wasn’t exactly cheap, so the store went bankrupt.”

“Then why do you have it?”

“The alchemist who made it was paranoid that some shady people might try to steal it, so he hired me as a bodyguard. When his shop went under and he couldn’t pay me, I just took it instead.”

“......”

Eventually, the cotton ball absorbed all the oil from the barrel and expanded to about the size of a volleyball. Blanca spoke as if it were the most natural thing in the world.

“Take it.”

“...Excuse me?”

“This thing may not look big, but it weighs exactly the same as all the oil it absorbed. I can’t carry it, so you do it. And when we need a big fire, throw it at the enemy. It’ll burn them up.”

Bern tilted his head slightly, wondering if this was really the right approach, but in the end, he obediently picked up the cotton ball.

Its surface was soft and plush, making it easy to hold in one hand.

When the two of them returned to the first fork in the path, they saw a group of goblins wandering around in confusion.

Judging by the atmosphere, they still hadn’t figured out what was going on.

Bern and Blanca crushed them with kicks and low-tier spells before rushing down the second path.

At first, the passage was similar to the first fork that led to the storage area, but the deeper they went, the more it changed.

It was a factory.

Not one operated by goblins, but one filled with humans.

“......”

The humans were working mechanically, crafting weapons and armor for the goblins. Their faces were filled with resignation and despair.

They weren’t even properly clothed—the goblins had stripped them of everything, treating even their garments as resources.

Goblins wielding clubs and short whips were standing guard over them.

When the goblins noticed Bern and Blanca, they panicked and tried to shout something.

Slash!

Of course, the two didn’t give them the chance.

Without any need for discussion, Bern and Blanca cut them down or burned them alive. In an instant, the factory was filled with blood and the scent of charred flesh.

Bern turned to the humans and asked,

“Are these all the survivors?”

“Huh? W-What?”

“What’s happening...?”

The captives were too dazed to answer properly.

The goblins who had tormented them like nightmares had been slaughtered like insects before they could even resist. Their minds struggled to process the situation.

Bern frowned, and at that moment—

“No! There are about ten more people further inside!”

From a corner of the factory, a man who had been carving something into wood with a sharp stone suddenly spoke up, responding clearly to Bern’s question.

Bern asked again,

“Are there goblins inside as well?”

“There were, but they got called away somewhere just a moment ago. Right now, there aren’t any!”

“Can you gather everyone here and prepare to escape? Not immediately—there are still goblins near the entrance.”

“We can do it!”

“We’re going to take down the leader. It’s in the left path at the next fork, correct?”

“There will be another fork—take the right path. He’s a large one with golden eyes!”

His responses were swift and precise.

While the other captives stood around in shock, his quick comprehension was suspicious in its own way.

Bern’s gaze swept over the man.

...A man who knows how to adapt.

The fact that he had been sitting there doing paperwork—or something similar—was already telling. His eyes still had life in them, unlike the others.

It was likely that he had been cooperating with the goblins in exchange for better treatment.

And now that Bern and Blanca had started slaughtering goblins, he had switched sides immediately.

If Bern and Blanca were to lose the upper hand, he would no doubt betray them just as easily.

But Bern didn’t care.

Compared to those who couldn’t even grasp the situation, this type of person was far more useful. As long as Bern didn’t show weakness, that was all that mattered.

“Then I’ll leave it to you.”

“Yes! Leave it to me! Oi! You lot! This is our chance to escape! Get moving!!”

The man began giving orders without hesitation. Blanca side-eyed him in disbelief.

“Can we trust that guy?”

“He’s better than someone useless.”

The two returned to the fork once more and proceeded down the left path.

Just as the man had said, there was another split.

This time, they took the right path.

Progress was smooth.

Which was only natural—there wasn’t a single goblin in sight.

Bern and Blanca didn’t speak, but they could both guess why.

Yet neither of them slowed down.

They arrived at the deepest part of the cave.

A massive cavern, large enough to fit an entire mansion inside.

Unlike the previous chaos, what lay before them was an army of goblins, fully prepared for battle.

──“So, it was you. The ones who trampled upon my land and brought such disorder.”

Sitting upon a chair adorned with leather, in a mockery of human nobility, the Goblin Lord greeted them.