Chapter 39
Of the four of us who set out to hunt down the goblins, I was the only one actually fighting.
Garie was scouting and occasionally reporting the goblins’ positions, but Duke Ruphelin and Victor were just posing dramatically in front and behind me.
“So this must be how a high-level wizard feels when they carry lowbies through a dungeon,” I muttered to myself.
“This won’t do. Victor, Your Grace—let me see the weapons you brought.”
“My sword?”
“Ordinary weapons won’t work on them, will they?”
Although both of them looked puzzled, they handed over their weapons, perhaps out of guilt. The duke’s weapon was a straight, sturdy longsword, while Victor’s was a slightly curved blade. I imbued both weapons with threads of my magical light and handed them back.
“Well, nothing to lose. Try attacking the goblins with these. I’m tired of doing all the hard work by myself.”
“Ohh…”
The two men looked in awe at their weapons, which now gleamed with an unearthly light.
Ever the meticulous one, Duke Ruphelin asked,
“Indeed, your light gives the weapon an entirely different glow. But what if our attacks still don’t work?”
“Then we run for our lives, of course. You’re fast, aren’t you, Your Grace?”
“Creator! What about me? Paint my claws with light too!”
“Garie, you just focus on scouting.”
“Tch! I can fight too, you know…”
After Garie—whose lips were practically sticking out in protest—flew off high into the sky again, we took a moment to reorganize our formation.
“Creator! There’s a group of goblins over there! About six or seven of them! I’ll go first!”
At Garie’s signal, we sprinted in the direction he had flown. Soon enough, the goblins came into view.
“All right, everyone, draw your weapons.”
“I’ll go first,” said the duke, stepping forward and drawing his sword with his right hand.
“I shall aim straight for their hearts and end them in a single strike.”
With a determined expression, he walked slowly toward the goblins.
A breeze brushed past, tousling his platinum hair, which shimmered under the moonlight.
For a moment, I forgot all about killing goblins and just stared, mesmerized by the sight of his back.
Then—something leapt past the duke, reaching toward the goblins before he could strike.
“…Garie?”
“Feel the might of my claws!”
Using his superior mobility, Garie soared over the duke’s head and lunged at the goblin.
“Garie, no! Your attacks won’t—”
Wait, they do work?
Garie’s claws slashed precisely through the goblin’s heart. The creature let out a horrible shriek and then exploded.
“Wahahaha! My attacks work too! I’m invincible!”
Garie spread his claws proudly and circled above us in triumph.
Seeing that, the duke and Victor shouted,
“We can’t let him show us up!”
The two men charged at the nearest goblin.
Struck from both sides, the goblin didn’t even have time to scream before bursting apart.
Even drenched like wet rats, the duke and Victor were grinning from ear to ear.
I quickly finished off the remaining goblins and ran up to them.
“My strategy worked! Are you two all right?”
Because their weapons were for close combat, getting splashed by water explosions was unavoidable.
Next time, I thought, I should try imbuing throwing weapons or arrows instead—something that lets you attack from a distance.
“A little chilly, but fine.”
“Ha! I’ve bathed in colder water than this.”
Though shivering, the two men still tried to act tough.
Still, we’d learned something useful today: I could make goblin-slaying weapons—and Garie’s attacks worked too.
“I’m in such a great mood—everyone, get on my back!”
Garie enlarged his body, carrying all of us on his back, and soared high into the night sky.
We spent the entire night flying along the coast, hunting goblins.
***
“Hero, must you truly leave Tiaan Kingdom?”
The King of Tiaan grasped my hands tightly, pleading earnestly.
“If you wish, I’ll grant you citizenship this very instant! No, why stop at citizenship? Whatever your heart desires—just name it! A grand mansion? Fertile lands and a noble title to go with them? Anything!”
I could understand why he was so desperate.
Since arriving in Tiaan Kingdom, look at what I had accomplished:
I’d slain the dragon, cured Princess Arines of her madness, and now exterminated the mysterious sea goblins!
To prepare for future attacks, I’d even imbued as many weapons and arrowheads as possible with my magic light.
Even without me, they’d be able to handle themselves for a while.
Ah, a hero so capable, so perfect—it’s only natural he wants to keep me here forever.
I could practically feel my ego swelling.
But I couldn’t accept the king’s offer.
“I’m sorry, Your Majesty. I am a citizen of the Asteria Empire—and I have never once forgotten that.”
My heart was already soaring across the sea toward the empire.
I had just heard that the repairs on the Bellutin were finally complete.
At last—escape from this island! The contract’s almost over!
I cheered silently to myself.
Cooking once a day had been such a pain.
Even professional chefs eat instant noodles at home, don’t they?
I’m just a normal person who happened to end up here, not some gourmet chef.
So imagine how torturous it was to prepare meals for the duke every single day!
I’d scraped together every seafood dish I could recall from my past life—
Steamed, grilled, soup, stew, braised, seasoned…
After exhausting every Korean recipe, I even switched genres—
Sushi, sashimi, pasta, pizza, tempura…
I was so fed up that at one point, I served nothing but clam soup for ten straight days.
But now, that tiresome contract was finally nearing its end.
Departure! I can almost taste freedom!
I gave the disappointed king a polite smile.
“Though I must return to the Asteria Empire, the Dragon Sea that once divided our nations has now been cleared. You’ll be able to travel between the kingdom and empire far more freely. Please, don’t be too saddened.”
“Haha, true. Even taming a dragon was one of your great deeds. Still, it’s hard not to feel regret.”
Of course, I had zero intention of ever coming back to Tiaan Kingdom—but politeness demanded a little courtesy.
The king continued to try persuading me until the end, but I bowed respectfully and left the audience chamber.
Departure: D-3!
And there was still much to do before then.
***
Karun… I’ll leave him under King Guild’s watch.
After I’d given him a thorough beating last time, Karun hadn’t set foot outside his house.
No one visited him either.
As a broker, he was effectively finished.
If he thought he could keep swindling people and live happily ever after, he’s in for a rude awakening.
Until he pulled every last ruined mage out of the pit he’d thrown them into, he wouldn’t get a single night’s sleep.
That one’s taken care of.
Next—my troublesome Princess Arines.
I’d just received word that her fan development project was complete, so I headed straight to her palace.
“Arines! I came to see the fan!”
“Welcome, Jianna. Perfect timing.”
Behind her familiar figure stood another familiar face—
the Archmage, Rion Blair.
“Hero! Just in time. I’m thrilled to finally show you our masterpiece.”
I’d never seen the tower master look so cheerful before—his smile was practically glowing.
“This is the newly completed fan. I brought it myself to demonstrate it before the princess. Perfect timing, indeed. Please, have a look.”
“Oh, so this is the finished fan… huh?”
What in the world was that? That’s supposed to be a fan?
The device had fan blades, yes—but it was covered in all sorts of extra attachments.
Why does it have so many random things stuck on it?
Noticing my puzzled expression, the tower master beamed even brighter.
“What do you think? I see from your face that you’re curious. It looks quite different from the original blueprint you gave me, doesn’t it?”
“Why are there so many bits and pieces dangling from it?”
“Let me explain it all, one part at a time.”
And with that, he began pointing at each attachment and describing it enthusiastically.
