~Chapter 26~
What if Dylan finds out again?!
Of course, she knew very well that he wasn’t doing it on purpose, but rather out of worry that his youngest sister might get caught up in a dangerous situation.
However.
*’If I stay only under father’s overprotection, I won’t be able to do anything.’*
Dylan’s excessive love and overprotection for his daughter were already famous. Wasn’t he the one who didn’t let her learn magic before her coming-of-age ceremony and hid his daughter within the castle?
*’I can’t just be swept along by the situation and face the original work’s death flag!’*
She had already made up her mind firmly.
“Have a safe trip, Youngest Master.”
Mina waved her hand toward Ron.
Then.
The triplets were startled, suddenly noticing his bulging arm muscles.
“Mina, but weren’t you a Bone Orc?”
“No, Young Masters. I’m a living, regular monster.”
“How did you end up falling into Grandpa Green’s clutches (?) ?”
“I happened to meet him while doing cable exercises at the mountain spring behind us, and we became friends. He formally offered me a contract to become his friend.”
“……”
The triplets’ expressions darkened.
Because they could easily imagine what that contract said without even seeing it.
*’Got scammed.’*
*’Poor thing.’*
*’More naive than he looks, this one.’*
But they couldn’t bring themselves to say it out loud.
Mina was already chattering away with Ivyn as they entered the cottage.
“I heard you’re secretly leaving for the goblin mine this afternoon. Since there’s still some time before you go, I’ll make you a few baked pastries, Miss.”
“Wow… you know how to make those too? Amazing… Mina.”
“What flavor would you like?”
“Hmm… is lemon flavor possible?”
“Of course.”
Thinking that Mina might be an individual with even more talent than Green Kinzello, the triplets quietly followed the two inside the cottage.
They intended to fill their stomachs well before the goblin mine raid.
“Alright, let’s begin then.”
Inside the cottage kitchen.
Mina began making the pastries with skillful hands.
He took out a cute lemon-shaped cookie cutter, pressed it into the dough to shape it, and finished by spreading thick custard on top.
“Try one, Miss.”
“Okay, thank you, Mina.”
When Ivyn took a bite of the cookie soaked with moist lemon cream, a refreshing lemon scent spread throughout her mouth.
“Wowaa… this is insane…”
Ivyn opened her eyes wide and looked back at the muscular orc.
What welled up in her eyes was respect.
*’I never had bread this tasty even in my past life…’*
Mina’s skill wasn’t limited to that.
The croissant fresh from the oven was literally the epitome of crisp outside and soft inside, and the pretzel with just the right blend of salt and sugar had a perfectly chewy texture.
The roundly baked scone, packed generously with fruits and nuts, was absolutely first-rate in terms of chewiness!
Ivyn wasn’t the only one immersed in admiration.
The triplets John, Hwan, and Dun were also eating the breads with tears and snot running down their faces.
From the croissant that melted in the mouth, to the refreshing lemon cookie, and the scone full of fruits and nuts.
“Mina, come to the main estate. You’re not talent meant to rot here.”
“We need to open you a bakery shop in the commercial district, seriously.”
“You’re the pride of orcs, Mina.”
“You flatter me too much, Young Masters.”
Meanwhile.
Green Kinzello was watching the dazzlingly bright kitchen from afar with a bitter expression.
*’Those ungrateful brats aren’t even looking for this grandpa, they aren’t even looking.’*
That’s right.
The original skeleton, Green Kinzello, couldn’t eat bread.
Moreover, his great-grandchildren weren’t even politely calling him near the table.
“Hahaha, it’s so delicious.”
“Is this what happiness is?”
“……”
While the laughter of the triplets, Mina, and Ivyn filled Green Kinzello’s cottage, the sun outside the window was gradually setting in the west.
As night fell, the triplets and Ivyn began preparing to head to the goblin mine as originally planned.
“By the way, I looked into it a bit, and apparently that place wasn’t originally an abandoned mine?”
John said while stuffing a few pastries into his pocket.
“Then?”
When Ivyn asked, Hwan stepped in to answer instead.
“It seems the territory started indiscriminately developing it until the mineral veins dried up. From then on, goblins flocked in and made it their dwelling…”
“And naturally, the miners stopped coming, that’s all.”
Dun shrugged his shoulders as he finished the sentence.
“I heard an elite goblin, like a goblin shaman, leads the group?”
“Anyway, let’s go first. We’ll find out when we look around.”
Upon arriving near the mine, the triplets first began cutting down the surrounding trees to block the path from the mine to the village.
It was a precaution to prevent any goblins from escaping the mine.
“Our little squirrel, can you keep watch from the small hill over there?”
“Ah… I’m not going in?”
Ivyn, who hadn’t planned to enter the mine in the first place, asked back with a tone of lingering regret.
“Well, if I followed you in, I’d probably just get in the way…”
“Why would our princess get in the way! It’s because it’s dangerous, because it’s dangerous.”
“Alright, I’ll keep watch then. But what exactly should I be watching for?”
“Huh? Umm…”
The triplets fell into brief thought.
Although they had posted Ivyn as a lookout, they apparently hadn’t thought about what specific task to give her.
“Time how quickly we go in, solve things, and come out?”
The triplets, having entrusted Ivyn with lookout duty, entered the cave without hesitation.
“Grrk? Grrrrrrr… Graaak! (Huh? Where’d these guys come from all of a sudden… Graaak!).”
“Orok? Orororo? Orororol… Ock! (What? Why is everyone lying down… Gack!).”
“Grruck! Gruck! Grr… Gruck (Humans! Ambush! Everyone, bewa… Kkhkek!).”
The inside of the mine was almost like a treasure trove for a necromancer.
Bone piles from goblins’ past meals were amassed everywhere.
“Rise.”
*Shiver, shiver.*
At John’s command, the bone piles stacked on both sides began to tremble.
And the next moment…
“Woof woof! Woof woof woof!”
Over a dozen Bone Hellhounds with glowing blue eyes burst forth, scattering bone dust.
“Hunting time!”
“Woof woof!”
They pressed onward, defeating the endlessly swarming goblins with the Bone Hellhounds leading the charge.
How much further did they go in like that?
“Is it all over now?”
“There’s still a path inside, let’s go further.”
The place they arrived at was a huge dome-like space.
“What is this place?”
As the triplets, dumbfounded by the suddenly appearing vast space, were looking around…
“Hi, Hiiick!”
The sound of someone gasping sharply was heard.
“Huh?”
*Pabat.*
The three heads turned simultaneously toward the source of the sound.
There stood a single goblin wearing something resembling a strange feather headdress, trembling like an aspen leaf.
“Is that the last one?”
“D-don’t come any closer!”
The elite goblin shouted with its unique aura, but…
“Oh, the goblin speaks human language.”
“Isn’t it because it’s an elite goblin?”
“This is interesting.”
It had no effect whatsoever on the triplets.
It was then.
*Thump, thump, thump.*
With a tremendous tremor, the sound of something approaching began to be heard.
“Hii, Hiiiiick!”
What was advancing in orderly ranks, emitting a bizarre greenish glow, was none other than… an undead legion.
At that horrific sight, the elite goblin quickly abandoned its combat stance.
It probably thought provoking them here would only lead to death.
Then only one thing remained now.
“Ah, d-damn it…!”
To run away with all its might!
“Hey, that guy’s running away? Track his scent.”
“Woof woof!”
At the very moment the Bone Hellhound was tracking the creature…
“Wow, lying here like this feels like lying in a room watching glow-in-the-dark stars.”
As Ivyn lay on the grass, immersed in an analog appreciation with Obok, a *rustle, rustle* sound reached her ears.
It seemed to come from a nearby bush.
“Phew… They can’t have followed me this far… Kkyaaaak!”
“Kkyaaaak!”
The elite goblin, who had been crawling out, screamed *kyak!* and fell flat on its back.
Ivyn was also almost scared into fainting.
“Y-you, human…! Who are you! You’re human too…! Are you undead?!”
The elite goblin, having nimbly brushed itself off and stood up, questioned them with a bewildered expression while looking at the two.
“Miss! Is that guy crazy?! We’re the ones who were more surprised!”
Obok fiercely retorted, stepping in front of the fallen Ivyn.
*’Maybe… a goblin my brothers missed?’*
What to do now?
While Ivyn was pondering.
The goblin began casting a spell.
“M-move! Y-you, human… I-I’ll kill you this time…!”
Then…
Something flashed through Ivyn’s mind.
—Ah, so many damn mosquitoes! This is why forests are annoying! Obok will kill them all!
—Mosquitoes are living beings too, Obok. Please.
—Obok doesn’t care about that! Kill them! Kill them all!
Obok’s fussiness just happened to provide a countermeasure for this urgent situation…
Ivyn immediately chanted a necromantic command.
“Rise under my power!”
*Bzzzzz.*
*Bzzzzzz.*
As Ivyn gave the command, the hundreds of mosquitoes that had been virtually annihilated within a 5-meter radius due to Obok’s activity all flew up at once and began charging toward the elite goblin.
“Kk, Kkeeeeek! Kkekeeeeeek!”
As the mosquitoes mercilessly stabbed at it while enveloping it like a smoke screen, the creature finally collapsed onto the ground after struggling.
“Now’s the time! Kill it! You filthy goblin! Obok! Kyeek!”
