*Interlude*

*flashback of the incident which happened at the next day after Shion killed the Sword Wolf*

Ean finds a hooded man looking at the adult goblin's grave which is not too far from the goblin kids' village.

"What happened here?"

The hooded man turns behind towards Ean who is standing not too far from him.

"Eh? Um..."

Ean is hesitant to talk to the stranger... However, the hooded short man suddenly opens up his hood revealing his face in front of her.

"!?"

Ean is surprised to look at the adult male goblin's face with a scar on his right eye.

"Cannot trust one of your own?"

"... Um... actually..."

After Ean replies to him, she finally decides to tell him about what happened to her parents and other adult goblins in the village.

"Is there anyone leading the village now?"

After hearing the one-eyed goblin's question, Ean immediately replies.

"T- that would be me."

"... I guess this is the end of for your village."

"W- what do you mean by that!?"

Ean is surprised by one-eyed goblin's statement.

But one-eyed goblin still talks as if Ean's reaction does not matter to him.

"It means that you guys won't be able to survive for so long."

"T- that not true! Everyone is working hard! We will surely...!"

Ean shouts not only at one-eyed goblin but also at herself. She is trying her best to deny the fear that is inside her rational mind.

But the one-eyed goblin just replies coldly to her shout.

"So... you are telling me that you can protect them? If a monster shows up and threaten your friends..."

"!?"

The one-eyed goblin's statement reminds her when Shion killed the Sword Wolf.

She is sure that she won't be able to do anything against the Sword Wolf unlike Shion.

"... even so... !?"

Before Ean manages to reply, she is interrupted by one-eyed goblin taking out the Sweet World syringe.

"If you still want to protect them... then show me your resolve. By using this..."

Ean looks at the syringe as some kind of object she has never seen before. She then talks again.

"What... is that...?"

"Power..."

The one-eyed goblin says that while Ean is looking at the syringe filled with pink liquid. Then the one-eyed goblin starts talking again.

"Use this, and you will be way stronger than before. However, that is only if this power accepts you."

Upon hearing the one-eyed goblin's statement, Ean looks at the one-eyed goblin's face before asking a question.

"If it doesn't...?"

"You'll die."

*Back to the present when Ean is chasing Miika in the forest*

Both of them are used to running in the forest that they can fluently avoid any trees while running.

However, Ean is closing distance with Miika's back. Unlike Ean who can run without much hindrance, Miika is unconsciously lower his speed to cover his lack in balance due to him only having one arm.

(Just a little more...!)

Ean thinks that as she stretches her right hand while running to grab Miika's clothes from behind.

*swift!*

However, before Ean's hand can grab Miika's clothes, Miika dashed to the right.

"!?"

Much to Ean's surprise, Miika avoids Ean's hand without even looking behind. Due to Ean not being able to catch up with Miika's sudden change in direction, Miika runs away further from Ean.

Miika has the experience of working as a monster bait for Panthos. He has the experience of running away from multiple monsters at once. On top of that, Miika also gets taught by Shion on how to fight. All those experiences let Miika anticipate attacks from all sides to a certain degree.

(Kuh... this thing is too hard! My hand alone cannot break it!)

Miika thinks that while still running.

(Should I smash it at tree? But Ean will definitely catch me before I can smash it!)

After thinking that, Miika finally gives up on the idea. He might be able to throw it to the river earlier but that is no longer an option as his current position is already far from the river.

Ean tries to chase and catch him but he avoid Ean again with similar movement. Despite being faster, Ean can't follow up with Miika's movement at all.

As Ean runs towards Miika, she starts shouting at him.

"Listen to me Miika! I need that power to protect the people who are dear to me!"

"But this power is dangerous! If anything happens to you, I'm sure Shion and others will be sad!"

Miika replies while running and avoiding trees.

"That is the necessary risk that I need to take! So please...!"

Ean also replies while following Miika.

"I'm sure there is another way!"

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"!?"

Upon hearing Miika's statement, Ean clenches her teeth and look at Miika with angry eyes.

"Don't talk... AS IF YOU KNOW ANYTHING!!!"

As Ean shouts that, she dashed once more to grab Miika's cloth.

Miika also use the same movement by dashing to his right side.

But Ean's right hand turns out to be a feint and she uses her right leg to kick Miika's right hip.

*whack!*

"Ugh!?"

Miika loses his balance and fall while rolling on the ground full of fallen leaves.

Ean uses this chance to grab Miika. But with Miika facing Ean, he dashes behind to avoid Ean's hand.

However, Ean continues her attempts in grabbing Miika without letting him turn his back to run away.

Even though Miika can evade Ean's hands, he cannot find any opening to run away as he continue to dash behind.

"DO YOU KNOW HOW MANY WE ARE REJECTED BY OTHERS?! DO YOU KNOW HOW MANY PEOPLE WE HAVE LOST UP UNTIL TODAY?! THIS IS ALL BECAUSE WE ARE TOO WEAK TO EVEN DEFEND OURSELVES!!!"

Ean continues her many attempts in grabbing Miika's clothes while shouting that.

"EVEN IF WE GOT HELP FROM OTHER RACES, WE WILL BE DOOMED IF THEY DECIDE TO ABANDON US! THAT'S WHY I NEED THAT POWER!"

Ean's shout makes Miika speechless. Miika is self aware that he does not know anything about Ean and other goblin kids' struggle.

However, Miika also remember what happened to Panthos after using the Sweet World. With that in mind, he decides to reply to Ean while dashing to the left side at the same.

"I'm sorry!"

"!?"

Ean realizes that she is about to crash against a tree after Miika dashes to the left. She quickly uses her left hand to take the crashing impact and continues to pursue Miika who run away again from Ean.

Meanwhile, back at the lake, Guild Master once again takes a glance at adventurers who is regrouping while drinking the potions at the same time. The number potions inside the baskets is already half from its initial amount.

"Do you really think that people will accept those goblins just because of those potions?"

Veylene who is reading her book this whole time starts talking to Guild Master.

Guild Master replies without looking at her because he needs to observe the battlefield.

"I don't think it will be that easy. But it's a fact that the goblins help the adventurers."

Guild Master's eyes become more serious before he continue his statement.

"And it's my job to highlight that fact to the people."

"... heh."

Veylene replies that while smiling. Then she closes her book.

She then stands up while starts talking again.

"Well, too bad for you."

Veylene then opens up her bag and put her book inside while still talking.

"It seems that the wind is on that big squid's side this time."

"... ?"

Guild Master is not sure by what Veylene meant as he looks at her taking out a talisman from her bag.

That talisman is an insta-magic casting a water-repelling barrier. The moment she puts it on her bag, she uses her point finger to push and create a hole at the center of talisman. The moment she created the hole, a blue magic circle appear in the talisman and it envelops her bag with blue light.

Meanwhile, Griselda takes a potion from the basket after she decides to regroup while Rimikia is still backing up the adventurers.

After Griselda drinks the potion, she looks at the bottle of the potion without saying anything.

And then back at the forest, Ean is still chasing Miika.

Ean suddenly remembers things as the stress starts getting into her mind.

'You won't be able to change the fact that you are from goblin race.'

Remembering Shion's words, she starts closing the distance against Miika again.

'Ugh, goblins...'

'Can they just go away...'

Remembering words from people who looked at her with disgusted eyes, Ean goes to a tree and grabs with her right hand to use it as a momentum to do a roundhouse kick towards Miika's face.

However, Miika predicts that movement and slides downwards to avoid that kick before he starts running again.

"Kuh...!"

Ean says that as she starts chasing Miika again. Then she remembers a clear flashback from when she was talking to the one-eyed goblin.

"What? You are too scared to take this power?"

Then he looks at Ean's eyes with serious look.

"Then that is the extent of your resolve."

"!?"

Ean found herself speechless by what the one-eyed goblin said. Then the one-eyed goblin continued talking.

"And with that half-baked resolve... YOU WON'T BE ABLE TO PROTECT ANYTHING."

Ean suddenly remembers the death of her parents and other adult goblins right after she remembers what that one-eyed goblin said to her.

"!!! AAAAAAAAAAAA!!!"

While shouting that, Ean grabs an orange-coloured fallen fruit on the ground at throws it towards Miika's back.

Miika once again realizes an incoming attack from behind and dashes to the left to avoid the fruit. However, his movement this time allows Ean to quickly shortens the distance because she runs towards Miika right after she throws the fruit.

"!?"

Miika realizes that Ean is approaching him from the his front once again and prepares to evade her attack.

However, Ean clenches her right fist while also quickly casts Floating Orb of Light on top of her right fist.

She quickly brings her right toward Miika's face. Unlike Ean who already expected the light, Miika gets caught off guard and closes both of his eyes on reflex.

*whack!!!*

Ean successfully lands a hit on Miika's face so hard that Miika falls backwards few metres away from Ean.

However, unlike the last time he fell, he cannot stand up right away due to the pain on his face. Blood starts dripping from Miika's nose while Miika is still lying on the ground. Miika's hand who is still holding the Sweet World finally let go of the syringe and let it fall to the ground.

"... !?"

Finally realizing what she just did, Ean tries her hardest to suppress her guilt because the most important she must do now is to get the Sweet World back.

"I don't want to hurt you anymore than this, so just give that thing back to me."

Ean says that as she approaches Miika.

"!"

However, much to Ean's surprise, Miika takes out a magic dagger from his pocket now that his only hand no longer holds the Sweet World. He is holding the dagger with reverse knife grip technique.

A green aura quickly envelops the dagger's blade.

(That's... magic dagger!)

Recognizing the type of weapon that Miika has, Ean stops approaching Miika and looks at him cautiously.

After making sure that Ean stops walking towards Miika, Miika points the dagger downwards.

"...!? STOP!!!"

After realizing what is Miika's intention, Ean shouts that while she is about to rush towards Miika.

However, Miika quickly stabs on the syringe using his sharpened magic dagger.

*crack! Shatter!!*

The syringe quickly breaks and splits into two.

"!!??"

The shock of looking at the shattered syringe prevents Ean from moving further.

And then, once the pink liquid makes contact with outside air, it quickly evaporates into pink gas.

Miika does not expect the liquid to quickly disappear so he is also stunned by what he sees.

"..."

*thud!*

Ean loses her strength and falls to the knees. She hopelessly look at the air where the gas of the pink liquid is no longer there.

Miika wants to say something to Ean. But he does not know what to say so he chooses to be silent as well.

Meanwhile, at the other part of the forest, a Manterlant's vine is rushing towards Shion from behind.

However, it is grabbed by one of Ground Hands made from Shion's magic.

Now all eight vines of Manterlant are finally caught by Shion's Ground Hands.

(Looks like that is all the vines. Then I'll finish it with its remaining mana!)

She uses overtake on the brown magic circle and change its magic formula once again.

The Manterlant starts crouching when Shion is finally about to use another earth-based spell using the Manterlant's last remaining mana.

(Earthcraft: Thousand Stakes!)

As she thinks the name of the spell she is using, many sharp stakes made of ground appears with the intention of stabbing Manterlant from below.

However, Manterlant suddenly jumps backwards high that it avoids the stakes and forcibly tore all eight vines from its main body.

"WHAT THE!?"

Not expecting that movement, Shion shouts that while seeing Manterlant jumping really high to the othet part of the forest.

"... oh crap. I have bad feelings about this!"

She says that while start running the direction where the Manterlant is jumping to.

Meanwhile, at the other part of the forest, Miika and Ean can be seen sitting on the ground. Miika then finally decides to talk to the silent Ean.

"E-"

*boom!*

However, before Miika can even call Ean's name, something big falls not too far from Ean's back.

"!?"

"!?"

Both of them are surprised to find out that Manterlant just falls near them out of nowhere.

Manterlant quickly notices Ean and quickly bares its fangs towards Ean.

"!"

Ean cannot avoid that attack due to the shock. However, Miika quickly pulls Ean's clothes and uses all his strength to throw her backwards.

*thud!*

"Ow!"

Ean says that after hitting the ground. Then she quickly looks at Miika after being thrown by him.

"!!??"

However, what she sees is both of Miika's legs sticking out from Manterlant's mouth. Blood is clearly dripping from Miika's legs.

"N- no..."

Ean's face quickly turns pale as she sees the Manterlant raises its mouth upwards. Then it loosens the grips on its fang to swallow Miika's whole body.

"Aa.... aaa...."

Ean says while staying on the same position. She can no longer think straight after what she just saw. She wants to run away but she no longer has the strength to do so.

Then Manterlant bares its fangs again towards Ean.

"!!!"

Ean can only closes her eyes out of fear.

However, before Manterlant can bite Ean, a water whip wraps arounds Ean's body and pulls her away from Manterlant.

The pulling force is so strong that Ean is tossed midair for two seconds before someone catches Ean's body with both arms.

Realizing that she does not get bitten, Ean slowly opens her eyes.

"...!?"

Only to find out that Griselda is carrying Ean's body with both arms while looking at Manterlant.

*End of Interlude*

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