Gacha Addict in a Matriarchal World-Chapter 55: Goblin Slayer (4)

Lydia, who had begun to wield her power in earnest, was stronger than anyone had imagined.

“Hup.”

With an expressionless face, she swung her greatsword. The aura that burned around the blade shot out in a long, crescent shape.

Boom!

A sound akin to an explosion reverberated off the ground. The nearby goblins, along with their huts, were blown away.

One goblin, which had miraculously survived, stared dazedly at Lydia. I took the opportunity to shoot it in the forehead with my wrist crossbow.

Shwoooo…Phwk!

Though it was my first time using the weapon, its power exceeded my expectations. The arrow penetrated the creature’s brain so deeply that the fletching was barely visible, and the goblin collapsed.

“…Jonah. Leave the small fry. I’ll pick up the pace now, so focus on following me. No, just get on my back.”

“Huh?”

“Even though you’re fast, Jonah, it’s still impossible for you to keep up with me.”

“……”

After witnessing her strike from a moment ago, I realized she was right. Without objections, I climbed onto her back.

The sensation was almost like clinging to bare skin because of her half-bikini armor. I felt the direct warmth and softness of her body, and then I froze, caught in the sweet scent of her skin.

“Hold on tight.”

With those words, the world around me accelerated.

“Eeeeeeeaaak!”

I screamed, reflexively burying my face in Lydia’s neck to avoid feeling like my neck would snap from the wind pressure.

Bang! Crash! Thud!

Lydia maintained a terrifying speed, shooting aura at the Hobgoblins within sight and simply kicking through those in her way.

At that moment, Lydia was akin to a living tank.

All I could do was press my head against Lydia’s shoulder and watch her chest shake violently from her movements.

…What a sight to behold.

But good times always pass quickly. The Hobgoblin tribe occupied a fairly large area, but they were still goblins.

For Lydia, a 10-second sprint was enough to traverse from a secluded spot to the chieftain’s house at the center.

Lydia aimed slightly high, intending not to demolish the entire house in case someone was inside but rather to remove just the roof.

I tapped her shoulder and shouted.

“Miss Lydia! Just go in without blowing off the roof!”

“Why? There might be traps, but they’re not dangerous to me.”

“That’s not it. We’re here to rescue Mr. Hans and possibly other men who might have been captured, right?”

“Yeah.”

“If you think about why they were captured, they’re obviously going to be naked!”

“…Right?”

“I don’t want Miss Lydia to see any man’s naked body other than mine.”

“……”

Lydia released her grip on her greatsword, looking dumbfounded.

“Jonah, didn’t you just see Miss Selly’s naked body? And before that, you saw the bodies of the elf sisters named Lemon and Apple. You even slapped them.”

“You saw that?! But it’s fine for me! Because I’m cute!”

“……”

Lydia closed her mouth, clearly dumbfounded. Then I rubbed my cheek against the top of her head and continued.

“If it becomes dangerous, I’ll ask for help, of course. But if possible, I’d like to handle it myself. Can’t I, Miss Lydia?”

“…I’ll be blocking the incoming goblins. Apart from that, I’ll also keep my senses open, so if something happens, I’ll rush in right away.”

“Thank you! And don’t be too disappointed! I can at least give you my underwear as a gift!”

“Don’t need it.”

“What? Are you sure? I’ll give it to you unwashed. Don’t you need it as a substitute for a handkerchief or something?”

“…I really don’t need it.”

With a hardened expression, Lydia swung her greatsword. The aura, burning in the shape of a crescent moon, blew away half of the large chieftain’s house.

Boom!

Taking that as a signal, I stood up. I positioned myself on Lydia’s shoulders with both feet and crouched down as much as possible.

Lydia felt something touch the back of her head and momentarily froze, but that was inconsequential. I tensed my legs, then released all the coiled energy like a spring.

Tat!

I ascended rapidly. As I flipped midair to look inside the building, I saw the chieftain, a massive figure at least 1.5 times larger than the other Hobgoblins, and two naked men tied to the wall.

There was one more than expected.

Clicking my tongue in annoyance, I aimed the reloaded wrist crossbow at the chieftain.

Half-naked, it appeared to have been in the midst of some indulgence. As it hurriedly donned the leather clothing it had discarded, it reached for a nearby sword.

But I had no intention of allowing it to arm itself.

Shwoooo!

The arrow pierced the back of the chieftain’s hand.

“Gobuuugh!”

The Hobgoblin Cheftain, clutching his pierced hand, screamed in agony. Meanwhile, I landed safely and drew my unicorn dagger.

Vwooong-!

The dagger vibrated more violently than usual as if repulsed by the situation. I gripped the handle tightly and lowered my stance.

Without giving the chieftain a chance to recover, I charged. The chieftain wasn’t idle either, swinging its injured arm like a whip to fend me off while grasping a large club with its other hand.

“Kyaaak! Little human!! Will not forgive you, gob!!! I will do you until it breaks, gobuu!!”

“Damn. Troublesome.”

I slid close to the ground to evade. It wouldn’t suffice just to dodge, so I lifted my dagger and slashed at the wrist that passed overhead.

P-shk!

Blood spurted out, drenching me. Fortunately, it missed my eyes, so I darted between its legs and aimed for the Achilles tendon…

“Keu, euhuk…?!”

The Hobgoblin Cheftain staggered as it tried to lift its club, then gasping, fell backward.

Thud!

“…Eh?”

Unsure of what had happened but recognizing an opportunity, I drove the dagger into its side and dragged it through.

Intestines spilled out, yet there was no reaction.

“???”

Puzzled, I examined its face.

Its already grotesque features had paled, froth bubbling at the mouth, eyes rolled back.

As if it had succumbed to a deadly toxin…

“Ah.”

I glanced at the unicorn dagger in my hand.

“Was it you?”

Vwoong-!

It vibrated once, as if in response, then stilled. It seemed content, having eradicated another evil, non-virgin entity from the world.

“It could be problematic for a weapon to be too effective.”

Previously, all the Hobgoblins I’d encountered had been beheaded or stabbed in the heart, so I hadn’t realized… but like this, there wouldn’t even be a chance for a proper fight. Naturally, there would be no opportunity to improve my skills either.

“No, that’s not it. There’s no need to obsess over head-on fighting skills in the first place.”

With my utterly pathetic skills, why should I bother with a fair and square sword fight? If I could take them down with a single strike from behind, that would suffice.

Feeling enlightened about the path I should take, I nodded and then turned my attention to the captured men.

The spoils could be harvested later.

“Wow.”

The condition of the male prisoners was distressing up close.

They were covered in bruises and wounds, their bodies smeared with a substance I preferred not to identify. Their eyes were unfocused, whether from drugs or trauma.

Hmm. At least the lives of these men didn’t seem to be in immediate danger, which was a relief, right?

I smiled broadly at the prisoners and spoke up.

“Over here. Who is Mr. Hans?”

“…Yes?”

“…”

One flinched and raised his head, while the other remained unresponsive, lost in his world.

I pointed the dagger at the one who had reacted.

“Aha? So you’re Hans?”

“Please! Spare me! Spare me!”

“Don’t worry! Selly sent me!”

“Selly…?”

Hans, who had been shaking his head at the sight of the dagger, froze at the mention of Selly’s name, his eyes widening in disbelief.

Chuckling at his reaction, I swung the dagger.

“Aaaaah!”

Clang!

“……?”

Hans cautiously opened his eyes, which he had squeezed shut reflexively, and saw his broken shackle.

He had been shackled by one leg to the wall. I had freed him from his restraint.

“Now that you’re okay, please wait a moment. I need to free this person as well.”

“Oh. Yes. Of course…”

Hans nodded, still bewildered. Although I freed the person next to him from the shackles, there was still no reaction from him.

“…Do you know why this person is like this?”

“Ah, probably because of the hallucinogenic drug given by the chieftain. The hallucination symptoms are quite severe…”

“Tsk. That can’t be helped. Then Mr. Hans, although it might be difficult, could you carry this person for me? It’s hard for me to carry an adult since I’m so small.”

“Uh…actually, I’ve become unable to stand up as well…”

Hans carefully showed me his arms and legs, revealing deep, unhealed wounds on his wrists and ankles.

“Did they cut your tendons?”

“…Yes.”

Hmm. There wasn’t much that could be done then.

“Put this on for now.”

I tore off every piece of leather in the chieftain’s house and wrapped it around the two men’s bodies.

“Help me, Miss Lydia!”

Crash!

As soon as I called out, Lydia burst through the wall and appeared.

She quickly assessed the situation, but seeing the dead chieftain and me covered in blood, she tilted her head in confusion. I gave her a reassuring smile.

“Could you please go bring Miss Selly?”

“……”

Lydia stared at me with an expressionless face, much like someone who had rushed over for an urgent matter only to be asked to turn off the lights.