章 19: Hesitation
Before Sebastian knew it, another week had passed and now there was only a month and three weeks to the date of the duel.
At present, his archery was good enough to reach 400 yards with the right bow, just as Kathrina had thought. Of course, that only applied to stationary shooting, Sebastian had yet to use his bow while running in an environment such as the forest.
Contrary to the big improvement of his archery, his ability hadn't improved much. He had just reached the true beginning of Novice rank and if there wasn't any fortuitous happening, he'd only reach the middle of Novice by the end of the three month period.
Right now, he's able to conjure a flame as tall as a head and make it last for ten or so seconds. To be considered an Apprentice, he'd have to at least reach five meters and make it last for half a minute, that was the limit of a Novice's energy after all.
As Sebastian got off the carriage at the Warde's estate, Linet greeted him and led him to the others. This wasn't the sight where the goblins were sighted but this was where everyone would gather.
Sebastian looked around, there were about ten other people, excluding Linet who wasn't part of the mission and himself.
"Sir Bastion, correct?"
Sebastian looked at the man who had approached him with a strange expression.
"..." just as he was about to answer, Linet who was by the side, winked at him once.
"...Yes, and you are?" although he hesitated, it didn't seem that the other party cared much.
"My name is Rob, that bulky man over there is Yule, the one with a scar on his face is Van—"
As Rob introduced his comrades one by one, they all looked over at Sebastian. Some were apathetic, some nodded for courtesy, and some gave him looks of disdain.
"Sorry about my comrades. Some of them grew up in the slums and poor villages, nobles use those places to run rampant. When they heard you were a noble and we had to protect you, they kind of snapped. Don't worry though, we'll do our job properly," Rob affirmed while smacking his chest.
Sebastian smiled wryly, "I'm counting on you then."
Sebastian only knew how to fire arrows from a standstill, he couldn't really deny their thinking that he was here for sightseeing.
"We've all gathered. Now, let's depart!" Rob turned to face his teammates and yelled. Contrary to his energetic attitude, his teammates didn't seem to be in the mood.
"Be careful," Linet spoke up to Sebastian as the group began to leave.
"I will," Sebastian responded and took out the bow from the case. He slung the black quiver over his shoulder which was filled with arrows and handed the case over to Linet before following the rest of the group.
After waving Linet goodbye, Sebastian quickened his pace to catch up with the rest of the group. They weren't using a carriage, they were walking towards their destination.
"The last time the goblins were seen was half an hour to the east. Oi, isn't this insanely close to the road?" Van spoke while looking towards the forest in the east.
The city of Aurum which housed Aurora Academy was located to the east of Argenti, the city where the Warde House resided.
Sebastian had to go through the road near the very forest they were entering to get here. Baritos was to stay at the Warde's estate while he went out hunting goblins for half a day.
"...They were last seen two days ago. Let's hope they haven't gone too far," Van said while proceeding towards the forest with eyes darting all over.
As they were going through the forest, everyone had a solemn expression on their face and none spoke.
It was only a distance of half an hour after all. Who knows if the goblins were already lying in wait near the road?
Van and Yule led the front, Rob was next to Sebastian in the rear while the rest of the members were at the center—looking cautiously at the sides.
This is the first time that Sebastian had seen a group in action. Though nobody spoke, they were very organized. It was different from how the troops he saw were moving during practice.
Besides Sebastian, there was no other archer. There were three who only brought daggers but no other weapons, it seemed they would rely on their abilities as 『Inheritors』 rather than weapons to fight.
Everyone here, with no exception, is a 『Inheritor』despite their humble origins. Some weren't very good at using their abilities and some were confident but most of them were armed with swords. Sebastian was the odd one out for bringing a bow.
Even though Linet and Amy gave him an alias, he still couldn't use flames. Though these people were hired to subjugate the goblins by the Wardes, they answer to the House of Luna in the end.
If they were to report to Linet about him using flames, she wouldn't find it suspicious and neither would his uncle. On the other hand, Amy would undoubtedly be shocked. She would rejoice from seeing it but that just meant the chances of being found out are higher.
It wasn't that he didn't trust Amy to keep a secret. He just didn't want to make any mistakes.
"I'll apologize to her once the duel is over," Sebastian mentally noted and then surveyed his surroundings.
—Sebastian.
"Huh? What is it?" Sebastian asked Balanos.
"Is something wrong?" Rob who was walking beside Sebastian heard him and looked over.
"Ah, it's nothing. I'm just talking to myself," Sebastian quickly replied and slightly distanced himself from Rob.
When Sebastian had gotten a certain distance away, Balanos began to speak.
—Though the amount of power I hold when I'm not in the garden is minuscule, I will still be able to help you here. We're only a distance away from the garden and to top it all off, this is a forest. I will have one chance to save your life though it would be fortunate if it isn't used up.
Once Sebastian heard that, he felt assured.
As they passed through the forest, they began to find traces of goblin nests and marks on the trees. Although they hadn't found an actual nest, they did find that the parts goblins used to make one have been scavenged.
"Judging by the number of materials they've taken, their numbers neared twenty when they made the nest. Be on the lookout for more clues."
Van was their pathfinder and analyst. Sebastian didn't see any of the others refute his analysis and wholeheartedly trusted him.
While Sebastian searched, he found something unusual in one of the goblins' used shrubs prompting him to utter, "huh?"
"What is it?" Rob walked over.
"This..." Sebastian picked up a bone and showed it to him. After a short inspection, Rob looked at Sebastian with a raised brow.
"What about it? The goblins caught some game and ate it. There are bones scattered all over the place," Rob said while picking up a different bone.
"No, this is different. Look at the bite marks. Goblins eat wildly but with their small and sharp teeth, they accidentally pierce through meat and leave small bite marks on the bones. Now look at this one, the bone is crushed in half," said Sebastian while holding out the same bone from earlier.
Rob looked at him weirdly, "couldn't they have just stepped on it?"
"Goblins are insanely light, they wouldn't snap a bone in half just from that—"
"Just shut up, brat! Rob may be tolerant enough to entertain you but I'm not! Have you ever faced a goblin?"
One of the other members whose name Sebastian had forgotten spoke up in irritation.
"Well, no but the number of books I've read about goblins—"
"But nothing! Just keep your mouth shut and don't interfere with our words!"
The man had veins popping on his forehead, it looked like he really was angered. Sebastian also felt some rage stirring but calmed himself with a deep breath and backed down.
The man snorted and turned his body back towards what he was searching before.
Rob scratched his cheek awkwardly, "sorry about that. Tyre's one of the few with a short fuse. Not just that, out of all the people here, he hates nobles the most."
Sebastian sighed. Rob seemed to be the only one with a welcoming personality among them. He didn't really care if they liked him or not but it wouldn't be bad if they did.
"Anyway, do you want to continue your explanation?" Rob said while waving the bones.
"Well..." Sebastian dragged out his words and shot a glance at Tyre's back.
"Don't worry about him."
Sebastian shrugged his shoulders and began to speak, "I think that this bone was chomped in half along with the meat. That would mean that there is a large being with the goblins, and the only thing that comes to mind is..."
Rob's eyes widened, "you're saying that there's a goblin lord among them?"
Sebastian neither affirmed nor denied his question. In the end, it was still just speculation after all. Having the group become cautious and increase the energy they need to use on just a hunch wasn't a good option.
Rob put a hand to his chin and furrowed his brows. It was the most serious expression that Sebastia had seen on his face.
"We were told that there was a high chance of there being hobgoblins so a goblin lord appearing isn't impossible. A goblin lord is... far above what this group can handle. Maybe we'll succeed if we prepare a trap but that would require us knowing where they are..."
He had begun thinking out loud.
"Ah, crap, he's like that again," Yule's voice alerted the other members and they all turned their eyes towards Rob.
"Bass—or whatever your name is, what did you say to him?" Yule asked.
"Eh... I told him that there was a possibility of there being a goblin lord and showed him through the bones..."
Tyre who was at the side snorted once more and turned his head away from Sebastian.
"Damn, he's going to stay like that for a few more minutes. Bass, you're an archer so your eyesight should be good, go with Van and scout ahead," Yule appeared to be the temporary leader whenever Rob isn't.
Van didn't seem to have any disagreements and began to walk ahead without waiting for Sebastian. His departing figure caused Sebastian to run over to catch up with him.
...
They had walked for ten minutes or so and finally reached what seemed to be the goblin nest.
"This is pretty damn near the road. Luckily, there haven't been any kidnappings reported yet," Van took out two daggers and waited behind a tree.
Sebastian followed his movements and hid behind a tree as well. He took out an arrow from his quiver and placed it in the bow without pulling the bowstring back.
He peeked out the side of the tree and scanned the area, "three outside, five inside, I also see two hobgoblins among them, there's no sign of an orc lord but their numbers don't match with what we've found."
Van looked at him surprised, "you can see all that? The nest only has small holes to peek through, you know?"
The nest was made of leaves and sticks. Though goblins relied on instinct, they were able to make makeshift houses better than humans as a nest to take care of their young.
As Sebastian was about to answer Van, he saw a goblin creep up behind the latter and immediately stood up and pulled the bowstring back. The moment he was about to fire, he hesitated.
Van still hadn't reacted to the goblin and was focused on Sebastian.
Sebastian felt the world become slower, he could see the minute-details of the goblin and Van's movements so clearly.
He couldn't release the arrow. It was one thought that stopped him, "this is the first time I've pointed it at a living being."
It would bleed and suffer once the arrow pierces through it. It wasn't a wooden target that wouldn't react no matter how many times he shot it. There was no way for him to miss at this distance but he couldn't do it.
It was that hesitation that allowed the goblin to let out a cry and stab Van in the shoulder.
"Agh!"
Van's cry snapped Sebastian out of his daze and the arrow disappeared from the bow.
"Kuryak!"
The goblin made one last cry as the arrow pierced into its skull. Blood flowed out of the wound as its body crashed into the floor.
It was the first time, that Sebastian had killed another living being.
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