Chapter 5: Black Cat Hero

Chapter 5:
Black Cat Hero

 

WE’D PLANNED TO SIGHTSEE and do some sparring on our second day. The elite mages had fixed the training grounds without even crying about it, and Fran and Mea had wrecked it again before the day was over. But right now, we weren’t in Bestia.

“That road looks familiar.”

“Indeed! We’re closing in on Green Goat!”

Fran, Mea, and Quina were currently in the sky—headed toward Green Goat on Lind’s back.

“We’re almost there, Lind! You can do it!”

“Kuoooo!”

Lind had been in the air since this morning, and it was beginning to wear him down. He might not be able to fight when we landed, but we were in a hurry.

“To think that Fiends have attacked again…”

This morning, the Adventurer’s Guild had brought unbelievable news: Green Goat was under attack.

 

A few hours before, the carvers from the Adventurer’s Guild were at the palace.

“This is…quite a haul.”

“Ha ha ha… Hah.”

They could only let out a wry laugh at the mountain of monster remains. There were about a hundred fifty monsters in total, and the vice guildmaster had wanted them all. That was all well and good, but the carvers probably couldn’t get it done in a day.

Fran had managed to crack open shells and kill tough monsters with pinpoint blows. The submaster winced, forced to admit that she was the real deal.

“W-we’ll do our best to carve all this by tomorrow morning!” he said. “You can expect payment by then too.”

“Hm.”

It didn’t take long for his fear to turn to awe. He looked at Fran like the national hero she was. That was the nice thing about beastmen: they always acknowledged strength.

“By the way,” he said. “Have you heard? They say Green Goat is under attack again.”

“By what? Monsters?”

“Fiends, apparently. They requested backup the other day.”

“Will they be okay?” Fran asked.

“They can handle it for now, but they want their adventurers back ASAP.”

If they’d called for backup, then the attack must be out of the ordinary.

Teacher…

You wanna go check it out?

Hm.

We didn’t have any plans today, aside from training with Mea, and she would understand. After all, she cared about her people. Still, how would we get to Green Goat in time? Jet could take us there by tonight, but even if we did some quick and dirty Fiend-hunting, it would still be the day after tomorrow by the time we got back.

Let’s talk to Mea.

“Hm.”

About an hour later, Mea had made her decision.

“You’ll be riding with me, Fran.”

“Hm.”

“Quina, make sure Fran doesn’t fall.”

“Very well.”

And that’s how we all ended up riding Lind. Honestly, I should’ve expected this. If Mea’s people were in danger, there was no way she’d sit around and do nothing. Good thing too. Lind made air travel a lot easier, and he could maintain top speed for longer than Jet. The weight of three people slowed him down a bit, but he could make a straight line for Green Goat. We should get there by the afternoon. The sooner, the better.

“Take us to Green Goat, Lind! On the double!”

“Luoooo!”

 

Lind flew to Green Goat without stopping. Although the dragon hadn’t yet reached his full potential, he was still much faster than any wyvern or drake.

Mea munched. “This thing you call curry bread is exquisite!”

Quina chewed. “Indeed. Delicious, easy to eat, and has all the necessary nutrients. It has been a long time since I’ve felt outclassed in cooking.”

“Teacher!” said Mea. “I haven’t seen Quina eat so feverishly in a long time!”

“Hm! Teacher’s cooking is the best in the world,” said Fran. “And curry’s the best dish of them all. He’s the ultimate chef.”

“I can see why…!”

I couldn’t. Fran’s judgment was completely skewed by curry. She measured everything else against it. I was confident in my cooking, but I wouldn’t consider myself the best in the world!

They ate the curry bread while perched on Lind’s back. I expected Mea to go through it like a glutton, but in the end, it was more of a hit with Quina. The maid somehow managed to plow through ten of them and still maintain her slender figure. It must be a testament to her tribal genetics.

By the time we finished the feast, our destination was in sight.

“Green Goat ahead!” Mea shouted, pointing at the shadow of the city in the distance.

At Lind’s current speed, we’d get there in a few minutes.

“Here’s the plan,” said Mea. “We kill any Fiend we find lurking outside.”

“Hm.”

Sounds good to me. There shouldn’t be that many.

“Still, there shouldn’t be any of them since we destroyed that dungeon,” Mea said.

“Yeah.” Fran agreed. “What gives?”

When a dungeon was destroyed, all of its monsters and Fiends died.

“Maybe they’re from outside the dungeon,” Quina suggested.

“Now? Of all times?” Mea said.

“It’s too convenient,” Fran agreed.

“Let’s not jump to conclusions. All I’m saying is: if these Fiends weren’t destroyed with the dungeon, then they must come from somewhere else.”

Fiend hordes were a regular occurrence. While some dungeons (like the one in Alessa) did produce goblins, they were also known to dig out caves and create hordes themselves.

Still, Mea was right: the timing was far too convenient. After all, this attack came right on the heels of Murelia’s defeat…

“Over there!” Mea shouted, pointing.

“Where?” Fran asked, craning her neck to get a better view. Her face stiffened. “Goblins!”

And they have animals with them!

Outside Green Goat, a squad of beastmen was locked in combat. There were thirty monsters in total, and the goblins had bears and wolves. The five adventurers fighting against them were struggling to stay alive.

“I’m going in. Teacher!”

Okay! Mea, you go on to Green Goat! Let’s hope it’s still in one piece!

Mea nodded. “Very well! We’re counting on you all!”

“Hm!”

“Woof!”

Fran jumped off Lind’s back in midair, and Jet leapt out of her shadow to follow.

No area of effect attacks. We don’t want to hurt the adventurers.

“Got it.”

Jet, you’re fast. You go after the wolves.

“Woof!”

We accelerated our fall with Air Hop. Neither the adventurers nor the monsters saw us coming. But then, adventurers were greenhorns, and the monsters were only goblins.

“Here we go.”

“Grrr!”

I’ll heal the adventurers.

Fran paralyzed the goblins with a Thunder spell and Jet finished them off with shadow spears. Finally, the forces fighting on the ground noticed us. Goblins and adventurers alike stared at us, slack jawed.

“Huh? What was that?”

“My wounds are healed…”

“What’s a kid doing here?!”

You guys should stop gaping and press the offensive!

But we couldn’t wait for them to come to their senses. We loosed a volley of spells, and Fran landed between the monsters and the adventurers. She cut down any goblin that was still standing, crushed the heads of the ones that were paralyzed on the ground, and killed the animals with more spells. The whole thing was over in under three minutes.

“You…you saved us.”

“Did you heal us too?”

“Hm.”

“Wow! You don’t see many fighters who can heal like that!”

“And that wolf of yours? What a familiar!”

“You can use magic and fight with a sword? That’s amazing!”

As confused as they were, they knew that Fran wasn’t their enemy. I would miss this beastman hospitality when we left this place.

Eventually, one of them recognized her.

“Wait a minute! I know you…”

“Keep it down! No need to shout. Is she new here?”

“No. Think about it,” said the girl. “Black Cat, amazing swordsmanship, giant direwolf familiar. Doesn’t that sound like the Black Lightning Princess?”

The realization dawned on them.

“Now that you mention it…!”

“It’s her!”

“B-but I thought the Black Lightning Princess was supposed to be Evolved…”

We’d activated Stealth Evolution in the capital. All the attention was getting tiresome.

Should I turn it off? Fran asked.

Not yet.

If they knew her real identity, they might hold us up. And we needed to get to Green Goat as fast as possible. Still, there was something wrong with the bear that Jet had killed.

“Woof.”

“What is it, Jet?” Fran asked.

“Woof!”

It’s rotten.

Jet’s Deadly Venom Magic accelerated the rate of decay, but it might have hit the adventurers if he’d used it. He’d only been using Shadow spells.

Was it rotten when you started fighting? I asked.

Woof.

Sure was lively for a rotting bear. Must be undead.

These other animals are rotten too, Fran noted.

The wolves and monkeys also showed signs of decay. You could control zombies with magic, but there weren’t any necromancers amongst the goblins we’d just killed. None of them had Undead Control, so something else must be doing this, and it was in cahoots with the local goblins. It was probably a Goblin King or a sorcerer.

“Hey,” said Fran.

“Y-yes?”

“Do you get zombies around here?”

“No. We’re based in Green Goat, and this is the first time we’ve seen them around here.”

“I see.”

Necromancers and goblins. One had the ability to control corpses, and the other could multiply in great numbers. A dangerous combination.

“Hrm.”

Teacher?

Grr!

You feel something?

Something weird’s looking at us.

I could feel it staring from a distance. The air shivered with mana. They were probably observing us with some kind of spell.

Can you blink to it, boy?

Arf.

It was too far away for Jet, and I wasn’t good at teleporting blind. Still, Fran and Jet knew exactly where it was, so I could at least work on their hunch.

All right. We’ll have to work fast. I’ll get us as close as I can, then it’s up to you to take it down.

Got it.

We didn’t know what we were up against. If it had anything to do with Murelia, we might have to get out of there. However, when I teleported us closer, we found our observer was a lot weaker than I’d thought.

“Gyagaaa!”

The goblin might have a stealth specialization, but its fighting skills were nothing special. It tried to teleport away, but Fran cut it down before it had the chance.

“A pitch-black goblin?”

It’s a Corrupt Goblin.

The prefix Corrupt was given to creatures with the Evil One’s Grace. Unfortunately, this was not the necromancer we were looking for, and whoever we were really up against had Corrupt Goblins under their command. Not good.

We’ll keep it for now. Onward to Green Goat.

“Hm.”

We bid farewell to the adventurers and went on our way. It didn’t take long for us to reach the city walls.

“A lot of people here,” said Fran.

A lot of soldiers. I guess there’s goblins here too.

“There’s Mea.”

Fran motioned to the white-haired girl giving orders to the town guard. Mea looked completely at home, and the guards didn’t resent the young girl for giving them instructions either. She was royalty, indeed.

“Fran, you made it!” Mea said. “How were things on your side?”

“The adventurers will be all right.”

“Excellent!”

“You had enemies here too?” Fran asked.

“That we did.”

By the time they arrived, the Green Goat guards were already being pushed back by minotaurs. Were they part of the same force as the goblins? The rookies might have come under attack before they could reach the city gates. Fortunately, Mea and Quina arrived just in time to save town.

“I don’t think they’re wild Fiends,” said one of the guards. “They came at us with battering rams.”

“They would’ve broken through the gates if you hadn’t shown up.”

Minotaurs and battering rams were the perfect recipe for broken gates.

“Did you see any necromancers?” Fran asked.

“Necromancers? I don’t know. Quina?”

“Not that I could tell. Then again, you did slaughter half of them instantly, my lady.”

Mea winced. “I-I had to. The whole town was in danger!”

I looked at the roasted pile of corpses outside the gates. They were certainly Mea’s handiwork.

“But I think I saw some zombies. Did you see them on your end too?”

“Hm,” said Fran. “Zombie bears and wolves.”

“So, the Fiends are working with necromancers…”

“And look at this.”

Fran took out the remains of the Corrupt Goblin.

“We had a few of these too.”

“This may turn out to be a serious threat.”

“That it may.”

If there was one goblin, there’d be a horde of them. And now we had Corrupt Goblins too? A single one might have evolved in the wild, but multiple Corrupt Goblins meant that more were on the way.

“We’ll get the crystals out of the Corrupt Goblins and burn the rest before they turn into undead.”

“Good idea.”

Despite being Corrupted, goblin materials weren’t worth much. That said, the Malice in Corrupt Goblin crystals was a cut above other corrupted monsters.

“I guess there’s no saving the rest of the materials,” a guild carver said under his breath, mourning the loss of minotaur and orc materials.

They’d made up the bulk of the frontlines, and so they were the first to be burned by Mea’s flames. They were mostly charcoal at this point, and only good for their crystals.

Quina stared at the princess. “My lady.”

“I-I had no choice!” Mea protested. “I had to protect the city!”

“It is true that you helped prevent the Fiends from breaking down the gates.”

“Right?”

“But was there no cleaner way to do it?” First the carrot, then the stick. Quina knew how to play her. “You could’ve set the gates on fire with your flames. And did it not occur that you could’ve caused a forest fire?”

“W-well…”

“If you keep using your power with reckless abandon, Fran will leave you in the dust,” Quina said.

Mea groaned and glanced at Fran. Quina was right: Mea knew full well that Fran had been practicing to control her skills.

“I’ll be more careful next time,” she said.

“See that you do.”

“If you don’t mind,” a guildsman asked timidly. “I don’t suppose we could continue this conversation in the guild?”

 

The guildsman looked deathly nervous as he led Fran and the others to the guild. Mea hadn’t introduced herself, but he knew he was dealing with high nobility. After all, her maid had called her “my lady,” and Mea certainly spoke the part. Not to mention the fact that she’d burned all those Fiends in one fell swoop. He seemed to recognize Fran too. The guildsman was literally stuck between a lion and a tiger.

He got us some kebabs and tea, then told us to wait. A few minutes later, an old dog beastman wearing mage garb came in. He was sweating. I hoped it was nothing serious.

“Prin—Lady Mea!”

“It’s been a while, Leboeuf.”

I guess Green Goat’s guildmaster knew Mea’s true identity.

“First,” he said. “I would like to thank you and the Black Lightning Princess for saving our town.”

“I am only doing my duty,” Mea said. “The royal family is responsible for the safety of its people.”

“And I was fighting to save my friends,” said Fran.

“I see… Either way, you prevented Fiends from invading. Your friends should be quite safe, Black Lightning Princess.”

“Good to know.”

Mea had taken down two hundred of those things with her attack.

“So,” he said. “Have you found out what we’re up against?”

“Of sorts,” said Mea. “Look at this.”

She and Quina showed him the Corrupt Goblin crystals and told him what they’d seen. We didn’t know much at the moment, but this clearly wasn’t an ordinary goblin stampede. The biggest question on everyone’s minds was: who was leading the assault?

“This Fiend attack can hardly be a coincidence,” Mea said.

“You mean to say Basharl has something to do with this…?” Leboeuf asked.

“That I do. The timing is far too convenient.”

“I suppose it is…”

If Mea had already destroyed the horde’s commander, then all well and good. But what if they were still out there and mounting another attack?

“Goblins should run away after the main force is defeated,” Fran said. “But they kept coming after us.”

“You think the commander is still at large?”

“Those Fiends wouldn’t keep fighting otherwise.”

“True. I shall issue a quest for adventurers to scout the surroundings, and ask the town guard for help too.”

“We’ll do some digging of our own,” said Mea. “Where did these goblins come from?”

“Patrolmen spotted them coming from the north.”

“The north…”

Fran was immediately worried.

Teacher…do you think Schwarz Katze is okay?

I don’t think those monsters would destroy an abandoned village…

But the Black Cats wouldn’t be able to return if the Fiends were still around. The danger of attack was too high.

“You seem tense, Fran,” Mea said. “What’s wrong?”

“I’ll help you look.”

“All right. Let’s see who can find the enemy commander first!”

“Hm!”

They nodded and went on their way. Mea needed to see Count Marmano, and Fran wanted to check in on her friends. As we approached the encampment, Salutia was the first one to spot us. She was always happy to see Fran.

“Princess?! I thought you were supposed to be in the capital. Are you the one who defeated the Fiends just now?”

“Most of that was Mea. I helped a little.”

“And who is this Lady Mea?”

“A friend.”

“I see! This friend of yours must be very strong!”

“Hm. Very.”

“Aww, I hope I can fight alongside you one day, princess,” Salutia said, brushing the sword at her side. She was using a spear the last time we saw her.

Had she switched it on a whim?

“I know a spear’s easier for a beginner,” said Salutia, staring at Fran. “But you and Lady Kiara inspired me, I couldn’t help myself.”

“I see.”

Fran nodded, but she seemed happy to have someone look up to her. And to continue Kiara’s legacy.

“You don’t think it’s silly?” Salutia asked.

“No. You can master it if you try.”

“Thank you! I’m working to get Fire Magic too. I hope I can fight with them both soon!”

“Hm.”

The other Black Cats nodded. They needed to get stronger for their own sake, but also for Fran and Kiara. They were nothing like the trembling wrecks we’d first met. Everyone was prepared to get stronger, especially those of them holding weapons.

We talked to them for a while, but time was short.

“I have to get going,” Fran said.

“Okay…good luck out there, princess!”

“Oh, don’t get hurt!”

“Go get ’em, princess.”

“May the gods be with you!”

Everyone saw her off. Salutia, the elder, the village fighters, the children, even the elderly.

“We’re going to protect Schwarz Katze,” Fran said.

You got it!

“Woof!”

Their resolve was bolstered by the Black Cat’s support, and we left Green Goat in the hopes of finding and eliminating our enemy. But it wasn’t going to be that easy.

 

About an hour later, we’d searched the area around Schwarz Katze. I used all my Sense Skills, and Jet had his superior sniffer, but we still couldn’t find anything.

There’s nothing near the village…

“Woof…”

Even when we surveyed the area from the sky, there weren’t any Fiends in sight. Perhaps they’d all fled from the powerful mana of Murelia’s army.

“Nothing but small monsters,” said Fran.

Not a single orc or goblin.

Should we keep looking?

“Of course.”

All right. Let’s get lower so Jet can sniff them out.

“Got it.”

But even then, we came up blank. It looked like there was nothing here.

Let’s head back to Green Goat. Maybe the other adventurers have found something.

“All right.”

If there was no new information, then we could always continue our search tomorrow. If we couldn’t find anything then either, we’d have no choice but to give up. Still, we’d stay if we had to, even if it meant missing our boat to Granzell.

We headed back to Green Goat, and Fran ate a kebab on Jet’s back as we discussed our options. But as we got closer to the city, something happened.

“Teacher!”

I see it. Fire!

Red flames and black smoke were rising from Green Goat.

Step on it, Jet!

“Grr!”

Something had gone horribly wrong.

 

Aside: Salutia

 

I DIDN’T KNOW how much time had passed since the princess left.

“It’s not working.”

I sighed and pulled my hands away from the bonfire. Despite all my concentration, I still couldn’t use magic. The princess said that focus and imagination were important, but what if I just wasn’t talented enough? Of course, I’m not as talented as the Black Lightning Princess. She was already a powerful hero, even at such a young age.

I was still learning the basics. Fire Magic was the first step to learning Thunder Magic, but I couldn’t even manage that much. It was frustrating. It’d tried so hard, but I just ended up tired and weak.

But I mustn’t give up. Fran was younger than me, but she was so strong. And Lady Kiara saved our race from constant oppression. I looked up to them. I wanted to be like them one day. That much I knew for sure.

We spent so long thinking we were the weakest race. That we were doomed to never evolve. But things are different now. Evolution was within our grasp. Knowing that, I couldn’t slack off.

“Again…”

“Salutia, how about you take a break?”

“Oh, but I’m not tired yet, elder.”

“But nothing. Have you looked at your hands recently?”

“My hands? Why…?”

I looked down. My palms were swollen and bright red. I must have burned myself when I was holding them over the fire. They’d gotten used to the heat, but my skin still blistered.

“Now that I see it…ow, ow!”

“Come on, we’ll put some ointment on you. You’ll feel better.”

“S-sorry.”

“I know how you feel, but getting hurt doesn’t help anyone.”

“But I—”

KABOOM!

Before I could tell the elder how I felt, there was an explosion in the distance.

“Did you hear that?” I asked.

“That I did. We may have a situation on our hands. Gather everyone together, quickly!”

“Yes sir!”

The other beast tribes huddled together, unsure of what was going on. We were the only ones preparing to evacuate. Maybe we wouldn’t need to, but better safe than sorry. If it was just a friendly mage practicing explosive spells right outside the city, then we could all have a good laugh about it in the morning.

KABLAM!

“Something is definitely wrong…!”

That explosion came from inside the city. We gathered our people together. Everyone who could fight was ready to do so.

“GUOOOOON!”

“That sound…!”

It was a roar. And it came from something gigantic. Why hadn’t the warning bells sounded? The city was clearly under attack…

“Everyone who can’t fight, get inside!” the elder shouted. “The inns will give you shelter!”

He’d already talked them into taking us in. If nothing else, the children had been using their rooms since we arrived. So, we moved our non-combatants inside—the children and elderly all crammed together in a tight space. That left us behind to fight, although we weren’t very good with our weapons.

“Waaaah!”

The watchman screamed as he saw what was coming.

“G-goblins! Pitch-black goblins…!”

“There are zombies too!”

“Come on, Gran!” I said. “You gotta get inside!”

“I’m doing my best, dear!”

“Lock the door. Stay inside until it’s over, all right?”

“Don’t do anything reckless, Salutia. Remember the princess and Lady Kiara saved you for a reason.”

“Yeah, I know.”

I closed the door and heard the click of the lock.

“Gyagao!”

“Huh?”

A nearby goblin let out a fearsome and hostile scream. When I turned around, the black goblins were closing in on us. They were so fast!

“These aren’t normal goblins!” a Red Dog guard shouted as he engaged one of them in combat.

He used to be a guard for another village, but his encampment was next to ours, and we’d grown friendly. A goblin should’ve been no match for him, but this black kind gave him trouble.

“Gyaaoooo!”

“Damn it!”

The goblin pushed him back. He’s going to get killed at this rate! I had no time to think, I just ran—plunging my brand-new sword into the goblin’s arm. The blade made contact but couldn’t penetrate the creature’s skin. It didn’t make sense. Back when I went goblin hunting with the princess, I’d killed one of these things with a knife! At least I managed to get this one’s attention.

“Good job, little lady! Raaah!”

“Giiii!”

The man broke free and jabbed his index finger into the goblin’s eye as hard as he could. The goblin dropped its sword and grabbed its eye in pain. My body moved forward, slashing at the creature’s neck. The princess taught me this move. It was my favorite.

This time, my steel broke through its skin. Blood gushed out of the goblin as it fell to the ground. It twitched, then stopped moving.

I think I killed it.

I was too surprised to celebrate.

“You did great!” said the guard.

“Th-thanks…”

“You feeling all right?”

“I…this is my first real battle.”

The last time I held a weapon, Kiara had saved us before we could fight.

“Really? You did pretty damn well for your first try!”

We didn’t have much time to say anything else. More black goblins poured in from the end of the road.

“Damn it! These things are strong! Go get your friends, little lady!”

“A-all right!”

The goblins and zombies soon fell upon the Red Dogs. They put up a good fight, but the enemy was just as strong. Black Cats did our best to help.

“Gyushooo!”

“Urgh!”

“Stay calm! Shields up! Stay alive!”

“I-I’ll try…”

“Now! Stab them with your spears!”

“Yaaaah!”

“Take this!”

Just like the princess taught us. Terrified as we were, we fought on. We would defeat these Fiends, even if we didn’t know what we were doing. Somehow, our readiness to face death drove away our fear. Last time, it bought us enough time for Lady Kiara to save us. I hoped it would be enough to drive off the black goblins today.

But they just kept on coming. Soon, they had us surrounded. The Red Dogs and city guards started falling, and it wouldn’t be long until they got to us…

“Incoming, Salutia!”

“There’s no end to them!”

Soon, the inevitable happened.

“Gyoooo!”

“H-heeeelp! Aaaah!”

“Sean, no!”

One of the goblins knocked Sean’s shield away while another one drove a spear through his chest. We all thought it was fatal.

“Damn it!”

“How dare you!”

“No! Calm down!”

But we didn’t even think about running. We were angry, and we attacked the goblins recklessly. We outnumbered them, but most of us were fighting goblins toe-to-toe.

“Gyugyaaa!”

“It’s so strong…! Argh!”

“Gyooo!”

“Gyaaa!”

My friends were falling, and the enemies kept coming. Ten more goblins closed in around us, adding to the twelve we were already facing. We still outnumbered them, but I didn’t think we could win. The screams of our fallen friends sapped our morale. We couldn’t even work up the strength to let go of our weapons.

The black goblins made a wicked sound, like they were laughing at us. It sent shivers down my spine.

How odd. It made me more angry than afraid. Had fear finally made me snap? Maybe my training just helped me to conquer it. I hoped it was the latter.

The black goblins cackled as they drew closer. Was this the end of the life that Fran and Kiara had saved…?

That thought brought me back to myself.

“No!” I shouted. The goblins were as surprised as I was. “This isn’t the end! We’re not going to die here. We promised the princess we would become strong!”

I had to rouse everyone’s spirits. We might lose, we might even die, but we wouldn’t stop struggling.

“Lady Kiara gave us a second chance,” I said. “Let’s use it or die trying!”

Even if the worst happened, our deaths would not bring shame to the tribe!

“If we have to go down, we’ll go down fighting!”

I don’t know how it happened but, as I spoke, something bubbled in the back of my mind. Words. Fiery words of power.

“O, Fire…”

As I spoke the Fire Magic incantation, a mysterious power overcame me. My mind became clear and strong as the spell completed itself.

“Burn my enemies! Fire Arrow!”

“Gegyaaa!”

A small firebolt struck the black goblin right in the face. I didn’t realize how close it’d gotten while I was casting. It wasn’t dead, but at least I got its eyes. The goblin fell to its knees and buried its face in its hands. Its howls of pain stunned the other goblins into silence.

This was our chance. I made my move, and I wasn’t alone. My friends picked up their weapons and attacked. They stabbed the howling goblin in the chest, finishing it off. We were still in grave danger, but I had to smile. I was glad that I wasn’t the only one who remembered what Fran and Kiara had taught us.

The black goblins shifted and glared at us. They’d planned to slaughter easily, like prey, but now we were a threat.

“Gigigi…gaaaa!”

One of them came right for me.

“Yaaaah!”

I knew it was faster than me. I was probably going to die, but I had to try and stop it!

“Gyago…?”

“Huh?”

But the pain of death never came. Instead, the goblin burst into a fountain of blood. Its head was no longer attached to its neck.

“Good job, Salutia.”

Our hero had arrived.

“P-princess…”

She was expressionless as always, but she looked at us with such kind eyes. Although they looked nothing alike, I saw the shadow of Lady Kiara in the way she saved us.

“Hm. It’ll be all right now.”

 

By the time we got to Green Goat, it was already in a state of emergency. We could see the chaos even before we landed. Fiends and undead were inside the city, tearing everything apart. The beastmen fought valiantly, but they were suffering heavy losses. Most of their combatants were out on recon with the adventurers. The guild should be organizing whoever was left, but I wasn’t sure if it was still functioning.

“It’s on fire.”

That black giant…

It stood at the center of the smoke and flames rising from the Adventurer’s Guild—as though it had appeared inside the building and broken through its roof. It must’ve teleported in somehow. And the fire broke out when the lamps ignited the wood. Was the guildmaster all right? What about everyone else that was in there? Without orders, the remaining adventurers would only descend into chaos.

“We have to get going!” Fran said.

Yeah.

“Woof!”

For now, we were more worried about the Black Cats. They were defenseless, and we rushed to their encampment, fearing the worst. We got there just in time. Corrupt Goblins were about to finish off Salutia and the others. The Black Cats looked ready to go down fighting, but they were facing almost certain doom.

“Teacher!”

On it!

Fran didn’t need to say another word. We jumped off of Jet’s back, and I teleported us into the fray. Unfortunately, I flubbed it.

Damn it!

I overshot. Mana control was crucial over long distances. Even the smallest change could affect the range, and now we were now fifteen meters away from where we were supposed to be. Below us, a Corrupt Goblin closed in on Salutia, and she wasn’t moving. Was she frozen in fear? I was preparing a spell to repel the goblin when the creature’s face burst into flames. Someone had cast a Fire spell. But who?

That girl went and learned Fire Magic!

The other Corrupt Goblins were stunned, and the Black Cats took full advantage. The goblins never saw them coming. They thought they were up against kittens, but these cats were tigers in the making!

Fran accelerated with Air Hop and lopped the Corrupt Goblin’s head clean off.

“Gyago…?”

“Huh?”

Neither Salutia nor the goblin knew what happened. Both of them stared blankly at Fran, but she kept going—cutting down every Corrupt Goblin in sight. She flicked the blood off me and turned to face her kin.

“Good job, Salutia.”

“P-princess…”

Salutia’s shoulders slumped in relief. She knew Fran had just saved their lives.

“Hm,” said Fran. “It’ll be all right now.”

Fran eased her worries with a smile and healed everyone in sight. The warm light revived the Black Cats around us.

“Sean… everyone…!”

That Sean kid must’ve been on the brink of dying, but we brought him back. The other men smiled. Their friends were going to be all right.

“Y-you saved us…”

“I thought we were done for,” one of them sobbed.

They were all prepared to die, and their new lease on life brought them to tears.

While we talked to the Black Cats, we asked Jet to keep an eye on our surroundings. The inn behind them was full, but I didn’t expect it to be full of Black Cats. Fran was relieved to see the village elder poke his head out the window. Everyone had managed to evacuate safely.

“Jet, protect them,” said Fran. “I’m going ahead.”

“Woof!”

As much as she wanted to stay, that it wouldn’t put an end to this chaos. And, if she wanted them to be safe, we needed to put an end to it.

“Go get ’em, princess!”

“Thank you so much!”

“Do be careful!” Salutia said.

Fran smiled, but didn’t look back. She was impressed with Salutia, a young girl desperately fighting for her tribe.

Let’s end this, I said.

“Hm!”

With the will of the Black Cats behind us, we made a beeline for the Adventurer’s Guild. There were a lot of Corrupt Goblins between us and our destination. We flew through the air, cutting them down with swords and spells, but there was always more of them.

Where are they coming from?

“The closer we get to the guild the more of them there are.”

True… Maybe the giant has something to do with it…

Fran reached the guild in under five minutes. The building was destroyed, and the black giant was nowhere in sight. It was headed to the count’s estate, knocking down everything in its path.

Kablam!

Red sparks exploded all over the Giant’s body. It was a Flame spell, and one powerful enough to roast a wyvern, but it wasn’t enough. The giant was protected by a powerful black barrier.

“Teacher, that’s Mea!”

Quina’s with her too!

They had returned to Green Goat around the same time we did. Mea was on Lind’s back, firing down Flame spells. She circled the giant, raining down blasts of fire and trying to find a chink in its armor. But that giant’s barrier was strong. I didn’t think she’d have much luck with those random attacks.

“I’ve seen that thing before,” Fran said.

So, you do remember.

“Hm.”

The giant looked exactly like the creature Linford transformed into, back in Bulbola. What was this thing doing here?

“I’m going to help Mea.”

Hang on! There are people still alive inside the guild! We have to help them!

“Hm!”

We rushed inside what was left of the guildhouse, and the signs of life became more apparent.

Under that pile of rubble. I’ll move it; you extract whoever’s underneath.

“Got it.”

I moved the rubble carefully out of the way, revealing several unconscious people. They were protected by a magical barrier, saving them from certain death. The guildmaster was among the survivors, and he was in the worst condition—suffering burns and fractures all over his body. We healed him up quickly, but there was no time to let the old man rest.

“Wake up, guildmaster.”

“Bwuh…? Where am I…?”

We needed to know what had happened. The safety of the Black Cats was at stake.

“They caught us off guard,” he explained.

“How?”

“You remember the Corrupt Goblins we killed earlier? There was some kind of trap inside their crystals…”

The adventurers had brought the crystals back to the guild, but the enemy had planned for just such an eventuality.

“What do you mean?”

“The crystals were used to teleport in reinforcements.”

It reminded me of Murelia and Theraclede’s teleportation abilities. It was part of Fiendmancy and used to penetrate city walls.

“They read our every move…”

The enemy knew the guild would send adventurers out looking for whoever was pulling the strings. With them gone, the city was left virtually defenseless.

“They waited until we were wide open.”

A few hours after the adventurers left, the crystals cracked, creating a massive summoning circle. Before anyone could act, the black giant appeared. The guildmaster and the others were caught in the initial blast.

Kaboom!

Another explosion. Was that the black giant? We had no time to waste.

“You must defeat it, Black Lightning Princess.”

“What about the rest of them?”

“The black giant comes first,” said the guildmaster. “It’s the one producing all the corrupt goblins and zombies. When it’s gone, we’ll deal with the rest. Our citizens can fight.”

Most beastmen could hold their own. All they needed was someone to give them orders. Guess I’d spent so long with the Black Cats that I’d forgotten that.

We left the guildmaster and headed after the black giant. It didn’t take long to spot it, all we had to do was follow the trail of destruction. Fortunately, the civilians had evacuated, minimizing the loss of life. As we approached, the sunset burned bright red behind the creature—highlighting both its menacing silhouette and the reality of what we were facing.

The count’s estate is protected by a barrier. That must be its target.

“We should rendezvous with Mea and kill it before it gets there.”

Good idea. But don’t use any area of effect attacks, we’re still in town.

“We’ll have to cut it down.”

Seems like it. If it’s anything like Linford, it’ll regenerate like crazy. Are you up for it?

“Hm. Any time.”

Fran Air Hopped through the city, completely focused on the black giant. Mea soon noticed us and guided Lind closer.

“Excellent timing, Fran! Help me out with this thing!”

“Of course.”

“Get on!”

“Hm!”