Lord: Starting from a Goblin Nest

”Incredible, simply incredible!” Hendrix sat down, panting. Just tossing that coin purse was more exercise than he’d had all day. ”The last time I saw a Gladiator fight of this quality was decades ago, when they brought in an Ogre from the outside!”

”If you ask me, your companion here is even more formidable than an Ogre!”

”Sera could beat a Hill Giant until it’s on its knees begging for mercy!” Delaford boasted loudly. ”And that was after we’d already dealt with hundreds upon hundreds of Ghouls!”

It was true that Sera had been enhanced by Giant Transformation Magic at the time, but Delaford wasn’t actually lying.

”This is the very bedrock that allows us humans to maintain our foothold on this continent!” Hendrix exclaimed in admiration. ”Our ancestors must have all been such fearless warriors, daring to battle the unknown wilds and other races. They braved the elements and hacked through the thorns to finally carve out a place for themselves!”

Although it was just the sentimental musing of a spice merchant, Ron thought, ’The origins of humanity in this world were probably even more savage than those of my ancestors in my past life. So, Hendrix isn’t wrong.’

”I don’t know about the past, but our current situation is pretty similar,” Aive shrugged. ”With sponsorship from the mayor of Fromm, we’re in the process of pioneering the Delusional Land, and it’s certainly not easy.”

”Oh, so you’re the ones!”

Upon hearing this, Hendrix’s expression filled with respect, much like Wilson’s had on the road. He immediately went to shake hands with Aive, Ron, and the others in turn. ”When my men told me the news, I just scoffed at them. But then Connie gave me an earful—she absolutely adores you all!”

”Father...” Constance’s oval face flushed bright red. She was so embarrassed she felt she could carve a whole new Rose City with her toes.

She respected Adventurers, but because of her mother, she also despised and dismissed them as reckless riffraff. These conflicted feelings were one of the reasons she and Aive had never gotten along, even as children.

But now, hearing that the cousin she’d been so certain would end up as a corpse in the wilderness was actually one of the heroes she admired... well, the situation couldn’t possibly be more awkward for Constance.

”Well, well, I’m truly honored!” Aive said with a sly grin, glancing at her cousin. ”So, Mr. Hendrix, about that proposal of ours—”

”No problem! But it’s much too late today. Tomorrow, I will be honored to host you heroes at my humble home!” Hendrix boomed with a laugh.

”However, I must confirm one thing: Miss Priestess, do you answer to a Bishop or any other superiors? If you do, I must regretfully ask you to stay away tomorrow. I personally have some... issues.”

”I do have a superior,” Victoria said, stepping aside to gesture to Ron. ”My duty and my oath bind my loyalty to a single mortal leader: Ron. Beyond that, I serve only Heim.”

”Oh, oh, I see! Then that’s no problem, no problem at all,” Hendrix said, nodding eagerly. ”In that case, you are most welcome tomorrow as well.”

”Wow, you’re a generous one!” As they were talking, Sera finally came up, lugging a sack of money. ”Ron, put this in that thing of yours. It’s way too heavy!”

”The arena management is just that rigid. To avoid accusations of skimming a Gladiator’s winnings, they refuse to handle the money themselves beyond helping you pick it up,” Hendrix said, glancing at the mass of Copper and Silver Coins in the sack. ”You must be Miss Sera, correct? If you’re interested, I’d like to invite you for another fight. I’m sure I can arrange a match that you’ll find truly exhilarating.”

”Now you’re talkin’!” Sera plopped down unceremoniously beside Hendrix, the stench of her sweat making both him and Constance wrinkle their noses. ”Back home, we fight Winter Wolves. A few Fearsome Wolves are nothing special!”

”Winter Wolf?” Constance was curious. She’d never heard of such a creature.

”You only see them way up north. They’re about the size of a Fearsome Wolf, but much stronger,” Sera said, gesturing with her hands. ”They have snow-white fur and light-blue eyes, even paler than yours. They attack their enemies with a deadly breath weapon and can communicate with each other through howls and barks.”

”Frost Giants at the poles sometimes domesticate them to help with hunting, so the smartest ones can even understand and speak the Common Language and Giant Language.”

”Ever heard the story of the ’Wolf on Your Shoulder’?” Sera asked with a sudden, wicked grin, leaning closer to Constance. ”Winter Wolves are cunning beasts that know how to use tricks. In a northern blizzard, people walk in a single file line to avoid sinking into the snow or falling into a crevasse, each person stepping in the footprints of the one ahead. A procession like that is a prime target for a Winter Wolf.”

”It’ll follow at the very end of the line, lift its forepaw, tap the last person on the shoulder, and whisper to them. You absolutely cannot turn around! The second you do, the Winter Wolf will let out a howl and—CHOMP!—bite your whole head off. The rest of the pack will then tear your body to pieces.”

”After that, the Winter Wolf will take its place at the new end of the line and repeat the process, picking off the entire party one by one until no one is left.”

Constance was scared stiff. The hair on the back of her neck stood on end, and goosebumps erupted all over her skin. Her voice trembled as she asked Sera, ”Th-then what if you get tapped and you call out to the person ahead of you for help?”

”No one would turn back, you silly girl,” Sera said, shaking her head. ”If you’re farther up the line, how can you be sure the one calling you from behind is your companion and not a Winter Wolf? How do you know you’re not the last one left?”

”In a blizzard that blackens the sky and earth, you can’t tell if the voice behind you is a familiar one.”

”S-so if that happens, there’s just... no solution?” Constance couldn’t comprehend how the world outside could be so treacherous.

”Exactly,” Sera burst out laughing. ”That’s why we don’t go out in weather like that! And we almost never go to places where Winter Wolves are known to roam!”

”The only exceptions are lone Hunters who go out to challenge themselves. In that case, they just have to attack whatever’s behind them without hesitation. If it turns out to be a person, well, it’s their own damn fault for dying.”

”Heh... heh,” Constance forced a smile that was uglier than a grimace. ”You’re just teasing me, right? That’s all just a story.”

”Fifty-fifty,” Sera said. After her laughter died down, her gray-blue eyes looked seriously at the Half-Elf. ”You Half-Elves live a long time. So if you’re ever forced to go out into the wilds one day, remember two rules:”

”First, never dismiss old stories and the words of your elders. Second, get out as fast as you can. Don’t you ever think you can make a living off the wilderness!”