The entrance was narrow and crude, but it was fortunate that they had barricaded it with rocks.
If so many had poured in all at once, no matter how strong I was, I wouldn’t have been able to protect Rupia.
However, the number of them was simply overwhelming.
“Golem! Protect your master!!”
I screamed almost like a shriek.
Without asking for forgiveness for my rudeness, I lifted Rupia and threw her to the Golem.
“Hyah?!” “Clunk!”
The Golem, wrapped Rupia carefully in a cloth-like cloak, and without hesitation, shoved her into a corner, blocking the front.
The goblins that slipped through the gap I had missed began pounding the Golem with clubs, but the Golem didn’t budge.
“Kuooooo!”
Instead, as if enraged, the Golem swung its massive stone fist, mercilessly smashing the advancing goblins.
With a single strike packed with immense strength, each goblin soldier exploded like a fly.
The excited roar of the Golem shook the cave.
Who would have thought that the seemingly docile and sluggish one had been hiding such a side?
“Three goblins! From now on, follow my orders!!”
As I shouted with emotion, the ‘Commander’ trait activated. The goblins, who had been flustered and confused, suddenly snapped to attention.
Their weapons were pathetic wooden sticks, but it was the same for the enemy— their weapons weren’t much better.
“Raise your swords and stand back to back! Don’t leave your backs exposed! Never rush in first!”
These guys had always stuck together like brothers, so there would be no issue coordinating.
Heightened by my command, they gathered together and, clumsily but steadily, began to block the enemies’ fierce attacks.
The orders were given, and now it was my turn.
Huff.
Taking a deep breath and gathering my mana, my hollow eye sockets momentarily glowed red.
The mana that flowed into my bones traveled through the hilt of my sword, all the way to its blade.
My beloved sword, which I had fought with countless times, responded with a ripple.
I would sweep away these green dwarfs who didn’t know their place.
“Bow down, you arrogant bastards!”
With all my strength, I swung my sword at the frenzied goblin horde, like a school of piranhas.
Kaga-krak. The sword energy surged along the cave walls. The trace of the blade left a ghostly afterimage in my vision.
Ch-ch-ch-ching!!!
Dozens of goblins exploded into pieces before even having time to scream.
Even the goblin king, who had been lounging on the throne, flinched in surprise.
At that moment, he finally realized the difference in rank and strength that had seemed like nothing more than a meaningless class distinction.
“Whoever wants to die, come forward.”
“Ke, Keurk…!”
I growled in a low, hellish voice, and this time the ‘Intimidation’ trait activated.
The goblin horde, which had been charging at me, faltered and backed off in panic.
The goblin king on his throne was enraged.
“Keerk, these inferior! Stupid fools!”
The mana concentrated at the tip of his finger turned into flames and was released.
An experienced mage would have read the flow of mana.
I skillfully swung my sword and deflected the attack.
“Keerk! Ignore that skeleton bastard and aim for the Golem! If we take out the king, the fight is ours!”
Realizing that magic wouldn’t work on me, he immediately changed targets.
The shockwave he released struck the Golem’s body, which was protecting Rupia.
Boom!
“Kuoo…!”
While the Golem had excellent physical endurance, it lacked resistance to magic, and it staggered.
Cracks spread like spiderwebs across the Golem’s torso.
Some goblins, shaking off their fear, dug into the cracks, pounding them with their clubs.
Thud-thud. The Golem let out a painful scream as pieces of its body were torn away, spilling blood-like fragments.
“No, don’t! Golem! Just move aside! Don’t stop them!”
Forgetting even her usual dignified tone, Rupia frantically patted the Golem’s back with her small hands.
Despite the agony of its body breaking, the Golem silently crushed the enemies with its whole form.
Just one more. One more.
In that moment, I made a decision.
“…Right, if we take the king, we win, right?”
That was a smart decision. It was the correct one.
I stopped the pointless slaughter and gripped my sword firmly.
As per the goblin king’s orders, his forces surged toward the Golem, ignoring me.
This meant the obstacles blocking the king had significantly decreased.
“Ke, Keerk? Wait…!”
The new, sleek goblin soldiers were destroyed by the incoming attacks, and I reached the king in an instant.
The goblin king desperately cast spells to try and stop me.
His firepower was decent, but he had picked the wrong opponent.
I was a legend in the human world, now an immortal warrior.
Even if he was a king, there was no way a mere goblin could stop me.
“Keek! Protect me! You insects! I said protect me―!”
That was his final cry, in stark contrast to Rupia.
My blade severed the neck of the arrogant commander, who had been too clever for his own good.
The body of the fallen goblin king, blood spilling, rolled onto the dirt floor.
I threw his severed head toward the goblins who were still engaged in battle in front of the Golem.
Over a hundred goblins turned their heads in shock.
“This is your last chance.”
The tip of my sword pointed low, directly at the ground.
“Bow down beneath my sword if you want to live.”
The goblins immediately dropped their weapons and, like frogs, pressed their faces to the ground.
They trembled in fear, their eyes rolling up as they moaned in surrender.
The Golem finally collapsed, as if it had been knocked down.
The giant who had been guarding its master had fulfilled its duty, and now, in the dimming light, it breathed faintly, flickering like a dying flame.
Crack…
“G-Golem…! Goleeeeem… Uwaaaah.”
Rupia clung to the fading stone heap, crying like a child.
Her tears, soaked in despair, streamed down her dust-covered cheeks.
Her sorrow echoed through the cave walls.
I, along with the Goblin Triplets, bowed our heads in silence, mourning.
Thud.
“…?”
It was then that a ruby-like red gem from the Goblin King’s corpse caught my eye, hanging by my feet.
I picked it up.
From it, I could feel a considerable amount of mana.
Curious, I examined it, and Rupia mumbled through her congested voice.
“M-Mana stone…?”
As if confirming something, she staggered to her feet and waved her short arms in the air.
“General! Quickly, bring it over here!”
When I handed her the mana stone, Rupia carefully examined it and nodded.
According to her, it was something like the core of a demon or a monster that could handle mana.
No wonder the goblins had been using magic; it was not typical for them.
“With this amount, it might be possible…”
Rupia swallowed the small, finger-sized mana stone.
At that moment, her pupils dilated, and a reddish aura spread across her body like a thin veil.
“Heh…!”
Rupia let out a small, hiccup-like moan.
The protective barrier around her slowly faded, and unbelievable changes began to occur in her body.
‘Her master’s body…?’
Her once adorable horns grew slightly, her height increased a little, and her chest, though still modest, became slightly more prominent.
It was like an elementary schooler evolving into a middle schooler.
Though she was still a child, the magical energy radiating from her was distinctly different from before.
I silently checked Rupia’s status window.
Rupia Hon Derbil Balotus
Race: Demon
Title: Demon King of the Balotus Demon Army
Rank: S
[Stats]
Strength: 26
Intelligence: 29
Magic: 30
Skill: 26
Health: 22…
[Traits]
Optimism (D), Picky (F), Cuteness (F), Easy Target (F)…
I couldn’t hide my surprise. The stat increases were immediately noticeable.
‘Could it be that her mana was depleted before?’
If that was the case, it made sense why her abilities had been at the level of a low-tier monster.
Rupia, having sensed the change in her body, moved around and placed her palm on the Golem’s body.
Her actions felt calmer than before.
“Please, I hope it’s not too late…”
Rupia bit her lip, whispering desperately.
Her mana flowed through her palm and into the shattered body of the Golem.
The broken stone pieces slowly began to reassemble, and the Golem’s form began to return.
At the same time, Rupia’s body started to shrink again, like a balloon deflating.
Fully reverting to her innocent, childlike form, Rupia caught her breath and looked over the Golem.
“G-Golem…?”
It remained silent, still. Even though she had infused it with mana and reassembled the stone pieces, the cracks remained visible.
The Golem groaned softly a moment later.
Crack…
“…Ah!”
Tears welled up in Rupia’s eyes, and joy filled her face.
Her cheeks trembled, and her gaze was full of an indescribable happiness.
I remembered that expression.
It was the same one she wore when she summoned me— the look as if she had gained the entire world.
In that brief moment, I began to understand Rupia a little better. She was just a lonely demon lord.
A young demon lord who couldn’t bear to see her few monsters leave her.
Rupia rubbed her cheek against the Golem’s rough stone surface and cried out,
“I-I did it! I brought him back…!”
The joy of the little master echoed throughout the dungeon, lighting it up with her triumphant cry.
Premium Chapter
Login to buy access to this Chapter.