PAID

“S-Shit… what the hell is that? Damn it all!!”

Standing nearly four meters tall, with a hulking body, it was clearly a Goblin King—larger even than a Hobgoblin or Goblin Lord. Physically, it was one of the most powerful monsters among goblins. Just the sheer size alone was enough to stir disgust.

‘Why is something like that showing up in this cramped goblin nest…?’

Was there a story like this in the original? No, Ironhold doesn’t even appear until the fourth arc, after the academy graduation.

If this Goblin King had truly existed in the original story, Ironhold would’ve been a very different place. Perhaps this was a butterfly effect caused by all the things I’d done in the past. Regardless, one thing was certain—there was no way to avoid a fight here.

‘Grargh… Gehrr…’@@novelbin@@

-Drip.

Even if the idiot wasn’t a threat, the Goblin King, drooling as it eyed me and Mirif, clearly had no intention of letting us leave the cave alive.

“S-Sister Lily! What should we do in a situation like this?!”

“…I don’t know.”

How should I know? I’d never fought a Goblin King before.

Sure, I’d faced stronger enemies, but back then, I had trustworthy allies by my side—Seraphine, Agnes, that guy whose name I won’t even try to remember… or Ethan, for instance.

But now, with two novice E-rank adventurers—one of whom was a complete idiot—I was alone against an enemy like this.

“First of all, don’t panic. Just get into formation.”

“W-What?! Formation against that thing, you idiot?!”