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Unexpected Gratitude

Zarin stood in the quiet aftermath of the battle, catching his breath after obliterating the Faceless. The clearing was eerily still, with only the occasional clucking of the chicken breaking the silence as it wandered aimlessly. His thoughts raced, trying to make sense of everything that had just transpired.

Out of the corner of his eye, he noticed the goblin stirring. She rummaged through a small bag at her side, pulling out a vial of red liquid and a smooth, spherical pill. Zarin had been too focused on her grotesque features earlier. Still, as she stood more clearly before him, something unexpected struck him.

‘Wait... she’s female?’

Though distinctly goblin-like, her figure was curvier than Zarin had initially noticed. The realization hit him awkwardly, but there wasn’t much time to dwell on it. She downed the vial, and the wounds and bruises from the battle healed almost instantly. Afterward, she popped the pill into her mouth and swallowed it quickly.

Zarin frowned, unsure of what the pill was for—until she spoke.

“Thank you, brave hero!” the goblin said, her voice suddenly smooth and clear, as if she had been speaking the Common tongue her entire life.

Zarin blinked in surprise. “Wait… you can speak now?”

The goblin grinned proudly and nodded. “Yes! This pill allows me to speak your language. It’s a useful item when dealing with outsiders.”

Zarin felt a flicker of surprise, then quickly accepted it. ‘Okay, magic world, magic pills. Makes sense.’ He shrugged. “Well, that’s handy, I guess.”

Before he could relax, the goblin stepped closer, her eyes gleaming with admiration. She placed a hand over her chest, standing as tall as her small frame allowed, with an almost regal posture.

“You have saved my life, brave hero,” she said with reverence. “As the daughter of the great goblin chief, I am bound by the traditions of my people to reward you in the most sacred way we have.”

Zarin’s stomach twisted uncomfortably. “Uh, reward? Sacred way?” He instinctively took a small step back, sensing this was heading in a direction he wouldn’t like.

The goblin beamed at him, utterly oblivious to his discomfort. “Yes! As the most beautiful daughter of the chief, I will take you as my mate!” Her eyes sparkled with excitement as she continued, “Together, we will ensure the continuation of my bloodline and bring strength to the tribe!”

Zarin’s jaw dropped. “Wait… what?”

The goblin stepped even closer, her excitement growing. “You will join my tribe as my chosen mate. Together, we shall breed, and our children will be the strongest of all goblins. This is the highest honor I can give you!”

Zarin recoiled instinctively, his mind scrambling to escape this increasingly bizarre and awkward situation. ‘Okay, this is bad. Really bad.’ His heart raced as he tried to think of an excuse, but he didn’t want to fight her—not after saving her. Even though she was a goblin with strange customs, killing her now felt wrong.

“Uh, listen,” Zarin said, his mind racing to defuse the situation without offending her. “I appreciate the offer, but I’m not sure that’s the best idea. You see, I’m, uh… already on a quest! A crucial one!” His words tumbled out in a rush as he grasped for the only excuse he could think of. “I’m on a quest to... uh, find something. And I can’t get distracted from that.”

The goblin frowned, clearly disappointed. “A quest? But surely, once your quest is complete, you can join our tribe, yes?”

Zarin nodded rapidly, sensing a way out. “Exactly! Yeah, but my quest could take a long time, and, uh, I wouldn’t want to make any promises I can’t keep. You understand, right?”

The goblin paused, studying him carefully. Her eager expression dimmed slightly, but she didn’t seem offended. In fact, she looked as though she was considering his words seriously.

“Your quest must be important if you would delay such an honor,” she finally said, her tone thoughtful. “Very well. I will wait for you, brave hero. When your quest is done, I will welcome you into our tribe.”

Zarin forced a nervous smile. “Yeah, sure! We’ll… talk about it later.”

The goblin gave a slight nod, seemingly satisfied for now. “I shall let you continue your quest, but remember, you are always welcome among my people. We will wait for the day when you return.”

Zarin exhaled, relieved that he had escaped the situation without offending her. He glanced over at the unconscious adventurer still lying on the ground, desperate for a distraction from the goblin’s lingering gaze.

“I should probably wake him up,” Zarin muttered, quickly crouching beside the adventurer and shaking his shoulder. He could still feel the goblin’s eyes on him, but at least for now, he had avoided an incredibly awkward fate.

Zarin knelt beside the unconscious adventurer, gently shaking his shoulder. “Hey, wake up. Come on, you’re safe now.”

The adventurer groaned softly, his eyelids fluttering as he slowly regained consciousness. His gaze was unfocused initially, his face contorted in confusion and grogginess. As his vision cleared, his eyes locked on the goblin standing nearby.

In an instant, the adventurer’s instincts kicked in. His eyes widened in shock, and without missing a beat, he scrambled to his feet, grabbing his weapon. “G-Goblin! I need to—”

Before the adventurer could make a move, Zarin’s Combat Insight kicked in, giving him just enough time to react. He could see the adventurer’s intent to attack even before he acted. With a burst of quick reflexes, Zarin lunged between the adventurer and the goblin, grabbing the goblin by the arm and pulling her aside just as the adventurer swung his weapon.

“Whoa, whoa, whoa! Stop!” Zarin shouted, barely managing to dodge the adventurer’s wild swing. He gritted his teeth, surprised by how close that had been. Even though he wasn’t physically stronger than the adventurer, his Combat Insight had helped him anticipate the movement just in time.

The goblin let out a squeal of surprise as Zarin pulled her aside, her back pressed against him briefly as he maneuvered her away from the attack. Zarin quickly stepped between them, holding his hands up to stop the adventurer from swinging again.

“Stop!” Zarin repeated, more urgently this time.

The panting and wide-eyed adventurer hesitated, his grip on his weapon tightening. “But… she attacked that girl! I have to—”

Zarin shook his head quickly. His voice was strained as he tried to explain. “It’s not what you think! She’s not the enemy!”

The goblin, now safe from the adventurer’s immediate threat, glanced up at Zarin, and a mischievous grin crept across her face. “Ah, you pulled me into your embrace so quickly, hero,” she said teasingly, looking up at him with a sly glint.

Zarin recoiled instantly, his face twisting into a look of discomfort and disgust, though he tried to hide it. He quickly let go of her arm and took a few steps back, wiping his hands on his shirt reflexively while forcing a strained smile. “Uh, yeah, no problem,” he muttered, clearly unsettled by the goblin’s comment.

The adventurer, still confused, lowered his weapon slightly, but kept his eyes on the goblin. “What do you mean, she’s not the enemy?”

Zarin took a deep breath, trying to calm the situation. “I know it looks bad, but trust me—she’s not here to hurt us. She was the one in danger. A Faceless monster? It was after her, not the other way around.”

The adventurer frowned, still unsure. “A Faceless? Wait, you mean the girl… wasn’t real?”

Zarin nodded quickly. “Exactly. It was a shape-shifting monster trying to capture her. This goblin here is actually the daughter of a goblin chief.” He gestured to the goblin, who stood nearby, her eyes flicking between Zarin and the adventurer with amusement.

The adventurer blinked, struggling to absorb the information. “Wait… so, she’s not a… wild goblin?”

The goblin smiled proudly, puffing out her chest. “Yes! I am the most beautiful daughter of the chief, and our friend here has saved me.” She shot a quick, playful glance at Zarin. “Intimately, I might add.”

Zarin cringed internally, resisting the urge to gag. He forced another awkward smile, his voice strained. “Uh… let’s focus on not attacking each other, okay?”

The adventurer, finally lowering his weapon, gave a slow nod. “Okay… but this is all hard to believe.”

Zarin sighed in relief. “Trust me, it’s been a long day. I’ll explain everything, but let’s not go swinging weapons at each other for now.”

The adventurer, still clearly puzzled but no longer on the verge of attacking, stepped back, glancing warily at the goblin. “Alright, I’ll take your word for it.”

Zarin gave him a grateful nod, though inside, he couldn’t help but think about how awkward this entire situation had become—and how much more complicated things would get if the goblin continued her “reward talk. The immediate danger was over for now, and Zarin could breathe a little easier.

‘But seriously… next time, no more embraces,’ he thought, suppressing a shudder.

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