“They’re here.”

“Huh?”

Before I could ask what he meant, I felt it. Not through my own senses, but through others. Small, weak presences approaching. Hesitant, faltering, but never taking a single step back.

The goblins.

“There they are!”

“Scary.”

“I think I’m going to cry.”

“Is it okay to cry?”

“This one’s already crying!”

It wasn’t just one or two. Various colored lights danced across the dark lake, slowly drawing closer. Even while muttering ⊛ Nоvеlιght ⊛ (Read the full story) “Scary, scary,” they chattered away, their characteristic cheerfulness intact. More importantly, what were they thinking, rushing over so recklessly?

“Stop! It’s dangerous!”

Their stats were C-Rank at best, some B-Rank, with plenty of F-Ranks among them. Yet here they were, approaching a battlefield crawling with S-Ranks.

“I said it’s dangerous!”

“Yeah! Scary!”

“We know, Middle Kim Seobang!”

If you know, then get away! Song Taewon, who’d been about to attack Yun Yun, stopped mid-strike and jumped back. The rampaging electricity died down. Yerim shot into the air, eyes fixed on the approaching goblins, her brow creased with worry. Yuhyun held back too, only keeping watch over Yun Yun instead of charging forward.

Thankfully, Yun Yun seemed frozen as well, her movements halted.

“Don’t come! Or at least leave the F-Ranks behind! Think about your stats!”

“Coming from Han Yujin, that’s really not convincing.”

“That’s right. It’s not something you should say, Mister.”

No, I have Grace too. There was a time I didn’t, but still, I don’t think I was ever that reckless. Even Yuhyun couldn’t meet my eyes, as if taking my side on this one was a lost cause.

The goblins clearly weren’t going to retreat just because I told them to. If only a few mid-rank ones had come, I could’ve asked for their help with skills and kept them protected. But why did they all come as a group? It was genuinely dangerous! An F-Rank could die from a single stray fragment!

“We all came out.”

“Little Kim Seobang brought us out!”

“Your Highness, let’s stop being scary.”

“Middle Kim Seobang said he’d give us yummy things.”

“Let’s eat yummy things and sing and dance.”

“Let’s play hide-and-seek together!”

“I want to go to a karaoke room. It’s all sparkly!”

“Let’s go to an amusement park too!”

The voices of the terrified goblins grew louder and louder. They raised their voices, pleading to play together.

The reason Yun Yun, who could teleport, had been captured and transformed like this was undoubtedly because the goblins had been taken hostage. So if she saw the goblins were safe, wouldn’t she show some kind of reaction? She hadn’t completely turned into a demon king yet.

“No.”

Yun Yun’s voice was barely a whisper.

“It’s dangerous. Humans are…”

Wait. In Yun Yun’s eyes, we and the military were all the same—humans.

KIIING–

The air trembled violently. Wings erupted from Yun Yun’s back. The goblins screamed.

“Scary!”

“Scary! Waaah!”

At their startled cries and screams, Yun Yun’s eyes widened. Her pale, delicate face twisted into something menacing, and a low growl rumbled from between her sharpened teeth.

It backfired. Without us, without humans, the goblins should have faced their king alone. But now it was too dangerous to retreat and leave them.

“Watch out!”

Before my shout finished, Yun Yun vanished. Combat foresight sent a jolt down my spine. Danger.

BOOM!

Song Taewon. The sharp demon’s claws struck his shield. His feet sank into the ground as he gritted his teeth, brow furrowed from the strain. The shield crumpled with a loud CRUNCH.

“The tail!”

I shouted, a step ahead of combat foresight. Yun Yun’s current form resembled a dragonoid’s. Since I’d used that skill a few times myself, I could clearly see how the attack would unfold.

Yuhyun slid to Song Taewon’s side. He gripped the Sword of the Corrupting Sovereign horizontally with both hands just as—

SCRAPE!

A spine-covered tail whipped toward them. Yuhyun’s body seemed to get pushed back slightly, but he held firm. He put his full strength into both arms and deflected the tail with a solid THUD. The moment he did, Song Taewon dropped low. One pushed away, the other received and retreated.

The completely opposite responses threw Yun Yun’s balance off for a moment.

A golden chain flew toward her staggering leg. The chain wrapped around her leg like a snake and emitted…

SHAAA–

Not electricity, but freezing air!

‘Its essence isn’t metal, but light.’

So the Seeker’s Chain could channel Yerim’s ice as well.

“Ugh…”

Yun Yun’s form disappeared. Even if she escaped the chain with teleportation, she couldn’t do anything about her frozen leg. With her high stat grade, she wouldn’t stay frozen long, but for now, one leg was bound.

“Good job, Yerim! You too, Mr. Seong Hyunjae!”

Could we somehow freeze her completely and capture her? If she knew we weren’t enemies, if she recognized that we’d helped the goblins, it seemed we could calm her down.

“Yun Yun, the king is trying to protect you! It’s not scary! Keep telling her it’s okay! Tell her we’re not enemies!”

Song Taewon, who’d pulled his feet from the ground, drew a battle hammer. BOOM! He struck the empty ground.

I wondered what he was doing, but soon understood. The weighted force hit the ground at an angle, sending debris flying upward. BANG, BANG—he set up walls here and there in quick succession.

Interfering with her teleportation. Even with teleportation, you couldn’t move through solid obstacles. It would be easier to jump up and attack a flying enemy, and with wings and a tail, the obstacles would be even more cumbersome.

‘Chief Song really shows his experience fighting all kinds of enemies with his bare hands.’

True teleportation was almost nonexistent, but instant movement was just rare. Instant movement was also easier to predict when there were many obstacles. And the goblins would be shielded by the walls, taking less damage from the battle’s aftermath.

“Yerim, you too!”

“Yes!”

From the lake came the sound of cracking ice. Large chunks flew through the air and drove into the ground throughout the basin. Then a transparent ice wall you could see through rose high in front of where the goblins had gathered.

“Wow, wow!”

“Little Kim Seobang made another wall!”

With the defensive barrier in place, the goblins seemed relieved and raised their voices again.

“Your Highness, Little Kim Seobang is nice!”

“Middle Kim Seobang said he’d give us yummy things too!”

“We even played a treasure hunt!”

“The puppy is cute too! It turned red!”

“Big Kim Seobang isn’t even Kim Seobang! He’s different!”

What was that about? Were they talking about Yuhyun? If he wasn’t even Kim Seobang, could it be that he wasn’t even human… hmm. But I’m the oldest, so why am I the middle? Was it by height? Then Chief Song would be Big Big Kim Seobang, and Seong Hyunjae would be Big Big Big Kim Seobang.

“No… humans.”

Yun Yun spread her wings wide. She blinked slowly, gazing at the will-o’-the-wisps swaying beyond the ice wall. She gasped for breath and growled fiercely like a wild beast. Each time she did, the goblins flinched, then, trusting their wall, shouted boisterously.

“Don’t fight!”

“You can’t fight!”

“Goblins can’t fight!”

Yun Yun, who’d been about to charge Song Taewon, flinched and stopped. Her killing intent remained, but she clearly hesitated.

“Maybe she’s angrier because she’s hungry!”

“Your Highness, I have a potato! It’s not cooked, but it’s edible!”

“I have half a dumpling left. It’s soaked in water, though!”

“Let’s not fight and go play together! Middle Kim Seobang isn’t bad. He even sang for us!”

“I heard it too! Doonggae doonggae doonggaeya~ Doodoong doonggae doonggaeya!”

I thought it was only the Red Marble back then. When had it spread so much? The Red Marble on my shoulder swayed along.

“The millstone goblin, our king goblin~. The red marble goblin, the bride’s ornament goblin!”

At the Red Marble goblin’s song, the other goblins began shouting their own introductions.

“The broken mirror goblin! The sparkly goblin!”

“The leather shoe goblin, the baby’s worn goblin!”

“The gourd dipper goblin, the goblin in the well!”

All these goblins—Yun Yun must have created them one by one. The sparkling broken mirror, the shoes a child had outgrown, the gourd dipper thrown into an old well. She must have found them all and breathed life into them as goblins.

All the goblins sang. But the song didn’t end.

“The bamboo flute goblin, the clear sound goblin!”

“The old flowerpot goblin! The chrysanthemum flower bloomed goblin!”

“The white jade cup goblin! The very first goblin!”

Yun Yun’s brow furrowed deeply. She covered her painfully twisted mouth with both hands.

“Baek-ok-ah.”

Her voice broke with sobs. Baek-ok goblin. Wait…

‘All the goblins sang.’

But it didn’t end—the content was different.

Goblins who couldn’t sing. A chill raced down my spine.

“Yerim, the pendant!”

“Huh?”

Yerim’s eyes widened as Yun Yun vanished. Seong Hyunjae wrapped the Seeker’s Chain around his arm. With combat foresight’s help, Yerim teleported just in time, and the golden chain clashed loudly with blood-red claws.

“Throw away the pendant! Right now!”

The Red Marble goblin had disguised me as one of its own to help me use skills. That pendant had the same effect. The white jade fragment pendant.

Damn it.

The first goblin Yun Yun had made was dead. The white jade cup had been shattered into pieces and turned into an item.

Yerim, as if she’d realized it too, turned pale and hurled away the pendant she’d been holding. Peace caught the falling Yerim—who could no longer use her skills—and let her ride on his back.

“Yun Yun!”

“They killed her! The humans!”

With a wailing cry, Yun Yun teleported in front of the pendant that had fallen to the ground. Tears streamed down her face. Watching her, I swallowed hard.

“I’ll go to Yun Yun.”

“What? It’s dangerous!”

Noah shook his head, but now it seemed possible.

“She’s crying. A crying child needs comfort.”

Yun Yun reached toward the pendant. Her sharp claws, careful not to scratch the white jade, returned to normal.

“I’m going! Help me.”

Yuhyun’s brow furrowed, and Yerim looked worried too. Seong Hyunjae and Song Taewon also seemed reluctant. Noah repeated that it was dangerous.

“I have Grace. Yun Yun doesn’t know about Grace, so it’s okay.”

She wouldn’t try to snatch it away immediately, so I wouldn’t get hurt. Noah pressed his lips together and spread his wings wide. Yerim approached on Peace. Song Taewon stepped forward, and Yuhyun and Seong Hyunjae positioned themselves on either side at a distance.

“Yerim, it’s danger—”

“I’m fine, okay? Even without skills, my stats are S-Rank!”

Yun Yun glared at us through tear-soaked eyes. She was wary, like a wounded animal. I reached out and patted Noah’s wing. He nodded so slightly it would’ve been impossible to notice if we weren’t connected by the Teacher skill.

All right then.

“Chief Song, straight ahead! Yerim, follow Chief Song closely!”

Song Taewon raised his crumpled shield. Fortunately, Yun Yun didn’t seem to have any intention of fleeing. She cupped the pendant in one hand and extended long claws from the other.

BOOM! Song Taewon charged straight at Yun Yun, shaking the earth. Yerim, riding Peace, followed closely behind, while Yuhyun and Seong Hyunjae moved to flank Yun Yun.

“Go away!”

Yun Yun shouted through her tears. Still, she clearly looked like the old Yun Yun. Just before she and Song Taewon collided—

“Throw me!”

At my shout, Noah hurled me above Yerim. At the same time, Noah’s dragonoid skill deactivated and he landed on the ground. Yerim kicked off Peace’s back and jumped up. The moment her small hand caught me, I shared my magic sense with Yerim so she could use her skills.

“Her back!”

SCRAPE! The claws raked fiercely across the shield, and Yerim used teleportation. But Yun Yun’s back wasn’t defenseless. She could easily swat away an enemy with her wings, but…

The Sword of the Corrupting Sovereign and the Seeker’s Chain rushed toward her left and right wings respectively. The moment both wings reflexively blocked the attacks, Yerim and I appeared behind Yun Yun.

Yerim lightly tossed me toward Yun Yun’s back. Her flight skill deactivated, but she landed safely and stepped back to avoid the tail.

And I…

“It’s okay, Yun Yun.”

I hugged Yun Yun from behind and patted her gently. I withdrew the Teacher skill and used it on Yun Yun instead.

“It’s me, Boss Kim Seobang.”

“I’m here too! Red Marble!”

The keyword was still active. I was using the Teacher skill too. So wouldn’t the Pat-Pat skill work?

“The millstone goblin, our king goblin~.”

I added the Lullaby skill to this as well. The hand that had been clawing at the shield stopped.

“Hic.”

“You had a hard time, didn’t you? It’s okay now. The other goblins are safe too. Hush, hush, let’s rest now.”

“Waaah, Boss Kim Seobang…”

“You remember! Now let’s go home. Let’s all go together.”

The spread wings folded. Yun Yun cried even harder. The Red Marble goblin laughed, saying, “The king is crying!” At the sound of her sobbing, I smiled too. Thank goodness. Yun Yun was safe—

“Uh. B-Boss Kim Seobang!”

Yun Yun suddenly shouted, grabbed me, and threw me aside. My body rolled across the ground. The Red Marble goblin, which had been swaying carelessly, went flying too. The moment I was separated from the goblin, my magic wavered, and Grace’s protection level dropped as well.

“…!”

Burning pain shot up my leg.

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep