"Riv...?"
Oops — I was so startled I called her by name.
Riv.
A Third-Class Delver and member of Torquetam, an all-female party.
Short, peach-white hair in a tidy bob.
Drowsy red eyes. Delicate features to match.
Undeniably gorgeous.
But her outfit was worlds away from anything fantasy — a sleek, space-age white bodysuit.
A black jacket draped over it, pants on her legs, and a single fused black blade in hand.
Yeah, something still felt off.
Maybe that was just because I had memories from my past life.
Since nobody else seemed to make a big deal of it, it was probably just quirky foreign equipment to them.
"..."
Even after piling dozens into a mountain of corpses, goblins kept pouring out of the caves and the surrounding brush.
They closed in around Riv but didn't rush to attack right away.
The reason was obvious. Riv was a woman.
They wouldn't kill for breeding. They'd capture.
It didn't matter how many died — as long as they took her alive.
Human-wave tactics were terrifying.
One is fodder. Ten is a threat. A hundred becomes a serious enemy.
"Ugh... what a nuisance..."
Riv settled her blade at her side with an irritable air.
What was she planning to do?
"...
Space
Form...
Pleiades...
...Maia Blade!"
The blade gleamed red and was drawn in a single fluid motion.
The goblins surrounding us were sliced apart by crimson trajectories in an instant.
Incredible. It was over in the blink of an eye.
Moreover, the cuts were so clean that barely any blood spilled.
Come to think of it, the mountain of corpses also had remarkably little blood.
She'd probably cauterized the wounds as she cut.
From my past life memories, I knew that burning a wound would stop the bleeding.
I'd seen it on some survival show or other.
"Mm... hey, boy..."
Riv noticed me. Naturally. I wasn't hiding.
Well, even if I had been hiding, she might have found me anyway. I just had that feeling.
" H-hello. It's been a while."
I managed to reply, stumbling over my words.
"Mm... why are you... here...?"
She was the one asking.
That was supposed to be my line — no, her question was perfectly reasonable.
"I had some business."
"Mm... business... in a goblin nest..."
"Yes, well... what about you, Riv?"
"...A commission... to clear out a goblin nest..."
"By yourself?"
"Mm... Pakira is reading... Lupinus is... in a meeting..."
Pakira. Lupinus. The other members, I assumed. So she was solo.
Still, a goblin nest clearing commission. So there was a job posted.
Could the client be the witch?
She couldn't find any delvers willing to take the job, so she left it to me.
And now a delver had finally shown up, but she'd forgotten about it.
With that witch, it was entirely possible.
"...I need to collect something from inside the nest."
"Mm... so it's... your employer's work..."
"Huh? Ah... well, something like that..."
I nod. She seems to think I'm someone's errand boy.
But that's a natural enough assumption. Can't really blame her.
Rather than deny it weirdly and make her suspicious, I'll just roll with it.
"So, um... you're going into... the nest?"
"Y-yes. I can't collect it without going inside."
"...The inside of the nest is dangerous... You could ask Riv... there's always that option."
"How much would that cost?"
"Mm... five hundred."
Cheap. This isn't some kid's errand.
Sure, it's a side job tacked onto a subjugation quest, but even so, it's cheap.
Could she be trying to keep it within what I can afford?
That's kind of her. But I shake my head.
"No. I'll have to decline."
"...Why?"
"It's a matter of principle, but taking on someone else's commission... would be rude."
Having someone else take over a request you were personally given.
Delegating. Subcontracting.
There are probably delvers who do that sort of thing.
But I'm not one of them.
It's just how I was built in my past life. A sense of responsibility.
— Hmm… that's true… but that way of thinking… is what a delver would think. A child shouldn't be a delver…
— No. I'm still only thirteen.
— …Who is the client…
Riv asked, for some reason loaded with anger.
Danger Discernment tints her faintly red.
— That… I can't tell you.
— Hm… this place is extremely dangerous… it's no place for a child to be…
— That may be true.
Great. She means well.
She thinks I'm a child and weak. And she's right about that.
Then it clicked. The reason she'd asked about the client.
And the reason she'd said it with anger.
She wasn't angry at me.
She was angry at the client who'd sent someone to such a dangerous place.
But I'm pretty sure it was the same client for both of us.
So it's no wonder the witch is upset.
Hmm. What should I do.
I don't want to show that I can fight.
Especially not to Torquetam, who's keeping what I did for him a secret.
But I don't want to ask for help either.
"…the boy… no matter what…"
"Hm?"
"…wants to go into the goblin's nest…"
As if unable to watch me agonize any longer.
Riv looked at me with her straightforward gaze.
"Yes. I want to go in."
"Mm… if that's the case… I'll protect you…"
"No, that's too—"
I panicked.
Was she really going to guard me while wiping out the goblins?
Method-wise, it might be the most optimal. But it would be a burden on Riv.
"Mm… it's fine… I will definitely… protect you…"
Riv smiled.
She was smiling to keep me from worrying.
Had I been making a worried expression?
Even so… I asked.
"Why go that far?"
"…if you died… that would be trouble…"
"What do you mean, specifically?"
"Mm… because I don't want… you to die…"
"Why? We have nothing to do with each other."
"…Something like 'nothing to do with each other'… that kind of thing… doesn't matter."
Riv tilted her head to the side, looking puzzled, and continued.
"…Riv doesn't… want the boy… to die… if you ask why… I don't know what to say… I don't want… anyone to die. It's only natural to think that… or does the boy… if Riv and the others were on the brink of death… and you could save us… but you wouldn't?"
"Th-that, I… —Riv."
That question was — there was no way around it. I decided to tell her.
"…What…"
"I have a Relic called Danger Discernment. With this Relic, I can detect goblin ambushes and traps inside caves."
Being asked a question like that, there was nothing I could do.
Sharing one Relic should be fine.
"…Understood… I'll leave it to you…"
Riv nodded slightly.
"Y-yes. I'll be in your care."
"…Okay. Let's go…"
And so, Riv and I entered the goblin nest.