It's been about a week since Rumba came to Koliat village. As expected, I didn't want to stay in the mansion all the time, so I offered him my home as a place to stay.

　It's more luxurious than the village inn, right?

　I had expected to fabricate a waste of time, but he readily agreed to it with two replies.

　If you can't cook a meal, you can go to Celia's dining room, and since you're an adventurer, you should be able to cook a meal or two yourself. If you didn't have any money, you could probably hunt in the mountains. I've heard that Lumumba is surprisingly well stocked with money, so he seems to be fine.

　I should also build a third base of operations.

　I decided to walk in the forest with Roomba today. The reason is to get some adventurer's wisdom. There's no point in offering my home if I don't have a bit of sustenance for them.

'I've told the Nord, but are you sure? Don't ask Elinora out.

Because if Elinora's sister comes, it's going to be a full-on assault and annihilation.

That too, I suppose.

　The Roomba does not move around like a robot vacuum cleaner (Roomba) that exists on earth. It walks quietly with a precise gait.

　There's something cool about the Roomba, like there's a first generation or a second generation, which is kind of cool. I heard that the third generation Roomba has an obstacle mapping and vision function.

　This Roomba also has an amazing mechanism to defeat monsters. The AI may be a bit dubious in some respects, though.

　When I walk, it steps on a branch and makes a sound like doing dirt.

Look around you more closely. Just keep your spirits down for now and just walk.

Okay. I'll do my best.

　I tried not to make a noise in the grass, or step on a branch this time, or approach a deer or rabbit, but they would still get the idea.

　As for Rumba, he noiselessly waded through the knee-high grass and approached the wild boar, hitting it with a pebble.

　How could he kill a sign with that huge body?

　The wild boar, enraged by being hit by a stone, rushed at him. It's a good thing that you're able to get the most out of your time. Too bold.


　I struggled to kill the signs, but as I was advancing, Roomba blocked my front with his hand.

'What was that?'

　In a whisper I call out to Roomba.

''It's a demon ... but it's just one goblin.

Demon!

　The moment I hear the word demon from Rumba, a shiver runs down my spine and my body stiffens.

　Slowly, I turn my gaze towards the path ahead.

　I hear the sound of shaking grass and trees, and a goblin emerges from the bushes. It's a small, green body with pointed ears. A large nose attached to the middle of its face. It's a goblin that has strayed from the herd or maybe it's a goblin that's scurrying around and constantly moving its head.

I'm sure you've never seen a demon before?

'I've seen it from a distance once,'

　Yes, I've seen it once. A wandwolf, a wolf-shaped demon with white fur.
　The sight of the sharp-eyed wandwolf scared me, and at that time I immediately ran away in transition.

''Well, it's just one goblin. If it was a ferocious one, it would be equipped with a sword or something, but this time it's a log, so it's safe. Shall Al try to take it down with his sword?

No, even a log is bad enough for a six-year-old. And if we're going to fight them, we're going to do it with magic.

'Oh? That's true, too. Al was better at magic, wasn't he?

　As I was talking to him, the other side noticed us too, and he squealed in a low, geeky voice and came towards us.

'If you want to take them down safely with magic, don't let them close the distance, okay? Is this going to be a close call?

　Lumumba holds up his sword as tall as he is and looks at the goblin.

''What's that? Where's Al?

"This way!

　I throw a voice at Roomba in the distance.

'What?' Why are you so far back?!

Because I'm afraid of getting too close!

Not because I'm scared! d*mn it, when!

　Huh? I just secretly got away from them in the transfer. Currently, the distance between me and the goblins is at least thirty meters away.

　Rumba, as if intending to make me take him down, runs out in our direction and guides the goblin.

　Because of its small size, the distance between Roomba and the goblin is wide open. Even so, the goblins are still bent over and running.

　I refine two icicles with my ice magic. The cold air converges in front of me and instantly takes the form of an ice pillar. Thanks to the icicle, the air around me drops instantly.

''Lunber! Open the line of fire for the magic shot!

Hey!

　Thanks to Rumba's deflection into the trees on a side street, we have a clear line of fire to the goblins.

　I'm sorry, Roomba. It got messy because I shifted and kept my distance.

　I launch two icicles in one go, imagining the stationary large crossbows used in ancient and medieval times.

''Ballista!''

　The icicles made a massive sound, slicing through the air, one on the goblin's chest and one blowing off the goblin's arm and stitching it to the ground. The blood wasn't the familiar red, but purple.

　If it had been red, I would have felt sick and thrown up.

　When I approached the goblin, it didn't twitch, as if it had died instantly.

　The thought of me killing it makes me feel very dark. The image of the icicle piercing the goblin from my brain never leaves me.

　I had already hunted a few animals like rabbits and wild boars. I thought I had divided them up as a way to live.

　However, when I killed a humanoid creature like this, I felt a chill in my heart. Somehow I couldn't divide it, even if it was called a demon.

　Maybe I was just afraid to kill a humanoid creature with my own hands for some reason, safely, at a distance, or by magic.

　Whew, I gasp and change my mind. Rumba, too, has sensed my emotions and is standing beside me with a mysterious look on his face.

　In order to move forward, I look down at the goblin's corpse with strength of mind.

''Well that's pretty gross.

...your magic.

　No, Roomba. I'm in a serious place right now...