My Protect skill can take my life but it can also help me flirt and make love with cold beauties!
Chapter 12: Battle in Est; Goblins

"Oh, Welcome back, Kazuya-san."

"Um, is something the matter?"

"Um..."

"Ah, you're an adventurer, right?"

Before Seira-san could say anything, the woman approached me as soon as I entered the guild. She has tan skin and black hair tied up in a ponytail.

Her expression when she looked towards me was stern, but she seemed like a lively person overall. She looked around the same age as me.

"Um, yes..."

"Please help me save my sister!" she exclaimed.

"Sister?" I asked.

"Um, Kazuya-san..." Seira looked flustered as she tried to pacify the tan-skinned woman. But the woman seemed like she was about to burst into tears any moment.

"Is something wrong?"

"My sister went to the Est Forest... She went to get some medicine to help cure my father and the other craftsmen who all caught a fever. She went without telling me," the woman explained.

The Est Forest... I've heard of it. It's a forest located east of the capital city and is said to be a popular spot for adventurers. It's a good beginner exploration spot as long as you don't venture too deep.

But even though it's beginner-friendly, monsters still roam around. It's not exactly safe for normal humans.

"My father and the other craftsmen all caught a fever at the same time, and my sister went to get medicine without telling me…"

"Why did Emily-chan go alone?" (Seira)

"We went to the forest with the blacksmiths before. There were many adults with us, and the monsters didn't come near us, so she might have thought that it would be fine."

"Blacksmiths?"

"I'm the daughter of Naguri Blacksmithing Workshop," she said. The Naguri Blacksmithing Workshop is a famous smithy in the capital city, which Gates-san had told me about before.

The master, Naguri-san, is said to be a skilled craftsman. So this person must be his daughter. The one Seira-san mentioned earlier, Emily-chan, must be her younger sister.

"Isn't there anyone else? Like Raul-san, or the duo that's often around?" With so many people in the capital city, there were always adventurers in the guild.

"Everyone's out working today, so we have to wait for someone to come back." As Seira-san said, there was no one in the guild. It seemed like the timing was really bad.

"Well, then I'll go take a look."

"Really!?"

"Huh? No way, Kazuya-san, wait!"

"But we can't just leave it like this, can we?"

The tanned woman looked at me with hopeful eyes. Seira-san seemed to weigh the risks of me going there and leaving Emily-chan alone.

"I'll run away if it gets dangerous," I said before Seira-san could reply, and went outside the guild. The tanned woman and Seira-san followed me.

"Please be really careful," Seira-san whispered as she approached me, "I didn't tell you because I didn't want to make Eva-chan worried, but it's the season for the cactus fruits to ripen, and goblins, who love them, often come out into the forest. If you see any, please run away without fail."

When she spoke quickly, I nodded quietly. The brown-skinned woman called Eva also looked at me.

"Well then, I'll be going!"

"Leave it to El to take care of hero-sama!"

I rushed out of the castle gate in high spirits, but it was not until I was almost near the forest that I realized that I was unarmed.

It is very unsettling to enter the forest without any weapons. But at this point, there is no time to go back to town. Either way, if I meet an enemy, I will have to run. I made up my mind and decided to move forward.

The trees around me gradually increased. I must have finally entered the Est forest. But even though it was a forest, there was a path that had been trodden and cleared of trees.

If I walked along this path, I might not get lost. I asked El for help and proceeded with all my might while looking around.

"Kazuya-saan!"

It was then. I heard a voice calling me from behind. When I turned around, there was that brown-skinned woman, Eva-san, chasing after me.

"What's going on? Why are you here?"

"Um, I noticed that you didn't have a weapon, so here."

In the hand that was extended, there was a sword.

"It's a little beat up, but it's what we had at home."

"Thank you very much, but it's dangerous to come alone to a place like this."

"However, it's okay because Kazuya-san, the adventurer, is with me. I also have a knife for self-defense." Eva-san took out a beautiful knife from her pocket and started to move deeper into the forest. She's overestimating me too much!

"No! No, this is too dangerous! Does Seira-san know about this?"

"No, Seira went out to look for other adventurers."

Of course, that's right. If Seira had been there, she would definitely have stopped this. She probably didn't tell Eva about my abilities so as not to worry her.

"Anyway, this place is really dangerous, so please go

"I can't go back after coming this far! Besides, leaving Emily alone in such a dangerous place...!"

What should I do? It's a waste of time to argue here. Is it okay to continue on with her?

"Kyaaaaa!!"

However, the situation doesn't even give me time to think. I heard a girl's scream from deep in the forest.

"Emily!!"

In the moment I was distracted by the scream, Eva ran deeper into the forest. El and I chased after her. Maybe it's because of our body shape, but Eva is faster than me. Even though I'm running at full speed, I'm gradually being left behind.

"Hmm. That woman’s overall stats are higher than the current hero-sama."

What did you say!?

I thought my physical abilities were finally on par with an average person, but losing to a girl... However, now is not the time to be shocked. I put in even more effort and chased after Eva.

"Emily!!"

Eva shouted and stopped her feet. There was a girl lying on the ground ahead of her.

"Big sister!!"

The girl raised her head and screamed at the sight of Eva. It seemed that she is Emily-chan. Eva hurried over to her. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah, I just fell... but..." Emily-chan kept glancing towards the depths of the forest. It became clear why when short but wide shadows loomed towards us, screaming.

They were about the size of children and were wearing crude clothing and armor, but they were not human. They had green skin, pointed ears, and were goblins.

Before arriving at the forest, El had explained to me about goblins. Goblins are not monsters, but a type of race called demons, different from humans, but with some similarities and can also be called subhumans.

However, they share some points in common with monsters, that is, they are basically enemies of humans. The three goblins who appeared before us also held up shabby daggers and hand axes, glaring at Eva and her sister with hostility.

"Wait!"

Finally catching up, I interrupted Eva and the others. The goblins looked at me with a puzzled expression as I approached.

"Gyaa gyagiya?"

"Gyagiya?"

Are they saying something?

"That's Lower demon language," El told me.

"Lower demon language? Do you understand it?"

"Yes, from right to left, they're saying, 'Orc? It's an orc. It's an orc, right?'"

"I’m not an orc!"

"He’s not an orc!" El yelled at the goblins, causing them to make a fuss again.

"What's going on?"

"They're angry because they think you’re lying to them," She said.

I’m not lying! And besides, if we can communicate with them, maybe we can negotiate.

"Hey, El, can you talk to the goblins again?"

"I'm afraid that's difficult, as they're still very agitated."

It's true; the goblins had repositioned their weapons and were staring me down, even though I have done nothing wrong. I have no choice but to fight now, right? I drew my sword and prepared to fight, though I am not very confident.

"Eva-san, can you take Emily-chan and run away?"

"I’m afraid not. It seems that Emily injured her foot."

"Ow, it hurts," she groaned, not taking her eyes off the goblin. I asked El for more information, but the answer wasn't promising.

"Just so you know, all goblins have higher stats than hero-sama," she said.

It was within expectations, so I didn't feel too disappointed. What was more troublesome is that we are outnumbered. With Eva’s sister injured and unable to run away, they are in trouble.

The goblins seemed to understand that they had the advantage and took slow steps towards us. It was time to brace ourselves. I swallowed my saliva nervously and took a half step forward without lifting my foot.

"Giii..."

The goblin in the middle of the three let out a noise from its throat, perhaps signaling something.

I decided to strike first and surprise them. I focused my strength on my leg to jump at them, but the goblin's eyes were fixed on my leg's movement. Damn, I fell for their trap.

I still have a chance to stop, but what should I do? I repeated this internal debate in my mind multiple times. However, a deep and loud roar interrupted my thoughts, as if cutting off my indecision.

"Oooohhhh!!!"

Even the goblins, Eva, El, and I shrank and stopped moving. The roar echoed through the forest, and I heard heavy footsteps approaching. They were too heavy for just footsteps.

As the noise grew louder, the trees started to shake. It was undoubtedly a sign of a massive creature approaching us. We could do nothing but to watch the trees sway. Then it appeared.

A giant with light green skin pushed aside the trees with the goblins in its right hand. The goblins screamed, but the giant didn't seem to care. It stood in front of us, making a heavy noise.

"That's an ogre!" El called out, looking up at the giant.