Chapter 7 – Give and Take (Part 3)

I imagined what a snoring barbarian looked like when he fell asleep after a tiring day.

*Hrap! Hrap!*

... Mm, isn't that too much?

I was a little worried, but I heard laughter.

— ... Truly, an interesting people.

It seems to have worked.

I think my appearance was better than my acting skills. Everyone believed that barbarians were simple-minded and stupid. Therefore, I always played the role of a barbarian, even if it was not related to evil spirits. In fact, hiding the dagger in a smile.

To use preconceived notions about the naivety of barbarians as a weapon to penetrate their thoughts, ...

… It was a little too adolescent.

To sum up, it was easier to lure someone out this way. Just like that.

* Chraaup! Hrap!*

Scratching my stomach for realism, I pressed myself to my side. Despite this, I continued to listen and focused all my attention on the man's movements.

Since I've exposed so many of my weaknesses, he's going to act soon if he has ulterior motives. If not, I can just sleep.

To be honest, I don't know if I will be able to fall asleep in such a state.

"Bjorn, it's time to change.

Ah, mm... I really didn't think I wouldn't be able to sleep.

"Don't let your guard down, because there have been no goblins so far. They are cunning creatures.

This man obviously did not trust me, because he asked me not to relax without saying a word. And in less than 5 minutes, he fell asleep again.

Disappointment crept into my soul.

I should have just slept too. Why the hell did I do these 2 hours? F*ck.

Was it really because there was a person next to me whom I had just met? Even though I thought it was reliable, I couldn't sleep.

If I had known this was going to happen, I would have just fought off the goblins and slept alone.

Then I would be able to sleep at least a little.

"*Phew*...

I'm so tired that I could die. I felt more sleepy because this uncle slept next to me.

Since it was my turn to keep watch, I struggled with sleep, thinking of something else, when someone called me.

"Bjorn, get up."

— ... I was awake.

"Maybe you'll wipe the saliva out of your mouth before you say that?"

When I wiped my mouth with the back of my hand, it was really wet.

"Since you slept standing up, you didn't even snore.

It seems that I really slept, albeit for a short time, in the last 10 minutes of the shift,

... My heart sank. However, something had to be done before blaming himself for being self-righteous. I sincerely apologized.

"I'm sorry.

This time I wasn't pretending to be a barbarian, I was serious. Night companions were a kind of trading relationship. Despite the fact that the uncle provided a safe environment during his duty, I did not do the same. Of course, I have to apologize if I don't want to become the person I hate the most.

— ... Luckily, we didn't have any problems while you slept, so I'll leave it at that.

"Thank you. You can sleep further if you want. I can be on watch again.

— No, I don't. This will not work. It's your turn now, so sleep. And give me the watch.

He could have put the blame on me, but he forgave me with a friendly smile.

So without further ado, I went to my seat and curled up into a ball.

And again sleep did not come. All the researchers, including this uncle, were truly admirable. Entrust your life every day to the person you just met for the first time?

This required great courage. No matter how much I thought about it, it was beyond my strength. For this reason, I began to snore as before.

*Hrap! Hrap!*

There was nothing I could do about it.

I'm sorry, uncle, but for some reason you seem even more suspicious now.

*Hrap! Hrap!*

The fact that he had a kind face, like a fraud.

That it was he who suggested not to look for another companion.

The fact that he didn't call me smelly.

All this was good.

But just now he didn't blame me for falling asleep. He even refused to exchange for the opportunity to sleep again.

Sure, maybe I'm just a crazy bastard, and in reality, this guy was just a kind man. But to me, the good bastards were the most suspicious.

It was such bastards who always stabbed me in the back.

If I were the same, now would be the time to be careless.

But I will not repeat my mistake. It was a matter of intelligence.

*Hrap! Hrap!*

If he seems so suspicious, wouldn't it be better to just leave and say goodbye at this point?

Even as I thought about it, I kept snoring.

How much time has passed?

*Click*

A small but extraneous sound was heard. Backpack clasp? A belt at the waist? Or maybe the heel of a shoe?

I couldn't figure out what caused the sound.

However, at the same time that I realized this, my barbaric body interpreted it itself.

Danger.

Was this the same physical killing intent that was talked about in martial arts books?

Goosebumps ran down my skin. Immediately I opened my eyes and looked around.

"You're awake."

The old man smiled good-naturedly... holding a two-handed hammer covered in goblin blood and flesh above his head.

What the hell...

Run! The decision made by a body raised as a warrior was faster than mine. Before my brain could give the command, my body was already rolling to the side.

*Boom!*

Hearing the sound of something shattering right in front of my nose, I used the recoil to quickly get up and regain my balance.

"*Ugh!*

A puzzled expression appeared on the face of the man whose sudden attack had failed.

Instead of asking why, I rushed forward.

"P-Wait!

Was he trying to justify himself or something like that? Why didn't he want to do it? That he was just trying to stretch his legs? If so, it wasn't much... No, it's very funny.

Damn, how stupid do they think the barbarians here are?

*Crackle!*

The shield slammed directly into the man's chin. However, a strong man was different from a goblin. The man staggered, but did not fall.

Then I hit him again.

*Crackle!*

Destroy.

"Ah!"

The hammer in the man's hand fell to the ground with a crash.

His nose was already red and blood was dripping from it.

... Oh, it's going to hurt.

But I wasn't going to be careless, because I wanted to be that bastard who doesn't know what pain feels like.

So, once again...

"S-stop!" I can explain...!

"Smash!"

The man was hit in the face again and again with a shield and fell to his knees. If this was a game, he would be incapable of fighting. In other words, it was now possible to have a conversation.

"Uncle."

"I-I was wrong!" You are welcome!

Did he decide to apologize? It was a quick judgment, but not a very wise one. This was not the conversation I wanted to have.

"Why did you do that?"

"I needed your mana stones... I was going to just knock you out and steal them. Please believe me!

Believe? yes, right now. If I had that kind of love for humanity, I would have at least a few more friends.

As I slowly raised my shield, my uncle quickly added to his excuse.

"Shield!" I was going to take that shield too!

This was the decisive reason why I don't trust other people.

Everyone lies too easily, even when they can't cheat properly.

"Why the shield?"

— ... Because barbaric weapons are of good quality. I was going to sell it when I got back to town.

Of course, the weapons that barbarians receive during training were usually valuable. This was due to the fact that the weight of iron in them was much higher than in conventional weapons.

Even my current shield was made entirely of iron.

But even so, killing someone to get it? Well, come to think of it, it's not that incomprehensible. But...

".

This man was still hiding something.

"Be honest. Why did you do this?

As with the fallen goblin, I crushed the man's upper body with my foot.

"Oh!"

Fear was deeply engraved in the man's eyes. Surprisingly, this did not cause me any emotions. Maybe because it was the bastard who tried to kill me?

I understand why they say not to look into the eyes when a cow is slaughtered... However, I could ignore this feeling.

While I was thinking about how to end the conversation, the man shouted:

"S-heart!"

"Heart?"

An unexpected word.

When I looked at him with a questioning look in my eyes, the man continued with a submissive expression on his face.

— ... The heart of a barbarian is sold at a high price.

"How is that?"

"I... I don't know exactly, but it's said to be used as an ingredient in newly developed magic!

- I see.

Now I understand the motive. To this man, I was a goblin: I was hard to catch, but if I was caught, I could get a great reward.

"Why did you act now, and not when I first fell asleep?"

— ... I have to sleep too.

Got it. As long as he could, he wanted to sleep and earn money. I thought it was because the person is very careful, but he is just obsessed with efficiency.

"I've already said everything, so please forgive me..."

"Forgive me?"

To be honest, I couldn't help but laugh.

Forgive? Is this how a guy who tried to rip out someone's heart and steal his equipment should say that?

If my reaction had been a little late, I wouldn't have had time to beg for my life.

"Please...

I'm sure he wants to live. How could he have known that this would happen? Such an attitude is commendable. However...

"Uncle, it's right to pay the price.

I hated the bastards who acted on their own discretion and evaded responsibility.

Which meant...

"I... I'll give you everything! Even if it's not much now, if I go back to the city...

He could not be trusted.

In that regard, I didn't even know how this guy was different from a goblin. Although you can't be friends with a goblin, this guy at least had a choice. That was the only difference, and it made him much worse than a goblin.

Of course, it was just an emotional opinion, and I don't make a choice based on emotion. It can't always be like this, but at least I tried.

"In the future, I'll probably meet countless people like you. And they'll say the same thing. Should I forgive them every time?

Forgiveness is a very scary word. A decision made with a good heart often comes back like a dagger and stabs you in the back. I knew this better than anyone else.

So this time I had no choice. A mistake in this primordial world would not only hurt my heart, but even threaten my life.

"I'm sorry, uncle. I've been stabbed in the back too many times for this.

"N-no!" I wouldn't! I'm different!

To think that a goblin once said something like that.

Although I understood it only from the expression in his eyes.

Then what did I do next?

*Grab*

I raised my shield high with both hands. However, unlike at that time, I paused.

Of course, the hesitation did not last long. I felt an unknown force pull me by the arm and...

"Oh, no...!"

I lowered my shield with all my might.