Chapter 3: The White Goblins and a Reflection

The saying, “Getting home is part of the journey,” does it mean to enjoy the trip until the very end? Or is it advice, a warning to stay vigilant until you arrive?

If you were to ask the two people standing in the heart of a dense forest, they would give the same answer.

Undoubtedly, the latter. I’d bet on it.

Iris, with uneasy eyes, looked around and gave Evrys advice, or rather, a command, in a low voice.

“Stay close to me.”

“O-Okay…”

Forgetting even her usual polite speech, Evrys’s wandering eyes darted towards the trees surrounding them.

“Kee-eeeek!”(scream)

“Kee-yooot!”(scream)

Strange cries reached their tense ears.

The sounds were too unnatural to be the howls of beasts. Perhaps twisting a child’s cries would produce something similar?

Unlike Evrys, who was hearing these sounds for the first time, Iris immediately recognized their source.

White Goblins, monsters that frequently appeared on the path to the mountain range.

They weren’t particularly dangerous. If Iris was alone, she could have easily cut down any number of them.

However, the situation was different now. Evrys was with her.

Iris had no experience fighting defensively.

She was used to being at the forefront of battle, cutting down wolf-like monsters that threatened the North’s safety.

She hadn’t learned how to fight while protecting someone. In fact, she was more used to being the one protected.

Of course, she disliked that and often roamed alone, but that was irrelevant now.

Iris felt the annoying presence trembling at her hip.

‘If only we had cleared the forest…’

The monsters’ cries echoed from the surrounding trees, making it difficult to gauge their numbers.

If she were alone, she would have simply charged through, but taking the seemingly frail girl with her seemed too risky.

Guarding against monsters that could appear from anywhere, Iris shielded Evrys with her body.

‘That small frame is somewhat helpful now.’

The cries grew closer, and the monsters finally revealed themselves. A white wave surged from all directions.

Evrys felt annoyed at the sight.

‘I just escaped the snowy mountains, and now I have to deal with these white mobs?’

She vaguely recognized them.

But seeing them in person was different from seeing them in illustrations, and she couldn’t help but feel tense.

Let’s overlook the minor detail that she looked like a terrified little girl.

Seemingly confident in their numerical advantage, the goblins began to approach, giggling.

The more impatient ones had already lunged.

Unaware that they were shortening their own lifespans.

The bravest one was the first to be decapitated.

The next bravest was cut in half.

The greedy ones who followed hesitated at the carnage, and in that instant, their heads were severed.

Countless monsters collapsed around the two, forming a pool of blood.

Only then did they seem to realize that the prey that had stumbled into their midst wasn’t easy.

They exchanged cries and began to surround the two from a distance.

The goblins’ plan to overwhelm them with numbers quickly shattered, scattering like broken glass.

Along with their bodies.

Realizing their folly, the remaining goblins began to flee.

Slightly puzzled by how quickly the situation had ended, Iris decided not to pursue them.

Normally, she would have chased them down and eradicated them for daring to attack the heir of the North.

But she wasn’t alone now.

Expecting the girl to be trembling with fear, Iris turned around.

However, contrary to her expectations, the girl was staring at the corpses with a surprisingly calm expression. She even nudged them with her foot.

‘She’s unexpectedly bold. Were her eyes always red?’

Feeling a sense of unease, Iris rubbed her eyes. When she opened them again, she saw sunset-gold eyes.

‘I must be tired from the unexpected encounter and attack.’

Thinking so, Iris urged the girl onward. The smell of blood might attract more troublesome monsters.

It was fascinating.

It was the first time I had seen monsters I knew from illustrations and text in person, so I was a little scared at first. But as they got closer, I became more intrigued.

They seemed so weak, getting sliced and diced by Iris’s sword.

‘Maybe she’s just overpowered?’

Later, she became an unstoppable force, single-handedly taking down enemies (or overcoming obstacles), and it was awesome.

Just like a character who appears in the late game to show off their strength.

Though most of it was described through text in the game.

I touched one of the fallen monsters. It was still warm, as if insisting it had been alive just moments ago. The texture of its skin, closer to an animal than a human, felt incredibly real. The blood pooling on the ground was sticky, some of it already fading in color.

It was so vivid that it was hard to believe it was a game. The vividness, more than the gruesome scene, made me feel uneasy.

“Let’s move.”

‘I want to see the other monsters too, but I guess I have to give up.’

‘Well, I’m sure there will be other opportunities.’

After walking for a while behind Iris, I saw a carriage. A carriage with the Dukedom’s eagle emblem emblazoned on it.

A man who appeared to be the coachman stood beside it.

As Iris approached, he placed his hand over his heart in a sharp salute. I nearly had war flashbacks.

“Welcome back. Congratulations on completing the ritual safely.”

“Where’s the coachman, and why are you here, Sir Knight?”

“Given the frequent monster appearances in this area, it was deemed too dangerous.”

“Excuses.”

“Was it that obvious? By the way, who is this behind you…?”

“…A guest.”

“A… guest?”

“Yes. We’ll talk later.”

“Ah, I understand.”

Ending the conversation, the flustered man disappeared to the front of the carriage.

‘Don’t they usually open the door for you? He must be really flustered.’

Without a word, Iris opened the carriage door herself. Befitting its emblem, the door opened smoothly and silently.

“Get in.”

Iris tapped the carriage door, urging me on. ‘She’s so impatient.’

“I’m going.”

It was bigger than I thought up close. If I were my usual self, I would have gotten in without a problem, but with my lowered perspective, I hesitated.

‘How did the romance fantasy protagonists do it?’ As I pondered, a warm hand suddenly slipped under my arm.

My view shot upwards, and I found myself inside the carriage. I glared at Iris in disbelief, and she stared back, her expression asking what the problem was.

“I helped you because you seemed to be struggling to get in.”

“Oh, thank you so much.”

I tried to inject sarcasm into my words, but it had no effect on the thick-skinned Iris.

“Glad to be of service.”

‘She’s so infuriating.’

‘If I were my normal height, I wouldn’t have to suffer this humiliation.’

‘Why did they put me in this body? Even a male NPC(non-playing character) would have been better…’

My anger towards the game developers grew with each passing day. I was going to sue them the moment I got back.

The door closed, and the carriage started moving, accompanied by the coachman’s voice.

Thanks to my time at the vacation home, the silence within the enclosed space wasn’t awkward.

Iris, seemingly tired, sat back and closed her eyes. I couldn’t tell if she was sleepy or if it was a habit.

She had always kept her eyes closed at the vacation home, except when she was wielding her sword or hunting, so it was confusing.

‘If she’s not sleeping, she must be meditating or something.’

Not feeling sleepy, I leaned closer to the window to watch the scenery.

As I got closer, an unfamiliar face reflected in the window.

I flinched in surprise but soon realized it was me, as the reflection mirrored my movements.

It wasn’t clear, but it was enough to make out the features.

Silvery-white hair, like melted silver. Sharp, yet large golden eyes.

It wasn’t a childish appearance, considering how I had been treated by Iris. ‘Maybe height really is the issue.’

But seeing my face made the reality of my changed body sink in.

The days of pretending it was just a lowered perspective were over. This was the final nail in the coffin. I had never wanted this.

The girl’s face in the window contorted. ‘No, not a girl.’

‘This is me now. Or rather, this is “me” for the time being.’

I had to live in this form until the world ended with the final ending.

I looked again at the melancholic face in the window.

It was a face I had never seen before.

Leaving a handprint on the window, I closed my eyes.

I didn’t want to look anymore.