Chapter 16: The Bear Subjugates Goblins

I left the guild together with Rurina to subjugate a group of goblins.

“Just to confirm, Yuna-chan… you’re going dressed like that?” she asked, looking at my bear outfit.

“I am.”

At this point, I’d already accepted it.

“I see…”

She let out a sigh as she looked at me.

“By the way, where exactly are these goblins?”

“They’re in a mountain near a village about six hours from the western gate.”

“Six hours!?”

“Yes, so we should hurry if we want to reach the village today.”

Six hours of walking… for a shut-in like me, that’s basically torture. If I didn’t have the bear boots, I’d refuse outright.

“I brought water and food, so we’ll be fine.”

That’s not what I’m worried about.

The forest where I practiced magic is near the eastern gate. Thinking about walking six hours in the opposite direction made me sigh. I should’ve asked about the distance before agreeing. Too late now.

Feeling gloomy, I followed Rurina out the western gate toward the village.

“Um, can I ask something?”

“If I can answer.”

“Why are you dressed like that? No matter how strong you are, shouldn’t an adventurer wear proper gear?”

I knew someone would ask eventually.

Why am I dressed like this?
Because I like it? No way I’d lie like that.
Because it’s the strongest gear? I’m not dumb enough to reveal that.
Because I can’t use magic without it? That’s basically exposing a weakness.
Because it’s a keepsake? Doesn’t explain wearing it all the time.
The safest answer…

“It’s stronger than normal armor.”

“Really?”

“I don’t know what it’s made of, but it has both physical and magical durability. And this white bear also works as an item bag.”

The bear box was already revealed when I sold the wolves, so no need to hide it.

“Then what about the black bear?”

“It boosts strength. It amplifies my physical power.”

I punched a nearby rock. It shattered.

“So that’s how you hit Deborane… no wonder his face swelled like that.”

Rurina seemed convinced.

“And the boots?”

“Boots? …Oh, I’ve got an idea.”

I looked at my gloves and boots and grinned.

“Rurina.”

“What… why are you looking at me like that?”

“Let’s get to the village faster.”

“What are you talking about?”

Sensing danger, she stepped back slightly.

“Walking six hours is a pain, so we’ll do this!”

I slipped behind her, swept her legs, and caught her as she fell—princess carry style.

“Hold on tight. If you talk, you might bite your tongue.”

And then I ran.

“Waiiiiiit!”

Fast.

“Yuna-chan, stooooop!”

I ignored her and kept running.

The gloves made her feel light. The boots made me incredibly fast. And no matter how much I ran, I didn’t get tired.

We arrived near the village.

“Yuna-chan, that was awful! I told you to stop! That was my first time being carried like that… it was scary!”

She glared at me with teary eyes after I set her down.

“But we got here quickly, right?”

What would normally take six hours only took thirty minutes.

“You didn’t… wet yourself, did you?”

“I did not! But I never thought we’d get here this fast…”

It was still morning. Plenty of time before noon.

“We were supposed to stay the night after gathering information…”

“Then let’s just go subjugate them now.”

“…Alright. If you’re not tired, we’ll talk to the village chief first.”

We approached the village entrance and greeted the guard.

“What’s with that outfit? Are you adventurers?”

He looked at me, then at Rurina. Clearly: strange outfit = me, adventurer = her.

“We’re adventurers. We’ve come to deal with the goblins.”

“Just the two of you?”

His face showed concern. Understandable. Two girls, one dressed like this—of course it looks unreliable.

“Yes. Could we speak with the village chief?”

“Alright, follow me.”

We were led to a slightly larger house in the center of the village.

“Chief! Adventurers are here!”

A man in his fifties came out.

“Oh, they came… that’s a relief…”

Then he saw me, and his tone dropped.

“Um… just the two of you?”

“Yes, but we’ll handle the job.”

“I see…”

He looked just as uneasy as the guard.

“Could you tell us where the goblins were seen?”

“They appear in the mountain over there. Hunters have spotted them multiple times.”

“We heard there are around fifty. Is that confirmed?”

“One villager died in the mountains. His companion saw them.”

“I see. We’ll head out. If we don’t return by tomorrow, please contact the guild.”

“Understood. Please be careful.”

We left the village and headed for the mountain.

“Yuna-chan… are you really going alone?”

“I’ll be fine. Just do one thing for me—extract the proof of subjugation.”

“…Alright.”

Proof comes from magic stones taken from the body. That means cutting them open. Yeah… no way.

“Let’s go. I’ll lead.”

I activated bear detection magic.

There were many reactions ahead. No map, but direction was enough.

“Shouldn’t you be more cautious?”

“It’s fine. I’m using detection magic—there are no monsters nearby.”

“You have that kind of magic!?”

“…Actually, there might be quite a lot.”

“How many?”

“Maybe around a hundred.”

“ONE HUNDRED!?”

“Why? It’s just a hundred Deboranes.”

“Are you serious?”

“I am.”

She sighed deeply.

“If things get dangerous, I’m leaving you behind.”

“That’s fine.”

I’m faster anyway.

We walked for about an hour, encountering around twenty goblins along the way.

“That detection magic is amazing. You can find them before they find you.”

“Just make sure to extract the stones.”

“Got it.”

She cut open each goblin, took the stone, and burned the body.

“There seems to be a nest ahead.”

The reactions were concentrated in one spot.

We approached carefully.

“That cave, right?”

“You’re not going inside, are you?”

Even I wouldn’t do that.

“There are about five outside.”

“Wait here.”

I sent wind magic into the cave to check inside.

“Done. There’s only one entrance.”

“Yuna-chan, you’re not seriously going in—”

Before she finished, I used Air Cutter to decapitate the five guards.

Then I imagined a burning bear.

“Bear Fire.”

I threw a bear-shaped flame into the cave.

“Bear Wall.”

A bear-shaped rock sealed the entrance.

“That’s it. Now we wait.”

“What did you just do?”

“I filled the cave with extreme heat and sealed it. They’ll burn and suffocate.”

“…Suffocate?”

“Basically, no air.”

She shook her head rapidly.

“Let’s eat while we wait.”

“…Here?”

“We could go back, but that’s more trouble.”

We ate. The food wasn’t great—lukewarm water and dried meat.

After finishing, I checked again.

“Huh?”

“What’s wrong?”

“One’s still alive.”

“…A goblin king.”

“Goblin king…”

A stronger, smarter goblin—basically a boss.

“We should retreat and call for backup!”

“I think it’ll be fine.”

“Please, listen to me!”

“I’ll go in alone. If I don’t come back, call for help.”

“Are you serious!?”

Ignoring her, I removed the rock.

Hot air rushed out.

“I can’t go inside like this.”

“Let’s just leave!”

“No… looks like the king is coming out.”

A huge goblin emerged, wielding a grotesque sword.

It roared.

I fired Air Cutter—he blocked it.

He charged. Fast.

I drew my sword and blocked his attack. Heavy.

He swung again—sent me flying.

Maybe normal magic won’t work.

“Bear Cutter.”

Three wind blades struck him. He bled heavily but didn’t fall.

“Tough, huh?”

Still, it dealt damage.

He charged again.

I created a deep pit beneath him.

He fell in.

Then I repeatedly fired Bear Cutter into the hole.

Eventually, the screams stopped.

Detection confirmed—dead.

“Is it over?”

“Yes.”

We pulled the body out. It was dead.

“Take it with us?”

“Yeah.”

I stored it.

“Now just the cave cleanup.”

“I’ll cool it first.”

Using water and wind magic, I lowered the temperature.

“Alright, it’s safe.”

“Can you help?”

“Nope.”

No way I’m cutting bodies open.

I gave her a bear-shaped light and sent her inside.

Then I built a small dirt house outside, lay down, and fell asleep almost instantly.