Dawn broke, shrouded in a thick fog that covered the forest like a gray blanket.
The chaos of the previous night, following the news about the humans, had subsided somewhat, but the tension was so thick you could cut it with a knife.
There was no longer any sound of children’s laughter or conversations around the campfires. The only sounds breaking the silence were the wind rustling the leaves and the nervous creaking of the wooden palisades.
From the treetop of a huge tree located some distance from the village, Noir watched uneasily as the tail moved.
’Is this the right decision...?’
The little black dragon didn’t know if he had done the right thing or not.
The goblins had offered to let him stay with them, but the little black dragon had chosen to leave instead.
Just enough to avoid getting caught up in the conflict... Just enough to be able to flee if things went wrong. Because, even though he didn’t want to admit it, he had already made up his mind.
He wouldn’t intervene.
The golden sphere settled silently on one of his majestic, beautiful horns; it didn’t have that air of annoyance or betrayal that it usually did. It simply remained there, gazing at the horizon alongside him.
Noir turned his gaze toward the goblin village; even from that distance, he could see the frantic activity from the night before.
The families had taken refuge in the center of the settlement. Hunters patrolled the entrances with worn weapons.
The little dragon wagged his tail uneasily. He still didn’t quite understand; those goblins weren’t as violent as they were in many manga and anime, where they were portrayed as beings driven by lust and destruction.
They hadn’t attacked anyone. They were just a small community trying to survive... So why did the humans want to destroy them?
’Could it be that those humans were simply adventurers on a mission? Or... were the monsters and humans just killing each other?’
The question popped into his mind again. And, for the first time since he had arrived in this world, he realized there was no simple answer.
Perhaps that conflict had been going on for generations. Or perhaps there was something he still didn’t understand.
Whatever the answer might be, it was still someone else’s problem.
At least that’s what the little black dragon kept telling himself.
’It’s not my war.’
The words rang out firmly in his mind. He had repeated them so many times throughout the night that they almost seemed like an absolute truth.
’I’m a dragon. I’m not a hero or a guardian. And I’m certainly not like those protagonists with their absurd sense of justice.’
’I’m just someone who got a second chance after spending my whole life trapped in a hospital bed... And I don’t plan on wasting it.’
Not for a village he barely knew, nor for a conflict he didn’t understand... and certainly not for strangers.
However, every time he tried to convince himself of that, he remembered the two days he had spent here.
The old goblin woman who insisted on serving him more food. The hunters exaggerate their stories around the campfire. The children are running after him.
The little goblin who had shouted with excitement when Noir returned his greeting.
And that question.
"The Great Dragon Will Protect Us, Won’t He?"
Noir looked away. His claws dug lightly into the tree’s bark.
He didn’t like to remember that because it made everything harder; part of him wanted to help. And another part—much larger—wanted to leave.
He wanted to live, to explore the world, to see the sea, the mountains, the cities—everything he’d never been able to experience in his previous life.
Risking everything for a battle that wasn’t his would be stupid.
And he had no intention of being stupid.
’This is the best decision I could have made.’
Suddenly, Chrysola’s words echoed in his mind:
[You will see wonderful things.]
[You will also see terrible things.]
The little black dragon’s spirits sank to the lowest depths; he hadn’t expected to experience all of this at once.
Just as he emerged from the cave, he met the goblins; it had been a wonderful experience, but now he would see...
The mist began to clear slowly.
Then, Noir saw them—ten figures appeared among the trees.
Humans.
Some wore reinforced leather armor; others carried swords, spears, and shields, and there were archers as well.
And several figures in robes.
Mages.
Noir narrowed his eyes. Even without military experience, he understood immediately.
The goblins didn’t stand a chance.
The golden orb slowly descended from its horns and came to rest on the branch.
Suddenly, the first arrow sliced through the air.
And the silence of dawn was shattered forever.
***
Arrows continued to rain down on the goblin village.
The sound of splintering wood, cries of pain, and desperate commands shattered the forest’s tranquility.
From a distance, Noir watched as the goblin hunters tried to hold their ground behind the makeshift palisades.
It didn’t last long.
The humans advanced in an orderly fashion, covering one another while the archers kept up constant pressure.
Meanwhile, the goblins fought, driven by fear and desperation.
It was a difference the little dragon noticed right away.
The monsters’ heart-wrenching screams echoed loudly through the air, while the first golden rays of the sun pierced the sky, ushering in the day.
One of the human warriors knocked a goblin down with the edge of his shield and then abruptly beheaded it, staining his armor with blood.
Another struck a goblin hunter’s hand to disarm him before advancing, followed by a kick that knocked the monster down, and then he thrust his sword into its mouth.
The goblins kept falling one after another, without the slightest chance to put up a fight.
The scene was chaotic.
Painful.
And yet, Noir remained motionless; his wings tensed slightly, and his claws dug into the tree’s bark.
But he didn’t move.
’This isn’t my problem.’
He had to remind himself of that.
It wasn’t his fight. He didn’t understand the reasons on either side; stepping in without understanding the situation would be stupid.
Smoke began to rise from several huts.
The humans were setting them on fire one after another.
The goblins retreated toward the center of the village while protecting the children and older people. Several tried to escape into the forest.
’I can’t stand to watch this anymore.’
The little dragon took a step back on the branch; it was time to leave.
The forest was enormous. He could keep exploring.
He would find another place.
Another village... Or maybe none at all.
’I’ll be fine—I have to be.’
The golden orb slowly turned toward him, as if waiting for something.
Noir avoided looking at it; he didn’t need a glowing orb to judge his decisions.
He took a deep breath. And he spread his wings.
Then, a cry rang out from the center of the village.
A human cry, full of surprise.
"I found them!"
A man in armor was holding a small figure wrapped in a blanket in his arms.
It wasn’t a goblin.
It was a human girl.
Behind him, other soldiers were coming out of one of the half-ruined huts.
They were leading more children—frightened, thin, and some of them crying. Others had a vacant look in their eyes.
"There are more here!"
"They’re alive!"
"Bring the healer!"
Noir felt his thoughts come to a complete halt.
’...What!?’
The little dragon looked at the children, who had several serious injuries and showed signs of malnutrition, as if they had been starving and abused for a long time.
He also noticed others who were lifeless, but who exhibited... something he didn’t want to name, so he looked away toward the goblins.
The pieces began to fall into place little by little.
The columns of smoke.
The speed of the attack.
The frantic evacuation.
The boss’s terror.
And those words.
"This time, there’s no way we can stop them."
The little dragon felt a chill run through his scales. Because, for the first time since it all began, he realized a possibility he hadn’t considered.
Maybe the humans hadn’t come to destroy the village just for the sake of it.
Maybe this story was much more complicated than it seemed.
...
Author’s Note:
This Chapter was quite difficult for me to write because I had a lot of doubts about how to go about it, but it seems I managed to pull it off somehow.
I hope you enjoyed Noir’s time with the goblins—those were some fun Chapters :]