An annoying light filtered through my closed eyelids.
I frowned and tried to hide my face, but the glow of dawn seemed determined to ruin my last minutes of rest.
Finally, I opened my eyes and raised a hand to shield myself from the light.
I tried to sit up, but I felt as if someone had placed an enormous sack of sand on my body.
I slowly lowered my gaze.
There was Goliath, deeply asleep, with both arms wrapped around my waist. He had curled up against me as if I were some kind of giant plush toy.
"Goliath..."
My voice didn't seem to reach his ears.
I rolled my eyes.
"Hey, we have to save the village. Did you forget?"
"Five more minutes..."
Goliath settled in, squeezing his arms even tighter around my body.
My brow furrowed.
I slowly brought a hand toward his face and, without the slightest remorse, pulled one of his eyelashes.
"Ow!"
Goliath sat up with a start and pushed my hand away.
"That hurts! Why did you do that, Master?"
I simply shrugged as I got out of bed.
"You weren't waking up. Doesn't matter. Get changed, we're leaving in an hour."
Then a rather amusing idea crossed my mind.
I turned toward him with a mischievous smile.
"After all, every hour we lose is another hour in which some child in the village could die, you know?"
His sleepy eyes flew wide open.
Within seconds, Goliath abandoned the bed, changed his clothes, and adopted such a serious expression that anyone would have thought he had been preparing for a war for days.
"You're right, Master! We must make the most of every second! I'll go to the armory immediately! I'll wait for you there!"
"Hey, wait...!"
He didn't hear me.
He ran out of the room.
I stood staring at the open door.
Slowly, I narrowed my eyes.
"Did he not learn anything from what happened with the snow lion?"
I sighed and finished getting dressed.
A few minutes later, I arrived at the armory.
Or, to be more precise, at a small wooden building where the village kept everything that could still be considered a weapon.
Goliath was there, accompanied by two villagers who seemed to be torn between worry and despair.
"B-but I can use a sword..." Goliath insisted.
One of the men looked at him with an apologetic expression.
"I don't think it's a good idea for you to be on the front line. Why don't you choose a bow and support from the back?"
"Exactly," the other intervened. "What will we do if something happens to you? Please, reconsider your decision."
Both seemed genuinely worried.
Although, judging by the way they looked at Goliath, I suspected their concern wasn't solely due to his safety.
To them, that beautiful maiden must be someone to protect at all costs, not someone who could face a monster.
"This could last all day."
Goliath seemed willing to argue until he convinced them he was capable of fighting, and the villagers, for their part, would probably keep trying to persuade him until one of the three gave up.
And I had no intention whatsoever of witnessing that argument.
I approached with a firm step.
The three of them turned their heads toward me.
Without saying a word, I headed toward a pile of weapons stacked against the wall and examined the available options.
There were splintered spears, cracked shields, and farming tools that someone had decided to use as weapons.
Finally, I found a sword.
It was rusted, its blade had several nicks, and the handle seemed about to fall off.
Perfect.
It was that or going out to fight with a shovel.
"I'll take this one."
The two villagers exchanged a glance before nodding, apparently surprised that I had taken them without asking.
Goliath, on the other hand, watched me with a furrowed brow.
For some reason, he seemed annoyed that the men had allowed me to take the weapon without protesting, while they kept trying to convince him to stay behind.
I paid him no attention.
I extended my hand toward another sword and lifted it as well.
"And this one."
The villagers blinked.
"Th-that one too?"
"Is there a problem?"
Both quickly shook their heads.
"N-no, none."
Their gazes had fixed on the two swords I was holding, and it was understandable.
Both were two-handed weapons, heavy even for an experienced warrior. Seeing someone carry both at the same time must have been quite impressive.
Of course, that was the impression I wanted to convey.
The reality was slightly different.
"Damn it! How much do these things weigh?!"
I felt as if every gram of metal was trying to tear my arms from my shoulders.
My muscles trembled. My fingers were beginning to go numb and my wrists threatened to buckle under the weight.
However, I kept my face expressionless.
The mask of confidence remained intact.
For the moment.
"If I get a cramp, I'm done for."
With a calm I didn't feel at all, I turned toward Goliath.
"Let's go. You'll stay behind me."
And I began to walk before he could respond.
"Master, wait! I still haven't chosen a weapon!"
"Just follow me."
I heard his hurried steps behind me.
I didn't stop until we had left the armory behind and moved far enough away from the villagers.
Then...
CLANG! CLANG!
The two swords fell to the ground, clashing against each other with a metallic clatter.
I stood motionless, bent forward, hands trembling.
"Master? Are you all right?"
I let out the air I had been holding.
My arms burned as if I had just been lifting them for hours.
"Yes... Uff... Just... Uff... Take one."
Goliath nodded and picked up both swords with insulting ease.
He lifted them as if they were a pair of dry branches.
I watched him in silence.
"Twenty-one thousand strength points..."
For an instant, I considered the possibility of using him as a pack mule. With stats like that, he could probably transport the entire village arsenal without even sweating.
However, after thinking about it a bit, I dismissed the idea.
"No. It's better this way."
I clenched my fists, ignoring the pain that still ran through my arms.
"If I want to recover my strength, I'll have to start somewhere. And if I can't carry two swords, I'll never manage to wield them in combat."
It was a fairly reasonable conclusion.
Although my body seemed to disagree.
"Ho, ho! Are you leaving so early?"
A familiar voice came from behind us.
I turned slowly.
It was the village chief.
The same old man whose hospitality seemed to hide rather less noble intentions.
"That's right," I answered. "Judging by the distance to the nest, I calculate it will take us about two days to return."
The old man's smile weakened.
"What a shame... I would have liked Lia to stay a little longer."
His gaze slid toward Goliath.
"But it doesn't matter. We'll be waiting for you with a great banquet when you return. Ho, ho!"
"Of course. A banquet."
I didn't need to ask myself what kind of guest he hoped would stay to enjoy it.
"We'll return victorious!" Goliath declared enthusiastically.
"I hope so, young lady. I hope so..."
The old man saw us off with a smile that didn't quite convince me.
I didn't bother to respond.
I simply turned around and left the village alongside Goliath.
Once inside the forest, I checked the backpack hanging from my shoulder.
It contained enough provisions for about four days, some basic tools, and several potions.
Of course, the potions were for me.
Goliath wouldn't need them to face a few goblins. Judging by what had happened with the snow lion, it was much more likely that the monster would end up needing a miracle.
I shook my head.
"Although it would be convenient for him to learn not to be so overconfident."
We continued walking for several hours.
The sunlight filtered through the treetops, drawing golden patches on the ground. Around us, the forest remained relatively calm, interrupted from time to time by the song of birds and the creaking of branches.
Goliath walked behind me, this time paying more attention to his surroundings.
At least he seemed to have learned something.
Then he raised a hand in front of me.
"Stop, Master. There are monsters nearby."
I stopped.
His expression had changed. He no longer had that carefree smile from before; now he observed the underbrush cautiously, trying to locate the source of the sounds.
I nodded and we crouched among the bushes.
I carefully pushed aside some leaves.
On the other side there were three creatures.
They measured approximately the same as a child, had green skin, and lacked fur. Their eyes, with horizontal pupils, moved from side to side as they inspected the surroundings. They barely wore loincloths and wielded thick branches that they used as weapons.
It didn't take an expert to recognize them.
"Goblins," I whispered.
"Should I attack, Master?"
Goliath didn't take his eyes off the creatures. His posture was cautious, and his hands gripped the swords firmly.
At least he hadn't completely forgotten the lesson from the snow lion.
"Wait."
I examined the three monsters.
They were only three goblins. For Goliath, they probably wouldn't represent any threat.
For me, on the other hand, they were an opportunity to grow stronger and not depend entirely on my summon.
"Stay back," I ordered. "I'll take care of them."
Goliath turned his head toward me.
"Huh? You alone...?"
I didn't give him time to finish.
I stepped out from among the bushes with the rusted sword in my hand.
The three goblins turned toward me almost at the same time.
For an instant, no one moved.
Then the creatures began to growl and scattered, forming a semicircle around me.
I gripped the handle of the sword.
"All right..."
I swallowed and adopted a combat stance, trying to remember the countless battles I had participated in during my former life.