Kikori no Isekai Tan - Chapter 13

Kikori passed through the Hero’s Gate and ventured into the forest.

Though the shield wasn’t suitable for defense, the mere fact of having it gave Kikori a slight sense of security, making his steps bolder.

As he moved deeper into the forest, Kikori soon spotted a goblin facing the other way.

“…Alright.”

He slowly approached the goblin, under the cover of the trees.

Kikori readied his axe, hoping that he would not be noticed by the goblin.

As he was about to raise his axe, he noticed something.

But by the time he realized, it was already too late. A sharp pain shot through his side.

He had been stabbed. But by what?

“Gihihihihi!”

(A goblin…!? No way, an ambush!?)

The goblin, which he had thought not to notice him at all, suddenly turned around, brandishing its club.

A heavy blow to the head sent Kikori reeling, nearly losing consciousness.

It had all been an act. The goblin had pretended not to notice him.

But the searing pain from the knife being pulled out brought Kikori back to his senses.

The goblin pretended not to notice him to lure him in.

And he was the idiot that didn’t even notice that it was a trap.

“Ugh… AAAAAAAHH!”

Kikori swung his axe desperately, but it missed and lodged itself into a tree.

And it wouldn’t come out.

The goblin’s knife sliced into his arm.

The goblin’s club slammed into his face, knocking the axe from his grasp.

“Gihihi!”

“Gihahahahahaha!”

He was going to die. They were going to kill him. Even if he tried to run, his shaky consciousness left him disoriented.

All he had left was the round shield, and he wasn’t even sure if it would help.

“Come to think of it, this shield…”

This shield… What was it that was said when it was recommended to him?

In the final moments before death, Kikori’s thoughts drifted.

If he wasn’t mistaken, that’s right. This shield wasn’t suitable for defense.

Blow after blow rained down on him, and the goblin with the knife grinned sinisterly.

This goblin was used to killing people. It knew exactly how much it could torture before someone died.

This kind of torment must be something like a privilege of being the decoy.

(Ah… I remember now. This shield…)

With a loud clang, the goblin’s arm holding the club jerked upwards.

The force caused the goblin to drop its club, which rolled away.

And then, Kikori rammed the round shield into the goblin’s face.

“Ga… Gah…”

Small though it was, the shield was a solid lump of metal, so a blow to the face like that should damage the goblin.

As the blood sprayed from the goblin’s nose, it hit its head against the tree and the goblin carrying the club slowly collapsed.

“Gih…? Giiiiii!”

The other goblin froze for a moment but quickly understood what had happened.

It charged at Kikori with the knife held forward.

But the knife was deflected by the surface of the round shield, and Kikori bashed the shield into the goblin’s exposed torso.

“Gefuh… Guh!”

The moment the goblin staggered, Kikori followed up with another blow to its face.

Straddling the fallen goblin, Kikori repeatedly slammed the round shield into its face, again and again.

Eventually, when he confirmed that the goblin finally stopped moving, Kikori picked up the fallen knife and finished it off.

“That’s right. This shield is meant to deflect and strike. Haha… I’m really no good, aren’t I?”

He was already on the brink of death. If he didn’t get back and buy a potion soon, he could die.

Even so, he took the magic stones from the goblins, retrieved his axe, and took the club and the knife he had wanted.

That was Kikori’s haul for the day.