Chapter 39: Goblin Footprints

After a moment, Kate emerged from the cave and waved to the others.

“Come in. There’s no danger inside this cave.”

Mel Carlo dragged his exhausted body toward the cave, a faint firelight flickering in the wind and snow.

The wagon was dismantled at the cave entrance, and Freli led the Earth Dragon inside.

The cave wasn’t too big or too small, and didn’t seem very deep.

The possibility of goblins was almost zero.

There were traces of an old campfire on the ground and unused firewood scattered around.

It seemed others had rested here before, but that must have been a long time ago.

“Mr. Freli, do you have an axe? I’ll go chop some wood. If the snow gets heavier, at least we’ll have enough dry firewood.”

Kate took the torch and spoke to Freli.

At this moment, Mr. Freli had already started a campfire on the ground, using the dry wood stored in the cave.

If the snow stopped by the next day, they could continue on their journey.

But they weren’t gods; they couldn’t predict the weather.

If things went badly and the snow sealed the roads, finding firewood would become even more difficult.

“Alright, I’ll go with you. It’s too unsafe alone.”

“Mr. Freli, are you really going to leave two children here?”

Kate was a little worried about leaving the two children behind.

“Don’t worry. Boss Mel is much tougher than I am. You’ve seen it before—he’s not like a child at all.”

With those words, Kate felt reassured.

The two quickly unloaded the cargo from the wagon.

While the snow hadn’t yet closed off the road, they could chop some wood and use the Earth Dragon to haul it back.

They only had lightweight goods anyway.

Claire was feeding the Earth Dragon.

It wasn’t just property—it was her friend.

She took out a water flask and beans, feeding them to the Earth Dragon’s mouth.

“It’s been walking so long, it must be exhausted.”

After a brief rest, Freli and Kate left the cave together, taking the Earth Dragon and the empty wagon.

Mel and Claire sat by the campfire.

A slight chill still came from the cave entrance, but the stone walls blocked most of it, keeping the wind from blowing directly on their faces.

“Mel, why don’t you ever talk?”

Claire hugged her knees, curling up by the fire.

Her eyes stared blankly at Mel Carlo.

“Because there’s no need. Not much to say. But why do you keep your hair short like a boy, even though you’re a girl?”

Mel tossed a branch into the fire.

“My father said that when you travel, dressing too prettily makes it hard to protect yourself.”

“That’s true. If you can’t protect yourself, beauty just becomes a burden. Still, even with short hair, you’re very pretty.”

Mel Carlo studied Claire’s features.

She was still just a child, but under the firelight, her healthy, rosy skin looked delicate.

A person’s features are set from birth.

People say girls change a lot as they grow, but in the end, your face doesn’t change unless you use a knife.

Girls just learn more about fashion and makeup as they grow up.

But Mel wasn’t a pervert.

He had no strange thoughts about little girls—he just honestly thought Claire’s features were well-shaped.

“Mel is handsome too.”

Claire buried her face in her knees.

At their age, such thoughts were simple.

“That’s natural.”

Mel didn’t bother with false modesty.

After all, he’d been reborn in another world—who’d want to be ugly?

After these words, sleepiness hit again.

Mel Carlo began using the [Assassin’s Breathing Technique] to stay alert.

This wasn’t the time to doze off.

If danger appeared suddenly, Claire wouldn’t be able to resist at all.

If he hadn’t traveled with merchants to Oak City, he might have died on the road.

“Mel…”

Claire rubbed her eyes, sleepy but hesitant to sleep with her father still gone.

“Mm?”

Mel responded softly.

“I want to sleep a little…”

“Okay.”

After Mel nodded, Claire quickly fell asleep.

—

In the cold winter night, a pair of small footprints approached, stopping at the cave entrance.

Mel heard faint sounds.

His sleepiness vanished instantly.

If it was Mr. Freli and the others returning, it wouldn’t be so quiet.

The footsteps were light.

An animal?

A wolf, a fox, or maybe some other kind of monster he didn’t know about.

Thinking of this, Mel Carlo reached for the dagger at his waist.

If real danger approached, he had to seize the moment—a single deadly strike.

There was still a sword in the system space, looted from a bandit.

After throwing the dagger, he could use it for defense.

It could also trigger the skill [Powerful Slash].

After a short pause, the footsteps seemed to leave the cave entrance.

Even though Mel Carlo kept staring, nothing entered the cave.

Am I hallucinating from the cold?

The thought crept into Mel’s mind.

Now wasn’t the time to get sick.

—

After a long wait, Freli and Kate finally returned, dragging a full load of firewood.

Once the wagon was unloaded, the Earth Dragon lay down beside the campfire.

“Does this thing really lie down?”

Mel had always thought Earth Dragons, like horses, slept standing up.

He’d heard that horses only lay down when they felt truly safe, and in games, Earth Dragons were just mounts—he’d never seen them lying down.

“Yeah, Earth Dragons lie down to rest. You should get some rest too.”

Freli sat beside Mel.

But Mel wasn’t planning to sleep just yet.

He told the other two about what he’d sensed earlier.

Kate immediately went to the cave entrance to check.

Because there was another creature that fit the description—a goblin.

On this continent, goblins were like cockroaches—everywhere.

Unfortunately, goblins weren’t that smart.

If they were a little more intelligent and able to communicate with humans, they’d be a demi-human race, not monsters.

Kate’s pupils shrank.

The small footprints on the ground weren’t theirs.

She hadn’t paid attention when they returned earlier, but looking closely now, there really was a pair of small footprints, with claw marks at the front, like little hands pressed on the ground.

“This is… a goblin!”

Goblins were monsters between level 5 and 30, and possessed a certain intelligence—a threat other monster races didn’t have.

Cunning and deceitful were synonymous with goblins.

Judging by the small footprints, it was probably a level 5 goblin.

But when a goblin appeared in one place, it meant a group was nearby.

Goblins were swarm monsters.

The safest move was to leave quickly.

But this was not the time.

If they left the cave, the snow could swallow them, and they’d die of exposure.

“We’ll just have to be more careful.”

Kate returned into the cave.

They couldn’t leave now.

If the snow got heavier, not only would they be stuck, but the goblins wouldn’t be able to move either, so it was relatively safer.