I Became the Maid of the Lout Prince-Chapter 493: A Goblin King (2)

The fool who tried to abandon Mirif ⊛ Nоvеlιght ⊛ (Read the full story) and me first was crushed under the Goblin King's foot, leaving only the two of us.

...No, actually, given the situation, a low-ranking priestess wouldn’t be much help, so it was practically just me.

‘Seriously, is he an idiot? Even when given a chance to live, he insists on dying like that?’

If he’d been up against a Goblin Lord or a Goblin General, his little trick might have worked. Those types usually prioritize capturing females over killing males.

But the Goblin King doesn’t distinguish between human males and females. After all, goblins seek females for breeding, but with the size difference between humans and the Goblin King, it’s not possible.

...It’s understandable why he wouldn’t know that. Low-ranking adventurers often mistake a Goblin Lord for a Goblin King.

“B-Brother...?”

This 𝓬ontent is taken from freeweɓnovel.cѳm.

“......”

Now that he’s dead, he’s regained his manners, but I bet his ears are already smashed into a pulp under that foot.

The Goblin King, having lost his underlings, advanced toward Mirif and me. I could feel her clinging to the hem of my clothes, standing right behind me.

-Thud, thud, thud!

‘Gyaaah!!’

“Oh, Goddess, please grant Sister Lily eternal peace and rest...”

“...I’m not dead yet. Don’t start praying.”

Mirif had already resigned herself, quietly offering a prayer for her next life from behind me.

As I mentioned, she was practically useless in this situation, so I had no choice but to handle it myself.

“Mirif, when I give the signal, run in the opposite direction.”

“...What?”

“If we split up, one of us might be able to escape.”

“But... abandoning a comrade is...”

“It’s not abandoning. The one being chased can draw it further into the cave, while the other escapes to the guild for backup. The inner part of the cave is narrow, so it’ll be hard for the Goblin King to get through.”

“......”

“I’m not asking for agreement. The moment I push you, run in the opposite direction.”

“...Understood.”

Mirif nodded with a resolute expression after hearing my plan.

We hastily put together this impromptu strategy, and just as the Goblin King got close, we split and dashed in opposite directions.

-Swish!

-Patter!

‘Gyaaah!!’

The one thing I was worried about was Mirif’s noticeably slower running speed compared to my leap.

Under normal circumstances, the Goblin King would’ve targeted the easier prey—Mirif. But... the situation was a bit different now.

‘Gyaaah!!’

“Sister Lily!!”

“Run! Get out!!”

The one-eyed beast certainly wouldn’t ignore a target it bore a grudge against and chase after Mirif instead.

Thankfully, it seemed he had no intention of changing his mind.

Watching Mirif successfully escape the cave, I hurried deeper into the Goblin’s nest.

“Huff, huff, huff...”

‘Gyaaah...!!’

“...Damn it.”

Suppressing an involuntary curse, I continued deeper into the narrowing cave.

I had a faint hope that the narrowing passage would slow down the Goblin King’s movements.

Then again, it was always a possibility that a monster like the Goblin King would just smash through the cave to chase me.

Losing an eye wouldn’t make it difficult for him to pursue a human woman.

Maybe, if I got incredibly lucky, a stalactite would fall and smash him on the head, or he’d trip, giving me a chance to escape.

Or, perhaps, I’d find a hidden passage leading outside. But unless I had luck on that level, there was no chance of escaping him.

‘Damn, what a miserable life....’

It hadn’t even been a month since I left Blackwood Mansion, and I was already facing this nightmare.

The E-rank promotion test didn’t seem like a big deal, so I went in without much thought. Then I got stuck with a useless teammate who ruined the whole trip.

And now, as luck would have it, I ran into the Goblin King in this promotion test. Even the Wind Spirit, Seih, who’d been with me for years, suddenly disappeared.

Just when I saw a glimmer of hope, the idiot who was supposed to help me buy time ended up offing himself, and now here I was, being chased by the Goblin King.

This truly was the worst day of my life. And I might not have many more left.

-Thud! Thud! Boom!!

‘Gyaaah!!’

“...Damn...”

So this miserable life finally ends here.

If I’d known I’d die like this, I would’ve stayed with Ethan for another year. I would’ve lived longer, even if I ended up ending things after seeing him with another woman.

Escaping Blackwood, only to meet such a lonely end in this unfamiliar place. It was as pathetic as the day I first arrived in this world.

“Mana... give me all I’ve got...”

‘Gyaaah! Gyaaah!!’

-Boom, boom, boom!

The Goblin King pounded the cave wall, trying to widen the gap enough for his head to get through.

I didn’t know if I had enough time, but I had nowhere else to run. From now on, I had to rely entirely on luck.

Would the Goblin King break through the cave wall and reach me first, or would I complete my Mana Blast first?

Prepared to at least take him down with me, I gathered all my remaining mana, forming a massive vortex of power.

“Mana sphere... Explode with everything I’ve got...”

-Whoosh! Whoooosh!!

A huge sphere of mana formed in my palm.

Due to using the Arcane Tornado earlier, the sphere was only half the usual size, but it should still be enough to blow off the Goblin King’s head.

Just a few more words, and the Mana Blast would be complete...

-Boom!!

‘Gyaaah!!’

The Goblin King broke through the obstructing wall and roared.

‘...Well, if I’m going down, I guess I couldn’t ask for a better monster to drag with me.’

If I got credit for taking down a Goblin King, I’d probably be promoted to D-rank in one go. Maybe, if I were lucky, even C-rank posthumously.

Not that it would matter once I was dead, but C-rank was still respectable.

With that thought lingering, I completed the Mana Blast, ready to blow us both to pieces.

“...Unleash! My Mana Bomb!!”

‘Gyaaah!!’

‘...Huh?’

Just before charging at me, the Goblin King suddenly turned around and sprinted in the opposite direction.

-Thud!!

“Aaah!!”

Then, I heard an ominous scream, followed by the sound of something heavy crashing.

‘No, it can’t be!’

A cold chill ran down my spine as I realized the Mana Blast had already left my hand.

The blast flew directly at the back of the Goblin King’s head, engulfing half of his upper body in an explosion...

-Kaboom!!

‘Gyaaah!!’

With a scream, the explosion caused part of the cave to collapse.

“Urgh, argh!!”

At the same time, a massive surge of power tore through the cave. Dust and rocks—and what I assumed were goblin remains—flew at me, making it nearly impossible to keep my eyes open.

Once the storm settled, I got to my feet and headed toward where the Goblin King had stood.

I could only hope the voice I’d heard wasn’t who I thought it was.

“Mirif! Are you here?! Mirif!!”

The Goblin King had turned because something in that direction had caught his interest.

And if I hadn’t misheard that scream... it was undoubtedly Mirif’s.

Given the situation, she was the only one who could have come back into the cave.

“Mirif! Are you safe?! Mirif!!”

If she’d gotten caught in the Mana Blast, she might have been reduced to a state as grim as the half-destroyed corpse of the Goblin King.

Praying that wasn’t the case, I continued calling out her name as I approached the remains of the Goblin King. As the dust cloud settled, I finally saw...

“Ugh... Cough... Ugh...”

Mirif, buried under debris from the cave wall, was coughing painfully.