The palace feast had been a joyful chaos: deafening music, clumsy dances, and enough wine to drown a dragon. My head was still buzzing when dawn threw us onto the road.   

Destination: Driul, a remote village in a neighboring land to Lilyani. Rikami called it the perfect place to “forge a prince into a true hero.” To me, it meant weeks of walking, mud, and freezing nights—but with her, Yura, and Leyart by my side, I felt ready. Well, almost.   

  

The first few days were monotonous. Yura spent her time making up ridiculous songs—“Oh, the prince with golden boots, he slips in the muck, bam!”—while Leyart lagged behind, lost in thought.   

Rikami marched ahead, her katana tapping against her thigh like a metronome. I juggled between the thrill of leaving Lilyani and the fear of missing a turn and ending up in a ditch.   

Being a Zodiac impresses in a ballroom, not on a battered trail.   

  

Then, on the sixth day, the forest swallowed us.   

The trees, twisted and black, seemed to whisper among themselves. The sky darkened, and a storm erupted suddenly, the wind roaring as it tore leaves away, rain lashing my face like a slap.   

My boots sank into the mud with a disgusting slurp at every step.   

  

“We should camp!” I shouted, struggling to be heard over the howling gale.   

Rikami stopped, her soaked hair plastered to her forehead.   

“With this downpour? You want to catch death before Driul? Keep moving, Arthur.”   

She glanced around, her hand brushing her weapon. Protective, but not the coddling type.   

  

That’s when I heard a strange noise: a high-pitched squeak, followed by a loud hiccup.   

I slowed, wiping water from my eyes. “Do you hear that?”   

Yura snickered.   

“What, a drunk bird? You drank too much yesterday, prince.”   

“No, seriously! Listen!”   

  

Rikami raised a hand, silencing us. Her green eyes scanned the gloom, then she nodded.   

“Something. In there. Don’t move, I’ll check.”   

But I was already off, pushing through drenched branches.   

  

Under a gnarled tree, a small green creature writhed, barely a meter tall. A goblin.   

Its skin glistened in the rain, its leg trapped in a rusty bear trap, the metal sunk deep into bone.   

It spotted me and hissed, showing yellowish teeth:   

“You, big human! No come near! Me bite, me smash your skull!” Then it burst into a foolish laugh and belched.   

“Calm down, I’ll help you.”   

  

I drew my dagger, crouching to pry the trap open. The metal groaned, my fingers slipped on the wet steel, but I managed to free it.   

The goblin let out a shrill “YAAAAH!” its leg dripping with black blood.   

“Hold on, okay?”   

It stared at me, blinking as if waking up.   

“You… nice idiot. Me Grik.” It grabbed a twig, waving it like a sword.   

“Me big warrior! Hic!”   

  

I slid an arm under its shoulders, lifting it despite its flailing. It was light, but its rough claws clung to my cape.   

“We’re taking it to camp.”   

Rikami joined me, her gaze shifting between me and Grik.   

“A goblin, Arthur? You sure? These things are unpredictable.”   

“He’s injured, Rikami. We can’t leave him here.”   

  

She sighed, but her shoulders relaxed.   

“Fine, kid. But if he pulls anything, you deal with it. I’m watching, so don’t be stupid.”   

Her tone was firm, but I caught a hint of trust.   

  

We set up camp under a rocky overhang, sheltered from the wind. Yura grumbled at the sight of Grik:   

“Seriously, Arthur? It stinks worse than a stale beer barrel!”   

“Please, help me treat it.”   

She groaned, pulling a vial from her bag.   

“If this thing bites me, I’ll make you eat it.”   

  

She applied ointment to Grik’s leg, and he yelped: “Ouch! You witch! Me steal your shoes!”   

Then he laughed, snatching my alcohol flask and downing half in one gulp. A thunderous belch followed.   

“Hmmm… stupid humans, but good taste!”   

Leyart, leaning against the wall, watched silently, his hand clenched on his stump.   

“You sure he’s alone? In Amérance, they hunt them in packs.”   

  

Grik looked up, swaying slightly.   

“Amérance? Pfff! Them mean! Them hit Grik, hit brothers! Me lost in storm. Gang kaput.”   

He mimed a clumsy punch, spilling some alcohol on his foot.   

“Oops! Hic!”   

  

Rikami sat by the fire, her eyes fixed on the goblin.   

“Listen, Arthur. I’ll let you keep your little protégé, but he’s under your watch. Goblins aren’t monsters like in Amérance, but they’re not reliable. If he calls a gang or messes up, I step in.”   

“He’s got nowhere to go, Rikami. Look at him.”   

Grik had flopped onto his back, waving his arms like he was swimming.   

“Me fly sky! Hic!”   

  

She gave a rare smile.   

“You’ve got heart, kid. But heart doesn’t always save you. Take the last watch, prove you’ve got the shoulders for this.”   

The night dragged on, damp and noisy. Grik snored like a forge, a puddle of alcohol under his green cheek.   

  

Leyart joined me for the final watch, his breath forming clouds in the cold air.   

“You think she’s right? That he could cause trouble?” he whispered.   

I glanced at the goblin, then at the forest swallowed by darkness.   

“Maybe. But in Amérance, they slaughter them without thinking. If we do the same, we’re no better.”   

Leyart nodded, a gleam in his eyes.   

“The Captain would’ve liked this. Saving the weak, even the oddest ones.”   

  

At dawn, Grik woke with a groan, his bandaged leg barely holding.   

He hobbled toward me, swaying like a drunk.   

“You nice, big human! Me go. Driul not far… them nice, not like Amérance.”   

He tapped my leg with a stick.   

“Gift! Hic!”   

  

Then, suddenly serious, he added:   

“But watch out… weird shadows. Me see them. They follow you.”   

“What shadows?” I pressed, but he’d already slipped into the trees, singing a gibberish song about “sky beer.”   

Rikami, who’d overheard, approached with a grave look.   

“Shadows, huh? Stay alert, Arthur. Your goblin’s a fool, but he’s got instinct.”   

  

She resumed the march, her hand gripping her sheath a bit tighter.   

Driul wasn’t far, but something in the air told me the road was about to get tougher.