## Chapter 62 – [Interlude] Cloudy
“Haa… That was quick. Now for the eyeballs…”
I took out my knife and as carefully as possible, gouged out the eyeballs of the gremlins. I picked out three pairs only from the larger ones that looked like adults and put them in a sack. Cloudy, who was watching, frowned and said,
“That’s really morbid… Who on earth would commission something like that?”
“A black magician. Said he needed some ingredients.”
“What? A black magician? Isn’t that dangerous?”
“Of course, I thought it would be super dangerous. But it wasn’t as dangerous as I thought. Well, I guess that guy also makes a living doing business in the city, so there probably isn’t anything too dangerous.”
If he were a truly dangerous black magician, he wouldn’t be doing business out in the open. He’s running a business with a sign, so it doesn’t seem illegal. Cloudy muttered quietly, having heard that far.
“A black magician… Just a few decades ago, they definitely…”
“What was that?”
“Ah, it’s nothing. More importantly, what’s the black magician like?”
“There’s nothing special about him… Except that he’s an elf.”
“An elf?”
Actually, I couldn’t say for sure that Risha was an elf, but if she looked that good, it wouldn’t hurt to just call her an elf. Isn’t an elf the symbol of beauty? Like Cloudy in front of me.
But if I were to compare their beauty, Cloudy would win hands down. I liked Cloudy, a woman with a statuesque figure, much better than the petite Risha in many ways. Mainly in the chest area.
“Yeah, an elf.”
“…Pretty?”
“Huh? Well, she’s super pret… No, she was just so-so.”
I started to say something but quickly corrected myself. Praising another woman in front of a woman was a taboo that should never be broken, no matter what. I only have Cloudy.
“I see. An elf…”
“Well, the client’s race isn’t important. Next is goblins. Let’s go find them.”
To find the goblins, we walked along the stream in the valley. Goblins often live in fairly large groups, so it was best to search near the water to find their lair. Those guys also have precious lives, so they can’t live without drinking water.
“It’s strange to see water flowing like this. There wasn’t anything like this in my hometown… Ah, it’s cold.”
Cloudy, who was looking into the valley water, said. She said she lived in the desert, so she probably wasn’t used to water flowing from the mountains like this. At most, she probably only saw oases.
After searching near the valley for about thirty minutes, we were able to find a small cave.
“There, goblins usually live in caves like that. Those guys are green too.”
“I know that. But I wonder if the reason gremlins and goblins are green is because of the color of the plants around here? Desert goblins have sand-colored skin. It’s fascinating.”
“Oh, really? That’s fascinating to me too. Do monsters have different colors depending on the region?”
Maybe it’s camouflage or something. Then are goblins who live near the sea blue? Even this other world can’t escape palette swaps.
“Let’s go in. I’ll take the lead.”
“It would be better for me to go first.”
“I have armor, you know.”
We headed into the goblin’s cave. No matter how strong Cloudy was, I couldn’t let her go first. It was dark inside because no light came in. Using the glittering walls as a light source, we slowly entered.
As we went in, we saw a small pit around a corner. Cloudy looked into the pit.
“Oh, Katt. There’s a corpse here.”
“What, a goblin corpse?”
“No, a person.”
“A person!”
Shocked, I ran out and examined the corpse that Cloudy was pointing at. [Corpse mushrooms] were said to grow only on the corpses of people, and were ominous mushrooms. I often collected mushrooms whenever I found a corpse and sold them to the alchemist’s guild. It was one of Risha’s commissioned items.
“Corpse mushrooms!”
And these mushrooms were growing on this corpse as well. There were four bizarre caps that looked like octopus legs. I had harvested four corpse mushrooms at once. I carefully picked them off and put them in a sack.
“Is that mushroom the commissioned item? That’s good.”
“Yeah. Hmm… The equipment is soaked in rotten blood and can’t be used. It’s a shame, but there’s nothing to salvage.”
We ignored the corpse and went inside. Well, it’s not like we haven’t seen a corpse or two. And since Elise wasn’t here, there was no obligation to take care of it. My heart was too hardened to spend time on someone I didn’t even know. Cloudy didn’t care about it either.
“Is it around here…?”
I stopped as I went in. When I turned around, I could see the light from outside coming in from the entrance of the cave far away. It looked small. We must have come in dozens of meters.
Going into an unknown space this far was enough.
—I took a breath.
“Kieeeeeeeeeeeeeeek!!!!”
And I let out a powerful scream into the depths of the cave.
“What, what are you doing!”
Cloudy shouted, covering her ears. Ah, right. Elves have better hearing than humans, don’t they? Well, she’s a half-elf, but it seems like she has better hearing. I messed up.
There was a very important reason why I suddenly screamed.
The sounds of goblins began to be heard from inside.
—Keruru…!
—Ker! Keryak!
—Keryaryarya!
Chattering in their own language, they ran out from inside the cave. I could see their eyes glowing. I grabbed Cloudy’s hand and pulled her.
“Let’s get out of here.”
“What did you do?”
And ran towards the entrance. Cloudy asked me, being dragged by my hand. What did I do? It’s simple.
“I screamed to gather them. It could be dangerous if we went any further.”
“Ah, you’re trying to lure them out?”
“That’s right. And if we turn around and run away like this, they’ll think we’re pushovers and chase us to the end.”
Goblins are such creatures. They’re typical weak-to-the-strong monsters, and I hate them because they remind me of myself. The only difference is that there’s a big difference between their intelligence and mine.
“It’s easier to kill them outside.”
They will chase us out. It’s a hundred times better to fight in the open than in their home ground, the cave.
—Keryaak!
—Keruk!
Seven goblins chased us out. Some were empty-handed, some with clubs. Another was armed with a stone ax. Of course, even if you add the length of their arms to the length of those crude weapons, it’s not as long as my sword.
“Horizontal—Slash!”
They can never break through my range.
As I swung my sword at the excited guy running towards me, the blade cut halfway into his side and pierced his spine. I couldn’t cut through the bone. Because they were short, I had to cut downwards, so I couldn’t put enough power into it.
—Keryaaaaaak!!!
Of course, whether it’s a monster or a person, if their side is half-cut off, they’ll die without a doubt. The guy screamed with his guts and soul and collapsed.
“Then shall I show off my skills?”
—Shishishiik!
Cloudy pulled out two curved swords and took a pose as if she was hugging herself. And then she shot out like an arrow towards the goblin horde.
—Keryaaak!
—Keryak!
—Kiruk!
Six goblins screamed in agony and flew into the sky. In less than two seconds, their waists were all severed and their upper and lower bodies were separated. They were no longer goblins. They were go/blins.
“It feels good to cut.”
Cloudy’s posture had changed as she passed through the goblin horde. From a posture of hugging herself to a posture of spreading her arms. Surprisingly, there was no blood on her sword at all. It’s a glimpse into her skills.
“So, what do you need this time?”
“Balls.”
“Tsk, I don’t think I can help you with that.”
“It’s okay, it’s my job. Just take a break.”
I skillfully removed the testicles from the lower bodies of the goblins. It was extremely unpleasant. It felt like adding another terrible decoration to this crazy slaughter scene, and I couldn’t stand it. Still, I took out all three pairs of balls. I put them in a sack.
“Did you get everything?”
“Yeah.”
“Then is it over now?”
“No, there’s one more left. That’s the last one. It’s a magical ingredient called Limonia grass, and I think I need to find it.”
Anyway, we continued our hike. Limonia grass. Where is it? I know from experience that it grows in humid places. So where should I look?
“Katt. If water flows like this, there must be a place where it collects, right?”
“Huh? I guess so.”
Cloudy, who had been watching the water flowing, said as we walked along the valley. When I answered, she suddenly grabbed my wrist. And pulled my body.
“Let’s go that way.”
“Huh? Okay.”
I entrusted myself to her.
Cloudy’s hand, which had been holding my wrist, slid down and brushed the back of my hand. She smiled at me, and we went down the valley holding hands.
—Shooaaah.
As we went down to the bottom of the valley, there was a fairly large lake. The blue water looked clean and clear. Cloudy looked around in admiration at the surface of the water sparkling in the sunlight. Her eyes were shining, as if she had never seen so much water before.
She turned to me.
“…Come to think of it, we haven’t even washed yet, have we?”
“Huh?”
“After being so entangled like that.”
“Th, that’s right?”
Traces of the intense lovemaking still remained on my body. The same must be true for her. The plan was to collect all the commissioned items and return to the city and stop by the bathhouse.
“Hmm, hmm. We can wash here.”
“What? Wait a minute!”
Cloudy, who said it as if it was a good idea, suddenly started taking off her clothes. I tried to stop her, but I couldn’t because I was stunned by her underwear. I had seen her naked body as much as I wanted last night, but I had never seen her in her underwear before.
“Hehe, how is it?”
“…Y, you’re pretty.”
Cloudy, who was in her underwear, smiled at me. I stared at her as if I was half-charmed… It was purple underwear that looked like silk…
Purple is a color that implies death… Death…
Death by sex…
“Heok!”
I almost fainted, but I regained my senses by exhaling the breath of life.
“Want me to take off my bra?”
“…!”
Cloudy, who pretended to massage her chest, moved both hands behind her and took off her bra. Swish. And dropped it on the pile of clothes she had taken off.
“Ah… I still feel like I can smell your semen on my skin.”
“Wh, why are you talking so explicitly…”
She said, gathering her breasts with both arms. I wanted to covet her breasts right away, just like that time at dawn. And Cloudy took off her panties as they were. And smiling at me,
“Come here.”
—She reached out her arms to me.
As a man, could I show a more pathetic figure here? I went to hug her. Judging from the atmosphere, should I start with a kiss? I’m ready. I’m Katt, the man among men, and I’m finally breaking the wall of outdoor experience with a dark elf…
—Splash!
“Ugh! Cold!”
“Kyahahaha!”
Suddenly, cold water splashed on my face.
Cloudy dived into the lake.
“Come in quickly!”
“H, hey! I said it’s cold!”
“Kyah! Ah, it’s cool. It’s cool, Katt!”
Cloudy, who was excited to be in the lake, splashed water at me. With a bright smile on her face, a different kind of smile than the one she sends to a man. She looked happy. I couldn’t help but laugh too.
Ah, screw it, I don’t care. I’m going to swim too.
I took off all my clothes and dived into the lake as well.
