But regardless, Delaford had broken his own record. To the astonishment of the other goblins, he chewed the herbs into a pulp, spat them out, and applied the poultice to the Half-Elf’s wound.

"Not bad. It doesn’t seem as bitter this time."

Delaford smacked his lips, as if savoring the herb’s flavor.

"If you really savor it, there’s even a hint of sweetness."

"So, what now? Do we wait for her to wake up?"

Delaford ignored Ron’s remark and gestured toward the Half-Elf on the ground.

He assumed Ron was just making fun of him. If it weren’t for the fact that he valued Big White more than his own life—and was therefore genuinely grateful to Ron—the goblin would have drawn his knife on anyone else who tried that.

"Don’t worry, it won’t be long," Ron said, crouching beside the Half-Elf to be at eye level with Delaford. "What time is it outside?"

"I don’t know, but I hurried back in the wee hours of the morning," Delaford said. He found a tattered piece of cloth on a dead Adventurer, fashioned it into a crude cloak, and wrapped it around himself. "I’d guess it was still morning when we set out."

"How long do you think it’ll take to get there?"

"How should I know!" Delaford’s eyes widened. "All the nearby villages have been abandoned. The furthest edge of our territory is about a day’s journey away, not a step more."

’So no matter what, they’d have to spend a night in the wild.’

"Is it dangerous to camp in the wild with just the three of us?" Ron asked.

In any case, a goblin’s experience in these matters was worth trusting—especially when you were weak yourself.

"Dangerous, very dangerous!" the experienced Goblin Hunter immediately nodded. "That’s why we usually go out in a full squad!"

"That won’t work," Ron immediately shot down the suggestion. "A whole squad of you would never be allowed into another race’s settlement."

"Then we’ll sleep in one of the villages," Delaford suggested after a moment’s thought. "I’ve never slept in one, but I’ve stolen from them plenty of times."

Stealing from the territories of other races was, after all, one of the primary ways goblins survived.

"That could work. In that case, we..." Ron was about to finalize the details when he suddenly trailed off.

"Hm?" Delaford tilted his head, confused as to why the human had stopped mid-sentence.

’Did he choke on his spit? Bite his tongue? That happens to goblins all the time.’

"She’s awake," Ron said, indicating the Half-Elf beside him.

Delaford stared. "Impossible! Her eyes aren’t even open!"

"Her breathing pattern changed," Ron said, patting the Half-Elf’s cheek. "When someone is unconscious, their body prioritizes survival. This is especially obvious when they’re injured, as the body needs to take in more oxygen."

"But when a person is conscious, they’ll instinctively adjust their breathing to their surroundings. All right, I’ve said my piece. Are you going to keep up the act?"

The Half-Elf on the ground snapped her eyes open. A pair of emerald-green irises fixed on Ron, her gaze filled with hatred and a sliver of confusion.

"You idiot! Why did you expose me? Are you their slave?!"

Ron frowned. "Get a grip, will you? If it weren’t for me and these goblins, you’d be dead already!"

"And isn’t my current state their fault to begin with?" The Half-Elf glanced at the mixture of chewed herbs and goblin saliva on her body. Her hostility seemed to lessen slightly, but her words were still barbed.

"You shouldn’t have saved me! It would’ve been better to die unconscious than to be tortured by these vermin while I’m awake! Are you some kind of monster?"

"Hey! Watch your mouth!" Delaford shouted, displeased. "If it wasn’t for Ron, you’d have ended up just like your companion!"

"He’s the one who convinced our chief to let you go free!"

Lying on the cold, hard ground, the Half-Elf’s body went stiff.

"...What?"

’Was she dying? This all had to be a hallucination.’

"Freedom," Ron repeated. "Of course, you can also choose to refuse it. That’s your right."

"Only an idiot would refuse!" The Half-Elf struggled to her feet, failing at first, then finally managing to stand with Ron’s support.

"I don’t know you, but... thank you. I can’t believe you’d plead the case for a stranger," the Half-Elf said, giving Ron an awkward smile. "Especially a Half-Elf."

Half-Elves were the offspring of humans and Elves, but they found no sense of belonging with either race. On that point, humans and Elves were in perfect agreement: a Half-Elf would always favor the other side.

"But I’m guessing this ’freedom’ isn’t so easy to come by, is it?"

"It’s a limited freedom for now," Ron admitted freely. "I promised to help these goblins get through the drought and provide some medical services in exchange."

"Their chief has given me temporary permission to leave the Goblin Nest and travel to a nearby settlement to buy some supplies. But since I’m not familiar with the area, I was hoping you could lead the way."

"And this," he gestured to the goblin, "is the Hunter assigned to watch over us. His name is Delaford. I’m Ron."

"My name is Aive," the Half-Elf said with a sigh after Ron finished his explanation. "To think you’d actually make a deal with goblins... you’re really something else."

"At the very least, it’s better than dying here," Ron shrugged. "So, do you know the location of any nearby settlements?"

Aive’s hands went to her back, her waist, and her left thigh. Unfortunately, the places where her pouches and pockets should have been were all empty.

They were probably lost in the fight or taken by the goblins as spoils. Either way, they were gone for good.

"I would have, but thanks to them..." The movement pulled at her wounds, and Aive winced in pain. "But I do have a suggestion."

"On the way here, we passed several abandoned villages. We could head to one of them to rest and gather supplies."

As she spoke, Aive gave Ron what could only be described as an ingratiating smile. "Your herbs are good, but they’re not quite good enough. In my current state, I can barely move."

"But there might be some leftover herbs or even Healing Potions there. If I can recover a bit more, I’m sure I’ll be of much more help."

Ron nodded. "That was our plan as well. It’s a good idea to check one of the villages first."

’Haste makes waste.’ The drought had likely driven away all the nearby peoples, so it didn’t matter how much of a hurry any of them were in; there was nothing to be done about it.

Having a place to stop along the way was already a stroke of good luck.

"HAAAA... WHOOO..."

After Delaford led the trio out of the trap-laden Goblin Nest, Aive stood under the scorching sun and took a long, exaggerated breath of fresh air—even though it was still tainted with the potent stench of goblins.

"Sunlight! Finally! That wasn’t easy!"

Ron was a little more reserved, but he was just as grateful to finally be back on the surface. The Goblin Nest truly was no place for a sane person.