I Became the Guild Leader in Exile

4 – 1# Guild Like a Family (4)

Fortunately, because they reinforced the wooden gate last night, it didn’t completely break down. The main goblin force attacking head-on was mostly stopped by the gate and couldn’t enter the village.

At this moment, Sophia and Hans knew exactly what they needed to do. It was to leap over the ranks of goblins behind them and cut them down. Meanwhile, Isaac and Lars were to rescue the isolated Dig on the watchtower.

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If they regrouped after preparing their positions, they had a good chance of winning. Moreover, the villagers who were currently in chaos would calm down and come to support them as time passed. Hans believed in this.

Swoosh!

Hans nodded as he heard the sound of swords clashing from behind. It seemed like the master had already started. We also need to quickly fulfill our roles. Hans gripped his sword.

“No one can pass this point!”

With a roar, a massive sword fell like a rock, sweeping away the goblins as it sliced through the ground. Sophia, with her excellent archery skills, was also picking off the goblins one by one.

“There’s a shaman and an archer in the back.”

“These goblins are well-trained.”

“There might be someone behind the goblin army.”

“Whatever it is, we just need to defeat them all.”

“I hope so.”

At that moment when Hans and Sophia were skillfully blocking the Goblin main force, Lars was staring at the back of Isaac with a vacant expression. It couldn’t be helped.

It was an instant event. Just when they thought the master had unsheathed his sword, he suddenly put it back in its sheath. It happened exactly at that moment when they wondered what was going on.

Lars was left speechless. He witnessed the heads of the goblins, which had been abundant in front of him, detach from their bodies all at once. In other words, the master had swiftly beheaded numerous goblins with a single strike.

“Lars! Stop staring!”

“Yes, yes! I’m sorry!!”

“Quickly retreat with Dig to the rear. Don’t forget to inform the village chief about the current situation.”

Lars, who finally regained his composure at Isaac’s scolding, hurriedly ran towards the watchtower as per Isaac’s orders. Meanwhile, Dig was still panicking and unable to regain his senses.

“Ah! Help me, please!!”

“Shut up and stay still!”

“Who are you?! Are you also a goblin?!”

“You’re my classmate. You bastard.”

Seeing Dig flailing in shock, Lars thought it might be better to simply knock him out. However, he managed to control himself thanks to what the master had said the night before.

On the other hand, Isaac, who confirmed Lars taking Dig to the rear, calmly replayed what had just happened. While it was his own concept to fight with swordsmanship, he didn’t expect it to be implemented exactly as he had thought.

Perhaps he really possessed enough power to be the Guild Master, even if he was considered trash. Of course, that was just wishful thinking.

“I’ll slowly decide on the swordsmanship concept later. Right now, I need to join the main force quickly.”

Isaac already knew that Hans and Sophia were exceptional individuals. However, it was foolish to leave the two of them alone to face such a large Goblin force.

They didn’t know when and where a stronger force might emerge. They needed to conserve their stamina as much as possible in preparation for that moment, even if they were just dealing with small fries. Isaac swiftly moved.

If he hadn’t coincidentally noticed the group of goblins sneaking around behind the watchtower, Isaac furrowed his brows. What were those trash trying to do?

“Master! I brought Dig to the rear and returned!”

“How is Dig doing?”

“He’s in a panic, so I left him alone.”

“Good. Can you fight?”

“Yes! I can fight!”

In response to Isaac’s question, Lars nodded firmly. He hadn’t felt this driven to fight for someone else’s sake in the past. But for some reason, it was different now.

“I want Master to acknowledge me. To do that, I need to show my skills…!!”

The desire for recognition from the Master was giving Lars the courage to act. Plus, being with the veterans meant he wouldn’t die, at least in his calculations.

“Alright, then join those two right away. I’ll handle the goblins moving from behind and catch up later.”

“Are there more goblins?”

“Yeah. Looks like they’re planning an attack from behind.”

“They’re fixated on trash, going to such lengths.”

“They must have a commander too.”

Goblins themselves weren’t much of a threat, except maybe for powerless villagers. But as long as Lars operated as a hero in Gideon, they weren’t a threat.

However, if there was a commander, the story changed. Goblins were soldiers created out of chaos to match human numbers. Hence, depending on the commander, the danger level changed significantly.

“He seems to be quite clever.”

Not sure what he was aiming for, but Isaac had no intention of letting things go the way the guy wanted. Isaac swiftly followed to make sure no trouble brewed.

Thanks to that, Isaac confirmed the goblins were entering through a hole they hadn’t made from outside but inside. Was there a traitor?

But there was no time to doubt. The hole the goblins entered led straight to the shelter where the villagers had taken refuge. Being late here might mean death.

“Where are you going?!”

A short roar accompanied by a fierce attack. Like a flash, Isaac’s sword swiftly severed the goblins’ throats. The thunderous sound drew the goblins’ attention.

But it was already too late. The hole the goblins had made split in half with the attack. Naturally, those already inside couldn’t avoid death either.

Having swiftly dealt with the goblins, Isaac finally spotted children not too far away, huddled on the ground. Oh no, were they harmed by the goblins?

Isaac quickly checked on the kids. Fortunately, he didn’t see any injuries. But there was one peculiar thing: a child shielding a younger one.

“To protect his sibling, throwing himself in harm’s way. Admirable.”

Perhaps now thinking it was all over, the child, who had tightly shut eyes, finally opened them. As Isaac met the child’s eyes, he immediately realized.

Golden eyes glinting amidst black hair.

No mistaking it. This kid was none other than the protagonist, Zeke.

Now, if only there was a cool line to say here…

—

“I want to become a hero!”

If there was a dream that every child who read fairy tales longed for. Originally, the parents would have embraced that dream. Unfortunately, the child did not have parents. The child was an orphan in the village.

There was no family except for a younger sibling. Thanks to that, the child had to take on various chores in the village at a very young age. Otherwise, survival was impossible.

After helping with odd jobs and receiving some food and necessities, returning home was always during the twilight hours. Yet, the child never gave up and held onto their dream.

And that dream was subtly shared with people. Perhaps they wanted to hear words of encouragement that said, “Maybe you can be it.” However, the reactions they received were mostly cold.

[“A hero? Is that what’s important right now?”]

[“You have your family, don’t you?”]

[“Quit talking nonsense and help with work.”]

No one positively acknowledged the dream of an orphan like the child, who had nothing to do with them. So, it was natural for the child to kneel before the chilly reality.

Yeah, what kind of hero am I?

First, I have to take care of my sibling.

Although they had given up in their mind, their heart had not yet abandoned their dream. It was the same that day. They wanted to witness heroes defeating goblins with their own eyes.

However, the price was more brutal than imagined. The moment they stepped outside their hiding place, they encountered the goblins. But the child had a chance. If they ran away, it would be over.

“What’s this? Why are you out here alone?”

“Hey, you…!!!”

If their sibling hadn’t followed behind them, they could have easily escaped. However, it was already too late. Startled by their sibling suddenly appearing, they accidentally made a sound.

And the goblins turned their heads towards them upon hearing the sound. Without realizing it, the child embraced their sibling and spoke. That was all they could do now.

But no matter how much time passed, the pain did not come. So, wondering if they had already died, they slightly opened their eyes and saw it. The silvery hair shining under the moonlight.

The figure of a man who effortlessly cleared the surrounding monsters with a cold expression. The gaze of the man who briefly surveyed the area soon fell upon the child. And the man opened his mouth.

“To throw yourself to protect your sibling, that’s remarkable.”

“Can I become a hero too?”

They knew it was an abrupt question. But even that was said out of desperation, thinking that they would never get an answer unless they asked now.

“What are you saying?”

The man chuckled in response to the child’s words. In an instant, their heart sank. So, I really can’t become a hero. They had succumbed to needless fear and jumped to their own conclusion.

“You threw yourself for the sake of your family. What else is that but being a hero?”

“….What? That means…”

“From the moment you willingly risked your life for others.”

But it wasn’t true. The conclusion they had jumped to was erased from their mind. Forgiving the resentment and denial accumulated while doing odd jobs in the village. A single phrase was laid on top of it.

“You are already a hero.”

The one phrase they wanted to hear the most.