I Became the Guild Leader in Exile

5 – 1# Guild Like Family (5)

Meanwhile.

Hans and Sophia were facing the goblin army alone as ordered by Isaac. Well, technically, Lars was by their side, but he wasn’t contributing much.

Because Hans and Sophia were handling pretty much everything, even Lars’ share. Thanks to that, Lars realized his limits. Dealing with goblins wasn’t that difficult, but he couldn’t even swing his sword properly alongside them. This was beyond what the master had described as the knights of the doomed kingdom. Their power was beyond imagination.

The goblin army boasted a number that matched its name, easily over a hundred. But now, at most, only about ten remained. Hans noticed something strange.

“They’re not fleeing, are they?”

Goblins were nothing more than cowards. When the tide turned against them, they’d usually run away. But despite losing over 90% of their forces, they weren’t fleeing?

“Hans! Their leader has appeared!”

“Indeed, I had a feeling.”

“A boss? Goblins have leaders?”

“That’s highly unlikely.”

Goblins were the lowest tier monsters. Naturally, there were no variants. Their fate was to be expendable underlings, serving under others for their entire lives. And leading the goblin army was a higher-tier monster.

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Finally, it revealed itself to everyone. It had slimy mucus on its green skin, boasting a colossal size that appeared four times that of a human.

“A troll among goblins. Quite the classic.”

“We’ve faced plenty of these before.”

“A t-troll? An intermediate-tier monster!!”

Lars, who never imagined he’d end up facing a troll while dealing with goblins, could only be astonished. However, unlike Lars, Hans calmly raised his sword and spoke.

“It’s actually fortunate it’s a troll, rookie.”

“What?”

“I heard of a party where a lich emerged, and all but one member were wiped out.”

“A l-lich too…?!”

“Yeah! If it’s a troll, wouldn’t it be better to deal with?”

“This might be a good opportunity for practical training.”

The troll was by no means an easy opponent. Thick skin that repelled most metal weapons and even a slime that healed wounds swiftly. It was no mere intermediate-tier monster.

Yet, against such a troll, the two were remarkably composed. They were even considering using the troll as a learning experience. That is, if it hadn’t been for the sudden attack that pierced through the air.

The attack cleaved through the air and precisely pierced the troll’s neck, instantly ending its life. Struck at its vital point, the troll’s regenerative ability meant nothing as its breath was cut short.

“A-a troll killed in one strike?”

“Is everyone alright?”

Naturally, the wielder of the attack was none other than Isaac. Lars couldn’t help but be amazed. In Lars’ estimation, heroes capable of ending a troll’s life in a single strike weren’t that numerous.

“Master! What on earth are you doing!”

“Hmm?”

“I was just trying to use that to conduct rookie training.”

“Sorry. I didn’t think that far.”

But to mock him for killing in one blow, with such achievements right in front of them? Is this the strength of a newly formed guild? Even a decent mid-level guild wouldn’t be like this.

“Master, the goblins are fleeing. What should we do?”

“Kill them all. That was the mission.”

“Willingly.”

Only then did they grasp the situation, and the goblins started to flee. However, they couldn’t get far and were all captured by Sophia. The goblin army was completely annihilated.

“The mission is not over yet.”

However, Isaac remained vigilant to the end. Although they had cleared out all the goblins that had entered the village, the reason was that there might still be goblins in the lair.

“Let’s go back to the village for now.”

“A wise decision.”

“Ugh~ Can we finally take a break now?”

‘…These are ridiculous monsters.’

Ras keenly felt the power of the Iron Shield. Ironically, he had been a rookie in Gideon for five years. This was because adapting to the guild was not easy.

Most rookies were forced into excessive military gear or, unable to withstand strange rules, failed to adapt and ended up with the guild being wiped out due to a mistake in monster subjugation.

Having experienced all of that, in Ras’s view, the Iron Shield, even though it was a newly established guild, had an extremely powerful force, making the future look bright.

‘At first, I was a bit worried. Fortunately.’

On the contrary, Sophia was secretly relieved. She had thought that people had changed after Isaac became the guild master. But she confirmed once again that it wasn’t the case.

‘Just in case the protagonist’s village is wiped out.’

However, Isaac had different thoughts.

* * *

The next day.

Setting out early in the dawn, they could easily find the goblin lair thanks to Sophia’s relentless tracking after hearing Dig’s whining. What followed was as clear as day.

The few remaining goblins had no way to resist the power of the Iron Shield, and in less than an hour, the lair was cleared. People rejoiced as if they were about to leap.

It was because they had been relentlessly tormented by goblins. Only now could they finally manage the corpses decaying outside the village. Soon after, a funeral began in the rejoicing village.

Surprisingly, Isaac and his party were also there. In order to express condolences to those who sacrificed their lives for family and neighbors, Isaac led all the guild members to attend.

“Helping with the corpse retrieval and even attending the funeral. I don’t know how to repay this…”

“Don’t worry about it. This is what heroes do.”

“Heroes… It would be great if all heroes were like you…”

A bitter smile born from experience lingered on the village chief’s lips. Gideon’s heroes were staunch pragmatists. What they desired was gold and a myth of their own to be remembered.

To put it bluntly, if it didn’t benefit them or didn’t seem worthy of becoming a myth, the heroes hesitated not to help others. That was the nature of the tribe called heroes.

Until Isaac took on the current request, no one had shown interest in it, and the reason was glaringly clear: it didn’t pay well. Therefore, it had been rejected.

Certainly, one couldn’t curse those who risked their lives for work, but if one wanted to be called a hero, shouldn’t they act differently? That was the sentiment of the village chief and others.

“I apologize; this is all I can offer.”

How much could one gather in a moneyless rural village? Yet, Isaac spoke, having accumulated as much money as possible for the reward.

“Will it be enough?”

“It will be tough, but we will endure.”

“You’re resilient.”

“It’s an exaggeration.”

Having lost many neighbors and family, what the people saw in their eyes was not despair but immediate hope to survive. Even though it had turned into ashes now, Isaac believed they would rise again someday.

Regrettably, it was time to leave. All the goblins had been eliminated, and the mission was complete. There was no reason to stay in the village any longer. However, as they were about to depart,

“Wait!!”

To see them off, everyone in the village had gathered here. Yet, no one could have imagined that a child would suddenly burst forward.

It was a peculiar child with black hair and sparkling golden eyes. When the child suddenly appeared, people tried to pull the child away in confusion.

“Wait, listen to what I have to say.”

“What? But…”

“I want to become a hero too. Please take me with you!!”

Only the child’s voice echoed widely in the village. The reactions varied. Some cursed at the child, while others sighed. Perhaps the fact that the child was a strangely treated orphan in the village played a role. However, there was one person who was definitely facing the child, and that was Isaac.

“Being a hero is not a glamorous affair. It’s a name reserved for those who have swallowed countless despair and tears.”

“….”

“Nevertheless, do you still want to become a hero?”

“Yes!”

There was no hesitation in the child’s answer. Isaac nodded. Sofia, who was completely unable to follow the sudden turn of events, shouted.

“Wait, are you really going to take this child with you?”

“That’s not a good idea.”

Hans and Sofia’s opposition was not unreasonable. If they just accepted everyone out of pity, how would they run the guild? Of course, there were circumstances for the child too.

Despite not wanting to know, it was impossible to ignore the villagers’ reactions to the mischievous treatment of the child. However, deciding based on a momentary sympathy would surely lead to regret later on.

Hans and Sophia knew it better than anyone else, and that’s why they objected. Until they saw Isaac’s gaze. For the first time, his eyes were heavily sunken.

“Believe me. It wasn’t a decision made out of momentary sympathy.”

“Then what exactly are you taking him for?”

“The sight of someone ready to face death, protecting their family.”

Isaac summarized his discontent in just one sentence.

“I saw a hero there.”

In truth, he was just the protagonist, receiving all the attention.

But I can’t tell you the truth as it is.