My Disciples Became Scoundrels - Chapter 93

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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It was true that I didn’t want to be a burden to my disciple, that I didn’t want to hide behind him. But beneath that—clearer and more primal—there was another feeling churning inside me.
I wanted to fight.
Goblins came pouring down from stairs so dizzily high they seemed to pierce the clouds. A sinister aura pressed against my skin.
I found I didn’t mind it much at all.
―Shriek!
The tall grass beside the stairs rustled. It was only an instant. But my instincts reacted first.
―Slash!
My blade passed faster than the sound of its own movement. The ankle of the goblin that had ambushed me flew clean away. It shrieked and tumbled down the stairs, leaving a long streak of blood across the stone.
My sword had responded faster than my thoughts could follow. Was it thanks to Anais’s healing? Something that had been blocked suddenly opened. My breath burst out in pure exhilaration.
Immediately after, the grass on both sides rustled at once. I welcomed it.
―Crunch!
The arms of two goblins flew. Blood spattered at my feet. Even without their arms, they bared their teeth. Monsters, truly—they wouldn’t die from this. I had no intention of killing them anyway.
Arkel was in front of me, after all.
―Crash!
The moment Arkel planted his foot on the first stair, coldness exploded outward. The goblin leading the charge was pierced straight through by ice.
Through and through and through again. Ice Spears erupted in succession. Before the screams could fade, Arkel had climbed another step.
He seized the corpse by its nape and hurled it down the stairs. The stench of blood and the sharp cold filled the air around us.
Arkel silenced the limb-severed goblins with methodical efficiency—like a farmer gathering sheaves, his manner was utterly calm.
Less than a minute had passed. Goblin blood soaked and overflowed across the stairs. More than half were dead.
The goblins began to shuffle backward. Even with their low intellect, they understood what death meant.
―Shriek!
One broke and ran. The rest scattered after it in panicked flight.
Arkel rolled only his eyes to look at me.
“Shall we pursue?”
“No. This is enough.”
Our goal wasn’t the annihilation of goblins. Arkel caught his breath for a moment, then looked at me. Blood spattered my body in several places.
“……Your movements have improved considerably.”
I simply laughed. Looking at my condition, Arkel seemed relieved. I preferred seeing that expression far more than being worried over and shielded.
“It seems I’ve grown fond of bloodshed. In exchange, I’ll trouble you with some laundry.”
“Of course. I’ll ensure not a single drop touches your hands.”
His deadpan reply drew a quiet laugh from me. I gazed down at the blood-soaked stairs. The goblin corpses came into view.
They were equipped, however crudely. One or two of them, I might have let it pass. But there were so many. If they’d managed to steal this much gear……
“The village might be in danger.”
“Yes. We should hurry.”
Throughout this, Gai remained squatting on the stairs. He’d hidden in the back the entire battle. Arkel spoke to him.
“What are you doing? Earlier you wouldn’t fight and stayed hidden.”
“Without corpses, how am I to fight?”
“There were goblin corpses right there.”
“Freshly dead ones are difficult to command. Especially if they possessed higher intelligence.”
Gai was staring at a corpse. More precisely, at the nape of its neck.
Looking closer, there was a scar. It had healed into something like a large mole—the size of an awl’s puncture wound.
“A hole……I hadn’t noticed. Your eyes are keen.”
“Even you can’t see such things, I see. Perhaps you should pay more attention to corpses, Master.”
He was being impish again, like a mischievous child hoping I’d be flustered or deny it.
“That’s right. There are things I don’t see.”
When I acquiesced so readily, Gai’s expression turned faintly disappointed. I was no superhuman—there was no reason I should be able to do everything.
“The other goblins seem to have wounds on their necks as well.”
“Do you have any suspicions, Master?”
Usually something like this would be a poison sting. Though the wound was larger than one would expect. I glanced at Gai. When it came to poison, he was a step ahead of me.
“Do you have any idea?”
“I haven’t the faintest notion.”
His feigned bewilderment was transparent. The shameless boy. Arkel returned, having finished off the last goblin.
“The equipment isn’t the only oddity—there are far too many goblins for this area. Something is wrong.”
“Yes. If Kihano was here, there’s no way a goblin pack would be roaming near the village.”
Kihano. He was a strong and righteous paladin. There should be no reason for goblins to wander so close to his village. Yet why were they here?
“……Let’s head to the village for now.”
So we climbed the mountain again. After walking another ten minutes or so, the village appeared. The landscape came into view beyond a large thicket.
It had a leisurely atmosphere. Small houses clustered together cozily. People gossiping as they dried medicinal herbs and flowers. The distinctive grass-scent that didn’t exist in cities. It was an ordinary rural village.

…if only there weren’t goblins standing in the way.
“For heaven’s sake, you fool! If you hack away all the roots like that, what’ll we do? This is money!”
The goblins had planted themselves squarely in the center of the village. They were helping dry medicinal herbs.
It was a rather surreal sight. I observed them carefully before taking another step forward. Only then did the villagers notice us.
“Oh?”
“What’s this? Outsiders?”
The village population didn’t reach twenty. The ages were mixed. The expressions of those who’d spotted us were equally varied.
While the villagers hesitated, an elderly man approached us. He had a warm, genial face.
“I’m the village chief here. What brings young folk all the way to these mountains? It’s not a place people usually find their way to….”
He seemed genuinely surprised. There was nothing suspicious about it. If only the goblins weren’t there.
As I glanced toward the goblins, the chief spoke.
“Ah, you look startled. Don’t worry yourself. Those are good creatures.”
“We were attacked by goblins on the way here.”
The goblins regarded us warily but showed no bloodlust. The chief let out a hearty laugh.
“Those are different. They were cast out from their pack—we nursed their wounds and gave them shelter. After that, they’ve been obedient enough.”
Indeed, the goblins appeared docile. There are sorcerers who tame monsters and put them to work. But something felt off. The village’s atmosphere was tepid, strained.
“So, what brings you young folk here?”
The chief was watching me with sunken eyes. I smiled quietly.
“We came looking for someone. A man named Kihano….”
“Ah yes, that young man. He passed through and left. Must be four or five days now?”
Our paths had crossed. At those words, Gai exhaled heavily.
“Well, we’ve wasted our effort. We’d like to rest—is there an inn?”
“None. But we have an empty house. You could rest there before heading off?”
The sun would set before we could descend the mountain. Even if it hadn’t, we couldn’t leave now.
“Then we’ll impose upon your hospitality for the night.”
“Wait a moment. I’ll have the place cleaned up for you.”
The chief called over several people and sent them on errands. In the meantime, I studied the faces around us.
The chief and a few villagers seemed composed, as if receiving guests. Then there were the many others—their faces shadowed and drawn.
This strange dissonance came from their expressions. When they first spotted us, the people displayed a spectrum of reactions.
Shock, anticipation, fear. They tried to hide it, but they couldn’t conceal it all.
I approached one of the men. His hands, which had been preparing medicine from herbs, had gone rigid.
“Forgive me, but are you a doctor?”
“Yes, but….”
“Could I get some hemostatic medicine? And have you perhaps spoken with Kihano…?”
The doctor didn’t answer right away. He seemed to be gauging the situation. The chief smoothly inserted himself.
“You need hemostatic medicine? That’s the cure-all. Take it. But why are you looking for this Kihano?”
“He’s a friend. We haven’t heard from him and came to find him.”
The chief began to intrude further. In doing so, he effectively sidelined the doctor.
He was clearly blocking the conversation. The doctor turned away without resistance.
His neck was clean and unmarked. I observed the chief’s neck as he chattered on.
A faint scar was visible there. Nearly identical to the scars the goblins bore.
“We’ll prepare dinner—come eat with us later. With three young men, I’ll have to make plenty.”
While the chief prattled on, the errand-runners returned.
They led us to a dilapidated cottage. It seemed no one had lived there for quite some time.
Yet the furniture and fixtures were intact. As if a family had fled in the dead of night. Gai grumbled as he looked at the dust-covered furniture.
“The bed’s cheap. That’s why I hate the countryside. You feel the same way, don’t you?”
“It’s better than a Seri prison bed. And right now isn’t the time to worry about furniture.”
Arkel peered briefly out the window. He sensed faint movement and the weight of a gaze. We were being watched.
Whoever it was stayed hidden in shadow. I drew the curtain quietly and spoke.
“It seems the chief has the same holes in his neck that the goblins do. Though not everyone bore them.”
“What about those without them?”
“They looked frightened. Almost as if threatened.”
A village that assigns watchers to guests. Kihano’s whereabouts, the presence of goblins—everything was suspicious. Gai crossed his arms as he spoke.
“I’d like to talk with the villagers. Though I suspect it’ll be difficult?”
“Yes. The chief was blocking conversation.”
We couldn’t speak openly in public. Secret contact was impossible too—with watchers present. To talk without the chief’s knowledge….
Perhaps we’d have to resort to that method. There was no choice. I swallowed a sigh and looked at the two of them.
“…I think we’ll need to cause a bit of a scene.”
* * *
Dusk was settling slowly over the village. The mountain hamlet was stained red—soon to be swallowed by darkness.
A few villagers were still trimming medicinal herbs or attending to chores. A Goblin kept watch over them.
The Doctor cut at the herbs, and despair hung in the air like the pallor of sickness. The other villagers wore the same haunted expression. Whispers drifted between them.
“Those outsiders won’t make it through today either, will they?”
“……Probably not. But what can we do about it?”
“Still……”
The Goblin’s sharp hiss cut through the quiet. The villagers snapped their mouths shut. Yet the creature still looked displeased.
It advanced with a dull blade in hand. The villagers flinched, hunching their shoulders. The tense silence shattered when a sharper cry pierced through.
“Is there a Doctor here? Doctor!”
Someone came sprinting, shouting urgently. It was Gai. His desperate pace made it clear something was terribly wrong.
The moment the villagers and Goblin froze, Gai looked around and grabbed the Doctor’s wrist.
“You’re the Doctor, yes? There’s a patient. One of my companions has suddenly developed a severe fever!”
The Doctor’s eyes flickered at the word “patient,” but he quickly lowered his head, unable to speak. The Village Chief appeared behind him.
“Goodness, so you fought earlier? Someone was wounded? We’d better check right away. Let’s go together.”
“Please come quickly. The condition is quite serious.”
Gai led the Village Chief and the Doctor back to the cottage. Dein lay on the worn bed.
His face was flushed red, and he gasped in ragged breaths. Arkel, sitting beside him, was etched with fear.
“What is the patient’s condition?”
“A fever came on suddenly, and it won’t subside.”
The Village Chief approached first and pressed his palm against Dein’s forehead. It burned like a coal. He glanced at the Doctor.
“It’s positively scalding. He was fine just moments ago?”
“……He may have been cut by a rusty blade. Let me examine him.”
The Doctor moved to Dein’s side. Before examining him, he began to unfasten the cloak and remove the clothes.
The Village Chief dropped heavily into a chair. He showed no sign of leaving. Gai’s brow creased.
“Will you be staying, Village Chief? Please step outside.”
“I’m simply concerned. Is there some reason I shouldn’t be here?”
He spoke with genuine confusion, as though surveillance were the furthest thing from his mind.
Yet Gai’s expression twisted. As if he had suffered some grave insult.
“Of course you shouldn’t! I never knew you were such a shameless man……!”
“What on earth are you talking about?”
Gai could contain himself no longer and cried out.
“This person is a woman! How could you look upon her undressed body, an unrelated man?!”

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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