The next day off, Belle and I decided to take on a request to kill the goblins.
　The request was to kill ten goblins.

　Goblins are strong in a group, but weak as a unit, so this would be a good opponent for Bell's combat training.
　If there are too many, I can thin them out and let Belle fight them.

　Now, I'm working with Bell to find the goblin in the woods specified in the request.
The request says there's a goblin around here. They could appear at any moment, so let's not be too careful, okay?

Okay, I understand. Be on the lookout: ...... Oh, there's a goblin nearby.

Hmm?　What do you mean?
　I don't look around and I don't see anything.

I could tell from the scent. Goblins have a strong smell.
　Oh, I see.
　You know, Belle was a beastman.
　They have a better sense of smell than people.

That's great. Well, now we don't have to look for one, thanks to Bell.
　It looks like we won't be seeing Dr. Anna today.

Thank you. But it's hard to tell when you're so far away, so don't count on it so much, okay?

'No, no, it's nice enough to know if you're close enough.
　Just knowing if they're nearby is enough to keep them from catching us off guard.

Okay, let's go take out the goblins. I'll thin out the numbers first, and you can hide in the back.

"Okay. Um, ...... is that ...... really okay?

Hmm?　What?
　What's up with the sudden loss of energy?
　Maybe you're worried?

'Of course, I don't think Leo-sama would struggle with a demon the size of a goblin, but I'm ......
　You're still nervous.
　Well, it's your first fight, so is it natural to be nervous?

Don't worry. I can totally take him down one-on-one.
　I'll tell you what.
　One goblin really isn't that big of a deal.
　Even if you take on three of them at the same time, you can win with ease.

Okay ...... but if anything happens, you can help me right away, right?

You don't have to worry about it, I'll help you, Belle, so you can focus on the goblins instead of worrying about it.

'Okay. ...... I'll try my best.'

Yeah. Okay, I'm gonna need you to cut down on the number of goblins, so just follow me in the back.
　After saying that, I walked deeper into the forest and soon several goblins came out.

　There are ...... five of them.
　I wouldn't worry about this many.

''So there's only one bell then?

Okay, I understand.
　I replied, but Belle's expression was stiff and I could see that she was nervous .
　Come to think of it, Belle gets clunky when she's nervous.
　Is she okay?

　It's all right.
Okay, let's go.
　I said that and lightly pushed Belle on her back.

　Then with that push, Belle was right in front of the goblins.
　The goblins were squealing with delight at the feast that appeared before them.

　Now, let's see what happens~.

　SIDE: Bell.

'What?　Master Leo?
　Currently, I was very confused as Leo-sama had pushed me out in front of the goblins, and I was very confused .
　When I turned around, I didn't see Leo-sama, who should have been there a moment ago, and .......
　Instead of being knocked down, the goblins in front of me were approaching me, screaming in an eerie voice: .......

'Master Leo!　Master Leo!　Please answer me!
　I scream desperately, but ...... Master Leo won't even answer me. .......
　Am I supposed to take it down by myself?

Huh, there's no choice in this situation. If it gets really dangerous, I'm sure Leo-sama, who's watching from hiding, will help me, so I'll just give up and fight you guys.
　We'll just have to be honest with you.
　If something happens, I'll complain to Master Leo.
　With this in mind, I used my beast magic to make sharp claws on both hands and faced the goblins who were laughing unpleasantly.

　Then the ...... goblins, perhaps startled by my sudden display of a fighting stance, retreated a bit, stopped their strange cries, hurriedly prepared themselves and began to stare at me.

''Huh?　Why are you guys afraid of me?
　I couldn't help but ask the goblins, who just stared at me and didn't do anything .
　I ...... just grew claws, right?

Could it be that ...... isn't that strong?


　When I whispered to myself, I felt as if my body, which had been frozen in a tense position until a moment ago, became lighter.

I thought, "Maybe I can go now.
　I set my sights on one of the goblins that just stared and did nothing, and went to stab my claws with all my might using non-attribute magic.

　The result was ...... my claw cleanly pierced the goblin's chest.
　I don't know if the goblin targeted by me didn't notice me as I approached or if he noticed me but couldn't defend himself, but I was able to attack him cleanly.

''Gigi!''
　I heard a squeal from next to me that was easily recognizable as surprise .
　When I turned my gaze in the direction of the voice, I saw the goblins retreating a step or two while watching me.

''That's right. There were still four more of them.
　Four bodies...... no matter how weak they are, I feel like it's hard for me to fight them all at the same time right now.......

''No, it's okay . They're gone now.
　When I heard such a voice ...... suddenly, the goblins turned into corpses and Lord Leo appeared with a holy sword.

　I was not relieved to see the goblins defeated, nor was I happy to see Lord Leo, but I was filled with anger.

'Ah!　Where have you been hiding!　It was horrible to do that!　What would have been good if the goblins were weak ...... If they were stronger than Master Leo thought they were, they wouldn't have been free!
　In my excitement after fighting the goblin, I couldn't help but vent my anger to Master Leo.

I'm sorry. I've been watching you so closely, I'm sorry.
　Forgive me?　What's with the attitude!

I won't allow it!　For once I was angry.
　When Leo-sama heard that I wouldn't forgive him, he finally realized that I was really angry, and his face turned pale.

　Then he looked as if he had made up his mind to do something, and suddenly he got down on his knees and hands on the ground and began to bow.

"Please, please, I'll do anything. Please.
　If you apologize for doing that to me, you can go to .......

　For that matter, you can go to ...... now.
Did you say "everything"?

Yes. Please forgive me if I will do anything for Master Bell.

　Anything and everything...... everything......
'Okay . Well, then, how about the fact that whatever wish I make for Master Leo, he'll definitely listen to me at least once?

Yes, sir. It's all right.
　Yay!　I love you, Leo!
　Oh, I'm sorry, you're smiling.
　You still have to keep acting.

　I tried my best to keep my face expressionless, so that whenever Leo looked up, I would be able to speak to him again.

Then I'll forgive you for this. Next time, please don't do something like this, okay?　Because I seriously hate Leo-sama.
　That's a lie. It's me you don't like.
　I would never dislike Leo.
　I just said it because I know you're so nice to me.
　Leo-sama, I'm sorry.

Okay, I understand. I promise I won't do it again.
　As I apologized in my mind, Leo still kept his head pressed against the ground and swore that he would not do it.

　I don't know what ritual Leo is performing, but I'm sure he'll keep his promise: .......
　I got a little carried away, but it was a nice harvest, and it's good to be angry at Leo, too.
　Please, let's see what we can do.