There was no fire, but the goblin’s arm was burnt horribly and let off plumes of steam. The burn increased and shriveled the arm away until it dropped to the ground. It looked as if a virus had spread from the place where my hand had touched its arm. The goblin’s entire body had blackened.
It writhed in agony on the floor. I had to do something. I had to finish it off before it killed all of us.
I immediately pressed my hand to the goblin’s head and released mana once more. Steam rose from its forehead accompanied by a foul stench and its shrieking cries. After about ten seconds, its life drained away and the goblin stopped moving.
I was frantic and gasped for air. I didn’t even understand what I’d done. I had known that people with mana responded to the mana of others. You could feel its heat and its texture when you touched it. With weak mana, there was only a faint warmth, but I guessed that well-honed, practiced mana would be more powerful. That’s what I had bet our lives on, and it worked!
With a year of training under my belt, my mana had become seriously hot. It had been a big wager. It was practically an experiment. It worked, though. My mana killed the goblin. Of course, if the goblin didn’t have mana of its own, it wouldn’t have worked. Its body wouldn’t even have noticed my heat.
I backed away from the corpse and tried to catch my breath. It was vile. The combo of both the stench and emotions from what I’d managed to pull off made me puke. I knew that I had to do this. Nevertheless, the feeling that I had killed something humanoid was a dark and vicious one.
Rose and Marie looked at me in surprise, while the mother and son gaped at me. The moment we met eyes, the two of them let out little yelps and backed away. Do they think I’m some kind of monster now? All I did was save everyone in this room from getting killed.
All at once, I felt like my soul had been tarnished. I’d never killed something like this before. I felt sick to my stomach. It was a wrenching and unfamiliar feeling of guilt and sin. The worst of it was the unmistakable pang of regret that I’d entered a new and darker world. It wracked me in waves.
I looked down at my own hands.
These can kill, I thought.
Suddenly, I couldn’t move at all. Then, I felt the warmth of someone else’s hands on mine.
“You saved us, Shion. Thank you.”
I looked up to see Rose. Her face was neither cool, composed, nor relieved. Her hands shook. That was understandable given what had happened.
At first, I thought she was afraid of me. I quickly dismissed that. I knew Rose always took great pains to look after me. All I could do was accept her gratitude as it was. It made me feel just a bit calmer. The mother and son certainly gazed at me with caution and fear, but now there was a hint of awkwardness.
The strange mental realm I’d been inhabiting faded away. I became myself again. All thanks to Rose.
Thump.
“M-Mom!” shrieked Marie. My mother, who had been hugging my sister to protect her, suddenly slumped to the ground.
I came to my senses. I didn’t need to be worried about myself right now. We needed to save Mom. But Marie had lost it and was shaking Mom’s body in terror.
“M-Marie, stop! You might hurt her!”
I ran over to Marie. She was in an understandable state of panic. How was she supposed to remain calm as her mother died in front of her? And why was I so calm? My adult self knew that it wasn’t that I was calm. It was just that I had to be calm or risk losing someone precious to me. That’s why I’d killed the goblin. That’s why I could be—no, I had to be—calm now. Someone might die otherwise.
I pulled back Marie’s arms. Rose came over to help me.
“I’ll take Marie,” Rose said, breathless.
“P-please,” I stuttered, and as Rose pulled Marie away from Mom, Marie continued to kick and howl and scream. Thank goodness Rose can stay calm, I thought.
I examined Mom’s face. She was icy pale from losing too much blood. She still had a pulse, but that didn’t mean she was safe. I looked at the gash running up her back. It was still oozing, and the bleeding had to be stopped.
I knew that I shouldn’t move her body too much, but I wasn’t going to be able to treat her here on the ground. Somehow, I needed to get her up on to the bed. There was no way I could lift Mom alone with my seven-year-old body. It would be difficult even for one adult. Marie had lost her mind, and Rose was doing everything she could just to hold my sister back.
The mother and child across the room feared me. I doubted they were calm enough to assist. I doubted they would even answer me if I asked them for help.
We had learned that there wasn’t a second goblin. I hadn’t heard any other sounds in the house.
“Someone! Anyone! Help!” I screamed.
Immediately, people came from the other rooms. When people realized that the goblin had been killed, they rushed in.
“What—what in the world?!” they exclaimed.
“We need to save my mom!” I shouted. “Move her up to the bed!”
Two women lifted Mom up and laid her in the bed. Mom, who had always been so lively and cheerful, didn’t so much as twitch. At least she was breathing.
It’s not over. We can save her!
Rose continued to gently hold on to Marie, who had stopped resisting as she sobbed. Maybe she had come to her senses.
“Is there a doctor here? Or anyone who knows about medicine?!” I shouted.
Everyone looked around at each other. The village was small. The presence of a medical expert was unlikely. Now what? She was in horrible danger. I knew that if no one would act, I’d have to do so myself.
First, I had to stay calm. If I couldn’t make rational decisions, Mom would die. I needed to think. What could I do?
“What about stitching? Is anyone skilled at needlework?!”
A few people raised their hands, and I chose the person who the others said was the most skilled. She was a young woman of about fifteen or sixteen. Besides some freckles, she looked ordinary with her hair pulled back in a braid.
“But what do you want me to do?”
“Wait a moment,” I said. “You, there. My mom has a sewing kit in her room. Please, go get it. Then, go to the kitchen. Grab the strongest alcohol you can find. Someone else, bring me some lit candles. I also need clean rags. Split all that up and bring them here!”
Everyone immediately set to work.
“The rest of you,” I said, looking around. “Would you be able to…move the goblin corpse out into the hallway? I know it’s not pleasant, but it needs to be done. Then, please wait outside. I’ll call you if I need you.”