CHAPTER 131: KILL DHEM!

"So madame, don’d leab your briends okay."

Rae’s voice was muffled, pressed right into the softest part of her chest, nose digging in, his breath hot against her skin.

He sniffed again, real loud, like he was sucking the sadness right out of her cleavage.

Melissa froze. She’d been all fire a moment ago, ready to run straight at death, sword first.

She wanted to be a martyr, burn herself up so her friends could go home free.

That had been the plan. But hearing Rae say that, hearing him of all creatures talk about not leaving friends... it struck something raw.

’Even if the spell broke his emotions, even if he’s half-crippled in the head, he’s still carrying this sadness.’

Her heart clenched hard. He wasn’t supposed to feel like this. Rae was supposed to be the comic relief, the stray they picked up, the one who didn’t care.

But here he was, clinging, trembling, remembering things she had no right to take from him.

Months had gone by, and still he remembered his friends. Their laughter. Their stupid fights. Their deaths.

And she realized she’d been cruel. Because of her, this goblin had to live with the pain of watching his people slaughtered.

Worse, he had to live beside their killers. Her comrades. Her heroes. He’d been dragged along, made to work, pushed into danger, forced into a mission where even she planned to die.

Melissa’s throat burned. Her eyes stung. She hugged him tighter, almost crushing his little body into her.

Rae groaned but didn’t stop his antics. His hands sneaked lower, rubbing against her waist like he needed the comfort of her warmth.

His little head pressed harder into her chest, lips grazing where they shouldn’t.

"Melissa hug is... mmh... strong. But so soft too. Rae feel safe here. Rae never safe before."

Her face went red, tears sliding down her cheeks, but she didn’t shove him off. She couldn’t.

The guilt weighed too much. The more he talked, the more she felt like she owed him something—maybe everything.

’He lost his friends. And I thought of leaving mine behind. I’m no different than the ones he hates.’

She sniffled, biting her lip, holding him tighter.

Meanwhile Rae, feeling her grip tighten and sensing victory, let out another overdramatic whimper.

"Rae forgib heroes, but Rae never forgib friends. Friends run away, Rae stay alone. Rae hurt forever."

His little voice cracked, his body shuddered like a child’s.

Melissa broke inside. She hugged him so hard her chest swallowed him whole, tears wetting his messy hair.

’What am I even thinking? How can I be this stupid?’

Melissa’s mind scolded itself. She wanted to smack herself right there.

Forget about Alex dragging Rae into this cursed forest, here she was, dragging the same poor soul deeper into it, like some lunatic babysitter with a death wish.

She swallowed hard.

’Not only am I making him walk into danger, I’m making him see goblins, his own kind. His villagers. His people.

And what if I have to kill them in front of him? Wouldn’t that break him more? Wouldn’t that stab deeper than anything the spell could do?’

Her chest tightened with guilt. Without thinking, she quickly pulled Rae back, away from her chest.

Rae blinked, confused, his lips still wet from where he’d buried himself against her. He was floating in cloud nine, practically swimming in her warmth, but when she pushed him back, he scowled, eyes narrowing like she’d stolen candy out of his mouth.

"Rae, do you have any idea why we are even here?" Melissa asked, trying to compose herself.

Rae tilted his head, blinking.

"Why, Madame?"

"It’s because—" she began, ready to explain, to finally unload what she had planned.

But Rae cut her off, his little voice trembling, not from anger but from something softer.

"—why are you crying, Madame. Rae no like Madame cry. Rae’s little heart cannot handle dhis pain, Madame."

Melissa froze. She thought he’d been asking why to her question. She thought he’d wanted an explanation. But no—he had only asked because of her tears.

He wasn’t concerned about the mission. He wasn’t concerned about the danger.

He wasn’t even concerned about the fact she’d been about to drag him into a battlefield of his own people. No—he was only concerned about her.

Melissa’s chest heaved. Her lips trembled.

Her heart welled up, and another streak of tears slid down her cheeks, burning hot. She couldn’t stop them now.

’This little idiot... he’s more worried about me than himself... after everything I’ve done to him...’

Her grip trembled as her hand moved, brushing his cheek without thinking, her tears dripping on his little forehead.

"Aah no crying Madame no crying pwease. Madame cry Rae cry."

The little gremlin leaned forward with all his might, his stubby fingers darting around like broken windshield wipers as he tried to clear her tears away.

He didn’t even bother with his own. His fat cheeks were slick with his own streaks, yet he only cared about hers.

Melissa’s chest gave a sudden shudder. Her throat tightened and her lips quivered. He was crying because of her.

Not because of goblins, not because of some nightmare, but because she was hurting.

Her hand trembled as she cupped his wet face. "Stop making me cry too, Rae."

Her voice cracked, and then she pulled him into her chest, hugging him tight enough to smother the both of them.

Rae melted into her pillows instantly, snuggling in like a cat that had just discovered the softest bed in the kingdom.

His whole body loosened and his little arms lazily wrapped around her waist.

Obviously, only one of them was crying for real. The other was already running his own private acting school inside his head.

’He he he... she’s done for.’

Rae’s lips twitched into a hidden grin, his face buried so deep she couldn’t see it. His little brain was screaming victory. Oscar-level performance achieved. Madame bought it all.

And why not. He didn’t want this glorious specimen of a woman to throw herself away in some grand sacrifice. No, no, that would be wasteful.

She had found this place, dragged him here, and if she had that much power then surely she had the power to escape too.

He shifted a little, sinking deeper into her softness, making himself at home.

’But then again, there’s no real goblin king here at all... might as well kill some stupid goblins, wipe my tears on her tits, and stroll back to camp like a hero.’

As far as Rae knew, the goblin king was nothing but a vegetable. A half-rotten potato left in the pantry too long.

Gear had told him that much when Rae asked about "his" supposed real body. Something about the body healing but still refusing to do anything other than that.

So that means...

’There’s only a bunch of dumbass goblins in there. Just shit-brained minions waiting to be squashed.’

He sucked in a deep breath like a man about to make an important decision.

’But if Gear’s hanging around, then I need a plan. A good plan. Gear is different. Gear is... scary. At my puny level of forty, I can’t touch him.’

’Even with Melissa swinging her holy milk cannons around, it’s impossible. We’d both get wrecked.’

Melissa’s voice broke through his scheming. "Rae, the reason I came here is to end the terror of the goblin king forever. I know, he was your village king—"

"Kill him."

The words left Rae’s mouth without a blink, without a pause, without any hesitation at all.

Melissa froze.

"..."

"..."

"...mmm what."

She blinked, her lips twitching as though her brain had short-circuited. What the hell did he just say.

Rae’s face was dead serious, his little brows furrowed as if he had just taken a solemn oath.

"Rae said, kill dhe goblin king. He bad. Rae no like him. He hurt Rae’s briends. Bad bad king."

Melissa’s lips parted, but nothing came out. Her chest tightened. For a second, she couldn’t breathe.

This little creature wasn’t clinging to his roots, wasn’t holding onto some tragic loyalty. No, he was throwing it all away. For her. For his friends. For this mission.

Her eyes shimmered. Her throat burned.

And Rae, the little bastard, just stood there, stone-faced, holding his own Oscar trophy in his imagination.

’Heh... hook, line, sinker. She’s going to eat me alive after this. Figuratively... hopefully literally too.’

"What about the others. The normal ones who are supposed to be his army."

Melissa’s voice cracked. She couldn’t believe she even had to ask this.

Rae didn’t even blink. He didn’t think. He didn’t hesitate.

"Kill dhem too. Dhey serve bad guy, dhey should die."

He said it so casually. Like he was talking about tossing out spoiled bread.

Melissa’s heart gave a painful throb. That tone. That look. No shaking voice, no fear in his eyes. He wasn’t just saying it. He meant it.

Her throat went dry.

’This little fool. How can he just... how can he say it like that. Like killing them means nothing.’