Rough breaths echoed in the forest as several Goblins ran with all their might, disturbing the leaves as they rushed past. In their haste, they had no time to think of countermeasures, so the light brown Kobolds’ distinct triangular ears pricked up and focused on pinpointing their opponents’ location through hearing.

“U, woaoon.” (Yep, they’re over there.)

“Gau, voruah!!” (Alright, let’s go!!)

Sensing the barks of their pursuers getting nearer, the Goblins who had accompanied the Greatsword-wielding Goblin who was carrying his friend over his shoulder as they escaped prepared to face their fate.

“…Gigiugia, radoleus.” (…Lord Brave, please be safe.)

“Krono iruleas.” (Go, we’ll try to buy you guys some time.)

Several Goblin Fighters spoke up as they stopped and turned around, drawing their Longswords from their scabbards and holding their weapons at the ready as they glared at the approaching enemies.

“G-gyuo…noigiralesu.” (Make sure… not to get yourselves killed, alright?)

Brave took one look at his brethren who responded with their backs to him and disappeared among the trees while continuing to heal Sword as he carried him on his back.

A few moments later, several Kobold Strikers raised their knuckle guard-wrapped fists with a roar and launched themselves into the Goblin soldiers who were lying in wait.

“GARUOAAAAAAAAAHHH!!”

“Gaugaurugireudih, galgia!!” (All this barking is so annoying, it’s driving me insane!!)

“Gi, zeugizuo lutia.” (Ah, my thoughts exactly.)

The Goblin Fighters exchanged small talk as they engaged with the enemy, and the sounds of metal hitting against metal echoed in the forest as the small-scale battle commenced…

Fortunately for the Goblins, the silver wolfdog had instructed the light brown Kobolds to “go easy on the enemy,” so while the opponents were still drunk on their victory, the Goblins who were prepared to die easily beat them back.

Of course, if they were faced with Blau, the pack leader who led the prick-eared Kobold troops

 to chase after them, their outcome would have been different, but as it turns out, that unexpected stroke of luck had them barely escaping with their lives.

In the meantime, Brave and Sword were able to escape safely thanks to the help of their brethren, but… it wasn’t enough to prevent Sword from getting weaker.

“Guzeado… disurah, kahah!” (Brave, that’s enough… just leave me *cough*)

The Goblin Swordsman coughs up blood in the middle of his sentence, creating a messy, reddish-black patch on the ground.

If Brave had stopped casting Healing Light on his friend, then the effects of the spell would immediately run out and Sword would die sooner. That was why he couldn’t choose to fight against their pursuers earlier… However, it seems Brave was already reaching the limit of his magic.

(Kuh, is there really no other choice but to give up!?)

Brave was born as a weak monster and he has also lost numerous friends in battle, but the rational part of him already understands that there is nothing he can do to save his friend. However, whether he can accept it is another matter; the death of his dear friend was something that the Goblin Hero could not accept.

“GIUUUAAAAAAAAA!!” (DAMMIT!!)

The echoes of his anger-filled screams paved the way for them to be entangled in a complex fate.

A few moments after his screams rang through the forest, a young woman with black hair and bright eyes who was dressed as an ordinary village girl suddenly appeared from the depths of the forest. 

“Hmm, I wondered what was making so much noise, but I come and find demons instead, how rare.”

“G-giosuh!?” (A- a human!?)

“Oh? Looks like you guys don’t understand human language…”

She tilted her head adorably as she observed the two Goblins unreservedly and let out a sigh. At first, she thought that they were one of her brethren, but she was disappointed when she realized that they might have been a type of Goblin who had a similar form that was native to the region.

(Well, Demons are only found in Yamato after all… Maybe these guys are distantly related?)

As she reminisced about her destroyed hometown, her eyes land on the two pseudo Demons and notices that the larger pseudo Demon is casting healing magic on his companion who is on the verge of death.

“Ahaha, this is fine! I don’t mind it at all!!”

Regardless of how the pseudo Demons before her have lived till now, she realized the value of saving these two distant species and treating them as companions.

“Fufu, I’m greedy for wanting to save all the lives I can find after all.”

The strange human suddenly laughs and Brave becomes alarmed, but the girl talks to him in an easygoing manner.

“Sorel, giulekto! Galgiido gil disleidia.” (I’ll help you save his life! I have nothing to do anyway, so I can kill some time with this.)

“G-giurado…” (W-what are you…)

When Brave became warier of the human who was talking to him using the Demon language, two horns grew out from between the girl’s bangs, and the *lower half of her body morphed into a large spider’s body.

Name： Kaede ()

Race： Demon 

Rank： Demon Spider

Skill： Soul Eater (Gets stronger depending on the number of souls consumed), Requiem (Annihilation of the Undead), Revival (Creation of the Undead  ※under self-imposed restrictions), Soul Binding, Will-o’-the -wisp, Advanced Magic (Earth), Spirit Healing, Oath of Non-Slaughter(Denial of nonessential killing), **Horn-hiding (Humanization)

Title： Seven Plagues (Devourer of a Million Souls)

Weapon： Spider Thread, Sougetsu (Short Sword)

Armament： Village Maiden’s Clothes

Shortly after Brave had come to his senses after feeling crushed by the force of the overwhelming mass of souls unleashed by the transformation, the girl caught Sword with the spider silk that flowed from her palm, gently covering the laceration and reeling her catch by hand.

“Heave-ho…”

She then easily lifted Sword, placed him at the back of her spider half, and turned her gaze to the dumbfounded, silver-haired, dark-skinned pseudo Demon.

“Niru destrauze, kyuleu kronodestal… galeusa.” (Since his soul is almost gone, it’s going to take some time to completely heal him… Come along.)

“Gih, zelkreias…” (Tsk, might as well follow her…)

After scratching the side of his head, the Goblin Hero reluctantly chases after the departing spider woman. Thus, with this strange twist of fate, the two evolved creatures stepped out from their way of life as Goblins…