Haruto's eyes slowly opened as the world drifted back into focus, like a painting being redrawn stroke by stroke. Blurred shapes sharpened into form, colors settling into place. The first thing he registered was the surface beneath him—soft, uneven, yet firm enough to support his weight. The second was the warmth pressed faintly against his chest, lingering even as his awareness returned.
A quiet groan slipped from his throat as he pushed himself upright, one hand instinctively rising to his temple. A dull ache pulsed behind his eyes, the kind that didn't come from injury but from overexertion. His Astron reserves were still far from full, barely recovered to a level that allowed him to move without collapsing again.
"What the hell..."
The thought lingered in the back of his mind as he slowly scanned his surroundings, trying to piece together where he was and what had happened after he blacked out.
That was when he noticed her.
A girl sat beside him, her posture slightly stiff as if she had been carefully watching over him for some time. Her skin carried a faint blue tint, contrasting with the snow-white strands of her hair that fell over her shoulders. In her hands was a strange wooden contraption, something resembling a fan attached to a cylindrical structure.
Her ears—long and pointed—immediately marked her as a goblin.
And yet… not quite the same.
Her features were more refined, her presence steadier. Even the leather clothing she wore, though simple and somewhat revealing, seemed intentionally crafted rather than crudely assembled.
Haruto blinked once, still adjusting, before speaking.
"…Um… where am I?"
The girl flinched as if struck by lightning, her entire body jolting upright at the sound of his voice. "Ah—! Y-yes!" Her gaze darted around in panic before settling back on him. "Please, w-wait a moment! I will call lady Hana and the others!"
Before he could respond, she hastily placed the wooden device down and rushed out of the cave.
Haruto stared after her for a moment, then let his gaze wander across the space instead.
It didn't take long for recognition to settle in.
"…This is…"
He recognized it.
The layout, the faint scent of smoke and earth, the arrangement of simple tools and bedding—it all matched. Relief came quietly. At the very least, he hadn't been moved somewhere unfamiliar while unconscious.
Still, that girl…
"…She said Hana's name…"
That alone was enough to ease whatever lingering tension remained.
His attention drifted back down to the object she had left behind. Curiosity nudged at him, and without much thought, he reached out and picked it up.
"…Huh."
He turned it over in his hands, studying it more closely.
Inside the wooden casing were a series of small gears, carefully carved and connected with intertwined vines acting as makeshift joints. A handle extended from one end, and when he gave it a slow turn, the internal mechanism responded smoothly, rotating the fan at the opposite end.
"…Wait, seriously?"
His interest sharpened.
At the center of the cylindrical structure sat a small chamber filled with Sabertusk blood, contained within layered membranes. As the fan rotated, air was drawn in from one side, forced through the heated chamber, and expelled outward—carrying warmth with it.
It wasn't perfect.
But it worked.
A faint smile tugged at his lips as he continued examining it.
"…That's actually impressive."
There was something quietly satisfying about it. Not pride exactly, but a sense of appreciation—like witnessing the early spark of something that could grow into much more.
For creatures that most would dismiss outright, this level of ingenuity was… unexpected.
He carefully placed the prototype back where it had been.
And just in time.
A wave of hurried footsteps echoed from outside, growing louder with each passing second. Haruto turned toward the entrance, but before he could fully react—
"—!"
A body crashed into him with enough force to knock him clean off his feet, sending him tumbling back onto the ground.
"…Ow—seriously, watch it—"
He opened his eyes slightly, already knowing what he'd see.
Hana.
She was sprawled across his chest, gripping his clothes tightly as she stared down at him with wide, glistening eyes that felt far too reminiscent of a scolded puppy.
"What the hell are you doing?" he asked flatly.
Her lips puffed into a pout. "I waited forever for you to wake up, and that's the first thing you say?"
Haruto let out a quiet sigh, too tired to argue properly. As he shifted slightly, his gaze flickered past her—and froze.
More figures had gathered.
Dozens of them.
They stood at the entrance and along the edges of the cave, their presence filling the space in a way that hadn't been the case before. Their builds were stronger, more defined. Their skin tones had lightened, their bodies noticeably taller.
There was no mistaking it.
"…They evolved."
The realization settled in naturally.
Hobgoblins.
Every single one of them.
Another sigh escaped him as he pushed himself up, though Hana made that process more difficult than necessary by continuing to cling onto him. In the end, he simply lifted her along with him, standing up while she still held on.
"…You mind letting go now?"
She huffed lightly before releasing him, dropping back onto her feet and taking her place beside him as if nothing had happened.
Then, almost as if rehearsed—
Every goblin in the cave dropped to one knee.
"We are relieved to see you have awakened safely, my lord!"
Their voices rang out in perfect unison.
Haruto blinked, caught slightly off guard as his gaze swept across them.
Their energy… it had changed completely.
Denser. Stronger. More stable.
"…Right."
Memory clicked into place.
The names.
He had given them names.
That night.
The moment replayed faintly in his mind—the hesitation, the warnings, the eventual acceptance.
And then—
Everything went black.
"…Yeah. That tracks."
He scratched the back of his head lightly, a dry smile forming.
"I feel like I got run over..." he muttered under his breath.
He let his gaze drift across the group again, recognition slowly aligning faces with the names he had assigned.
Then he pointed casually toward the white-haired girl from earlier.
"You're… Luna, right?"
The girl straightened instantly, her expression lighting up as she nodded. "Yes, my lord!"
He smiled and glanced around once more, noticing a few absences.
"Where's Haruna? And… your brother is missing too, right? Some others too."
Luna quickly raised a hand and pointed toward the distance outside the cave, where a mountain range faintly loomed against the horizon. "They departed just earlier to the herb mountains. They shouldn't be that far away. Shall I call them back?"
Haruto shook his head almost immediately. "No, let them be. If they went out there, it's probably important."
Luna nodded, her voice gaining a bit more confidence as she spoke. "Yes. The herb mountains contain the greatest naturally refined medicinal resources in this region. Securing them would greatly benefit us. We were afraid to go there at first because of the powerful magic beasts. But with Haruna, it wouldn't be an issue."
"…I see."
Her tone caught him slightly off guard.
She was a lot more composed now compared to earlier.
Interesting.
His gaze shifted across the gathered group once more, something settling quietly in his mind.
Then, with a small exhale, he spoke.
"Alright… everyone."
His voice carried just enough weight to draw their full attention.
"Sit down. Make yourselves comfortable."
A brief pause followed as they responded without hesitation, forming a loose gathering within the cave.
Haruto looked at them all, his expression settling into something more focused.
"…We need to have a little chat about what's to come."
...