Chapter 407 Crying like a Baby

Hermit flinched, his ears flattening against his head as her words ripped him apart. He tried to speak, to defend himself, but all that came out was a choked sob. Suzuka’s eyes hardened, and she took another step closer, her shadow looming over him.

“Look at you. Crying like a baby. Do you think that helps? Do you think your tears are going to fix anything? They’re not. All you’re doing is proving how useless you are. You can’t even stand up for yourself, let alone protect anyone else.”

Suzuka’s words echoed in his mind, each one cutting deeper than the last. He felt the weight of his failure pressing down on him, crushing him under its unbearable burden. His chest heaved with sobs, his hands trembling, but nothing could ease the pain in his heart.

Suzuka stood over him, her arms crossed, her expression cold and unyielding.

 “You’re just a loser, Hermit. A pathetic loser.”

Something inside Hermit snapped.

He looked up at her, his tear-streaked face twisted with despair. 

“Master, why are you so cruel to me? I know I’m just a stupid goblin! I know I’m weak. I know I’m useless. But I’m trying! I’m trying so hard, and it’s never enough for you!”

Suzuka’s eyes widened in surprise, by the audacity of this goblin, but she didn’t respond.

 Hermit stood up, his hands clenched into fists, his voice shaking with emotion. 

“You act like you’re so strong, so perfect! You don’t care about anyone but yourself! You don’t care about me, or Kaka, or the hatchlings! All you care about is proving how much better you are than everyone else!”

His voice broke, and he turned away, unable to look at her any longer.

 “I can’t do this anymore,” he whispered. 

“I can’t.”

With that, he ran. He bolted for the door, his small frame moving faster than Suzuka had ever seen. He burst out into the snowstorm, the cold wind biting at his face, the snow crunching beneath his feet. He didn’t look back. He just ran, his heart pounding, his tears freezing on his cheeks.

The shed fell into an eerie silence after Hermit’s outburst, the only sound the howling wind as the door swung wildly on its hinges. Suzuka stood frozen, her sharp eyes fixed on the open doorway where Hermit had disappeared into the blinding snowstorm. Her lips parted slightly, a rare flicker of shock crossing her usually stoic face.

“Hermit…” she muttered under her breath, her voice low and tinged with disbelief. 

“You… you damn idiot.”

She turned her gaze to the hatchlings, still huddled in their nest, their tiny bodies trembling with fear and pain. They chirped weakly, their glassy eyes staring up at her as if pleading for comfort. Suzuka’s jaw tightened, her voice cold and bitter as she spoke aloud, though there was no one left to hear her.

“You fucking idiot! You left your precious hatchlings to die. Why the hell did he ran off into a snowstorm like a coward. But why am I surprised? It’s him we’re talking about. Always screwing up. Always running away when things get hard.”

She took a step closer to the nest, her boots crunching against the blood-soaked straw. The hatchlings flinched at her approach, their tiny bodies pressing closer together. Suzuka’s sharp eyes scanned the scene—the torn cloth, the scattered hay, the bloodstains—and she let out a frustrated sigh.

“Bloody hell, what a shit trip it was,” she muttered, though her voice lacked its usual bite. 

“All of this… for what? A bunch of squealing hatchlings and a goblin who can’t even handle a rat.”

She knelt down beside the nest, her movements stiff and reluctant. One of the hatchlings let out a weak chirp, its tiny claws reaching out toward her. Suzuka hesitated, her hand hovering in the air for a moment before she finally reached out and gently brushed a finger against the hatchling’s head. It leaned into her touch, its trembling body calming slightly.

“Don’t get the wrong idea,” she said sharply, as if the hatchling could understand her. 

“I’m not doing this for you. Or for him. I’m just… cleaning up his mess. Again. Who else will if not me. Someone needs to be responsible around here.”

Suzuka sighed, her sharp eyes scanning the injured hatchlings as they chirped weakly in their nest. Her usual scowl softened just a fraction as she knelt down, pulling a large bowl from her magical item storage. The bowl was sturdy and deep, filled with a thick, greenish goblin medicine.

“Alright, you little squealers. Let’s get you fixed up. Not because I care, mind you. But because your brave hero ran off and left you to die. I just can’t have you dying on me and making this whole mess even worse. I need at least something out of this shit trip to the mountains.”

She reached into the nest, her movements surprisingly gentle as she picked up the first hatchling. It let out a weak chirp, its tiny body trembling in her hands. Suzuka’s lips pressed into a thin line as she inspected its injuries—a deep gash across its back, a dislocated joint in its tiny arm. 

“Well, well. Aren’t you a tiny pile of a bloody mess?”

Without another word, she lowered the hatchling into the bowl of medicine. The moment its tiny body touched the liquid, it let out a surprised chirp, its glassy eyes widening. The medicine bubbled softly around it, numbing its pain and cleaning its wounds. The hatchling squirmed, its tiny legs kicking as it began to play in the bowl, its earlier fear replaced by curiosity.

Suzuka watched for a moment, her sharp eyes softening just a fraction. 

“Oh! You just look at that, you like it? You’re not screaming anymore, I'll take it as a yes.” 

One by one, she picked up the hatchlings and placed them into the bowl. Each one reacted the same way—chirping and clicking as the medicine worked its magic, their tiny bodies squirming and splashing as they played. Suzuka worked quickly as she fixed their broken parts and dislocated joints. She even sewed up the more serious rips and tears.

“Hold still,” she grumbled as one hatchling wriggled too much, its tiny tail flicking medicine onto her sleeve. 

“I’m trying to help you, you little gremlin.”

The hatchling chirped in response, its large eyes blinking up at her as if it understood. Suzuka rolled her eyes but couldn’t quite suppress the faint twitch of her lips. 

“Yeah, yeah. Don’t get cute with me.”

While the hatchlings swam and played in the medicine, Suzuka turned her attention to their nest. She gathered fresh hay and soft cloth, arranging it into a warm, sturdy nest near the fire. 

“There. Not bad, if I do say so myself.”

She returned to the bowl, her sharp eyes scanning the hatchlings as they splashed and chirped. One by one, she lifted them out, inspecting their wounds and adjusting small bandages where needed. Her touch was firm but gentle, her hands steady as she worked. The hatchlings chirped softly, their tiny bodies relaxing under her care.

“You’re lucky I’m even doing this,” she muttered as she placed the first hatchling into the new nest. 

“But no, I’m stuck playing nursemaid to a bunch of squealing goblin babies. That useless goblin can't even look after his own. Where did he even run of to leaving everyone?”

Despite her words, there was no real malice in her tone. She placed each hatchling carefully into the nest, her movements gentle. When she was done, she grabbed a sturdy, warm pelt from her storage and draped it over the nest, tucking the edges in to keep the hatchlings warm and secure.

 She glanced at the hatchlings, their tiny bodies curled up under the warm pelt and let out a quiet sigh.

Then, a sound broke the silence—a low, guttural groan.

Suzuka’s head snapped toward the makeshift bed where Kaka lay. The old goblin’s eyes fluttered open, his gaze unfocused and clouded with pain. His breathing was shallow, his chest rising and falling in uneven hitches. For a moment, he seemed disoriented, his glassy eyes darting around the room as he tried to make sense of his surroundings.

Then his gaze landed on Suzuka.

Kaka’s eyes widened, and a strangled sound escaped his throat. His body jerked violently, his head thrashing from side to side as he tried to move. But there was nothing to move—no arms to push himself up, no legs to kick. He was just a torso and a head, his stumps twitching uselessly as he struggled.

“N-no… no!” Kaka’s voice was hoarse and broken, his words slurred with delirium. 

“Stay back! Stay away from me!”

Suzuka stood up, her sharp eyes narrowing as she approached him.

 “Well, I be damned, you do speak my language. Well than, calm down. You’re safe. You’re in a shed. Hermit brought you here.”

But Kaka wasn’t listening. His eyes were wild with fear, his breath coming in ragged gasps as he thrashed about. His head rolled from side to side, his stumps twitching as if he were trying to crawl away.

 “No! No! Adventurer! Get away! You here to kill me! Kill us all! Don’t touch me!”

“Listen to me. You’re safe. Hermit saved you. The hatchlings are here too. You need to calm down.”

Kaka’s thrashing slowed, but his eyes were still wide with fear. He stared at Suzuka, his chest heaving as he tried to catch his breath.

 “H-Hermit? It was not a dream? He alive? Where… where is he?”