Chapter 21 Biggest Fool in the Whole Forest

"Ugh, typical goblins,” she added with a mock shudder, tail swishing again, clearly amused by the whole situation. 

“Lucky for you, I’m not into egg-layers.” She winked, still watching me struggle to recover, her words a strange mix of teasing and kindness, as if this ridiculous moment was just another part of her carefree day.

With a light chuckle, she stepped back further, giving me some space, her playful sarcasm only growing as she shook her head.

 “Honestly, little slime, I think you owe me catnip and a bath after that.”

I gasped, finally drawing in a breath after what felt like an eternity of holding it. My chest heaved as air filled my lungs, but my mind still struggled to catch up. Everything about her - her playful voice, her graceful movements, the way she teased me - was overwhelming. I didn’t want her to see me as just another pathetic goblin, a filthy creep. I wanted her to see me as… something more. Someone special. Someone she could look at without that smirk of disgust. A friend. Maybe even more than that, but my tiny goblin brain could barely handle the thought.

My mouth opened, but no words came out at first. My throat was dry, my tongue heavy. I swallowed hard, my body still trembling, trying desperately to not mess this up even further. Finally, with a miserable, shaky voice, I managed to stammer, “Th-thank... th-thank you...”

It came out barely louder than a whisper, weak and pitiful, but it was all I could muster. My hands wrung together nervously, my eyes darting between the ground and her face, afraid to look directly into her sharp, beautiful eyes for too long. Every inch of me screamed to run away and hide, but at the same time, I couldn’t move.

I wanted to say more - tell her that I wasn’t like the evil goblins, that I wasn’t another disgusting goblin. But all I could do was stand there, trembling, staring at the ground like a fool, my ears drooping in shame, barely able to breathe again after the shock of her kindness.

She tilted her head with a mischievous glint in her eyes, her tail swaying lazily behind her as she crouched down again, bringing her face closer to mine. With a mocking grin, she tapped her chin in exaggerated thought.

“Ohhh, so the little goblin can talk!” she rejoiced playfully, her voice dripping with sarcasm. 

“And here I was thinking a cat must’ve got your tongue - maybe one of my fellow cat people snatched it right off." She mimicked a little clawing motion with her hands, making a mock attack in the air as if she were swiping something. 

"But look at that, words! Finally!”

She leaned back a bit, still grinning, clearly amused by my stammering.

 “Took you some time, didn’t it, Little Green?” she teased, poking me lightly on the forehead with a finger. 

“Or should I call you Little Slime? I mean, you do kinda look like one with all that muck on you. What do you think? Little Green, Little Slime, or... do you actually have a name? Oh yeah! I'm Lyn by the way."

She cocked her head again, waiting for my response, her eyes narrowing playfully, her tail swishing from side to side like she was thoroughly enjoying the moment.

I swallowed hard, my throat tight with nerves as I tried to muster the courage to speak. My hands fidgeted awkwardly, clenching and unclenching in the filth beneath me.

"I-I'm Hermit, master," I stammered, "A goblin slave... from a breeding farm nearby."

As the words left my mouth, I felt a wave of shame wash over me. I was nothing - just a worthless, pathetic slave covered in mud and grime. Compared to her, with her grace and power, she was like some divine being, and I was... beneath the dirt she walked on. I dared not look her in the eye, my head hanging low in shame.

The weight of my miserable existence seemed to press down on me more than ever. What was I, a filthy slave, compared to someone like her?

Lyn tilted her head, her tail flicking playfully as a mischievous grin spread across her face. 

"Oh, no need to be so shy with me, little Hermit," she purred, circling me slowly, her sharp eyes glinting with amusement.

 "We can be friends, you know."

She paused, tapping her chin as if in deep thought.

 "So, your name is Hermit, huh? Hmmm… has a nice ring to it. I like it! I have to say. For a goblin, you've got yourself a fancy name." Her ears perked up, and she let out a soft purr. 

"Aren't you a bit cocky, though? Going around with a name like that and calling yourself a slave?"

She waved her hand dismissively, shaking her head with mock disbelief.

 "Sorry, but you goblins aren’t exactly known for good naming sense! How did a slave like you end up with a name like that?" Her voice was teasing but light as if she was trying to pull me out of my miserable shell.

I shuffled my feet awkwardly, tracing little patterns in the dirt as I tried to find the words. My head stayed bowed, too ashamed to meet her gaze.

 "M-Master Lyn," I stammered, "I... I don't know. When I hatched from my egg, I just... knew. My name was Hermit."

I glanced up at her for a split second before quickly looking back at the ground.

 "I’m just... a miserable slave. It’s true. I’ve always been nothing but that." My words trembled, reflecting the pitiful way I felt, like dirt beneath her feet.

Lyn leaned down, her sharp eyes sparkling. 

"Look, green fella, you can call me Lyn. No need to add 'master', I'm not a master of anyone. Just say Lyn, alright? You're making me sound way too important, and trust me, I’m not ready for that kind of responsibility. Got it, little Hermit?"

I shuffled nervously, my eyes glued to the dirt beneath my feet as I stammered, "Is... is it alright for me to show such disrespect? In the breeding farms, if we don’t address the masters properly... punishment awaits, and it's... it's brutal. Lots of pain. They make sure of it." 

I swallowed hard, the memories of beatings and torture fresh in my mind, my hands instinctively clutching at my bruised ribs.

"Am I really allowed?" I asked, glancing up at her cautiously as if her very presence might suddenly turn cruel, though something inside me told me she wouldn’t. 

"Can I really talk as... equals?" The word felt strange on my tongue, something foreign, a concept I had never dared to imagine. My whole short life had been nothing but submission - fear was all I knew. The idea of standing on the same ground as her, someone so majestic, so... free, seemed impossible.

I looked at her with pleading eyes, my chest tight with anxiety. 

"I... I don’t want to be punished again. Are you really... different from them?"

Lyn chuckled softly, her tail swishing playfully behind her as she crouched down to my eye level. 

"Different from them? Oh, you bet your big, meaty ears I am. I don’t go around smacking people for fun, and I definitely don’t need anyone calling me 'Master.'" 

She made a mock grimace. 

"Ugh, can you imagine? That sounds exhausting."

She leaned in a bit closer, her whiskers twitching as if she were about to share a secret.

 "Look, calling me 'Master' would be like calling a mouse a dragon. Completely wrong, right?"

 She flicked my forehead lightly, but not cruelly.

 "So, no more of that. Just Lyn. Say it with me now. Lyn. Lyyyyyn." She stretched her name out with a teasing lilt, grinning as if coaxing a stubborn kitten. 

"C'mon, I won’t bite... unless you ask nicely."

Her tone shifted slightly, more soft, but still playful.

 "Besides, you’re not in that breeding farm anymore, Hermit. Out here, you're not just some miserable slave. You can be whoever you want. Well, don't get too cocky, of course. Don’t want you strutting around like a big goblin hero just yet, huh? You might run into another Flesh Golem."

 She flashed me a wink.

I scrambled to my feet, my mind still spinning from fear and awe. My nut-sized goblin brain, completely blown away by Lyn’s beauty, had momentarily erased the memory of the terrifying Flesh Golem. I had nearly forgotten that she’d saved me from a gruesome fate. As I clumsily stood, my feet slid in the wet mud, and before I could balance myself, I slipped again with a loud splat into the muck.

Mud caked my body, dripping down my face, and I could feel its cold, sticky touch sliding down my naked form. I hurriedly wiped at it, but all I managed was to smear it around, making things worse. My face contorted into a big, goofy grin - not because I found the situation funny, but because I felt like such a bumbling fool in front of her. Despite the embarrassment, I still couldn’t stop staring at her.

"Oh! The monster!" I yelped, finally remembering what had just happened.

 "You... you said it was a Flesh Golem, yeah? Never seen a beast like that!" My words came out all jumbled, nerves making my tongue trip over itself.

I bowed awkwardly, nearly falling over again, my body covered in mud, trying to look grateful but just feeling like a fool. 

"Thank you, Lyn! Thank you! If it wasn’t for you, I’d be... I’d be gone, gone like a squished bug! Not even bones left! Just... just splattered all over, like... like goblin poop!" 

I waved my hands around, trying to show what I meant, but it probably just looked silly. I peeked up at her, mud still sliding down my face, a big goofy grin plastered on me, not 'cause I was happy, but 'cause I didn’t know what else to do.

 "I... I owe you everything, Lyn! You... you saved me, and you’re like... like some kind of... goddess!" 

My face went bright green under the mud, realizing how stupid that must’ve sounded, but I couldn’t take it back. My grin just stayed there, all awkward and weird, like I was stuck in that moment of feeling like the biggest fool in the whole forest.