Wizard: I am a goblin

Chapter 208 Heading to Shanhaiguan!

Chapter 208 Heading to Shanhaiguan!

"Gebu is awake!!"

The dwarf's heavy footsteps sounded behind Geb, and a pair of thick, hairy arms joined the two from behind, giving Geb a sandwich hug.

"Ugh—I can't breathe—" The dwarf's arms were so strong that Geb almost threw up his dinner.

The dwarf released the goblin wizard, whose body had already reverted to that of a halfling.

"Cough—cough—"

Gebu coughed twice, and the swordswoman withdrew her body, carefully examining the person in her arms from all sides. Seeing that he had no external injuries, she then let go of him.

"I'm so glad you're alright."

The two men suddenly felt awkward, as if burned by each other's gazes, and reflexively looked away. This delicate atmosphere lasted for a few seconds before the dwarf broke it: "I thought you'd been killed by that monster—great, great! Looks like I'm not the only lucky one, Brother Gebu, you're blessed too!"

Geb turned around and said to Dulin, "—You're really lucky to be alive. I mean—where are your clothes?!?! Ah!! What did I just see?! I—"

My eyes!!!

"The naked, furry, sturdy dwarf came into Gebu's view without any cover. His eyes were so sharp that before his brain could even process what he saw, he had already etched everything he saw into his mind."

"Ah—I'm sorry, I was in such a rush that I forgot about it—my apologies—"

"Put your clothes on right now—and what makes you think you're so big?!?! Ah!!! Let me forget about my eyes!!!"

After some effort, the three of them finally managed to wrap the dwarf up. Seeing that there was no sign of the monster in the courtyard, Gebu realized what was happening and hurriedly asked, "Where's the monster?!"

The woman with the sword explained to him that after Geb cast the spell, the monster didn't do anything before Geb himself passed out—

Fortunately, the guy seemed to have suffered a serious injury and didn't linger in the fight. He opened a hole in the water channel at the far end of the inner courtyard and escaped.

Fortunately—Gebu breathed a sigh of relief. The previous tactics had been successful enough to drive that thing away.

Looking back, the second-circle spell Phantom Force was actually resisted and even reflected back onto Geb himself. That thing was truly strange!

Plans can never keep up with changes — in short, if the result is good, everything is good — have we forgotten something?

Oh, right, Titian!

Geb turned his gaze to the direction where the bishop and nun had fallen. Chloe was covered in scrapes and cuts, her forehead was broken, and her face was covered in blood, but she didn't seem to be seriously injured. She knelt down in front of Bishop Tissant, and a faint holy light flowed from the girl's fingertips onto the bishop.

Geb quickly shook his head and ran to the bishop.

Tissant wasn't dead, but his condition was bad. His robe was undone, revealing a large, horrifying bruise on his chest—one of the man's arms hung limply, the bone in his forearm broken, the sharp edge of the bone piercing the skin.

Gebu gasped, a sharp pain shooting through his arm.

"I walk alone through the valley of death—yet I am fearless, for I am protected by the scepter, the sword, and the shield—"

Tissah's face was deathly pale as she gritted her teeth and recited scriptures, enduring the pain.

"Damn it—please bear with me, Your Excellency—this is all I can do—you need a more advanced healing spell—"

Chloe turned and called out to Dove.

"Sister, please go quickly and find the nuns for help! Everyone is in the chapel—have Sister Martha bring the ritual materials needed for the healing spell!"

Dove nodded and hurriedly left the inner courtyard, heading towards the chapel.

"Is there anything I can do?" Dulin asked anxiously.

Geb quickly assessed the situation; although Tissanthemum was seriously injured, she did not appear to be in any life-threatening danger.

He turned to the dwarf and said, "Go and prepare the carriage!"

Dulin hesitated for a moment, then ran towards the stable in the front yard without refuting.

Only Geb, Sister Chloe, and Bishop Tissant remained in the courtyard. The injured bishop shifted his chin, gesturing for Geb to come closer, then, enduring the pain, said, "That monster—I read about it in the Grand Archives of the old capital—it's a follower of an evil god—"

"That guy is actually human?" Gebu asked in surprise, but he didn't interrupt Tissanthemum, afraid that the man would faint if he stopped.

"The evil god corrupted them—I thought these unclean creatures had been wiped out in the war against the law, but I never expected—they actually still exist—"

Tissanthemum hissed, almost unable to breathe. Chloe quickly cast her spell on him again; the girl had used almost all her strength, her hands trembling uncontrollably.

The bishop took a breath and continued, "The evil has appeared in the world—this is a terrible omen—remember the plan we discussed before—Gebu, we must—no, you must carry out that plan—I'm worried, I'm worried—"

Tissah glanced at Chloe, lowered her eyes, and whispered, "Chloe, I don't want to drag you into this—"

Sister Chloe's pupils contracted instantly, and she immediately replied with a serious expression, "You can trust me, Bishop Tissant. I swear by the health of my family and my devotion to God, I will keep this secret and never reveal it!"

Gebu frowned. Tissanthem's plan was not something that could be told to just anyone; if it were exposed, the consequences would be very serious.

"Blade Girl, you'd better listen to Bishop Tissanthemum. This is not something you should be interfering in—you saw it yourself, that monster—"

"I am not afraid, Mr. Geb. I am willing to do everything in my power to help Bishop Tissant—no matter what, even if it involves touching on forbidden matters—"

Forbidden matters? What inside information does Chloe know? Wait, she wasn't there when the two of them were talking.

"Your sister won't agree either."

"She can't make the decision for me!"

Chloe immediately responded in a huff.

Seeing that he couldn't persuade the girl, Gebu looked to Tissanthem for help.

The bishop lowered his head and remained silent for a moment, then raised his eyes and met Chloe's gaze.

Chloe looked at the bishop nervously, her fists clenched white.

"Your presence here tonight—perhaps, in some mysterious way, is the will of God—" Tissanthem said earnestly. "In my current state, I'm afraid I cannot go to Port Queen—if you would be willing, I would like to be your messenger and help me deliver an important message to an old friend."

"Of course I'd love to!" Chloe agreed without waiting for the bishop to finish speaking, as if she couldn't wait to leave the monastery.

The halfling immediately retorted, "I can deliver the message myself, why should the little girl take the risk?"

"My old friend, I would never trust a stranger outside the church—Geb, you know we can't tell outsiders what we're talking about—in this situation, Sister Chloe is the best choice—she just saved my life, I admire her courage and trust her piety. Sending her is my decision. Please protect Sister Chloe's safety. I beg you."

"Tsk."

Gebu responded unhappily, "Why are these priests so meddlesome? Now look what's happened, another burden has been added to our list."

However, Chloe is, after all, Mikoto's younger sister—in fact, she might be more reliable than Tissanthemum.

This girl is quite brave; she actually dared to bite a monster. She also seems to be quick-witted and not stupid. — Let's just take her along; the swordswoman can keep an eye on her.

"Alright, alright—do as you please, Your Excellency. Just don't cause me any trouble."

Hearing Tissanthemum and Geb's words, Chloe's face lit up with undisguised excitement. She turned to Geb and smiled brightly, "Then please take care of me, Mr. Geb."

Seeing the girl's excited face, Gebu didn't know what to say, and just gave a polite wry smile.

Tissanthem called Chloe over, whispered something to her, and then instructed Geb, "I'll handle things here. You don't need to worry. The Inquisition won't bother you before the peace talks end—the monster's appearance has complicated things, and I hope our plan still has a chance to succeed—"

"You're a smart man, Geb, I trust you'll make the best judgment."

"—I will, and please don't forget your promise."

"Of course."

Tissah said firmly.

As soon as they finished speaking, a series of footsteps approached from afar. The group turned around and saw the swordswoman leading a large group of nuns running towards them. At the same time, the dwarves also returned from the stables.

"The carriage is ready," Dulin said breathlessly.

"Then let's hurry up and set off." Gebu waved to the swordswoman.

The nuns' attention was focused on the injured bishop, and the women, young and old, surrounded him like a flock of meddlesome crows.

"Obak bless you!"

"Oh no, poor Bishop!"

"Let me bless your wound—my dear Tissanthemum—"

"I am the presiding nun! Make way! Make way! God protect him, how can His Holiness the Bishop breathe if you surround him like this—Sister McKee, where are you touching?! Have some self-restraint! His Holiness, please bear with me, let me treat you—"

"Masah, could you please be gentle? My arm is broken! Ouch! Obak, please bless me!"

"You're a grown man, please bear with me—I need to put the bone back in place first—Sister McKee, please bring me the hammer, we need to smash this pesky bone—"

A chorus of chattering women drowned out the bishop's painful groans, and Geb cast a pitying glance at Tissant.

Then he decisively took his men and ran away.

Taking advantage of the opportunity, Gebu and his group slipped into the stables outside the monastery and boarded the carriages one by one. Dulin drove the carriage, the woman with the sword was the first to enter, and Gebu was the second to squeeze in.

Chloe finally jumped onto the carriage, and when she saw her sister follow her in, Dove's eyes widened instantly.

"What are you doing, Chloe? You're a nun, you can't leave the convent without permission!"

"It's Bishop Tissant's order. I'm going to Port Queen!" Chloe retorted sharply.

The two sisters looked at Gebu at the same time.

"Uh—" Geb was suddenly drawn into the argument and stood there stunned for a while before muttering, "That's exactly what the bishop said—"

"I absolutely disagree! Port Queen is the front line. How can a little girl like you, who's never even left her home—the convent gates—be allowed to... You can't make decisions for me! Bishop Tissant personally entrusted me with this task; he trusts me, look!"

Chloe produced a ring from somewhere, and Gebu, with his sharp eyes, immediately noticed the rose-shaped holy seal on it. This ring was very similar to the seal ring that the bishop of Chifang Town had given Gebu, but the pattern was more ornate and the metallic luster was more dazzling—it was an important token representing the bishop's status.

Tissanthem really trusts this young girl, isn't she afraid she'll run off with the ring halfway? Is this bishop naive or just stupid?

"—That bishop must be out of his mind from a headache, anyway, no way! I! Don't! Agree!"

"It's none of your business!"

The two sisters were arguing so fiercely that Gebu felt a throbbing headache coming on. Finally, unable to bear it any longer, he interrupted them, "Enough! Let's talk about this outside the convent!"

Chloe took Geb's words as tacit agreement and immediately squeezed into the carriage, crowding next to him. The swordswoman, sitting inside the carriage, was furious and turned her anger towards the halfling.

"Gebu, you bastard! Why don't you speak up for me!"

"You son of a bitch—"

"You're still insulting me?!"

by----"

"I mean, I don't agree with your sister's decision either! But looking at it from another perspective, she's an adult, she insists on going, and Tissah is also insisting, so can I stop her?"

"you----"

The woman with the sword blushed and glared at Gebu.

Chloe took the opportunity to make a face at her sister from behind Geb.

Dove couldn't resist and reached over Geb to grab Chloe's arm. When Chloe saw her sister make a move, she screamed and tried to back away.

"You two shut up! Otherwise, get off the bus!" Gebu scolded.

"Okay, if she won't step down, I will!"

Dove's face turned red, and he shoved Geb aside, tumbling out of the carriage with such force that the whole carriage shook.

Gebu was furious at being scolded for no reason and did not stop himself at all.

He rubbed his temples. Women are such a hassle!

A rustling sound came from outside the carriage, then it fell silent.

Quiet-

Hey, you're not really gone, are you?

Just as Gebu was about to get up, the curtain of the carriage was lifted, and the dwarf's bewildered face appeared in front of the carriage.

"Uh—I was kicked off my train journey."

Well, the woman with the knife has gotten so angry that she's taken the coachman's seat—she's driving in a real hurry, and her backside must have suffered the whole way.

Geb sighed, "Come on in quickly." Then he pulled the dwarf into the carriage.

"Oh, Sister Chloe." Dulin was surprised to see the girl in the car, but quickly gave her a warm smile. "You're coming with us too? Welcome, welcome!"

Chloe smiled politely at the dwarf. She adjusted her posture, making room for him, and took the opportunity to lean closer to Geb.

"I'm sorry. I know Mr. Geb and my sister are good friends, and it wasn't my intention to create a rift between you—but my sister was indeed being a bit unreasonable. How could she take her anger out on you?"

Chloe spoke softly to the halfling.

Geb felt that Chloe's words had a hidden meaning, but he didn't want to delve into the girl's subtext—this kind of scheming between women didn't interest Geb at all.

He yawned and replied casually, "That's just how she is, she'll be fine in a bit—by the way, you seem like a very quiet nun, but when you got into a fight just now, you were using your hands and teeth. That reckless manner is exactly like your sister's, no wonder you're a descendant of a knightly family."

"Ah—I'm so sorry—for making you see me in such a wretched state—"

Chloe hadn't expected Geb's blunt remarks, and thinking of her disheveled appearance just now, she couldn't help but blush with embarrassment.

She was about to say something when she was interrupted by a shout from in front of the car.

"drive!"

Snap! A resentful crack of a whip rang out, the carriage paused for a moment, then began to move, speeding eastward along the road toward the jagged coastline to the south of the new kingdom.

Heading to Shanhaiguan!

【BONUS】Character Sketch【Chloe of Thuns - Eaglewood】

Most people who meet Chloe for the first time think she is a very likable girl, polite, articulate, and makes people feel at ease. If they don't know her background, they might think she is the beloved daughter of a minor noble family in a new kingdom, rather than the second daughter of a knight from the North.

However, those who know her well and have been around her for a long time will always have the feeling that this girl is always trying to please others.

Her sweet smile and polite flattery, if savored carefully, would leave a bittersweet aftertaste on the tip of the tongue.

Compared to her teenage years, the adult Chloe has prepared a more elaborate mask for herself, but as the clock strikes midnight and the masquerade comes to an end, the weary girl inadvertently lets the mask crack.

Those who are observant can, through the cracks in the mask, glimpse the real Chloe beneath.

The girl's true face was something even she herself dared not face:

It was a hundred times uglier than the illusion she had carefully created, but not as wretched as Chloe had imagined.