32. A Forest Secret

They have now passed the previous location they first met, mount(ain) Her.

And now the two enter into a forest.

"Get ready." Said by Clari in a low and clear tone.

"For what?"

Unfortunately, this journey was not just going to be fighting the 9th King. But more than that.

A goblin colored red wearing a red cap, and red cloth around its waist and holding a dagger came rushing towards the two.

"What are those?". Arthur killed the goblin like he was just cleaning the floor. A task that was just a normal everyday activity.

"The Red Eyes."

The red eyes, the alternate and taboo of the goblins. Monsters that have come from their kin. They never pose a real threat but that was only because they have no mind to even form proper attacks or even cooperation.

'What a stupid name, why not just Red Cap Goblin? That's what I thought of, as it was normal!? What the fu-'.

Clari smacked the head of Arthur with a body of the red eye.

"Stop spacing out, there are more of them."

Arthur woke up from his deep thoughts of complaints. He then looked at the floor and found 3 more red eyes. "Red Cap!"

"..." Clari just looked at Arthur confused.

The two continued walking deeper into the forest and fighting more and more red eyes.

Soon enough they just fought for so long, fighting just became so annoying to Arthur. And with annoyance in his mind...

'No...'. Arthur has gotten lost in the forest. Even with a map, he didn't know where he was. The map never showed himself on it, and now he is lost.

'No...'. But Arthur was of course in denial of this and just continued to go deeper or maybe... not...

"Arthur..." Said Clari.

His body started to shiver. His entire pride was at sake for a moment. He was ready to explore this entire forest just to draw a map and restart all over again.

"Yes...?"

"So I have been follo-"

In almost an instant, Arthur folded. Oh how a weakling.

"Yeah fine! I'm lost-!". Arthur yelled. But before he could continue Clari cut Arthur from speaking and was confused.

"What? No I meant, i just felt so awkward to ask it... but now... why do you have a tail?".

In the entire time. Arthur actually never realized he had a tail. Even sleeping won't make him realise it because of having no physical senses.

Now at the verge of being caught from his lies even he forgets at most times was about to be revealed. There was only one way... to lie.

"I don't know. I was born with them."

First, being one of the worst lie you could even tell to hide something from anyone. Second, that entire sentence just made his entire facade fall apart in only one word 'born'.

Clari immediately realized, Arthur was not who he is. A horn above his head would still make sense. But having a tail and being born with them?

There was not a single goblin in Darin that has not gone through a proper observation.

"Arthur, I... wanna know...". Clari stared at Arthur's eyes with a relaxed face.

Arthur felt no guilt, but he felt the need to convey the truth. It was a simple truth, but none the less it was a far fetched truth.

He turned back to his original form. It was not necessarily ugly, but it was disgusting.

As his entire body turned black, darker than the night. With multiple stem wrapping around his body and multiple at a loose wrapping and dropping stems. And a simple bright red light in the middle of his chest.

"Oh... go back!"

"I knew you would hate me n-"

"How could I kiss you without lips!"

That line was obviously a joke. There was no way a normal person would ever have such reasons. But Arthur understood the real meaning behind those words.

With just that, his heart felt relief and he laughed as he went back to his goblin form, without his tail of course.

"Come here!"

Arthur pulled Clari.

"You little rascal."

The entire atmosphere has once again turned romantic. But this time it will be stopped by a sudden trap from the ground. That seemingly took way too long to activate.

The two fell, Arthur was 100% capable of getting out of the hole immediately.

But against my laws, he continued with his thing. And didn't let a fall trap ruin his favorite thing in the world "love".

***

Inside a deep cave without a single light. It was so dark you couldn't even see anything.

Thankfully they both landed on Arthur's back and were holding each other. If not, they would be lost.

"Do you have light?"

"No..."

Now trapped in darkness and with just a few little steps. Arthur couldn't even jump up, as he already lost the hole. The hole that has no light from above.

It was suspicious, yet effective to someone who is directionally challang- 'Noooooooo...!'

Two no's in a row, Arthur was in a roll.

Clari had absolutely no way to go. Even she couldn't see anything. All she could think about is how "Meraya" would be able to see in darkness.

But Arthur knew where to go. With his heightened senses he could hear water flowing from somewhere.

It was a vague plan. But in a pitch black place, with him having no night vision, it was the only way.

The two bumped into multiple walls but Arthur just kept scaling on the walls till they found new paths leading to the sound of water.

It was hard but they could pull it off, slowly but surely. But soon their first problem arises.

*Grulll

"Ummm..." Clari's stomach growled. She was hungry. And the two had no food. Even at his inventory he had no food.

Arthur never had a problem with food as he didn't need one. But at the same time they are underground and couldn't just catch and animal to cook and eat.

With Clari being hungry Arthur had no choice but to hurry up.

"Just hold on for some longer, that isn't hard right?"

"Of course, do you think i'm that weak, my stomach has just been greedy." Clari has never actually experienced hunger even through her entire test period. As she has always been given food even in that situation.

And right now, she actually couldn't handle it, but she had to, she would look weak, embarrassing, and spoiled. Such a bad way to represent yourself.

Arthur knew all about this and lifted Clari up. He carried her and he started to go as fast as he could. And the only way for that was his inventory.

Clari can't see what's in front of her, so there was absolutely no problem about that at all.

At first Arthur thought he would start to see light when he reached the tunnel directing to the water, but right now he couldn't as he was making his own tunnel.

By the way, yes he could just go up, but he was already too into it. He could not just give up.

And soon his hard work paid off. He reached outside the cave, in a magical way and is now inside a cave with a waterfall and trees around.

It was not a small area but it was definitely big enough to be a noble garden. Which in retrospect is actually huge.

This entire place was underground and the first thing that caught Arthur's eyes were treasure.

It was like he was on a luck role, Arthur has once again found treasures around the area.

With actual better items than before. But then at the same time, he couldn't forget, that just like before there would definitely be a same danger comparable or even greater than that golem.

"Are you seriously taking gold right now?"

Clari looked at Arthur at such disbelief. For him to be so greedy for such a small amount of treasure.

But Arthur didn't listen or even acknowledge her opinion and just kept going. Clari had no choice but to follow him.

As Clari just kept on getting deeper and deeper inside the massive cave. Her heart started to beat faster at each step. This time it wasn't love.

And as Arthur picked up the last treasure he could find in the place rather than looking at the top of the waterfall itself.

He looked above and stared at the waterfall. And as there was an unimaginable size of an opponent was on the past treasures.

This one had unimaginable strength.

It was the 9th King, he was sure of it, just in the way Clari reacted. There was no other answers.

"Is he..."

"Iruka, the 9th King."

"But..." Arthur stared at the top of the waterfall and carefully looked at it. But even if he did speculate that it was the 9th King, he still couldn't put off one little detail. "Why does he look like a carved stone?"