Red brought back the kobold corpse as he received cheers from others. It seemed Matron was not the only one who hated the kobold, but everyone else. It seemed to lift the mood in the village for killing the kobold.
For someone who received scrutiny and mockery for his entire life, he didn't know how to react to the cheers. He kept his cool as he headed to the main hall where the Matron was.
The moment the Matron spotted the kobold corpse slung over his shoulder, their eyes gleamed in glee and madness.
"Good job, Red! Good Job!" One matron praised him while clapping his hand. The other one approached to take a look at the dead kobold.
The last matron who managed to keep her composure looked Red in the eyes and asked, "Did you kill them all? Is it safe for our hunter to go out?"
Red shook his head, "I don't think so. I only managed to find one group, a group of three. I am not sure if there are more groups or not, but I will patrol again tomorrow, increasing the scope of my patrol, and maybe I will find a safe place inside the forest, so I can stay the night outside."
The patron furrowed her brow, "It might be too dangerous to stay outside in the night. Most dangerous predators are active at night. It's better for you to patrol during the day, and you can even bring a squad or two squads to help you patrol instead to increase the scope of your search."
Red was surprised that the matron sounded concerned about his safety. This was the first time, again, foreign to him.
"I… I will assemble two or three small squads if I can't really find them tomorrow…" Then he frowned, "But bringing them would inconvenience me, Matron. I am afraid they are not strong enough to fight the kobold head-on."
He was not being arrogant, but stating the truth. The warriors and guards were newly appointed after the village was attacked by the Dire Wolves pack. Not only were they weaker, but they also lacked experience. Bringing them would be just giving the kobold loot.
"You alone could kill three. Doesn't that mean bringing more people would help you to kill more kobolds?" The Matron questioned Red.
Red sighed, "Do you think our current warriors and guard are as strong as before, Matron?" He countered with a question that left the Matron in silence for a moment. But it was clear that they didn't accept the reality kindly.
"I don't mean to be rude or belittle them, but I am being realistic. On top, I am not fighting the kobold; I am fighting them. It's totally different."
"Hunting means I will lure them to an ambush, setting a trap for them, and if the situation is getting worse. I can escape anytime. They would be just a burden if I brought them with me."
While they didn't like what they heard, they accepted the reasoning. None of the three matrons lashed out at Red. Of course, it was also because he was the leader of warriors and guards while the Chief was away. If the Chief was present, he could see them ignoring his opinion on the matter.
"If you insist, I can use them as bait too. I can't guarantee they will survive, but it will make killing the kobold easier for me. Do you give me permission to use others as bait?"
"NO!" The matron in the middle quickly denied, while the other two seemed to consider the proposal. They truly considered the proposal seriously.
"We lost the Shaman in the previous attack. It will take a while for the next batch to be ready since we don't have Shaman to help with their awakening. We can't afford to lose more!" She explained.
Red agreed with the Matron, though he had just realized that killing the Shaman would have such an effect. He forgot that the Shaman was the one who led the awakening. Now he wondered how the awakening would proceed, though it was not his immediate concern, just merely his curiosity.
Red left the body for the matron and headed back to his lodging. He recalled that tonight's dinner was Crimson Scales Biter. He unknowingly picked up his face, making his way to his house quicker. Sure enough, a wisp of smoke that carried a delicious aroma came from the kitchen.
Darla made seven grilled fish and used the remaining two for fish soup. She quickly noticed someone had entered the house and had her eyes on the door nervously. The moment she spotted Red, her smile blossomed. She kept pointing at the pot while saying "Fish Soup" several times.
"Put your weapon away! Food is ready soon!"
Red put the spear and took off his armor. He was hungry, so he made a mental note to clean up his equipment after dinner. He didn't take his scrap metal to train his skill this time. He was too hungry for that.
Not long after he was seated, Darla came out from the kitchen with a big, steaming pot in her two hands. The pot was almost twice her head, maybe one and a half, maybe. She carried with both hands, in a hurry because the hot steam got to her face.
Maybe her vision was steamy, or maybe she was not careful enough. She stumbled forward as the pot slipped from his hand. The lid fell off, and she could picture the pot breaking apart as the soup she had prepared with care spilled.
At that moment, a big hand wrapped around her waist and caught her from falling. Red then caught the bottom of the pot with his right hand.
Darla was pleasantly surprised as she looked up at Red, then she sniffed. To her surprise, Red was not smelly, just like the other goblins. In fact, she felt the smell was quite pleasant.
"Okay?"
Darla snapped for a moment, then she tiptoed to kiss Red's lips. She didn't know why she did it, as she did it instinctively. Then she was amused as she watched Red's expression, confused and excited mixed together. That was when her eyes moved toward the pot, realizing Red was holding the pot with his bare hand.
"It's hot! Put it on the table!" She tried to grab a pot from Red, but she was not holding the rag as it slipped down. She quickly retracted her hand as it was too hot. However, Red calmly put the pot on the table and said one word.
"Fine."
Red showed his palm, assuring Darla he was fine. His palm was just a little bit hot and redder. It didn't hurt that much. Before Darla could say anything, her red hand grabbed Darla's waist as he pushed his lips against her. He continued the deep kiss, clumsy.
To be honest, Red didn't know what he was doing. He was following his instinct. That was what he did when his mind blanked. Soon, Darla was out of breath as she muttered something.
"Eat! Eat first… Fish… kitchen…"
Only then did Red release Darla, but then she noticed the gaze on Red. She knew that she had just opened the gate, not that she regretted it, but food was a priority for now, "After eating… okay?"
Red nodded while reluctant, but didn't force his way into her. He ate his dinner, then he ate Darla afterward, forgetting that he needed to clean his equipment.