This is more than I anticipated.

The club swung down toward me was deflected by Void using the gauntlet of the Bundi Dagger. The goblin’s head, thus exposed, was pierced by Miku’s rapier, and the other goblins distracted by that were swiftly cut down by Oujin.

No, no, no.

“You idiots! Is this really the time to be protecting me?!”

True, this body isn’t that of the Sword Saint Blythe anymore. I’ve become the frail and diminutive Eremia, with a face so beautiful it’s unclear if I’m male or female. But I haven’t fallen so low as to need protection from mere lower-tier monsters—not even the lowest of the low, like goblins.

The moment I tried to cut down a goblin charging at me with my gladius—

“Whoa…!”

Void grabbed me by the scruff of my neck and tossed me backward.

“Guh…! Hey, Void, don’t get in my way!”

Void stopped the goblin’s club with the sole of his foot and thrust the blade of the Bundi Dagger down into its head. With a forceful yank, he pulled it out and blocked the next goblin’s attack.

“Tch. Kids should just stay quiet and let themselves be protected.”

Miku’s rapier pierced through that goblin’s temple again.

“Hey, stop stealing my kills, Orunkaim!”

“Ohhh… was I just being a bother? But I wasn’t doing it for Void’s sake, it was for El-tan’s!”

Void clicked his tongue and swept another goblin aside with his gauntlet. Meanwhile, Oujin continued silently and methodically taking down goblins one by one.

His footwork was unusual. He kept low, measuring distances as if brushing the ground with his toes. Without even locking blades, he dispatched them in a single stroke. The movements were seamless, as fluid as running water, yet incredibly swift.

What sword style is that? Does such a technique exist in the Eastern countries? It’s completely opposite to Blythe’s swordsmanship.

“Now’s my chance—”

I slipped out of the safety zone created by the three of them, slashing a goblin’s leg to trip it. Leaping over its body, I drove the blade of my gladius into the head of the next one.

“Haha! Finally, I’m free to move as I please…!”

At last, I could swing my sword to my heart’s content. It’s been so long—since my past life. The excitement was building!

But—

“Hey, you! Stop moving on your own!”

Void rushed after me, shoving aside and cutting down goblins like they were bundles of straw. Miku followed closely behind, skipping through the path Void created as if she were dancing.

“El-tan, it’s dangerous!”

Give me a break.

I dodged through the goblins, evading them.

“Just leave me alone! I won’t be taken down by goblins!”

“Don’t get cocky, kid! Just let yourself be protected for safety’s sake!”

“Absolutely not! Stay where I can reach you!”

Despite all their bickering, they’re perfectly in sync. What are they, a couple in a rocky marriage?!

“…This is ridiculous…”

This is a rare opportunity to swing my sword freely for the first time since my past life. Just give me a break. I only want to test what Eremia’s body can and cannot do.

Void, in particular, was acting like a Royal Guard dedicated to protecting the royal family. A proper knight. Yet he looked like a delinquent.

“Get out of my way, you pests!”

Void grabbed a goblin like a stick and swung it around as a weapon, bashing it into other goblins.

I kept dodging Void and Miku while dispatching goblins one by one. Slashing throats, severing tendons, and piercing hearts.

As I suspected, Eremia’s body couldn’t overpower even the weakest goblin by brute force in a clash of blades. But that didn’t mean I was inexperienced in such combat.

Blythe, the Sword Saint, though physically strong, was still human. He couldn’t match the strength of dragons, high demons like cyclopes and devils, or even mid-level ogres. Yet he slew them all.

It wasn’t brute strength—it was a beast-like swordsmanship combining technique and improvisation. Carving flesh, severing bone, crippling movements, and striking the killing blow.

Weapons surpass raw strength. Even a woman wielding a sword could fend off a burly man.

“Alright, gotcha—”

“Whoa?!”

I spun away from Void’s grasp and dove into the goblin horde, swinging my gladius. Flesh tore, and bones cracked. Jumping over the fallen, I moved to avoid Miku and struck down the goblins behind her.

“Stop chasing me, you idiots! Focus on the enemies!”

I ducked under a goblin’s sweeping strike, severed its ankle, and decapitated it before it even hit the ground. I plunged my gladius into the chest of another charging goblin, but it didn’t die instantly. Instead, it grabbed the blade embedded in its chest, baring its fangs as it pushed forward, trying to sink them into my throat.

“El-tan!”

“Told ya! Drop your weapon and retreat, you fool!”

No need.

I glared at the goblin before me.

“You’ve got spirit for a monster, but—”

Drawing a stiletto with my left hand, I slashed its vulnerable throat.

“—that’s not enough to kill me.”

With a small popping sound, blood sprayed as I turned away, cutting down another goblin. Once the dust settled, I stepped on the corpse to retrieve my gladius and sheathed the stiletto.

Turning back to my amusing companions, I said, “As you can see, there’s no need to worry about me. Just focus on yourselves and fight as you wish.”

Void and Miku stood slack-jawed for a moment. But as soon as the goblins attacked again, they resumed their battle.

“Hmm.”

These kids, for their age, are unusually experienced.

I don’t know Oujin’s past as a foreign student from the Eastern nations, but Void and Miku seem just as capable as, if not more reliable than, regular knights. They’re resourceful—far more useful than most knights I’ve dealt with.

Though their personalities are a bit… eccentric.

One’s a streetwise brawler, the other a fierce noblewoman trained by a warlord.

In their own ways, they resemble Blythe. Void charges into the frontlines and tears them apart, while Miku precisely strikes vital points with needle-like accuracy whenever an opening appears.

Most intriguing of all is Oujin.

His unique footwork and swordsmanship resemble the ideal style I’d aim for as the less physically capable Eremia. Like a drifting leaf, unpredictable and aimless, yet his strikes are sharp and precise.

Earlier, Oujin struggled against a goblin horde while protecting his classmates, which forced his movements to become straightforward. But now, without that burden, he’s piling up goblin corpses at an incredible pace without needing to coordinate with Void.

With this group—

“Goblins are no real threat.”

I muttered.

Regardless of how many of these creatures appear, the four of us can handle them. Before long, we finished off most of the goblins. About half managed to flee, but I don't think they will attack again.