As Basdia said this, the Goblin Soldier’s short spear pierced Vandalieu’s arm.

『Aah!』(Saria)

『Wah, Bocchan!』(Rita)

『GRRR?!』(Bone Wolf)

Rita and the others panicked, but Vandalieu remained composed. That was only to be expected; he had used his arm as a shield against an attack that he had decided that he couldn’t avoid.

The Goblin Soldier smiled and tried to pull his spear out, but that was the cause of his downfall.

「Fuh!」(Vandalieu)

With strength that seemed impossible for a three-year-old body, Vandalieu moved his arm that still had the spear piercing it and broke the Goblin Soldier’s stance.

「Gyagihih?!」

And then as the Goblin Soldier fell forward, he dug out the Goblin Soldier’s side with his claws. With blood spurting from its wound and its mouth, the Goblin Soldier became yet another corpse on the ground.

「Fuh… A failure.」(Vandalieu)

With these words, Vandalieu pulled the spear out of his arm, cast【Sterilization】and healed the wound.

『It wasn’t a failure! What would we do if you were to die?!』(Saria)

『If I recall, humans die if they lose too much blood, don’t they?!』(Rita)

『Geeh?! Geeeeh?!』(Bone Bird)

「Calm down, I’m not going to die. Sorry, sorry.」(Vandalieu)

Vandalieu apologized, trying to calm Seria and the others down. This was why Basdia was kept on her toes when watching him, and it was difficult to get angry at him as well.

「I’m sorry. I couldn’t complete my attacks and I lost my footing because I tripped over one of the corpses on the ground so I couldn’t avoid my enemy’s attack. I used my arm as a shield to avoid a more serious wound. Next time, I will use my claws to deflect the spear or defeat my enemy before such a thing can happen.」(Vandalieu)

For Vandalieu, using his arm as a shield was an action he took to avoid the worst-possible outcome, something that couldn’t be helped. But even so, he knew that it wasn’t pleasant for those close to him to see that… and if he was scolded harshly, he would fall into a panicked state.