Inn Overlord: Reincarnated with Enhancement Magic, Now Worshipped as a Divine Messenger! - Chapter 4

(Seraph’s Perspective)

“Hey!! Someone!!”

I ran toward the voice.

“Is something wrong?”

It was Rubens, who runs the ranch next to the Black Piglet Inn.

“Oh, Seraph! One of my sheep is missing!! Have you seen it!?”

Lately, there have been many cases of missing livestock. I told Rubens that my cow, Luka, had also disappeared.

“Actually, my cow is missing too…”

“What!? Could it have been attacked by a monster? Oh, this is bad!!”

“By the way, my cow isn’t in your ranch, right?”

Since Rubens didn’t react when I mentioned Luka, it seemed unlikely that she had wandered into his ranch.

“I searched every corner, but your cow isn’t here.”

As expected, I got the same answer. I told Rubens that I was going to search for Luka. While at it, I promised to look for his sheep too. Then, I ran toward the village center.

“Oh! Thanks, I appreciate it!”

When I arrived at the village center, I took a deep breath to calm myself.

Then, I used an enhancement spell to sharpen my senses and began searching for Luka and Rubens’ sheep.

With my enhanced senses, I could hear all the small sounds around me—people talking, animals and insects, the wind, and the rustling of trees. By adding magic to my sharpened senses, I could temporarily expand my perception even further, sensing people and creatures as if I were touching them. After that, I cast a physical enhancement spell on myself to widen my search range.

Then, I spotted monsters heading toward the Dark Forest in the southeast. Goblins. They were dragging a creature along with them. Most likely, Rubens’ sheep.

So that's it. The recent cases of missing livestock must be because goblins have been stealing them.

—Could they have taken Luka too…?

I regretted not searching sooner instead of going shopping.

—What if Luka is already…

I strengthened my body with magic and ran southeast toward the goblins.

In the distance, I saw the goblins pulling a sheep tied with a rope. I decided to follow them instead of attacking right away. I needed to find their hideout and rescue Luka. I could have used my enhanced senses and magic again, but the Dark Forest was full of monsters. Sorting through them to find Luka from here would be too difficult. Also, I needed to conserve my magic.

—I’ll use it once I find their hideout…

I felt bad for Rubens and his sheep, but I had to let them be captured for now.

Luka had been with me since I was six. She was like family. Abigail, too, was pretending to focus on work, but I knew she was really worried.

The goblins entered the Dark Forest.

—There shouldn’t be a goblin village around here…

I had secretly explored the forest before, but the goblin village was further east, not southeast. Still, I followed them deeper into the forest. The thick trees blocked the sunlight, making it dark and eerie.

After walking for a while, I saw a massive rock rising between the trees. The goblins were leading the sheep toward it.

I used my enhancement magic again to search for Luka.

And then—I saw it.

Luka was lying there, being eaten.

A group of muscular hobgoblins had ripped open her stomach, cut off her front legs, and were feasting on her.

I felt the bl00d drain from my body.

Because my senses were enhanced, I perceived the gruesome scene too vividly. Sorrow welled up inside me.

Praying that I was wrong, I rushed forward. No matter how clear my senses were, seeing it with my own eyes would make it real.

But the moment I arrived, I saw the same horrifying sight.

“Luka!!!”

The bl00d that had drained from my face now boiled in my gut, turning into burning rage.

The four hobgoblins, their mouths smeared with Luka’s bl00d, grinned at me. They thought I was their next meal.

I should have been analyzing the situation—why D+ ranked monsters were near the village, why they were capturing livestock, whether their true hideout was deeper in the forest, or if even stronger monsters were lurking beyond.

But all of those thoughts burned away in the fire of my anger.

They ate Luka.

Luka, who was like family to me.

I had never fought a monster before. I didn’t know if I could defeat a hobgoblin.

But I couldn’t hold back my rage.

I instinctively cast a physical enhancement spell on myself and charged forward.

I stopped in front of the hobgoblin that had Luka’s intestines in its mouth.

It stood up, looking down on me, showing off its size. It sneered at me again.

But before it could react, I jumped and drove my knee into its head, shattering its skull.

With a sickening crunch, its face collapsed. Its neck snapped from the impact, and its head was torn off.

The headless body remained standing for a moment. I turned to the remaining three hobgoblins, glaring at them.

As the corpse finally fell, the other hobgoblins realized their danger.

Terrified, they turned to run.

I focused on the fastest one.

I moved at high speed and caught up instantly.

I kicked its leg, intending to trip it, but my kick was so powerful that the leg tore off completely.

The hobgoblin collapsed, gasping in agony as it realized its leg was gone.

Using its body as a stepping stone, I launched myself toward the next one. The force of my step crushed the first hobgoblin’s body flat, killing it instantly.

I reached the second fleeing hobgoblin in a single leap and delivered a devastating kick, tearing through its upper body.

Then, I charged at the last one, thrusting my hand into its back and grabbing its heart.

I ripped the heart out, showed it to the hobgoblin’s terrified face, and crushed it in my hand.

“Luka!!”

I dropped to my knees beside her.

Her front legs were gone. Her stomach was torn open. Her intestines were ripped apart. She was barely breathing.

“Oh, Luka…”

Tears streamed down my face.

“Goddess… please, save Luka…”

Then, an idea came to me.

—If I use enhancement magic… maybe I can heal her…