A Good Person?

...

'Burning fire can bring warmth and life, yet it can also bring pain and destruction; the difference lies only in how one views and approaches it.'

—《The Divine Words of Dawn》 / The Eldest and Second Son of God

...

Ogre had obtained some of the truth from his father's memories.

But he was not entirely sure which pack of goblins had raided his birth village, or if they were even still alive.

He did not even know if the Goblin King had been replaced.

However, none of this hindered Ogre's revenge—as long as he wiped out as many goblins in the forest as possible, the result would be the same.

Pushing open the dusty wooden door deeper inside the cave, the first things Ogre saw were not the female captives, but thin, newborn goblins and a few female goblins.

Their pitiful expressions seemed to tell Ogre that they were innocent, that they were different from the raiders.

Their tears and weak appearances were remarkably similar to those of fragile humans during a raid.

If it were some newly debuted Professional Apprentices, they might have felt pity, wavered, or even questioned how their actions were any different from those of the goblin raiders.

But Ogre would not.

Welcoming this group of goblins were only the cold hammer in his hand and the stones he hurled.

Sparing them would bring absolutely no benefit, only inciting conflict and making the future more painful for both sides.

In Ogre's eyes, a race that was utterly shameless, cunning, and evil—living by frequent raiding and rape—could never be innocent, no matter how weak they seemed.

Since they chose to live by the law of the jungle, they had to bear the corresponding consequences.

“Hand it over to me,” Ogre said coldly to the half-naked woman in front of him, holding a torch.

Having dealt with the mobile female goblins and the adolescent ones that were about to flee, Ogre turned his gaze to the remaining goblin pups. Some of them had not even opened their eyes yet, crawling over the captive women.

These women were bound by iron chains, and the food they were fed barely kept them alive. Their time in the cave had stripped away their sense of self and their desire for freedom.

Even now, watching Ogre's slaughter, they showed almost no emotion.

Ogre wanted to pull the problem out by its roots. Most of the captive women cooperated with him; the only emotions they had left by now were probably humiliation and hatred.

But the world was vast... and there were always exceptions.

“No, it's my baby...” This tragic woman held the little green goblin close in her arms, looking incredibly pitiful.

There was always a small fraction of women who, after being violated and rescued, would feel sympathy for the goblins they had given birth to.

They viewed them as their own children, their sole emotional anchor.

But Ogre knew that these creatures had no concept of parents; everything was merely a natural disguise.

Killing them and severing ties with the past was the best choice. Soft-heartedness would only breed tragedy, and he would not be soft-hearted this time.

“It's just a parasite.”

Ogre had been taught by his father since childhood not to judge whether a person was good or evil based solely on their race.

But his father had also said:

'Ogre, you are ultimately human. To humans, goblins, ogres, and other monsters are dangerous, greedy, and cruel. They are your enemies, and you must never harbor a single shred of sympathy for them... Only the absolute strong have the right to show kindness. You must take good care of yourself.'

Was Ogre an absolute powerhouse? Without a doubt, he was not yet...

So, regardless of how important this goblin pup was to the woman before him, he had no right to shield it.

A violated woman could still be accepted, but a woman carrying a goblin she gave birth to... would often find only a dead end. Humans would not tolerate her, goblins would not tolerate her, and her child would tolerate her least of all.

Goblins grew very quickly, taking only a month or so to reach maturity. Ogre had already seen several similar tragedies.

“Please, I beg you, it's just a child...” The endless darkness made the woman instinctively shrink back upon seeing the torchlight.

Yet, she still instinctively shielded the goblin pup in her arms tightly. The pup clung to her, shrinking away from the light with its eyes closed, just like her.

It looked so pitiful and innocent.

“My father told me not to judge whether a creature is good or bad based on its race,” Ogre muttered to himself, raising a sliver of hope in the woman.

But what followed immediately was complete, hysterical despair.

“No! Give it back to me!” Though bound by iron chains, the woman still struggled desperately like a wild beast, roaring.

But the weak aura clinging to her body indicated that she was already at the end of her rope.

“But it will only harm you and the villagers... Letting it die like this is better than slaughtering each other later. You can't bring it back to the village.” After roughly snatching the green creature away, Ogre immediately throttled the green pup to death.

“No!” The woman's shrill struggles caused the chains binding her to dig deeper, inflicting even greater harm on her body.

Before she could do anything even wilder, Ogre decisively slipped behind her and chopped her neck with the edge of his hand at lightning speed, knocking the tragic, pitiful woman unconscious.

At times like this, action was often far more effective than words.

'Actually, my father also told me not to seek revenge... but I can't do that. If deep-seated hatred can keep you alive, then hate me.'

Ogre finished the unspoken words in his heart.

“You are free,” Ogre said, looking at the remaining women.

Most of the females used as breeding tools were humans...

'All of them are pitiful wretches...'

Sighing softly in his heart, Ogre pulled out his hammer and smashed the iron chains binding them one by one.

As for the remaining padlocks, that would have to be handled back in the village.

“Thank you...”

This was the first expression of gratitude Ogre had received since entering the cave.

“It's all over,” Ogre comforted casually before walking toward the next woman.

To ensure they could lactate, the goblins actually fed them. Although these women had suffered terribly, they still had the physical strength to walk out of the cave.

As for what they were fed...

That would depend entirely on luck.

During the rescue, Ogre even spotted several clothed skeletons...

“Sigh...” Although Ogre had seen such scenes several times, he couldn't help but feel a wave of emotion.

Rescuing these unfortunate souls was not Ogre's mission, but he did it anyway.

Although there was a high probability that these women would not lead particularly good lives after returning to human society, it was still far better than remaining here.

As for where they would go, there was no need to worry. Most villages were more than willing to take these women in.

Just as Ogre finished rescuing the last woman, he suddenly felt a strange sensation of unease.

“Watch out!” one of the women shouted at the top of her lungs.

Hearing the warning, Ogre instantly leaped forward several paces before turning around, his combat hammer already gripped tightly in his hand.

“Why are you pointing a sword at me?” Ogre asked, puzzled, looking at the woman who was trying to attack him.

He couldn't quite comprehend what was going through her mind. Attempting a sneak attack at a time like this... it was fortunate that he had dodged in time.

“You are a good person, but... but you killed my child...” This woman—who hadn't reacted at all when Ogre was killing the goblin pups—had quietly picked up a discarded sword only after he freed her. This was also why Ogre had been caught off guard.

Hearing this response, the usually stoic expression beneath Ogre's mask shifted for the first time.

“Haha, I saved you, and for that reason, you ambush me with a sword? Why didn't you fight back earlier then?” He laughed—a bitter, exasperated laugh. The sheer absurdity of it all was overwhelming.

“You... you are a good person, but you... you shouldn't have slaughtered the innocent. The child was innocent.”

The sword-wielding woman didn't seem to fully understand why she was doing this either. Perhaps she had gone mad after losing her only anchor; perhaps she was ashamed that others had seen her defiled state; or perhaps her long-strained sanity had finally shattered completely.

“A good person? A good person deserves to be pointed at with a sword?! Then why didn't you resist earlier!” Ogre laughed self-deprecatingly, finding the situation utterly ridiculous. He would have preferred it if the woman treated him as a villain.

Faced with Ogre's questioning, the woman actually dropped the sword and collapsed to her knees, weeping hysterically—clearly, her mind was no longer sound.

Witnessing this, Ogre merely let out a sigh. He then picked up the sword from the ground and swung it forward.

Crimson blood sprayed, exceptionally jarring in the dimly lit cave.

Ogre killed the woman who had pointed the sword at him.

This was the first human he had killed in this cave...

The moment she raised a weapon, she became an enemy. Since she made a move here, she had to die. If she lived, it would only cause the others to break down...

From the moment she drew the sword, it was already impossible for him to save everyone.

Hearing the exchange, some of the surrounding women smiled bitterly, some trembled in fear, and others merely raised their heads slightly... their reactions were remarkably muted.

Perhaps they were simply numb...

When an endless nightmare neared its conclusion, there wouldn't be much of a disturbance. They still needed time to adjust—the final step was always one they had to take on their own.

“Let's go... it's time to return to where we belong,” Ogre said to the crowd, casting the sword aside.

His once calm emotions had grown somewhat complicated...

When Ogre swung his sword to kill her, he had noticed the woman opening her mouth, as if trying to say something to him.

The shape of her mouth had clearly formed the words: Thank you...

'Another pitiful soul who wanted to die... yet lacked the courage to commit suicide. No, that's not right... she was probably already "dead" inside long ago... Perhaps it's for the best. Since even hatred couldn't keep her alive, then death might be a choice of its own...'

Ogre walked in the lead, a whirlwind of emotions swirling in his heart. He probably understood what the woman had been thinking.

Finally, Ogre shook his head, clearing away the thoughts that had just surfaced.

Since that person had already sought death...

...then thinking any further would serve no purpose now.

Ogre had always firmly believed in one saying—

May the deceased rest in peace, and we the living must grow strong.