Chapter 41 - The Goblin's Den
The advance party succeeded in their surprise attack.
Near the entrance of the hole, several green humanoid creatures lay fallen. They were likely the goblins on lookout duty. Combat had already begun.
The entrance to the goblin's den was surrounded by a moat and earthen ramparts constructed with earth magic.
The town guards stood behind shields lined up along the ramparts, bows drawn and ready. The hunters were concealed on the slope directly facing the entrance.
Paul-san was aiming both hands toward the entrance from behind the cover of the ramparts.
According to Priest Williams, Paul-san was in charge of air supply and intake.
I understood the air supply part. Since they mentioned smoking them out, they must be burning a bonfire or something.
But what was intake? Could such a thing even be done? When I expressed my surprise, the priest laughed and said that only Paul-san could pull off something like that.
Apparently, he compresses the air deep inside the hole to create a [Wind Barrier], then releases it toward the outside.
In a small hole, he can supposedly defeat opponents just by suffocating them with a wall of air.
That's terrifying. If I ever make Paul-san angry in a closed room, I'll make sure to punch a hole in the wall first.
Suddenly, three goblins burst out of the hole.
They must have reached their limit. Between the smoke and the thin air caused by Paul-san's intake, they were staggering as they advanced.
They tumbled straight into the moat and were finished off by arrows.
This was repeated about three times until all movement ceased. It seemed the smoke had reached its maximum effect.
Maintaining the perimeter, we loosened the siege slightly and hid, waiting for the smoke in the hole to thin out.
We waited for two hours. During that time, there were several goblin charges, but the guards and hunters intercepted them with arrows, further increasing the kill count.
Paul-san temporarily sealed the hole with earth magic.
McBurn-san signaled toward us.
It was finally our turn.
So far, we had defeated thirty-five goblins.
They had the physique of thin children and faces like wrinkled old men; their skin was green, and their ears were long and pointed. Their bodies were hairy, and they wore crude cloths wrapped around their waists.
Scattered around were sticks and hammers made of stones tied to the ends of poles, which they likely used as weapons. Several thin sticks with sharpened tips and clay attached were lying about—perhaps those were arrows?
We dropped the dead goblins lying on the ground into the hole and offered prayers for the repose of their souls along with Priest Williams.
I didn't quite understand why we had to kill each other, but I had to switch my mindset now.
It wasn't over yet.
Since we had likely defeated about thirty percent of the total, sixty percent remained.
The plan was to open the entrance, wait for the smoke to thin, and then charge in while monitoring the interior with [Sense Living]. Once everything was exterminated, we would blow up the hole with gunpowder. That was the gist of it.
The entry team consisted of Priest Williams, five guards, five Nakanohara hunters, three hunters from Angus-san's squad of the Spider Investigation Team, and the four of us from the Marcelo Company.
One squad was designated as messengers just in case. The two from the workshop, along with the medical team for the injured—which included the female hunters Mabel-san and Lowry-san—were to keep watch on the slope on the opposite side of the hole.
[Sense Living] was activated.
It was finally time to go in.
When Angus-san shot a fire arrow, it remained burning as it struck the far wall.
We entered the den before the temporary torch created by the fire arrow could go out. Everyone had their faces covered with hand towels.
Come to think of it, the Black-Purple gear would have been better, but it was too late for that now.
The remaining smoke made my eyes sting, but there was nothing to be done about that either.
The cross-section of the hole was a triangle with no corners, using the ground as the base. Since it lacked height, we had to crouch. I dreaded what lay ahead.
Before reaching the temporary torch, there was a side tunnel where two goblins were reportedly found dead, huddled deep inside.
We decided to handle the prayers for the corpses that weren't in the way later.
A stake was driven into the wall as a marker. We hung a lantern on it and continued forward.
A hunter would fire an arrow to create a temporary torch. McBurn-san would advance to the fire arrow with his shield, and if there were no problems, he would signal by holding up a torch. We proceeded like an inchworm in this fashion.
White paint was being dripped at our feet so we could identify the shortest path back.
Since [Sense Living] couldn't determine the layout of the tunnels, one of the guards was mapping it out.
As we went deeper, the ceiling became higher. Finally, we could walk without crouching.
It was impressive that such small bodies could dig such a large hole.
Apparently, their claws are quite strong, and they dig the holes by hand without using proper tools.
Despite being crude, the holes are sturdy; instances of cave-ins have supposedly been very rare.
Perhaps they have an instinct for identifying areas prone to collapse. Maybe because of that, the passage wasn't straight but meandered slightly.
At the site of one of the temporary torches, the path branched left and right.
According to Priest Williams's assessment, there were ten goblins to the front-left, a large number straight ahead, eight to the right, and six to the front-right. There were too many straight ahead to be sure, but it was likely the main goblin force.
Since there was a possibility that the eight on the right might dig through and flank us, it was decided to eliminate them first.
As we advanced, we came upon a small room. There, we encountered six goblins.
The three guards holding shields fanned out the moment they entered the room. They were attacked from the left and right of the entrance, which were blind spots.
However, we knew they were there.
Since we had thrown in torches beforehand to ensure visibility, the guards remained calm.
Although the enemy had a two-to-one numerical advantage, they were no match for the trained and well-equipped guards. The battle ended quickly, and six more were eliminated.
It was my first time seeing close-quarters combat with goblins.
The sight was shocking.
Though their color was different, seeing small bodies that closely resembled humans being knocked back by shields and pierced by swords as the guards charged was not a pleasant experience.
Having occupied the room, a choice arose.
What to do about the ten goblins likely located beyond the first fork.
We had come this far to defeat the eight near the cliff, and we were now positioned deeper than those eight. However, as long as we didn't know how these tunnels connected, we didn't know where we might encounter those eight goblins ahead.
Even with [Sense Living], the possibility of them approaching from behind was too terrifying.
After a discussion between McBurn-san and Angus-san, with Paul-san joining in, it was decided to split into two groups.
One group would remain in this room, and the other would advance deeper to eliminate the eight.
The Marcelo Company and Beowulf remained, while the others moved forward.
Our role was to prepare for the ten who might come from behind and to make this hall usable as a forward base.
At this depth, the smoke hadn't reached us, so breathing wasn't difficult.
After seeing McBurn-san and the others off, we immediately began activities to establish the base.
According to the detection results from [Sense Living], there was currently no movement from the ten, but we were warned that we might lose track of them depending on which direction Priest Williams moved.
I panicked for a moment, but Paul-san and Marcelo-san both replied casually. Thanks to that, I was able to feel at ease.
To start, we had to dispose of the goblin corpses.
We had Paul-san dig a hole with magic, and then we carried and buried the bodies. We also piled up the soil to form a ridge at a perpendicular angle to the hole near the entrance, so we could hide behind it if necessary.
Meanwhile, Marcelo-san set traps in preparation for an attack by the ten.
He drove stakes into the passage ahead of the entrance and stretched the nets—the ones worn over the head when wrapping grass over the Green Marble gear—horizontally. This was so the goblins couldn't enter unless they crawled under the nets. Dried leaves were scattered on the ground and the nets, so we would hear a sound if a goblin came.
In this state, we sat waiting with our backs against the walls to the left and right of the entrance.
Of course, the entire room was brightly lit with torches.
Since the passage leading deeper turned right immediately after leaving the room, all we could see in front of us was the wall at the end of the hole.
Beatrix nudged my elbow.
"Hand over the Highway Cookies."
"How can you feel like eating in a place like this?"
Mages, honestly...
Since a whole one was too much for one person, I broke them in half to distribute to everyone, and we passed around the mead.
"Are you collecting the brands?"
Marcelo-san asked, so I took a wooden tag out of my storage bag.
"I'm just starting."
Smiling, he showed me his own wooden tag.
It had nineteen brands. Moreover, it was apparently his fourth round. The brand for the number four was stamped at the very top. If you collect all the brands on one tag, you get an assortment set and a second tag. That's what they call the second round. In other words, Marcelo-san had already received three Highway Cookie assortments.
"You're working quite hard."
Paul-san showed his own wooden tag as if to say, 'How about this?'
It had six brands. However, it was his sixth round.
"It's the hobby of a Highway Cookie enthusiast. If you achieve ten rounds, you get a Deluxe Assortment. Did you know that?"
Marcelo-san nodded vigorously.
Enthusiasts... Just how much do you like them? And what exactly is a 'Deluxe' one?
Feeling a bit frustrated, I changed the subject by asking Paul-san about the future outlook.
"The simplest way is to just finish off the goblins like this. It's a dead end once we defeat the eight ahead. Then we turn back and defeat the ten together with the others. To finish, we wipe out the main force and the boss further ahead."
I hoped it would be that way.
"Then, what's the most difficult scenario?"
There are always people who like to stoke others' anxieties. Like mages, for example.
"Let's see. For instance, while the ten block the entrance, a portion of the enemy stalls the allies who moved ahead. Then, they launch a full-scale assault here with their entire force. Something like that."
Hieee! Does that mean we'd become the target for the enemy boss? Please stop!
"We're currently split into three groups. The people outside, McBurn's main force, and us here. If the enemies in the hole were to attack individually, which would be the easiest target?"
It would be a foolish move for the goblins to attack outside the den, which is difficult for them to grasp. They would either ambush or launch a surprise attack inside the hole. In that case, McBurn-san's main force has thirteen people, while we...
I gasped involuntarily. Cold sweat ran down my back. That's right, we're the bait...
"Did you stay here knowing we'd be attacked?"
Beowulf's voice was calm, but her gaze was serious. I suppose I should expect no less from the town guard, not being shaken.
"It's a matter of possibility. It hasn't been decided that it will happen."
"I doubt the goblins can grasp our movements..."
We had [Sense Living], but that was holy magic. Goblins, being monsters, couldn't use it.
"They can grasp our movements just by footsteps. Don't underestimate goblins."
My wishful thinking was easily crushed.
"Can we win if they charge in here?"
Beatrix's voice was slightly high-pitched.
"I wouldn't set this up if I knew we'd lose. Don't worry."
Paul-san grinned, showing his teeth, and winked. Marcelo-san was smiling.
Come to think of it, both of them had served in the previous war.
One a scout, the other a surprise attack specialist... they must be used to fighting in small numbers in enemy territory.
Compared to them, we...
"Let me show you something good."
As I was feeling dejected, Marcelo-san took something out from his breast pocket.
I wondered what it was, and it turned out to be a dagger. When he drew it from the scabbard, the blade emitted a mysterious color.
"Impressive. A Mithril dagger? Did you bring it from the shop?"
"No, we don't carry such expensive items in our shop. At most, we have silver daggers."
Marcelo-san was smiling.
Still, it was quite something. Only soldiers of the Kingdom's Central Army possess silver weapons.
Wait, come to think of it, did the Headmistress and Katherine-sensei have Mithril ones?
"Where did you get it?"
"Mayor Adolf lent it to me."
"Hmm," the two mages nodded in unison. Paul-san seemed satisfied, as if he had realized something.
"As expected of Mayor Adolf. He understands that we are the lynchpin."
If we are the lynchpin, does that mean we're the bait for the enemy's main force?
No. I feel nothing but anxiety...