Chapter 44 - Consultation Before the Enemy
When we stepped outside, the bright sun and fresh air felt nostalgic.
Judging by the sun's position, not much time had passed, but it felt like I had been lurking in the cave for a very long time.
When I was lowered from Beowulf's back, where I had been carried, I felt like I was going to collapse, but I managed to walk to the forest where we could hide without falling.
The two from the workshop were beckoning us.
"Were you alright?"
"We were. But the main force got trapped."
Paul-san crossed his arms.
"Oh, that's fine then. Look over there."
When the old man pointed, I saw Priest Williams sliding down a rope from a hole in the middle of the cliff, which they must have broken through with a spear or something.
As expected of a former hunter, he came down smoothly on his own.
"A two-story structure? That's quite lavish for a goblin nest."
"Yeah, I've never heard of a nest where humans could go upstairs."
"There was a spider. That might be why."
"There was a spider?"
The workshop duo was surprised.
Please rest assured. The holy magic duo of Marcelo-san and I defeated it easily. Well, I was just a distraction.
"Don't worry. Marcelo and Jeanne defeated it."
"See?" Paul-san winked at me.
My legs were a bit shaky, but I puffed out my chest.
"What's this? The lass looks like she's about to fall over, so I thought she might have lost her nerve seeing a spider, but she worked hard, didn't she?"
"Good girl, good girl," they praised me.
I couldn't purely rejoice, but it was a fact that my legs gave out in the end. Well, it couldn't be helped.
"But would goblins and a spider be in the same den? They should be natural enemies."
At the apprentice's words, the two old men fell into thought.
Spiders are eaten by goblins when they are small, and they eat goblins when they grow large.
It was hard to imagine them joining forces.
"Maybe there's another boss? Someone who can make both goblins and spiders their subordinates."
Beatrix might be right. But Hans-san and Paul-san had said that insect-types like spiders don't even join the Demon Lord's army.
The veterans said nothing, crossing their arms and groaning.
"Could it be connected to the Revenant incident from the other day?"
Beatrix, who was crossing her arms just like the old men, said with a serious expression. She seemed to think that if someone could manipulate corpses, they might be able to manipulate monsters too.
"That's quite a far-fetched story."
The old man took a step back.
"But without some kind of background, there's no explanation for goblins and a spider being in the same nest."
"That's true. But if it's the monster from that time, we'd have to face the one that almost killed Mayor Adolf."
The apprentice followed up, but the answer that came back was scarier than I imagined. The only person I could think of who surpassed Adolf-san was the Headmistress. Wouldn't it be better to withdraw before we're all killed and ask for reinforcements?
"It'll be fine. After all, there are three of their natural enemies here this time."
"Natural enemies?"
Paul-san was strangely optimistic, but everyone tilted their heads at the words 'natural enemies'. What could be the natural enemy of a monster? And three of them...
"Does that mean the priests?"
Beatrix made a wild guess. It's true that priests who use [Holy] could be called the natural enemies of monsters. However, even if that were the case, what's the point of counting me?
"Exactly. The one that cornered the mayor was likely a monster of the Revenant variety. If so, [Holy] and [Purification] should be extremely effective."
Wait a minute! Wait a minute! Please don't include me in the count! When I used [Holy] on the Revenant, the opponent just tripped.
Treating me as a natural enemy of monsters is just too cruel, no matter how you look at it.
I'm confident I could defeat a mouse in one hit. But there's no way I could defeat a monster Revenant. It's fundamentally different from things that have a purifying effect like [Purification] or holy water.
I need to be treated as a non-combatant. While I was desperately protesting, Priest Williams came over to us.
"I'm glad everyone is safe. How was it on your end?"
"We took down a spider. Our holy magic duo defeated it easily."
"Oh! That's wonderful. As expected of Catherine-san's student. Truly impressive."
I-I was just a distraction.
What is it, Beatrix? Why are you nudging my arm?
"By the way, Priest. Do you know what the boss of this den is?"
Paul-san got to the main point.
"About that, there's something I'd like to discuss with everyone. Let's wait until everyone is gathered."
Finally, McBurn-san came out, and everyone was safely gathered. The situation report began immediately. The number of goblins defeated reached sixty-one, and one spider was also killed. The problem was the existence of a boss, and the construction of the cave was apparently different from a normal goblin or spider nest. As expected, there seemed to be something intelligent and strange. Ultimately, it would depend on Priest Williams's search results, but it was concerning that Priest Williams looked so grave.
"At this point, I can sense many reactions deep in the cave. It's the original main force. The problem is that there's a reaction other than goblins among them."
Everyone was holding their breath. Depending on the opponent, we might have to withdraw. Everyone felt that it wasn't a half-hearted opponent.
"It is likely... a human."
Everyone gasped. For a moment, my hands shook. In a sense, it was the worst-case scenario.
Now, what to do?
As a result of everyone sharing their opinions, they were split between the hawks and the cautious.
Paul-san was, of course, a hawk.
"We can handle forty or so goblins and whoever is manipulating them. Let's charge in before they escape."
He was quite fired up.
"But what if the mastermind from the Revenant incident is there? We drove it away with an arrowhead with a silver coin attached by catching it off guard then, but I don't think the same trick will work again."
In contrast, Angus-san was cautious. That would be the normal reaction. Even if it was just Beatrix's whim, we might be facing the monster that almost killed Adolf-san before our eyes. It would be strange to have the confidence to fight and win.
"Leave it to me. It'll take a bit of trickery, but it'll be fine."
Where on earth did Paul-san's confidence, as he smirked, come from...?
A high-tier mage... no, Paul-san is... definitely crazy!
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That man was already at his wit's end. Originally, the goblin nest he had built was in a place so deep in the mountains that even hunters wouldn't set foot in it.
The spiders he was raising had laid eggs, and it was fine until those eggs hatched. The larvae were supposed to be dispersed in all directions by the wind, and even if only a few grew, his foundation should have become even stronger. On that day of all days, a strong north wind blew, and the majority were swept toward the human settlements.
At this rate, humans might come to investigate before sufficient preparations were complete. He must not stand out.
Thinking so, he took most of the goblins and spiders under his control and built a temporary den. He had been reducing the number of spider larvae by feeding them to the goblins, but he had been found by humans.
He was nothing more than a farmer who didn't even know how to fight. Even when he was in the army, he had only taken care of military horses. He had never even thought about commanding a defensive battle.
By the time he confirmed from the window of his room that several humans were attacking, it was already too late.
He hurriedly gathered deep in the cave to form a plan. He gathered the goblins, showed them the map of the den, decided on their placement, and told them the means of attack.
However, it was soon proven to be nothing more than an amateur's shallow wisdom.
He intended to set ambushes in several places within the cave and gradually reduce their numbers. However, the goblins, unable to withstand the smoke attack, were lured out, and their numbers were reduced instead.
He had collapsed the ceiling to split the enemy in two and used his trump card, the spider, to attack the smaller group, but they had counterattacked and he had lost the spider as well.
The power gap, which was initially more than threefold, had now been reduced to about equal numbers.
If he had withdrawn through the escape hole while using the goblins as decoys at the same time as the attack, and if only he and the spider had avoided discovery, he might have been able to bluff his way out. However, the man, who was already prepared to die, thought it was better to fight bravely and die than to run around abandoning the goblins.
He instructed the goblins to flee, but not a single one did. Having no choice, he ordered five young males to return to the home base and protect the nest. After the goblins being sent back to the nest dived into the escape hole while looking back many times, he blocked that hole. He drew a sword he had never pointed at an enemy before and prepared for the final battle.
When he counted the number of goblins remaining in the den, there were twenty-eight. Holding clubs, crude stone axes, and bows in their hands, they were hiding in the shadows, waiting for the enemy's arrival. Ambushing was likely the basic defensive tactic for goblins living in caves. Since the retreat was blocked, there was no way out. However, was it the monster's instinct? Their fighting spirit seemed to be seething.
He had no intention of becoming a prisoner.
If he fought and died here against the people of the enemy country, at least the safety of his family in his hometown would be guaranteed.
That was all he was thinking about.
At that moment, someone spoke to the man from behind.
At the sudden presence, the goblins let out a cry. It wasn't hostility. What could be sensed from the goblins was submission born of fear.
What the man saw when he looked back were two red glowing eyes. He remembered those eyes. He had seen them when he was camping in the forest with the wolf.
"You. You intend to die here, don't you?"
It was the first time he had heard the voice of the one with red eyes. He thought it was a human voice, but he wasn't sure.
When the man nodded, the one with red eyes smirked.
Whether he actually laughed or not, it just seemed so from the shape of his mouth.
"A fine resolution. Then you shall die here. However, I shall not let you die in vain. I shall lend you my strength. After you die, I shall at least slaughter them all for you."
Saying so, he vanished into the darkness.
After the one who could be neither human nor demon with red eyes vanished, the man tried swinging the sword in his hand. He raised it, stepped forward, and slashed down diagonally to the left and right in succession to his chest. After repeating that three times, he took a step back.
Once, when he had set out from his home village, a kind soldier in the army had taught him.
If you face an enemy, do not swing your sword left and right. And use a sword with a heavy hilt and a light tip as much as possible. This way, you can stand against even a strong enemy.
And he also said this: If the opponent carelessly approaches, step forward decisively and slash them over and over until they fall.
The man, who had been taught this, had managed to find a light sword and had practiced only that every day whenever he had free time for years.
It was monotonous, but he had swung it tens of thousands of times. His slashing speed was on par with a decent warrior. He no longer feared death. Because of that, he had no hesitation in killing people.
The goblins, seeing the man brandishing his sword, let out a war cry. The boss is strong. And there is an even stronger boss.
The man looked up at the sky while surrounded by the goblins' war cries. At the end of his gaze was not the sky but a dark ceiling. On that ceiling, a black shadow like a single stain was clinging, and two red eyes could be seen. While looking at those two eyes, he somehow felt strange and laughed.
After the man laughed for a while, he looked at the goblins and gave his final instructions.
The goblins, who had tilted their heads surrounding the boss who had suddenly started laughing, understood the man's instructions and let out laughter in the same way, after which an eerie silence fell.
"Let's fight and die together. The enemy will think our pack has been wiped out and leave this place. However, the females and larvae we left behind will survive. Those who remain can regenerate the pack. If that happens, it's our victory."