kscans

Chapter 169 - The Situation at the Base.

The battle was over, and we headed for the area where our tent was pitched.

It was in a location far from the other adventurers. The tent itself was twice the normal size, and inside, it had not only a bed but also a desk and chair. There was even a weapon rack.

Normally, a tent would only have a bed. Such treatment… I'm not good at being counted on. I'm not used to shouldering such expectations.

"Alright then," I said. "Shall we go and get it?"

Tina agreed with my words.

We took a cloth cloak with us.

At the cart storage area.

This was where the carts belonging to the adventurers and the state were kept. Naturally, each cart had a party name written on it so you could tell whose was whose.

Among them, we found our cart. Our belongings were still loaded on it.

I knocked on the floor. Knock, knock, knock, knock-knock.

Then, a knock came from below.

We looked around and, confirming that no one was there, removed a section of the floor.

There, huddled and hiding, was the Goblin. This was a false bottom. It's a trick often used on Earth for hiding things.

"You did well to be patient," I said. "Put on this cloak. We're going to carry our luggage, so hide in our shadow."

The Goblin nodded at my instructions.

We picked up our luggage and moved in a single file line, with the Goblin in the middle, in an inconspicuous position.

We managed to slip past several patrolling soldiers and make it back to the tent. Once inside, after putting down our luggage, I said, "You're safe now. Just stay still here."

The Goblin, who had taken off the cloak, nodded.

"Now that we've reached our destination, let's organize our information," Tina said. "First, is there anything else you know?"

To this question, the Goblin replied.

{I..DON'T..THINK..SO... I..MEAN,..IT..APPEARED..SUDDENLY..AND..DROVE..US..OUT.}

The text appeared.

So it was a swift takeover, not giving them any time to fight back.

A decisive type. Sounds like a tough opponent.

"Then what did it look like?" Tina asked. "It must have appeared before you, at least."

She asked her next question.

It's true, even if it was sudden, it should have at least seen its appearance. On Earth, it's easy to hide your identity over the phone or internet, but there are no such machines here.

The Goblin replied.

{IT..WAS..A..MONSTER. I'VE..NEVER..SEEN..ANYTHING..LIKE..IT... BUT..THERE..WAS..A..SKELETON..NEXT..TO..IT.}

To this, I said, "A monster and a Skeleton, huh? If it's something this guy has never seen, then there's a chance we haven't encountered it either."

I racked my brain.

If I knew its characteristics, I could make some predictions from the records, but just 'monster' isn't enough to go on.

But after a moment's thought, I said, "A Skeleton… The fact that it was next to it tells me a lot."

I had a realization.

"What do you mean by that?" Tina asked.

"It's probably not a normal Skeleton," I explained. "Skeletal monsters are incredibly weak in terms of durability, but they're intelligent. It's a trait from when they were human. The ones that used magic were especially troublesome. Because they would also use traps and strategies to attack. In games, they were tough and annoying opponents. The fact that it's teamed up with a monster suggests it's intelligent."

I explained.

It was just knowledge from games on Earth, but this place was surprisingly similar in some ways. I couldn't afford to underestimate anything.

The Goblin had a 'What's that?' expression, but I didn't bother to explain.

It would be a hassle, and it was an unbelievable story anyway.

"In that case," Tina mused, "there's a possibility that the Skeleton is the mastermind. It creates and controls the monster. Could it be related to the monster that appeared in the Church's research lab a year ago?"

She speculated.

That thing. I haven't seen it, but the Church's knights had said it was 'a monster they had never seen before.' It was certainly a possibility.

"That settles our course of action," I said. "If we can defeat that Skeleton, we might be able to suppress the monsters' activities. When that time comes, it's your turn. You understand, right?"

The Goblin nodded.

With this, our basic strategy was decided. Of course, I wouldn't tell the general. I would have to talk about the Goblin. It was better to keep quiet if there was a possibility of causing a commotion within our ranks.

Of course, it depended on the situation.

If it was something like corruption or embezzlement, something a person shouldn't do, then I would have to speak up. But this time, this Goblin was the key to settling this whole mess.

I had to make sure, no matter what, that nothing happened to it.

"Well then, let's get some rest soon," Tina said. "You hide under the bed. The food is here, so help yourself. We'll eat what the soldiers have prepared for us."

The Goblin nodded at her instructions.

Just then, I sensed a presence approaching. I motioned for the Goblin to hide under the bed.

At the entrance of the tent.

"Excuse me. I've brought your dinner."

A woman's voice.

I said, "Come in." A female knight wearing glasses entered. The meal she brought was bread and corn soup, and a steak made from wolf meat. It was thick, and a savory aroma wafted from it. It was quite a feast.

"Please leave the dishes here when you are finished," the knight said. "I will collect them tomorrow. And thank you for your hard work. Thank you for saving our comrades."

She saluted.

"It's our job," Tina replied. "Please don't worry about it."

I nodded as well.

The knight smiled and left.

"If only there were more people like that in the world," I said. "It would be so peaceful."

To my musings, Tina replied, "It can't be helped. No matter where you go, there will always be good people and bad people."

She had a knowing look on her face.

It was a sad thought.

"Alright, that's enough philosophizing for now," I said. "Let's eat this wonderful meal."

"You're right," Tina said. "Goblin, you can come out now. Here, this is for you. Eat it."

She handed it a can of mackerel.

Of course, she had opened the lid. We ate our meal.

*

Inside the base.

The soldiers were busy building a large number of fences.

To be placed in the west, center, and east.

"But why would the general give such an order?" a soldier muttered. "He usually reshuffles our positions to balance our forces."

General Goltor's tactics had always been to adjust the number and strength of his personnel and deploy them in a balanced manner. Naturally, if a section was weakened and couldn't call for reinforcements, he would recalculate with the limited numbers and redeploy them.

In short, he had mainly used human-wave tactics until now.

"Apparently, it was a suggestion from the A-rank 'Red Lightning,'" another soldier said. "They seemed to feel something was off about this attack. They said it's better to supplement with things rather than recklessly reassigning personnel. I guess I see their point, but…"

He had a look of reluctant acceptance.

Among them, there were voices of dissatisfaction. Or rather, under the general's command, they could always feel that they were the ones fighting.

For that reason, the idea of supplementing a small number of people with objects, while not wrong in principle, was not something they could accept mentally.

In the midst of this, the platoon leader spoke.

"You seem to have the energy to complain. In that case, shall I let you appeal directly to General Goltor? I can arrange it."

He exuded an intimidating aura that silenced their idle chatter.

"N-no, sir," the soldier said. "I don't think there's anything wrong with the general's thinking. I will gladly continue my work."

He diligently worked on the fences and makeshift weapons.

The other soldiers followed suit.

The platoon leader watched them.

(I know what you want to say. But in the battles to come, we won't survive with the old ways. That's the feeling I get.)

He thought to himself.

Watching this scene, the woman with glasses, Chevre, entered the base with a complicated expression.

As she was walking down the corridor, she met the general.

"General," Chevre said. "About the soldiers…"

"I can't say anything right now," the general replied.

With that, he walked away.

*

The next morning.

As the sun began to rise, it happened.

I opened my eyes in the tent, feeling sluggish. It seemed I hadn't recovered from the fatigue of yesterday's events. But I had a job to do.

Just as I thought that and got out of bed, I heard hurried footsteps.

"Excuse me for the early hour! Hordes of monsters have appeared in three locations and are advancing simultaneously!"

The best alarm clock ever.