143-Chapter 9-2 Goblin Hunting and Shiromaru

'Temma, that village in front of the mountainside is where we're going to be today. It's still quite some time before nightfall, but after that place, all we have left to do is camp out.

As he said this, Blanca pointed to the village. I had originally left the resting place for the journey to Branca, so I just nodded and sent Raiden towards it.

It had taken us more than two weeks to get here, and we wanted to get to a safe place to rest and relax. Incidentally, this was a village that was already in the Southern Autonomous Region and existed roughly two-thirds of the way from Seigen to the destination of the journey.

The destination village is not very large, but I heard that the nearby mountains are a treasure trove of resources, and unusually for a village, an adventurer's guild has been placed here. Well, it seems that most of the adventurers who come here are just starting out or low-ranking adventurers, and the building itself is small compared to a guild. On the other hand, since most of them come by carriage, the grounds are said to be large.

It's a good thing that you're not the only one. There's a group of guys, all stiffly armed, guarding the entrance.......did you do something?

I don't care! I'm going to go talk to you for a bit, so pull over away from the entrance.

I brought Raiden to a halt about a hundred meters away from the entrance, as he might be on the lookout for Raiden.

As soon as Raiden stopped, Blanca got out of the carriage and ran to the entrance. The people at the entrance seemed surprised at first to see Blanca rushing up to him and pointing the weapons he was holding at him, but he quickly lowered his weapons and bowed his head.

Blanca let those people raise their heads and occasionally pointed in our direction and said something to them. Eventually, some of the people at the entrance ran into the village, and Blanca came back to the carriage.

'What's going on?'

'Yeah, apparently this village is involved in some nasty stuff. Because of this, they are on high alert. In such a situation, because of the approach of a carriage drawn by a demonic horse, they were alerted with all their might.

The troublesome thing is bothering him, but Blanca has decided to rest in this village as planned. The fact that she decided to do so despite the presence of Amur means that she has decided that it is not that dangerous.

''For the time being, is it okay to continue to advance Raiden into the village?

'Yeah, once you're inside, head straight for the red-roofed building that's straight ahead.

Got it.

As I followed Blanca's instructions and proceeded through Raiden, I soon came to a building with a red roof. The building was a log cabin-like building with a sign hanging above the entrance that read 'Adventurer's Guild'.

The village chief and the guild leader spoke to me. The village chief and the guild leader have a word with you.

So you want us to help you deal with the problems in your village, is that it?　

I'm sorry.

'Well, fine. You decided that since it was Blanca anyway, we'd be okay with it, right?

'I'm sorry about my Blanca. She's a bad boy, so forgive me, guh!

'I'm really sorry for Temma and the others, but I don't think about you as far as your daughter is concerned, so don't get carried away.

Amur was joking around next to Blanca, who was flat out apologizing to me and my grandpa, and sure enough, Blanca's fist fell on Amur's head. It's a familiar sight every time, but Amur never really learns about this.

After watching the two men ramble, we all walked into the guild together and found two men at the biggest table. As soon as they noticed us, they stood up and bowed their heads.

''This is the village chief of this village, and next to him is the head of the guild.''

The man who was introduced as the village chief has a much lonely head, but has a stocky body on the other hand. The guild leader next to him is a slender man and seems a bit unreliable. If I hadn't asked Blanca to tell me, I would have mistaken their titles for each other.

''I'm sorry to be so quick, but I need to hear the details. All I've heard is that there's a massive outbreak of demons in the mountains at the entrance too.

Blanca said that and tried to listen to the story, but we had never even heard of it before. Well, there was no point in pursuing that here, so we didn't say anything, but Branca noticed the way me and Grandpa were looking at him, and he lowered his head again. And Amur was about to say something again, but Blanca had blocked his mouth.

'I'm sorry. For what it's worth, the whole village is in a flurry. It's the goblins that are causing the mass outbreak.

Goblins?

There was a hint of surprise in Blanca's voice. Perhaps he was wondering why he was so upset with the goblins rather than the increase in the number of goblins.

It was true that if there was a large number of goblins, it would be difficult for an ordinary villager to deal with them. However, with a few adventurers with C-ranked strength and a few villagers who can fight, they could handle a hundred or two hundred goblins.

As if he could see that we were wondering, the guild leader spoke up in place of the village chief this time.

'You'd certainly think it was only goblins, but that pack of goblins isn't normal. There are more than five hundred of them just confirmed. And the biggest problem is that the one leading that herd is the 'Goblin King'. Moreover, the existence of other high-ranking species has been confirmed. In this case, even the Goblins' difficulty level rises dramatically, and you need at least multiple parties with a B rank or higher.

So the guild leader has asked the city where Viscount Lobo lives for help. But he says it will be a few more days at the earliest before they arrive, and in the meantime, he wants us to stay here in the village to help.

The first thing that comes to mind is the fact that it's a lot faster and more reliable for us to go and defeat them.

Even if there are more than five hundred goblins, they're just goblins. Even the top-ranked kings are said to be about B- in terms of rank, so the four of us here can defeat them with no problem... or rather, we can probably drive the flock itself to destruction. Even if I let them escape, I can still find them using my 'search'.

It's true, but the question is what to do to protect this village. Even if we were able to destroy it, if the remnants invade this village, you can be sure that there will be damage, right?

That will be all right. "The Temma has dozens of golems, and Slarin and Shiroumaru are there as well. If the villagers are evacuated as a group and the golems are placed around them as a precaution, they will be well protected.　

'Also, if we leave Slarin in the village as commander of the golems and Raiden in the raid, that should give at least one of us time to get back.

'Then you'll be okay. Village chief, guild leader, is there a place in this village that could accommodate all the villagers?

The head of the village and the guild leader looked pokey at our conversation, but then Branca abruptly turned the conversation around and said, after a moment of being at a loss for words, that this adventurer's guild and the nearby meeting hall could accommodate everyone in the village.

''Then let them evacuate at once. We'll finish our preparations before the evacuation is complete, and then we'll head out to defeat them immediately.

With that, we left the Adventurer's Guild and headed for the carriage. When we got out of the Adventurer's Guild, there were some villagers outside that we hadn't seen before. Apparently, they came out to catch a glimpse of Raiden and Shiroumaru.

''It's only in the Southern Autonomous Region that the villagers are all beastmen.

'Well, yes. If you go to a larger village or city, it's not uncommon to see non-beastmen, but in a small village like this one, they're all people who have lived here for a long time.

When the villagers noticed us, they bailed lightly. Blanca seemed to know some of the villagers and told them to explain the situation and start evacuating, asking them to tell the other villagers as well.

Then let's start the discussion. I'm going to leave Slarin and Raiden in the village, while Gol and Jill stay in the carriage. I'm thinking of leaving Slarin and Raiden in the village, Gol and Jill waiting in the carriage, while the rest of us head out to defeat them, but what do you guys think?

It won't be a problem.

No.

I'm fine.

This place went according to the original plan. As for the golems, I decided to send eight large ones, sixteen medium ones, and forty small ones to guard the shelter. In addition, ten medium-sized golems were placed both inside and outside the village, and all the golems were assigned to me as the first in command and Slarin as the second. The Slarin are ranked second, but since I'm leaving the village to take them down, they are effectively first. This would be a good idea to put me in first place, but I always do this when I give someone command authority because if I don't put me in first place, it will be more work to add or fix things, so I always do this when I give someone command authority.

Once Slarin was briefed, he climbed up on top of the Adventurer's Guild and began to preview the surroundings. The Adventurer's Guild building was the tallest building in this area, so it was just right for him to look around.

''It looks like the evacuation will be complete by now. Then, after placing the golem and greeting the village chiefs, let's head into the forest. Everyone's ready.

Of course.　

Oh!

I'm ready to go!

Grandpa is dressed in his usual attire and equipped with his beloved staff. He has the heaviest weapon among the members, though he can swing it as many times as he likes (which seems a bit odd considering his age), and he uses his flying magic to get there from the air, so he won't be late to the rest of the group.

It's a good idea to be able to have a good idea of what you're going to do with it. It's a good idea to have the shortsword engraved with the family crest of the Ootori family (without the Nami Taro) so that they can be identified as my associates. It's a good thing that you're not the only one who has been given to you by me, but if you use this engraving without my permission, or if you obtain it for any reason other than that I gave it to you and misuse it, you'll be punished, depending on the degree.

In addition to the usual tiger equipment, Amur is going to go with the short sword and machete I gave him. His beloved spear is difficult to maneuver in the forest and the spare spear he has a few of is long, so he won't be using it this time.

Lastly, it's me, but instead of my usual armor, I'm wearing a vest-like jacket made from Seigen over my clothes. This vest looks less durable at first glance, but it's actually stronger than regular armor because it's made entirely of bicorn leather and has a thin mithril plate inside the chest and back area. This vest has a number of pockets inside and out, so I've put my shuriken in there. And I have attached a belt pouch and a waist pouch, and I have put my shuriken and kunai in there as well. It's a good idea to have a good time with your friends and family. It's a good idea to try out shuriken and kunai in practice.

Then let's get going. You all remember where your flock is, don't you? Shiroumaru goes behind the herd with me. Grandpa and Solomon, run into the herd from the sky. Blanca and Amur will go to the front, please. The order is Grandpa and the others after Blanca and the others rush in. At that point, I think the higher species will either pounce on everyone or run away. If they go at everyone, me and Shiroumaru will focus on reducing the number of small fry, but if they run away, we'll go after the higher-ranking species. As long as we're dealing with the higher-ranked species, you're going to keep reducing the small fry. As soon as the top species are wiped out, the herd should start to run down. You can't blame them for running away for a while, but don't let the higher-ranked ones get away. Also, Grandpa and Solomon, don't use broad-spectrum magic by mistake. If we destroy this whole area instead of the goblins, it will be useless.

Roger that....

Cui....

Grandpa and Solomon replied in a depressed voice, as if they were thinking of making a spectacular appearance.

Ignoring the two of them, we made a final confirmation of our plan and Shiroumaru and I stepped into the forest ahead of them. The place where the guild confirmed the location of the goblin herd is about 5km from the village, but when I checked it out with my 'search', it was more than a kilometer closer to the village than the position the guild had found. Moreover, they have cut down the trees to make a place where they can rest with a group. Maybe they were planning to use it as a base to launch an attack today or tomorrow.

The only way to get close is to go around the mountain. If we take the planned route, we might run into a goblin scout.

"Won.

I took a little detour to get behind the herd and hid myself in a place where I could easily see the area. I decided to constantly expand my 'search' at that place. According to this information, the goblins that seemed to be kings and higher-ranking species seemed to be camped in the center of the pack, and the more you go outside, the weaker the goblins seemed to become.

''They're here!''

At the same time I muttered, Grandpa and Solomon descended from the sky. Since we were fighting in the woods, Grandpa had sealed off his fire magic and fired a series of wind magic. Solomon aimed at the goblins outside the range of Grandpa's magic and repeatedly swooped down from the sky to hunt the goblins.

About the time the goblins' attention turned to Grandpa and the others, this time Blanca and Amur attacked them from the front. The goblins are now in the form of a rear-end attack, and dozens of them are flying in the air with their bodies dismembered without being able to react well.

Just when I thought it would be possible to end up with just Grandpa and the others, Blanca and Amur stopped moving and Grandpa began to be surrounded by goblins as well.

''The higher species has gone. I still think it would only buy us time but that's how it is. Shiroumaru, it looks like it's time to go.　

Augh?

Shiroumaru, who was too bored and depressed, stood up while making a dumb voice. While lightly patting Shiroumaru on the back, I pointed to where the goblin pack was.

'It looks like the King is fleeing this place with a few guards. It looks like he's wise enough to use that entire pack as a distraction.

Just as he said this, a singularly large-bodied goblin with a few higher species emerged from the bushes.

''Shiroumaru, say hello to them. If I'm wrong, here........

The goblin kings seemed to buckle under Shiroumaru's greeting, which seemed to echo all the way to the village. In their hunched over state, the kings were trying to run away, bumping into each other and getting caught in the vines of the trees they were scrambling through. However, the person who suffered the most from the sound of Shiroumaru's cries was undoubtedly me, who was to be heard right beside him. In addition to the ringing in my ears, I've been feeling dizzy and unable to stand up straight.

''Ugh, my legs are tangled.......Shiroumaru, not right next to me, you barked before I said, 'Bark right in front of them.......'

Kuhnkuhnkuhn.

Shiroumaru, who had flown off before he finished listening to my instructions, sounded hungry and begged for forgiveness.

You'll be punished when you get back, Shiroumaru. However, if I lose in the number of goblins I defeat (...) there will be no punishment!

Gawgaw!

Once I had regained my equilibrium, I made my condition to Shiroumaru and then plunged into the Kings. Shiroumaru, due to the fact that he was on his back, started much later than I did, and he started to run, sounding quite impatient.　

'First one! Then the second one!

I threw my shuriken at the goblins that were still hunched over, taking the lives of the higher species in rapid succession. Shiroumaru also lagged behind me, swinging his paws and slicing through one or two of them.

''Well, the other one... oops...''

I checked the results of Shiroumaru's battle and took a big step backward as I was about to kill another one. Where I had jumped back, a large club had been slammed into the ground, making a hole in the ground.

The culprit was a Goblin King. It seems to be different from other high-ranking species, and was quick to regain its stance.

Not exactly a king but still!

King pulled out his club with force and was about to swing it again, but I quickly took out my sword and cut it off as soon as I stepped on his arm, and cut off his head with the returning sword.

'Good. I guess that's it.

Now that we've finished defeating our biggest target, the King and the higher-ranking species of his cronies, this herd is over. Even if we missed the rest, the goblins that escaped wouldn't be enough to create a swarm that would be a threat.

''Shiroumaru's battle record is.......three of them?''

On!

So it's a draw and I'm sorry to hear that, Shiroumaru.

"One?

Why? But if I lost, it was to avoid punishment, and my condition was to 'defeat more goblins than me'. A draw means I didn't lose, so Shiroumaru failed to avoid the spanking.

''Wah~n.''

Shiroumaru put on a face that he had just realized this and ran into the forest. Perhaps he went to take down the goblins that were swarming the grandfather and the others.

After I retrieved the King's corpses, I hurried to join the others, and was greeted by a devastated-looking Shiroumaru, a rampaging three and Solomon, and an army of goblin corpses.

'Temma, Shiroumaru's depressed, what's going on?'

When Amur noticed me, he came trotting up to me and visited me, pointing at Shiroumaru. So when I told him about the terms I had given to Shiroumaru, Grandpa and Blanca were sympathetic to Shiroumaru, but Amur and Solomon laughed.

'Guru........Guru?'

Shiroumaru thought he was staring at them with zit eyes, but then he noticed something and started to run.

Shiroumaru came back a short time later, dragging a goblin corpse with a wooden vine wrapped around it. The corpse of the goblin that Shiroumaru dragged is one piece, which probably means that he has surpassed me with this. I'm not sure if it's a good idea, but I'm sure it's not a bad idea to have a dirty goblin in your mouth.

'But that voice was still Shiroumaru. For a moment, I was surprised that another demon had appeared. But the goblins were even more surprised and frightened than we were.

Blanca began to talk about the time she was happily slaughtering the goblins.

'I'd like to hear what Temma has to say, but wouldn't it be better to collect the goblin bodies first? If we leave you here alone, you might attract another demon.

You two, get to work!

At Grandpa's words, Amur, who was about to join me and Blanca's conversation, was the first to begin collecting the goblin corpses. We chuckled at Amur and decided to join him in collecting the goblins, but since there are so many of them, we decided to send out some golems to help.

However, even though I was collecting the corpses of the goblins, the important goblins were quite likely to have their bodies dismembered, and it was quite a task to pick them all up. Therefore, I decided to focus on collecting the body, which contains the magic core, the only material for goblins, and the ears, which are the proof of their defeat, while I dug a hole for the rest of them and threw them away at random. Even with this alone, it was quite easy, and the speed of the work had increased considerably.

''It's time to burn it.

I'm ready.

With everything sorted and collected, I used magic to burn the goblins that were dumped in the hole to dispose of them. When everything was reduced to ashes, I covered the soil with it, being careful not to scatter it, and finally, I used water magic to wet the surroundings. This was a precaution because if the fire was smoldering in the soil, it could cause a wildfire.

We had nothing more to do here, so we decided to go back to the village. We didn't expect the unexpected to happen on the way back.

"There's a survivor.

Yes, I encountered a group of surviving goblins. I was the first to notice the gang and used my shuriken to destroy them in seconds, but the total number of goblins I destroyed was ten. That means I've outnumbered Shiroumaru by a huge reversal. In order for Shiroumar to surpass me again, he would have to find ten goblins.

Shiroumar was shocked by this fact and was frantically sniffing the scent of the surroundings, but since I couldn't find any shadows or shapes of goblins in my 'search', the goblins that had gathered in this area were the last of the goblins that had gathered in this area earlier.

No matter what I said, Shiroumaru didn't try to stop looking for goblins, so he finally stopped looking for them after I told him that that group was the result of overtime and that I'd give them no count.