CH 69

Emergency

***---***

By the time dusk approached Volzard, the goblins were almost invisible outside the forest.

At one point, the goblins overflowed from the woods, but the number decreased due to the rampage of Reinhardt and the others at the walls, Zae and the others in the middle of the horde, and Art and the others on the outer circumference of the horde, and food was available. It seems that the movement stopped because they entered.

According to Fred, who has been scouting, a myriad of groups are being formed by a number of superior species.

If such a group is formed, it seems likely that there will be a turf war, but since there is plenty of food, there will be no conflict between groups.

Then adventurers, who have survived the first stage of the maximal outbreak and have taken a rest, are waiting for the second stage attack.

Even if you say waiting, it depends on the goblins as to when there is an attack, and when that will happen ... some adventurers have begun to get impatient.

"Donovan-san, isn't it better to hit them from here while they are calm?"

"If you go out poorly and get surrounded, is it okay if we just let them eat you?"

"No ... that is ..."

"Then, how about shooting at the higher species that you can see from here?"

"The one who eats the magic stone of the fallen higher species will just become the next higher species ..."

"That's right ..."

If you are an adventurer, you may want to make a name for yourself and earn more than others, but it seems difficult to fulfill your wishes in a situation like a siege battle.

Still, it makes you impatient to have to keep silent and wait for the situation to move, and considering the people in the city, it's better to get things done as soon as possible.

"That, Donovan-san ... Is it useless to have my genus collect the higher-ranking magic stones?"

It seems that it is not known exactly what role the magic stone plays in the body of the demon.

However, it seems that it is involved in the circulation of mana in the body, just as the heart circulates blood, and when the magic stone is actually crushed or broken, the demon will die.

If my genus extracts the magic stone from the body of the higher species, I can subdue the higher species and prevent another goblin from becoming a higher species.

"Can you do that?"

"Yes, my genus can move freely in the shadow world, so it is possible to select a higher-ranking species and extract the magic stones."

"Well, if you collect even the magic stones, will the next higher-ranking species come out ... Okay, do it."

With Donovan-san's permission, I immediately tried to send Mart as a messenger, but one adventurer stopped me.

"Wait a minute, Donovan-san, doesn't the fact that his genus collects the higher-ranking magic stones mean that he monopolizes the magic stones? That would be unfair."

The one who complained was Pedel, who was involved in the guild on the day I asked them to buy the Salamander.

"And anyways, I think he just made a lot of money by having his genus defeat the Salamander. And now he's going to have a further monopoly, does everyone consent?"

He's acting like the representative of the adventurers, but if the adventurers around me are told that I'm the only one who owns the magic stones, they don't look very happy.

"That ... the magic stones collected by my genus will be divided equally ..."

"No. Why do you need to divide equally?"

I read the air on the spot and tried to offer an equal division, but Donovan-san rejected it.

"I understand how you envy Kent, because such an unreliable little boy can easily get the money you would spend years earning."

"If so, it can be divided equally ..."

"No. Adventurer business is a business that makes money with talent, effort, and ability in the first place. Don't count on others! You want equal division? Did you do something to have the right to be part of the division?"

If Donovan-san glares at them, no one can argue face-to-face.

"Look under the ramparts. Who cleaned up the pile of goblin corpses? Thanks to whom did their pressure weaken? Don't look away from the facts, this kid is already a demon who is working so much that it's not enough to monopolize the stones."

"But that's the work of his genus ..."

"So what? If you have any complaints, try having your genus work. You don't have to bother to say who the skeleton or lizarman is working for. Then you can't say you don't know who should be rewarded."

Although Pedel had a bitter look on his face, he couldn't argue.

"Pedel, this Kent will easily overtake you ... no, maybe he's already overtaken you. There are occasional irregularities like this in the world."

Donovan-san looked at me, but it's not a power I wanted to obtain.

"As someone who has been working steadily and diligently, I can imagine how frustration and envious he must be. But, even if you drag him down, it doesn't mean that you can rise above where you are now. If you want to rise, rise with your own feet."

Pedel was still dissatisfied, but when he nodded, he turned around and returned to his place.

"Kent, do it."

"Yes, I understand!"

I decided to have Art and the others collect magic stones from the higher-ranking species.

Twenty-five heads from Art to Nort were tasked with collecting magic stones, and five heads from Hart to Hort were tasked with monitoring the outer circumference of the horde.

As soon as the thirty undead kobolds scattered, changes appeared.

Like ripples, the voices of goblins spread in the forest.

"Gigi ... Gii ..."

"Gya, Gyagyaguu ..."

As the goblins began to make noise in the Devli's Forest where dusk was approaching, the adventurers and garrison members who were waiting all stood at the ready.

I, who gave instructions to Art and the others, thought that it may be a situation where I had to give instructions to Reinhardt and the others to defend, but the buzz that spread like ripples on the surface of the water eventually subsided.

"Goshujin-sama, it's over."

"Good job ..."

Art came to give the news, so when I looked into the shadow space, there was a mountain of magic stones that seemed to belong to the higher species.

Maybe there are more than a thousand at a quick glance, and I felt somewhat dizzy and held my forehead.

"What's wrong Kent?"

"No, the magic stones made a mountain ..."

When I thought about the adventurers, I thought it would be awkward and answered in a whisper, and Donovan-san grinned.

"Fufufu, you have good working genus."

"Yes, I'm just grateful ... By the way, the goblins seems to be quiet."

"The turmoil you heard earlier was probably because their leaders suddenly died and the goblins who became their minions were upset."

"Won't they attack after this?"

"Probably not. They're full now, if they're hungry ..."

"Will they fall asleep?"

"Maybe ..."

Just in case, when I sent Art and the others to scout, they said that several goblins were sleeping clustered together.

I don't know the ecology of goblins at all, but even if you wake up from sleep, you won't feel hungry suddenly, and if there are still corpses of their companions, I feel like they won't attack the city.

Even so, the outbreak that started with rock ogres led to the outbreak of orcs, and this time the maximal outbreak of goblins, why do they only come to Volzard?

It wouldn't be strange to go to the side of Lastock once in a while.

"It's probably because of the wind ..."

"Because of the wind?"

According to Donovan-san, there are many days when the monsoon from the east blows at this time of year.

Riding on that wind, the scent of the people living in Volzard flows, and it seems that monsters are attracted to it.

Certainly, the wind is still blowing from the walls toward the forest.

"Then if the wind changes ..."

"Well, there will be more days when the westerly wind will blow from near the end of the year. If that happens, Lastock will be targeted."

I don't know what would happen to Camilla and the others after everyone returns to the original world, but before that, they might be attacked by monsters and annihilated.

I wonder if Resenburg is properly preparing for a maximum outbreak.

By the time the buzzing goblins were quiet, the sun had set and the adventurers were given dinner.

It was only rich milk tea and biscuits like hardtack, but the taste was ok and it settled firmly in my stomach.

I'm not a goblin, but when I was full, I was suddenly drowsy.

After lunch, I was nervous because the situation was still imminent, but in situations where the deadlock seems to continue, I tend to feel relaxed.

Even if I stand on the wall and stare at the forest, my consciousness is dimming and my feet are unsteady.

I have been moving since the morning due to irregular rescue operations, and I may have been exhausted by being skewered.

Looking at the adventurers around, it seems that they are watching in a fixed order.

"That ... Donovan-san, the order of my lookout ..."

"You should sleep there until I call."

A blanket was piled up where Donovan-san pointed with his chin.

[ Kent-sama, we'll be watching and do reconnaissance, so take a break. ]

[ Thank you, I'm counting on you, Reinhardt. ]

It's not soft to the touch, but it's warm, wrapped in a thick blanket, as soon as I lean against the wall, I fall asleep.

Before I feel asleep, I remembered that I had forgotten to arrange the accommodations for my rescued classmates, but I couldn't beat the powerful drowsiness.

It's like when I was just coming to Volzard, I was training in the Devil's Forest in the middle of the night, and I fell asleep for a moment, and when I woke up, it felt like less than five minutes.

[ Kent-sama, get up! Somehow the situation is strange! ]

"Get up everyone! Get ready for battle!"

Immediately after being awakened by Reinhardt, I heard Donovan-san's sharp voice, and immediately woke up and noticed something unusual.

From the forest, I heard goblins screaming voices along with the sound of the earth rumbling.

"They're going to rush in, don't let even one into the city!"

The angry words of Donovan-san reached the ears of the adventurers so as to overwhelm the sound of the earth rumbling that shakes the air.

I don't know how long it's been since I fell asleep, but there's no sign of dawn yet, and the lights of the magic tools installed on the walls haven't reached the forest.

But in my field of vision, which was good at night, I could see dust approaching from the distance.

"Goshujin-sama, the goblins are being chased by a huge lizard."

"Hert, a huge lizard ..."

When I asked Hert, who came to report from reconnaissance, a flame bullet rose from the other side of the rumbling sound.

"Damn, it's a Salamander!"

The goblins, who fell asleep during the night and thought they would be rushing the city after tomorrow, suddenly started to run away because they were attacked by a Salamander.

"Hert, how big is the Salamander?"

"About half the size of last time."

It seems that the Salamander that was subdued last time was a particularly large individual, so this time should be considered as a normal size.

Donovan-san was upset by the invasion of the Salamander for a moment, but he heard that it was a normal size and started to devise countermeasures.

"Goshujin-sama, it's half the size, but there are four."

"What ...?"

After that Donovan-san opened his eyes wide in shock, he hurriedly turned his gaze towards the forest.

If you look closely, it's true that the flame bullets are rising from multiple places.

"Reindhardt, command everyone and protect the city!"

[ OK! ]

"Donovan-san, I'm going to defeat the Salamanders!"

"Hey, Kent ..."

Without listening to Donovan-san's reply, I dived into the shadows at once and aimed at the place where the Salamanders are.

Looking through the shadows, the goblins seem to be completely panicked.

They are in a state of running away scattered because they lost the role of coordinating from the higher-ranking species and there is no one to lead the horde or group.

The place where the Salamanders are is like a special effects movie where the flames blow, and even if I just showed my face, it seemed it would be burned by the heat.

It seems that the four Salamanders work together to spit out flame bullets and drive the goblins.

The Salamanders mercilessly attacked the goblins who were afraid of fire and fled, and ate two ore three of them at a time.

"Gwauu!"

The four Salamanders are less than half the size of the last one I defeated, but unlike the previous individual who was lazily looking for food, the appearance of spitting flame bullets and repeatedly roaring from their stomach is scary, and the legs are shaking.

What's more, the appearance of catching goblins and chewing them with agility that doesn't suit their size was full of the style of the king of the ecosystem.

I tried to cut through the medulla oblongata and subdue them like last time, but I can't install it where I aimed the shield of darkness because they are moving around.

Meanwhile, the Salamanders continue in the direction of Volzard.

As the Salamanders advance, the chased goblins also escape in the direction of Volzard.

If I don't stop the Salamanders, the goblins will not stop, and conversely, if I stop the Salamanders, the goblins may stop.

This time, I decided to subdue them with light attribute attack magic.

While moving along the shadows, I searched for a place where I could shoot at the head of the Salamander, and when I saw a chance, I shot magic.

It should have hit, but the Salamander seems to be too large compared to the range of effect of the attack magic method, and it can not be killed with one shot.

In the end, I shot nearly ten attack magics, and finally one Salamander stopped moving.

One of their companions suddenly collapsed, so the other three stopped and came back to see what was going on.

"Guruuuuu ..."

While making their throat squeak, they're trying to wake up their stuck companion with their nose.

The other two also watched the situation with suspicious faces, but it was helpful that they stopped moving.

I connected the shadow space into the head of the Salamander that stopped moving, and cut through the medulla oblongata.

Immediately two of them colapsed, and the remaining one was surprised and stopped moving.

It's good that they were killed safely, but I was having trouble handling the defeated Salamanders.

If I leave it as it is, it will become bait for goblins if I'm not careful.

On the other hand, it is necessary to get the help of my genus to put it in the shadow space, but everyone is fighting.

At that time, I decided to try something that came to my mind.

What would happen if I put out the shield of darkness under the soil where the Salamanders lay and connect it to the shadow space?

Wouldn't the Salamander be stowed in the shadow space so that it would fall into the pit?

Yeah, can I join the ranks of masters?

Now that the threat from this side is gone, the pressure of Volzard should be reduced.

When I hurried back to Volzard, I could see the sight of a Salamander on the wall.

A flame bullet fell from the center of the wall and blew away all the goblins that had rushed.

"Mana, oh mana, oh mana that governs the world, gather, gather, gather in my hands and become a flame, dance, dance, dance oh flame, and become a fireball!"

Compared to the magic of Takayama, which is the size of a basketball, the fireball is larger than an adult with both hands open.

At the point of impact, more than ten goblins have blown away and craters have formed on the ground.

"Focus your aim near the center of the horde so that the goblins avoid Volzard!"

The user of the flame bullet raises her red-haired ears and gives instructions to the garrison mages.

I heard that Marianne-san, the commander of the garrison, was a fire-type mage, but I never thought she was this good.

Due to the attack of the garrison members led by Marianne, the goblin horde moves to the left and right, but the pressure from behind is still strong, so part of them are pushed against the wall.

Reinhardt and Basten are sweeping the horde under the ramparts, but they seem to be pushed by the force of numbers.

Also, it seems that corpses are starting to accumulate under the walls slowly, and even if the garrison members and the adventurers struggle, the goblins will rise to the top.

"Donovan-san, the Salamanders have been cleaned up."

"Kent, is that true!"

"Yes, I'm going to destroy the corpses under the wall. Tell Mart and Reinhardt to leave the wall for a bit!"

"Wafu, I understand, Goshujin-sama."

I also dive into the shadows and move to a place where I can see the state under the wall.

To clean up the corpses, I use the same method as with the Salamanders.

You can't put living things in the shadow space, but you can put dead things in it.

If you put out a shield of darkness under the ground below the wall and connect it to the shadow space, the corpses fell into the shadow space together with the ground that could not bear the weight.

It was impossible to clean up the entire circumference of the wall at once, but if I clean it up in order from the place where the most corpses are piled up and imminent, the goblins will avoid and escape when they see the wall that has regained its height.

Perhaps because the pressure of the Salamanders disappeared, the movement of the goblins gradually slowed down, and by the time the rising sun rose, there was nothing approaching the walls.

I went out of the shadow world and called out to Donovan-san, who was taking a rest.

"It looks like something has happened."

"Oh, Kent, where did the corpses go?"

"I temporarily dropped them into the shadow space, so I will ask Reinhardt and the others to throw them into the depths of the forest later."

"Well, what happened to the Salamanders?"

"I've killed all four of them and put them in the shadow space, so please buy them later."

"Fuhahaha ... four Salamanders at a time, I wonder if the guild's money is about to run out."

Donovan-san is smiling, but his facial expression looks tired.

"Kent, could you have your genus explore the forest?"

"That's easy, Art, go take a look."

"Wafu, I understand, Goshujin-sama."

When Art went out on reconnaissance, Donovan-san put his arms on the chest-high wall and turned his gaze to the forest.

"There was a guy who was slightly injured after they climbed up to the ramparts several times, but I haven't heard any reports of any deaths or entry into the city."

"We've protected it."

"It's not completely over yet, but I'm sure we've crossed the mountain, Kent, thanks to you being here, thank you."

"I don't need thanks, Volzard is an important city for me, so it's natural to protect it."

"Yes ... that's right ..."

Donovan-san's bitter laughter seemed to have a love for the city of Volzard.

"Goshujin-sama, the goblins are scattered all over the place, and I don't feel like they're heading over here."

"Okay, Reinhardt, do you have a moment?"

[ What is it, Kent-sama? ]

Reinhardt appeared immediately after I called.

"I want you to remove the magic stones from the goblin corpses that I dropped into the shadow space, and then disperse them in the depths of the forest and throw them away."

"I see, it's a translocation to create a feeding ground for goblins in the depths of the forest, I understand."

Reinhardt understood my will and took immediate action without telling everyone.

If there is a feeding ground in the depths of the forest, there will be no reason for the goblins to come to Volzard.

"Donovan-san, if I clean up the area around the city ..."

"Hmm, if you want to do that much work, I'll readily give up my desk and chair."

"Aah, that's ridiculous, it's fine, I'll decline!"

"Fuhahaha, you should go back to your boarding house and sleep, and then we and the garrison guys will handle it."

"Okay ... Oh, Donovan-san, where is the first aid station?"

"Why, even if you got injured somewhere ... can't you heal yourself?"

"Because a classmate who can use healing magic that was just rescued volunteered to participate ..."

"Well, yeah, the first aid station should be next to the cafeteria."

"Okay, I'll take a look and then go back to the boarding house."

As I was walking towards the first aid station, 'Kan, Kan', the bell was ringing to announce the cancellation of the alarm.

I was a little proud to think that I was able to contribute a little to Volzard's successful new morning.