CH 76

The sudden emergence of the top D rank demonic beast, Goblin king, actually there was a reason why Kitsune wasn’t completely unrelated to it.

Originally, goblins and beasts-type demonic beast were constantly having turf wars over the area close Grandile Kingdom. There had been many cases where normal goblins clashed against crazy monkeys, as if keeping each other in check, as both power competed against each other.

And the ones stood at the pinnacle of the respective sides were the Goblin King and the Mutated Crazy Monkey.

Possessed similarly D-rank prowess, their existences influenced each other. The reason why there hadn’t been any huge war up until now was because these two leaders understood that “Should they fall, their territory would be taken”.

They couldn’t think of difficult things, but as both possessed about the same level intelligent as human, the equilibrium was maintained.

However, the mutated Crazy Monkey had unexpectedly been killed by Kitsune. And its figure had disappeared from this world.

Therefore, the goblin king decided to emerge then and there. With its strongest rival disappeared, the time for the goblin’s group to prevail had finally come.

Along with the goblin king’s roar, the goblins began to move. Their morale was at its peak, victory was within their reach, now was the time make a move, now was the time to take over the territory, they were the true ruler there.

They slaughtered all the beast-type demonic beasts they encountered in their march. And then they let out roars of victory.

Right now, those who could stop their advance— there was none!

And then, at the end of where they were advancing to, there was a town where people were living at. Of course, Goblin King also understood that. It also understood that the adventurers were powerful.

However, now that their morale had rose to its peak after cornering the beast-type demonic beast group, they thought that they could win even against human now. Therefore, their legs were still marching forward.

“Gho…! Thoze who sdand aganinzt uz… gill ‘em all!!!”

When the Goblin King uttered so, its voice could even be heard by the adventurers who were quite far away. A loud and messy voice, however with great vigor and powerful intimidating air of an overwhelmingly powerful existence contained within, it made their skins shivered.

—I want to run away, it’s still possible now.

Such thoughts crossed each adventurer and knight’s mind. However, they couldn’t run away.

Those who were knights were aspiring to become proud warriors who wielded their swords for the people they ought to protect, and those who were adventurers were yearning for becoming heroes whose freedom couldn’t be bound by anything by pursuing their respective potentials. The pride and yearning within didn’t allow them to run away. Even when they wanted to run away, the didn’t want to.

“… hahaha … oy, what should we do, guys? We’ve got quite a frightening amount of demonic beast to handle here.”

One of the adventurers said so. Although they were laughing, it was easy to tell the fear they were feeling from their shaking voice.

However, it was the same for everyone gathered there. That was why no one pointed it out. They were holding their sword, but it looked so unreliable as though it was a wooden stick instead. Even those who had trained for their whole life, they couldn’t imagine that they’d stand a chance against the enormous monster before them.

They couldn’t believe it. And more than anything, that was very mortifying.

“… yeah, but… I’ll fight! Even if I’d be trampled and die here by that monster!”

A single young adventurer with red short hair took a step forward.

He was a newbie adventurer who just recently got to F rank. The weapon he possessed was new, it was still prim and shiny as though it hadn’t been used to kill any demonic beast. His feet were shaking, and his footstep toward the monsters was unstable. Clearly, he wasn’t in the suitable state to fight.

Foolhardy, reckless, impossible, everyone who saw him thought so.

“Wait! What can someone like you do?! You’re just being reckless there!”

“He’s right! No one will blame you for running away, you know?! Moreover, you are a newbie, aren’t you?! There’s no need for you to push yourself to participate in this fight!”

They were trying to stop him, but none was chasing after him. Because fear had already petrified their feet.

“—Newbie? Reckless? So what?!”

But, he turned around and raised his sword high. The brand new sword shone as it reflected the sunlight, and the gazes of the marching demonic beasts behind him gathered in that sword.

“I’m … an adventurer!!”

And shouted so. He shouted from the bottom of his heart.

“I… when I was still a kid, I’d my life saved by a single adventurer! That man was a weak F rank adventures whose name no one knew of, and yet he still turned his back to me and went against the demonic beast! I admired that back of his!! The back of a man who put his life on the line to save a brat he didn’t even know! I thought it was very cool from the bottom of my heart! Since that day, I’ve been crawling forward to be the man I’m now by pursuing that back!”

He didn’t give in to despair. He wasn’t in despair facing the horde of demonic beasts in front of him. He simply wanted to chase after the huge back, as if not to betray his conviction in doing so, as if to make sure his spirit wouldn’t collapse, he drew his sword.

“There’s a large amount of demonic beasts in front of me, and then… on my back there are many lives that’d disappear if I don’t do anything here…. Then the only choice is to fight, isn’t it?! I! I don’t want to be an adventurer who’ll put shame on his ba—No, right here, right now… I’m gonna be like him!!”

Uttering so in loud voice, he took a deep breath and turned his back on them. And then he began heading toward the demonic beasts again. However there was no wavering in his steps this time. After shouting it out loud, the fear seemed to have disappeared somewhere.

Even if they called him reckless, even if he had no chance of winning, even if he’d die here, if he ran away here he’d betray that back at that time. Even if he was all alone, he’d save them, he’d protect them, until the end of his life, he’d fight to the bitter end.

“… Wait, newbie.”

“…what is it now?”

There, one of the adventurers who listened to his shout chased after him. It was a slightly tanned man with skinhead.

“Those caustic words of yours… it gave me goosebumps, you see… you’re right, we’re adventurer, after all… you’ve opened up my eyes there.”

“You…”

“To have a newbie told me such a thing… I’d lose my face as a senior, you see? I will fight too!”

He also pulled his sword.

Then,

“Ha ha ha ha! I do not dislike high-spirited young men… I was also like that back then, after all…  I’ve steeled myself too.”

“Ah, now I’ve remembered it… actually, my parents were killed by the Goblin King! It’s time to avenge them!”

“You liar, didn’t you meet with your parents just yesterday? Spouting such a ridiculous lie… geez.”

“Actually I can’t stand goblin physiologically, they’re very ugly, after all.”

Adventurers and knights come forward one after another. First one, and then another one, steeling themselves they drew their weapons and headed towards the demonic beasts.

“I am… that… umm… yes, I will go.”

“Don’t give up missy! You may die, you know? So just let out whatever in your mind.”

“Y, yes… then … that pig-like filthy face, it looks like a balloon and so disgusting!”

“Your words are unexpectedly nastier than I expected?!”

There was no hesitation in their face. With the newbie adventurer at the lead, after shaking of their fears, the knights and adventurers were also stepping forward.

There was only a few minutes before the clash. But still, with the yearning to become the strongest knights and free heroes burning in their heart, they held their weapon.

“Now newbie, how about giving one or two words to the bunch behind?”

“Eh!? Um, got it… then–everyone! Let’s show that huge monster who the boss is!”

“”Yeaaaah!!!””

Their yells reverberated towards the demonic beasts. The enemy was a horde of about three hundreds, while they had only around fifty people combined of knights and adventurers.

The strength difference was overwhelming. The enemy’s strength was also tremendous. However, they who hold no thought such as taking even a single step back, it wouldn’t be wrong to call them strong.

Long ago, the legendary first generation hero once said:

――― No matter how weak someone is, when they have something to protect ――― they’ll be the strongest.

The clash between humans and demonic beasts was about to begin.

◇ ◇ ◇

“I don’t know why, but I feel like some sort of hot-blooded story is currently taking place somewhere.”

“What are you talking about, Kitsune-kun?

“No, nothing. Let’s get going then.”

When we head out of the hotel, everyone in the town has unexpectedly shut themselves in their house, and the bustling townscape is unusually quiet. Maybe everyone has evacuated because of the Goblin King’s raid, but somehow this situation feels awfully lonely, though.

Currently, with everyone, I’m heading toward a large building where Duke Orba is. There is no one around so I decide to do miasma ball juggling. I still can’t do three, so only two this time. Well, I’m actually just moving them around to make look as if I’m throwing them, though. It’s easier to do than the dribbling with hand training.

I’ve asked Leila-chan to scout the surrounding area using her miasma. I don’t want to come across another murderer like that Reis guy, after all, and above all, I want to minimize the chance of us being found out by anyone.

“Say, Kitsune, we’ve decided to sneak into Duke Orba’s house but, what’s the specific plan?”

“There’s none, but I do think we should prepare one for after rescuing Nico-chan’s dad. I think it’d be great if we could find Duke Orba’s weakness or something like that… or rather, assassinating Duke Orba doesn’t sound bad either. Wouldn’t it be easily done using the miasma? As long as there’s a gap no matter how small it’s, it’s possible to infiltrate even into a secret room, after all. As for the rest, I could just turn it into a knife and cut his throat to finish him off, or something.”

“I understand your reasoning, but I think you’re unexpectedly quite nasty, huh.”

“I think I’m still way better than Leila-chan who eats raw flesh, though.”

“That’s indeed not wrong.”

Nevertheless, if we do assassinate Duke Orba, they’d lose their leader, and I also feel that the case cornering us will fade along with time.

Nonetheless, the best outcome would be to obtain Duke Orba’s weakness such as the document of how high the tax rate he imposes, but the next step after that, all I can think of is submitting those documents to the royal family, right? Even though I just left that ridiculous country here, not just it’d be bothersome to return there just the day after, I also have no inclination to meet the royal families.

That’s why I feel that rather looking for his weakness, it’d be way better to just assassinate Duke Orba and then escape along with Nico-chan’s Dad.

“As expected, let’s just kill him. You see, don’t you think that his name, Duke Orba, is kinda irritating?”

“Isn’t your motive for murder a bit too light?”

“You see, Rishe-chan, you don’t exactly need a reason to kill someone, because killing in itself is a bad thing to do, after all.”

“Huh?”

“You aren’t allowed to kill people, that means no matter how fancy your reason is, it’d ultimately be denied, you know? And since even such a trivial reason in the end would also be denied either way, doesn’t that just means that reason for killing is of no necessary?”

As far as I’m concerned, I do feel it strange whenever I hear people saying that that murderer Reis is cruel for killing people for no reason. If that’s the case, doesn’t that also mean that you can kill people as long as you have a reason?

However, even if there is a reason, in the end it’d be denied and you’re still guilty. Then, won’t it be fine just come up with whatever random reason you can? Just randomly.

After all, you don’t need a reason to kill.

“Oh, is it the place?”

“That’s right, inside… there seems to be more than a dozen of people, you see?!”

“I see… then where’s Nico-chan’s Dad?”

“Hm… There is someone in the basement sitting on the ground, but… Is that him?”

Leila-chan’s scouting ability using her miasma sure is convenient, isn’t it? Seems like she can even easily grasp the structure of the building and so on. I think I can do it as well if I increase the amount of my miasma a bit more, but what a useful skill to have it is, huh.

“Well then, let’s go … Nico-chan, are you scared?”

“….I don’t think I’m not not that scared.”

“Good to hear that.”

When I ask Nico-chan, who’s walking next to me while holding my hand, she seems to be surprisingly not scared. The time she uses such an indirect lie, huh. Perhaps dissatisfied that I see through her lie right away, she makes a disgruntled face and pouts her mouth. Well, all in all, it’s good that she’s not scared.

I don’t like simple-minded children, but I don’t dislike children like Nico-chan.