89 Episode 67: The Mystery Remains

As Gram pointed out, the Goblins who defeated their heads (trolls) collapsed without maintaining their previous mad offensive posture. Until now, we have been unable to take any action to continue attacking at the same time.

There was plenty of room for a bunch of goblins. Even if they were depleted, they would not be able to compete with Goblins who have lost their strength as a group.

"... that's fine for now. But it's just a first aid, so I can't be indifferent."

"No, thank you enough."

I can't just leave it to Mikage. Thanks to the magic of Cunei, I was able to move. The feeling that the\ 36528; monuments are crunchy is not lost, but if you're dealing with a goblin, there's no problem.

"Totally, it's just rude.... be prepared when you get home."

You have to be prepared to be narrowed down more than usual. Happy or horrible.

"First of all, we have to work hard to get home safely. ─ ─ Magic Blade, come on!

A black light is emitted from the sacred mark on the left hand, and a gram appears at hand.

They called me and jumped out and came to me! Anyway, as usual, your partner is useless! If I were a woman, I'd fall in love!

Because that's good. I still have work to do, so take it seriously.

Don't say anything bad about Nori. Can my partner work a little harder on me?

... maybe a spear thrown at Troll's head hit him.

Yes, thanks to me. I've been quiet with my partner, but I can actually move a little on my own. "

When I was told, I sometimes had the feeling of being "pulled" when I was dealing with a black spear. I always thought it was because of my mind.

Even so, it's enough force to pinch and pull your clothes lightly. So even now, 80% of the way is my partner's skill with just a few orbital modifications. You can be proud of it.

While receiving my compliments, I rebuilt my\ 36528; with my spear on my back.

"Well, one more step. Let's go!"

─ ─ After that, we were able to push the Goblins to retreat.

The damage to the building was considerable, but in a human sense it could be kept to a minimum.

Of course, there were quite a few casualties and I couldn't be honest with myself, but I still got a word of gratitude from the villagers. If it is salvation, it is salvation.

That night. I was able to rent a house that barely remained a prototype in a destroyed house instead of a base in the villagers' favor. I was cooking the lights, and I was talking to Mikage again while I was being treated by Cunei.

"In any case, that size is a little too unusual. It's about five times what I expected."

"Yeah, I'm surprised, too. I can't believe it's that many....."

While fighting, I was obsessed with selflessness, but in retrospect, there were too many Goblins. Near the boundaries of the village at the heart of the battle, there is a cadaver of Goblins gathered in one place.

The Goblin's ears, which are proof of the assassination, have been stripped, and the villagers will gather the bodies and burn them. Leaving the body like that will cause the meat to rot and cause a plague.

"... Yukina-sama, this may still be an anomaly."

"That's what I've been saying."

"No, it's not. That's not what I meant."

Mikage had a magical look when she put her hand on her chin.

"Indeed, as Yukina-sama said, the mercenary's perception of the Goblin is undeniably sweet. But that's because there hasn't been any particular problem."

"I can't swallow a word?

I tried to ask Mikage for an explanation, but the first one I answered was Kenai, who wrapped a bandage around my arm.

"I'm sure your soldiers are doing regular sweeps of evil beasts near King's Landing. Wasn't this neighborhood within range?

"That's right. Unlike mercenaries who operate for money or prestige, with the exception of a few, the significance of military presence is to maintain national order and peace. There's no way they're unaware of the dangers of the Goblins."

It's only natural to think about it.

The Ugly Beast is a constant problem for human society. Can't we just leave it up to the mercenaries as a nation to deal with it?

The expedition of the brave (relics) also meant giving him experience, but it also meant solving the problems that had been left unattended.

Until now, the National Army has regularly crushed the Grievous Beast (Goblin), so it has never been possible to build a nest.

"Well, what about Stampede?

"That forest is a frequent place for mercenaries to come and go, so the Mercenary Alliance is largely in charge of its management. However, in times of emergency, the National Army may come out."

Unbeknownst to me, it seems that the Alliance was quite blamed by the state for one of the Undead Beast runaways (Stampede). For the time being, it seems to have taken control of the Alliance and developed to the point where the state manages it.

"It seems that Yukina chose to clean Covolt for the promotion exam, but the country asked me to do so. If we jumped away, that would have transferred control of the forest to the country."

"That forest is a source of livelihood for new mercenaries. You'll have to obey for a while, just before your country pays close attention."

Kenai is participating as an external sponsor of the exam, and the conversation behind it seems to have been overheard.

Let's get this over with and get back to the Alliance.

"Yukina. How long will it take for the goblins to build their nests and swell up to that size?

"Don't you know that? I'm not a scholar or anything."

I know the dangers of the Goblins better than the mercenaries, but I don't care if they ask me the details of their ecology.

"Speaking of which...."

Remember something, Cunei opened his mouth.

"I heard when I was treating the villagers again after I chased Goblin back, but I've never seen a troll near this forest."

"That's right. If I find something like that, it's a bigger problem than a goblin."

I can't deny the feeling of falling out only this time, but if it's normal, that's the case that needs to be requested as soon as possible. I mean, if I'd seen it, it would have been on the mercenary requisition.

"... please wait. So where did that troll come from?

"Well, it must have flowed somewhere with Goblin."

Goblins don't have a fixed habitat. Wherever the herd has food to live, it begins to breed.

"I'm sure you're right, but this village would have been destroyed by now."

There are many examples of Trolls leading the Goblins, but Mikage said he had never heard of them setting up a base before and then entering human habitat.

"Without going around like that, Troll would have led Goblin to ravage the village."

Sure, if you ask me.

Goblin was building a nest to build a stronghold for attacking the village.

On the contrary, if the necessary conditions were in place to take down the village, there would have been no need to build a base. Because the conditions were met when the trolls were there.

"... the more you talk, the deeper the mystery deepens."

As Cunei is right, there may be something more deep-rooted in this case than originally thought. That's what makes us think that something unexpected is sleeping.

"In the meantime, I'll hit the goblin nest tomorrow morning. Then we'll talk."

Let's focus on getting the job done. Report any questions we have just raised to the Alliance, and you can handle the rest.

─ ─ However, we had no reason to know that things were going in a much worse direction than we had expected.