novelVolume 8
| ← Ch.072 | Ch.074 → |
Overlord Volume 8 Side 1 (1/2)
Enri's Tumultuous and Hectic Days (2)
In this way, the five of them quieted their breathing and prayed that the source of the sound would turn in another direction. But unfortunately, this did not happen, and the figure making the noise finally came into Enri's field of view.
"Eh?!"
A tiny gasp of surprise escaped from Enri's mouth.
It was a ragged-looking little Goblin.
His body was covered in tiny wounds which bled profusely. His breathing was rapid and uneven, and the smell of his blood and sweat spread throughout the area.
Even though Goblins were already smaller than humans, this Goblin was small even for another Goblin. Enri and the Goblins concurred that this Goblin was a "child".
The Goblin child looked fearfully to his rear, in the direction where he had come from. There was no need to listen up for the sound of trampling plant life that followed from behind him. From the looks of things, they were hunter and prey.
He frantically moved his spasming feet, taking cover in a patch of shade different from Enri's own.
"That―"
"―Please be quiet."
Gokou had not even looked at Enri as he interrupted her. Those unrelenting eyes were fixed on the direction from which the kid had come.
Just over ten seconds later, the pursuer revealed itself.
It was a huge magical beast that resembled a black Wolf. The reason why they could instantly tell it was no ordinary Wolf was because of the chain wrapped around its body. The serpentine chain did not hinder its movements at all, as though it were merely an illusion. Two horns sprang from its head.
Nfirea muttered the name of the beast to himself.
"Barghest..."
Although it could not possibly have heard him, the Barghest sniffed around like a dog, and then its face twisted. It was an evil grin that no mere beast could ever make. It slowly looked around its surroundings and its eyes settled on the tree where the Goblin child had hidden.
Just like the beast it resembled, the Barghest had a bloodhound's scenting ability. There was no way it could not sniff out the Goblin child who had bled so much on the way here.
From the look of things, the reason why the Goblin had managed to get here was not because he had been able to evade the Barghest. Rather, it was because the Barghest was a sadistic creature; or maybe it was because it was hunting for sport.
Suddenly, the Barghest stopped moving, surprise knotting its face, and it stared at the place where they had gathered the herbs.
Ah—
Enri pulled her face back. The others quickly followed suit.
Behind the tree trunk, Enri opened her hands. Her skin was green and speckled with stray bits of plant matter. Beside her, Nfirea did the same thing.
The sap and juices from the herbs we picked...
This was the same sort of thing that Nemu was soaked in when she ground up the herbs. Although it did not affect those with numbed noses (like themselves), the powerful stench still hung in the air. She found the sudden pounding of her heart noisy.
"It's started moving.... It's moving away? Could it be it didn't smell us?"
Unrai had his ear to a tree, and a question mark appeared above his head.
"... Maybe it can't pinpoint where the scent's coming from?"
"What do you mean, Ani-san? Don't monsters have very sensitive noses... ?"
"That's the reason why, " Nfirea quietly explained.
The key point was that because it had an extremely sensitive sense of smell, the stench floating in this area was particularly effective against it. The Barghest had confused the scent of Enri's hands and bag with that of the already-harvested areas. Even better, the smell had covered up their original scent.
It was also possible that the Barghest had torn up the herbs to smoke the Goblin child out.
Although the powerful stench was everywhere, if they fled in haste, the displaced air from where they were fleeing might catch the Barghest's attention.
"Then, let's use the kid as a sacrifice and be done with it. We don't know how strong this Barghest is, and engaging it without prior knowledge would be too risky."
That cold-blooded reply made Enri look at Gokou's face.
However, these words were logical ones. The Goblins put Enri's personal safety as their top priority. With that in mind, avoiding combat with that magical beast was only to be expected. They would even sacrifice one of their own kind for that without a second thought.
He was probably correct, given the conviction with which he had spoken those words.
However, Enri disliked it. Even if they were of different species, not helping someone you could help would disgrace herself as a human being.
Who knew, if she had not been a silly village girl who had never known a Goblin attack and lacked a sense of danger, she might not have thought that way.
Enri looked around to the others. The Goblins knew Enri's wish. They simply did not want to speak it. After that, Enri looked to Nfirea.
"Enfi..."
"Haa... I'll help. Who knows, that Goblin child might become a valuable source of information. If we don't find out why he fled here, it might end up causing danger to the village."
The Goblins knitted their brows.
"Is there a chance you might lose?"
"Certainly. But if that's a Barghest, we're in luck. Barghest Leaders are pretty strong. But from the look of that guy's chains and the size of his horns, I don't think he's of that type. If it's just a Barghest, we're sure to win."
"Wait a minute. Ane-san's here too. We should avoid danger."
Enri swallowed. She knew what she was saying was only to satisfy her ego, and her foolish words would endanger not just herself but the others around her. But even so, Enri still opened her mouth to speak.
"... If we abandon someone we could have helped, it would be as bad as tormenting him ourselves. I don't want to be like those people who harm the weak. Please!"
Kaijali, who had been watching Enri's earnest expression, sighed in defeat. At the same time, the monster's strange bark rang out. They could clearly hear the sound of mocking laughter within it. In response came the Goblin child's pitiful wail.
There was no more time for confusion or debate.
"It can't be helped. Get him, lads!"
The Goblins took the lead in jumping out, followed by Nfirea.
Enri felt a terrible, wrenching pain in her heart as she watched the warriors who went into battle to fulfil her wishes.
All she could do was watch them from behind.
Then, Enri thought, at the very least I should stay here and watch them seriously, without blinking even once.
***
The four who had leapt out saw the Barghest pressing the Goblin child down beneath it. The Goblin child sported new wounds but was not dead yet, because the Barghest had the bad habit of toying with its prey.
The Barghest's movements stopped, and it stared at the group of people who had jumped out and then at the Goblin child. Perhaps it was afraid that its prey had led it into a trap.
"Hey hey, come on boy, " Unrai said, pointing to himself with his thumb."Want to play? I'll play with you. Come on."
The Barghest growled, full of menace.
In a natural, flowing motion, Kaijali drew the machete at his waist. The other Goblins followed suit.
"No need to think so much. I'll teach an old dog like you new tricks. How about we start with 'play dead'?"
"Agyaaaa!"
In response to the Goblins' taunts, the Barghest squeezed the Goblin child it was stepping on, who wailed in pain
Although it could not speak, its actions made its intentions clear. Make a move and I kill the brat. However―
***
"Very good! Go ahead and kill him!"
The three Goblins ignored the Barghest's taunt, and charged in with shouts of their own.
This unexpected response brought confusion to the eyes of the Barghest.
The Barghest could not have known that the Goblins had not shown up with the intention of saving the Goblin child. They were only here because of Enri's wish, and their attitude was "as long as we tried to save him, it's good enough".
Since they had shown themselves for a confrontation, their precious Enri might get hurt if they did not bring down the Barghest. As a result, they had to make sure they killed the Barghest. So if the Goblin child was murdered, if that wasted their opponent's first action and let them seize the initiative, then the Goblins would gladly let the kid die.
Seeing itself reflected in the blades of three machetes, the Barghest understood that it could not use its hostage against them and stopped moving. It was confused as to whether or not it should finish off the boy it was pinning down.
Taking his life would be easy. It would be gone in one bite. However, if it did that, there was no question that it would be hacked to pieces by its enemies' weapons.
The threat to its life led the Barghest to its decision.
Ignoring the Goblin child, the Barghest leapt at the Goblins to meet their attack.
A Barghest was heavier than a Goblin. The Barghest was hoping to pin its foes under itself and finish them off by ripping their throats out with its fangs.
However, this was a poor choice.
The targeted Goblin easily twisted out of the way of the attempted attack, and at the same time the other two Goblins on the left and right slashed at the Barghest with their machetes.
One blade was deflected by the Barghest's chains, but the other ripped into its body, sending blood everywhere.
At the same time, a small hurled vial shattered after hitting the tip of the Barghest's nose.
"Gyaaaaah!"
The vile miasma which now clogged its eyes and nose drew an agonized howl from the Barghest.
And at that moment, three more jolts of pain ran through its body.
It could sense that it was in trouble from the outflow of blood alone. The Barghest wept, its vision shaky and blurred, and made its move. Its target was the one who had thrown the vial ― a human.
However, the Barghest had only taken a few steps when its feet stuck to something below and could not move.
Looking down, it saw that the ground was covered in a strangely-colored slime. The bizarre liquid was not absorbed by the earth.
"The glue won't be able to resist a magical beast's strength for long! Take it down in one shot!"
In response to the human's voice, the Goblins shouted their battle cries and charged. In addition, the human cast a powerful spell at it direction.
"SHAAAAAAAA!!!"
The Barghest used all its strength to wrench its feet from the ground. Although its movements were slowed because its feet were still coated with adhesive and dirt, it was still able to fight.
Watching the Goblins close in for the kill again, the Barghest used its superior intellect (compared to a regular beast) and acknowledged the fact that "these Goblins were mighty foes".
It acknowledged that these were different from regular Goblins in one crucial way ― they were enemies who could kill it.
This Barghest knew three methods of attack. It could gore, piercing its foe with its horns. It could bite. It could knock its foe down and rake it with its claws. Unlike stronger Barghests, it did not have any special abilities. But in truth, it had an ace in the hole.
This tactic completely abandoned defense, and if the Barghest failed, it would be doomed. But now was not the time to worry about holding back. It had to make full use of what could be the last few seconds of its life.
The Barghest howled wildly, checking the advance of the enveloping Goblins.
"[Reinforce Armor]!"
The spell from behind, cast by the human, made the Goblins' armor glow brightly. The Barghest panicked, predicting that it was some sort of enhancement spell, but the Goblins in front of it simply grinned.
Maybe it made them reckless, but with their armor reinforced, the Goblins advanced as one. Perhaps it might be called a foolish move, but then one could also say it was a brave step forward to quickly end what could be a long battle.
Indeed, it was — if the Barghest had not expected them to do this.
If a Barghest could change its facial features as easily as a human, it would have smiled to itself.
The chains on its body rattled like a snake. Then, the chains binding the Barghest suddenly came to life.
The thick chains began swinging with tremendous force.
The special ability [Chain Cyclone] would severely wound the Goblins, if not kill them outright.
The Barghest was giving this its all. This was a big move that could only be used once a day, and after the chains were used it would be unable to use them as armor for at least ten seconds. The risk was high.
The unexpected attack threw off the Goblins' dodge by a second. This was a fatal mistake. However―
"Get down!"
―A thunderous order cut through the air before the chains could.
The Barghest that had bet everything on this attack stared at the other human who had shouted, and its eyes widened.
The Goblins who should have been too late to evade it had nimbly dropped to the ground, as though the voice had injected them with a fresh dose of vitality.
The Barghest stared at the commander who stood behind the magic caster.
And then, the Barghest's forelegs and one rear leg were severed from its body as it took machete blows. It howled in pain. It tried to recover its chains, bare its fangs, threaten them, but the Goblins were having none of that.
"Ani-san, no need for the magic support. For safety's sake, just put up an alarm around this place.
The Barghest, which knew it had already lost, was desperately trying to get away.
Its normally limber body was now cumbersome and slow. That was only natural considering that three of its four legs were now stumps. Even so, the Barghest wanted to flee with all its might.
But the Goblins would not allow it.
***
Sticky blood coated the grass all around and the stench of iron drowned out the odor of the plants.
The Barghest lay dead, the viscera spilling out of its corpse still warm from its body heat. The Goblins turned away from the Barghest, their bloodstained machetes in hand, and turned to look at the Goblin kid.
The kid had been hurt badly and had lost the strength to flee, but he still forced his body upright against a tree.
"Hey, who are you guys? Which tribe are you from?"
The Goblins looked at each other, wondering how to respond to the questions of a kid who was half frightened and half suspicious.
In each other's' eyes, they wordlessly discussed the strategy for what kind of attitude would yield the most benefits and what kind of information they should reveal, but Enri felt that there were more pressing matters than that.
"We need to take care of his wounds first. What can we do, Enfi?"
The kid was hurt very badly and he had already lost a lot of blood. Left alone, he would definitely die. Although Enri had no idea how to help him, she was hoping that her childhood friend would know what to do.
"The most normal herbs can do is stop the bleeding, it won't help against blood loss. However..."
Nfirea began rummaging through his pouch.
"There's the newly-created healing potion. I wanted to hand it to Gown-sama, but... could you show me your wounds?"
Nfirea walked forward, withdrawing the potion vial from his robe.
"W-wait, what's this dangerous-looking liquid? Is it poison?"
Hostility flashed across the kid's frightened face as he saw the purple potion. From Enri's point of view — perhaps even Nfirea's point of view — this was a natural reaction. The potion looked too much like poison for him to not be on his guard. However, the Goblins were very upset by the child's words, and they immediately stalked over to him.
"―Oi, punk. Ane-san's the one who decided to save you, along with Ani-san. You'd better watch your words to the people who saved your life... That's for your own good too, got it?"
The kid turned to look at the blades brandished before him. Although he was only a child, he still knew that the Goblins before him were very angry. He shrank before their eyes.
Enri felt that it would be better if they did not have to intimidate the kid, but she knew the Goblins had their own rules which they followed. It would not be a good idea for her to butt in with her human sensibilities.
"I-I'm very sorry."
"Ah, it's all right. Don't worry."
As he answered, Nfirea poured the potion on the kid's body. The wounds were visibly closing up.
"Uuuoooh! What's this? The color's so gross but it's so amazing!"
The kid felt the stares of the surrounding Goblins on him and trembled.
"Ah... no, I, ah, th-thank y-you very m-much..."
"Oh, looks like the punk has some manners after all."
"Very good. This way, I can tell Gown-san that the experiment was completed without a hitch."
Nfirea looked around, seeking approval. Enri and the Goblins, who got what he meant, nodded to him.
The potion Nfirea created was made from the materials provided by the great magic caster Ainz Ooal Gown, who was the savior of Carne Village. Not only was there no need to spend money on research fees, but he had even provided all the necessary ingredients. With that in mind, the meaning and value of the potion that he had created was plainly obvious.
The fact that Nfirea had decided to use it on his own was a major problem, but perhaps he could pass it off as a practical evaluation of the potion's effects.
If he explains it to Gown-san after the fact, he'll probably allow it... herbalists have their own rules too, I guess.
"You, you used me as a guinea pig!"
Unable to read between the lines, the kid gasped in shock, while Enri and Nfirea smiled bitterly in response. A reaction like this was only natural from someone who did not know the full details of the situation.
Although the two of them had at least managed to smile at the reaction, there were others present who did not possess their forbearance. The Goblins were clearly furious; they clicked their tongues and someone went, "that little bastard!"
Enri held out her hands to try and calm them down. He did not know any better, so it was only to be expected that he would react that way. Besides, he was just a kid, so there was no need to think too much about it.
"Well, if you say so, Ane-san... anyway, we should get moving. Who knows what other monsters will be drawn by the scent of blood."
"And, although we won... Ane-san. Please don't do this sort of thing again, okay? Our job is protecting you."
"Exactly. Still, hearing Enri shout like that really scared me."
"... Well, it's because of that voice that we're fine ― oi, brat, you'd better not run off. We have a lot of questions to ask you and if you don't want to go home in pieces you'd better answer up truthfully."
"Unrai-san..."
"―Ane-san, this is for the village's sake too... get over here, kid."
The kid got up, slowly and painstakingly. His wounds were healed, so they should not have hampered his mobility, but his stubborn resistance made his movements slow.
Gokou, whose machete was dyed red with blood, spat on the ground.
Enri turned to Nfirea for help. However, he silently shook his head. As she turned to look at the Goblins, she saw that there was steel in their eyes, and with it, silent approval of their colleague's actions.
"... Ane-san, don't worry, I won't kill him. I just want to ask him some questions about what's going on. Besides, don't you think he'll die if we left him here?"
It seemed as though the question was aimed more at the Goblin child than Enri herself. He seemed to get it, and the resistance in his eyes faded away.
"I got it... I won't run off..."
"That's good. Then the sooner we move, the better. Can you be sure that there's only one of those Barghests, kid?"
"... I can't. Apart from them, there's several Ogres too. I don't know if any of them chased after me. And I'm not a kid, I'm Agu, the fourth son of Ah, the chieftain of the Kigu tribe."
"Agu-kun, hm."
"I think 'kid' will do for him..."
"We'll talk about that later. It's not like it's important enough to argue about it now. Since Agu wants us to use his name, maybe we should, in order to build trust between us?"
"Ani-san, you're really mature. Then let's gather our things and go."
In accordance with Kaijali's words, the group set off in silence while watching their surroundings warily. The heavy atmosphere that hung around them was almost visible to the naked eye.
Although Enri wanted to lighten the mood with conversation, the forest was not a place for humanity. She could not act lightly here, especially considering that there might be further pursuers after them.
♦ ♦ ♦
They left the dark and gloomy forest, and after bathing in the sunlight, the tension which filled their bodies melted away, replaced by the flexibility and relaxation that had returned to them. In that moment, they felt like they had returned to the world of mankind once more.
Nfirea was walking beside Enri, and a loud "fuwaah~" escaped him, sounding like both a sigh and a yawn.
The Goblins' movements had lost their tense edge, but Agu's expression still looked stiff. He seemed distressed by the sunlight and the wide spaces, and it showed on his face. That was probably because he had grown up in the shadowed forest.
"There, the village is there."
Agu's face scrunched up as he followed Enri's finger to the distance.
"What? That wall? It feels... feels kind of like that Monument of Destruction."
"Monument of Destruction?"
"That's right. It's a scary new place in the Great Forest. Anyone who goes near it will perish. They say there's undead there too."
"You say everyone who goes near it will die, but you sure know a lot about it."
"... while the Monument of Destruction was still under construction, the brave ones from our tribe went there and saw monsters of bone building it."
"Did you know about this?"
"No, I'm sorry, but this is new to us too, Ani-san. If we go too deep into the forest we might meet enemies even our boss can't defeat. So we try not to go too far."
"... Hey, which tribe are you three from? You're stronger than any Goblins I've ever seen before, so where―"
Agu sneaked a peek at Enri, and then mumbled something about 'Usually humans are... ' to himself.
"Do you serve the humans?"
"Is that weird? Isn't it normal to work for someone who's strong?"
"But strong people... no, I mean, I've heard that humans as a race have strong members and weak members... but you're a woman, right? And the one with his hair covering his face is a man, right?"
Enri's eyes went wide. If she were not a woman, then what was she? No, it was just that he could not tell if Nfirea was male. Could it be that Goblins could not tell the sex of humans?
"Enri, I think this boy hasn't seen humans before. At most, he knows what his fellow Goblins told him. Also... is it really so hard for Goblins to tell us humans apart?"
"Well, our clothes... are different...."
"Like I said, he doesn't know things like that. Don't all Goblins wear the same thing regardless of whether they're male or female? Of course, sometimes there's civilized Goblins with a country of their own, but he's not one of them."
I see, Enri suddenly realised, and then she realised she had not answered Agu's question yet.
"That's right, I'm a girl."
"So are you a magic caster?"
"No, is something wrong?"
A profoundly disturbed expression appeared on Agu's face.
"I'm the magic caster. An arcane magic caster."
"... You two are husband and wife, right?"
"Ehhhh?!" The two of them exclaimed in perfect harmony.
"No, I mean, for some races, the wives can use their husband's power and authority... is it not like that?"
"No, no, it's not like that at all!"
The surrounding Goblins seemed to want to say something in response to Enri's adamant refusal, but all that anyone saw them doing was sagging their shoulders in silence.
"Then... what's going on? How come that woman's number one?"
"We call you a kid because you don't understand why. Ane-san's strength isn't something that can be seen with the eyes."
Enri wanted to deny that, but Agu's earnest eyes looking at her exerted a pressure that left her unable to speak. While Enri was confused, Kaijali asked a question.
"Then, another question for you. Why were you being chased by those guys? What happened?"
"That―"
"... Say, can this wait until we get back to the village?"
And the one who answered Enri's suggestion was―
"That's right ~su. It would be better that way ~su."
―A woman who had not been with them until now.
Everyone exclaimed in surprise, and looked to the source of the sound.
What they saw was a stunning beauty. She was a woman with twin braids and brown skin. She was dressed in what she called her maid wear, and she carried a strange-looking weapon on her back.
She was a suspicious-looking individual, and at the same time a familiar one.
Lupusregina Beta.
She was a maid serving under Ainz Ooal Gown, the savior of Carne Village, and she had been responsible for delivering the alchemical items and apparatuses to the Bareares as well as commanding the Stone Golems. Her cheerful and carefree attitude made her very popular with the villagers.
However, she had a habit of appearing out of nowhere, just like she had sone just now. The villagers believed that it was only natural that a maid in service to a great magic caster should know magic of her own, and Enri had shared that opinion too. Even so, appearing like that all of a sudden was still frightening.
"Lupu-san, w-where did you... ?"
"Really now, En-chan, I've been following behind you guys from the beginning~su. Huh? Don't tell me you guys didn't notice me ~su? I thought everyone was ignoring me because I had no presence ~su"
"Eh? Ehhhh?"
Although she sounded like she was kidding, her tone was very serious. Enri looked around for help from the others.
"Then ― Lupu-neesan, could you stop joking around?"
"Uwah~ people think I'm just a joker~su. I'd like you guys to remember me ~su... Nah, I was just kidding anyway~su. Just a joke~su.."
Silence resumed, until someone sighed tiredly with a "Haaaa."
"Well, not like there's anything wrong with that. So who's this little Goblin?... Could ― could it be!"
Enri felt the Goblins between her and Lupusregina swapping annoyed looks.
"Fufu — Enfi-chan, you got cucked by a Goblin? Fufufu."
As everyone rolled their eyes, Lupusregina was still laughing.
"What's all of this then~su. A pure, innocent boy's love, trampled just like that~ su. Ah, what a riot~su! Fugya!... All right, enough kidding around, what really happened?"
Agu's body trembled fiercely, as though he had seen some kind of monster.
Although, Enri could understand why. Lupusregina's cheerful expression changed ceaselessly, like a high-strung person under stress. The way she could go from laughing to dead serious all of a sudden was frightening in its own way.
"Aw, don't worry, I won't eat you~su. It's okay-su. C'mon, tell onee-chan all about it~su"
"Lupu-neesan. We should talk about this later. Didn't you agree on that?"
"Oya? Hm, I definitely recall saying something like that~su"
"..."
"... Ah! I hope you can hand this potion to Gown-sama, Beta-san. It's newly developed, but its effects have been tested and proven."
"... Oh? Enfi-chan, you finally made it?"
"That's right. Unfortunately, it's not completely red, but I think we've made significant progress."
"― Well, that's great. I'm sure Ainz-sama will be very happy to hear it."
With that, Lupusregina's attitude seemed to have become that of a normal person, and not the flighty, carefree girl from before. However, that expression only lasted a moment. In the next, she was back to her old self.
"Ahhhh, how exciting— Really, I picked a great day to visit~su. Also, no need to call me Beta. Lupusregina will do ~su. Special exception just for you~"
With the (apparently) high-spirited Lupusregina in tow, they entered the village gates.
The villagers said nothing when they saw the unfamiliar Goblin child. One could say that they were not nervous, but it could also be said that they trusted Enri very much. Perhaps they had assumed that the Goblin child was a relative of one of the other Goblins.
They went through the village and past Enri's home. Their destination was the Goblin's house.
"Excuse me for a bit. I'm going to call Brita-san over to listen to what Agu has to say."
"Sounds like a plan, Ani-san. She's training to be a ranger, so she'll be entering the forest, which means it would be good to share this information with her.... So what should we do, Ane-san?"
"Eh? Me?"
Enri panicked briefly, not having expected her name to come up during the conversation. With no particular reason to oppose it, she simply nodded her head.
"Mm. Well, it's not like I'm opposed to it or anything. Rather, I hope she hears what Agu has to say. I'm counting on you, Enfi."
With an "Understood", Nfirea left the group behind.
"While I don't mind just waiting here... maybe I should make drinks."
"Great idea~su! I'm thirsty ~su"
"... Lupu-neesan, aren't you a maid? That means you know how to make delicious drinks, right?"
"Welp, I'm the maid of Ainz-sama, and the other Supreme Beings, soooo... I don't want to work for anyone else ~su. I just want to laze around su~. Not interested in working at all ~su."
"Is that so... well, that's a shame."
Although Unrai and Lupusregina's conversation seemed quite normal, Enri could still feel a chill run through her.
As they walked and talked, they reached the Goblins' house.
This was a huge building, with a wide courtyard where one could raise and let wolves run around, capable of housing almost twenty people. There was ample space to train with and prepare their weapons.
The Goblins opened the door, and led the way for Enri, Agu and Lupusregina.
"Fueeee- I didn't know there was a place like this ~su"
"Hmmm? Lupusregina-san, you're not coming in?"
"Yup yup ~su Can't just barge in without an invitation ~su. Well, it's just a matter of etiquette, it's not like I can't really go in ~su. I guess the only one with such a weird legend surrounding them is flatchest-san ~su"
"Flatchest-san... ?"
"That's right, En-chan ~su It's the name of a tragic beauty ~su Well, it wasn't as though that person couldn't really go in ~su. It's all legends, myths and folklore. Weeeeeeell, let's not talk about that any more. We're here to listen to what Goblin over there has to say, right ~su?"
"Ah, yes. Then, drinks... ehm, how about herbal water and fruit water? There's black grass tea and Hyueri-infused water..."
Agu and Lupusregina looked completely baffled by Unrai's question, so Enri helped explain for them.
"Hyueri are citrus fruits, you cut them open and infuse them into water and it tastes clear and good. Black grass tea is a little bitter."
"I'll like a Hyueri water."
"Same for me ~su"
"Got it. How about Ane-san?"
"I think I'll have the Hyueri water too. And... how about washing our hands? Even if our noses are used to it..."
"Ah, that should be all right. Oi, kid— I mean, Agu, you come over here too. Gotta clean yourself up. And bro, sorry about this, but you mind taking care of our dirty weapons?"
"Is it alright?"
"Of course it is. Not like he can do anything. Our rules here are very simple."
"If that's the case... let's go."
Kaijali left the room with three sets of weapons.
"Agu, come over here quickly."
"Why do I have to wash? I'm clean, aren't I?"
Enri saw that Agu's hands were very dirty; there were not clean by any definition of the word.
"Your opinion is irrelevant. This is the owner of the house telling you to wash up. Or are you saying you're going to defy the owner in his own house?"
Agu puffed up his cheeks, and plodded over slowly to Enri's side.
Enri poured the water from the large tank into the pails. After preparing four sets, she stuck her hands into the unexpectedly cold water and started to wash up. The green stuck in the gaps of her nails melted away. After she was sure it was all gone, she brought her hands in front of her face. The stench was gone.
Satisfied, she then looked around herself. Gokou and Unrai were washing their hands too, and the water was dyed red by the Barghest's blood.
Next, she looked to Agu, but what she saw left her dumbfounded.
Even a child would know better than to wash up like this. He stuck his arms into the water, waggled them around a little, and that was that. He did not even dry himself off.
It was only after Enri had washed off the plant-scent on her hands, Agu still reeked of torn leaves. For Goblins who lived in the forest, a scent like this was a form of self-defense against magical beasts who had keen senses of smell. As such, they might have never developed the habit of bathing.
Even so—
"You do it like this."
Agu made an annoyed face as Enri tried to teach him. However, he thought of his own position and what the other Goblins had said earlier and grudgingly, he started to thoroughly clean himself.
"That's right, you're doing great..."
"Hey, after this, use this to wipe your body. Make sure you get all the blood off."
Agu looked unhappy, but he still took the towel with damp hands and used it to wipe himself off.
"So we just dump the dirty water outside?"
"Yeah, just like that. Ane-san, go have a seat. We'll take care of the rest."
Enri took advantage of those words and headed to the nearby table. It was surrounded by chairs since so many Goblins lived here. As she chose a place to sit, she suddenly realized how tired she was. Her arms and legs were like logs, and her head was heavy.
Although part of the reason had been gathering herbs, what had really worn her out was the battle against the Barghest.
All I did was watch... Enfi and the Goblins were fighting, but they're still moving around after all that... looks like I'm never going to be a warrior... or rather, Enfi's gotten stronger...
Even though she knew that her childhood friend could use magic, she hadn't expected that magic to be so powerful.
He's amazing...
As she thought of her suddenly-different childhood friend, Enri's heart swelled with an emotion she could not put into words. It was a mysterious feeling that seemed to be surprise, but then again it seemed like something else entirely.
A clear sound brought Enri back to her senses, and her eyes fell on the ceramic cups on the table. They were filled with a transparent fluid that gave off a citrus smell, and Enri decided to help herself to a cup.
The refreshing, sweet and sour taste washed over her entire body, and she felt like she was filled with energy. Agu had sat down beside her at some point, and he gulped his down in one shot and immediately asked for another.
Lupusregina did not touch hers.
Come to think of it, I don't think I've ever seen Lupusregina-san eat or drink.
"... Hm? Something wrong? You've been sneaking glances my way recently. Are you in love with me? Ahhhhh, how troubling~ my, how shocking, to think that En-chan is a lesbian~su. Looks like I need to let everyone know~su"
"What— no! No! It's not like that!"
"Wahahahaha~ Just kidding. I know En-chan likes men."
Enri did not know how to reply, and her mouth narrowed into a straight line.
"Still, they're pretty slow... hm? Looks like they've arrived."
Enri turned to the door, but she could not sense anyone outside.
"Really? But I don't hear anything at all."
Agu cupped his ear forward with his hand.
"Hey, are humans a race with good hearing?"
"That, that, I don't know about that, but I don't think Lupusregina-san would lie about this sort of thing... though she might... prank people a little."
Then, was she lying?
Agu's eyes suddenly went wide as he stared at Lupusregina.
"No, really, I heard them. They're coming for sure. You're amazing."
"Hm? Not at all ~su. Compared to Enri-san over there, I'm nothing much ~su."
Agu seemed to swallow it up, and looked back at Enri with a surprised expression.
No, that's not how it is. That smile on Lupusregina-san's face is so damn fake! Enri wondered how she should tell Agu the truth, but before that, a knock came from the door.
Shortly after, Nfirea and a woman in leather armor entered the room.
Brita, the former adventurer, had moved into the village after Nfirea did. Originally, she had been an adventurer in E-Rantel, but had retired after certain events. Even so, she still needed to earn a living, and so she responded to the village's solicitations and moved here.
She was studying to be a ranger, and she had potential. Even though she was weaker than Jugemu, she was still one of the strongest people in the village and the leader of the village's self-defense force, even though it could hardly be called that.
They had brought her along because she led the defense force, and ebcause she entered the forest while practicing her ranger fieldcraft.
"Ah— it really is a new Goblin... no, hm, I keep thinking from an adventurer's point of view... I shouldn't treat him as an enemy."
Brita smiled bitterly. It was not as though Enri did not understand where she came from. In stories, Goblins were the enemies of mankind. Killing them on sight was the right thing to do. However. this village was different. Frankly speaking, the villagers felt that humans seemed to be the real enemies in this case.
"Then, since everyone's here, let's listen to what he has to say. Agu, can you tell us why you were running while covered in all those wounds?"
"Simply put, I was fleeing from an attack."
"That's too simple... what kind of monster attacked you?"
"The minions of the Giant of the East."
"The Giant of the East? Who's that?"
"... What do you call him?"
"No, it's not a matter of what we call him, we didn't even know he existed until just now. Brita-san, do you know anything about this?"
The most widely-read person in this place was Nfirea, but when it came to the forest, Brita still knew more than him. Even so, all she could do was shake her head.
"I'm sorry. I haven't heard anything concerning this Giant of the East. And I don't think Master Latimon knows either. We've never ventured into the depths of the Forest and so don't know much about its residents."
"Then, Agu, tell us the basics about him."
"When you say the basics, you mean..."
Enri understood Agu's confusion. In situations like these, it was better to ask discrete questions one by one, so it would be easier for him to answer.
"Then, can you tell us about the powerful monsters in the Forest?"
"Well, to me the Barghests and the Ogres are all strong... but if you want to talk about things on the level of the Giant of the East, then in the forest, there are the powerful ones called the Three Monsters. The first is the Beast of the South. They say it's amazingly strong and slaughters everyone who enters its domain. However, we haven't heard anything about it recently, and apparently they did not see it even when they entered its territory, so I don't know what happened to it. Then there's the Giant of the East. He's built an army beyond the withered forest. Finally is the Serpent of the West. I heard it's a disgusting snake that can use magic."
"Strange... how about the north?"
"There seems to be a lake in the north with all kinds of races. As for who rules them... I don't know. But there seem to be twin witches in the swamp. And when the Beast of the South vanished, the forest became weird. I'm not too sure what exactly happened, apparently some really scary guy showed up, and then the balance of power shifted..."
"Is that the Monument of Destruction?"
"That's right. I also heard that the master of the Monument of Destruction can command the undead, little black shadows that can move through darkness. That's what the survivors told us."
Everyone ― with the exception of Lupusregina ― looked uneasily at each other.
The first thing was the Beast of the South. Since its territory was supposed to be nearby, then when one thought about it, the creature must surely be the magical beast tamed by the adventurers who had escorted Nfirea here — or more specifically, the one who wore jet-black plate armor. It certainly had the look of power and strength about it, and so the description fit it perfectly.
"The Beast... the Wise King of the Forest, Hamsuke-san."
"That's it! Ahh, yes, that's certainly qualifies as a Beast..." Brita said as she heard Nfirea. She had not been in the village at that time.
Apparently, she had seen it in E-Rantel, from far away.
And there were two more monstrous creatures out there who could equal it. Nobody could not feel shock and fear at that realisation.
"Then, how did you escape?"
"Until recently, the three of them held each other in check. The Beast of the South didn't leave its territory, but nobody could guarantee that would always be the case. If the East and West fought, no matter who won, there was always the chance that in their moment of victory, they would be finished off by the Beast in their weakened state. As such, none of the three powers actually engaged in battle."
"All right, I can accept that. However, if the East and West cooperated and... no, the Beast of the South wouldn't leave his domain, so there's no need to ally to defeat it. No need to provoke it..."
"I don't know what those guys are thinking. They just claimed their own territory and turned it into their own kingdoms. However, the owner of the Monument of Destruction messed up the power distribution. Because of that, the East and West decided to make war on that King of Destruction, and they went around gathering disposable troops for their forces."
Agu just kept talking and talking, without a pause.
"They forced us to ally with them. Although, we were hardly allies. I's more like we Goblins were worthless to them. They used us up and threw us away, and if we messed up, we suffered. Because of that, we ran away. However..."
"It didn't work, right?"
"Yes, that's right. The Barghests and Ogres came after us. We couldn't fight them, so we scattered. I fled in this direction with a few people into the Beast of the South's territory, but we didn't expect them to come in after us without hesitation."
He said there had been a few people, but there had been no sign of anyone other than Agu.
A pained expression drew across Enri's face, and Gokou spoke.
"... We have people scouting out the Forest, if anyone's still alive, we can bring them back here as long as they don't resist."
"Yes, there's that. Wolves' noses are very sensitive. Then... the question is, besides the Barghest, what else is out there? Did they have friends that came over too? If it goes badly, the pursuers might end up coming all the way here. Oi, Agu, what other monsters are there?"
"There's Barghests, Ogres, Boggarts, Bugbears, and some kind of wolf thing..."
"They're fairly common monsters. I'd like to hear more about the Giant of the East and the Serpent of the West, specifically, their looks, their abilities, that sort of thing. Do you know anything?"
Agu shook his head.
"I don't know the details. I know that the Giant of the East carries a big sword, and that the Serpent of the West has a head like you, but what kind of magic he uses, I don't know."
Everyone's attention went to Nfirea, who shook his head. There was simply too little information to work with.
"The question now is what are we going to do? If something that can fight evenly with the Beast shows up, frankly speaking, we're done for. The most the self-defence force can do is take the women and children to safety."
"Indeed. If all we needed was a sturdy defense then it would be fine, or maybe we should think about some other methods. If the disturbance in the forest blew over by itself, it would be great."
Everyone began thinking.
For them, as people who lived outside the forest, it would be best if matters within the forest settled themselves. However, that would mean they would be unable to enter the forest at all, which would be problematic. Still, they might have no choice but to do so if the worst came to pass.
"... However, if the enemy can easily take out a forest tribe, that means they must have gathered a lot of fighting power."
"Wrong!... Originally, our tribe was a lot stronger. However, when we went in search of new places to live, our tribe dispatched mixed teams of Ogres and adult Goblins. If they're still alive, we can still fight back!"
"Then those adult Goblins still haven't come back yet?"
As Brita spoke, Nfirea tilted his head, as though thinking about something.
"About that... although this is a completely different topic, could I ask you about something that's bothering me? Do you speak the same way that other Goblins do?"
"What do you mean?"
"Ah, that might be a little hard to undestand. In the past, I've met Goblins myself, and don't take it the wrong way, but they spoke like morons. In the village though, Jugemu-san and the others speak normally. The same goes for you — as in you both speak fluently. Because of that, I was wondering if the ones I saw were savage Goblin tribes or something."
"No, it's just that I'm particularly smart for a Goblin. Most Goblins speak in single syllables. That made conversation in the tribe really troublesome, I can tell you that. I was seriously wondering if I was from another tribe instead. Now, just to be safe, let me ask you this, was I born in a tribe from around here? Have you heard anything about me?"
"No, we don't know... You... Could it be... Ane-san, Ani-san, could you come over here for a bit?"
Nfirea and Enri followed Kaijali to the corner of the room.
"Could it be that Agu kid's not a Goblin, but a Hobgoblin?"
Hobgoblins were offshoots of the Goblin race, and they were superior to Goblins in many ways. Goblins were about as big as human children when they were adults, but Hobgoblins could reach the height of an adult human.
They were similar to humans not just in physical abilities, but in mental attributes. Since they could breed with Goblins, they typically formed mixed communities with them. However, Hobgoblins were not as fecund as Goblins, and so they tended to be leaders or elite guards within a tribe.
"But if my father or mother was a Hobgoblin, wouldn't they know themselves?"
"Both his parents were Goblins and he was a Hobgoblin?"
"Eh? Isn't that the kind of weird plot that shows up in stories?!"
"... This is the first time I've seen Enri make a face like that... but unfortunately, I don't think that's the answer. Just as humans adopt children, I think the Goblins might have done something similar."
"That's certainly possible. Well, in that case, we don't have to worry too much about it."
The three of them returned to the table, and as they did, the hitherto silent Lupusregina opened her mouth to speak.
"Welp, made a decision ~su? If anything happens, you can always ask Ainz-sama for help ~su. Ask him to help solve the problem and all that ~su."
That would be everything they wished for.
If the hero who saved the village decided to make a move, not even the Three Monsters could hope to stand against him. However—
"We'd be counting too much on him."
Enri mumbled to herself, and the Goblins agreed. Only Brita and Agu, who did not know of Ainz, were baffled. Nfirea had a complex expression on his face.
"This village is our village. That means we should do as much as we can by ourselves. Although, some people might think that I shouldn't put on airs because I haven't bled or led anyone, I still...
"No, I agree with Ane-san's opinion. This village is Ane-san's—"
Kaijali went "Hm?" and then tilted his head as he corrected himself.
"Ane-san and our... no, that's not right either."
"You're trying to say that the village belongs to everyone who lives here, right?"
"That's right, Ani-san. You got it, just like I expected! Well, even so, I think borrowing the power of that magic caster-sama should wait until we're completely out of options."
"But if we do that, everyone might die~su... Getting hacked up hurts, you know~su"
"Ha! Lupusregina-san, we won't let that happen. We'll sacrifice ourselves so everyone has time to run first."
Lupusregina seemed disappointed.
"Is that so ~su? You'd better work hard, then ~su."
"And I also want to contact the Adventurer's Guild in E-Rantel — or maybe reporting to them would be a better word to use. The Guild will send someone over to look after they accept our request. It would be troublesome if we put in a request after it became an emergency."
Brita followed on after Nfirea's suggestion.
"That's true. The Adventurer's Guild doesn't want to lose their people to unexpected monsters. Of course, Workers and other madmen will all scoff and say that the Guild protects adventurers too much, but they're just greedy pigs looking to pick a fight. It's only natural that an organization would want to protect their own members."
"Brita-san, although I don't want to speak ill of adventurers, but during emergencies, the hiring cost might go through the roof, or they might even reject it. Why is that?"
"Adventurers don't want to die, and the Guild doesn't want them to die either. Therefore, the Guild jacks up the prices to attract higher-ranking adventurers to deal with a problem, even if the situation ultimately doesn't warrant them. That's it, really."
As a clueless village girl, Enri found the words of this former adventurer easy to swallow. It was quite hard to have to accept this when they were being pushed into a corner. However, when she looked at it from the adventurers' point of view, it made sense too.
"Well, even if the Guild checks it out, people might still die anyway, that sort of thing happens a lot..."
Brita bit her lower lip.
"― When I think of that Vampire attack, I can't help but shiver... used to be I couldn't even sleep without taking medicine for it..."
"Vampire? What's that?"
Agu asked without any reservation, and Brita smiled bitterly.
"It's a secret. Or rather, don't make me think about it. I'll piss myself."
"But I was the one who was aski―"
"You're not in a position to ask questions, brat."
"So the plan for now is to report it to the Guild, and if the situation permits we'll make a request. It'll probably be frighteningly expensive, but we should at least get a quote from the Guild. Also, we'll have to tell Jugemu-san and the chief about it later. Can you do that, Enri?"
"l'll take care of the self-defence force. Frankly speaking, I'd have done the same thing too."
Nfirea nodded as Brita spoke.
"Then, I guess I'll go walkabout the village for a bit before going back ~su You really won't ask Ainz-sama for help ~su?"
"Yes. We'd like to do as much as possible by ourselves. If possible, we'd like you to tell Gown-sama that much."
"Got it ~su"
As Agu looked at Enri and Nfirea, who were moving off, a hard-to-describe feeling welled up within him.
"Just what's so great about that woman?"
"Hah?!"
The threatening tone in the adult Goblin's voice made Agu's body tremble.
Agu felt that the adult Goblins were stronger than anyone else in his village. It was only natural for him to break out in goosebumps when threatened by them.
Yet, this still could not overcome his childish curiosity.
"Are women really that great in this Carne tribe?"
From Agu's point of view, Enri did not seem particularly strong. Although she had some muscle on her arms and legs, it was nowhere near enough. She did not need to be as muscular as an Ogre, but as a leader, she needed way more than what she had now.
If she were a magic caster he could still understand it. The female who became leaders in Goblin tribes often used that mysterious power. However, that woman did not look like a magic caster.
Frankly speaking, Agu did not understand why Enri was superior to the Goblins.
"It's not like that."
"... That hunter woman who came later was stronger than her, right?"
"Well, Brita's not bad in her own way. But we're better."
Agu's opinion of the grown Goblin in front of him went up another notch. He was shorter than that woman, yet he had spoke with unyielding conviction. Surely there must have been a reason for his self-confidence.
"And then, that woman who appeared from behind you, she's not that strong either, is she? Though the way she showed up out of nowhere scared me to death."
The adult Goblin suddenly clammed up, and stared at Agu.
Sensing a strange pressure all over him, Agu nervously asked:
"W-what? What's with that woman?"
"That woman who suddenly appeared... her name is Lupusregina, and she... she's very dangerous. Since you'll be staying with us for a while, do not ever go near her or speak to her. It's for your own good."
"Ah. Ahhhh. I get it."
"And I have to say this up front. Although it should be blindingly obvious, if you do anything to the people in the village... let's be honest here, you won't just get away with a scolding, you'd better be prepared to die."
"I, I got it. So I'm basically like someone from a defeated tribe, right? I promise that I will not harm anyone from Carne Tribe."
"All right, that's good... stay away from Lupusregina, okay?"
Agu understood the mix of caution and dread in the adult Goblin's heart, and he engraved the warning into his heart. With that done, he realised his first question had not been answered, and so he asked again.
"Why is Enri-san so great?"
Even Agu could learn. Or rather, it was easy for him to learn, since he was the smartest in the tribe and could not talk much with other Goblins, so he picked up on things like that quickly.
"Ha.... Enri... the truth is... she's very strong."
"Eh?!"
"It's because you're too weak that you can't tell. If Ane-san got serious, she could crush a Barghest or whatnot to death with just one hand, and squeeze the blood out into a cup to drink, you know?"
"Really?!"
"Oh yes, yes, of course it's true."
Agu thought of Enri. When he thought about it calmly, it was true that she had been able to give powerful orders that shook the soul. Maybe that was just the tip of the iceberg?
"Ane-san just pretends to be weak. If you ask too much and get her mad, she'll crush you to death with one hand. After that, cleanup will be a pain. There'll be blood everywhere."
"Is, is that so... then why, why does she have to pretend to be weak? If she were strong, wouldn't there be fewer problems?"
"If you show off your strength, you'll get people coming from all over to challenge you. That's pretty troublesome too, you know?"
Agu had thought that strength was the solution to all problems, but that was not the case.
Locked in a labyrinth of self-reflection, he did not realise that the adult Goblin in front of him had a joking expression on his face.
♦ ♦ ♦
In the middle of the night, Enri suddenly woke from her slumber. Though there did not seem to be anything strange nearby, Enri remained still while she moved her eyes to check around her. The world before her was pitch black, lit only by a slim ray of moonlight from between the window shutters. She could not see anything strange in this weak light.
But Enri's ears could hear just fine.
There were no sounds of horses neighing, armored knights clanking, or people screaming. She could not hear anything like that It was just a normal night.
Enri sighed softly, and closed her eyes. She had been sleeping soundly until just now, so she was still groggy and could not get up right away.
A lot had happened today. After the talk with Agu, she had gone to explain things to the village chief and Jugemu, who had returned from his scouting.
It'll be all right, right?
In order to confirm the new information, Jugemu had decided to enter the forest again and they had left at night. Moving at night in the forest was just too dangerous. Goblins were different from humans; they could see with small amounts of light, so they could move freely. However, there were many nocturnal magical beasts and monsters, and they would become active after the sun set.
It was much more dangerous than in the day.
If there had been no need to urgently confirm that there were no more monsters chasing Agu, Jugemu would never have set out.
It was true that the Goblins were strong, but that was only in comparison to Enri. There were many creatures in the forest who were stronger than the Goblins, such as the Three Monsters.
A sense of dread and loss fell over Enri, making her twitch, and because of that, her little sister moaned in her sleep, scooting closer to Enri's body.
Enri half-opened her eyes, and peeked at her little sister.
It would seem that had not woken her up. She could even hear her gentle snoring.
Hehe...
Just as Enri chuckled in her throat, the sound of soft knocking resounded on the door. This was definitely not a trick of the wind.
Enri frowned. What could there be so late at night? Then again, it was precisely because it was so late at night that meant it had to be important.
She gingerly separated herself from Nemu and the blanket and slowly got off the bed, moving carefully so as not to wake her little sister.
The boards creaked as she got out of bed, making Enri's heart beat faster as she worried about waking up Nemu.
After that incident, Nemu had to sleep with Enri at night. She had suffered very severe trauma.
Enri had no intention of scolding her for it. That was because because Enri felt safer when she slept with her sister.
But she knew, even when the two of them were together, Nemu would sometimes be awoken by her nightmares. Because of that, Enri insisted on being with Nemu even when she was sound asleep.
Quietly, and therefore slowly, she inched toward the threshold, but the knocking did not stop.
Enri nervously peeked out the window, and the moonlight illuminated Jugemu's silhouette. She sighed in relief.
In order not to wake Nemu, Enri quietly spoke outside the window.
"Jugemu-san, you're safe."
"Yeah, Ane-san. In the end, it was all right. Sorry to wake you up, but I think you ought to know this as soon as possible."
Enri opened the door slightly, and squeezed her body out through the gap. She was worried that the moonlight coming in would wake Nemu. Understanding from her movements, Jugemu lowered his voice and spoke.
"There's something we need you for, Ane-san."
"Right now?" Enri smiled playfully."Of course, I don't mind."
"I'm really sorry about this."
Enri followed in Jugemu's footsteps while telling him not to apologize. It might have been better for Nemu to be awake for this, and she had considered that, but Jugemu had come for her knowing that everyone else was asleep. There had to be a reason for it.
"I'll explain as we walk."
He usually spoke more lightly, but when it came to work — or what Jugemu judged to be work — his tone was stiffer.
Although Enri felt that it was okay to be more casual with a simple village girl like herself, Jugemu had refused to change that part of him, so Enri gave up on that idea.
"Firstly, we found some members of Agu's tribe."
"That's wonderful!"
"... but they're emotionally fragile, and I think they'll need to rest for a few days. We had to borrow Ani-san's strength for this."
Sensing Enri's surprised expression, Jugemu followed up with an explanation.
"When we found the survivors of Agu's tribe, they were being held by the Giant of the East's Ogres as prisoners, and used as food. Although Cona healed their physical wounds, their minds are still scarred. Ani-san has some medicine to calm them down, and we want him to help treat them. After that, there's a somewhat more troublesome matter."
Jugemu watched Enri's expression before continuing.
"When we rescued them, we captured five Ogres. Although we only did it to question them... it seems Ogres normally coexist with Goblins, and while the Ogres fight, the Goblins provide food, shelter, and so on, in a mutually beneficial relationship. Because of that, they said they're willing to fight for our tribe. According to Agu, this isn't uncommon... so, what should we do?"
"Can we trust them?"
"Agu says we can. The Ogres have a strange habit; they won't fight for anyone apart from the Goblins of their tribe, and they betrayed the Giant of the East because he wasn't of their tribe. It's something like that."
"Mm. But, man-eating Ogres sound kind of scary..."
"Once they accept the people in the village as part of their tribe, all you need to do is feed them and it'll be fine. You can give them just about any kind of food too. Fortunately, they're omnivorous."
Honestly speaking, this decision was very difficult for a simple village girl to make.
"How about killing them?"
This was delivered in a casual tone.
"Frankly speaking, I have no problems with killing them outright. It would save us a big stack of problems. In the first place, people like them who betray others might turn on us if things start to go bad. Agu says they won't, but blindly believing everything a kid says is a little..."
"And what do you think, Jugemu-san?"
"If they could fight for us, it would be great. We don't know how many pursuers might come from the forest, so a few extra meat shields would help a lot."
"Then, one more question, will they eat people?"
"... Ane-san. Although Ogres have a reputation for eating humans, they're just monsters who eat meat. The only thing is that it's easier to catch humans to eat than wild animals."
For Ogres, it was better to catch humans than say, rabbits. It was only natural when one considered that humans were easier to capture and gave more meat too.
"Well, if you give them something to eat, they won't attack the villagers. In the first place, they only attack people to fill their stomachs. You have my word that we'll hunt enough animals to fill their bellies. Of course, they'll still need to be supervised and we'll have to see how things go. I promise we won't let anyone in the village be hurt."
"... In that case, it would be good if we could trust them enough to make them subordinates. Not just for now, but for the future as well."
"I'm glad you understand. Only thing is, there's a small contradiction with what I said just now. If what happens next goes poorly, we'll have to kill them all. Truthfully speaking, I've been thinking of how to impress on those Ogres that you're their boss, Ane-san."
"Eh?!"
Enri let out a noise that sounded like she'd been flipped upside down. This was too much of a leap for her. Why did a simple village girl like herself have to become the leader of a band of Ogres? Would it not be enough for Jugemu to be their boss?
"This is planning for the future. It'll be troublesome if the Ogres think of you as just another human being, Ane-san. Although we listen to you, a situation where orders have to be relayed through us Goblins is potentially very dangerous. As a frontline commander, anything could happen to me at any time, so I feel that we need someone safe in the rear who can command the Ogres."
Enri considered the problem with her village girl sensibilities.
"Which means you need two people who can command them?"
Jugemu nodded.
"In that case, Enfi could—"
"Ani-san might end up being on the frontline too."
"I see..."
Enri suddenly understood, and nodded. Someone in a safe place like herself ought to be useful too. That was also what Enri wanted as well. However―
"But can I really control the Ogres?"
"That's what we're about to find out, Ane-san. How good are you at acting?"
♦ ♦ ♦
Both the front and the rear gates of the village led outside, and Jugemu led her to the rear gate. Beyond it were five Ogres kneeling on the ground. They were also the source of the stench that had been hanging in the air.
Surrounding them were the Goblin Troop, all of whom were present and unhurt.
On one side of the door was an observation platform, which would normally have been manned by villagers or Goblins, but not now. The Goblins had temporarily left it.
Nfirea was there too, along with Agu, who was some distance away.
"Yo, Enri. Nice night?"
"Yeah, Enfi. The moon's really pretty."
"Indeed. It's so big and clear."
"Sorry to interrupt your conversation, but let's get this show on the road, " Jugemu whispered to Enri before shouting: "Oi! You lot! Our Ane-san is here! She holds your lives in her hands!"
When the five Ogres heard this, they raised their heads to look at Enri. It felt like there was a palpable pressure crushing her, but Enri forced herself not to take a step backward. If she gave in, the plan would fail, and the Goblins would nip potential problems in the bud by killing the Ogres on the spot.
Enri could already see the Goblins' hands going to their weapons. Enfi was calmly taking out a potion bottle himself.
An eternity seemed to pass under the withering pressure.
Enri endured the stares of the Ogres and returned it with one of her own. Her gaze was steady and unyielding.
In her eyes, the Ogres overlapped with the image of the knights from back then.
Enri clenched her fists, recalling how she had felt back then, when she had punched the helmeted knight straight in the face.
Don't look down on me. Everyone else is protecting the village, so I have to protect it too!
After a tense second ― a second which seemed to stretch out forever to Enri ― the Ogres wavered.
They peeked at each other, and then at Jugemu.
"Told you, didn't I. Our boss, our Ane-san, is the strongest."
"Faces down, all of you!"
Enri shouted out just as Jugemu finished.
The forcefulness of Enri's voice surprised even herself, and Agu at the edge of her vision twitched violently, but that was fine. What was important was that the Ogres had bowed their heads to her.
For the time being, the Ogres had acknowledged Enri's superiority.
"Well then, what do you have to say to our boss, the chief of Carne Village, our Ane-san?"
With their heads still lowered, what emerged from the Ogres was a torrent of confused voices.
"So, so scary, little boss. Forgive."
"Sorry, we attacked your tribe. Please forgive."
By "your tribe", the Ogres probably meant Agu's tribe. Though the reality was somewhat different, it was easier for them to understand the situation as Agu's people being part of Carne Tribe, in order to avoid overloading the Ogres' brains.
"We will, work for you."
"That's right! Work for me and my tribe!"
That last statement was made with the dregs of her spirit she could muster. She had only said two or three sentences, Enri was already very tired. It was as bad as the encounter with the Barghest.
Just as Enri was about to drop out of Boss Mode from fatigue, Jugemu helped her out just in time.
"Wonderful! Looks like Ane-san saved your lives!"
The strength had visibly ebbed from the Ogres' bodies. Given that they could be killed at any moment, that was a natural reaction.
One Ogre looked at Enri and spoke.
"Chief, we, what do?"
She had not considered that yet. Still, if she did not know, she could entrust it to someone else.
"Jugemu-san, I'll let you take care of them. Use them as you see fit."
"Got it, Ane-san."
The Goblin leader bowed to Enri, then turned back to the Ogres.
"Well then. First of all, we're going to pitch tents outside the village. You lot will be shacking up there. And you too, help them with the tents."
The Ogres left, accompanied by the Goblins.
"Pitching tents outside the village might cause all sorts of problems; we'll need to make a place for them to live in the village. Even so, we need to train them not to attack the villagers first."
"I'll need to go around to talk with a lot of people to make them accept it."
"Yup. Although, I think it'll be fine if you do it, Enri. And, about tomorrow..."
According to the plan, Enri and Nfirea would be setting out to E-Rantel, with several Goblins as guards.
"I'm sorry. I still need to help treat the survivors from Agu's tribe, so I can't go."
After all, they would be living in the same village as the same Ogres who wanted to eat them. The mental trauma had to be treated along with their physical wounds, and Lizzie's personality would only frighten them and have the opposite effect. In the end, there was nobody better for this than Nfirea.
"Ehhh? I feel a little uneasy about this..."
Enri didn't have any experience with visiting a big city like E-Rantel, so from her point of view the burden seemed quite weighty.
"Then, how about getting the village chief to go with you?"
"I think that could be difficult..."
The village chief had to maintain order in the village, perform repairs, and keep an eye on their new residents. It would be very difficult for him to travel too far.
"... How about the chief's wife?"
"Mm. Well, frankly speaking, there's not enough hands in the village. It used to be that way and now it's even more so."
Carne Village was a village with a very small population. As a result, when their numbers decreased, their ability to do anything decreased with it. This was why the villagers had suppressed their opposition to inviting more residents to stay with them.
"When I go to E-Rantel, I need to go to the temples and see if there's anyone who wants to move to the village... Really, this is too much for a village girl to be doing..."
"All the best, Chief."
Enri pouted as she heard Jugemu's words. Part of her was thinking, "The nerve of you". After all, they were one of the reasons why Enri was so busy.
"I really wanted to come along..."
Nfirea mumbled in a depressed tone, and then covered it up in a flustered flurry of desperate handwaving.
"I-it'll be fine, I'll take care of Nemu-chan. So you can go without worries."
"... All right, I get it, am I the only one in the world who has to go through this? One moment people worship me and make me out to be someone great, the next I have to go somewhere I've never been to before and do things I've never done before..."
"Don't be so pessimistic, Enri. There's got to be someone out there who can relate to you."
Jugemu and Nfirea chuckled quietly as they saw her shoulders droop in fatigue. Agu watched from the distance, muttering to himself.
"So she really did take control of the Goblins by force... the Chief of Carne Village, Enri-anesan..."
| ← Ch. 072 | Ch. 074 → |