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Goblins and kobolds
have a specific place to establish a colony.
They must be close to
a source of drinking water and be sheltered from the wind and rain.
There are several
caves in the mountains near the village of Atsuka that meet these requirements.
The location of these
caves is well known to the villagers, and those who enter the mountains to
gather firewood or medicinal herbs are discouraged from carelessly approaching
them.
The one we are
heading to now is one of these caves.
It has been a week
since the ban on my self-practice of Body Enhancement magic was lifted, and
today, about fifteen of the village’s men, most of whom are large in stature,
are taking part in a monster subjugation led by Mr. Zeol.
The target is small, fecund
monsters such as goblins and kobolds.
In addition, if there
are any ferocious monsters that are not usually seen in the nearby mountains,
they will be killed as well.
As winter approaches,
food will naturally become scarce in the mountains.
The season for fruits
and nuts is over, and in midwinter, the ground is covered with snow on some
days.
If they had the
wisdom to grow, harvest, and preserve crops from spring to fall like the people
in the village, they could survive the harsh winter, but the goblins do not
have that kind of wisdom.
If there is a
shortage of food in the mountains, they are more likely to come down to the
village and scavenge for food.
In fantasy stories,
goblins often use human females as a nursery for their young, but this is not
the case in this world.
Men and women are
equally recognized as prey and food for goblins.
A large male wolfkin,
oxkin, or other large-bodied adult males may be able to fight a goblin or
kobold with his bare hands and drive it off, but only in a one-on-one fight.
A pack of three or
four goblins would not be able to deal with them, and children would be no
match for them even in a one-on-one fight.
Houses in Atsuka
village are not densely built like those in Tokyo’s residential areas.
For example, if one
house were to be attacked by a goblin horde, it is conceivable that other
houses would not notice.
In fact, in the past,
a house on the edge of the village was attacked and the entire family fell prey
to goblins.
In order to prevent
such a situation from occurring, the goblin and kobold colonies near the
village should be attacked.
This morning, we
gathered in front of the village chief’s house and came out, but before we
left, there was a dispute over my accompanying the group.
The adults in the
village were concerned that it might be dangerous, and Miguel began to insist
that he go with us.
“I’m not taking Nyango to join the battle but to send him to the village
in case something happens. He’s quick and he’s used to hiking in the mountains
because he usually gathers medicinal herbs. Besides, hey Nyango, show them how
you run.” (Zeol)
For the villagers,
who looked skeptical after hearing Mr. Zeol’s explanation, he meant for me to
show them how I run with Body Enhancement.
The adults who had
gathered there had their eyes widened as I ran with about 30% of my full
strength with Body Enhancement and 40-50% faster than I had run at full speed
without Body Enhancement.
“How about that, with his speed, he can get out of any chaotic
battlefield. Of course, we will make all possible preparations before launching
our attack, but we must not neglect to take countermeasures in case something
happens. That’s why I’m taking Nyango with me.” (Zeol)
After seeing my run,
there was no objection from the adults, but Miguel’s dissatisfaction did not
abate.
He had been pouting a
lot about why he was favoring only me and that he wants to be the only one taught
Body Enhancement magic, but when confronted by his lack of power at this point,
he had no choice but to shut up.
I heard that monster
subjugation before winter has been done for a long time, but there have been
injuries and sometimes even deaths, but since Mr. Zeol came to the village,
there have been no deaths, only the occasional injured person.
It would probably be
safe to take Miguel with us, but Mr. Zeol just shake his head, saying that we were
not going to play and that he could not add to their worries.
The equipment of the
adults participating in the fight is a leather body, hand and leg armor, and
their weapons are spears and hatchets.
When fighting
goblins, they basically use spears to defeat them without letting them get too
close, but if they do get too close, they use hatchets.
When asked why they
use hatchets instead of swords, he replied that all the participants are
accustomed to using hatchets for chopping wood and that the blades are thick
enough that they are not likely to break or bend.
Besides, the hatchet itself
is heavy enough to inflict bone-crushing damage even if it does not cut.
Incidentally, I only
have a small knife that fits my body, and at a glance, I have zero fighting
ability, but I can make weapons with void magic.
To this day, I have
been practicing so that I can make a spear and a dagger in an instant, but most
likely, Mr. Zeol will not allow me to participate in the battle.
After two hours of
walking since we left the village, Mr. Zeol signaled for us to follow him.
Apparently, we had
come near a cave where a colony of goblins and other creatures were thought to
be.
“From this point onward, you must refrain from idle chatter, and be
conscious of making as little noise as possible.” (Zeol)
The adults in the
village, who had been walking around looking at things with a playful mood up
to this point, tightened their expressions.
They had come
prepared, but they were still in quite the danger, and if they let the goblins
escape, the village, their families, and their friends would be in danger.
As we approached,
hiding in tree trunks and bushes, we saw about five goblins in front of the
cave.
Three of them
appeared to be still younglings.
“They’re younglings born in the spring. …Don’t show them mercy. Carve
in your head—if you don’t kill them, they will kill you.” (Zeol)
Mr. Zeol took two
deep breaths and held the spear he was holding over his shoulder.
“Nuu!” (Zeol)
The spear was thrown,
leaving a silvery glow as it pierced the chest of one goblin.
Mr. Zeol quickly
received the next spear and threw it, which also skewered the goblin without
missing its target.
“Let’s go!” (Zeol)
Mr. Zeol jumped out
from behind a tree, pulled out a wide long sword hanging from his waist, and
cut down the goblin younglings who had been stunned by the death of its
parents.
The goblins were
killed so quickly that they did not even have time to scream.
“Okay, surround it! Don’t let a single one escape!” (Zeol)
“Yeah!” (Villagers)
The adults of the
village, spears at the ready, surrounded the cave in a semicircle, blocking the
entrance.
One of them stopped a
goblin that had jumped out upon hearing a noise by striking it in the torso
with a spear, while those around him struck it in the neck and other vital
areas.
The village men, who
normally work in the fields or on dairy farms, seem to be accustomed to this
kind of formation and coordination, having participated in many subjugations.
This kind of
formation and coordination must have been led by Mr. Zeol.
The six goblins that
jumped out quickly bled to their deaths, but it seems that there are still more
inside the cave, and warning groans echoed through the air.
“All right, let’s smoke them out!” (Zeol)
Mr. Zeol instructed,
and the men of the village set fire to the bundles of straw they had carried
and threw them into the cave.
“In the name of the Goddess Fatima, let the wind soar!” (Villager)
Those who could use
wind magic sent the wind toward the interior of the cave.
“Be prepared for them to pop out at any time.” (Zeol)
The straw bundles
burn and the cave fills with smoke.
Soon, a coughing
sound is heard, and one by one, goblins crawl out of the cave and fall prey to
the spears.
When the number of
goblins killed exceeded 20, they stopped crawling out of the cave.
Still, the men of the
village surrounding the entrance to the cave kept themselves alert.
“Good, leave six men on guard, and the rest of you start
dismantling.” (Zeol)
At Mr. Zeol’s
instruction, all but the six men who remained on guard began dismantling the
goblins, and the first thing they did was to dig a hole and burn wood.
The smell of blood
flowed around them while they were killing the goblins, but it became even
thicker when they started dismantling them.
To prevent other monsters
from being attracted by the smell, we would burn the wood to let them know that
there were people using the fire.
Except for a few, monsters
also seem to be afraid of fire, and the smell of smoke is said to be the basis
for repelling monsters.
“Nyango, do you want to try it?” (Horsekin)
“Are you sure? Then, please tell me.” (Nyango)
The horsekin who
approached me was, I believe, the father of Dalles, Miguel’s lackey.
I think he was just
trying not to get his hands dirty, rather than being kind and teaching me.
“Nyango, don’t you have a knife?” (Horsekin)
“I already have one. It’s a knife made with void magic, so you
wouldn’t be able to see it.” (Nyango)
The father of Dalles
was surprised his mouth was half open when I showed him a little cut on the
goblin’s skin with the knife I made with magic.
In addition, the
upper half of my body is covered with solidified air that is flexible and durable
like rubber, leaving only a hole for my face.
It’s like a pair of
disposable gloves and a surgical suit.
The main reason for
dismantling goblins is the magic stone, and since the magic stone is right near
the heart, it naturally bleeds a lot, but there is no need to worry about it
staining my fur, my pride and joy.
With the help of Dalles’
father, I proceeded to dismantle the goblin.
I cut open the bottom
ribs horizontally and inserted my arm into the ribs to retrieve the magic
stone.
“A little small lump right next to the heart, pull that out… and
cut it open.” (Horsekin)
“Oh, it’s the magic stone…” (Nyango)
The goblin’s magic stone,
which is smaller than a chicken egg, has a murky dark green color.
Also, the color of
the magic stone is different for each monster. Kobolds have a dark brown color.
I ask him to let me
dismantle another goblin for practice.
The adults are happy
to give it to me because they don’t have to get their hands dirty.
I try to get a chance
to remove the heart, but the knife I made with void magic attracts too much
attention, so it seems difficult this time.
After washing the
magic stone at a nearby watering hole, I washed the blood off my arms and
released the air armor covering my body, and my proud fur is back to normal.
While we were
dismantling the goblins they had defeated, Mr. Zeol and the others had finished
cleaning up the inside of the cave.
The goblins from
which the magic stone had been extracted were burned along with fallen trees in
a pit dug by those who could use earth magic.
Although not
completely reduced to ashes, they were burned until the monsters and beasts
stopped looking at them, and then buried in soil mixed with bitter wormwood
powder.
This was done to
prevent other monsters from feeding on the goblins that had been killed.
The subjugation was
completed by sprinkling the area around and inside the cave with a generous
amount of bitter wormwood powder.
We descended the mountain
and returned to the village just as the setting sun was hiding behind the
mountain ridge.
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