Chapter 22
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 22
Chapter Title: Goblin Leader
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If it were an ordinary goblin village, I would've just turned a blind eye and moved on.
Those creatures don't scatter even if you cut down their chieftain.
On the contrary, a new leader quickly emerges to rally the village and seek revenge as a way to prove themselves.
But this case was entirely different.
A leader specimen had appeared.
It might sound obvious, but this was the kind of mutant they often talked about.
These mutants tended to obsess over something intensely, and a "leader specimen" was exactly that—a goblin obsessed with controlling its own kind and keeping them under its thumb.
It suppressed its kin through sheer force.
For now, they bowed to that power and watched its every move.
But in the end, since they'd been forcibly gathered, the moment the leader vanished, they'd turn on each other in a bid to become the new boss and destroy themselves in the chaos.
Back in the city, I'd made every effort to absorb as much knowledge as possible.
I didn't know this world well.
To learn, I'd scooped up every scrap of information I could find.
It came from drunken adventurers spilling secrets in exchange for cheap beer and snacks, so their reliability was questionable at best. Still, they occasionally dropped these kinds of crucial insights.
"...You?"
The vigilante eyed me with suspicion.
Well, can hardly blame him.
A girl around 130-140 cm tall suddenly declaring she'd take on a goblin extermination quest probably sounded ridiculous.
"...We're truly grateful that you saved our kids. But this is way too dangerous."
"Can you send someone to the Adventurer's Guild for backup and hold out until actual adventurers show up to take on this low-paying, high-risk job?"
Best case, it'd take a few months if they got lucky.
Worst case, it'd sit as an unclaimed nightmare quest for a full year and get scrapped.
But the current situation left no room for such luxuries.
"The goblins already attacked once, right? They've marked this place as prey. Think you can hold them off?"
I turned my head to scan the village.
The inner areas looked somewhat intact after fierce resistance, but the outskirts were a mess of shattered homes and uncollected palisade debris.
"You've got two realistic choices right now. Not the nonsense about calling the Adventurer's Guild—that pipe dream aside."
"...Abandon the village and flee, or hand the job to you?"
"You get it."
"How did things end up like this..."
"Too late for regrets now."
Large cities typically organized hunts every four months, delving deep into nearby mountains and forests to cull monster populations.
If a special specimen like a leader emerged, it spelled big trouble, so they preemptively wiped them out.
But for a small village like this, forming a vigilante group to defend was one thing—raiding deep monster habitats to thin their numbers was practically impossible.
That's probably how this mess started.
Or so I guessed.
"That's why people put up with shitty city security and still want to live there."
"Can't argue with that."
The vigilante agreed but couldn't hide his bitterness.
"If only we were a bit stronger..."
"That's the kind of talk only the weak can afford."
"What...?"
"If you were truly strong, you wouldn't be playing vigilante here—you'd be somewhere else entirely."
Unless he genuinely loved this village, and if he had real power, he'd be operating in a city, not here.
This world was far more barbaric than it seemed—fists trumped laws every time.
Anyone with power in such a place would want to wield it; not saying it's bad, just human nature.
"Actually, be glad you're not strong. If you were, you'd have left the village long ago. But because you're not, you could step up and fight when the village needed you. And... you got banged up pretty bad protecting everyone."
With power, he wouldn't be here; without it, he was—and that's how he saved others.
As the words left my mouth, the vigilante looked down at me for a moment before letting out a hollow chuckle.
"You shouldn't go around 'comforting' people like that."
"...Is that so?"
"It's not comfort—it's shredding their pride."
I figured blunt talk cut through situations better than sugarcoating.
But seeing his deeply furrowed brow, maybe this wasn't the way to console someone.
"Sorry... But if you're not abandoning the village, handing the job to me is your only option, right?"
"I know you're strong from what the kids said. But really—can you pull it off?"
"Fifty-fifty."
If my plan worked, high chance of success; if it failed, game over.
That's how I saw it based on the variables.
"But if it looks like I'll fail, I'll bolt. If I don't return in five days, I recommend you abandon the village and run."
"Mind if I ask one thing?"
"Go ahead."
"You trying to be a hero or something?"
"......I'll pass on answering that."
I could just mind my business, treat it as someone else's problem, and leave.
Yet here I was, taking the quest out of sheer inferiority complex.
Saint Rie.
Ever since learning of her, hearing the rumors twisted my guts.
She'd made the game too easy on herself by screwing me over like this, starting with every advantage.
Saint Rie, who single-handedly crushed an infamous bandit gang.
Saint Rie, who alone faced the ogre threatening the city outskirts and saved it.
Saint Rie, who stormed a goblin village and rescued countless people.
Saint Rie, who cured every incurable disease with endless holy power, serving the slums.
Saint Rie, who defeated demon worshippers and even banished an unstably summoned demon.
Worlds apart from me, who'd barely managed a bandit subjugation at great cost.
She was someone I should've been far above, never feeling inferior to.
I hadn't even met her, so harboring these feelings was wrong.
But.
No.
She's a game character Rie created.
So.
The power, fame, and honor Saint Rie wielded—they might've been mine by right.
The thought haunted me.
It fueled my inferiority, and from that, a stubborn resolve grew.
"Not trying to be a hero."
I muttered it low, under my breath so no one could hear.
This wasn't kindness—it stemmed from spite.
I didn't know exactly what the saint possessed.
But the petty jealousy gnawed: if I'd had it all, I could've done better.
That's what I aimed to prove.
What the saint achieved, I had to match; imagining how she'd act, I followed in her shadow.
"Not helping out of the goodness of my heart, so no need to look so worried."
"...How can I not worry? A girl who looks 11 or 12 volunteering for something this dangerous."
The vigilante sighed, frowning in thought, then said he'd discuss with the others before leaving.
I stared at his retreating back.
The quest would happen.
No other options, just like I'd said.
But first, exhausted as I was, I secured lodging.
Requested hot water to soak, then planned an early night.
Time passed, and the next day...
The vigilantes gathered at my inn.
No need to ask why.
"Will you take the quest?"
"I proposed it first, so yeah. I'll take it."
"Sorry about this."
"No need. I'm not doing it for noble reasons either."
I smiled faintly, eyes on the floor, lips curling up. An elderly man, apparently their leader, approached and offered his hand.
I shook it and received goblin intel.
Estimated numbers in the hundreds; rough location marked on the map.
Told them if no word in five days, abandon and flee. Grabbed a bow and arrows, then set off immediately.
And right from the start, my plan was working.
A quest this big triggers it, as expected.
Time stopped.
I was used to it now.
A dice appears.
D6_1
The dice before me rolled on its own and stopped. The number showing: 2.
Goblin Leader Subjugation Difficulty: EASY!!
"Ha."
If no dice had appeared, or if it'd rolled 4 or higher, I'd have ditched any proof or pride and run without looking back.
I drew my sword from its sheath.
No telltale shing.
This upgraded trait now muffles even the sounds of weapons you wield.
A few deep breaths in place.
Then I stepped toward the goblin leader's lair.