Chapter 21 - Dark Mage Subjugation (1)
Chapter 21 - Dark Mage Subjugation (1)
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"There is a black magician behind the goblins."
Having re-entered the city, we decided to listen quietly to Anders's explanation.
"You can tell just by the abnormal number of goblins. Usually, they swarm in groups of 30 to 40. But these bastards were in the thousands."
"Couldn't that happen by coincidence?"
"No matter how many young they give birth to, they can't multiply to the thousands in a short time. Because the unit in charge of goblin subjugation sends out patrols on a regular basis."
She unfolded a map. Wait, is it okay to show me something like this?
Normally, maps are strategic items that should not be shown to outsiders. Just showing this... means she trusts us to a considerable degree.
"A black magician, you say. That's impossible. How could beings that were completely annihilated be running amok?"
Even if a few remained in the north, in the south... meaning there had been absolutely no talk of them operating in this region.
Could something be wrong?
"No, it's possible. This is classified, but according to the church, recent movements in the northern kingdom have been unusual. It's certain that black magicians are active."
"Hah. An idle delusion."
"Well, believing it is up to you."
I'm realizing this anew, but this woman seems incredibly cool.
Usually, knights belong to the sub-nobility. They have their own territory and make a living by collecting taxes from it.
Perhaps because of that, there are many people with a tremendous sense of authority. Yet this knight named Anders had a completely nonchalant expression even when a barbarian casually spoke down to her and bluntly talked back.
"The important thing is that the scale of the cave we discovered is smaller than expected."
"...Is that important?"
"It's important. The weapons we can use inside a cave are limited. We can't even dream of using something like a sarissa, which is effective against goblins."
Long swords or spears are not particularly useful inside a cave.
Because hitting the walls or floor is a real hassle. Unless you're a master of some sort, they're unusable.
"So that's why you're hiring us."
"Cave cleaning is a specialty of adventurers, isn't it?"
"If that's the case, wouldn't it be better to hire trustworthy adventurers?"
In truth, the two of us were parachute hires.
Hiring people without even a rank. What on earth is she thinking? Honestly, it looks a bit suspicious.
"Then it would cost a lot more money."
"Ah."
Hah. Is she planning to work us to the bone for cheap?
"And we don't have the time for that. While we bring in strong adventurers from another city, the goblin population might grow again. Who knows if hundreds will appear in just a couple of days?"
Ah, come to think of it, we were in a tight spot for time.
Since she put it that way, Karl didn't say anything more.
"I'll explain the details in front of the nest. Make sure to pack your gear right away and come to the assembly point."
"Got it."
Crunching loudly on bread, Anders turned around and walked straight out.
"Hmph. A black magician. Perhaps this will be an opportunity for you to grow, Dennis."
"Indeed."
If I could gain other abilities besides summoning imps, it would be a huge advantage.
"That aside, this whole thing is quite shocking. To think there would be... another black magician besides me."
"Perhaps I might meet the bitches who burned down my hometown."
Saying that, Karl looked somewhat sad.
Is she longing for her hometown?
"Let's go."
Perhaps hating to show such emotions, Karl patted my shoulder and turned around.
I followed behind her.
Karl and I walked westward with a contingent of about 20 people.
It was quite a distance, but since it was a plain, walking wasn't difficult. We walked, and walked.
'Come to think of it, walking seems to be half of an adventurer's job.'
Walking under the blazing sun, that thought suddenly crossed my mind.
If I had something like a car, I'd take on requests several times a day.
"Are you, by any chance, called Dennis-nim?"
"Ah, yep!"
As I was having those thoughts, someone suddenly spoke to me from behind.
It was that adjutant I saw earlier. She seemed to be Anders's retainer, but that doesn't mean she necessarily stays right by her side.
"You're a man, yet you're an adventurer... That's amazing."
"Haha... Are male adventurers rare?"
"They are. Naturally, because of the perception."
Actually, it's something I already knew. I just tossed it out casually because there was nothing to talk about.
The occupation of an adventurer is the absolute worst among 3D jobs.
They exclusively handle jobs so filthy, hard, and dangerous that cleaning filth in the sewers would actually be preferable.
The money earned that way is sometimes at most a few copper coins, and they often end up in the red due to the cost of potions and equipment.
Despite that, people flock to being adventurers simply because anyone can do it.
"Perhaps because of that, whenever I see men doing adventurer work, I think it's amazing. What should I call it? Like throwing away one's life to surpass their own limits?"
Limits, my foot.
I'm just doing it to make money.
Of course, I didn't want to do something nasty like shattering this person's illusions, so I quietly kept my mouth shut.
"That aside, where are we heading right now?"
"Ah, we're heading to the western forest. According to the scouting party, a cave emitting a sinister aura was discovered there."
It really must be the place where a black magician lives.
"Do you think we can beat those people, though? We probably should have brought a few more people."
I quietly looked around the subjugation force.
Aside from Karl and me, there were about twenty people in total. Among them, five were armed with huge, heavy red shields called scuta.
There were about five spearmen watching the backs of those shield-bearers. These guys were carrying spears called philms, which looked quite uniquely made.
'They intend to block the narrow cave entirely with those shields and advance while fighting.'
It would be an excellent strategy. In a narrow cave, the goblins wouldn't be able to utilize their characteristic numbers.
The remaining eight were carrying axes similar to Karl's. They were undoubtedly the axemen who would finish the fight once a melee broke out.
"Well. A fight is something you can never guarantee. There's no absolute guarantee that we can defeat the black magician with this force."
"Then even now—!"
"However, if the opponent is a black magician who handles goblins, we can win."
We might not know if we can beat a black magician, but we can beat a black magician who handles goblins?
"Do you know how hatred makes people strong?"
"Does that mean those people hate goblins?"
I was startled, but I could quickly grasp the implication behind those words.
They said that villages built on plains like this especially suffered frequent attacks from monsters.
After all, being wide open means they can swarm from all directions.
In particular, goblins targeting the crops and livestock planted by humans were said to be rampant.
"Once a person falls into hatred, they become a monster that can think of nothing else. Because they charge forward looking only at one goal."
"Hoh..."
"These people have undergone harsh training with the conviction to wipe out goblins. Naturally, they must be monsters against goblins."
There really are many people whose lives were ruined just because of monsters called goblins.
It made me reflect inwardly.
"It's not good to talk about other people's business like that."
Perhaps because we were chattering away too much, the knight named Anders, who had been leading at the very front, approached with a scowl.
"You brought up bad memories... Alright, you've chatted enough, haven't you? We're entering the forest now. Be quiet."
"Yep!"
Unfortunately, our conversation was cut short as we arrived at the forest.
"Hmph, you must be disappointed that you have no one to talk to anymore."
"Karl..."
-Squeeeeze!
"Yik?"
"You were chatting happily with another female. You seem to have forgotten, but your body is mine."
"W-Wait a minute... Everyone is watching, doing this!"
Karl grabbed my butt tightly with her hand.
Even though she was just simply touching it, it hurt so much that tears welled up in my eyes.
"Stay still. If you make such a loud noise, everyone will notice."
"Ah-!"
"Just walk forward slowly. Yes, just like that."
When I cried out, Karl loosened the strength in her hand, but...
She was still fondling my butt the same way. Urgh! Why are you groping me in a place like this?
"It's soft. I thought it would be hard, but actually touching it feels like touching cotton."
"Why would you say something like that..."
"I'm praising you. Originally, a male's body is made to please a female, so you should be happy to have your sexual attributes praised."
I couldn't be happy at all. My face felt like it was going to turn bright red from shame.
"I'll only touch you until we reach the cave. Stay quiet, Dennis."
True to her word, she hated liars and kept her promise well.
She literally sexually harassed my butt until we reached the cave.