Goblin Horde Subjugation (1)
The goblin nest extermination request.
The details on the request form read as follows.
1. Frequent reports of goblin sightings have recently occurred in Lien Village within the Arcadia Countship.
2. The goblins that attacked the village are organized into groups consisting of goblin archers, goblin warriors, and goblin shield bearers, conducting systematic assaults.
3. Goblins have a habit of not appearing in villages unless a certain number of them gather together. This suggests a high probability that the goblins have formed a horde and established a nest.
4. Personnel dispatched by the adventurers' guild for investigation have discovered a highly likely location where a nest is believed to have formed.
5. Two hundred soldiers dispatched from the Arcadia Countship, along with fifty or more C-rank or higher adventurers, are scheduled to be mobilized for the extermination plan.
Reward: 1 gold + 1 silver per goblin.
Not bad.
Goblins themselves were creatures that an average adult could subdue without much difficulty.
But once those goblins started forming groups, that was when the real problems began.
They were smarter than they looked, so they attacked villages with a surprising degree of organization. That made the danger level skyrocket.
That was why lords reacted so sensitively whenever a goblin nest formed inside their territory.
Still, a party of C-rank adventurers should be able to handle it without too much trouble, and since this was a request taken directly by the lord, the rewards were quite generous.
Though things would be different if there were hobgoblins or goblin shamans…
In truth, something about it felt off.
There was no information at all about the goblin nest itself. The only detail provided was that they had located its position.
I don't know why, but it seems like they're deliberately concealing information. Whether it's on the lord's orders or the adventurers' guild's own judgment.
No matter how you looked at it, the reward was too high for a request commissioned directly by the lord, and the number of personnel being mobilized was excessive.
But at our level, it shouldn't be too difficult… as long as there isn't a goblin general…
Currently equipped with Goliath's Shield.
Strength and agility increase in proportion to the constitution stat.
With the boost from wearing Goliath's Shield, my stats were equivalent to a B-rank adventurer. If you were generous, you could even call them A-rank.
…And with Melek's Spear that dealt additional damage proportional to my constitution, you could rate me even higher.
On top of that, Kiene was on another level entirely.
In an academy crawling with every kind of genius imaginable, she proudly stood at the very top. If converted to adventurer ranks, she could easily aim for S-rank.
"Kiene. If you're ready, let's meet up at Lien Village. Or would you rather go together? I was planning to leave tomorrow."
The date listed on the request for the nest extermination operation was two days from now.
…It was the weekend anyway, and missing about a week's worth of academy classes wouldn't matter.
Kiene had top grades, so the academy didn't bother her much, and I was on the verge of failing anyway.
As long as I didn't get expelled, all I had to do was meet the minimum attendance.
With that in mind, I'd kept the schedule loose, but…
"…Let's go together tomorrow. I don't know the way."
"Understood…."
It looked like I'd be traveling with Kiene after all.
.
.
.
—The next day.
"Why are you wearing your academy uniform?"
"No money… I have to save it."
Isn't the uniform more expensive? They probably provided it for free inside the academy. As expected of a top student.
I felt a slight surge of resentment toward the academy's academic elitism as I set off for Lien Village with Kiene.
Clatter. Clatter.
Inside the carriage we'd rented to reach the village. Of course, I was the one who paid the rental fee.
The ride quality is absolute garbage…
It felt like speed bumps had been mercilessly installed every three meters. The carriage jolted violently.
Yet inside that same carriage, Kiene was sleeping soundly, breathing softly.
With each breath, her enormous chest rose and fell in perfect rhythm.
Slap. I smacked my own cheek, trying to snap myself out of it.
Have I lost my mind…?
Even counting my previous life, there was more than a ten-year age gap between Kiene and me. No matter how young this body was, this was wrong.
While I wrestled with the devil inside me, the carriage arrived at Lien Village before I knew it.
"Thanks for the ride."
I handed the driver his payment and woke Kiene.
"Hey. We're here."
"…"
It felt like trying to wake up a senior from my military days who refused to get up no matter what you said. I gently shook her shoulder.
When I shook her shoulder, her chest shook along with it…
Slap.
"…What are you doing…?"
Kiene, who had woken up at some point, tilted her head as she watched my behavior.
I suppressed the inner demon once more and headed into Lien Village with her.
Huh…?
When we reached the entrance of Lien Village, strict security measures and barricades had been set up. It looked like they were preparing for a defensive battle.
Is another goblin horde coming?
We showed our adventurer IDs to the guard and entered Lien Village.
"…It's horrible."
"Indeed. Those damn goblins…"
The state of Lien Village was devastating. Shattered fragments of houses, now barely recognizable, were scattered by the wind.
Ugh… the smell…
The stench rising from the corpses of the village men that hadn't been fully cleaned up yet.
Meanwhile, there were almost no female corpses visible. It seemed they'd been dragged away by the goblins.
As we moved toward the center of the village, soldiers from the countship and adventurer parties who had already arrived were gathered, forming a base camp.
"Who are you people? Identify yourselves."
"We're C-rank adventurers Log and Kiene. We're here to carry out the goblin nest extermination request."
I handed over our adventurer IDs to the soldier standing guard in front of the base camp.
"I see… One of you is an academy student? Why the uniform?"
"…No money."
"I… I see. Wait a moment. I'll report to the commander."
The guard, looking somewhat dazed, entered the tent. Not long after, permission to enter was granted.
Swish. I lifted the tent flap and stepped inside. Adventurer parties in full gear and soldiers wearing armor were already standing there.
"Nice to meet you. I am Soldier Captain Louis, in charge of commanding this extermination operation."
"We're C-rank adventurers Log and Kiene."
…His grip is no joke.
The strength I felt through the steel gauntlet. It wasn't deliberate intimidation. This was simply his natural power.
"Since we have new arrivals, I'll explain everything again."
It seemed we were the last ones to arrive. Louis began his briefing.
"A large goblin horde has been discovered in the Kaze Plains, located about an hour's walk southeast from Lien Village where we currently are.
This information was obtained through searches conducted by both our countship forces and the adventurers' guild, so it is reliable."
"Furthermore, multiple hobgoblins were observed among the horde. The appearance of hobgoblins, which are half-breeds between humans and goblins, means…"
That this goblin horde didn't appear out of nowhere. It's a fairly old and powerful group.
"…Their level is higher than what our preliminary investigation suggested. Keep that in mind."
A horde of that size naturally implied they had been gathering forces from somewhere for a while.
And the reason they had deliberately lured C-rank adventurers with good compensation was likely to minimize losses to the countship's own troops.
The adventurers' guild probably knew that and still accepted the request.
"The current goblin horde is showing aggressive movements, seemingly intent on advancing past Lien Village and even invading the interior of the castle.
Therefore, our countship forces plan to establish a defensive line here."
In that case…
"While we build the defensive line and hold the goblin horde in place, I would like the adventurer parties to take on the role of a strike force and disrupt the enemy's rear."
"What's the scale of the goblin horde?"
One of the adventurers stepped forward and asked.
"We estimate at least one hundred hobgoblins, with the total exceeding one thousand."
A murmur of dismay rippled through the adventurers.
An absurd ratio. No matter how advantageous defending was, the enemy's numbers were simply too great.
…Especially for the adventurers assigned to the strike force. Their risk level had increased exponentially.
There's no way they wouldn't have noticed a goblin horde of this size forming… Is something going on in the countship?
They wouldn't have deliberately ignored the goblins. There must be something major happening in the countship—something big enough to prevent them from paying attention to the goblin threat.
Only when the fire reached their own feet did they hurriedly organize an extermination force.
Whispers. A soldier rushed into the tent and delivered a message to the soldier captain.
"The goblin horde is currently moving from the Kaze Plains back toward Lien Village. This information just came in, so it's confirmed.
Prepare for battle immediately. As explained earlier, organize the frontline adventurers into a strike team and strike the enemy's rear."
"Additionally, position mages, priests, and archers in the rear to focus on defense. That is all."
The situation had become urgent. The goblin horde was advancing faster than expected.
The operation had only a rough framework; it wasn't even properly planned out yet.
"Hey. Louis."
A soldier named Louis stepped forward. From his attire, he appeared to be a scout.
"This Louis has already scouted the surrounding area and is familiar with the terrain. Accompany this Louis and the frontline adventurers. Circle around to the west of Lien Village, set up an ambush, and strike their rear once the goblins reach the village."
After speaking, Louis quickly dispersed the soldiers.
"Let's go too, Kiene."
"…Yeah."
It was the beginning of the goblin subjugation.
