The heavy rain from yesterday continued, so we spent the day inside the cave.
The day went as usual. After the morning training finished, I equipped the Black wolf armor that I made yesterday and my halberd, which I still haven't tried using in a real battle yet, before facing a fully equipped Gobukichi-kun in a somewhat serious practice battle.
My new armor consisted of flexible black leather pants and a long sleeved black leather coat. My left hand was equipped with a wrought-iron gauntlet, and on my right I equipped the carapace-reinforced round shield. I wore a pair of sturdy looking boots that the older goblins looted from the adventurers, however, I didn't have anything covering my head.
Since my skin was also black, this equipment made it easier for me to conduct covert maneuvers at night.
Gobukichi-kun's equipment was replaced with various items we got during the orc raid.
His main weapon was a crescent axe that burned from having a flaming blade, it was made by embedding a [ Fire spirit stone ] into the axe blade. His carapace-reinforced buckler was replaced by a black iron tower shield and, although it was quite heavy, it had high defensive abilities. Additionally, it seems like it had been strengthened using magic.
His armor was based on what the orc leader had equipped. Using my threads to bind it together, it was now reinforced with pieces of carapace and black wolf leather, which raised its defensive power and mobility.
He almost looked like a moving fortress, well, in the first place Gobukichi-kun's body build is specialized for the vanguard role and after improving his equipment this much, his combat ability became nothing to joke about.
Gobukichi-kun had become truly strong.
I can sense it during our normal training as well, but facing him fully armed truly makes me understand just how much he has improved.
I, who uses a variety of techniques to overpower my enemy and win using methods like striking my opponents from behind was bad in a situation like this, where I have to fight head on without using any abilities against a genuinely strong opponent like Gobukichi-kun.
He's still an opponent I can win against if I use my abilities though, but if I used them then this training wouldn't have any meaning. Nevertheless, even if I'm not using my abilities, having my halberd, with the full force of my whole body behind it, being almost perfectly blocked by his tower shield is, as expected, still kind of shocking. Each and every one of his blows is also extremely heavy but, above all, his skillful handling of his axe is worthy of admiration.
It seems like he learned from experience how to swing an axe for a sharper, faster and heavier blow.
Well, the weapons he has been using since our very first hunt till now have always been similar, from cudgel → axe → battle-axe which was probably the reason.
In our « Goblin Community », the one who handles axes best is Gobukichi-kun.
Also, his burning crescent axe was more troublesome than I thought it would be. I've obtained the ability [Fire Resistance], so I didn't get any burns from his crescent axe's flaming blade, however, resistance is only resistance and the fire from the axe was a little hotter than what my ability can negate, it only felt a little hot. Also, because of the blazing flames my vision was impaired and it became troublesome when the handle of my halberd became searingly hot from long exposure to the flames.
Continuing like this, we spent quite some time fighting.
Then I spent some time sewing clothes, picking up the mined [ Spirit Stones ], eating the food the Sisters prepared, until I finally went to sleep.
Then, in the middle of the night, it happened.
Eight bodies were moving towards the place where the five human women were sleeping, and my [Sense Presence] ability caught those movements.
When I looked at what woke me up, I saw the backs of some goblins who were exchanging words in whispers between one another while heading to the girls bedroom, enthusiastically discussing what they were about to do in low voices.
The moment I saw that, I gripped the halberd that I keep near my bed in one hand and chased after them. I made sure to do this stealthily in order to get firm proof that they intended to assault the women's sleeping place. Conclusive proof that they couldn't refute is extremely important.
It'll be annoying if they said something like "you misunderstood" later.
Once I made sure, I swung my halberd at the closest goblin, beheading him.
His head flew then, attracted by gravity, it fell to the ground and rolled near my feet, where I crushed it flat with my foot. After squashing the head, my boots were soiled, but at that moment, I didn't care.
I made sure to cauterize the goblin's severed throat as I decapitated him, because cleaning up the blood afterwards would be annoying.
The smell of burnt flesh sparked my combat instincts.
I dare say I was smiling while doing this.
The sudden cold-blooded murder instantly caused the atmosphere to freeze.
Everyone were looking at me with dumbfounded and terrorized expressions but, ignoring their reactions, I bound the rest of the goblins using my threads. Looking at the captured goblins, they were the former hobgoblin leader and his close aides.
Then, I understood that the former hobgoblin leader who was trying to attack Redhead and was rolling in front of my eyes with a bulging crotch was the one who instigated it all.
I thought about hearing his story before killing him, but he just said that he couldn't suppress his sexual desires. When I asked him why he didn't just let it out on a female of his own kind, he responded that after having known a human woman's body, a female goblin's body couldn't satisfy him any longer, the pleasure he felt was in a league of it's own. However, I don't care about that.
I slapped him on the cheek then ignored him, because the girls who were assaulted had some parts of their clothes torn. I'd already heard what I wanted to hear.
I handed over some cardigans that I made using my threads yesterday to the shivering girls who were hugging their bodies, because leaving them with torn clothes could make them a temptation for the other goblins.
As I finished handing out the clothes, Redhead hugged me while crying, I rubbed her back and repeated her name in an attempt to calm her down. However, she started crying even harder, so I continued to patiently call out to her. Then Gobukichi-kun, Gobumi-chan and Gobue-chan came over, so I gave them instructions to carry the goblins I bound with my threads to the training hall near the entrance and to wake up everyone who was still sleeping.
After I gave them their instructions, I continued trying to comfort Redhead who calmed down after some time, she still wouldn't let go of my clothes though. For some reason, she would not open her hands regardless of my intentions. She was still faintly trembling, so I thought that it would be unreasonable to forcibly brush her hands away. Though I thought that it would be better for her mental health if she don't see what I would be doing, but this couldn't be helped so I took her with me.
The other four girls, although still trembling, either because they hated to be separated from me who rescued them as promised, or because they thought that they wanted to see what I'd do to the goblins with their own eyes, or possibly for some other reason, followed us.
Having made sure no one was still sleeping and that they had gathered in the training hall next to the entrance, I pointed at the thread bound goblins with the tip of my halberd to explain what these guys did, giving that as the reason I'll be punishing them, to make sure the others understand, then I began the torture.
For starters, I cut off their fingers bit by bit with a bowie knife. I cauterized the wounds with flames to prevent them from bleeding to death and used a healing spell to recover their vitality, I did all of this to prevent them from dying easily.
Their screams were noisy so I stuffed a gag of threads in their mouths. That was also to prevent them from biting their tongues. Well, to begin with they wouldn't die quickly even if they bit their tongues, so I'll be able to heal them before they die.
Yep, I was putting everyone off.
Physically and mentally, they were drawing away.
Nevertheless, doing this proved to the girls that the promise I made was not an empty one, and it served to give a warning to the goblins of what will happen if they opposed me in the future, it was very effective. In the first place, I don't need those who are following the orders of the previous leader instead of me. Leaving behind things like that would certainly cause problems later on, so, for the sake of the future, I did this to nip potential troubles in the bud. It would be ridiculous if, in the end, I was stabbed in the back and died because I did not do something like this.
The 6 goblins were dealt with using various unique, colorful methods, and in the end, only one was left.
The last one remaining — the former hobgoblin leader begged me for his life with his eyes, but even after so lovingly turning him into a sandbag, this fool did not understand a something so simple, I could not see any value in his existence.
Within the group he had held a position that corresponded with his strength but, as I thought, it can't be helped that fools will always stay fools.
I don't get these guys who could not abide by the bare minimum number of rules that I established, simple enough that even idiots could understand.
The fact that things ended up this way is because of this guy's intentions, you reap what you sow.
Still, even I wouldn't kill others just because I didn't like them, unless I have a good reason for killing them, like this guy and his six followers. In the first place, cases when it is fine if there are two powers within an organization are exceedingly rare.
Because of that, without hesitation, again and again I burned his arm then healed it, tormented him with water, trapped him under a heavy stone while whipping him, keeping him barely alive as I continuously tortured him.