"N-no! We're not!"
The goblins looked like they wanted to say something in response to
Enri's forceful rejection, but she saw them shrug out of the corner of her eye.
"Then…why is a girl in charge?"
"If ya don't know, that's why yer a kid. Our boss lady is strong in ways ya
can't see with yer eyes."
Enri was about to deny that, but she was overpowered by Arg's intent,
saucer-eyed stare and couldn't find the words to explain. While she was at a
loss, Kaijari asked the child a question.
"Okay, now we'll be asking the questions. Why was that thing chasing
ya? What happened?"
"Well—"
"Hey, shouldn't we discuss those things in the safety of the village?"
The one who answered Enri's question was—
"Yeah. That seems like a better plan."
—a woman who hadn't even been there until now.
Everyone gasped in shock and turned in the direction of the voice.
An eye-catchingly beautiful woman was standing there.
She had her hair in braids, and her skin was brown. She wore, according
to her, a maid uniform. Some kind of strange weapon-like thing was strapped
to her back.
She was an extremely shady character but also a familiar face.
Lupusregina β.
The maid worked for the village's savior Ainz Ooal Gown. She delivered
alchemy supplies to the Baleare house and was also the one who had brought
the stone golems to the village and gave them their orders. The villagers took
a shine to her right away due to her bright personality and cheerful way of
talking.
But she was unfathomable in some ways, like how she would suddenly
appear out of nowhere. The villagers figured that she must have magic
abilities, since she was that great caster's maid, which was how Enri
understood it as well. Even so, when the maid suddenly appeared like this,
her heart would leap into her throat.
"Lupu, where'd you come from…?"
"Psh! C'mon, En, I've been behind you the whole time! Wait a minute.ght you were ignorin' me."
"What? Huh?"
It sounded like a joke, but her voice was dead serious. Enri looked around
at everyone else for help.
"Uh, Lady Lupu, that's enough joking around."
"Wow! You think I'm jokin'! I'd really like you to remember… Just
kidding! I was playin' around."
Everyone became silent, then someone sighed, exasperated.
"Well, enough about that. Anyhow, who's this goblin kid? He—he can't
be…?"
Enri felt Lupusregina's eyes flitting between her and the goblins and had a
bad feeling.
"Pft—pft! Nfi! Guess the goblins got to her first, 'ey? Pffffft!"
Everyone blinked nonstop as her laughter continued.
"How awful! A purehearted lad's dream—trampled! How hilarious! Waha! …But seriously, who the heck is this?"
Arg twitched as if he'd seen something alien.
But Enri understood how he felt. Lupusregina was cheerful, but her
expressions changed so rapidly she seemed manic. The gap between a smile
and a sudden straight face could produce a mysterious fear.
"I won't snatch you up and eat ya. No worries. I just want a chill
explanation about who you are."
"Lady Lupu, didn't you agree that we would talk about those things
later?"
"Oh! Yeah, I do seem to remember randomly saying something like that."
"…"
"Oh! Miss Beta, there's a potion I'd like you to take to Sir Gown. It's
newly developed, and we have proof it works."
"Oh? You finally got something, 'ey, Nfi?"
"That's right. Unfortunately, it's not completely red yet, but we're getting
close."
"Splendid. I'm sure Lord Ainz will be pleased." Not only her words but
her entire vibe changed. She seemed like a whole other person, not the silly,
cheery woman from before. But that expression lasted only a moment. The
next second she was back to her normal self. "Well, that's something to look
forward to! Man, comin' today was the right idea! And you don't have to call
me Beta! I'll make a mega-exception and say you can call me Lupusregina."
She warmly mingled with the party as they walked to the gates.
The villagers didn't say anything upon seeing the unfamiliar goblin child.
It was possible they were overly relaxed, but it also showed how much they
trusted Enri and her friends. Or maybe they had assumed he was a relative of
the goblins who protected them.
The group cut across the village and passed Enri's house. They were
headed for the goblin residence.
"Sorry, one sec. I'd like Brita to hear this boy's story, too."
"Yeah, maybe that's a good idea, boss man. She's an apprentice ranger, so
she goes in the woods as well. We should share the info… What do ya think,
boss lady?"
"Huh? Me?" She hadn't expected to be consulted, so she hurriedly
considered her answer. Seeing no reason to disagree, she nodded. "Yeah, I
don't mind. Or rather, I'd like her to listen, too. Thanks, Nfi."
Nfirea was off and running with a "Got it."
"I don't mind waiting here, but maybe we should go on ahead and pour
some drinks."
"Sounds good. Ya guys must be thirsty."
"Lady Lupu, yer a maid, right? So do ya know how to make some tasty
drinks?"
"I'm Lord Ainz's and the other Supreme Beings' maid. I don't wanna
work for anybody else! All I wanna do is laze around, so no way am I
workin'."
"I see… That's too bad."
The conversation between Unrai and Lupusregina was totally normal—
nothing strange about it at all—but Enri felt a chill go up her spine.
Just as she was about to chime in, they reached the goblins' home.
It was a huge place with a yard big enough to let the wolves run freely,
spacious enough for about twenty people to live, and with spaces to maintain
weapons as well as train.
The goblins who opened the door led Enri, Arg, and Lupusregina inside.
"Wow, so this is what it's like in here!"
"Huh? You've never been inside, Lupu?"
"Nah, I haven't. Can't go in without being invited! Oh, I should mention
that it's because of manners—physically, I'd have no trouble! Miss Man
Chest is the one with that kind of weird setting."
"Miss Man Chest?"
"Right, En. That's what I call Miss Unfortunate Baby Doll. Well, it's not
like she can't actually enter any room she wants, either. It's a myth, folklore.
Anyhow, enough of that. That goblin looks like he's got somethin' to say."
"Oh yes. About drinks… Uhh, would you like herbal water or fruit water?
We have blackweed tea or water with hyueli in it…"
Arg and Lupusregina didn't seem to understand Unrai's question, so Enri
explained. "Hyueli is a citrus fruit. Water with cut-up hyueli in it is
refreshing. Blackweed tea is a bitter tea."
"Then I want hyueli."
"I'm good with that, too."
"Got it. How about boss lady?"
"Hmm, then I'll have hyueli as well, please. Also…could we wash our
hands? Even though I'm used to the smell, it's sort of…"
"Sure, go ahead. Hey, kid— Arg, this way. We gotta clean ya up a bit.
And brother, can ya put away these dirty weapons?"
"Are you sure?"
"Should be fine. We can't wash them all now anyhow, and we'll be done
with this in a bit."
"If ya say so."
Kaijari took the three goblins' weapons and left the room.
"Arg, would ya come along already?"
"Why do I have to wash? I'm clean!"
Enri could see his hands were filthy. They weren't clean by any definition
of the word.
"We're not asking for yer opinion. The master of the house just told ya to
go wash up. Or are ya such a big shot ya can object to what the master of the
house says?"
Arg pouted and walked next to Enri.
She drew some water from a pot and poured it into a bucket. Once she had
enough for four people, she plunged her hands into the shockingly cold water
and scrubbed. She made sure the green under her fingernails came off. Once
they looked clean enough, she lifted them out of the water and brought them
to her nose. Nope, no smell.
Satisfied, she turned to look at the scene next to her. Unrai and Gokou
were washing their hands like she had been, and the water was turning the red
of the barghest's blood.
Next, she checked on Arg and was immediately irritated.
Even a toddler wouldn't wash up so poorly. He splashed a little water on
his hands, squished them together a couple of times, and that was it. He
didn't rub or anything.
Now that she'd gotten the green stink off her own hands, she noticed that
Arg still smelled like crushed herbs. Perhaps for goblins who lived in the
woods where magical beasts with excellent senses of smell lived, stinking
like this was self-protection. Maybe that was why he didn't have a habit of
bathing.
Still…
"This is how you do it."
Arg made a face when Enri taught him but—perhaps he remembered what
the other goblins had said about his position—reluctantly imitated her.
"Nice job."
"Hey, now wipe yer body with this. Ya gotta get all that blood off."
With a grumpy look on his face, he took the damp hand towel and used it
to wipe down.
"Can we toss the dirty water outside?"
"Oh, right, please go ahead and sit down, boss lady. We'll handle the
rest."
Taking them up on their kindness, Enri headed for the table. There were a
lot of goblins living in the house, which meant there were a lot of chairs.
When she chose one and sat down, it finally hit her how exhausted she was.
Her arms and legs were stiff as rods, and her head felt heavy.
Gathering herbs was exhausting, but it seemed like the battle with the
barghest had especially tired her out. Even though all I did was watch…
Nfirea and the goblins were actually fighting, but they're going about their
tasks like normal… I'll never get used to battle… Wow, Nfirea was as strong
as anyone… She knew he could use magic, but she didn't realize how strong
he was. He's amazing…
Her old friend seemed like someone else entirely, and a feeling she
couldn't put a finger on welled up inside her. It felt a little like surprise but
also completely different and mysterious.
After hearing what turned out to be a ceramic cup being placed in front of
her, Enri came back to her senses. The cup was filled to the brim with a clear
liquid that gave off a citrus scent. She picked it up and took a sip.
A refreshing sweetness and citrus flavor spread throughout her body; she
practically felt filled with vitality. At some point, Arg had sat beside her. He
gulped his drink down in one go and asked for seconds.
Lupusregina didn't touch her drink.
Come to think of it, she never eats or drinks.
"Hmm? What's up? You're starin' awfully hard. Don't tell me ya got a
thing for me! Oh, man! But, En, I can't believe you're a lesbian! We gotta tell
everybody!"
"What? No! I'm not!"
"Wa-ha-ha-ha-ha! Just kidding. You like guys, right?"
Enri wasn't sure what to say and pursed her lips.
"Where are they anyway? …Oh, here they come."
Enri looked toward the door without thinking but didn't sense anyone
coming.
"Really? I can't hear a thing." Arg cupped his hands behind his ears.
"Hey, are humans a race with really good hearing?"
"Uh, er, I guess I can't hear anything. But Lupusregina sometimes…fibs
like that? To tease people, I guess?"
Arg looked at Lupusregina with a face that seemed to say, What? You
were lyin'? But then his eyes widened. "No, I hear it! They are coming.
Wow, yer amazing!"
"Hmm? Oh, nahh. Compared to the boss lady over there, I'm no big deal."
Arg took her seriously and gaped at Enri.
No, that's not true. Plus, Lupusregina is grinning like she just told a huge
lie. But before Enri could figure out how to clear up the misunderstanding,
someone knocked on the door.
It was Nfirea and a woman in leather armor.
The ex-adventurer Brita was the next person to move to the village after
Nfirea. Apparently, she had been an adventurer in E-Rantel but retired after
some things happened. She still had to eat, though, so she answered Carne's
call and moved in.
She was training as a ranger, and Enri heard she showed promise. She
wasn't as strong as Jugemu, but she was still top class among those in the
village, so she was the leader of the self-defense unit (not that it was really
grand enough to deserve the name).
She had been called to the meeting because she was the leader of that
group but also because she was an apprentice ranger and as such had
occasion to enter the forest.
"Oh, there really is a new goblin… Er, yeah, I can't help looking at them
from an adventurer's point of view, but I guess I shouldn't think of them as
enemies." Brita winced.
Enri could understand how she felt. As far as she had heard, goblins were
enemies of humans, and it wasn't considered wrong to kill them on sight. But
this village was different. In fact, it almost felt like in this place, humans were
the greatest enemies.
"Okay, everyone's here, so let's hear what he has to say. Now then, Arg.
Please tell us why ya were all beat up and on the run."
"Simply put, I got attacked, so I ran away."
"That's too simple…! What kind of monster attacked ya?"
"One of the Giant of the East's underlings."
"The Giant of the East? Who's that?"
"…What do ya guys call him?"
"No, before we worry about the name—I've never heard of him. Do you
know anything about him, Brita?"
Nfirea knew the most of any person present, but Brita had the upper hand
when it came to knowledge of the surrounding woods. Still, even she shook
her head. "Sorry, I haven't heard of this Giant of the East. And I don't think
Master Racchimon knows, either. We don't go that deep into the forest, so
we don't know as many details as someone who lives there."
"Then, Arg, explain from the basics."
"The basics? What's basic?"
Enri understood Arg's confusion very well. Asking specific things one by
one made it easier to answer.
"Then will you tell us about the strong monsters living in the woods?"
"From my perspective, ogres and barghests are strong, but…if you mean
ones that are equal to the Giant of the East, there used to be these superstrong
ones called the Three Big Ones. First was the one that used to be around here,
the Great Magical Beast of the South. That one was amazing. People said
anyone who went in its territory would die. I dunno what happened to it. Next
is the Giant of the East. It's building up its power out past the deadwood
forest. Last is the Magical Serpent of the West. People say it's a gross snake
that can use magic."
"Wait, what about the north?"
"Supposedly, there's a lake up north, where lots of different races live,
and like, someone is gathering them all together… I don't really know. But I
heard there are twin witches in the marsh. Anyhow, when the Great Magical
Beast of the South disappeared, things started getting weird in the forest. I
don't know much about it, but I guess some really horrifying guy showed up,
changing the power balance, so we were chased off, and…"
"And then the Structure of Ruin?"
"The ruler of the Structure of Ruin is a little shadow that lurks in the
darkness and can command undead. That's what someone who survived
going to the place said."
Everyone—besides Lupusregina—looked at one another, worried.
First, the Great Magical Beast of the South. Considering that its territory
had been in this area, it had to be the magical beast that belonged to the
adventurers Nfirea had accompanied, specifically the one clad in raven-black
armor. Certainly, with its convincingly powerful appearance, it was worthy of
the title Great Magical Beast, and there was no other beast who fit that
description.
"The Great Magical Beast…is the Wise King of the Forest, Hamusuke,
right?"
"Ah! Well, she is a great magical beast…," Brita shouted upon hearing
Nfirea's observation, although she shouldn't have had the chance to see
Hamusuke since coming to the village.
When they asked, it seemed she had seen the Wise King from a distance
in E-Rantel.
There were two other beings equal to that one. Every single person
present felt shock and fear.
"So how did ya end up on the run?"
"Up until now, those three were in a deadlock. The Great Magical Beast
of the South never left its territory, but no one could guarantee it would stay
that way. There was a chance that if East and West clashed, it might sweep in
from the side the moment one of them won, so no one ever fought in the first
place."
"That makes sense. East and West could team up against South… Oh, but
South never leaves its territory, so they probably never thought to team up
and defeat it. No point in awkward meddling…"
"We don't know what they were thinking. But up until now they each had
personal territories and were building their respective kingdoms. But because
of the Structure of—because of the master of that place, the territories have
shifted. The two kings decided to fight the King of Ruin. So then the two
kings started gathering disposable soldiers," Arg explained bitterly. "They
tried to force us into fighting on their side. But even if we allied with them,
they wouldn't care at all about goblin lives. We would've been throwaways
—at worst, emergency rations—so we decided to run for it, but…"
"Seems like it was impossible."
"Yeah. We got attacked by the barghest and the ogres. We had no choice
but to scatter. I got this far with a bunch of others. We thought if we could
reach the Great Magical Beast of the South's territory, then the hunters
wouldn't follow us anymore."
Arg said he had come this far with some companions, but there was no
sign of them.
When a sorrowful expression came over Enri's face, Gokou spoke.
"Another team's conducting an investigation in the forest. If there are any
survivors, as long as they don't resist, they'll probably be brought back here."
"I'm sure. The wolves will smell them. So the issue is what else we're up
against besides the barghest and if there's anything else coming. If we're
unlucky, they'll chase you all the way to the village. Arg, what other types of
monsters were there?"
"Barghests, ogres, boggarts, bugbears…and wolves, I guess."
"So your run-of-the-mill monsters, then. I guess I'd rather hear more
detailed descriptions of the Giant of the East and the Magical Serpent of the
West—what they look like, what powers they have… Do you know
anything?"
Arg shook his head back and forth. "I dunno details. All I know is that
they say the Giant of the East has a big sword and the Magical Serpent of the
West has a head like you guys and can use magic."
All eyes gathered on Nfirea, but he shook his head. It was too little to go
on.
"The issue is what to do. If a monster equal to that amazing magical beast
shows up, honestly, there's nothing we can do. All the self-defense squad is
capable of is escorting the womenfolk and making a run for it."
"Hmm. Would fortifying our defenses be enough, or should we be
thinking of taking some other action? If the commotion stays confined to the
forest, then we're fine."
Everyone became absorbed in thought.
The best thing for people living outside the forest was for these issues to
come to a resolution inside the forest. It would be problematic if these events
led to a situation where the villagers were completely unable to go into the
woods, but in the worst case, they would do what necessity demanded.
"But if the enemy can mow down tribes living in the woods, they must
have gathered a crazy amount of combat power."
"No! My tribe used to be stronger, too. But way before this, we started
thinking about looking for a new place to live, and we sent some adult goblin
troops to the ogres. If it weren't for that, we would have been able to put up
more resistance!"
"Those grown-up goblins never came back?"
At Brita's question, Nfirea cocked his head and seemed to be pondering
something.
"So I'm going to totally change the subject, but I just remembered
something, so I wanted to ask: Do you talk normally for a goblin?"
"What do ya mean?"
"Ah, sorry, maybe that didn't make sense. I met some goblins once
before, and they sounded—this isn't a nice way to put it but—not very bright.
But since coming here, I see that Jugemu and the others talk normally, and
you sound normal—fluent. So I wondered if maybe the goblins I met just
happened to be that way, like they were a primitive tribe or something."
"No, I'm especially smart. Normal goblins don't use much grammar when
they talk… Sometimes I have trouble understanding people in my tribe. It's
gotten to the point where I even worry maybe I was kidnapped from a
different tribe. Hey, I'm only asking just in case, but ya don't think I might
have originally been from around this village, do ya? Ya never heard of me
before?"
"Nah, I don't know about that, but…it's possible yer…well, boss lady,
boss man, can I have a word?"
Enri followed Kaijari to the corner of the room with Nfirea.
"That Arg kid, I wonder if he's a hobgoblin and not a goblin."
Hobgoblins were a subspecies of goblin and more advanced than goblins
in a variety of ways. Goblins were the size of human children even as adults,
but hobgoblins eventually grew to be the size of human adults.
They were on par with humans not only physically but mentally as well.
Since they could crossbreed with goblins, they often lived in goblin tribes,
but there were never as many of them as there were goblins, which often led
them to taking up the position of tribal leader or special guardian-type roles.
"But if his mom or dad was a hobgoblin, he would have realized his
identity, wouldn't he?"
"Maybe his parents were goblins, and he's the only one who's a
hobgoblin?"
"Huh? Is this like one of those intense dramas you find in stories?!"
"…I've never seen that look on your face before, Enri… Unfortunately, I
don't think that's the case. It could be that there are changelings among
goblins just like there are among humans."
"Something like that could be possible. Not sure that there is anything to
do about it, in that case, but…"
When the three of them returned to the table, Lupusregina, who had been
silent up until now, spoke. "So do we have a decision? If you want, I can ask
Lord Ainz, tell him you'd like the problem solved."
That was just what they wanted to hear.
Surely the hero who saved the village would be able to take on a great
magical beast–class monster and win. But—
"We can't depend on him so much."
When Enri made that unexpected remark, the goblins agreed. Only Brita
and Arg, who had never met Ainz, looked confused. For some reason,
Nfirea's expression seemed to indicate he had mixed feelings.
"This village is our village. We need to do as much as we can ourselves.
I'm sure these are nothing more than the thoughts of a girl who's useless in a
fight and has never spilled blood, but…"
"No, I agree with ya. This is the boss lady's village—" Kaijari cocked his
head with a "Hmm?" before restating. "'Boss lady and our village' doesn't
sound quite right, either…"
"You mean the village belongs to everyone who lives here?"
"Yeah, that's it, boss man. Figures that you would understand! Anyhow,
that's why asking Sir Caster for help should be our very last resort."
"But what if everyone dies 'cause of that?! Getting chopped up hurts, ya
know!"
"Hah! We wouldn't let that happen, Miss Lupusregina. If it comes down
to that, we'll be everyone's shield and at least buy them enough time to
escape!"
Lupusregina seemed to feel awkward. "Oh, huh. Then do your best."
"So as far as what action the village should take, I think we should contact
—or make a report to—the Adventurers Guild in E-Rantel. When the guild
takes a request, they send out a survey team first before doing any follow-up,
so there'll be trouble if we wait until an emergency to make a request."
As an ex-adventurer, Brita added her thoughts to Nfirea's proposal.
"Yeah. The guild looks out for adventurers, so they don't die fighting an
unexpected monster. People who are nuts, like workers, make fun of the
practice, saying the guild coddles adventurers, but that's just a garbage
accusation made by a greedy bunch. It's only natural for a guild to want to
protect its members."
"Brita, I don't mean to imply anything bad about adventurers, but why
during emergencies do rates jump or some requests get refused?"
"Adventurers don't want to die any more than other people. Plus, the
guild doesn't want to send adventurers to their deaths, either. So for very
sudden jobs, even if it might not require an extremely skilled adventurer, the
guild offers greater compensation to attract higher-ranking folks for the job."
Enri, the village girl who was neither an adventurer nor anything else,
meekly listened to everything the experienced Brita had to say. Certainly,
from the point of view of someone in a spot who needed help, it was
emotionally hard to swallow her explanation, but from an adventurer's
perspective, it made sense.
"Well, even when the guild does investigate, there are still plenty of
people who die from an unlucky encounter…" Brita bit her lip. "I start
shaking even now when I remember being attacked by that vampire. For a
while, I couldn't sleep without medication…"
"A vampire? What are ya talking about?"
Brita smiled bitterly in response to Arg's less-than-tactful question.
"It's a secret. But seriously, don't make me remember it. I'll pee my
pants."
"But I told ya my story…"
"That was in exchange for us saving your life…"
"So I guess our plan for the time being will be to report to the guild and
maybe make a request depending on how things go? I'm sure the fee is no
laughing matter, but we need to get an estimate. We also need to relay this
info to Jugemu and the headman. That sounds good, right, Enri?"
"I'll let the self-defense squad know. I have the feeling what we discussed
here will end up being what we do."
Enri nodded at Nfirea's and Brita's comments.
"Okay, then I'll hang around the village a little longer before headin'
back. Are ya sure ya don't need Lord Ainz's help?"
"Yes. We'd like to do as much as we can on our own. Feel free to let him
know what's going on, though."
"Gotcha."
Arg was still having a hard time understanding as he watched Enri and
Nfirea stand up and start working on their plan.
"What's so great about that woman?"
"What's that?"
Arg trembled at the grown-up goblin's threatening voice.
This grown-up goblin seemed stronger than any of the ones in his own
tribe. Getting a hostile reaction from someone like that gave him goose
bumps all over.
Still, he couldn't suppress the curiosity that children naturally had.
"Are girls always in charge in Carne?"
Enri didn't look so strong to Arg. She seemed to have a bit of muscle on
her arms and legs but not anywhere near enough. He wouldn't say she needed
as much muscle as an ogre, but a leader needed more than she had.
He would have understood if she was a caster. In goblin tribes, too, girls
could become leaders if they could use those mysterious powers he didn't
understand. But this one wasn't a caster anyway.
He honestly couldn't understand why she was in charge.
"No, that's not it."
"…Isn't that newer ranger lady stronger?"
"Well, Miss Brita is pretty strong, but we're stronger."
Arg's impression of the grown-up goblin before him improved a notch.
He sensed there was a reason behind the confidence that allowed him to make
such a claim despite the difference in height.
"And the lady who appeared behind us, is she not that strong, either? I
mean, I was surprised when she showed up out of nowhere, but…"
The grown-up goblin suddenly went silent and stared at Arg.
Arg sensed something he couldn't understand and asked nervously, "Whwhat? Is there something wrong with her?'
"The lady who appears suddenly…her name is Lupusregina… She's
dangerous. I imagine you'll be in the village for a while, but don't talk to her.
Stay away. I'm saying this for yer own good."
"Uh, oh…okay."
"And I'll say another thing. It should be obvious, but if ya do anything to
any of the humans here, ya won't get off with just a beating. Be ready to pay
with yer life."
"G-got it. You're just telling me to accept being treated like a member of
a defeated tribe, right? I promise. I won't harm anyone from the Carne tribe."
"All right, then… And don't go anywhere near Lupusregina!"
Realizing how wary and frightened the grown-up goblin was of her, Arg
took the warning to heart. Then he realized he hadn't gotten an answer to his
original question, so he asked again, "So why is Miss Enri in charge?" Even
Arg could learn. Rather, he was the smartest one in his tribe; he even had
trouble meshing with the other members. For him, learning was simple.
The grown-up goblin sighed. "The boss lady…is actually reeeally strong."
"Huh?!"
"You're just weak so you don't understand. When she gets serious, she
can wring a barghest's neck with one hand, pour its blood into a cup, and
drink it."
"Really?!"
"Seriously. It's true."
Arg recalled Enri's appearance. When he took a moment to think about it,
he remembered her giving orders with a determination that resonated in the
pit of his stomach. So that was just a glimpse of her true character?
"Our boss lady's just pretending to be weak. If ya go around asking weird
questions, she'll get pissed and wring yer neck with one hand! That's a lot of
work to clean up. The blood sprays everywhere."
"O-oh… Why is she pretending to be weak? I can't imagine she'd have
much to worry about if she's really that strong…"
"When yer strong, some idiot always wants to test themselves against ya!
It's more troublesome than ya'd expect!"
I thought being strong meant ya could do anything, but maybe that's not
the case? Arg got caught in a maze of thoughts.
He didn't notice the look on the grown-up goblin's face that said he was
only joking.
In the middle of the night, Enri suddenly woke up. She scanned the room and
made sure nothing was off. The world around her was mostly pitch-black.
The only source of light was the moon coming in through the cracks in the
shutters. The lighting was poor, but she didn't detect anything amiss.
She strained her ears.
Horses neighing, the sounds of knights running around in armor, people
screaming—she didn't hear anything like that. It was an ordinary night.
She exhaled quietly and closed her eyes. Perhaps because she'd been
sleeping so deeply up until now, she didn't feel the urge to go right back to
bed.
So much had happened that day. After the meeting, they'd gone to talk to
the headman and then returned to explain to Jugemu. I wonder if they're
okay…
Jugemu and his team had gone back into the woods that evening to
confirm the new information they'd received. Walking deep into the forest at
night was too dangerous. Unlike humans, goblins could operate fine at night
with even a little light, but many monsters like magical beasts were nocturnal
and grew active once the sun set.
The danger jumped dramatically compared to the daytime.
If there hadn't been urgent needs, such as making sure no other monsters
were coming after Arg, even Jugemu and his team wouldn't have gone out
right away.
The goblins were strong, but that was only in comparison to Enri and the
other villagers; there were monsters in the forest—like the great magical
beast—more powerful than them.
Enri was so scared at the thought of losing them that she flinched, and
perhaps in response, her little sister snuggled up to her, murmuring, "Nngh…"
Enri opened her eyes slightly to look at Nemu.
It didn't seem like she had woken her up. She could hear her even
breathing.
Hee-hee…
She suppressed a laugh just as she heard a soft knock at the door. It wasn't
the wind, and she wasn't imagining things.
She furrowed her brow. What could it be this late at night? But precisely
because it was so late, it had to be something important.
She dexterously shifted the blanket covering her sister and her, then
slowly got out of bed. She moved carefully so as not to wake Nemu. Her
heart pounded a little at the thought that the creaking of the floor might wake
her at any second.
Ever since the incident, Nemu always slept with Enri. Her emotional
wounds were severe.
Enri didn't feel like trying to persuade her to do otherwise—because it
comforted her just as much when she slept with her sister.
But she knew that even when they went to bed together, there were times
Nemu jerked awake from a nightmare, so when her sister was sleeping
soundly, Enri wanted to let her rest.
Quietly and slowly, she moved toward the entryway where the knocking
showed no signs of stopping.
When she nervously peered through the peephole, she saw Jugemu
illuminated in the moonlight. She sighed with relief.
In a low voice so as not to wake her sister, she called outside, "So you're
back safe, Jugemu."
"Yes, boss lady. We made it somehow. Sorry to wake ya. I thought I
should inform ya right away."
Enri opened the door slightly and slipped outside through the crack. She
was worried the moonlight shining in would wake Nemu.
Perhaps sensing her concern, Jugemu spoke quietly. "I want ya to come
with me."
"Now?" She smiled. "I don't mind."
"I'm really sorry."
Enri told him he didn't need to apologize and set off walking after him.
She wondered if maybe it would have been better to wake her sister after all
but decided it was better to let her sleep.
"Allow me to give ya a brief explanation while we walk."
Normally, Jugemu spoke in a more relaxed tone, but when he felt like
something was official—for work—he spoke more formally.
Enri was only a village girl, so she thought he could be more familiar with
her, but he hadn't changed in all the time they'd been together, so she had
resigned herself to his just being that way.
"First, we discovered several members of Arg's tribe."
"Oh! That's good!"
"…But they're mentally exhausted, so they'll need a few days' rest. The
boss man should be able to help us out with his abilities."
Enri must have looked confused. He provided additional explanation.
"When we found the survivors, they were being held prisoner by some ogres
—underlings of the Giant of the East—and getting eaten. Konaa healed their
physical wounds with magic, but their psychological issues remain. The boss
man has some medicines that can be used as sedatives, so we're going to treat
them with those. Now here's the problem—there's one tricky bit."
Jugemu paused to check her expression before continuing. "When we
saved Arg's tribesmen, we also took five ogres prisoner. We did it to get
information out of them, but… Ogres as a species have a habit of living with
goblins. They build a mutually beneficial relationship where ogres do the
fighting and the goblins provide food. The ones we took prisoner are saying
they don't mind fighting for our tribe. When I asked Arg, he said it wasn't
such a rare thing, but…what should we do?"
"Umm, can we trust them?"
"According to Arg, we can. Ogres have the strange tendency of only
fighting for either their own tribe or a goblin tribe, so it could be that they're
so ready to betray the Giant of the East because he's not from a goblin tribe."
"Mmm, I'm kind of scared of man-eating ogres…"
"It seems they've accepted the humans of this village as members of the
tribe, so as long as we feed them there shouldn't be an issue. And we can
provide enough food, no problem. Luckily they're omnivores."
Frankly, it was a difficult decision for a mere village girl to make.
"Should we kill them?" His tone was even. "To be blunt, I don't mind
killing them, since we'd be avoiding any future issues. I don't want any
trouble. They seem fine with betraying their master, so they might rebel the
moment we're at a disadvantage. Arg says they won't, but it's hard to accept
what a kid says at face value…"
"What do you think, Jugemu?"
"There's nothing better than having more fighting power. We don't know
what kind of monster could be displaced from the forest. You can never have
too many shields."
"May I ask you one more thing? They won't eat people?"
"…Enri, I know they have a reputation for eating people, but at the end of
the day, they're just carnivorous monsters. They attack humans because it's
easier to capture them than wild animals."
It must have been far easier for an ogre to chase down a human than a
rabbit. Designating a creature that was easier to hunt as the main source of
food was natural providence, so to speak.
"Anyhow, that's all to say that if we give them food, they won't go after
the villagers. They only attack to eat. We can catch animals better than they
can, so we can guarantee they won't go hungry. Of course, we'll keep an eye
on them for a while. We definitely won't let them harm anyone from the
village."
"Then I guess it's better to believe them for now and have them serve us.
That'll help us out in the future."
"I'm glad ya understand. The only thing is that—and ya might think this
contradicts what we were just saying, but—if they fail the next step, we'll kill
them. We're thinking about convincing them that yer the leader."
"Huh?!" Enri emitted a high-pitched shriek in spite of herself. The
conversation had taken too big of a leap. Why do I have to lead the group,
including the ogres?! I'm just a village girl! Jugemu should be the boss!
"I'm doing this with an eye toward the future. We don't want them to
realize that yer a normal human. We follow yer orders, but if the ogres won't
listen unless it comes through me or one of the other goblins, things could get
extremely dangerous. I'm the commander on the front lines, so there's no
telling what might happen to me. We need to have someone in the rear,
where it's safe, who can give orders to the ogres, too."
Enri worked her village-girl brain furiously. "So we need two people who
can give orders?"
Jugemu nodded.
"Then why not Nfi?"
"Because depending on the situation, he might be helping on the front
lines."
"I see…"
That made sense to Enri. So she agreed. If she was going to stay in a safe
place, she should make herself useful however she could. She had been
hoping for a way to do that. But—
"Can I really dominate the ogres?"
"We're going to right now, boss lady. Can ya do some acting for me?"
There were two village gates, one at the front and one at the back. Enri
was led to the latter. It was wide open, and five ogres had prostrated
themselves on the ground. They were the source of the intensely foul smell
that reached Enri and Jugemu on the breeze.
Surrounding them was the goblin troop. No one was missing and no one
looked injured.
Usually there would have been someone, human or goblin, up in the
watchtower next to the gate, but today there didn't seem to be anyone—
perhaps the goblins wanted to give the couple some space.
Nfirea was there and Arg, too, a little removed from the others.
"Hey, Enri. I wonder if I'm allowed to call this a nice night."
"Sure, Nfi. The moon is pretty."
"Yeah, it looks so big."
"Sorry to interrupt yer conversation. I don't mean to rush, but I'd like to
get started here." After whispering to Enri, Jugemu raised his voice. "Hey, ya
guys! Our boss lady is here! She's the one who decides if ya live or die!"
The five huge ogres all raised their heads to look at Enri. She felt like an
invisible force was pushing on her, but she managed to keep her feet from
retreating. If she took one step back, the plan would be a failure, and the
goblins would have to exterminate the ogres to nip any issues in the bud.
The goblins surrounding them had their weapons firmly in hand. Nfirea
had casually taken out a medicine bottle as well.
Some tense time passed.
Enri took the ogres' gazes head-on and returned them. She couldn't waver
or look away.
She imagined the ogres were the knights from that fateful day.
Clenching her fists, she remembered the time she'd punched one of their
helmeted faces.
Don't underestimate me! Everyone is protecting this village. I'm
protecting this village, too!
After an intense period of time—it might have been just a moment, but to
Enri it felt like hours—the ogres' eyes wavered.
They looked at one another and then at Jugemu.
"I told ya, didn't I? Our boss lady is strong!"
"Bow your heads!" Enri accompanied Jugemu's words with a shout from
the pit of her stomach.
Even she was surprised how determined her voice sounded, and she saw
Arg flinch out of the corner of her eye. That didn't matter, though. What was
important to her was that all the ogres lowered their heads.
It seemed, at least for the time being, that they all acknowledged her as
their superior.
"All right, if ya got something to say to the chief of the tribe containing
this village and us goblins, say it now!"
With their heads still bowed, the ogres strung some words together with
their gravelly voices.
"Tiny fright master. We sorry."
"We attack your tribe. Forgive us."
The "your tribe" they meant was Arg's. For the sake of simplicity, they
had said that Arg and company were members of the Carne village tribe. If
they hadn't, the ogres' brains would have short-circuited.
"We work for you."
"That's fine! Work for my tribe!" she commanded, using up the last of her
fight. She'd said only a few words, but she was exhausted. She was as tired
as when they had explored the forest.
Just as she thought she wouldn't be able to maintain her boss attitude any
longer, Jugemu stepped in to help.
"Good for ya! The boss lady just said she'll spare yer lives!"
The ogres visibly relaxed. It was entirely possible they would have been
killed, so it was only natural.
The group of them turned to focus intently on Enri. "Chief, what we do
now?"
She didn't even have to think about it. If she didn't know, she could leave
it to someone else. "Jugemu, please look after them. Use them how you like."
"Understood, boss lady." The goblin leader bowed once and then turned
to the ogres. "Okay, for now we'll set up a tent for y'all outside the village.
Stay there. Hey, you guys, get the tent up."
After hearing their orders, the goblins and ogres set off in one cluster.
"Having them in a tent outside the village could become problematic, so if
possible I'd like to make a house for them inside—after they've been trained
not to attack the villagers, of course."
"We have to go around and convince everyone to accept them."
"Hmm, I don't think it will be any trouble if you're the one telling them,
Enri. Also, about tomorrow…" Nfirea and Enri were supposed to take a
couple of goblins as an escort and head to E-Rantel. "Sorry, but I have to
treat the survivors from Arg's tribe, so it doesn't seem like I'll be able to go."
Those goblins were going to live in the same village as the ogres who had
been eating them. They needed both treatment for their injuries and care for
their minds, but knowing Lizzy's personality, she would probably have the
opposite effect and terrify them. Nfirea was the only man for the job.
"Really? That's a bit nerve-racking…" Enri had never been to a big city
like E-Rantel, and when she thought of what she had to do there, it weighed
heavily on her.
"Then what about asking the village headman to go with you?"
"I doubt he can…"
The headman needed to pay attention to village systems and maintenance,
as well as help new villagers, so he probably couldn't go too far.
"…Nnngh, honestly, there aren't enough people in this village. It was like
that before, too, but now it's even worse…"
Carne had always been barely getting by. After the decrease in population,
it was functioning markedly worse. That's why they had suppressed opposing
voices and put out a call for new settlers.
"We need to go to the shrines in E-Rantel and see if there are any people
who will move here… Ahh, this is too much for a village girl to do…"
"Do yer best, Chief."
Enri puffed out her cheeks in frustration. She didn't want to hear that from
Jugemu. One of the reasons she was running around like a chicken with her
head cut off was to take care of the goblins serving her.
"I really want to go with you, but…" Nfirea moaned, seeming extremely
disappointed. But then he deliberately brightened the mood by saying, "Oh,
but you don't need to worry about a thing. I'll keep an eye on Nemu, so you
can just focus on doing your work and getting back."
"…Agh, it's like I'm the only person in the world—getting worshipped all
of a sudden and having to pretend I'm all-important, forced to go to
someplace I've never been and do all sorts of work I've never done…"
"Don't be so down, Enri. If you look, I'm sure there's at least one more
person."
Jugemu and Nfirea chuckled at Enri as she slumped her shoulders.
Last of all, a little ways removed from the others, Arg whispered in a
voice no one else could hear.
"So she really is ruling those goblins by her strength… Boss lady Enri,
chief of Carne…"
3
Fortress City E-Rantel, true to its name, was surrounded by three walls. The
gates in the outer wall loomed largest and sturdiest, brimming with rugged
dignity.
These gates were supposed to be able to repel any attack from the
neighboring empire. Anyone passing through the city had seen travelers
gaping before their imposing presence at least once. Surely, they had all
made that face at one time or another.
Next to the gate was a checkpoint; several soldiers were lounging inside,
seeking shelter from the sun.
They may have seemed slack for soldiers in a city that was liable to be the
front line in a war, but their duty at the checkpoint was to inspect travelers. It
was their job to spot spies from other countries or people transporting illegal
contraband, so if no one was entering the city, it was only natural there would
be no work.
Though these rank-and-file soldiers with nothing to do had not gone so far
as to play cards to kill time, they didn't bother hiding their yawns, either.
They seemed bored at the moment, but when they had work, they always
had a lot of it. Especially early in the morning, right when the gates opened
for the day, things were hectic beyond description.
When the sun reached the highest point in the sky, they started to see a
scattering of travelers on the road. It was normal for people to travel in
groups in a world where monsters were liable to appear.
When they come, they always come in clusters. Things are about to get
busy. Thinking along those lines, a soldier looked out the frame-only window
and set eyes on another wagon coming down the road separate from that
group.
There was a single woman in the box seat. There didn't seem to be any
people-like figures on the uncovered cargo bed. She was a lone traveler.
The woman didn't appear to be armed. From that, he guessed that—
She must be a girl from some village.
But the thought made him cock his head.
It wasn't so rare for villagers in the region to visit the city. But a single
woman unaccompanied? That was a different story.
It was impossible to claim with any certainty that there were no monsters
or bandits out there, despite it being the outskirts of E-Rantel. It was true that
nearly all the dangerous monsters and outlaws had disappeared thanks to the
efforts of the legendary adventurer team Raven Black, but that didn't mean
there were none, and normal threats like wolves were still present.
This was common sense not only for the E-Rantel region but also for any
city—it was simply reality. So why would anyone let a girl travel on her
own?
It was possible her party had been attacked by bandits and she had run for
her life, but she didn't look troubled. She seemed incredibly composed, like
she was traveling with the knowledge that she was perfectly safe.
Who is this person?
With the question still on his mind, the soldier shifted his eyes to her
horse—and was thrown into confusion again.
It was a magnificent steed, not at all the sort of animal a village girl would
possess. Its physique and coat brought to mind a warhorse.
Warhorses fetched extremely high prices. Even if someone managed to
get the cash together, they weren't simply sold to ordinary people. They were
the best mounts available outside of monsters like wyverns and griffins.
If a regular person got ahold of a warhorse, they likely had some kind of
connections, but there was no way a village girl had friends in those kinds of
places.
There was a possibility she robbed its original owner, but when something
so valuable got stolen, retaliatory measures were definitely taken—to the
point where even career thieves avoided targeting someone riding a warhorse.
He concluded that there was a very good chance she was no mere village
girl. But then who is this woman dressed like a villager?
The hint was that she was traveling alone. In other words, she was
confident in her abilities, and they weren't hindered by her plain appearance
—she didn't need gear. Therefore, she had to be someone whose equipment
didn't correlate closely with her combat ability, like a caster.
That answer made sense to him. If she was an adventurer like many
casters, she would have plenty of cash and connections and thus a far better
chance of acquiring a warhorse than the average person.
"Huh, is that a caster or something?"
A fellow soldier came up next to him and voiced the same guess.
"Could be," the first soldier answered, furrowing his brow slightly.
Casters were a pain to inspect.
First of all, their weapon—magic—was inside them, so it was invisible.
Put another way, there was no method to gauge how powerful their attacks
might be.
Second, it was possible that they were using magic to smuggle something
dangerous into the city, and uncovering that was difficult.
Third, they carried a lot of specialist paraphernalia and therefore required
annoying processing. Those were some of the main issues.
To be frank, he hated inspecting casters the most. That's why they
borrowed personnel from the Wizards Guild—and paid them handsomely for
their services, of course…
"Should we call him? Ugh…"
"I guess we have no choice. If we let her through and she causes a
problem, we'll be in trouble."
"If only casters would just dress so you knew at a glance that's what they
were."
"In a shady-looking robe carrying a shady-looking staff?"
"Yeah. If you saw that, you'd know they were a caster. Also, it would be
good if we could force them all to join the Wizards Guild and require them to
carry a sign like the members of the Adventurers Guild do."
They looked at each other and laughed, and the first soldier, who had been
sitting the whole time, stood up. He was going to go meet the potential caster
girl.
As the soldiers watched, the wagon approached the gate and stopped in
front.
The girl got out of the driver's seat. The sweat beading on her forehead
showed at a glance that she'd been traveling out under the sun. Probably to
cover herself from the rays, she wore long sleeves and long pants. Neither
garment was very well tailored. She seemed like a normal village girl who
could be found anywhere.
But she could have been something else on the inside, possibly hiding
something. He'd learned since starting his job that things weren't always
what they seemed.
He cautiously approached her.
"We've got a couple of questions for you, so do you mind coming with
me to the guardhouse?" He addressed her with a mild expression and a tone
that was on the familiar side, as if to say, We don't suspect anything of you at
all, so go ahead and let your guard down.
"Sure, that's fine."
The soldier brought her over.
On the alert for Charm or other mind-control spells, two soldiers followed
at a distance of several yards. The others casually observed as she went by to
ensure she didn't make any suspicious moves.
"…Is something wrong?"
"Oh, uh, no, nothing."
If she can detect subtle shifts in the atmosphere, she's no mere village
girl, thought the soldier as he led her to the gate's guardhouse.
"Okay, can you take that seat, there?"
"Sure." She lightheartedly sat in one of the chairs in the office.
"First, give me your name and please name your point of departure."
"Okay. My name is Enri Emmott. I come from Carne near the Tove
Woodlands."
The soldiers exchanged glances, and one of them left the room. He went
to go check if she was listed in the ledger.
The kingdom kept records on its residents. That said, it was fairly sloppy.
Many birth and death updates were late, and some people were missing—to
the point where some estimated there were tens of thousands of errors. For
that reason, it wasn't good to rely on the ledgers too much, but they could
still be useful.
Despite how unreliable the records were, there was still a massive amount
of information stored within. It would take quite a while for the other soldier
to finish checking. Knowing that, the soldier decided to proceed with other
matters. "Can I see your pass, then?"
Usually, anyone entering a city had to pay a toll, which was also called a
"foot tax". But making people from that city's domain pay would slow
everything down, so it was common to provide a pass to each village. The
toll was waived for people who held a pass. Of course, the system varied
depending on which noble controlled the land.
"Uh, it should be here somewhere…" Enri started to rummage in her bag,
but the soldier stopped her.
"No, let me look. Can you hand it to me as it is?"
She obediently gave him the bag, and he made a careful inspection of its
contents and found the parchment.
He unrolled it on the desk and skimmed it from top to bottom. The
literacy rate in the kingdom was low, but checkpoint soldiers obviously had
to know how to read and write. Actually, it's more accurate to say they were
assigned to their posts because they had these abilities.
"I see. There's no mistake. I confirm that this is the pass given to Carne
Village." He rolled up the parchment, put it away, and handed the bag back to
Enri. "Now tell me why you've come to E-Rantel."
"My first order of business is to sell the herbs I picked."
The soldier flicked his eyes out the window to her wagon, where an
inspection of her pots was under way.
"Can you tell me the names of the herbs and the number of pots?"
"Of course. There are four pots of nyukuri, four pots of ajiina, and six pots
of enkaishi."
"Six of enkaishi?"
"Yes, that's right."
Enri smiled with pride. The soldier figured that was only natural.
Since the soldier worked at the checkpoint, he had some degree of
familiarity with herbs.
Enkaishi was one that could be picked for only a very short time right
around the season they were currently in, and it was often used to make
healing potions. High demand for enkaishi meant it fetched a good price. It
depended on the size of the pots, but six would probably make her some
decent money.
"So where are you planning to take them?"
"I used to do business with the Baleare family."
"Baleare? You mean the apothecary Lizzy Baleare?"
Apparently, she wasn't around anymore, but up until recently Lizzy
Baleare had been the top apothecary in E-Rantel and was quite famous. If this
girl had been doing business with her, she was probably exceedingly
trustworthy.
The soldier concluded that he didn't have to dig any deeper.
Their job at the checkpoint was to keep dangerous people or items from
entering the city. Once something was inside, it was out of their jurisdiction.
He nodded with a grunt of approval and looked away from Enri.
There was nothing suspicious about her story. Nothing in her face said she
was lying, either.
Once the examination of her cargo was complete, his work would be done
for the moment.
Just then, the soldier who had gone out returned and nodded.
That meant a woman named Enri was in the ledger.
Still, all that proved was that a woman named Enri had been born in
Carne. It didn't guarantee that the woman sitting before them was actually
her, and it said nothing about the sort of life this Enri woman had lived. She
could be someone who had traveled, gained great magical power, and
returned to her hometown, or Enri could have died on the road, and this
person could be a criminal who assumed her name.
That's why there was one more thing to check.
"Got it. Can you please call him?"
The soldier nodded and left the room again.
"Now I'm going to perform a body search. Is that all right?"
"Huh?"
Enri looked at him with suspicion.
The soldier hurried to add, "Oh, it's not like there's an issue. Sorry, but
this is standard procedure. We barely do anything, so I hope you'll be at
ease."
"…If that's all, then I understand."
The soldier breathed a mental sigh of relief. He didn't want to anger
someone who might be a caster.
The soldier who went out came back with another man following him.
This newcomer was a caster.
His pale face had a hooked nose and hollow cheeks. He was sweating
profusely, probably due in part to the oppressively warm-looking black robe
he wore. In his hands, he grasped a gnarled staff with fingers that looked like
chicken bones.
The soldier's personal opinion was that if the caster was so hot he should
simply take off the robe, but perhaps because he was attached to the style, he
stubbornly insisted on that attire. Maybe that's why it felt like the
temperature in the room rose a few degrees when he entered.
"This is the girl?"
The caster's voice always made the soldier feel weird.
Going by appearance alone, the soldier guessed him to be in his late
twenties, but his voice was awfully hoarse; from just his speech, it was
impossible to tell how old he was. Did he only seem young, or was his voice
just throaty?
"Umm…" Surprised, Enri looked between the caster and the soldier.
The soldier figured it was only natural that she be surprised; he was
surprised the first time he heard the caster's voice, too.
"This is a caster from the Wizards Guild. He's going to do a simple
inspection, so please wait a moment." He gestured that she could remain
seated and then bobbed his head to the caster. "Go ahead."
"All right." The caster took a step forward and faced Enri head-on. Then
he cast a spell, Detect Magic.
His eyes narrowed like a beast eyeing its prey. The gaze that made even
the solider feel threatened seemed to not affect Enri.
I knew it, he thought.
Anyone who could remain unfazed under such an intense scrutiny
couldn't be a mere village girl. Without experience confronting a monster or
someone trying to take one's life, it was impossible to face those eyes
bravely. Given her lack of reaction, the soldier felt his assessment was
justified.
"My eyes won't be fooled. You're secretly carrying a magic item. On
your hip."
Now Enri seemed surprised and looked down at her waist.
The soldier braced himself slightly. If it was a weapon, like a sword, he
could understand, but he didn't know anything about magic items.
"You mean this?" The item Enri produced from under her shirt was a
shabby horn small enough to hide in two hands. It was the sort of thing the
soldier would have let pass at a glance.
"…That's a magic item?"
"Indeed. You mustn't be fooled by its appearance. That thing contains
great magical power."
The soldier was astounded. That item contains enough power that this
caster calls it "great"? How much power could it really have?
The soldier started to get the feeling this girl had dressed shabbily on
purpose. He felt a chill as if a blade were pointed at him.
"Oh, it—"
"No explanations necessary. My spells detect all." The caster shut Enri up
and cast another spell. "Appraise Magic Item—mmgh!!"
For a few seconds, the caster's face cycled through emotions—first shock,
then awe, terror, and finally confusion.
"Wh-what is this? The power contained here is no normal power; it is far
beyond 'great.' It cannot be! What in the world is thiiis?!" Spittle flew as he
shouted and his face grew red. "Who are you?! We won't be fooled by your
clothes!"
Alarmed by the sudden change in the caster, the soldier also widened his
eyes at Enri.
"I-I'm a normal person. I'm just a villager. Really!"
"A village girl? Why do you lie, wench?! If that's true, then how did you
get this item? It makes plenty of sense if you're not a mere villager!"
"Huh? Umm, Sir Ainz Ooal Gown gave it to me when he saved my
village."
"Another lie, hmm? You're saying a priest from the Theocracy gave it to
you?"
"Huh? Is he from the Theocracy?"
"Gather your men! This girl is too strange!"
The soldier had no idea how things were going in that direction, but this
caster had never reacted in such a weird way before. He figured he should
treat it as an emergency and put his own thoughts to the side.
"All troops assemble! All troops assemble!"
In response to the soldier's shout, his colleagues checking the cargo raced
over, obviously tense.
"You expect me to believe this person simply handed over such a
powerful item?! Where did you get it?! There's no way you're just a village
girl!"
"No, Sir Gown really did give it to me! Please believe me!"
The soldier looked between the two of them. Certainly, since he and the
caster were colleagues, and the caster had responded to the checkpoint's
request for help, the soldier was inclined to believe him. But Enri seemed like
only a village girl frightened by the dramatic shift in attitude.
"Di-did something happen? Please tell me what made you suspicious of
her!"
"Hmph! First of all, that horn has the power to summon a goblin mob. I
don't know how many, but that's the power it contains."
The soldier frowned. That could cause quite a bit of trouble if it was used
in the city. But was that the only issue? There were plenty of people, like
adventurers, who carried magic items. This horn wasn't so strange among all
the other magic items, considering that.
"The way she keeps claiming to be a village girl is also fishy. Would you
give a magic item worth several thousand gold to a nobody?"
"Several thousand?!"
"Several thousand?!"
It was such an unbelievable sum that both the soldier and Enri yelped.
A normal person would never see several thousand gold in their lifetime.
This shabby horn is that valuable?
"Yes. You wouldn't give something like that away without a reason—
especially not to a peasant! Of course, it would make sense for a first-rate
adventurer or caster to possess such an item. But this girl keeps saying she's
just a village girl! Isn't that strange?"
That explanation made sense to the soldier as well. People with superior
ability attracted objects with superior powers. The many historical figures
with superhuman abilities possessed immensely powerful items, without
exception. It was fate as well as necessity.
"No, I really am just a village girl…"
"In the first place, I've never heard of this Ainz Ooal Gown character. At
least, he's not a caster from this city. Probably not an adventurer, either."
"The captain of the Royal Select knows Sir Gown!"
"You mean Sir Gazef Stronoff? Your story is outrageous. Why would you
know something like that if you're just a village girl?"
"Because he came to my village! It's true! If you ask him, you'll see."
There was no way they were going to contact the captain in the capital.
And besides, if she really was just a village girl, she probably hadn't made a
very big impression on him, so it would be nearly impossible for him to
confirm her identity.
"What should we do?"
"For now, we should probably take her into custody and do a thorough
investigation. If she's carrying around an item like this horn when she could
have cleverly hidden it—well, I don't necessarily think she's a spy or
terrorist, but we don't have enough to make a judgment call here."
Enri darted her eyes around in a panic.
She looked just like a normal village girl. If she was acting, then it was
entirely too convincing.
Suddenly the soldiers in the area watching events unfold shouted in
surprise, and a new voice sounded. "We'd like to enter the city already…
What are you doing?"
When the soldier turned around, he saw a figure in raven-black armor
standing there.
"Ahhh!"
Both the soldier and the caster yelped in surprise. There was no one in ERantel who didn't know the man wearing that armor. The adamantite plate
around his neck proved there was no mistake. He was a living legend, a man
for whom nothing was impossible, the strongest warrior.
It was Momon of Raven Black.
"I-if it isn't Sir Momon! Do excuse us!"
"What in the world are you—huh? That girl…"
"Yes! There was a suspicious girl here, so it took some time to investigate
her. We apologize for inconveniencing y—"
"Enri, that's right. Enri Emmott, right?"
Everything froze. Why did this legendary adventurer know this village
girl's name?
"Uhh, umm, who might you be? …Oh, wait. Y-you came that one time
with Nfirea, right? I don't remember speaking to you, but…perhaps you
heard my name from Nfi?"
Momon put his hand to his mouth and seemed to be pondering something.
After that, he waved over the caster, and the two of them left the guardhouse.
The soldier wanted to go, too, but he couldn't leave Enri alone.
Eventually the caster, who had regained composure, returned on his own.
"Let her go. The adamantite adventurer Momon will vouch for her. I don't
think keeping her here any longer will do us any good."
"That's a natural enough conclusion…but are you sure it's all right?"
"You would doubt the word of that great man?"
"No, not at all! Understood. I'll let her in immediately. Enri Emmott of
Carne, you have permission to enter E-Rantel! You may go!"
"Uh, okay. Thank you."
Enri bobbed her head and left.
Watching her go, the soldier asked the caster, "And Sir Momon?"
"He went on ahead."
"So what's the relationship between the great hero and that villager?"
"How should I know? All he said to me was what I told you, that we
should release her and that he would vouch for her."
"Then I have another question. That Emmott girl, do you really think
she's just a villager?"
"Definitely not. She can't be. Otherwise, why would a great hero like him
step in to help her? And it can't be a coincidence that she has such a powerful
item… Do you think she could be connected to the Theocracy?"
"She said Ainz-something-something, right? If she's someone with
friends in the Theocracy, maybe we should report her to the higher-ups?"
"Honestly, I don't know. Reporting someone Sir Momon vouched for to
your superiors as dangerous is…probably following protocol, but might it
offend Sir Momon?"
The soldier grimaced.
Anytime soldiers got together, they discussed the feats he performed at
the E-Rantel Public Cemetery.
No one could remain unmoved by the heroic tale of how he broke through
an undead mob thousands—or perhaps tens of thousands—strong. His aweinspiring appearance and heroic bearing were clearly visible even from afar.
The dominant way he had his immensely powerful magical beast prostrate
itself so he could mount it drove the soldiers wild.
Like women who become infatuated with a strong man, many men had
fallen for the great hero Momon, and it wasn't an exaggeration to say that
most of the soldiers, fellow warriors, were his fans.
This soldier was one of them.
He deeply admired Momon, to the point where if Momon were to pat him
on the back, he'd tell anyone who would listen. He didn't want to invite the
displeasure of one he looked up to so much.
"Yeah. If Momon vouches for her, then she's probably fine."
"I agree. We wouldn't want to cause disadvantage to a personal
acquaintance of Sir Momon's. If you can't beat 'em, join 'em. A big tree is
better for shelter. I don't want any trouble… Anyhow, I'll be on standby."
"Okay. I'll get back to work, too."
As Enri drove her wagon through the gate of E-Rantel, she cocked her head,
wondering what in the world had happened. It seemed like her salvation had
come in the form of the adventurer in the raven-black armor—if she
remembered correctly, he had come to the village once with Nfirea to gather
herbs.
Normally, she would want to meet him and express her thanks right away,
but unfortunately when she passed through the gate and looked around, he
was nowhere to be found.
Hopefully, he'll understand if I thank him the next time I see him…?
She considered taking a little time and searching the area immediately, but
there was a reason she had to veto that idea. It was a worry reigning over her
mind, the thing she was gripping through her shirt, the item that if she didn't
directly confirm its continued existence, she couldn't relax—the goblinwhatever-horn.
This is worth…several thousand…gold? That can't be true, right? Tell me
that's a lie…
She broke out in a cold sweat. He'd given it to her so casually she didn't
think it was worth much at all. Well, no, Nfirea said it was valuable, but this
was far beyond what she had imagined.
Wait, I used an item worth a fortune? Is that okay?
If on the off chance he asked for it back, what would she do?
How many pots of herbs would that take…? I guess I'd just have to pick
herbs my entire life…
And she still had one of the items worth several thousand gold in her
hand.
Is Sir Gown in a position where he can just freely hand out such expensive
items?! Or did he not know how much it was worth…? No, he would
definitely know… But what if on the off chance he didn't…
Her stomach started to hurt.
She glanced at her surroundings. There were only a few people in the
area, but it still felt like many times the number of people in Carne. She had
the horrible thought that someone might come after her for the horn.
I shouldn't have brought this. There is lots of crime in the city, right?
What'll I do if it gets stolen…? Wait, if someone blows it and the goblins that
get summoned go on a rampage, would I be the criminal responsible…?
Just as she had doubled the amount of cold sweat she was producing,
someone sat on the box seat next to her. They moved as if gravity didn't exist
for them—definitely by the power of magic.
Who—?
When she turned to face her company, she was overcome with surprise.
It was a peerlessly beautiful woman with raven-black hair, the one who
had been with the adventurer in the raven-black armor before. Her cold
obsidian eyes were focused on Enri.
"Horsefly, Mr. Momon has something he'd like to ask y—"
"You're so pretty…"
"That sort of flattery won't—"
"About as pretty as Lupusregina…"
Noticing the confusion in the woman's wavering eyes, Enri realized she
had said something stupid and immediately regretted it. How would this lady
know who Lupusregina was? But she couldn't think of anyone else as
beautiful as the adventurer before her eyes.
What should I do? I can tell she's confused… Of course she is. I have to
somehow…
"Uh, so you see, Lupusregina is this really pretty lady who comes to my
vill—"
"—Thank you."
"Wuh?!"
Her gaze was still stony, and there was nothing gentle about her tone—her
brow was even furrowed—but her gratitude was real. She sighed. "I came
because Lo— Mr. Momon has something he wants to ask you. Answer me.
What are you doing here?"
It wasn't as if Enri was obliged to answer, but this was the partner of the
person who had just helped her out of a difficult spot. If she wanted to know,
Enri figured she should answer.
"Uh, before that, can I say something? Mr. Momon helped me out just a
short while ago. Please tell him thank you for me."
"I'll tell him. So?"
"R-right. I'm here to— W-well, I have a lot of things to do, but, er, one is
to sell herbs."
The woman gestured with her jaw that Enri should continue.
"Then I'm going to the shrine to see if there are any people who want to
move to my village. And I'm also planning to inquire about something at the
Adventurers Guild. Besides that, I need to stock up on a bunch of things we
can't get in the village, particularly weapons. That's about it…"
"I see. I understand what you've said and will tell Mr. Momon."
With an airy movement, as if she had been freed from gravity's pull, the
woman jumped off the wagon. She walked away without giving Enri any
further attention.
A cutting, icy wind—that was Enri's impression of her.
"What an amazing lady… Like Brita's power times ten…"
She wasn't the sort of woman one could meet in the village. Is she an
adventurer because she has that personality type? Or did she end up with
that personality after becoming an adventurer? Enri started to feel nervous
about going to the guild.
"Oh, shoot!"
She didn't think of it until after the woman was already gone, but she
must also be a strong adventurer, too. After all, she was partnered with the
guy who tamed the Wise King of the Forest. It was possible she knew
something about the situation in the woods.
"I should've asked her if she knew anything about the Giant of the East,
the Magical Serpent of the West, or the Structure of Ruin… Ahh, I'm so
stupid. Why didn't I think of it?"
Enri trundled along the road on her wagon, chiding herself for not being
more on top of things, and passed through the next gate.
E-Rantel was broadly split into three areas. The middle section was for the
various people who lived there—the normal city area, so to speak.
The Adventurers Guild was also located there.
Usually it would be safer to do herb business with the Apothecaries Guild,
but that required a lot of annoying formalities, so she decided to head for the
Adventurers Guild, who would do the negotiations for her. At first, she
thought maybe she could rely on her connection with Lizzy, but on second
thought, although they were close, she realized using the name of her friend's
grandmother was pretty shameless.
The one who had respected her intentions and suggested going to the
Adventurers Guild was Nfirea.
If he had come, they could have bought and sold herbs without relying on
the guild, no problem, but Enri was only a village girl; she was nervous about
dealing with the savvy Apothecaries Guild members. That's why she had
decided to have the Adventurers Guild act as the middleman, even if she had
to pay a fee.
She proceeded through the city according to the directions Brita and
Nfirea had given her.
The goblins had traveled with her up until the outskirts of the village, but
now they were waiting outside for her to be done with her errands. She was
hit with the realization that she was alone for the first time since leaving the
village, and she clenched the horse's reins. The tension made her shoulders
stiff and sore. She was about to stretch her neck when she caught sight of the
building her friends had described to her up ahead.
"I made it!" she quietly exclaimed. There was no chance of her getting
lost now.
After leaving her wagon with the doorman, she went inside.
There were warriors clad in plate armor, hunters with bows and arrows,
priests and wizards, plus a few people who generally looked like casters, all
coming and going. They exchanged information about monsters in the area,
seriously examined the sheets of parchment stuck on the board, or confirmed
the quality of items they'd purchased with an ease that came only with
practice.
It was a world full of vigilant eyes, tense heat, and an intense clamor—the
world of adventurers.
Enri's jaw dropped at this scene she would never be able to see in her
village, and she hurriedly closed it.
True, she was a country bumpkin, and she wasn't afraid to be amazed by
the atmosphere in the city, but she was embarrassed as a girl of marrying age
to be seen with her mouth hanging wide open.
She walked straight ahead, careful not to move unnaturally. She didn't
want to get laughed at. She did wonder if it was all right for a village girl to
walk among the brave adventurers. She felt out of place.
When she reached the counter, she was met with a friendly smile.
"Welcome."
"Yes, here I am."
Enri met the receptionist lady's eyes, and they both grinned awkwardly in
spite of themselves. Enri felt the tension go out of her shoulders for perhaps
the first time since she had entered E-Rantel.
"What can the Adventurers Guild do for you today?"
"Well, uh, first, I was hoping you could sell some herbs for me."
"Very well. And where are the herbs right now?"
When Enri explained that the herbs were on her wagon outside, the
receptionist lady spoke to the woman next to her.
"The appraiser will go there now, so do you mind waiting inside the
building for a short while?"
"That's fine. There's one more thing I wanted to talk to you about… I
don't have an immediate request, but I might make one in the future…"
She gave an outline of the situation to the smiling receptionist, and her
smile gradually morphed into a more serious expression.
"I see… I'm a receptionist, so I don't determine request difficulty levels,
but if it's about the Magical Serpent of the West or the Wise King of the
Forest, the adamantite-rank adventurer Sir Momon is probably the only one
who can take the job. In which case, it would cost quite a lot."
Enri felt the receptionist's attitude shift. It was like she had lost
motivation, thinking, It's a pain to explain this, since you can't afford it
anyway.