Once we finished reloading, more Mogutan appeared.
「Judging by the heat signatures, at least thirteen, no more than fifteen」
「Ladarion. If you need the toilet, go now」
「I’m fine!」
She kicked me in the rear. Hey, you have strength. Show some restraint.
「Takato, you should learn how to treat women better」
Even if you say that, I can’t see Ladarion as a woman, so it can’t be helped. If you want me to see her that way──no, let’s stop there. I can already see a dangerous future.
「They’re coming!」
Right. I had been joking to hide my fear, but this was a fight for our lives. Focus on the enemy in front of you.
This time the attack came from a single direction, so the three of us lined up and engaged.
With no specific orders from Kainzel-san, I simply killed the Mogutan in front of me, and we finished the wave with three magazines.
「They really are different from goblins」
With goblins, one or two shots are enough. With Mogutan, it takes five or more to bring one down. Alone, I would run even from a single one.
「Several escaped. Looks like a herd of at least a hundred」
The first wave was fifteen, the second was about fifteen again. Thirty total. If Kainzel-san’s read was right, that meant around seventy still remained. If we had not come, the village would have been completely wiped out.
「Takato, Ladarion. I’ll explain the situation to the villagers. Keep watch」
I took the goggles he handed me, put them on, and scanned the surroundings.
「Understood. Ladarion, tell Miriel to start loading ammunition. Also, bring two MINIMIs」
「Got it」
While waiting for Ladarion to return, I reloaded magazines. I drank some water from what we had loaded in the Pioneer and took a breather.
With these goggles, the range for detecting heat signatures seemed to depend on the wearer’s eyesight. The only obstructions were the warped trees. Heat alone was more than enough to spot them.
「Takato. I’ve explained things to the villagers. We’ll extract the magic stones from the Mogutan, so we’ll secure the perimeter」
「Roger. I’ve already retrieved magazines for the G3」
「That helps. The G3 feels right in my hands, but not being able to carry much ammo is its weakness」
「With extra pouches you could carry twelve magazines, but that would hurt mobility. If sixty rounds aren’t enough to finish it, choosing to retreat would be the smarter call」
If the three of us fight together, we can rotate and keep the battle going, but against an enemy several times stronger than goblins in unfamiliar territory, we will not be able to fight for very long.
「That’s true. Using guns made me fall into a false sense of being all-powerful. I should learn from Takato and be more cautious.」
「I’m just a coward, that’s all.」
「If you want to live a long life, being cowardly is just fine.」
I think so too. I do not need courage or reckless bravery. If the choice is between dying heroically and surviving in an uncool way, I will take the uncool survival. Well, that attitude is exactly what got us into a fight with a swarm of Mogutan in the first place.
「Takato. I brought it.」
After a while, Ladarion returned, so I switched from the VHS-2 to the MINIMI.
「Kainzel-san, will you switch to the MINIMI as well?」
「No. The G3 will do. The MINIMI’s rounds are not very effective against Mogutan.」
He seems to have completely taken a liking to the G3. Next time we manage to wipe out a large number of goblins, maybe I will buy an MG5, a machine gun that uses 7.62 mm rounds. If I use the seventy percent off sticker, I can get it for about the price of an assault rifle.
Ladarion also switched to the MINIMI and kept watch until the Mogutan’s magic stones were retrieved.
「Are we going to carry the Mogutan with us?」
We are not burying them?
「Mogutan are edible monsters. We will use them as food.」
I have no intention of judging the food culture of this world, but eating something that tries to use human women as breeding beds? Could we at least have some taboos? No matter how good it tastes, that should not be eaten.
「I think they would be delicious if grilled.」
Huh? Ladarion plans to eat it too?! Is that normal here?! I am not eating it!
By the time we finished carrying the Mogutan into the village, it was already dark, so I took off my glasses and turned on my headlight.
After bringing the Mogutan into the village, we also moved the Pioneer there.
Perhaps because monsters appear so often, the village was surrounded by a defensive palisade made of logs, and several watchtowers about three meters tall had been built.
Like Buzz Village, the buildings were arranged in the shape of the letter C, and in the center, livestock and nearby residents, or refugees now, were holding their belongings.
「Is there any hope that soldiers will come from the city to help?」
「Only a very slim hope. Still, adventurers will probably arrive tomorrow. Rihar Town has many adventurers, and Mogutan yield magic stones.」
So it is basically saying we should deal with it ourselves. The margrave really does not seem to understand what ruling means.
「If adventurers are coming, should we avoid hunting more than necessary?」
If they come all this way only to gain nothing, they will not feel motivated to rush over next time.
「That’s right. We just need to hold out until tomorrow. The villagers have regained some spirit, and we secured food as well. We only need to act if an emergency occurs.」
「That’s good to hear. I would really like to be spared from night work.」
We still have goblin extermination to do tomorrow, so I do not want to carry over any fatigue.
「Indeed. Well, I will stay here, so go eat. Ah, lend me the lights. If we rely on bonfires, they will get too close.」
So, I took all the LED lights we had, the portable power supply, twenty G3 magazines, and food from the Sefuti Home, and placed them in the Pioneer.
「Then I’ll eat, rest a bit, and come back.」
「Yes. Take it easy. I have no intention of forcing a fight.」
「Understood. Ladarion.」
「Yeah.」
I sent Ladarion back first, then waited a little before returning to the Sefuti Home myself.
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