Our destination lay to the north of the city. It was the Marse District, the area between here and Rihar Town, where vineyards spread across the land.
The Marse District bordered the Roble District we had visited before, and it was said that this area was also suffering heavily from goblin damage.
Kainzel-san chose this place. He said it would be a good fit to make use of Bisha and Mebi’s mobility.
After driving along the main road for about twenty minutes, Miond Village came into view on a raised stretch of land.
We entered the village, spoke to one of the villagers, and were introduced to the village chief.
「You are Takato-sama, the goblin killer, correct? I’ve heard about you from the chief of Buzz Village」
I figured word would have reached them since the villages were close to each other, but I didn’t expect the title “goblin killer” to have spread as well.
「I see. That makes things easier. We’re planning to exterminate goblins in this area. Would that be all right?」
「Of course! We suffer from goblins every year. We would be deeply grateful if you would hunt them down」
Cooperative villages are the best. If everywhere were like this, life would be much easier.
「We’ll be using high-powered weapons, so please make sure no one enters the area. If someone gets hit, it won’t be a joke」
「Understood. I’ll make sure everyone in the village is informed」
I took out my sketchbook and asked him to explain the surroundings of Miond Village, marking the places where goblins often appeared.
He also told me about the roads, and I questioned him in detail about places where goblins might hide, such as sheds and secluded spots.
「You’re asking quite a lot of detail, aren’t you?」
「It’s in case something other than goblins shows up. There are other monsters around here too, right?」
This area counted as mountainous terrain. Monsters would naturally come down through the mountains. If that happened, we needed to know escape routes, hiding places, and what to do if we got separated from Bisha and Mebi. If we didn’t think ahead, total annihilation was a real possibility. Asking thoroughly now reduced that risk.
「Yes. Bears show up from time to time. They appear at night, so there hasn’t been any damage to the villagers」
Bears, huh. I should bring some bear spray too, just in case.
「Then we’ll start from the north side of the village. Please stay away during the morning」
We headed north in the Pioneer, held a quick briefing, and then began.
「There are a lot of them」
As usual, I couldn’t see them, but goblin presences were scattered everywhere. At this rate, the Roble District might be overrun too.
「Bisha, Mebi. Can you tell where the goblins are by smell?」
「Yeah. I can」
「There are lots of them」
As expected of canine beastkin. Their sense of smell was sharp.
「First, stay behind me and get used to the sound of the gun」
Their ears weren’t on top of their heads but on the sides like humans. Still, they were dog ears, so earmuffs wouldn’t work. Soft earplugs would have to do.
「Okay」
Bisha answered, and Mebi nodded in agreement.
I loaded shells into the Benelli M4 and pulled the trigger at a nearby goblin.
「Oh? These goblins run away?」
The ones in the Roble District stayed hidden. Different types, maybe?
Either way, running didn’t mean they could escape my detection range. I picked them off from about thirty meters away.
By around ten o’clock, I had already exterminated forty-three of them. It was such a good start it almost made me laugh.
「After a short break, I’ll have you two start hunting goblins too. Don’t go more than a hundred meters away. Always keep track of my position. If you lose sight of me, blow the whistle and don’t move from that spot. Got it?」
I had said it many times, but it was important, so I repeated it anyway.
「Got it」
「Yeah」
「Good. The smell of gunpowder is everywhere, but can you still pick out the goblins?」
「It’s fine. Goblins have a distinctive smell」
「I can tell too」
A goblin stench strong enough to overpower gunpowder. Just how bad was it?
「All right. Bisha, take the right. Mebi, take the left. Go」
They nodded, drew their kukri knives, and sprinted off.
Almost immediately, the goblin presences on Bisha’s side vanished. A moment later, the ones on Mebi’s side disappeared too. No hesitation at all. They were carrying out search and destroy.
「…beastkin are scary」
If two kids are already like this, just how terrifying are adult beastkin? The slavers who wiped out the nyaada tribe must have been monsters. Just how broken is the power balance in this world?
Thirty-five kills before noon. Yeah, I’d better be nice to these two so the beastkin don’t hold a grudge against me.
Before lunch, I reported back to the village chief and asked him to handle the cleanup.
In the afternoon, we planned to move east, but first came lunch.
「Try buying lunch with your contractor cards」
I had taken them in as contractors, but I wasn’t going to take care of everything for them. Earn your own food. Live by your own strength. So that you’ll be fine even if you leave me someday.
「I’ll have pork cutlet sandwich!」
「I’ll have teriyaki chicken burger!」
They were sisters, but their tastes were different. Bisha liked pork. Mebi preferred chicken. Their taste in sweets was the same, though, and they fought over those all the time.
「Good?」
「Yeah, delicious!」
「Delicious!」
Seeing them eat with such bright smiles made me smile too. Ladarion never showed it on her face. She got talkative when something tasted good, though.
「Don’t forget this taste. This is how food tastes when you earn it yourself」
I knew I sounded preachy, and I hated that about myself, but if I didn’t teach them while they were still young, they’d grow up wrong. Teaching them was an adult’s responsibility. We were going to be working together from now on.
「You can only enjoy good food if you stay alive. Don’t get cocky. Be careful. Understand your own strength, and then hunt goblins」
I didn’t know how much of it reached them, but you show them, tell them, and let them do it. I had been made to repeat that line dozens of times during training. I’ve forgotten what came after it. Sorry about that.
「Eat well, but don’t eat so much you can’t move. There are still plenty of goblins left」
「Got it!」
「We’ll kill lots more this afternoon!」
They nodded eagerly, and I started eating my hot dog.
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