When we reached the bridge, I remembered. It closes at night!
「Excuse me, Guild Master. We can’t pass through here, can we?」
I’m sorry for telling you to take a nap, but if we don’t cross here, we can’t even reach Misrim Town.
「Gorg. Move the barrier. As the master of the Adventurers Guild, I give permission」
The Guild Master said that so casually.
「A privilege of the Guild Master」
Long live authority. I’m really glad I had him come along!
Gorg moved the barrier aside, letting us cross the bridge, and the Guild Master explained things to the person in charge of the bridge. Long live authority!
Skirting around Misrim Town and continuing along the main road, Gorg moved to the front.
「Takato, this way!」
We turned left and went on for a while before stopping.
「This will become a mountain path wide enough for giants, but the road isn’t in good condition. We’ll go slowly」
「Got it」
The display shows miles since it’s set for North America, but when you drive, you get a sense of your speed. We proceeded along the mountain road at about ten kilometers per hour.
After about an hour, I could sense a massive presence of goblins.
「Gorg, stop! We’re close!」
I stopped the Pioneer, turned on the headlights, then cut the engine.
「We’ll make this our forward base. Gorg, keep watch around us. Guild Master, please rest. Take over during the night」
「Understood. Goblin hunting is Takato’s specialty, after all. I’ll follow your lead」
It’s not really my specialty, but Gorg and the Guild Master are our main force. I just don’t want to burden them with trivial tasks.
I used a machete to clear away the surrounding grass and trees to make space, then stretched ropes around the area and hung LED lanterns to light it up.
「Takato. There are no beasts around. Or rather, it feels like even animals and insects are gone」
「That’s probably because so many goblins have gathered. At worst, there might be more than two thousand」
「That many? Shouldn’t we call for reinforcements?」
「That’s for the acting lord to decide. Until reinforcements arrive, Gorg and the Guild Master will earn their share. This is a crisis, but also an opportunity. If you want to give your wife and child an easy life, then earn properly. We have the advantage」
I really wish I could fight under a leader who says things like that. All I can do is bluff like this.
「Heh. That’s right. Let’s earn properly」
When a giant gets fired up, it’s truly reassuring. Do a thorough job of killing them.
I asked them to keep watch for a bit and returned to Home.
「Miriel. Has Ladarion arrived?」
「Yes. She just came back to have dinner. It seems no fighting has started yet」
「They’ll probably attack in the middle of the night. We’ve reached a distance where we can sense Kainzel-san and the others. When the goblins head out to attack, they’ll get excited and their guard to the rear will weaken. That’s when we strike」
「Understood. Please be careful」
「Yeah. Miriel, if it gets too much, you can sleep. We should be fine during the night. The real fight starts once it gets light. Rest your body until then」
「Yes」
I showed Miriel a smile and went back outside.
It was almost 2300. If it’s like the last two times, they’ll attack around three or four. Seriously, they should attack when it’s bright.
「Takato. How are the goblins moving?」
Around two, the Guild Master got up. He could have rested more.
「There’s no movement yet. They’re probably resting before the attack」
「I see. Can you see the state of the battle?」
He asked while looking at the goblin positions I had drawn on the open sketchbook.
「It’s not the battle situation, exactly. I’m just sensing the goblins’ presence and drawing this based on imagination」
Kainzel-san said he was positioned at the top of the mountain. I drew a circle and marked the goblin positions on the mountain with dots. This is probably the first wave.
The second wave, or rather the second, third, and fourth groups, are surrounding them from three sides. There are none to the south, probably because there’s a cliff and they can’t be deployed there.
「The king’s unit is behind the third group. There’s an especially large presence here. This is where I am」
The closest group from here is the second formation. It’s fewer than the others, but it still feels like at least three hundred of them.
「It’s a formation like someone who knows war」
「The king we fought before used a troublesome way of attacking too」
The king always stayed in the rear and sent his subordinates to attack. It felt like he was playing shogi as he pressed the assault. Well, it was brute force shogi, though.
「There was a report that the king was defeated. So it was true」
「Ladarion is the one who defeated the king. I only cornered him」
「Normally, even cornering a king is extremely difficult. When a king takes the field, it is said he commands a thousand or even two thousand subordinates. You achieved that with just the two of you before drawing in Kainzel. That is a great feat. Even those with a gold crest could not do it」
Even when he said it so passionately, I couldn’t feel any confidence. I used tools from my original world, relied on guns, was helped by Home, and in the end entrusted everything to Ladarion. There was nothing heroic about it. I just fought like a coward.
I know I lack self-affirmation. But even if I praised myself, my physical abilities wouldn’t improve, and no hidden power would awaken. All I can do is use what I have, put safety first, and survive while protecting my life.
「Fufu. You really are calm to the end」
「That’s because I have Gorg and the Guild Master with me. If I were alone, I’d probably be shaking in fear or drowning myself in alcohol」
No, before that, I’d probably be running away. There’s no reason to risk my life, after all.
「I’ll sleep a bit too. Wake me if anything happens. Gorg, you should rest a little as well」
After saying that, I got into the Pioneer and lay down across the seats. Thank goodness it had flat seats.
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