「There’s a place to the northwest where goblins are clustered together. Let’s go there」
It had been bothering me. Only that spot had around fifty goblins gathered together. Could it be a nest?
We arrived in about two minutes. There must have been a huge tree there once. Only a rotting trunk remained.
「We often see goblins here」
「You know they’re here, yet you don’t hunt them?」
「It seems they’ve made a nest underground, and when people come, they hide」
I see. Not worth the effort to dig them out, huh.
「How much do you get for killing one goblin in Rydand?」
「Two copper coins」
So about two hundred yen. No wonder no one wants to do it. If I were told to work for that, I would change jobs on the spot too.
When I searched around the hill, I found several holes that looked promising.
「Alright. We’ll smoke them out. Take positions where you can aim easily. Bisha, you can join in too」
I took smoke grenades, a folding shovel, and plastic sheets out of the Pioneer.
After igniting the smoke grenades, I tossed them into the holes, covered the openings with plastic sheets, and piled dirt on top so the smoke wouldn’t leak out.
I also grabbed the VHS-2 and climbed up the hill.
「Smoke’s coming out!」
There was a lot of smoke. How long could the goblins endure it?
Two minutes passed as smoke poured out of several holes. The goblins that had been clustered underground started to move.
「They’re coming out. Aim carefully」
They seemed to be in a panic, rushing blindly through the tunnels toward the outside.
「Don’t worry about misses. If they run, we can chase them down on horseback」
If each of them killed five, that would be enough. Any more could simply be hunted down afterward.
「They’re coming out!」
I didn’t shoot, instead watching the three of them use their bows.
Each of them hit their first shot, and their second as well. From the third shot onward, they started missing, but even so, they killed over thirty goblins while still keeping three arrows in reserve. Bisha also shot and killed around six.
「Some got away, huh. Well, with this many down, we can chase them──hmm?」
I sensed the presence of a goblin directly below me.
「So there were still some left」
I was so focused on the goblins that escaped that I completely overlooked it.
「They’re coming out again. Don’t interfere. I’ll take care of this. It’s probably a maanu」
They’re different enough to be like dogs and monkeys, yet they share the same nest. That mystery can wait. For now, focus on killing the Maanu.
There were three Maanu. The three of them emerged in a straight line.
I switched to full-auto and pulled the trigger, matching the timing.
Thanks to their perfect timing, I managed to shoot all three down. Or so I thought. They were still breathing.
「I hate how tough higher species are. Bisha, you can finish them」
We made enough to cover today’s gas and booze. No, the four of them earned it. I’ll let Bisha get the credit.
「Got it!」
She switched from the D Sniper to her kukri knife and chopped off the heads of the dying Maanu. She’s only twelve, yet she has more strength than me. How reassuring.
「Bisha! Take out the magic stones!」
They seem smaller than the Maanu I saw in Mubando Village, but they’re still about the size of a husky. The magic stones should be decent.
「Takato! I found them! About the size of almond chocolates!」
Comparing sizes to almond chocolates. Looks like even Bisha and the others can’t escape the influence of things from our old world anymore.
I washed the three magic stones in water and put them into a pouch attached to my plate carrier.
「Vice, Sailus*, Reimer. Cut off the goblins’ ears. Even at two copper coins each, forty or fifty will buy you a good meal」
TN: yeah, the usual. Sals turns to Sailus. Maybe it will return after a while or maybe not.
First, I had them cut off the goblins’ ears and put them into a cardboard box I had brought from Home. No loading them directly into the Pioneer. Absolutely not.
「Alright. We’ve killed enough, so let’s eat lunch and I’ll teach you how to use the contractor cards. For now, let’s head back to the Raz River. It reeks of blood here」
I may be used to the goblins’ stench, but it’s not something I want to smell while eating. If I’m going to eat, I want clean air.
We returned to the Raz River, bought a business hotel breakfast buffet, and carried enough food for everyone.
「This is insane! What noble’s meal is this!?」
「It smells way too good!」
「Looks delicious!」
「Eat as much as you want. If it’s not enough, I’ve got more」
Their language had improved, but the way they ate was still completely feral. I even brought forks with us, so use them already. Bisha looks like a proper young lady compared to you lot.
「Are you old enough to drink wine?」
Actually, what’s the drinking age here? Is there even a rule?
「Yes! We can drink!」
「It’s expensive, so we don’t get to very often!」
I gave them some wine. I don’t even know if it counts as wine. Maybe it’s just concentrated grape juice. The alcohol content is low, and if they’ve had it before, they should be fine.
「So good!」
「I’ve never had anything this rich!」
「If we hunt goblins, we can eat and drink stuff like this!?」
「Yeah. Kill one goblin and you can buy about seven of these. You can eat even better food than this too」
I stoke the fire so they’ll work harder at goblin extermination.
「This is what it means to be a goblin contractor. The harder you work, the better the food you eat and the better the booze you drink. Just be warned. Once you taste food this good, you won’t be able to go back to what you used to eat」
「……Even better than this……」
Despite having eaten their fill, the three of them swallowed hard. People in this world really do get fired up over food and drink. Makes my job easier as the one doing the encouraging.
「Rodan-san’s goal is probably to have you earn money and buy him alcohol. Your hard work gets siphoned off by your parents. But only I and other contractors can see the contractor cards. If you don’t want to be exploited, report a smaller number. That’s a bit of advice from a cunning adult」
I flashed them a grin.
「Yes! Thank you for the advice!」
Good, good. Honest kids. You can’t ask for better than that.
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