PATTER!
A Goblin rushed into a dimly lit hut. A bonfire burned inside, while bone Totems stood throughout the chamber, creating an exceedingly ominous atmosphere.
Two gleaming eyes shone from within the sinister darkness.
“What is it?”
“Krrk! Humans are coming, Chieftain! The warriors who went to fight them were defeated!”
The Goblin delivering the news spoke with great urgency. The situation was every bit as desperate as his voice suggested.
“Too many died! The entire river turned red!”
“Defeated? How many humans are there?”
“Seventy, eighty… No, one hundred! There must be one hundred! They wore hard, shining clothes, and our weapons could not harm them at all!”
“……”
“Furthermore, one of them used a technique that spewed fire and smoke, killing Dugus in an instant! There must be a Mage among them!”
“Dugus is dead?”
The Chieftain’s eyes flickered in surprise.
Dugus, who had led the warriors into battle, was the strongest warrior in the tribe. Even ten ordinary warriors attacking together would not have been his equal.
Furthermore, more than four hundred warriors had been sent with him.
Yet Dugus had died.
Were the humans invading them truly that powerful?
“I see… Then we cannot continue like this. We must pray to our god.”
“Oh! Will our god lend us his power?”
The Goblin cried out in astonishment at the Chieftain’s decisive words.
They rarely called upon the power of the god they worshiped. However, with humans invading their village, they had no other choice.
“Yes. We have offered more than enough sacrifices to satisfy our god. He will surely answer our prayers. He will grant us the power to destroy the humans. Of course he will!”
The Chieftain sprang to his feet.
Like the leader who had commanded the warriors at the river, he was exceptionally tall. Compared to the Goblin before him, he was so large that they almost appeared to belong to different species.
The Goblin flinched and hurriedly lowered his gaze from the glowing object held in the Chieftain’s hand.
It was a Sacred Relic that no one other than the Chieftain was permitted even to look upon. It served as a token through which they could communicate with the god they worshiped.
“Go and spread the word. Everyone capable of fighting is to take up a weapon and gather outside the village. Tell them that our god will protect us.”
“U-Understood, Chieftain! I will tell everyone!”
The Goblin hurried out of the hut and shouted at the top of his lungs.
“Everyone, prepare for battle! The Chieftain commands it! Prepare for battle!”
The thought of witnessing their god’s power with his own eyes filled him with nothing but excitement and wonder.
He had long since forgotten his fear of the humans.
We swiftly treated the wounded, then loaded the bodies of the fallen and the one severely wounded soldier onto horses and sent them back to the village.
After completing our preparations, we immediately crossed the river and advanced into the forest.
-Do not lower your guard! The Goblins may be lying in ambush anywhere!
We had already spread indigenous Scouts throughout the surrounding area, but we still could not afford to relax.
I continued advancing while warning the entire force to remain vigilant.
The deeper we entered the dense forest, the more signs of the Goblins appeared.
Crude ornaments hung from tree branches, bone Totems had been planted at irregular intervals, and signs of hunting could be seen throughout the area.
It was unmistakably their territory.
“It is remarkably dark for the middle of the day. It almost feels like evening.”
“That merely makes it a better environment for them to attack us.”
Hakon answered Valens while casting wary glances in every direction.
Most of the soldiers were doing the same.
They appeared to expect Goblins to leap from the dense trees and bushes at any moment.
Despite advancing with Scouts spread throughout the surrounding forest, no one seemed capable of relaxing.
“What is their stronghold like, Rolf? Do you know anything about it?”
“Entering their territory is too dangerous, so I have never seen it myself. However, according to those who escaped after being taken prisoner, their village stands in a large clearing within the forest. There is also a tall tower at its center.”
“A tower? Goblins are capable of constructing a tower?”
“According to the accounts, yes.”
It was difficult to believe.
Could savage Goblins with such limited intelligence truly construct a tower?
However, the Goblins at the river had surprised us by using shields. Perhaps their civilization was far more advanced than we had anticipated.
‘In any case, we have to finish this swiftly. If night falls, we will be placed at a disadvantage.’
Goblins were nocturnal creatures with excellent night vision, and we were in the middle of a forest.
Once the sun set, the situation would become significantly more unfavorable.
We had brought camping supplies in case they were needed, but it would be best to finish everything today.
I did not know how long we had continued advancing when reports finally arrived from the Scouts ahead.
“It is their village!”
“We can see the village!”
“Everyone, prepare for battle! Assume Battle Formation!”
We advanced in formation, just as we had before.
Soon, a broad clearing appeared between the trees. Countless huts had been erected within it, and an enormous structure towered over the village’s center.
“W-What is that?”
“A castle? No, is it a tower?”
“How did Goblins construct something like that?”
Everyone murmured in astonishment.
Rather than a true tower, it would have been more accurate to call it a heap of logs crudely piled together.
Nevertheless, it was extraordinarily tall, rising far above even the towering trees surrounding it.
‘It looks nearly as tall as the spires of our castle.’
I did not know whether it was a religious structure or the residence of their Chieftain.
Either way, it proved that the Goblins possessed a powerful leader capable of ordering its construction.
BWOOOOO!
At that moment, the horn we had heard at the river sounded once more.
Goblins flooded out from between the huts.
“There they are!”
“Do not panic! Maintain formation! Marksmen, nock your arrows!”
“Scouts, watch the flanks! There may be enemies lying in ambush!”
Orders were issued in rapid succession as countless Goblins gathered at the village entrance.
Their numbers appeared somewhat lower than the force we had faced at the river, but there were still two or three hundred of them.
Compared to us, their numerical advantage was overwhelming.
[They are excited and burning with fighting spirit.]
[They are waving their weapons above their heads and shouting. They appear ready to charge at any moment.]
Every Goblin before us was greatly excited, and their morale was exceedingly high.
It was a strange sight.
“This is peculiar. They suffered such a devastating defeat only moments ago. I expected them to be terrified.”
“I agree. Even after losing so many at the river, their morale remains remarkably high. There must be a reason.”
We watched the situation amid the tense atmosphere.
Before long, the reason revealed itself.
“Uoooooh!”
“Chieftain! Chieftain!”
A Goblin emerged from among the horde.
Like the leader we had killed at the river, he was nearly as large as a human. The clothing fashioned from bones draped over his body made it obvious at a glance that he was a superior specimen.
He was almost certainly the Chieftain who ruled these Goblins.
Furthermore, he held an object in his right hand that radiated a vivid yellow light.
It resembled an Orb used by Mages.
‘Come to think of it, I heard that a small number of Goblins become Shamans capable of controlling the forces of nature.’
It was an unexpected development.
I had never fought a wielder of magic before, so I could not predict what might happen.
As I watched tensely, the Goblin Chieftain suddenly shouted.
“Our god watches over us, my children!”
Everyone reacted in surprise when fluent Common Tongue emerged from his mouth.
Unlike the harsh, throat-scraping speech of the other Goblins, his words sounded natural.
Perhaps that was another sign of his superiority as their Chieftain.
“As we have always done, we shall offer the souls of these insolent invaders as sacrifices to the god atop the mountain! We shall satisfy his hunger and bring eternal glory to our tribe!”
“Sacrifices? Then those bastards…”
“Was that why they attacked us? Those murderous creatures!”
The indigenous warriors could not conceal their fury when they understood the meaning of his words.
The Goblins had not attacked them over a simple territorial dispute. They had intended to offer their souls as sacrifices.
Naturally, that was a grave insult to the dead.
“Now, advance! The god atop the mountain protects us!”
“Uoooooh!”
“Krrk!”
“Kill them! Kill them!”
The Goblins roared in excitement at their Chieftain’s declaration.
Everyone tensed as the creatures appeared ready to charge at any moment.
Then it happened.
WHOOSH!
A sudden gust of wind swept through the clearing.
Broken branches and leaves flew into the air, startling both our forces and the Goblins.
Rolf shouted,
“My lord! Look above us!”
An enormous shadow had appeared overhead.
It descended rapidly and landed between us and the Goblins with a tremendous THUD.
Hundreds of startled eyes turned toward the massive creature.
“W-What is that now?!”
“A W-Wyvern?”
“It is a Wyvern!”
Cries of astonishment erupted from every direction.
The creature flapped its enormous leathery wings and turned its long neck as it surveyed its surroundings.
It was unmistakably the monster known as a Wyvern.
[Wyvern]
[A monster belonging to an inferior subspecies of Dragonkind. Its slender, scale-covered body gleams like that of a serpent, and it flies at great speed using its enormous wings. It possesses a violent temperament and mercilessly attacks anything that enters its territory.]
“Do not panic! Hold your positions!”
“Do not be afraid! If you scatter, you will die!”
Everyone was severely shaken by its sudden appearance.
Hakon and Valens shouted desperately, attempting to keep the soldiers and mercenaries in formation.
The Goblins, in contrast, merely erupted into delighted cheers.
“It is the god’s messenger! Our god sent his messenger to help us!”
“Uoooooh! The god’s messenger will destroy the humans!”
“Sacrifices! They will all become sacrifices!”
They apparently believed the Wyvern had been sent by the god they worshiped.
Considering that it had appeared at the exact moment the battle was about to begin, their conclusion was understandable.
‘Can they truly control a Wyvern? It should be impossible to tame Dragonkind, including Dragons. Then how…?’
Filled with questions, I stared at the Chieftain as he extended the glowing Orb and confidently approached the Wyvern.
Even from a distance, I could clearly see the triumphant expression on his face.
“Behold! The Divine Messenger has descended! I shall speak with him and ask that he destroy the humans! Hear me, O Messenger!”
The Chieftain shouted in a solemn tone.
As though drawn by something, the Wyvern lowered its head and stared directly at him.
For a moment, it truly appeared that he might be controlling the creature.
SCREEECH!
However, the Wyvern suddenly released a piercing roar, opened its jaws wide, and bit down upon the Chieftain’s upper body.
It shook him violently before hurling him away with all its strength.
THUD!
The Chieftain struck a thick tree and slid down its trunk.
His body had been torn to pieces by the Wyvern’s teeth, leaving a horrifying sight.
“Ch-Chieftain! Krrk!”
“The god’s messenger killed the Chieftain!”
“Our god is angry! He is punishing us!”
The Goblins fell into chaos in an instant.
The Wyvern began rampaging.
It beat its wings, leaped into the air, and plunged directly into the Goblin horde.
Several Goblins were sent flying as it swept its powerful tail and beat its enormous wings.
“Aaargh!”
“Aaaagh! Krrk!”
Their agonized screams spread between the trees.
The Goblins could not even resist. They merely fled in every direction in terror.
They resembled a group of rabbits before a single wolf.
“What in the world is happening?”
“I believe it is hunting, my lord. It appears to be feeding.”
Just as Rolf explained, the Wyvern was chewing apart the Goblins it killed or swallowing them whole.
Judging by its desperate movements, it must have been exceedingly hungry.
“Wyverns are ordinarily High-Tier Monsters that inhabit elevated regions. It is strange that one descended all the way here. Perhaps it lost a territorial dispute, although it does not have a single wound on its body.”
“I was thinking the same thing. Why would it have come here?”
I answered while recalling the Drake.
Why were monsters that rarely left their territories descending into the lowlands?
“More importantly, my lord, it is looking at us.”
Hakon was right.
The Wyvern had stopped devouring the Goblins and turned its head toward us.
Its sharp eyes gleamed as it growled in a low voice.
It was clearly filled with hostility.
“…Rolf, I was under the impression that monsters ordinarily avoid fighting once they have eaten their fill. Was I mistaken?”
“You are correct, but the present situation appears different. That Wyvern left its original territory and came here. The tall tower likely attracted its attention.”
Rolf removed the bow from his back and nocked an arrow as he answered.
His face, which had remained composed until now, had become rigid.
“After driving out the Goblins, it has claimed this place as its new territory. This has become its nest. Therefore, we are…”
“Intruders who have entered its nest. Can we retreat, Rolf?”
“That would be impossible. Wyverns are faster than galloping horses, possess a sense of smell comparable to that of a hunting hound, and are known to pursue anything that enters their territory until it is dead. We have no choice but to fight.”
“What reassuring news. It has barely been any time at all, and we are already risking our lives again.”
The moment Hakon finished grumbling, the Wyvern opened its crimson jaws and roared.
SCREEECH!
The ear-splitting cry sounded like a howl from the depths of hell.
Before the roar had even ended, the Wyvern charged toward us with thunderous footsteps.
Despite its enormous body, it moved with astonishing speed.
“It is charging!”
“All marksmen, fire! Stop that creature!”
At Valens’s urgent order, a volley of arrows flew toward the charging Wyvern.