Chapter 121: Goblin Part 3

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Translator: Soafp

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We’ve parted ways with the knights and are heading towards Blue Ring.

We’ll likely arrive in the town of Blue Ring by evening.

I feel sorry for the horses, but I’ll push them to their limits.

For lunch, each of us is gnawing on dried meat while riding our horses. Well, only Ashera and I are on the same horse, so I’m the only one eating.

Considering the horses’ fatigue, I’m regularly walking them at a steady pace.

During these walks, we can chat with each other, so I asked Mom.

“Do you think there’s a Goblin King?”

“Perhaps… But I don’t think one King could control a group of this size.”

“What if there are several Goblin Kings?”

“Kings would typically compete for females. But if there were higher-ranking beings…”

“Higher-ranking than Goblin Kings…”

“They appear in fairy tales.”

“What are they like?”

“Stories mention Goblin Emperors or Goblin Gods.”

“Gods…”

“In folklore, it’s said that a Goblin God once fought against the Spirit King. But whether such beings actually exist… Well, it’s pointless to think about since we wouldn’t stand a chance either way.”

“…”

“Let’s focus on what we can do. Thinking about anything beyond that is just a waste.”

“Yes…”

I feel like I’ve heard something really unpleasant.

As I hope this won’t become a flag, I look at Ashera’s wrists as she sits in front of me… Right-handed.

Around evening, we finally reach a hill where we can see the town of Blue Ring.

The town looks just as I remember it, except for the closed gate.

In reality, knights and mages are probably busy running around, but we can’t see their activities from here.

“Blue Ring is safe… That’s a relief…”

El’s words were echoed by everyone’s thoughts.

“Now, let’s enter Blue Ring and assess the situation.”

As everyone nodded at Mom’s words, Ashera alone was staring at the road ahead.

“What’s wrong, Ashera? Do you see something?”

“…”

As I gaze at Ashera, who doesn’t respond, she mutters just one word.

“Coming…”

We all follow Ashera’s gaze. Something is moving in the distance…

It seems we made it just in time.

The main body of the goblin army. It seems that the expeditionary force only attracted the vanguard.

“Everyone, let’s hurry and enter Blue Ring. Every second counts.”

“””””Yes.”””””

We rush towards Blue Ring on horseback. Along the way, El’s horse stumbles and falls.

El manages to escape with Space Kick, but the horse’s leg is broken…

We don’t have time for recovery magic. As I hesitate, Halva dismounts and approaches the horse that can’t stand. After gently patting the horse once, he draws his short sword and cuts its throat.

Then, he mounts the horse and extends his hand to El.

“Elphus-sama, please get on.”

El takes Halva’s hand, wearing an indescribable expression.

It’s the horse that carried El, even for a short time. It must hold some attachment for him.

Halva’s actions are the most appropriate. I can understand that “without a doubt”. But is my inability to emotionally accept it due to my own weakness?

With a jumble of thoughts, we continue towards Blue Ring.

We arrived at the west gate of the Blue Ring town.

“Open the gate! It’s the direct line of Aldo-sama and Elphus-sama returning!”

Halva shouts loudly, and although surprised, they are about to open the gate for us.

“It’s late.” They’ve probably set up barricades behind the gate in preparation for an attack.

“Mom, Halva, let’s go from above.”

Everyone nods at my words.

I carry Ashera, Halva carries Mom, and we leap over the city wall with Space Kick.

Once over the wall, I address Halva.

“Don’t get too close, or Condense Ray can’t be cast. Make sure to find the best position. And El, just in case, stay with Halva here. There’s a chance the enemy has more troops than we anticipated.”

“Understood. Nii-sama.”

“Roger, Aldo-sama.”

With that, I run with Ashera and Mom towards the knight’s headquarters. Using Space Kick, we fly through the shortest route, arriving at the headquarters quickly.

“Commander Miroku! Where’s Commander Miroku?”

Mom’s voice echoes through the room, and Commander Miroku quickly emerges from one of the meeting rooms.

“Oh, Aldo-sama… You’ve made it in time… Thanks to the ‘blessing of the spirits’…”

Commander Miroku seems deeply moved, but… I’m sorry, but I want him to calm down for now.

“Commander Miroku, El and Halva are preparing Condense Ray at the west gate right now. Please update us on the situation.”

Commander Miroku snaps out of it and briefly explains the current situation in Blue Ring.

Commander Miroku, who received a request for reinforcements from the expeditionary force, immediately tried to organize a rescue team.

However, to assemble a rescue team following the expeditionary force, they needed supplies such as food, horses, and personnel… and they were lacking in everything. Except for manpower, they could buy the rest from nearby villages or towns in about two weeks, but they couldn’t touch the budget of the territory at their discretion.

In addition, there was strong opposition from the surrounding areas.

It was clear to everyone’s eyes that the forces in Blue Ring alone would not be enough to face the enemy that the expeditionary force couldn’t handle.

As a result, it was decided to wait for El and my return through a siege…

“…So, we couldn’t send reinforcements to the expeditionary force. I’m sorry,”

Commander Miroku says, grinding his teeth with frustration.

“What happened to them?”

“We managed to eliminate the visible enemies with Condense Ray, so I think they should be fine. They were quite exhausted, so I expect they’ll return after resting for a day or two.”

Commander Miroku… ah, that look in his eyes. It’s no good. To escape from Commander Miroku’s gaze, I quickly leave the scene.

Commander Miroku’s report indicated that the goblin army had only been spotted from the west side. With this information, we could focus all our forces on the west side.

After gathering the essential information, Ashera, Mom, and I swiftly returned to the west gate.

When we arrived at the west gate, part of the barricade behind the gate had been removed, and the gate was slightly open, allowing one person to pass through.

As we stepped outside the gate, we saw Halva and El standing, glaring at the goblin army.

“El, I’ve got the situation. The goblin army is only coming from the west. Let’s intercept them with full force.”

“Understood, Nii-sama.”

El’s determination is remarkable. I inquire about the order of firing Condense Ray.

“Who will take the first shot?”

“Let me take it. I can’t just sit back and supply mana for the battle to protect Blue Ring.”

El speaks without turning to us, his gaze fixed on the horde of goblins. It’s understandable. Blue Ring is precious to him too.

“Got it. If needed, you can fire two shots.”

“I’ll start with one shot. Then please supply half the mana.”

There was no more conversation after that. El carefully considers the angle of his shot to make it reach as far as possible. In this world, just like Earth, when crossing the “Valley of the Abyss,” the horizon curves.

The stars are spherical, so even if fired horizontally, the trajectory gradually rises. Assuming the same size as Earth, the shot should pass about 170cm above its original height at a distance of 4-5km.

Unlike bullets, which are affected by gravity and drop, Condense Ray is light. It travels straight without being affected by gravity. When we set up the tent on the carriage, I explained the properties of Condense Ray to El.

Normally, I don’t intend to spread scientific knowledge, but this time, I want the best results. When El fired Condense Ray, it only hit enemies within 1-2km. Anything beyond that would be overkill.

The goblins’ distance is now less than 500 meters. They’re attacking regardless of the night, just like during the expeditionary force.

However, looking at the goblins, they advance towards us with ugly faces, making the ground tremble. Without Condense Ray, it would be hopeless against their sheer numbers.

Now, the distance is less than 300 meters. El seems to be mindful of the angle. He aims just above the horizon, stretching out his right hand straight, with Condense Ray’s light glowing at his fingertips.

Gradually, the light intensifies… The goblins are less than 200 meters away now… We can barely hear each other over the ground-shaking noise of the goblins… Less than 100 meters…

At that moment, a beam of light extends to the left edge of the goblin army. The goblins on the trajectory line explode one after another, and those showered in their blood have their eyeballs burst, igniting in flames.

The beam of light then sweeps across to the right edge in one swift motion.

“Red.”

How many thousands, tens of thousands of flesh and blood must there be? The goblins’ blood smoke billowed up simultaneously. Somehow surviving individuals, upon touching the “red” of that flesh and blood, would instantly be enveloped in the flame’s “red.”

I passed mana to El while feeling terrified by this sight…

“L-let’s… let’s go back inside the gate.”

Everyone nodded and retreated back inside the gate.

Moving up to the top of the city wall, we looked again at the goblin army. There were still countless goblins visible on the other side of the road.

I spoke to Mom, who was using wind magic to keep the heat from reaching us,

“There are still countless numbers out there…”

“Yes…”

After a while, the goblin army began to retreat. I hoped they were leaving, but they were probably just pulling back temporarily to prepare for tomorrow.

“Should we rest too? We need to replenish our mana…”

“Yes.”

As we discussed with heavy hearts, cheers erupted from behind us. The volume was so loud that we couldn’t even hear Mom’s voice next to us…

It seemed they thought they had repelled the goblins.

Honestly, it didn’t seem possible to move normally. However, this was Blue Ring. I signaled to Ashera and had her carry Mother on her back.

I carried Halva and escaped from the sea of people with a Space Kick.

I didn’t want to use mana any more than necessary. I set Halva down in a place away from the crowd.

“Let’s go consult with Commander Miroku.”

Everyone nodded at my tired voice.

Perhaps the exhaustion of these past few days was catching up to me, as I walked to the command post with fewer words than usual.

We had burned down the goblin army twice, but I muttered to myself in my heart: “This is where the real deal begins.”

Surely, this was just the prologue… I sincerely hoped for an end to this turmoil.