Goblin Extermination Quest

Konoha and the others started by stocking up on healing items.

They could heal themselves with magic, but they could not keep expending mana every single time. In reality, they had absurd amounts of mana, so it would not actually be a problem, but Konoha and Meiro did not want to stand out. This was where the reason Forest had refrained from revealing Konoha’s status in public became clear.

“With the way you girls look, having levels like those is bound to attract strange attention. You don’t have any famous accomplishments yet either. People might suspect you fabricated your statuses and drag you into unnecessary trouble. I wanted to tell only influential people like Sid if possible… but I never expected things to turn out like this.”

That was what she had said. In other words, it was important for them to first achieve something and earn recognition. Until then, carelessly flaunting their statuses would not be wise.

They had at least wanted to show Sid, but he had shut himself away in a room with his aides. Being naturally free-spirited, he did not place that much trust in Forest to begin with. If anything, he found her slightly bothersome.

And so, Konoha and Meiro purchased items called 【Potions】. Potions were healing items that came in various types, such as those that restored health or mana. Higher-grade potions were fairly expensive, but thanks to Forest putting in a word for them, they got a substantial discount.

The two were also granted the 《Arrow Evasion》 skill by Forest. For three seconds after activation, incoming arrows would miss them. Only fairly high-level people could acquire it, but since both of them were above Level 70, they had no trouble learning it. When they went to Forest’s room inside the Guild Hall for that purpose, however—

“The Forest Magical Girl!?”

“Mmph!”

For some reason, the Forest Magical Girl was inside Forest’s room.

“Waaaaah!! So smooth!! So cute!”

“Mgh, mmghgh.”

“Wait, Konoha…”

Konoha was completely absorbed in the Forest Magical Girl. Admittedly, the mascot did look cute. While Meiro stared in exasperation, Forest whispered into her ear.

“Don’t tell me that girl doesn’t know there’s a person inside?”

“Well, she’s living the dream. So, who is it? Who’s inside?”

“The mayor of Racluzero City.”

“What!?”

It was completely unexpected.

“He puts on the costume and spends time with children as a break from his official duties. To the adults who know the truth, it’s more like, ‘Get back to work,’ but that sort of thing is also part of why the current mayor is so popular.”

“Is he some kind of lolicon? So there’s an older man inside?”

“Oh? Why did you assume it was a man?”

“I saw something like a poster. Also, his mannerisms subtly scream middle-aged man. Even through the costume, I can tell he’s looking at Konoha in a slightly indecent way. May I kill him?”

“Come now, let him off the hook. A cute little girl like that is rubbing herself all over him. Reacting that way is only natural. He knows how to behave, and he’s an intelligent man. Let him enjoy himself.”

“If you’re serious, that’s laughable. Anyway, I’m pulling her away. Konoha! We need to check your equipment, so get away from that thing.”

“Muu!! I wanna play a little longer!!”

“Are you a child!? Come on, we’re doing this!”

Potions for restoring health, potions for curing status ailments, durable robes, spare daggers, and so on. Konoha’s 『Agate』 and Meiro’s ice staff—which was apparently called the 『Frozen Blossom Staff』—had been identified as treasure-class items, so they were unlikely to be destroyed easily. When Forest learned that, her interest in the two of them grew even stronger.

(Two overwhelmingly powerful girls who appeared out of nowhere. Overwhelming statuses and overwhelming equipment. Very interesting indeed. Let’s see what you can really do.)

“I’d like to investigate various things once you get back, so make sure you return safely.”

“Of course. Even if you raise a death flag, I guarantee we’ll come back one hundred percent. I can’t speak for everyone else, though.”

“Do you sense something?”

“I’ve got a bad feeling. The other adventurers are getting carried away because they think the enemy is weak. To be honest, I almost wish you would come with us.”

Meiro stared seriously at Forest.

“Sorry. I have plenty of things I need to do myself. Besides, I no longer have the strength to rein in hot-blooded youngsters. Have I grown so senile that I can’t even sense an ominous presence anymore?”

“Your mind is probably completely occupied with Tree having returned safely. You can hardly be called your usual self right now. Well, all we have to do is defeat whatever is in front of us. You don’t need to worry too much.”

“Is that so? Then off you go.”

Nearly two hundred adventurers had gathered at the gate near the city entrance. Every one of them carried sturdy-looking armor or powerful-looking weapons, proudly showing them off to one another.

As for Konoha, she wore her usual black Japanese-style outfit, and the mask she had bought earlier was now strapped to her head. Her face itself remained uncovered.

“I changed the cord to a stronger one too~. Does it look cool?”

“It looks cute.”

“What!?”

“N-Nothing. Forget it.”

Meiro had accidentally let her true feelings slip. She usually acted fairly cool around Konoha, but internally, Konoha’s cuteness made her heart pound wildly.

(What is this feeling!? M-My cool expression is going to crumble…)

She was a fifteen-year-old girl, after all. Despite seeming mature, in that respect she was still perfectly her age.

“Listen up, everyone!! From this moment onward, our alliance of combat Guilds will head out to exterminate the goblin army near Mount Azaar! Five silver coins for every goblin! Sounds profitable, doesn’t it!? Now get fired up and move out!”

““““Yeah!!!””””

With Sid as their commander, Racluzero’s adventurers began marching. The kingdom troops stationed in Racluzero had not been deployed this time. Problems of this sort were strictly left for the Guilds to solve.

That said, the private forces of nobles from the surrounding regions were moving independently as well. They had probably been blinded by the prospect of glory. Apparently, they had already entered Mount Azaar ahead of the Guild alliance. Young nobles craved tales of heroic exploits and desperately sought even minor accomplishments. They could use them as topics at high-society gatherings as well. Because of that, Sid was feeling slightly impatient.

(If the nobles beat us to rescuing Flora, our reputation will suffer. Same goes for the goblin extermination. I heard a force of nearly a hundred men went in, but noble mercenaries are only Orange Moon-class at best. They’re nothing special. We can’t afford to lose to them.)

With that thought, Sid slightly increased the pace and marched at the head of the group.

Meanwhile, Konoha and the other White Moon-class rookie adventurers had been placed at the rear. Strangely enough, the hot-blooded rookies had been put in the vanguard, while Konoha and Meiro had probably been judged as lacking motivation. Seeing Konoha chatting peacefully with the girls behind them gradually drained the irritation from Meiro as well. Konoha was remarkably sociable.

“That outfit is so cute, Konoha-chan!”

“Thank you! Your robe is pretty too! Is it for combat?”

“No. It’s a keepsake. When I wear it, I somehow feel like I’ll make it home alive.”

“Huh, but what about defense…?”

“We’re only going to watch the veterans fight. Don’t you think I’ll be fine without it?”

“Uh, ahaha… m-maybe?”

Watching them, Meiro thought,

(They’re definitely letting their guard down too much. I hope the people up front aren’t acting like this too.)

The middle ranks appeared to be treating it like a picnic as well. Still, they were veterans who had been adventurers for nearly twenty years. When the time came, they could presumably switch into combat mode.

One man from those middle ranks came back toward them. It was Ezel, the gentle-looking womanizer.

“Hey, Konoha-chan. We meet again!”

“Hmm? You were Ezel-san, right? Yeah, we meet again!”

“Ahaha, that’s quite an interesting outfit. Once this is over, would you like to come to my bed? Sara and Lisa will be there too, and I think they’ll both like you.”

“Your bed? A sleepover?”

“Ahaha, that’s right. We’ll all have a sleepover together. Think of it as a little social gathering.”

“Ohh!”

“Don’t be fooled, Konoha! This scumbag intends to devour you.”

“What!? He’s going to eat me!? That sounds painful…”

“Ah, in a different sense. The gruesome scene you’re imagining isn’t going to happen.”

“Sex…ually?”

“Damn it, you’re critically lacking in sexual knowledge…”

In fact, Konoha was still inexperienced. She was also not particularly good at health and physical education, meaning she still possessed a pure heart. The cause was largely that she had devoted herself entirely to kendo.

“How about you, Meiro-chan?”

“Die.”

“I-Is that so? Well, you can always decide after seeing how impressive I am in this battle. If you accidentally fall for me, just say the word anytime.”

Ezel leaned close to Konoha’s ear and whispered.

“Because I’ll make you feel very good, okay? ☆”

“?”

He had struck a seductive pose, but the message did not get through.

“Well then, see you later.”

“Okay, bye-bye!!”

Ezel returned to the front ranks.

“He’s funny, isn’t he~?”

“He’s so revolting I feel like I’m getting goosebumps. Maybe I should scatter salt after him.”

“The older guys up front look like they’re having a ton of fun too! Are they drinking alcohol?”

“Konoha, I don’t understand how you can keep smiling like that.”

“Huh? Doesn’t it kind of feel like a family gathering? Isn’t that fun?”

“What unpleasant relatives.”

“But my relatives were kind of like this too, you know? They’d get all red-faced and say, ‘I can’t wait until Konoha-chan grows up. When that happens, Uncle will… hehehe,’ but I wonder what they meant.”

“…Maybe it was actually a good thing that you came to this world.”

A pure and innocent beautiful girl getting taught all sorts of things by a creepy uncle until eventually… Yes, that was definitely material for an adult comic.

“By the way, who is Flora-san?”

Konoha asked the older girl she had befriended earlier.

“She’s an incredibly cool female adventurer! With a rapier in her hand, she’s probably the best swordswoman in Racluzero. She’s the second Blue Moon-class adventurer after Sid-san. She’s basically the spearhead of the Den of Starving Wolves!”

“Ohh! She sounds cool!”

“She’s admired by girls all over Racluzero. Not many Racluzero University students were allowed to participate this time, but she has lots of fans among them too.”

“Come to think of it, there really aren’t many university students here. Aren’t a lot of them strong?”

Looking around, most of the adventurers were over thirty, and even among the rookies, many were in their twenties. Konoha could not spot anyone who looked like a university student.

“University students are considered national treasures. Even if they have strong combat skills, they generally don’t take many quests until they graduate. Honestly, I’ve even heard that some of the university students are stronger than the people here, but there’s not much anyone can do about that.”

They continued chatting for a while longer until they finally reached the foot of Mount Azaar. This was Nakago Village, the village that had been attacked.

“This is awful…”

“Some villagers managed to evacuate, while others apparently failed to escape. Goblins have a tendency to abduct women.”

Things at the front of the formation began growing hectic. What had happened?

“Report from the scouts. Several corpses are scattered near the forest. They most likely belonged to members of the private forces who tried to flee.”

Hearing that, Sid smirked.

(Did those idiotic nobles get impatient for glory and fall into a trap? If we go as far as the middle of the mountain, it’s probably safe to assume there’s a goblin nest there.)

“All right, we’re moving on. The weather’s good too. I don’t give a damn if those noble idiots die. The glory belongs to us!”

“““Yeah!!”””

The forest grew considerably deeper, and even animals had stopped appearing. The ground was becoming increasingly muddy, making it difficult for wagons to pass.

“Still, those goblins really aren’t showing themselves. We haven’t seen any of the nobles either.”

“Yeah, it’s strange. There are traces of blood here and there, so there must have been fighting around here too.”

“Maybe the goblins carried away the corpses?”

“For what?”

“Do they even have enough intelligence for that?”

“I don’t know much about goblins.”

While the men in front chatted among themselves, Konoha remained alert, straining her ears and watching the surroundings.

“Konoha, you noticed too?”

“Yeah. They’re nearby. And some of them feel pretty strong.”

Konoha had noticed. There was an ominous feeling coming not only from ahead, but from behind as well. As they proceeded farther, they eventually reached the gate of a goblin fortress.

“All right! Shall we attack? The glory’s yours for the taking. Who wants to be first in?”

“I do!”

“No, me!”

“Me!”

“All right, all right. I understand how motivated you rookies are. But the veterans will go first. Beck, haven’t the scouts come back yet?”

“They probably entered the fortress ahead of us, but… I don’t sense any fighting.”

“Were they taken out? Nah, no chance. All right, Beck, you take point!”

“You got it.”

Konoha thought carefully.

(The terrain is far too unfavorable. Cliffs on both sides, and a goblin fortress straight ahead. Behind us… At this point, they’ve probably cut off our retreat too, right? Am I overthinking it? No, I’m not. But veterans should notice something this obvious, shouldn’t they? There’s no way they’re actually going to charge straight in like this…)

However, even veteran adventurers could not sense this presence. That was because Konoha was detecting it through her high-level 《Detection》 skill. On top of that, the adventurers had completely underestimated the possibility that goblins could ever organize themselves properly.

“Meiro-chan…”

“Konoha, I’ll hit the rear. We’re probably surrounded.”

“Haven’t the veterans noticed? They look like they’re heading straight toward the fortress.”

“Someone Blue Moon-class like Sid should have noticed, but he’s too caught up in the excitement. Handling things like this was probably Flora’s job. With her absent, I suspect there’s… no one here who’s realized it.”

“No way!! I’ll go to the front—”

“Guild alliance! Forwaaaard!!”

“Ooooooooooh!!”

“Move! Move!!”

“The glory is miiiiine!!”

It seemed the battle had begun.

“No way! They’re actually attacking head-on?”

“Meiro-chan, there’s no time. First, the rear—”

At that moment, a barrage of arrows rained down toward Konoha.

“Konoha!”

The arrows flew straight toward Konoha’s head…