Goblins… Goblins?

Guided by Ururu, who had effortlessly found the goblin settlement, we headed toward it.

It was already near dusk… but by Ururu’s assessment, the goblins were, well… so weak they weren’t even worth talking about, and even our maids could wipe out the settlement.

For the record, all our maids were unenhanced custom characters, meaning they were the weakest among our people.

If even they could annihilate it… then bringing our full group would be overkill in the extreme.

Legions had goblins too, of course… and yeah, they were standard fodder.

A single hit from a maid could drop them.

So I guess in any world, goblins were basically synonymous with “weak enemy,” huh?

As I ran through the forest without effort, the trees abruptly gave way, and a wall about three meters high—and a wooden watchtower—appeared out of nowhere.

…Huh? In the dead center of the forest…?

“…We’re here…”

Ururu stopped and murmured.

Wait—this was the goblin settlement?

“Here?”

“…Lots of goblins inside…”

“This isn’t what I imagined…”

I’d assumed something more… wild and primitive…

“Isn’t this more impressive than that village?”

“…The houses inside the wall are… built pretty solid too…”

My image of goblins was waistcloths and screeching laughter… but this looked like a very civilized lifestyle…

“Fels-sama, shall we begin the extermination?”

“Hm?”

Lynferia, standing beside me, asked as casually as if she were asking what we wanted for dinner.

I looked at her face, then turned my gaze back to the goblin settlement.

Naturally, the towering wall blocked any view inside… but… was it really okay to just exterminate them?

“…Wait.”

Right in front of me was a goblin settlement… one that seemed to have a highly civilized way of living… An adventurer had found this place, apparently, but there was no way a settlement like this could be built in a month or two… it had clearly been here a long time.

And according to the headman, it hadn’t even harmed the village…

Shouldn’t we at least try talking before deciding?

“…A settlement this small would be easy to exterminate.”

“Yes! That wall is actually convenient for extermination, and we can ensure none escape.”

“Good. Then no problem. Once I give permission, Lynferia, Ururu, and Kamila—exterminate the settlement as a three-person unit. You are also authorized to use magic.”

““Ha!””

“However, until I give that permission, do not lay a hand on them no matter what happens. Even if you are attacked. Understood?”

““Ha!””

That should prevent them from charging straight into slaughter… Now the question was whether conversation with goblins would actually work. If it didn’t, we’d go with the extermination route…

While thinking such dangerous thoughts, we approached the settlement—and an arrow flew from the watchtower, striking the ground in our path… a little ways ahead.

In the next instant, an overwhelming pressure burst from everyone except me, but when I cleared my throat, it vanished like mist.

“Stop! Humanfolk! Beyond this point is our village! If you don’t want to be hurt, leave at once!”

Oh… we could understand each other. And it wasn’t a surprise attack—just a warning.

This could be negotiated.

“We came at the request of the village near this forest! We have no intent to harm you! We wish to speak with your representative—could you relay our request?”

When I raised my voice so the figure on the watchtower—presumably a goblin—could hear, the tower became slightly noisy.

They were probably discussing something…

But… they really didn’t match my goblin image…

Eventually, it seemed a conclusion was reached, because the same voice called out again.

“Fine! We’ll call the village head! But we cannot permit you to come any closer. If you step even one pace forward, we will fire!”

“Understood! We will wait here for the village head to arrive!”

Alright… this looked like normal conversation could happen.

But… what now? Even if we could communicate… we couldn’t exactly say, “The nearby villagers are scared, so please go somewhere else,” could we?

It would also be strange to call them out and then have nothing to say…

Well… it couldn’t be helped. I was an overlord who played things by ear.

Oh—right. I still hadn’t heard the village survey results. I should check now.

“Otonoha. How was the mana survey of that village? Does it look like we can produce mana stones?”

“Yeah, no problem. If we place a mana collection device, we can produce mana stones, and I think we can hit the expected production too.”

“…That’s good news. That sets our direction going forward.”

Information gathering, and then placing mana collection devices across the land… especially in large cities—I absolutely wanted to install them there.

Back in Legions, even if you maxed out the development level of the largest city, the population cap was one hundred thousand… but here, there might be cities bigger than that… If there were million-population cities, just installing one there would bring in ten million per month. That was too good…

“Fels-sama… forgive me, but may I ask something?”

“Hm? Of course, Lynferia.”

Lynferia asked with an expression like she’d made up her mind… as if bracing herself.

“Why do you personally seek dialogue with mere goblins? I understand that we lack information about the present situation. But even so, to deal with goblins—lowly monsters—directly…”

It wasn’t just Lynferia; the atmosphere suggested everyone shared the same doubt.

“Hm. Lynferia, what you say is indeed correct.”

“Then…”

“But that correctness belonged to the place we used to be. In this situation, I cannot accept it as ‘correct.’”

“…”

Lynferia visibly deflated… and the others looked similar.

“Think about it. Could the goblins we knew build a settlement like that, and speak so fluently?”

“Th-that is…”

“Right now, treat your own common sense as the greatest enemy. I do not consider the goblins I’m about to meet to be monsters. From what we’ve seen, they are a different people from us… and that’s how I intend to deal with them.”

“…My apologies, Fels-sama. I was shallow.”

Not only Lynferia—everyone dropped to a knee and bowed their heads.

Well… for me, this was a situation where none of my common sense applied anyway… Lynferia and the others, who had “knowledge” mixed into their worldview, were probably being pulled by it.

“As long as you understand, that’s enough. Those words came from loyalty to me, and I have no intention of blaming you. But never forget this: we were conquerors only in the past.”

““!?””

They’d accepted what I said… but that single line sent shock through them.

…Anyway, I really was starting to feel like I’d developed a habit of making speeches.

“My beginning was as the ruler of a tiny country, wedged between great powers—so small it could be blown away with a breath.”

Well, in truth, it was after repeated runs and absurd strengthening…

“We’ll simply start over from the beginning. It’s not a big deal… you’ll follow me, won’t you?”

“Of course!”

“I’m excited… truly excited. That’s why you should be excited too—enjoy it, with everything you’ve got! You won’t get a chance like this again. A challenge into the unknown, you might call it.”

It wasn’t like starting a game you’d replayed until you knew every inch of it; it was the thrill of starting a brand-new game right after ripping the seal off the box—anticipation for what lay ahead… That was what I was feeling.

But I knew my confidence was a little… no, a lot inflated.

There was no guarantee we were strong in this world. Yet I’d essentially declared I’d aim to become an overlord here.

No, I wasn’t going to go down some “kill all important characters” route. But I did intend to expand my sphere to secure mana stones.

If we could just place mana collection devices, maybe conquest wouldn’t be necessary… but if we were raising our banner as a faction, surely the installation of a mana collection device—the source of our power—wouldn’t be permitted outside our control.

If we couldn’t obtain mana stones, we’d be bled dry… and while we might be able to smooth-talk a mere village, I couldn’t imagine a city agreeing if we said, “Let us install a mana collection device.” Violent conflict would probably be unavoidable.

I really hoped firearms weren’t advanced… Even Lynferia and the others would be in trouble if they were shot… And while Otonoha’s survey confirmed mana existed… we still needed to investigate magic in this world too… it probably existed, right?

Yeah. Rushing into force was a bad idea. Information gathering was still the top priority.

“Alright, stand up. They may become valuable sources of information… but they may also become enemies.”

““Ha!””

The timing was perfect—almost the moment I ordered everyone to rise, the village gate opened…

And what approached was a hulking figure that didn’t look like a goblin at all… No, what even was that?

The giant trudged forward—over two meters tall, with a chest broad enough to fit two of me, enormous hands that looked like they could snap logs like twigs.

There was no way that was a goblin…

Well, the head of a goblin village didn’t necessarily have to be a goblin.

“I heard there was a strange group of humanfolk who wished to speak with me… ah, forgive me. My name is Bangagonga. I am the goblin who serves as this village’s head.”

So he was a goblin.

I couldn’t just stand there blankly—I needed to return the greeting.

“I am Fels. Should I address you as Bangagonga-dono?”

“No honorifics are needed. Bangagonga is fine. Now then, Fels. What brings you to our village? This is the home of goblins. There is nothing here that benefits humanfolk.”

He spoke far more rationally than I expected… despite that terrifying appearance…

“We came here at the request of the village just outside this forest.”

“…Is this about the humanfolk we drove off before?”

He frowned, wrinkling his brow… That was probably the adventurer the village had mentioned. The fact he brought it up immediately meant he’d been thinking about it.

“Yes. After hearing from the adventurer you drove away, the villagers grew anxious that a goblin settlement exists near them. They asked us to investigate.”

“…Fels. Weren’t you asked to do more than investigate?”

Hm… he could read between the lines.

“Well… yes, but—do you intend to leave the forest and raid human settlements?”

“…There is no need. Our lives are complete within this forest. Of course, if we are invaded, we will resist… but that is true of anyone, is it not?”

“That is true. However… hm, this is troublesome.”

“Hm? Did you not accept a request to exterminate us?”

“I did not accept such a request. What I accepted was investigation, and… if we can handle it, then handle it. That is all.”

Bangagonga tilted his head at my answer. That motion really was humanlike.

“…You look like seasoned fighters. By ‘handle it,’ you mean that, don’t you?”

“Hah! You’re a violent one, Bangagonga. It’s true that wiping you out would leave no loose ends… but wouldn’t that be a waste? To kill, without question, an opponent we can speak with like this.”

And honestly… I wasn’t even sure I could take a life.

“…That was unexpected. But then what is your ‘handling’? We have lived here for years. Are you going to tell us to leave?”

“As for that…”

“Headman! A frenzied beast is coming from the north!”

A shout rose from the watchtower, cutting me off, and from within the village came a sound like something being struck—an alarm.