2 (3)

Below, green Goblins scattered like ants in confusion. It looked like nearly a hundred had died from the first volley alone. Why? Because they had all packed into the central square. What was meant to rouse their fervor instead became the cause of their slaughter.

“Second line, drop!”

At Louis’s order, the soldiers who had readied the second line began pushing the logs over. The logs crashed down onto the Goblins who were fleeing in a panic. Logs were already quite heavy, and with gravity behind them, Goblins—whose strength was lower than Orcs—could not endure. Orcs would not have been rendered completely helpless, nor would they have milled about like cowards. Goblins were craftier than Orcs when winning, but when losing, they collapsed even more helplessly than Orcs.

When the only passage on the right flank was blocked by the logs, the Goblins howled. Only then did they seem to realize where the enemy was and try to signal each other. But there was no way they could scale the cliff in this situation. Naturally, the survivors chose to flee toward the river.

‘Seventy-three left.’

The remaining number of Goblins. The military strength they had possessed—two swords—was now down to none. Their crowd psychology had plunged into panic. Louis turned his gaze toward the riverbank.

“Third line is ready!”

“Stand down.”

The third line of rockslides was the last, but there was no more need to use it. Louis could either descend immediately or watch, from his fine vantage point, the massacre about to unfold at the river.

“Everyone rest. Let’s listen to the final movement.”

Louis chose to watch. The Goblins began to swim, trying to cross the narrow span of the river. The river was not wide, so it looked as if they might escape easily. But Boromir, who commanded fifty soldiers, already had bowstrings drawn. As a seasoned centurion, he waited for the perfect moment. Loose too early, and the Goblins might retreat. He held his breath until the instant they were trapped between advance and retreat.

And when the Goblins reached the river’s midpoint, Boromir loosed.

“Loose!”

The very first shot belonged to Boromir. Even in the dark, his arrow bored straight through the skull of the foremost Goblin. The Goblin let out a death rattle and sagged over the water. Green blood spread.

Before the Goblins could react, a full volley followed, and torches flared to life.

Darkness limits sight. True to his experience, Boromir had prepared torches to secure visibility.

In the fully lit open, with nowhere to run in mid-current…

Arrows fell among them. With only about fifty men, it was not a full arrow-rain, but the remaining Goblins were few enough that, to them, it felt like a downpour.

From the best seat, Louis watched the green specks spread beneath the torchlight.

The quest completion counter kept climbing. The very last Goblin… apparently made it across and charged forward with gusto—only for Boromir’s blade to take its head in a single stroke.

For all appearances, Boromir was a swordsman who could wield mana. A Goblin could not beat him one-on-one.

With the 40 bonus points added, he had gained 190 points in a single operation.

Compared to the 100 points he had received for defeating Hansen, this was a considerable haul.

‘Impressive. Which means if we had met them head-on, we would have paid dearly.’

In terms of raw force, they had been outmatched by one whole sword. Compared to Hansen—against whom he had held the advantage from the start—this had been a quest he had to consider failing.

With this, Louis’s total rose to 295 points. The Civilization System’s traits lit up once more.

“Everyone up. Go down and look for survivors.”

The effect of Military Charisma activated: the extra Respect gained after victories. With Respect now over 2, these men could be considered reliable. With training, they might be forged into elites.

Louis descended all the way down. He did not expect survivors—he had prepared the rockslides with annihilation in mind. Still, as a duke’s son, he had a duty to perform: search for survivors.

“From now on, find survivors. Quickly!”

The soldiers bustled into motion. After setting the men to work, Louis walked toward the central square. The head-smashed corpse of the Goblin chieftain lay there. Its body was three times the size of other Goblins—nearly human-sized. Louis had only seen such size in books; this was his first time in person. He pulled the sword from the chieftain’s hand. It was very long and crude, yet etched with complex characters, so it did not seem ordinary. Since he lacked a proper blade, Louis kept it.

“Survivor here!”

Someone shouted, and Louis went that way. A few soldiers were giving first aid. It was a woman. By luck, she had not been crushed by the rockslides. The first aid was not for falling rocks but for the Goblins’ torture.

Louis called the merchant over. The man, still stiff with fear, approached. With Military Charisma now bolstered by Respect, he had reached the level of adoration.

“Do you know her?”

“Yes. She was my slave.”

“Hm. It seems she’s the only survivor. I’m sorry.”

“No. Even if not for you, Lord Louis, the Goblins would have killed her. Among this caravan, only one person truly mattered to me… just one.”

“Just one…? Family?”

“No. A subordinate. My family is all in Jaksen.”

“That’s a relief.”

“You not only saved my life but also slew the Goblins and avenged us. I don’t know how to thank you. If that female slave lives, I will offer her as a token of gratitude.”

“A slave… I don’t particularly need one. But since it’s your goodwill, I’ll accept.”

“Thank you, truly.”

Since she had followed a traveling merchant, her role was obvious. Her education would be meager, and she likely knew little. Still… having an attendant never hurts. Louis took it in stride. Unexpectedly, slaves fetched higher prices than one might think. Having spent his fortune on hiring mercenaries, Louis could not afford even a single slave at present.

“Report: one survivor. No others remain.”

“Good. Then strip the place. Take anything of value.”

Since the Goblins had plundered nearby humans, there was a high chance of money—and Louis was right.

There were gold coins the Goblins had looted. Before that, he had the merchant withdrawn with the female slave.

The haul amounted to enough coin and goldwork to fund roughly five hundred soldiers.

‘A haul beyond expectations.’

It included the merchant’s lost coins as well, but Louis had no intention of returning them.

‘No worries about the soldiers’ pay for a while.’

It would also help him hire new people. This seed capital was crucial. He had isolated the merchant quickly for precisely this reason.

“It seems there’s nothing useful left, young lord.”

“Is that so? Set it ablaze.”

Plunder ends best with arson—it wipes the traces clean. Leaving the Goblins’ blazing camp behind, Louis and his soldiers set off once more toward Freia.

Lights flickered across the Civilization System. It was the signal to invest points in traits. During the remaining journey, Louis analyzed his plans and the available traits.

One area where he could invest boldly now was Leader Traits. He could even unlock a Tier-2 Leader Trait like the Military Charisma he had been using in multiple ways.

He could continue along the military branch, or choose a domestic Leader Trait tied to production or finance.

If not that, he could select Building Traits like the Monument. Building Traits produced specific effects so long as the building was constructed.

Louis had shortlisted a few buildings.

‘Watermill.’

‘Colosseum.’

The Colosseum was hardly unfamiliar, and its effect was clear: it raised the average Satisfaction of city residents. A city’s population was immense. The ability to raise that vast number’s Satisfaction reliably by simply erecting and operating a building was an irresistibly attractive proposition.