Goblin Hole

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The hole that was the goblin nest was likely not a natural cavern. The shape looked familiar. It was probably a Killer Ant nest.
As they would not be living together, the goblins must have founded an abandoned nest and decided to live inside of it.

If I just wanted to kill them, then I could charge in. But it was a different matter when it was a rescue mission. I had to avoid causing too much chaos. However, I did not have any projectiles. And I had no skill for throwing knives.

While wondering what I should do, I stealthily made my way back into the forest.

“How was it?”

“There is a cave, and two goblins watching the entrance. It’s bad.”

“If we cause a scene near the entrance, the others will flow out.”

“Perhaps they can be lured away…”

We tried to think of something, but no one had any good ideas.

“It can’t be helped. I don’t know if it will go well, but we’ll make some noise in the forest. And if they come, we’ll kill them. If they bring the others, we’ll go out and fight.”

If it’s just a little noise, it shouldn’t result in such confusion that Yutere would be in danger.

“Uh, um!”

As we nodded to each other and were about to split up, Kejide raised his voice. I turned around to see him staring at us with a serious expression.

“What if I used myself as bait?”

As he said it, his hands were shaking.

Kejide’s suggestion was not a bad one. After all, some strange sounds might not be enough to lure them out. But they would be less cautious if it was a child, and would think they could deal with him without calling the others.

“No. We cannot put you in danger.”

That being said, I wasn’t going to use a child as bait for goblins. They might shoot arrows. If he was wounded, I don’t know how I would be able to face Mr. Kemuit.

“But both of you will protect me, won’t you?”

He said earnestly.

“No. And that’s final!”

“Mr. Ajifu, I think it’s not a bad idea. He just needs to show himself a little and then hide behind the trees.”

Even Hilit was agreeing with it now. Hmm, I didn’t have any argument against that.

“Fine. However, you can only let them get a small glimpse of you. And then you must run and hide without hesitation.”

“Yes! I understand!”

If this was how it was going to be, I would also have to do my best. No matter what, I would not allow him to be hurt.

We approached the goblin nest and hid in the tall grass on the side of the path. On the other side, there was a rustling sound. When I looked, I saw that Kejide had just poked his head out from behind some bushes.

“Gugya!”
“Gugyaga! Gugya!”

Goblins could see well in the dark, and they immediately found Kejide. They were overjoyed to find their prey, and ran forward with their clubs without showing any suspicion. They did not even alert the others. I then heard rustling from behind us. Good. So he had run away just as we planned.

“Gugugaa!”

The goblins then entered the path in order to chase after him.
Just then, I jumped out of the grass and slashed the torso of the first goblin.

“Gyagya!”

Upon seeing this, the other goblin quickly raised its club into the air. In the same position I was right after my swing, I leaned on my prosthetic leg and used my other to kick the goblin in the face.

“Oomph.”

And as the goblin fell to the ground, I raised my sword into the air and swung down.

Then I quickly sheathed my sword and hid in the forest. We had made quite a lot of noise, so the goblins in the nest might have heard it.
However, even after waiting for some time, there was movement from the nest.

With a feeling of relief, I threw the corpses into the forest, and then Kijide and Hilit returned.

“That went well.”

“I suppose.”

While it had succeeded without anyone being in danger, it was still bad for my heart. I did not want to do that again.

“You can leave the rest to me. We don’t know what is happening inside of there, or how long it will take. If I take too long, I want you two to return to the village and get help. Also, you’re still in the forest at night, so don’t lower your guard.”

I could likely not rely on any lights within the nest. If I went inside with a torch, it would attract too much attention.

“Fine. Good luck then.”

“Mr. Ajifu! Please help her! Please!”

I wanted to promise that I would. But I didn’t even know for sure that she was still alive. It would be irresponsible to make such promises.

“I will do my best. I promise.”

That was the best I could do right now. After that, we just had to pray that Yutere was fine.

I stood in front of the cave entrance. A raw sort of stench wafted from it. Apparently, wind flowed through the chambers. At least I would not have to worry about air. When I stepped inside, it was pitch black, just as I had expected.

Even with my Night Vision skill, it was quite dim. The passage I could barely see was about one and a half meters in height and width. I could not stand straight or fully swing my sword. Still, I bent my back and continued forward.

As I thought, it was a Killer Ant nest. The walls were hardened, so there would be no worry of it collapsing. While the interior branched off and was complicated, it wasn’t really a problem. The paths used by the goblins were smoother.

Of course, there was no guarantee that there was nothing down the other passages as well. If I could not find Yutere, then I would have to search through them.

“Me-zroi-tar-mez-rei. Protection.”

In preparation for a goblin ambush, I cast protection magic on myself, which I was able to use after reaching Light Magic Lv5. A layer of light enveloped my body, illuminating my surroundings for a brief moment.

“Gya?”

The light must have been seen, as I heard a Goblin’s voice coming from one of the narrow side-passages, and then there was the sound of footsteps. The passage was only about a meter high, so even a goblin would not be able to stand properly. Judging by the footsteps, there were two of them.

“Shhha!”

I held my breath and waited. And as soon as the first one appeared, I pierced it.

“Gah…”

And with it still piercing the first goblin, forcefully changed directions and rammed it into the next one. With my weight behind it, the sword pierced through both. Their limbs flailed a few times, and then they stopped moving.
I then pulled out the sword, charged it with magic, and flung off the blood. Mine Breaker’s soft blue glow was reassuring, but also attracted attention. I cut off the magic supply, and my surroundings became dark once again.

I encountered a few more goblins after that. A two-handed sword was completely unfit for fighting in narrow corridors. The most effective thing I could do was thrust, but then I had to retreat immediately, or I could not deal with multiple enemies.

That being said, they were still goblins. And so relying mostly on strength was still enough for the most part. I hid out of sight and took them one by one. I should have brought shoes that had silence enchantments, but I could not have predicted this would happen.

Judging by the number I had encountered, this was a pretty large pack of goblins. I had not seen any magicians, but there might be archers or hobgoblins. But I really wanted to avoid having to fight a whole group of them.

However, my preferences meant nothing to the goblins.

“Gugya-ga!”
“Gya!”
“Gyaa-gaa!”

I heard the voices coming from up ahead.

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Ossan Boukensha no Jimichi na Isekai Tabi