“The Hero’s army. Doing the same, as normal Hero. Kill monsters, gain experience. Use it to buy blessings. Did you, know?”
“Don’t mock us. Our chief can scatter those small-fry Heroes with ease!”
“I see. Easy to explain then. Everyone in Hero’s army, has the same power. Normal humans, can receive blessing, become a Hero.”
“Wait a minute. Anyone can receive these blessings?”
This had already been proven when Fi and the group encountered those humans. And after seeing the Hero’s army crushed Berganda’s army, the dragon god had reached an even more dreadful conclusion.
“A man, who was villager yesterday. Becomes a Hero tomorrow. That kind of blessing. Not only that, but they can be anything. Magic, sword, healing…anything.”
“Wha…what is that! What kind of trickery!”
“To be honest, I was surprised as well. I didn’t expect to see over a hundred magicians come out and attack us.”
Berganda added, and the room fell silent. There was no humor in their eyes. They were thinking about the information and trying to find an answer.
“Hey, Komos. You said that the Hero’s army was split into three?”
The hob goblin with the knife was the first to speak.
“Yes. I was told that their forces were split up equally.”
“Dog. How strong can they become with this… ‘leveling up’?”
“…Supposed to be, a limit. But army, had many people. Need a lot of…experience, to make all of them strong.”
A lot of experience. The words caused the monsters to groan.
“The troubling thing about this leveling up system is that it does not require much time to grow. You can create powerful soldiers in little time. The Hero likely means to reinforce his army while traveling to various dungeons and capturing settlements.”
“And with that strategy too. It is completely different from humans up until now. It is like being attacked by an impenetrable fortress that is shooting arrows at you.”
“So any ill-planned attacks will just result in our losses and the enemy becoming stronger. Damn it!”
Berganda nodded when he saw that they understood the situation they were in.
“You will continue to tell your soldiers to be cautious. When we lose soldiers, they become stronger. For now, not fighting at all is our best option.”
“Blast it all. But we are already at our limits. Not only are we low on food, but it will be difficult to control their blood lust much longer.”
“Then let them take out their frustration during training. Or should I go out there myself and teach them?”
The others chuckled at Berganda’s suggestion. In spite of his decision to avoid battle, they did not look dissatisfied.
The servant kobolds then brought in some ale, and they made a toast and began to talk of other things. The kobolds looked at Sheto with surprise, but quickly finished placing the drinks and food on the table and left as if escaping.
‘It looks like we were wrong.’
‘…Indeed.’
The voices of the gods sounded bitter.
‘The pause in military activity that you suggested. It was only an advantage for them. Now Berganda will be able to secure the cooperation of both Sheto and you.’
‘I thought at least one of them would object, but I suppose they are better educated and directed than I thought…it was a bad idea.’
“What, should I do?”
‘You have no choice but to go along with them for now. Perhaps you will get a chance to leave later.’
As they talked of such things, the atmosphere in the room started to change.
The smell of ale filled the room, and the drunken monsters grew louder.
At the same time, their looks towards Sheto became more severe. He did not belong here. And his stomach hurt as he expected someone to say something at any moment.
‘This is not good. Shetos, tell Komos to take you…’
“Hey, you dog!”
The hob goblin with the knife turned to him sharply.
A moment later, there was a sound, and a few hairs were sliced off from his cheek. And then he felt the pain in his neck from the sudden movement as something heavy slammed into the wall behind him.
“Ah, you dodged that well.”
“Y-you! Trying to kill me!?”
“I gave you a warning, didn’t I? I wouldn’t have done that if I wanted you dead.”