Read Novel Full Vol 23 Chapter 8
Vol 23 Chapter 8
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Chapter 8 – Dreams Expand
Following Camille-san’s advice, I went to meet with William-san. However, instead of simply observing, we ended up raiding a small goblin settlement. Furthermore, we had to leave abruptly that same day after hearing the story. The beastmen’s village was quiet at night. I learned about their festival and had time to think about various things.
We left the Beastman Village and headed toward our destination on the Ranger. I considered splitting up and taking the Add or Pal, but decided on the safer Ranger in case someone drove recklessly.
I drove carefully in the dark, and we arrived in less than an hour.
For a moment, I felt like the forest where the monsters gather was close to the village. However, monsters basically walk, so it should be fine. Even though we were proceeding cautiously, we were moving several times faster than walking speed, so it should be far enough away.
“Wataru, stop here and wait.”
Marina-san asked me to stop a little before the forest and wait. I felt it would be safer for everyone to go deeper into the forest since the settlement should be farther in.
“Is this okay?”
“Yes, I’ll be right back, so wait here.”
She said that and got out of the car, disappearing without making a sound.
She ran unbelievably fast, but what was even more amazing was that I could hardly hear her.
The road was bumpy with sparse grass, and being able to run at that speed on it was terrifying. Marina-san could be a ninja in a manga.
No, she’s a woman, so maybe she’s a kunoichi.
That’s pretty cool.
“Master, it looks like we’ll be waiting for a while. Would you like something to drink?”
Just as I was about to lose myself in my naughty fantasy of Marina-san as a kunoichi, Felicia called out to me.
She probably didn’t mean to, but her timing was perfect. If she hadn’t, I might have started grinning and making weird noises.
“Yeah, thanks. I’ll have coffee. For Rimu and Pent, orange juice is fine. I’ll get the rubber boat now.”
I took advantage of Felicia’s offer and asked her to prepare it. The downside of the Ranger is that you can’t summon a rubber boat inside it.
Then again, most cars wouldn’t have a fully assembled rubber boat inside.
“I’ll have the black fizzy drink and a hamburger.”
Carla-san is sticking to her usual snack; it doesn’t even feel out of place anymore. Oh, I’d better summon a rubber boat with a hamburger in it, too.
“I’ll help you.”
Claretta offers to help Felicia.
“Hmm, I can’t drink alcohol, of course. Then I’ll have coffee, too. With two sugars.”
The last request is from Ines.
It doesn’t sound like something a slave would say, but I suppose that’s just Ines being Ines.
As we wait, Marina-san returns.
Felicia prepares the drinks according to our requests. After taking a break, we received the scout’s report.
“Marina-san, thank you for scouting. So, how did it go?”
“The goblins are no problem. The king isn’t there, and they’re leader-class at most. If we surround and attack them, it’ll be over quickly.”
I want to say that’s good news, but I have a feeling the goblins won’t be so easy to deal with.
“Any other problems besides the goblins?”
“The goblins are near an undiscovered cave, so they’re probably doing something there. There might be something in the back.”
Goblins are doing something in an undiscovered cave?
Could there really be a dungeon? The idea of an undiscovered cave is romantic.
I’m starting to get excited. This goblin hunt could have a significant impact on the future of the beastmen’s city.
“Is it possible to explore the cave after we’ve defeated the goblins?”
“Yes, I checked it out from the outside, but I didn’t sense anything suspicious inside.”
Huh? If there’s nothing suspicious, does that mean it’s not a dungeon?
If it’s not a dungeon, then maybe there are minerals or something. There are a lot of people in Beastman City, so having more work like this might not be a bad thing. It opens up possibilities.
“In that case, let’s finish off the goblins quickly.”
“Understood. I’ll show you the way.”
Marina quickly finishes her juice and stands up. I would normally take a little longer to rest, but I was so excited about the unknown cave that I hurried her along.
Once we’re done, I’ll treat Marina-san and the others to a luxurious, relaxing time.
I underestimated how difficult it would be to walk through the forest.
I thought it would be easy since Marina-san came back while I was having coffee and chatting. But I’m not used to the forest, so I slowed everyone down, and it took nearly two hours.
At one point, I considered riding the Add alone, but I didn’t want to disturb the forest with engine noise, so I walked on my own.
Yeah, I thought fighting goblins would be easy, but the mission includes reaching the destination.
My lack of experience with adventure, except when I first came to this world, has become apparent.
“Is that a settlement?”
It’s more like a collection of ruined houses than a settlement.
“The higher-ranked the monsters, the more intelligent their subordinates become. This improves the quality of the buildings. Therefore, the quality of the buildings can be used to gauge the threat level of a goblin settlement. Since some of the houses resemble dwellings, there must be at least some leader-class goblins there.”
I see. So, there’s a guideline for that. That means ordinary goblins can’t build proper houses.
I almost laughed at that, but since I don’t have the confidence to build a proper building myself, I’ll refrain from making fun of them.
It would be possible with the right tools, but goblin carpentry tools probably consist of stones and knives they picked up.
When you think about it that way, those ruins seem impressive.
“What should we do now?”
“Carla and Wataru will stay at the front of the settlement. I’ll take care of the leader alone. I’ll cause a commotion to flush them out. Then, Ines, Claretta, and Felicia will surround and attack them. Wataru and Carla will take care of any goblins that escape to the front.”
Dealing with goblins doesn’t seem particularly difficult, so everyone nodded in agreement. I nodded too.
The priority this time seems to be on not letting the goblins escape rather than on safety. If the enemy were stronger, we’d probably proceed more cautiously.
“Then, if there’s any trouble, just rush in.”
With that, Marina-san disappeared into the darkness. She really is a kunoichi.
“Well then, Master, I’m off.”
“Master, I’m off. Carla, please take care of Master.”
“Yes, don’t worry.”
Ines and Felicia also scattered to the left and right with Claretta-san.
“Wataru, don’t be nervous. If any goblins come, I’ll take care of them.”
“Thank you.”
Although Carla-san gave me some reassuring words, I was thinking that I might try to fight this time, which was unusual for me. If she seemed to have some spare time, I would ask her to divert the goblins.
After a while, we heard goblins crying out from the settlement.
The noise grew louder, and screams could be heard everywhere. Everyone must have charged in at the signal from earlier.
Oh! Several small shadows are fleeing toward us. Carla-san steps forward and takes a stance. It’s probably too early to ask her to hand the goblins over to me.
It’s been since the forest near Western City that I’ve fought goblins. I’m starting to feel nervous.
Huh? Light from above… Rimu?
The goblins running toward us were pierced by a spear of light and fell without screaming.
“Um, Rimu?”
“…Rimu defeated them. Am I amazing?”
“…You’re amazing, Rimu. Rimu is incredible. Thank you.”
I have something to say, but Rimu is so cute that it doesn’t matter. Pent starts making shushing noises, so I pet him to calm him down. If he joins the fight, things will get out of hand.
For now, let’s give up on this battle. I’m a merchant, after all.
A few goblins try to escape, but Rimu and Carla-san easily defeat them.
Some time passes, and the battle ends without any real excitement.
With members who are overwhelmingly higher level than the A-rank adventurers around here, it’s no wonder there weren’t any thrilling moments.
But that’s okay; the main objective is the unknown cave.
Initially, the objective was to defeat the goblins, but after hearing about the cave, my goal changed.
We quickly destroyed the goblins’ dwellings and remains with Ines’s flames, being careful not to start a fire.
The cleanup is complete. Let’s go.
“Marina-san, please guide us to the cave.”
“Hmm, this way.”
Guided by Marina-san, we passed through the goblin settlement and went further into the cave.
“Is this where the ground cracked open to reveal a new cavern?”
It feels more like a collapsed cavern that revealed itself. If the crack formed recently, then it makes sense that it hasn’t been discovered yet.
We’re exploring underground. I don’t think there’s an underground empire, but I can’t help but get a little excited.
“Marina-san, is it safe for us to go down?”
“Yeah. There seem to be a lot of clumsy goblins coming and going. The fragile parts of the cave have already been destroyed, so they’re safe. But we still need to be careful. Also, there are no monsters.”
I didn’t realize that goblins’ clumsiness could be such an advantage. In a way, they’re more useful than cave canaries. Especially since it doesn’t hurt my heart.
As for caution, let’s not act recklessly. Keep in mind that I need to be able to summon the rubber boat and the Hideaway immediately.
“Let’s go inside.”
Marina-san leads the way into the cave—or rather, the crack.
The goblins were really acting recklessly. There are collapsed areas everywhere, and in some places, goblin feet are sticking out.
As long as we don’t act carelessly, I think we’ll be fine, but seeing feet sticking out of the ground is still pretty scary.
Hm? Mushrooms?
As we cautiously move further in, we come across a patch of them. Mushrooms. If they’re edible, they could be a treasure. They look quite different from what I was expecting, though…
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