The New Gate

It was the first reunion in 500 years with Shin’s comrade in arms from the game era, Girard, his support character No. 3, a High Beast. In addition to the duel and the bereavement following it, a figure that was seen at Girard’s funeral was Shin’s support character No. 4, High Dragnil Shibaid.

Shin, who visited the Falnido Beast Alliance, faced the reality of parting with his former companion.

At dawn, following the funeral held in Elden, in the capital of Falnido, Shin, guided by his support character No. 1, Schnee, headed towards a certain place. On his head was his monster partner, the Element Tail, Yuzuha. In front of him was the current Beast King, Wolgang, and his daughter, Cuore.

The elf, Tiera, was next to Schnee. The monster that became Tiera’s partner, Kagerou, had dived into Tiera’s shadow using a monster skill called 【Shadow Dive】.

After about 15 minutes of walking from their residence, a 2-story building came into view. It was the place where the envoys and representatives from other countries stayed in to witness the funeral. The reason Shin was visiting there, needless to say, was to meet Shibaid. Shin and the others went there because they couldn’t invite Shibaid to their residence.

“Come to think of it, it is Shibaid after all. Isn’t his rank the same as Girard’s, king?”

“No; currently he has severed connection with the royal family. However, he is famous as an adventurer with the highest rank.”

According to Schnee, similar to Girard, Shibaid became the first Dragon King of the dragon imperial empire, Kilmont, but it seemed that he roamed free after the country stabilized. As a member of Kilmont’s Adventurer’s Guild, and at the time when monsters overflowed from the Sacred Place, he fought together with other ordinary adventurers.

“…Is that fine? To be like that.”

“It’s probably fine, since the royal family also seems to agree. For Shibaid, rather than the country, he became a figure that participates as a mercenary in a Guild led by Dragnil.”

Apparently his banner-like implication, for having become the first king from the start until the people gained stability, was strong.

Since he didn’t gather the scattered tribes like Girard did, the succession seemed to be carried out unexpectedly smoothly. As for severing the connection with the royal family, there might be an external implication.

“From the start, it seems that he had declared to temporarily be the king.”

“The people must have understood it well.”

“Because the second generation king, also in the vanguard together with Shibaid, was the one he severed ties with. Originally, that second king was supposed to have become the first king. But I heard that he was wounded in the final battle just before founding the country.”

“So he was something like a substitute, huh?”

Shin wondered what kind of king they were to be replaced with so easily, but there appeared to be some circumstances. Since Schnee didn’t know all of the intricate details that well either, he would have to hear from the person in question when they met afterward.

This time, by the way, because Shibaid was a friend of Girard, he was picked as the representative.

“Anyways, this is packed.”

Before long, the group arrived at their destination. Shin, who saw the building, was the first to speak; it was that crowded.

The people who had heard the news about Girard’s death were many, and that the amount was about to exceed the capacity of the mansion, was clear to Shin. Seeing from Falnido’s side, this might have been unexpected. Incidentally, Shin recalled the state of the funeral, and it looked like the people who had been guiding the attendees appeared to be quite exhausted.

There might be no more vacancies any longer to stay at the other inns, but the thought hadn’t hit Shin’s mind yet.

“The number of people that came far exceeded the numbers we had expected. The founder shared the battlefield with a lot of people, and many of them are leaders or generals of each country now. Though I already reduced the numbers, everyone has acting power.”

The tired-looking Wolfgang spoke.

It seemed to be impossible to invite all of Girard’s acquaintances. Although, there seemed to be no end to people who slipped through the loophole and came over. These acting powers were certainly due to the influence from Girard, and the top management was at their wits’ end.

“Nonetheless, Shibaid-dono is an exception. I had him stay at the further inner side of the second residence, since he is the representative of a long time ally together with the envoy of Kilmont.”

Apparently Shibaid received special treatment. As they advanced to the depths of the site while following Wolfgang, a building on a different level was seen. The feeling of luxury was grasped by Shin, as if to tell it was only for VIP‘s.

When the doorbell was rung, a man past middle age, thought to be the butler, showed up. When Wolfgang stated his business, a deep sound was made as the door opened. Was it to barricade themselves in an emergency? The door was coated with Adamantine when one looked closely.

“Then, I will call out to Shibaid-sama. Everyone, please wait here.”

The butler left to call Shibaid, after he guided them to the reception room.

Though Shin had already perceived the presence of Shibaid, because of the call out, he decided to wait patiently.

“Please excuse me as I have a discussion with the envoys of Kilmont after this. In the future, if there is anything, please ask Cuore.”

When the butler left, Wolfgang also left, leaving Cuore behind. Now that Girard was gone, Wolfgang was the Beast King in both name and reality. He might also accompany Shin and the others depending on the occasion of the business.

“Though it’s kind of late, it’s unwise to speak to a King without using honorifics, right?”

“At present, it won’t pose any problems when meeting Ulu, except in public. I, too, speak informally outside the royal family.”

Schnee spoke about her manners when meeting the king on formal occasions. She seemed to understand the area well.

“…Well, it’s because before power, he looked for abilities that were superior than him.”

It didn’t seem that Wolfgang had the intention to let Shin and his group use polite language in his own country; it was probably because Wolfgang was a warrior type, not a staff officer. It’s also possible that one of the reasons was that he didn’t interpret it as having impolite manners from Girard’s master.

After a while, Shibaid showed up together with the butler.

He was a big man with a height surpassing more than 2 and a half mels, had scales like obsidian, and had deep crimson eyes. Because the default appearance was a dragon in human form, a person might feel a little fear during their first meeting, Shin thought.

“Um, it’s been a long time?”

“Yes, I am sincerely pleased with Master’s return now. From here on, I will return under the command of Master, and become the spear who pierces through the enemies.”

“…Right, come to think of it, this guy was like this…”

As soon as they met, Shin was perplexed at Shibaid, who started speaking and was for some reason, kneeling. In their settings, Shibaid was a very earnest person, in a different meaning from Schnee. Was it because Shibaid’s main job was Holy Knight? Somehow he appeared to be pompous.

The butler, after guiding Shibaid, left immediately. Fortunately or not, such a thing was not seen.

“Well, um, as I have told this to Schnee, this is a long-awaited reunion, so there’s no need to be so formal.”

“Yes, but…”

“Shibaid, because Shin said so, it will be fine. It’s different from before.”

Schnee called out to Shibaid who hesitated to talk. Hearing Schnee, who was calling their master Shin, without any honorifics, Shibaid understood the meaning of her words: “It’s different from before.”

However, he was not able to understand the dog ears and tail that was seen on Schnee’s head and rear.

Schnee and Tiera, by the way, currently had the appearance of beasts through the cosplay item set. Cuore, who was well-known by the people, was in disguise with Schnee’s illusion skill.

“…Hmm, I agree indeed. Then I will try to be easygoing as well. Is this okay?

“Yes, please do so.”

Shibaid stood up from his kneeling posture, looked at Shin’s face and agreed. Though Shin, as the master, didn’t change, Shibaid presented his right hand when he answered happily.

“Once again, please take care of me.”

“Yeah.”

Shin also grasped that hand. The sizes of their hands were too different, it was like an adult’s and a child’s.

“Well then, we can’t talk while standing forever. Let’s continue while drinking tea.”

Shibaid prompted Shin with a terrific speed of change.

“That right…Hey, those two people there. Come over here.”

“Eh!? Ah yes…”

“Yes, sir…”

Shin also called out to Tiera and Cuore, who stiffened up when Shibaid knelt, and sat on a sofa.

It was a situation that seemed impossible with this world’s common sense for the two people, as their thoughts were frozen. Though they got used to seeing Schnee and Girard acted like that, they might be shocked because it was the first time for them to see Shibaid thoroughly showing his allegiance. From an ordinary view, Girard and Shibaid, were without a doubt, said to be heroes.

Everyone took a breather as Schnee poured tea in a prepared teapot.

“Still, it’s been a long time. Though I heard the news from Schnee, you really have returned. I too, wanted to visit as soon as possible, but…”

“Many things have happened, right? As a person like Schnee and Girard, you have a considerable role corresponding to the current situation. It couldn’t be helped.”

Shin talked with Shibaid for the first time in this world. Was it due to the parting during the time in the game that they talked like friends who met again after being unconscious for a long time? Though it was also like this when he was with Girard, it was the first and yet not the first time; It was a mysterious feeling.

“When I saw Girard’s face earlier, I guess he was quite satisfied with moving on. It’s that guy after all.”

“That guy was a warrior till the last moment. Nevertheless, I never thought that the fighting in this world was different than in the game. He invoked Shiden twice at the last moment, you know?”

“Kukaka! He did something like that, huh!? Even I would lose after that.”

The mood was about to become a little solemn, but it was not the first time for Shin when talk deviated this way. Just before the mood became strange, the topic was deliberately switched.

Shibaid also naturally participated in the talk, and the atmosphere of the place lightened. To give praise for that splendid last moment was a natural thing to do as a companion. From there, Girard’s heroic tale that even Schnee didn’t know about would be heard.

“By the way, Shin, what will you do after this?”

“Hmm? Right, for the time being, I have examined most of the materials in Falnido’s library. After doing a little bit more research, I’m going to go to Kilmont and investigate the Sacred Place next. Shibaid, you have investigated it a little bit too, right?”

“Yeah, you might have heard it from Schnee, but what’s in the Sacred Place’s heart is unknown. There are numerous roaming monsters that can’t be underestimated so easily, even for skilled adventurers and advanced level knights. Besides, almost none ever come out alive. Since Kilmont must prevent large-scale invasions from the monster spawns around the Sacred Place, the help is never enough.”

“Looks like I need to directly ascertain it as soon as possible, huh? What will Shibaid do hereafter? I heard you are active around Kilmont though.”

“The Adventurer’s Guild has no borders. Adventurers are free to go anywhere with anyone. Of course, there are restrictions depending on the rank. I also will return to Kilmont for a moment, then I will join Shin after that. Master has returned after a long wait. I can’t sit and wait.”

Shin thought about whether it would be alright with the monsters’ invasion, but it seemed like the preparations were done, so it wouldn’t be a problem when Shibaid left. From the start, if the frontline couldn’t be maintained without Shibaid, he wouldn’t be the carefree adventurer he is.

“It’s been a long time since we were together in a party.”

“I never thought the day we stand shoulder to shoulder would come once again.”

“Me too. By the way, when are you going to depart? It will not take long to examine the rest of the materials; incidentally, I intend to receive requests from the guild, but…”

On this occasion, Shin confirmed the matter for the future.

“I am sorry, but we have to travel separately. Though I attended the funeral as the representative of Kilmont in name, I am a guard for the king that acted as an envoy. I have to give them priority until they return to their country.”

“I see. Were you not able to come privately?”

“It was the travel problems. I received the report 3 days before the funeral. It was not possible to move from the capital of Kilmont to Falnido in such a short time. That’s why I became an escort with the condition that I can borrow a flying dragon, which is the country’s property.”

Even though Shibaid was not a speed type, his AGI value exceeded 700. If he had moved at full speed, even a horse would be left behind. However, it was truly because of a lack of time that he used a little trick.

There were various problems for a country to help an individual, but Shibaid was in their favor for founding the country. Therefore, the role of guard for the envoy of the country was given to him, and he was able to use the flying dragon under that pretext. Shibaid was also accomplished as an adventurer at SS rank, so he was the best choice for an individual as an escort.

The king in question, which was the second generation and the current Dragon King, appeared to be still active in duty, and it was arranged because the relationship between Shibaid and Girard was known. Shin thought it was a very smart thing to do.

“Indeed. Then I will join you when I arrive over there. We can communicate via Mind Chat too.”

“I will wait for you.”

“Then, we will be going… Ah that’s right, I’ll return this to you.”

Without finishing his talk, as Shin was moving towards the guild, he recalled something as he took out a card sheet from his Item Box. A halberd was drawn on its surface.

“This is…”

“Indeed, this is your personal weapon 【Calming Moon】. I have finished the maintenance on it while I was here. Please check it just in case.”

In response to Shin’s words, Shibaid materialized the card. The next moment, a Halberd about Shibaid’s height was grasped in his hand. The grip was twice as thick as normal, so it was ready for Shibaid’s physique. Even so, just the tip of the spear was 60 cemels in length. In addition, blades were placed throughout the handle and, rather than an axe at the left and right of the base of the blade, a single-edged sword that looked like an oblong axe head was also attached. It might be seen as a trident, depending on the viewpoint.

Because it was made from Chimeradite, similar to 【Crushing Moon】, the weapon’s appearance shined as if the night sky was compressed in it. Part of the blade was decorated in deep, vivid green as if an emerald was inserted into it. There was a dignified presence that it seemed to pass for ceremonial use.

“Though I haven’t held this in a long time, it seems to perfectly fit in my hand. It is excellent workmanship. But, if my sense is correct, I have a feeling that the power from the weapon has increased.”

“Oh, you realized it? In fact, it’s magic control is better than Girard’s item. It’s because of the 50% increase to the performance, you know?”

“50%…The ability has increased even further from the previous state, huh? Even though you are my master, you are scary.”

The power transmitted from the current weapon to his hand was incomparable to so far, and Shibaid reflexively stopped breathing after hearing the reason. If Shibaid’s memory was correct, even in its former state, it should be able to break a weapon of 《Mythology》 medium grade 10 times. Now, it was a 50% increase. Since it was already 《Ancient》 grade, Shibaid felt it was beyond explanation.

Tiera, who heard of this, had a distant look and had the expression portraying the words, “Ah, again, huh?…”. Cuore had more of a “50?…50!?…” look, exposing her surprise. Only Schnee didn’t change, as usual.

Needless to say, besides Shin’s 【True Moon】, Schnee’s 【Blue Moon】 and the rest of the weapons were already finished being upgraded.

“Well, Shibaid and the others are special to me. I don’t have any intention to throw a weapon with this kind of ability into the market.”

“I am relieved to hear that. If it is the current Shin, you could make a 《Rare》 grade weapon to have a similar performance to an average 《Legend》 grade weapon.”

Shibaid nodded with a relieved face. If Shin was serious, he could make dozens of rare grade weapons per day. It wouldn’t be a joke if he could open a warehouse with such numbers. Chaos would be inevitable if a large amount of these kind of things appeared on the market. Besides, confusion might also spread. Indeed, it was not a thing to overlook and keep silent about.

“Right now, I don’t want to stand out yet.”

Though Shin wouldn’t hesitate if it was necessary, there were only disadvantages if he put the weapons on sale in large quantities, at least for the present Shin. Even if he was desperate for money, he didn’t want to make bad connections somewhere.

“Then, I’ll use this gratefully.”

“Yeah; then, see you again.”

They bid farewell briefly, then Shin and his group left the residence. After that, they walked toward the Adventurer’s Guild in Elden.

◆◆◆◆

There were no borders for the Adventurer’s Guild. Because information was shared, there was no need to register again in another country, even if he had registered in the Adventurer’s Guild in Bayreuth. Since there was a guild’s branch office in most countries, it was rare for an adventurer to not find work.

It seemed unnatural, if looking at it from the outside, for one large army force that didn’t belong to the country to be inside the country. However, no matter how much an army consisted of knights keeping a close watch on the peace and order maintenance, they couldn’t do anything for all the monsters scattered around the borders. Also, there were troublesome formalities just to move a bunch of knights. Before the guild was established, the delay in initial responses caused the damage to spread.

Now, the knights’ job was to maintain the order in cities, fight in large-scale monster invasions and wars against other countries, and so on. As for adventurers, they have miscellaneous jobs: guarding caravans, small-scale monster subjugations in isolated areas where knights couldn’t correspond, etc. Of course, when a situation that threatens the country occurs, like during the event in the Wraith Plains, the decision to collaborate with each other was reached.

Also, in case of war, the Adventurer’s Guild in the countries involved wouldn’t actively participate in the battles. If an adventurer participated in the war, it was simply an individual action, as the guild wouldn’t compensate for any consequences. The position of the Adventurer’s Guild in the world, though not all followed the current rule, was neutral to the end.

That position was ensured by the high-ranking adventurers. Because, including Shibaid, rank A and above adventurers usually had higher fighting power than the advanced level knights. If the Adventurer’s Guild was untactfully meddled with, the military units that controlled a city might get annihilated in the worst case.

Still, there were oddballs that changed jobs from knight to adventurer, when they wanted to live freely rather than keep living on the country’s payroll. Hence, total war potential of the guild was sometimes bigger than a large country.

It was mostly disadvantageous, when comparing the pros and cons of a country meddling with the guild. Rumors where the Adventurer’s Guild took refuge in an emergency state indicated something had occurred in the past.

“Still, this is larger than in Bayreuth.”

“How should I say this? It seemed like it expanded, huh?”

The first things that caught Shin’s eye when they arrived at the Elden’s Adventurer’s Guild was the size of the building. As Tiera had said, besides it being very wide sideways, the ceiling on every floor was 50 cemels higher than the one in Bayreuth; although the two-story building was still the same. Since the appearance was similar, in a sense it looked like a photo that was enlarged.

“Because many Beasts have big builds, naturally the buildings are bigger too.”

Schnee answered the question for the two people.

“We Beasts vary greatly in physique depending on the tribes, so the ceiling and entrances are large in order to match the Elephant type people.”

Cuore added to Schnee’s explanation. Because it was inevitable that having a large physique could cause accidents mainly due to contact, it seemed to have been built with that in consideration.

Shin and his party opened the big door and entered the building. The interior also had no great differences to the Adventurer’s Guild in Bayreuth, as the placement such as bulletin boards with requests posted and so on were almost the same.

Though a lot of people noticed when they entered, their gaze stopped at Schnee and Tiera for several seconds due to their attractiveness. Somehow, Shin felt that the glances directed at him became sharper.

“Which reminds me, wasn’t there a request that I haven’t completed yet…”

Shin suddenly recalled it, as he looked at the bulletin board for non-subjugation requests. Despite the unfulfilled request, because the last piece he found was a very expensive item, the large amount of money he earned was far more than the reward of the gathering request. (T/N: This was in LN volume 2 when he found Gem Grass, something not stated in the WN. You can read it in the manga, chapter 10.)

Shin headed towards the receptionist desk to confirm the details, because it was convenient to complete the request if he found another piece.

“Excuse me, I would like to confirm a little something.”

“Yes, how can I help you?”

The reception woman, whose featured ears reminded him of a Chihuahua, was asked about the collection request for Hillock herbs.

“I am truly sorry, but a gathering request of a repeatable kind has to be confirmed at the branch office where you received it.”

According to the receptionist, items in demand depended on each area, and the reward was often different, too. So they couldn’t handle this request, only the branch office where the request was received could. Since it couldn’t be helped, Shin decided to accept a subjugation request corresponding with his current rank.

The content of the request was: Subjugate Goblins that infested the forest south of Falnido. At least 5 bodies. 50 copper coins per body are added if any more Goblins are killed than that. Proof of subjugation is an ear.

“Is this expensive, or is it cheap?”

50 copper coins per Goblin. In his calculations, if he killed 4 of them, he could stay overnight in Bear Point Pavillion at Bayreuth from the income.

“It can be said that requests of rank D are in the easy income category. Goblins basically act in groups, so you can earn decent income if you defeat them altogether. Though there is a higher risk to a certain degree, too.”

Cuore explained it to Shin, who looked doubtful at the reward. The rank that was said to recognize an adventurer as finally becoming independent was rank D. People who leveled more than 100 began to appear when it comes to this rank. For such people, they could kill goblins relatively easy.

However, even for low-rank monsters like goblins, there was a possibility of danger when they came in a group. The goblins of THE NEW GATE have levels which range between 10 and 50.

Also in the game, it was a monster that couldn’t be underestimated, though it was only goblin. Many have died, from warrior types to magician types, because the adventurers who had their ranks rise got carried away and challenged them carelessly.

There would not be a problem if they formed a party, but even a rank D wouldn’t necessarily be safe encountering a group of goblins alone.

“Let’s do this; we could go and return in a day.”

Of course, Shin could kill them even if he closed his eyes, so he took the request paper to the receptionist desk without getting worked up.

“It’s the subjugation of the goblins. Please show your card so I can carry out the formalities.”

“Here.”

“…Pardon me for being rude, but the place you registered as an adventurer, less than a month ago, is Bayreuth, correct?”

“Eh? Ah, yes. That’s correct.”

The receptionist who received the card, confirmed whether Shin was the person in question.

Celica didn’t need to confirm it when he received a request for the first time because the card was handed over immediately after it was created.

“Excellent. The content of this request is about the goblins subjugation that reside in the forest of southern Falnido; is there any mistake?”

“It’s fine.”

“Are you in a party? If so, please present the party member’s guild card.”

“Understood. Schnee, Tiera, please come over here.”

Shin called out to Schnee and Tiera who were behind him, he explained the situation and their card was pulled out. Since Cuore didn’t join the party, she waited at the original location.

“Here, I have confirmed it. The party name is not registered, do you want to keep it as it is?”

Though a party name was for adventurers who formed a party for a long period of time, it was also used to raise the fame and strengthened the combination power of all party members.

Some of the parties were those who specialized in support rather than combat. For example, a scout party, would have a hard time raising their achievements.

In any case, it was easy to earn fame by fighting in the frontline, but it became hard to get noticed for someone working behind the scenes. To avoid that, a party name was made.

If the name as well as the party rises, it came to the point where one could be acknowledged by simply saying that they were a member.

Though it was not a completely fair assessment yet, as long as it was not a one-man party, it was beneficial to decide a party name. Still, it was unnecessary currently for Shin and his group.

“Ah, yes. Please keep it as it is.”

“Understood. The procedure is finished. Take care.”

“Thank you.”

Shin thanked the receptionist who corresponded politely, and left the counter.

“A person like Shin-dono is going for goblin subjugation?”

Cuore asked Shin, who had just returned.

When Shin held the request paper for goblin subjugation in his hand, she seemed to keep silent whether there were any special reasons. However, it appeared that she had questions about the somewhat ordinary request content.

“That’s how the merits are, because my adventurer’s rank is not high. I have no choice but to keep accumulating achievements.”

No matter how strong a person was, their guild’s rank didn’t rise easily. This was because achievements and corresponding trust were demanded from the high-ranked. Even if the person was a former knight or a noble, the treatment didn’t change.

From Celica’s explanation before, even a chosen one had their first rank go from G to F, or otherwise, to E.

“I’ll end it quickly, because I want to make it to C rank at least. What will Cuore do after this?”

“May I go with you too?”

“I don’t mind, but it’s goblin subjugation, you know?”

“It’s all right. For my remaining work, because I don’t know how long it takes, I’ll do it later.”

“What work?”

“It’s the investigation of the place where the duel was fought the other day. I always go to confirm whether or not the forest has restored itself after a battle is fought in Larua Grand Woods. Because the scale of the fight was quite huge this time, the damage of the forest increases too. Even though I should increase the number of people for the investigation, the monsters that appear in the Larua Grand Woods are deadly for an ordinary adventurer. So, even if the request was given out, it won’t be easily accepted. I have to go, especially because it was after the fight of Shin-dono and Girard-sama this time. When strong people fight, a plant that doesn’t naturally grow there might appear for some reason. Besides, this investigation is not possible to finish before Shin-dono finishes his request and comes back, so I’m going to postpone it.”

And, though many plants with a high medicinal property seem to appear, they wither after a certain period, so it is said that they don’t grow after that.

“I see…Hey, may I go together with you for that investigation too?”

“Eh? Ah, no, but it’s possible…”

Cuore had a puzzled look at Shin who suddenly offered to go together. She might have been surprised because it was work that did nothing except for looking around.

“Sorry because it’s so sudden. For once, I wanted to see the place as the person who fought there.”

It didn’t mean anything would change if he examined it. Still, because it was beyond recognition from the scenery last time, Shin wanted to look again at the place where he had fought against Girard.

“I understand. What about Schnee-dono and Tiera-dono?”

“Since I don’t have business elsewhere, I will go with you two.”

Schnee decided to accompany without any hesitation.

“Um, I’ll go too. As the forest was noisy during the fight, I have no idea what happened to the state of the spirits as well.”

Tiera seemed to have been wanting to go to the forest after a long time as well.

◆◆◆◆

Shin and his group left the guild and headed toward the southern gate of Elden.

After leaving the gate and advancing for a while, there were almost no people around. Since their destination place was nearby, they went on foot whilst almost everyone else traveled by wagon. Because very few passersby moved along the highway, they were travelling a different direction from Shin and his party, who were going to the forest.

“Over here.”

Shin changed directions, as he perceived a monster’s presence. They were moving inside the forest at a speed similar to when moving in a plain, but no one was falling behind.

There were the elves Schnee and Tiera, the beast Cuore, and the monsters Yuzuha and Kagerou. It could be said that these members were specialized at moving inside a forest.

Wild animals ran away once Shin and his party approached. Since they didn’t hide their presences, they might be deemed as dangerous beings.

“――Found it!”

Shin, who activated both【Clairvoyance】and【Through Sight】, discovered a group of goblins moving in the forest.

Their height was about 140 cemels, and their skin was greenish. Compared to humans, their head was about twice as big; the structure of their face was ugly. Some of them were holding daggers or short swords in their hands. Five of them were around level 20, and only one was level 31. The one with highest level appeared to be their leader, as it was holding a wooden shield.

Cuore also offered to cooperate, so they decided to kill one per person as they moved closer.

After confirming that all members had entered the range of attack, each of them took out their weapons. Throwing daggers for Shin and Schnee and bows for Cuore and Tiera. Needless to say,Yuzuha and Kagerou used claws and fangs.

While Tiera and Cuore drew their bows together, Shin and Schnee wielded daggers in their hands. Yuzuha and Kagerou were crawling so that they weren’t noticed, and they approached without making a sound.

Schnee Tiera Cuore

“…Now!”

At Shin’s voice, daggers and arrows ran through the forest.

The daggers that Shin and Schnee threw penetrated the heads of the two goblins who were walking in front. Then, without any time for them to react, arrows pierced the heads of the two in the back.

As for the remaining two, their necks flew away from the claws of Yuzuha and Kagerou.

Even if it was natural for them, it was an instant kill. The ears were cut as proof of subjugation, and after gathering them together in one bag, they were stored in Shin’s Item Box.

Though this was already proved when he was shopping in the town, if several things are collected and put in one place, the items could be stored in the Item Box as one item. Turning it into a card was also possible.

However, the card became impossible to separate when the card was materialized into pieces.

“The request is completed. Then, shall we go to Larua Grand Woods too?”

Including the travel time, it was only one and a half hours since the time they took to complete the request, and they had enough time left to head towards Larua Grand Woods.

“Alright then, let’s go. There are two ways, crossing the forest as it is, or using the main road. Which one would you like to go?”

“Cuore is used to the forest, and since we won’t be a hindrance, it might be nice to go with crossing the forest, right?”

“Kuu!”

As if to say “Agreed”, Yuzuha barked. Similarly, Kagerou, who was next to Tiera also barked.