The fleeing goblins could not run as fast as they could because of the humans and the pregnant goblins, but they still orderly left the village with Gi Ga Rax at the lead and Gi Da right behind.
A full day had passed since Gi Ga and his men left the village. At this time, Alashd had already arrived where the king was. And though dirty and unwashed, the first thing he sought was an audience with the king.
He told the king of the human threat approaching the village. A look of shock appeared on the king’s eyes, but that was all, and it was only for a moment.
“Gather the men!” The king said. “We set off at once! Kuzan will defend the fortress!”
With Kuzan watching over the fortress, the king left the fortress with the rest of the goblin army. At the lead was Gi Gi, followed by the young chieftain of Paradua, Hal, and the king himself leading the rest of the tribes. Like this the goblin army headed east.
◆◆◇
Meanwhile, the adventurer group led by Gulland was forced to stop a day’s distance from where Gi Zo was killed.
“Gowen, that bastard!”
Gulland heaved and fumed as he looked for Gowen Ranid, who was yet to arrive.
“It can’t be helped. We’ll have to wait. Even we can’t move without supply,” Wyatt said as he tried to calm the fuming Gulland.
“It’s because the only thing he has going for him is that big body of his,” Mill said in a rare moment of agreement with Gulland, clearly annoyed at not being able to leave despite already breaking camp.
“We mustn’t be hasty. This too is the will of god,” the White Hand of Life generously said, to which Vitz and Yugil who were already used to her antics looked at each other, and wryly smiled.
Now as for why the adventurers found themselves at a standstill here, the answer was quite simple. It’s because they have no supplies.
The three holy knights originally agreed to go their own ways, but the land seeking Gowen and the hunt seeking Gulland saw an opportunity to be had.
In order to achieve their own goals, the both of them decided to neglect the mission of saving the saint. Gowen wanted land and Gulland wanted to hunt. One was a feudal lord who wished to expand his territory and the other was a famous adventurer. It wasn’t hard to see that they could benefit from each other if they just put away their emotions and worked together.
The feudal lord would provide the supplies: food, water, medicine, and other goods, while the adventurer would cut down the monsters, and clear the land.
“Well, you are a cowardly bastard who can’t even protect himself,” Gulland said.
“Just think of it as me hiring a pack of watch dogs,” Gowen calmly replied.
It was in this way that the two of them came to an agreement, and as a result, the adventurers couldn’t stray too far from the feudal lord and his men lest they wished to find themselves without supplies.
The adventurers wanted to go hunt the rest of the goblins, but couldn’t because the feudal lord’s group was too slow. But that was to be expected, after all they were building a road as they followed from behind.
There might not be any monsters left for them to fight, but they still had to pull out the trees and dig out the ground, so of course they were going slow.
Adventurers could normally go into a dungeon with a week’s worth of supply, but the location of the goblin village was uncertain. There was no telling how far they would have to walk before they would find it, because of that they couldn’t stray too far without the feudal lord’s supply.
To adventurers knowing the exact location of the dungeon and having plenty of resources are the two most important conditions when hunting. It wouldn’t do to attack a dungeon, and then die of hunger afterwards. The adventurers knew this well. All the more so when said adventurers are first rate, so even Gulland himself couldn’t push forward.
“Damn it!” He cursed.
Yet despite that he still ordered for camp to be made. They would have no choice but to wait.
Two days later they got their supplies.
As soon as they received their supplies, Gulland and his men took off like a pack of wolves on the hunt for a flock of sheep.
When Gowen saw that, he said with an expressionless face. “Take the Yuan Scouting Party, and follow the adventurers.”
“As you command!”
His cold gaze ever followed the backs of the adventurers.
◆◇◇
The horde of runaways continued to flee to the north.
Gi Ga fought the monsters that blocked their path mostly by himself, as Gi Da and the other warrior goblins were at the back. Gi Ga personally arranged for this to ensure the safety of the rear in the case the humans managed to catch up.
It was not easy traveling through the forest without road. It took them two days just to get through and reach the lake, then from there, they headed west. Their goal was the rocky mountain that Gi Go once lived in. There were few monsters around it, being the former home of the gray wolves, so Gi Ga thought it would be a good place to rest.
The beast tamers carried the injured goblins on their beasts, while a member of Gi Go’s old tribe guided them.
“Kisha!”
While they were resting by the bank of the lake, a familiar cry reached his ears along with the sound of humans screaming.
Lizard men. Gi Ga approached them with a spear on his only hand, while Gi Da watched his back.
The lizard men were an enemy he’d once met on this same shore, so he stopped momentarily before them. “He did not miss the opening they showed when one one of them brandished its curved sword, and in the next moment, a spear was lodged right into the chest of a lizard man.
“Magnificent.”
Gi Ga used his long reach to defeat the lizard men from afar, while Gi Da took care of the approaching ones with his short spear.
In less than five minutes, they managed to take down five lizard men. Gi Ga was filled with emotion as he looked down their corpses. Seeing that, Gi Da called out to him.
“Is something the matter?” He asked.
“I once fought with the king here,” Gi Ga replied.
Back then the king ordered him to fight, and he fought until he could no longer move. The king had to step in to save him. He was so young and inexperienced then.
He couldn’t help but laugh bitterly when he thought that, though at the same time it strengthened his resolve. The king – his king – is waiting for them in that direction.
“I can’t die now.”
His feelings renewed, Gi Ga prepared to leave again.
◆◇◆
“It’s a village,” Fick said as his skill, True Sight of the Hawk, revealed the path on the other side of the trees.
“How many?” Mill asked, being one of the two along with Fick who were tasked to go scout. They were chosen because of their quickness, as that meant they would definitely be able to bring back info to the group.
“There’s not a lot. At most, there’s… 5.”
“Alright. Let’s go back for now.”
Fick and Mill went back to report to Gulland and his men.
When they came back Gulland and Bellan were butting heads.
“Did something happen?” Fick asked, while Mill was somewhat impressed, as that was not something she could see herself doing.
“It doesn’t sit right with me, being watched like that from the back,” Bellan bitterly said.
When Mill asked Wyatt for an explanation, he wryly smiled as he looked toward the direction they came from. “Apparently, Lord Ranid doesn’t trust us much. Can’t say I fault him though.”
Mill followed the direction he was looking, and there she saw a party of scouts peeping at them.
“It doesn’t sit well with me either,” she said.
“Indeed,” Fick agreed.
But they couldn’t push them away either. They were free to do as they wished after all, so the adventurers shifted their attention to Mill’s and Fick’s report.
“No way there’s only five of them. Not a chance in hell that’s happening with a goblin horde of that scale,” Vitz mumbled, to which Yugil nodded.
“Are you saying you can’t trust my ‘True Sight of the Hawk’?” Fick unhappily asked.
“What they mean is that it’s probably a trap,” the White Hand of Life added.
The group of adventurers became thoughtful at those words.
“Doesn’t matter,” Gulland said. “We’ll just beat them all up even if it is a trap.”
It didn’t matter how strong the goblins were if there were only five of them.
“Any complaints? No? Then let’s go!”
With the great sword of blue thunder on his back, Gulland bolted off for the village with the adventurers in tow.
◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇
True Sight of the Hawk
—Ignore obstacles in the way to see the enemy.
—Has no effect on enemies over two classes above one’s own.
Meld
—Hides one’s presence to stealthily approach the enemy.
Shadow Walker
—Vision isn’t hindered by dark places.
Dog Nosed
—Can follow the trail of scent with the accuracy of a dog’s nose.
Author’s Note:
Gi Ga finds himself reminded of a certain king who hasn’t been showing up lately.
It takes about 10 days to get to the Fortress of the Abyss, but that’s while walking and hunting for food… And only when going there for the first time, it’s a lot faster when you know the way.
Now I wonder if that reinforcement is going to make it.
Tl Note:
Fixed a mistranslation back in Attack I. Alashd doesn’t say that it’ll take five days to go back on the black tiger, but that it won’t take five days.
