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Chapter 100

Side: Cordelia Allston

Inside the carriage, rattling along the forest road, we were heading towards the capital.

「However, it seems luck isn’t on our side.」

Said Hikomaro Abeno, a man in his late twenties dressed in Eastern attire, fanning himself with a folding fan.

This attire is the battle dress of those called onmyouji in the Wa country.

「Hikomaro… Well, don’t say that,」

Orsted, sitting next to me, shrugged in a bemused manner.

「An all-out operation for handling the Great Calamity with all heroes from the four directions. There’s me from the East, Orsted Jorgsten from the West, and Prakash from the South.」

In other words, Hikomaro with his Hundred Style Talisman Arts, Orsted with his Divine Spear, and Prakash with his unmatched strength.
All three of them are in their twenties, with Hikomaro having an appearance somewhat reminiscent of the Eastern version of Moses, Orsted being a slender, fair-haired young man, and Prakash a muscular, taciturn man with dark skin.

And now, all three of these individuals are S-Rank adventurers.

Orsted, said to be the greatest genius of all time, has recently surpassed S-Rank, too, as the rumor goes.
At that point, Hikomaro shot me a contemptuous glance.

「And then… the Bloodstained Princess (Berserker). She’s only a little girl with combat abilities barely reaching the level of an A-Rank adventurer, and on top of that, she’s been missing for six months after abandoning her duties?」

He sneered.

「I told you not to say that, Hikomaro,」

「If she loses her mind on the battlefield and ends up attacking us from behind, it’ll be troublesome. Besides, if her abilities are only at the level of an A-Rank adventurer… we could just get someone else recommended by the Adventurer’s Guild. It’s not like she’s an exceptionally rare combat force,」

He continued.

Orsted then glared at Hikomaro.

「That’s enough. Stop it there. I’ve known Cordelia for a long time. I admit her skills are still immature, but calling her the Bloodstained Princess (Berserker) is a mistake.」

As Hikomaro seemed about to say something, Orsted continued to speak over him.

「If you have any further complaints about Cordelia, direct them at me. If that’s acceptable to you, then feel free to speak your mind as much as you want.」

With a grinding sound, Hikomaro fell silent.
And, it’s because Orsted manifested the aura of his skill, the Overlord, exerting pressure to restrain Hikomaro.

I’ve fought alongside Orsted in monster exterminations several times, but he’s generally a friendly and amiable big brother type of person.

However, once he enters combat mode, he wields his spear like an Asura, freely moving in all directions.

Even the average monsters couldn’t approach him due to the aura of the Overlord he emits.

I was quite surprised when we walked together through the monster’s den like it was an empty field.
Well, I struggled to hide my trembling due to intimidation myself.

「You’ve grown, Cordelia.」

「Hm?」

「You are not trembling at all.」

「Hehe…」

I chuckled wryly.

Yes, now… I’m convinced.
Orsted, the strongest among the three, has wrapped himself in the aura of the Overlord, showcasing his own power.

No, it’s to make himself appear larger than he actually is.

「Well, I guess… I’ve grown a little.」

I said, looking up at the ceiling of the carriage.

I see.
Is this how Lute always saw me?

I’ve always done everything alone.
I felt like I had to… protect everything.

There were times when I got angry, feeling like I was being belittled, but I really did think some absurd things.

「However, Orsted-san? Is it true that a Great Calamity is happening?」

「The scale is small, but the evolution of the goblin species is confirmed. Multiple S-Rank individuals of the Goblin Emperor have been confirmed, and at worst… the emergence of an Ultimate Goblin is possible.」

An Ultimate Goblin, which doesn’t naturally occur in the goblin’s evolutionary process.

Well, it does exist in reality… but it’s just that there’s no route to reach it independently in terms of the system’s evolutionary phenomenon.

The Ultimate Goblins that underwent significant population control during the Great Calamity.
In terms of the Adventurer’s Guild ranking, they’re probably around SS-Rank to SSS-Rank…
It would require a total war gathering adventurers from A-Rank or higher from various major countries to even attempt their subjugation.

No, that’s exactly why we’ve been summoned.

「But if the Ultimate Goblin really emerges… our forces wouldn’t be enough, right?」

「Yeah, there are three other areas where similar incidents have been confirmed. Powerful individuals of A-Rank or higher are being dispersed and gathered… It’s basically a story of leaving it to the heroes here.」

「Still, our forces aren’t enough, right?」

With that, Orsted raised both hands in surrender.

「That’s right. We might be wiped out without a fight. Anyway, it’s been arranged for us to receive some reinforcements from the knight order and the guild when we arrive at the royal capital. Well… we’ll decide after seeing how that goes…」

And then, for the first time, Prakash from the south spoke—or rather, shouted.

「We’re surrounded! There are… at least ten Goblin Emperors!」

A moment later, tension ran through the expressions of the two men.
Without words, they seemed to have sensed it themselves.

「An organized group all of a sudden… and that number means the evolution is really happening. It’s extraordinary.」

And I was already standing up, carrying the sacred sword Hinokagutsuchi, and stepping towards the entrance of the carriage.

「Hey, Cordelia!? Do you have your… holy sword?」

Orsted pointed to the holy sword that he kept in his luggage as a sub-weapon.

「….I don’t need it. You can use it if you need to.」

「But, still!」

And then I jumped out of the carriage entrance without hesitation.

「Well, our moves will probably be transparent to the World Union. It seems Moses has been working his way to the central core while doing things like acting as a secret messenger for the Union.」

That’s right, Moses.
Once the lid holding you down is gone, you’ll come after me first… trying to make me yours with force.

In the surrounding forest, there are thirteen Goblin Emperors… and one Ultimate Goblin.

With that, I chuckled softly.
It’s not a full-force throw without holding back.

「But, unfortunately for you, Moses, I’ve… upgraded a bit!」

And with that, I drew the Flame God’s Magic Sword from its sheath.