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Volume 10 Chapter 269

Goblin Subjugation Request

We arrived at the village where the goblin subjugation request was issued.
In the central square of the village, a dozen or so villagers had gathered, armed with axes, hoes, and the like.
Strange.
Why are the villagers preparing to fight when the request was submitted to the Adventurer’s Guild?
With a hint of doubt, I approached the person at the center of the group.
「Um……」
「Huh, what? Who’re you, and where’d you come from?」
「I’m Haruto. We’ve been dispatched from the Royal Capital’s Adventurer’s Guild」
As I said this, I showed my guild card.
「……What?」
「You’re here already!?」
「Wait, hold on. This guy’s only Rank F」
「Why’s a bottom-tier adventurer like him here?」
「Goblins are Rank E monsters, you know?」
「The guild has deemed it fine as long as we handle it with our five parties」
Saying so, I introduced my companions who were behind me.
「W-Wait, are all those folks your comrades!?」
「There are so many……」
「And there’s even a strong knight!」
「Mayor, h-how much did you say you’d pay!?」
「I agreed to the amount necessary for goblin subjugation!」
It seemed like there was going to be a dispute over the reward.
By the way, even though we came here with five parties, the reward wasn’t increased.
There were no negotiations for a higher reward either.
So, the amount the village would pay hasn’t increased.
Instead, it seems the receptionist arranged for us to receive extra guild points.
Getting more guild points quicker was more welcome than increasing the money.
「Don’t worry. We’ve just registered with the Adventurer’s Guild. So, our ranks are low, and the rewards are low too. But rest assured, we have enough strength to handle the subjugation of a few goblins without any problems」
「……Sorry, but the nature of the request seems to have changed」
「Huh?」
「Actually, the village’s daughter has been abducted by goblins」
「A human was abducted!? Is it in the forest or nearby?」
「It’s right near this village」
「So, the goblin horde—」
「Yeah, it’s grown considerably large」
If goblins start attacking humans near their habitat, it means their horde has become quite large.
This kind of information was widely known as common sense in this world.
「We can’t offer additional rewards as our village isn’t affluent」
The man addressed as the mayor said with a grim expression while tightening his grip on the axe he held.
「Sorry, but can you leave? The advance payment should be made by the guild」
He told us to leave.
Looking around, there were no signs of women or children anymore, only men holding weapons that could be used in combat.
They had determined looks in their eyes.
Oh…… so that’s how it is.
Because they lack money, this village has chosen the path to ruin.
In their final stand, they were preparing to go to the goblin’s nest.
I’m sorry, but even though they’ve resolved themselves like that—
I don’t really care about their resolve.
By the time we arrived at this village, the worst-case scenario had already been avoided.
Even if there are a hundred goblins, this village won’t be destroyed.
Because we came here.
「We’ll take care of the goblin subjugation. We’ve accepted such requests before」
—Yeah.
If we only need to defeat a few goblins, it’s within the scope of the request.
Up to nine would still fall within the range of 『a few』, right?
And there are nineteen of us, including one beast.
If we all defeat nine goblins each, even if we defeat up to 180 goblins, it won’t be considered going beyond the scope of the request.
If it exceeds a hundred, we probably won’t count them one by one.
Is this a desperate excuse?
But, when I was the Guardian Hero, I saved villages and towns all over the world for free, so I think this is fine.
The immediate problem is that a woman has been abducted.
We need to rescue her quickly.
「There’s a woman abducted, right? Let’s go rescue her quickly」
「A-Are you really going to help? There might be over a hundred goblins……」
「If it gets dangerous, we’ll retreat. We’re adventurers, after all」
The occupation of an adventurer prioritizes one’s own life, so they typically retreat immediately when they sense danger.
Veteran adventurers have a high ability to sense danger and avoid fighting enemies they can’t handle on their own—
But we’ve just become adventurers.
It’s understandable that our ability to sense danger is low.
The enemy is a horde of about a hundred goblins……
There might be goblin magicians, warriors, or even a goblin lord.
As I assessed the enemy’s strength, I glanced at my companions behind me.
Hero, holy knight, holy maiden, divine beast, three dragons, three spirit kings.
—-Hmm. It’ll probably be fine.
It doesn’t feel dangerous.
Maybe it’s just because I’m an F-rank adventurer and my crisis detection ability is low, but I feel like it’ll work out.
It’s okay.
「I see…… That’s reassuring. You can retreat if it gets dangerous. May we accompany you?」
「Leave it to us」
「Everyone, did you hear that? These adventurers—」
「I’m Haruto」
「Haruto-san and his team will lend a hand in rescuing Reina」
「Th-Thank you」
「Counting on you!」
So, the abducted girl’s name is Reina.
We must hurry and rescue her.
When a woman is captured by goblins, she’s turned into a breeding ground for them. It seems like it hasn’t been too long since she was abducted, but we need to hurry.
「Tina!」
「Yes」
I called Tina, who had been waiting with everyone a little further away.
「Do you know where a goblin-like creature’s nest is around here?」
「Hmm…… Ah, over there!」
Tina’s wide-range magical detection ability is top-notch.
She immediately found the goblin’s nest.
「There seems to be a goblin nest over there」
「Oh, really?」
「We found the nest?」
「Indeed, many have seen goblins in that direction」
If there are eyewitness reports, there’s no doubt.
「I’m sorry. Do you have any belongings of the abducted Reina? If possible, something she touched recently would be best……」
「Reina’s belongings?」
「What do you need that for?」
「H-How about this? It’s the basket she had when she was abducted」
The man who claimed to be Reina’s father brought the basket.
While delivering lunch to him while he was cutting wood in the nearby forest, Reina seems to have been attacked by goblins.
「Thank you」
I took the basket and sensed the remnants of her magic.
……It’s okay, it seems fine.
Recently, I’ve been able to teleport even without marking, as long as I understand the wavelength of the magic of the place I want to teleport to or the people there.
Although Reina, who isn’t a magician, had very faint magical remnants, it was just enough to teleport.
「Rifa, bring everyone here!」
「Understood. Take care, Haruto-san」
「Tina, you—」
「Of course, I’ll go with Haruto-sama」
Yeah, that’s right.
She understood what I was about to do immediately.
「Mayor, we’ll go rescue Reina first」
「Huh?」
Goblin nests are often complex, and it takes a lot of time to search for people trapped inside.
Rescuing someone is much more difficult than exterminating goblins.
So, I decided to teleport directly to Reina’s location.
「Then, we’ll go ahead. They’ll guide you and serve as your escorts」
Leaving these words to the village chief, Tina and I teleported to Reina’s location.