Kays Translations

Chapter 16: Defeat the Goblin Army!

Knights and adventurers gathered in the village closest to the monster forest. It was the village nearest the goblin settlement discovered by the Adventurers’ Guild.

A simple wooden palisade had already been built around the village in case of an emergency.

“I’ll explain the plan once more. The adventurers ranked B or higher and the knight order will enter the goblin settlement. At the same time, they’ll throw the Numbness Ball potions held by the Heine Margraviate’s knight order into the areas where the goblins are most densely gathered.”

Lionel stood on a platform as he explained the plan to the knights and adventurers. He had originally intended to make me explain it, but I managed to persuade him that no one was likely to take instructions from a seven-year-old seriously.

The knight order may trust me, but they’re my own people. The same couldn’t be assumed of the adventurers.

“Their effects are as we confirmed yesterday. The Numbness Balls will burst immediately and incapacitate the goblins around them.”

As a precaution, we’d demonstrated the Numbness Balls the previous day. Their effects were excellent; even A-rank adventurers had their movements slowed. After seeing that, no one doubted that the potions would work.

“Once we’ve confirmed that the goblins are incapacitated, the knight order and the high-ranking adventurers will attack the higher-tier goblins.”

The adventurers who appeared to be B-rank or higher, distinguished by their superior equipment, nodded.

“The remaining adventurers are to finish off the incapacitated goblins.”

Everyone present nodded in agreement.

As a final check, Lionel and the others confirmed exactly where the Numbness Balls were to be thrown.

The strategy itself was simple: paralyse the goblins, then wipe them out while they couldn’t move.

I’d come up with the idea while thinking about how to destroy the goblin army while keeping our own casualties to a minimum. Come to think of it, when I’d gone into the monster forest the other day, I’d collected Numbing Mushrooms and Dust Mushrooms.

Those two ingredients could be used to make an item that burst on impact and spread a status effect that slowed movement.

I immediately told Lionel and had the entire knight order help gather the mushrooms.

Thanks to that, we managed to collect a decent amount of material. The real problem was making the potions, but the current circumstances at House Heine happened to work in my favour.

Grandmother was in the royal capital. That meant her potion-making room and equipment were sitting unused.

Lionel was surprised when I first suggested using them, but he soon agreed. Before long, the room was piled with mushrooms, and I spent the rest of the day making Numbness Balls.

A seven-year-old body only has so much mana, and I ended up running myself dry. Even so, I managed to keep going with elementary mana-restoration potions made from the mana herbs we’d finally harvested.

That was how I’d managed to put together this operation around the completed Numbness Balls.

The village had also been surrounded with wooden fencing in case the operation failed. If the goblins reached us, the villagers could shelter behind it while we evacuated them.

Of course, if things truly went wrong, I intended to wipe the goblins out with magic myself. I could already picture the future in which people started calling me “House Heine’s child prodigy” and it caused all kinds of trouble for my family, but I wasn’t about to sacrifice the people of our domain just to protect my reputation.

“Lord Julius, will everything be all right?”

As I watched the goblin extermination force depart, Christopher, standing beside me, asked in a trembling voice.

“It’ll work out.”

“As expected of Lord Julius.”

Gyre sounded positively cheerful. He seemed to have plenty of confidence. Well, even if the plan didn’t finish them off completely, it should still inflict heavy losses. We ought to be able to deal with whatever remained.

Birds suddenly burst from the monster forest, scattering into the sky with shrill cries.

About two hours passed before one of the knight scouts returned. His expression was bright.

“Lord Julius, I have a report! The operation was a success! We’re currently rescuing the wounded and collecting the magic stones. There was a Goblin Lord among the goblin army, but the knights and adventurers worked together to defeat it! Several people were wounded, but there wasn’t a single death.”

A roar of cheers went up from the villagers. The village chief and the knights who’d remained behind joined in, shouting and exchanging high fives.

“Well done. Spare no expense in providing healing potions to the wounded.”

“As you command!”

The scout bowed and immediately headed back toward the forest.

We’d been incredibly fortunate that no one had died. My stomach had been tied in knots since the previous day because I’d been convinced there would be casualties.

Now that it was over, the tension finally drained out of me. My legs gave way, and I dropped into a chair.

“Lord Julius?!”

“I’m all right, Gyre. The tension has simply left me now that it’s over.”

“I’ll bring you something to drink at once!”

Christopher rushed off. He really didn’t need to worry that much. Still, the two of them watched me closely. I suppose that was exactly what good attendants were supposed to do.

“Lord Julius, I don’t know how I can ever thank you…”

“Village chief, as I told you yesterday, this village wasn’t at fault. We dealt with the danger before anything happened, didn’t we?”

“That’s true if one looks only at the outcome. But what would have happened to this village if you hadn’t noticed the danger, Lord Julius…?”

“I wasn’t the one who noticed it. Lionel was.”

“Even so, everyone says that it was all thanks to you, Lord Julius.”

How did that happen? Who told them that? Lionel?

It was Lionel, wasn’t it?

He should be taking the credit himself, but he’s strangely rigid about things like this. His men probably admire him as a stubbornly honourable commander.

What a troublesome man.

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