Kays Translations

Chapter 4: Battle with the Monsters

*1 Melte: Approximately 1m

1 Meltror: Approximately 1km

★Since it is difficult to understand, the distance unit has been corrected to 1:1 with the earth.

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After that, I was shown the magic of the wind, and as I was listening to the story of elementary magic, suddenly there was a noise outside and the carriage stopped.

A knight who had been sent ahead for reconnaissance was now rushing back, gasping for breath, to report to Felix.

"We've spotted a group of goblins about 3 meltes ahead, a bit off the main road! They're around 150 meltes away from the road. There were 8 herds of them within our line of sight. What should we do?"

"150... It's barely within range. Should we turn back?"

"I've been observing for a while, but they didn't seem to be moving. They're probably feasting on the remains of some other creatures."

"Tch! This is troublesome. Whether we deal with them or not, it's highly likely we won't reach the town in time considering the round trip."

It was good that they were able to find it first without being ambushed, but apparently it would be a delicate matter in terms of time if they were to go on a subjugation mission and return by themselves.

"Young Lady, should we continue quietly and try to pass them by? Even if they notice us, it should only take minimal time to deal with them, and we can probably make it to the town. However..."

"You mean there's a chance we could get involved in combat?"

"Yes. Matsumoto-dono is with us, so we'd prefer to avoid any violent confrontations..."

"If camping for safety's sake will take longer, it might be riskier. Shall we proceed this way then?"

Rudolf seemed to recommend pushing forward. Indeed, it might be better to face known opponents in combat than to spend the night outdoors not knowing where the monsters might come from.

"Don't worry about me. It's safer to fight against known foes."

With determination, all eyes turned towards Isamu.

"I apologize, Matsumoto-dono. Young Lady, shall we continue on as planned?"

"Yes, please proceed."

Once the plan was set, they continued at a slower pace, trying to make as little noise as possible.

About 30 minutes later, a hand signal was sent from the advance cavalry, indicating that they were approaching the goblins.

The knights dismounted and approached cautiously, reducing their speed even further. After a while, Isamu also noticed something in the distance that seemed to be a group of figures, albeit not with great detail, with a greenish hue.

Moving carefully, they tried to remain unseen, and just as Isamu wondered if they would disappear from his sight, one of the horses suddenly let out a loud neigh.

Startled, they looked in the direction of the noise, and something about the size of a basketball was leaping around the horse's feet.

"Rock leech?! Damn it, of all times!"

Rock leech, as the name suggested, seemed like a large leech that lived near rocky areas. The knight holding the horse's reins cursed and swung his sword horizontally. The creature, emitting a blue body fluid as it was flung about three meters, was still alive. It seemed to contract its body, and then it sprang at the knight again.

The knight skillfully dodged and thrust his sword down from above. The Rock leech, which had trembled for a while, finally stopped moving. As the knight withdrew his sword, the ball-like body of the creature spread out on the ground.

Isamu felt relieved at having taken down the monster, but then a new enemy approached.

"Enemy attack! The goblins have noticed us!! They're coming at us!"

A knight who had been observing the goblins shouted.

"Everyone, get ready for combat! Form a double defense line! We'll face them here! Liddell and Marcela, prepare your magic!"

"Understood!"

Felix's swift orders were given as the guard knights organized their positions. Five knights with shields took the front line, right in the path of the approaching goblins.

Immediately behind them, Felix and another knight with spears stood in support. Further behind them, close to Isamu, two people called Liddell and Marcella held out their hands in front of them. 

The remaining two people were right behind him. They were probably here to protect Annemarie and Isamu.

Rudolf and Karina, who had drawn short swords from their pouches without notice, were guarding the surroundings.

"Rudolf-san and Karina-san, are you going to fight as well?"

Isamu asked in surprise, and Rudolf and Karina both smiled.

"Yes. Both Karina and I have received some training in short sword combat... and there's no way we'd fall behind against a few goblins."

"Leave it to us. We won't let a single finger be laid on you!"

Wow, so these are the Battle Butler and Battle Maid, huh? Isamu thought, impressed. Even Annemarie next to him had readied a staff.

"Hehehe. Matsumoto-sama, don't forget about me. I can blow the goblins away with my magic, of course."

There was even a Battle Princess.

"Nyaa."

Even the Battle Cat...

"No, no, Orihime can't go!"

 Isamu couldn't help but interject, holding Orihime close. At that moment, Rudolf had appeared in the carriage, carrying a short spear.

"Matsumoto-dono, please use this. Swords can be difficult to handle without practice, but with a spear, you have a longer reach, and if you just thrust, it should be sufficient." 

Rudolf said, handing the spear to him.

"Thank you. Stay here, Orihime." 

Isamu said as he accepted the spear and gently placed Orihime inside the carriage, closing the door. Just as he did so, Felix's voice rang out, "Here they come!"

The battle commenced with an onslaught of magic attacks from the three of them. First, fireballs about 50 centimeters in diameter, surrounded by a faint orange glow, flew from both Liddell and Marcela. These fireballs traveled at speeds comparable to a grown man throwing a baseball and directly hit the front group of goblins approaching.

Upon impact, the fireballs caused small explosions, turning the surrounding goblins into living torches. The four goblins directly hit by the fireballs, two of them turned to ashes, and the other two, caught in the explosion, were barely alive. Four goblins were quickly eliminated from the battle.

"Wind, transform into overlapping blades and fly. Blast Edge of the Gale Blade!" 

Annemarie followed up with her magic attack, casting a spell that sent invisible wind blades towards the goblins. With a sharp sound, one goblin's head was severed, and blood spurted out a moment later. In no time, the group of ten goblins had been reduced by half.

The remaining goblins, rather than being daunted by the loss of their companions, became more excited and rushed forward. They swung their cudgels wildly, but their attacks were efficiently blocked by the knights' shields. Calmly, one by one, the goblins were dispatched, except for a slightly larger one who held back, maintaining a certain distance.

Isamu noticed this goblin's behavior and wondered if it was planning to flee. 

Suddenly, the carriage door opened. While Isamu had closed it, he hadn't bolted it, and Orihime leaped out with a vigorous "Nyanyaa!" and landed on Isamu’s shoulder.

"Hey, Orihime! It's dangerous!" 

Isamu exclaimed, alarmed by her sudden appearance. Out of the corner of his eye, he spotted something else rushing in, which added to the commotion.

(Huh? The goblin is glowing? Is nobody else noticing this??)

The goblin that had kept its distance from the group suddenly started glowing with an orange light.

(What? Is nobody else noticing? And that color...!!?)

He just realized that he had seen something similar not too long ago and felt his blood run cold.

"This is bad! The goblin in the back is probably about to use fire magic!!"

"What!??"

Everyone was taken aback by Isamu’s sudden scream, hesitating and reacting too slowly. Meanwhile, the orange light was gradually intensifying.

"Damn, won't we make it in time!?"

When Isamu cursed, it happened.

"Nya-!!"

Orihime, who had been perched on his shoulder, leaped out at an incredible speed. Faster than the two fireballs earlier, she dashed towards the goblin in the back like a bullet.

"No, Orihime! Come back!"

Isamu rushed after her, but the gap was growing wider.

Meanwhile, a fireball about a meter in diameter hovered above the goblin's head.

"Crap, as I thought!"

"...You idiot!!"

Felix was the first to recover his wits among the stunned group.

"Fall back! Protect the young lady!"

He gave instructions to his subordinates and charged headlong at the goblin. A moment later, his subordinates quickly retreated.

"It’s coming!"

Isamu saw the orange light emanating from the goblin rapidly disappear. Based on previous experiences, this was likely a sign that their magic preparations were complete.

Felix also rushed towards the goblin at an unbelievable speed, but the distance between them was too great.

For a moment, it seemed like the goblin was grinning.

"Nya!"

With a nonchalant meow, a cream-colored furball dove towards the goblin's face. It swiftly passed through and then emerged from behind, with fresh blood spurting from the goblin's neck where it had been casting its magic.

"What?"

"Huh?"

Someone's voice, but no one could comprehend the sudden turn of events. The expression on the goblin that had its throat partially torn and was collapsing, blood spurting, appeared to be filled with shock.

The floating fireball began descending slowly. Felix, who had been standing stunned with a vacant expression, snapped back to reality and shouted loudly.

"Get down! It's going to explode!"

In a panic, everyone dropped to the ground. The fireball gradually lowered onto the caster.

Then...

*Boom!*

A resounding explosion echoed from the abdomen, and an area with a radius of about 3 meters centered around the goblin detonated. Even where Isamu was, more than 10 meters away, small stones were carried up and fell like drizzle along with the dust.

After about 30 seconds, when the dust cleared, Isamu cautiously stood up and looked back. Where the goblin had been, there was now a shallow crater with a diameter of about 5 meters. There was no trace of the goblin.

The closest person to the crater was Felix. He had collapsed about a meter from the edge of the crater, but he slowly got up while shaking his head. He seemed to have suffered some damage, but he appeared to be unharmed.

Feeling a momentary relief when he saw Felix, Isamu suddenly realized the existence dearest to him.

"O-Orihime!? Where are you!?"

He couldn't see the brave figure of his beloved cat that had fearlessly charged in.

Given her size, she should have been utterly helpless if caught in the explosion. However, since she had dashed at incredible speed, he wanted to believe that she was safe.

"Orihime!!"

He shouted as he headed toward the crater.

"Nya!!!."

Once again, accompanied by a nonchalant sound, Orihime, her tail held high and in high spirits, was seen walking from the other side of the crater.

Upon seeing her, Isamu rushed forward and lifted her up.

"Orihime! Are you okay!"

Held in his arms, Orihime purred contentedly and rubbed her face against Isamu’s.

"Thank you, Orihime. You were incredible!"

"Nyaa."

The satisfied purring of the little heroine echoed in the vicinity.

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