Chapter 24 – The Consequences that Have Persisted (4)
“Isn’t it just a swarm of goblins at most?”
“Even so, we cannot let our guard down if there are a lot of them. Stay alert.”
One by one, people began to gather in the village and its vicinity. These were the adventurers who had decided to join the hunting party.
True to their nature, the adventurers had a diverse range of appearances, and their energy, expressions, and the strength they exuded varied greatly.
The one commonality among them was their overflowing enthusiasm, as they had come to fight of their own accord. The goblins were not considered strong monsters, which lessened the tension.
If one only looked at the atmosphere, it was more akin to a hunting competition or festival than a war.
The villagers mostly welcomed them. While it wasn’t without the possibility that some might cause trouble, the majority of the villagers provided them with necessary supplies and food, seeing it as an opportunity to make a fortune.
“What should we do now? What if those people really kill Uncle Kai?”
“Are you saying that Uncle Kai really fell and summoned the monsters here?”
Of course, there were those who viewed them with disdain. Ian, who was anxiously watching the adventurers, bit his lip at his friend’s words.
“But the curse of corruption has no solution. No one can heal that…”
Thompson, one of their group, muttered in a gloomy voice. Ian couldn’t bring himself to argue against that.
A curse was akin to a natural disaster. If it truly came, praying for luck was the best they could do.
Even those who had hoped were now on the verge of losing hope one by one.
‘I can’t give up.’
Only Ian gritted his teeth and refused to let go of the slim thread of hope. If the best he could do was to struggle, then he intended to do just that. If a miracle was the only hope, he would willingly wish for a miracle.
He believed that was what he needed to do.
“Look over there, Ian. The guards have arrived too.”
Meanwhile, the guards, who were the backbone of the hunting party, also entered the village armed.
Unlike the adventurers, who were a disorganized bunch, the guards were clad in unified armor and weapons, marching in an orderly manner with military dignity.
“I didn’t expect the professor to come here as well. He seemed busy with other research.”
“Sometimes, it’s good to divert one’s attention to clear the mind. As it happens, I brought something that my disciple made.”
At the words of Captain Rakum, Renia, who was riding alongside in the carriage, perked her fox ears and smiled. The reason she had come to this place, where a war against goblins would take place, was not very serious.
It was to test out the magical tool made by her assistant and disciple Neoru, a magic detection device.
“A device that can detect monster magic? Is that really possible? It’s a device that adventurers will go crazy over, searching for traces of monsters.”
“It’s not just simple magic. This device can detect the magic of corruption, such as forbidden, unrecovered artifacts and curses of corruption. It’s an invention inspired by the guiding devices used by humanity in the Mythical Era…”
“I see. It seems we’ve arrived now.”
As Renia began to explain something, Rakum, sweating profusely, pointed towards the village with his hand. The wide path for the carriage was now at an end.
Since she had no intention of continuing to ride, Renia got down to the ground with her disciples and looked around.
“At least there’s no foul stench of those beasts around here. Neoru, is the device functioning?”
“It’s operating normally. However, as you know, the detection range is short, so we need to move with the guards.”
“I never imagined its detection range would be shorter than my nose.”
Clicking her tongue, she looked back at her disciple, who was struggling to hold something. The disciple, feeling embarrassed that the detection range was shorter than her nose, scratched his head.
Of course, it was because her nose was particularly keen among beastfolk, and if compared like that, the disciple might feel unfair.
“Can we go too? We have some strength to defend ourselves.”
“Of course, Professor.”
As she smiled and lifted her staff, Rakum nodded. In fact, having a wizard like her would make the mission easier, so Rakum had no reason to refuse.
“Lin, prepare to scout. There’s no reason to drag this out.”
He instructed his junior and deputy, taking care to gather something precious.
Soon, clad in black and holding the items he gathered, a group led by Rakum attempted to delve into the forest for reconnaissance.
‘That’s a gun too. A rifle. By the way, why is that fox here again?’
There was someone observing that scene from the window of a two-story house. Iriliana, who had seen that familiar rifle, even having fired it herself, scoffed.
*
“The guards plan to use the adventurers to disrupt the monsters and then launch a surprise attack on their lair.”
That night, Patrick, who had been running around and collecting information using his network, relayed what he had learned to his companions.
Rina sat on the edge of the bed, listening with a tense expression, while Iriliana yawned, lounging in a slouched position with one leg draped over the armrest of her chair.
“The goblins won’t just sit still, so there’s a high chance the lair we confirmed will be empty.”
“That sounds great. Let’s pretend to fight and then slip away to there.”
As Patrick, who had rich experience in such large-scale hunts, scribbled on paper to outline the likely course of events, Iriliana smirked.
“Aren’t you going to tell the hunting party about that goblin, Kai?”
Patrick stole a glance at Iriliana. In fact, she had shared the stories about the goblin Kai she heard from Ian and his friends with her companions, but she hadn’t spoken to the hunting party about it.
Thanks to that, the hunting party only knew that there was one commanding entity among the goblins.
“What do you think? A monster corrupted by a curse can return to its original form? And if it does return, would you accept that person?”
“That’s quite an unusual question. But…”
In the dimly lit room, illuminated by a single lamp, Patrick subtly avoided the gaze of Iriliana, whose reddish eyes glowed softly. He swallowed hard.
It was known that no being could resist or escape any ancient curse.
However, the elf girl in front of him was not an ordinary elf. Patrick, who had witnessed the events with the werewolves firsthand, couldn’t bring himself to give an answer.
“I would like to see someone return to their original form first. They must have experienced something no one else has.”
Eventually, he shook his head. He thought it was not a problem for a mere adventurer like him to worry about.
Seeing that, Iriliana’s expression grew more enigmatic.
“You do intend to rescue that goblin, don’t you?”
When the meeting ended and it was time to sleep, Rina, who was lying in bed with her, turned to speak to the small back of Iriliana.
“I’m thinking of giving it a try. My thoughts will vary depending on the outcome of that trial.”
As Rina expected, Iriliana intended to try using her power on Kai. If it worked, it would mean more options.
‘Now re-entering my ties with the tower.’
Of course, her mind wasn’t fully made up. Reconnecting with a past she thought was completely severed after the tower’s collapse required a considerable determination.
“You can do it.”
“Thank you for believing in me.”
Not knowing the backstory, Rina encouraged Iriliana. Upon hearing that encouragement, Iriliana smiled slightly.
“I should be the one to encourage you. Even if you say you’ll slip away after a little bit, we might actually fight the goblins tomorrow. Are you confident?”
Iriliana turned to look at Rina. At the mention of the fight tomorrow, Rina’s cat ears perked up.
“Of course, don’t worry. I’ll protect you, and you just have to act. They won’t lay a finger on you.”
“That, that much is guaranteed.”
Rina’s task was merely to act as someone else. Since Iriliana could move the earth spirits, there were many subtle ways to assist Rina.
If Rina trusted Iriliana, it would be something she could accomplish.
And Rina firmly believed in her.
Not simply because Iriliana was strong, nor because she was her superior.
At times, she was much more mature, and at times, like a child that resembled her, all the moments she had shown and the experiences they shared.
‘Iriliana is a good person.’
Rina believed in herself because she had experienced that first-hand.
