261 Valla’s Forest

261.

A camp was set up near the entrance of Valla’s Forest. It was quite a large camp that could accommodate more than 20 people.

According to Eldritch-nim’s explanation, it was a camp built for the purification of Valla’s Forest. However, it grew in size as adventurers for goblin extermination were added.

As we entered the camp, Eldritch-nim, who was guiding us, looked quite haggard. Eldritch-nim’s already aged eyes were even more sunken.

When I talked to him through the communication bracelet, I didn’t think he would be in this state because his tone was as normal as ever. Eldritch-nim must also be under considerable stress due to this situation.

“You’ve come! I’m so glad you really came! Hero-isiyeo…”

That’s why the old master’s delighted appearance felt a little bittersweet. Of course, he’s a perverted old geezer who does terrible things, though.

Being exhausted wasn’t limited to Eldritch-nim. There was no sign of vitality there.

An atmosphere like that of defeated soldiers lingered throughout the camp. It’s understandable, considering they’re struggling with mere goblins.

Inside the large tent in the center, where Eldritch-nim led us, a middle-aged man with an even more haggard face than Eldritch-nim was sitting at a table with lantern lights.

“This person is Daright. He was in charge of the goblin subjugation, but…”

Eldritch-nim’s words were cut off. It was because the man named Daright jumped up from his seat.

“Hero-nim?”

Daright’s weary eyes widened greatly the moment he saw my face.

What, does he know me? It’s not strange to know me, but…

Daright, who approached me with a frightening momentum, grabbed my hand with a very trembling hand. It was an attitude that somehow reeked of desperation.

“So, Hero-nim really came! Please, I beg you! Please get rid of those bastards!”

“W-Well, calm down a bit…”

What an overwhelming force. Looking at him up close, he was quite a burly warrior-like man. Seeing such a person desperately grabbing my much smaller hand and begging was a little pitiful.

“If it’s Daright… isn’t that Daright of the Windmill Sword? Adventurer Rank 17.”

Selina seemed to know him. It’s only natural that he’s a famous adventurer if the Seven-Colored Eldritch-nim hired him, but…

Still, Rank 17… isn’t that pretty strong?

“That’s right. It was a proud name. But now… I’ll be living with the disgrace of losing to goblins for the rest of my life.”

There was a gloomy self-mockery in his voice.

Behind the shadow of the lantern light, a large two-handed sword could be seen. Judging from the name Windmill Sword, he seems to have a pretty dashing fighting style.

But now, his two-handed sword was chipped in places and had countless scratches, as if it would let out a painful groan at any moment if it had a mouth.

“Let’s hear the story, Daright.”

Daright, who sat back down, seemed to have calmed down a bit. He nodded calmly, looking me in the eye, and began to speak.

“Our party volunteered for the goblin extermination mission requested by Eldritch-nim of the Violet. Subjugating the goblins throughout Valla’s Forest was an easy task for us veterans. The reward was also good. But coming to this Valla’s Forest with such a light heart was a huge mistake.”

Even as he spoke, Daright’s eyes shook violently. It seemed like it was because it wasn’t a memory he wanted to recall.

“We realized that something was wrong during the first engagement. Even after being hit by my Windmill Sword, which easily dispatches 30 goblins in one rotation, the goblins were only knocked away and quickly got back up and charged at us again. But I wasn’t too flustered. I had been warned in advance by Eldritch-nim that they might be much stronger than ordinary goblins. Well, we were also a veteran party that had faced countless monsters much stronger than that. But then…”

His slumped shoulders began to tremble violently. His voice was the same.

“That bastard appeared. A monster with a size close to a human, with the power to overwhelm our entire party alone, a goblin with golden eyes.”

“A goblin with golden eyes?”

“Yes. It was literally a monster. He smashed Zato’s two-handed sword with his bare hands. And he lost his balance and stomped on Zato’s head…”

Riel’s expression frowned a little at the gruesome description that followed. Daright’s face, as he verbally conveyed the scene directly, was so pitiful to watch. He looked very tired just from talking.

“The other comrades were also quite skilled, though not as much as me. But in front of those golden eyes, they were no different from children. All the male comrades were killed by that bastard, and the female comrades were dragged away by those bastards. Even my lover, Alisa…”

It wasn’t hard to imagine what the fate of a female adventurer captured in a goblin lair would be like in a Yagam. Selina, who was listening to the story, asked Daright.

“How many female comrades were dragged away?”

“Three.”

“Three… it’s better to hurry. The goblins’ reproduction rate is beyond imagination. Moreover, there’s a possibility that the golden eyes are a hereditary trait.”

I’m sometimes surprised by Selina’s blunt words and actions. To use the word reproduction in front of Daright, whose lover was kidnapped by goblins…

But Daright didn’t show any particular agitation. He only hardened his face even more.

“Please. And one more thing, the goblin with golden eyes could also speak.”

“They can usually use simple language, right?”

“It wasn’t that low level. His voice is terrible, but it’s comparable to a human. That bastard let me go and said clearly.”

Daright’s gaze was fixed on me.

“‘Bring the Hero Elena’.”

“M-Me? Why?”

I’ve never met a goblin with golden eyes. I’ve never even heard of one. But why me?

“Well, it’s probably because he was a minion of the Demon King or a being created by a Demon General. There are more than one or two monsters who want to defeat you, Hero. If he even has the intelligence to speak, even more so.”

“I-Is that so?”

Well, if you say it like that, it seems like that…

Daright seemed to be in a state where he couldn’t participate in battle, both physically and mentally. Well, he actually looked that way on the outside as well.

The reason he was still in this camp seemed to be because of his sense of responsibility as a professional adventurer and to feel the catharsis of the moment when I, the Hero, defeated them. After Daright went to rest, I said to Eldritch-nim.

“Master-nim, is this place safe? From those powerful goblins.”

“This Violet Eldritch has reinforced the barrier with multiple layers of protection. At least I can guarantee safety inside the camp. In the beginning, a few goblins were lurking around, but now they seem to have given up.”

Barrier of protection… certainly, like the barrier of obedience, Eldritch-nim’s magic might have excellent strategic potential. I wonder if the fact that Eldritch-nim himself is vulnerable in combat is due to his physical problems.

“Goblin with golden eyes… Selina, have you ever heard of it?”

“No. But the story of a goblin with more power than ordinary goblins is nothing special. It’s a common story. It’s surprising that Daright’s party was easily defeated, but… they must have been careless. I don’t think they’re strong enough to stand against you, Hero?”

Well, that’s true. No matter how strong they are, goblins are goblins. They’re nothing special in front of me, the real Hero. Probably.

“Among Daright-ssi’s comrades, there are still people alive, right? Then shouldn’t we hurry a little?”

Come to think of it, Riel herself had suffered at the hands of goblins in the past. But Eldritch-nim seemed to have understood it a little differently.

“That’s right. As Selina said, if they start building a breeding ground, it could become more serious. Moreover, there’s a possibility that the special individuals with golden eyes will increase.”

Maybe that wasn’t Riel’s intention, but they’re both right. Considering the plight of the kidnapped women, and to prevent them from increasing in number, it was necessary to drive those bastards out quickly.

Eldritch-nim said something a little strange to me, who was unfolding a map and looking at it.

“It must be a little refreshing for you.”

“Yes? Me? Why?”

“Have you forgotten? Well, it was a long time ago. This Valla’s Forest is where you first started your adventure, isn’t it?”

Huh?

No, this is not where I started my adventure. The first place I opened my eyes in this world was not a forest but a plain…

Ah.

Suddenly, something flashed through my head.

It’s natural that I can’t remember. Because it’s not my memory.

This mass-produced Tsukuru Yagam. The place where Elena, the heroine, first encounters an enemy and fights. The name of that first map was Valla’s Forest.