Chapter 21

Chapter 21

21: Karaldin The Adventurer’s Guild is a kind of business. The Mesheen Great Forest is a region where humans can hardly set foot, making it a paradise for monsters. The hunters near the Great Forest have traditionally made a living by catching these monsters, and their spoils are widely distributed to countries including the Kingdom of Kilkard and the Astaltine Empire through merchants. Therefore, it was a natural phenomenon that base cities such as Karaldin were created near the Mesheen Great Forest. The hides, blood, and various by-products of the monsters become catalysts for various weapons and magic, which, in other words, means money. Merchants and wizards who aimed for this contributed greatly to growing Karaldin to its current size. The Adventurer’s Guild, which started as a gathering of hunters, attracted people dreaming of making a fortune, and merchants who came up with the idea after seeing them signed contracts with the city to expand the guild’s size. The area of the Adventurer’s Guild, which started on a small scale, gradually expanded beyond buying and selling monster by-products or specialties of the Mesheen Great Forest, to signing defense contracts with cities and villages, maintaining security, and sometimes even providing military support. Now, the Adventurer’s Guild has established itself as a kind of private administrative institution, an indispensable facility in the base cities near the Great Forest, just like a bank. “…That’s what it says.” I read the booklet Emily handed me and sighed. The introduction was long, but in the end, it means they’ll do anything for money. I wondered why the guild would do things like goblin extermination or slime removal from underground waterways that don’t make money, but it turns out they’re acting as agents for the lord of Karaldin in exchange for money. Then, I could understand why there are two Adventurer’s Guilds in Karaldin. Having only one has many advantages, but it seems that having two allows the lord to squeeze the budget a bit more. “…I’m bored.” Having nothing to do is a sad thing. I roughly read the booklet and looked around the Adventurer’s Guild building. Occasionally, some adventurers would talk to me, but I ignored them appropriately. Of course, there are always people who don’t get the hint even if you ignore them appropriately, but fortunately, no one in the guild was hitting on me that hard. After waiting for a while, I finally heard a voice calling me. “Miss Layla? Your certificate is here.” The receptionist, Meril Brishian, handed me a small necklace. Emily must have gone up to the office, as she wasn’t visible. “Here you go. First, let me briefly explain the guild’s rules. First, Miss Layla must accompany Charka for a while. Originally, this is something guild instructors would do, but in Miss Layla’s case, you have a recommender, so there’s no need for that. You can only take on quests alone after you have Charka’s permission. And after the recommender’s permission, you must be verified by the guild.” “….” I didn’t know that. Is being recommended that thorough? Then, asking for a favor for just 50 rads was a bit much. And the verification process seemed quite complicated. “For novice adventurers, the mortality rate is high, and existing parties tend to avoid them.” I understood after listening to Meril’s explanation. It’s rare for someone to be good from the start. Is it similar to looking for experienced newcomers? …So, to take on quests, I have to accompany Charka. I turned to look for Charka, but the orc adventurer was nowhere to be seen. “Second, double contracts with the Ershate Guild on the north gate side are prohibited. This is obvious, but surprisingly, some people occasionally don’t follow it.” There were two Adventurer’s Guilds in Karaldin. The Letila Guild on the south gate side. And the Ershate Guild on the north gate side. “Okay.” I nodded at Meril’s words. Karaldin was a big city anyway, and the distance between the south gate where we were and the north gate was quite far. There’s no reason to go all the way there. The rest wasn’t particularly complicated. Don’t kill slimes in the underground waterways recklessly, and don’t commit crimes in the city or guild. Most of them were easy to understand. Meril, who had roughly recited the rules, smiled and greeted me. “Then, I wish you good luck in the future.” “Thank you.” // After receiving the necklace from Meril, I headed straight to the west gate of Karaldin. I only had a dagger as a weapon, but the reason I became an adventurer right away was simple. Adventuring was the easiest way for me, who was practically an illegal resident, to obtain an identity. Residents registered in the city’s resident registry could easily get a pass from the government office, but I wasn’t registered, so that was impossible. In the end, I needed a means to prove my identity, and I solved that problem by registering as an adventurer. Other small countries may not require this procedure, but the Kingdom of Kilkard, as a paper-producing country, was a bit strict in terms of records and legal aspects. And solving things with my body only works if I have connections like Lakers, otherwise I could be thrown in jail right away. After heading to the west gate, I confidently stood in line in front of the gate. Soon it was my turn, and I faced the guard. The guard had an expressionless face, but his complexion seemed to brighten slightly when he saw my face. “Pass.” “Here you go.” When I presented the necklace and plate proving I was an adventurer, a strange light flashed in the guard’s eyes. He must have found it hard to believe that a young girl was an adventurer. “Purpose?” “Preliminary exploration of the Mesheen Great Forest.” It was a trivial reason, but these things are just formalities anyway. As long as the answer wasn’t too strange, passage was usually granted. “Letila Guild, I see. May good fortune be with you.” “Thank you. Have a good day!” It was a common phrase, but I gave the soldier a cheerful reply and stepped out of the west gate. The Mesheen Great Forest was close enough to be seen from the gates of Karaldin. On the path leading to the Great Forest, the branch of the Adventurer’s Guild came into view. Of course, the headquarters is inside the city, but they had no choice but to build a branch outside the gate because they needed a space to process the corpses and by-products of monsters. Carrying monster corpses through the gate is a chore, so they process them all at once. As I walked, I looked up at the sky and saw that the sun had already tilted quite a bit westward from its zenith. I felt like I needed to move quickly, so I quickened my pace. // I walk along the main road leading to the Mesheen Great Forest. The forest, densely overgrown with trees, is the territory of monsters that humans have not yet conquered.

-Chirp, chirp.

The sound of insects chirping echoed nearby, and the chirping of mountain birds could be heard everywhere. It definitely feels different here. Living only in the city and then coming directly into the mountains makes it feel even more distinct. The reason I entered the Mesheen Great Forest immediately after receiving certification from the Adventurer’s Guild was simple. I had to check out my future workplace first, right? Of course, there’s still some time before evening, and I’m also bored. Entering a mountain range where monsters appear with only a dagger as a weapon is usually suicidal, but they say there aren’t many strong monsters at the entrance, so it shouldn’t matter much. Not many monsters can break through my chi anyway. Besides, the monsters that appear at the entrance of such forests are mostly beasts like wolves or demi-walkers like goblins. I’m not ignoring wolves or goblins, but they’re less impactful than grizzly bears or trolls. “Ker-lurk!” For example, like that guy…? ….Huh. I stared at a goblin walking diligently in the distance. It was a real goblin. Wow, it’s my first time seeing one in person. “Kruk!” It was about 1.3 to 1.4 meters tall. It held a unique sling in its hand and carried a stone spear on its waist. The clothes it wore were a crude weave of tree branches, and its dark green skin was smooth and clean. Unlike walkers with culture, demi-walkers have their own language but no intelligence beyond that. Still, being able to use tools was quite threatening. Their skill in making and handling slings has sent many adventurers and soldiers to their graves. “Ker-lurk.” Unexpectedly, seeing the goblin in person wasn’t scary or disgusting, but rather fascinating. I’ve heard stories about them, but as someone from Earth, an only-human planet, I saw them more as new life forms than as monsters. It’s the same with slimes, but I’ve seen those more often. I watched the goblin in front of me with the feeling of observing a strange animal. The goblin walked among the trees and suddenly gestured as if looking at something. I followed its gaze without realizing it… but there was nothing there. What is it looking at? While I was standing there blankly watching,

-Thwack.

Something hard struck the back of my head. //

-Thud.

The cold sensation of dirt and the fresh smell of grass brushed my nose. I lay there fallen, not moving for a while. It wasn’t so much that I lost consciousness, but rather that I lost my balance and fell due to the sudden impact. I forgot. Goblins usually don’t act alone. Well, then that guy must have been distracting me. ….To be tricked by a goblin. I feel a little depressed. But there was no sign of anyone approaching, so their sling skills must be quite impressive. They’re a race that only eats, shits, and slings, so it must be true. Of course, my body, reinforced with iron skin armor, isn’t weak enough to be knocked down by such a pebble. The reason I didn’t get up right away was because I had a plausible plan. “Ker-luruk!” Like this. As I lay there pretending to be unconscious with my eyes closed, I heard the sound of goblins approaching from the side. Thanks to the knowledge I gained from Lakers, I know about goblin habits. “Kireuk!?” “Kruk, kuk.” As I lay still, I felt the presence of about four of them. What are they saying? I’m curious, but it doesn’t sound like a language at all. After hearing them chatter for a while, I suddenly felt a cold sensation on my hands and feet. I wondered what they were doing, but they were tying my wrists and ankles. Wow, they can even tie knots. And they seem to have done it more than once or twice. “Keruk, kek!” “Kireuk. Kruk. Krik.” ….Wait, if they tie me up this thoroughly, I won’t be able to untie myself later. // Goblins are demi-walkers belonging to the hominid family, and they have several distinctive features. First, they are more intelligent than other beasts, they can use tools, and they even have the intelligence to pass them on. However, due to their unique high fertility and rapid growth rate, they tend to adapt better in forests and mountains than humans, even though they are pushed back by humans on the plains. Goblins who live in burrows and caves have a habit of leading groups out when they grow to a certain extent, and they even tend to unite with their own kind if necessary, making it almost impossible to completely exterminate them. And the characteristic of these goblins was to produce as many offspring as possible. With high mortality rates for males and goblins becoming sub-adults capable of fighting in just 2-3 years, reproduction was not an option but a necessity. The reason the goblins captured Layla was due to this context.

Due to their demi-walker nature, goblins were capable of interbreeding with human women, a fact they knew through the transmission of knowledge. Even with females of their own kind, their human hunts did not cease. For goblins living in harsh mountainous terrain, reproduction was always a crucial issue. That’s why the goblins dragged Layla to a cave inhabited by dozens of their kind. Inside the goblins’ cave, where they could use fire in a rudimentary way, other women who had already been captured were sprawled out, bound to crude wooden frames. “Keh-heh!” The goblins carried Layla on a stretcher deep into the cave. Layla lay comfortably on the stretcher, taking in the sights of the goblins’ cave. Their binding skills weren’t great, but they weren’t something she could undo quickly. – Thump. The goblins set Layla down in front of their leader and disappeared. Layla, with her hands and feet tightly bound, tried to move and free herself, but to no avail. ‘…I’ll need some time.’ High-intelligence demi-walkers were troublesome for this reason. It was a poorly imitated technique, but it had its own effect. She probably could have freed herself by wriggling steadily for about thirty minutes, but, “Krr-heh.” It seemed she wouldn’t have that much time. At the sudden cry, Layla turned to look inside the cave. There, a goblin far larger than the others—about Layla’s height—was looking down at her. Commonly called the Goblin Chief, he was the leader of the goblins. Unlike the other goblins, who wore roughly woven tree fibers, he wore something that at least resembled clothing. – Thud, thud. The Goblin Chief was slowly walking towards Layla. There were no other goblins around, but it would be easy for him to summon dozens with a single call. ‘…What to do.’ Seeing the Goblin Chief walking with a leisurely gait, a conflict flickered in Layla’s eyes. Her gaze was directed towards the Goblin Chief’s bulging lower body.