A Continuing Bad Connection (5)

“The operation begins! The Guard moves according to instructions, and adventurers should not enter the Guard’s operational areas! We cannot be held responsible for casualties due to friendly fire!”

Just as dawn was breaking, early in the morning, the Guard captain with a good voice was shouting through a megaphone with a rifle slung over his shoulder.

The collaboration between the Guard and adventurers proceeded in a rather unique way. They assigned specific areas to the adventurers, who formed groups of multiple parties, and tasked them with drawing attention in those areas.

The plan was for the Guard to strike the goblins’ flanks when they rushed to stop the adventurers.

“It’s not easy to control adventurers. There might be some who don’t belong to this city. Rather, letting them fight freely might be more efficient in terms of results.”

“We just have to do as we’re told.”

Patrick explained the reason to me, but it didn’t particularly register. Our goal was elsewhere anyway, so my mind was completely sold on that place.

“Adventurers, move out first!”

The adventurers, who would act as a kind of bait, were deployed first. Because the amount of reward money would differ based on the achievements made, all the adventurers were fired up.

It was a competition between parties to see how many goblins they could kill, so it seemed that letting them loose freely would be better for maximizing the effect of competition rather than having a commander attached to control them.

“Look over there, it’s that rookie and Patrick.”

“They look relaxed. Are they going for a walk?”

We were also one of them, and perhaps because of that, it seemed there were already people keeping an eye on us.

I smirked, feeling the gazes directed at us, especially me. Although we were going around like this to be misunderstood, they seemed to think of me as the party’s burden.

“Sorry for making you subject to strange misunderstandings.”

“N-No, it’s okay.”

I didn’t care at all about how others saw us, but I felt a bit sorry for making Lina subject to misunderstandings that she was being brought along like an attachment doll maid girl.

In reality, Lina was my attachment doll.

“In this field, what ultimately remains are just two things: achievements and your lifeline. Ignore what those idiots say. Oh my, they’re in a hurry.”

Patrick, who was listening to our conversation, smirked.

Compared to us who were intentionally moving slowly, the others were walking fast. They had already started spreading into the forest and would now engage in indiscriminate combat with the goblins, becoming the best bait for the Guard.

“– —!”

“—!”

The undeveloped wilderness. It was filled with bizarre screams and shrieks, echoing all around.

As adventurers infiltrated en masse, the goblins who had already dominated the area naturally counterattacked.

Adventurer parties and goblin troops began to engage in battle on all fronts.

The same was true for us. Along with other nearby parties, we stepped into their territory and began combat upon seeing a group of goblins.

“In such large-scale missions, never! Never rush forward! If you’re careless, you’ll be surrounded and killed. Our goal is only to draw attention until the Guard strikes them!”

Patrick shouted that we must always move together with other nearby parties. The lack of control meant freedom, but conversely, it also meant having to overcome crises with one’s own strength.

In this situation, if you get caught up in the excitement of battle and rush forward to kill more enemies, you’ll be ganged up on and killed by the enemies in an instant.

“—!”

Patrick took the lead and began to face the charging goblins. But there was a limit to how many he could handle alone. Some goblins thrust their spears towards Lina and me as well.

‘Trip them all.’

Anyway, the other adventurers around were also busy fighting goblins. I instructed the earth spirits to intervene in the battle.

It’s easy to make the charging ones trip. A stone suddenly protruding from the ground makes them trip, and sometimes even sucks in their feet in an instant.

They couldn’t resist. They just rolled on the ground or staggered helplessly.

“Cut them down!”

As a result, Patrick and Lina could easily cut down the incapacitated goblins as if they were slashing training dummies fixed in place.

By the time we finished dealing with them all, others were still in the midst of fighting goblins.

“Impossible. They’ve already caught them all?! With just the two of them?”

“Damn, are we drawing unnecessary attention?”

This series of events brought about more misunderstandings through the eyes of other nearby adventurers, but we had more pressing matters now.

Judging by the noise coming from far away, it seemed the goblins and the Guard had properly clashed. It was time for us to slowly begin our action.

“Will it really be empty?! No matter what, there must be a few left!”

“We can just kill that many.”

Having avoided the gazes of other adventurers, we quickly began to slide across the ground towards their stronghold that we had previously scouted. There’s no chance of being discovered. The earth spirits are telling us if anyone is nearby.

The Guard and adventurers are all busy playing with goblins in their respective positions, making their summons worthwhile. Thanks to them, we could move this safely.

“—!”

Of course, there were goblins that charged at us on our way there, but I waved my hand and spewed out large stones called from the ground, sharpened into fragments like a shotgun blast.

The frenzied ones charging all at once fell to the ground, splattering blood miserably as they were hit by these bullets.

“H-Horrifying.”

Even Patrick swallowed hard seeing this. Meanwhile, our destination was suddenly right in front of us.

“There are no goblins around here. You two hide here and stand by. From this point, you can immediately know and rush over if anything happens.”

I stopped there for a moment and had Patrick and Lina stand by here.

“Are you really planning to go alone?”

“You might not, but Lina came this far because of me. I promised to keep her safe, so I can’t break that promise.”

Patrick sighed watching me take off my cape and undo my tied hair, but I didn’t mind.

The reasons were sufficient, and ultimately it was something I chose myself. It might be dangerous, but I had been prepared for the fact that I couldn’t always hide behind others since the moment I was called to that conscienceless Tower.

“A-Are you really going to go in naked? With just that one thing on?”

“Can’t be helped. I didn’t bring many clothes.”

I also took off my shoes and socks to exert maximum power. Standing barefoot on the ground, I took off my maid outfit and all I had on my body was the white blouse that Lina usually wears underneath.

The size is big so the sleeves are loose and the body is completely covered. It’s just to prevent greater annoyance, but certainly hiding my identity is also annoying.

“I’ll be back.”

Waving my hand to flutter the blouse hem, I left them behind and started sliding across the ground again.

My loose hair flutters wildly in the incoming wind, and more sounds reach my long, pointed ears.

“Move it, you stupid fools!”

I could also hear someone shouting. The direction was coming from the goblins’ stronghold where I was heading. It was right in front of me now.

“—?!”

“Who are you?”

When I suddenly appeared at the finally reached place, the eyes of the few goblins remaining in the nest and his eyes turned towards me.

Unlike the other goblins who were surprised with wide eyes and squawking, he instinctively became wary of me.

“Goblin Kai. It seems you’re not being forcibly controlled by the curse…”

I let out a dry laugh and looked around.

Properly built palisades and watchtowers. The reason the goblins were able to build up considerable strength in such a short time was indeed thanks to his knowledge and leadership as the excellent warrior he was said to be.

“What on earth are you hiding in there?”

But it wasn’t just with that one power that he could achieve these things. When I stretched out my hand pointing to the cave as if I knew, his brow twitched.

“I don’t know who you are, but.”

He raised his sword and pointed it at me. It seems the staff he usually carried was a kind of pointing stick.

“You’re very suspicious. My instincts are screaming. That I must kill you right now!”

“As expected.”

He shouted with his eyes flashing red. Just like the werewolf rushed at me, the curse that has now overtaken his body is extremely wary of me who can purify it.

“Kill her!”

At his shout, the surrounding goblins picked up weapons and rushed at me. Clicking my tongue, I stood in place and, matching the timing of their charge, swung my arm with fluttering sleeves to flip the ground.

“This is impossible…!”

“Is this your first time seeing something like this?”

A strong shockwave spreads out in a fan shape as far as I swung, twisting and breaking the ground.

The charging goblins are caught in the surging earth without even reaching me, and Kai hesitates in disbelief at seeing me annihilate all his subordinates in an instant.