Chapter 5. Belief and Reality (3)

Sigh, I’m a little anxious.

Isn’t it usually in situations like this that an enemy who was thought to be ‘weak turns out to be incredibly strong’?

It’s not exactly ‘common sense,’ but it’s reached the level of a cliché.

Well, since the Saint, Ria, Lee Si-yoon, Han Yu-ri, and Gloria all appeared properly in the main story, they might not be opponents who pose a major problem.

Besides, it’s not just us. Unlike the previous few dispatches, now hunters capable of protecting ‘high-status individuals’ were spread out around us.

And to be able to escape at any moment, a mobile team is on standby behind us. While this area beyond has been somewhat surveyed, it hasn’t been ‘completely conquered’ yet.

The hunters were silently crouching, and that strange tension was transmitted to us as well. Without speaking, we also quietly crouched and followed behind the hunters.

Snap.

The hunter at the very front raised his hand.

We all stopped at the signal.

Although Gloria was in a protected position, she was still a princess from a civilization that actively used magic. Naturally, as a princess, her skill in using magic is also certain.

If this world were to interact with civilizations from other worlds, the reason would usually be knowledge about magic or creatures.

……I don’t really know what Gloria’s world wanted from this world.

“……That.”

Gloria muttered.

A faint emotion was felt in her voice. It wasn’t… fear.

Rather-

“That’s- a ‘Gubling’.”

If I were to express the emotion in her voice as she said that, it would probably be close to ‘disgust’.

An emotion on the level of seeing a cockroach passing by far away.

“Gubling?”

A hunter next to me asked.

A voice filled with doubt.

It’s highly certain that the areas beyond the gates are different worlds, as the flora often doesn’t match. It’s not just that they are far apart; many places have environments and even gravity that don’t match Earth’s.

Of course, there are many people in the world, and some say that the world beyond the gate is just another planet.

So, logically, it would be normal for Gloria to not know about a ‘creature we’ve never seen before’.

“……Look. There’s no need to worry. They’re not that powerful monsters.”

But Gloria replied as if she didn’t care much.

Ria and I looked at each other, then moved a little further forward to get closer to the hunter.

A rustling sound was heard. It wasn’t our sound, but the sound made by something far away.

And what was there-

“……Goblin?”

I couldn’t help but mutter.

Green skin, short stature. Yet, it had muscles that looked quite trained. Although it was wearing clothes, it wasn’t wearing a shirt, so its belly protruded noticeably compared to its developed muscles.

With its short stature and large nose, it was undeniably a ‘goblin’. And it was the kind of goblin often depicted in Japanese manga or anime.

……Hmm.

Given the serialization platform, it’s common sense to use the proper tags, but you never know what settings the author might have created outside the novel unless it’s described in the novel.

After all, there are all sorts of people in the world, and sometimes authors want to mess with their readers.

Whether they think that’s art or not, I don’t really know-

“…….”

The opponent didn’t seem to have noticed us.

It held a rather large wooden club in its hand, and its face was very fierce. Although it looked like a monster in every way-

Click.

A small sound was heard from the side, and when I turned my head, I was startled.

Gloria was holding a crystal in her hand. It was cut to a sharp point and emitted a cold aura- Ah, it’s not a crystal, it’s an icicle. An attack magic.

“Just a moment.”

I said, grabbing Gloria’s arm.

“What are you doing?”

“Well, we have to deal with it?”

Gloria tilted her head and said.

“Deal with it?”

“Gublings are trash-like creatures.”

“…….”

Oh, she’s making a very definitive judgment.

“What kind of monster is it?”

The hunter asked with a cautious expression.

“They are beings that live in groups and survive by raiding.”

Gloria’s eyes narrowed.

“It’s not just about raiding. They also capture women and children to increase their numbers. If left alone, they will definitely cause problems.”

“…….”

That… that, what was it.

She’s speaking euphemistically about increasing their numbers, but she’s using them for that purpose. So… is that it? Is it really a goblin that might appear in overly aggressive manga or novels, the kind that might appear in Japanese eroge?

Gloria’s eyes looked at my hand, which was holding her arm.

Only then did I let go of her hand.

“If what you say is true, it would be good to deal with it… but.”

The hunter nodded.

No, well, that’s true. Even to my eyes, it’s a ‘goblin’. It looks incredibly fierce at first glance, and honestly, it doesn’t seem like we can communicate with it.

And rationally speaking, a part of my mind thought that it was the right judgment.

I… I know about the existence of the original novel, don’t I?

Web novels, of course, have been greatly influenced by various manga, anime, and even movies. So, the materials used in those places often appear as they are.

Goblins are, in most web novels, low-level monsters. They are targets for extermination, and depending on the genre, they might engage in various… things that could be used in ‘erotic novels’. Judging by Gloria’s words, it seems to have been the same in her world.

I haven’t heard any stories in the original novel about goblins having any kind of interaction with humanity. It’s possible they weren’t encountered before the main story, but this gate is said to be the safest and most usable among the gates managed by this association.

That means, rather than not being encountered, perhaps they were simply recognized as ‘monsters’ and exterminated?

The hunters who could use magic also slowly prepared their magic. From various places, icicles like those Gloria prepared, or small fireballs, appeared.

The goblin still hadn’t looked at us. Did it not notice? Even if there was light, we also had our own camouflage in place.

“Why?”

Seeing me fidgeting, Ria asked subtly.

“Is there something bothering you?”

“I, I…”

Should I prepare an attack too? It’s unlikely there’s only one goblin. If it’s a scouting party, it definitely won’t be just one.

Yes. That’s the problem.

The monster from yesterday was no different from a beast. So, like charging wild boars or something similar. They were essentially sea beasts, so we had to drive them away, or if that was impossible, deal with them.

However, those monsters were not wearing clothes. They didn’t use tools.

They were just a pack of beasts roaming in groups.

That goblin, at least to my eyes, didn’t seem like that. It was wearing clothes and holding a weapon- a tool- in its hand.

“…….”

Ria’s eyes, looking at me, were quite serious.

“What do you think?”

Ria asked.

What do I think?

To be honest, I feel uneasy about ‘dealing with it’ like this.

It’s unavoidable that the Earthlings of this world become relatively desensitized to situations like this. They’ve experienced various incidents due to the gates.

So, my feelings might be strange.

“It’s an important question.”

Ria said.

It didn’t seem like she was joking, nor did it seem like she was just making small talk.

Her face was genuinely serious, as if she was truly curious about my answer.

“What do you want to do with that monster over there?”

“…….”

Humans are emotional animals. No, in the first place, no animal is not emotional. While they emphasize reason and logic, ultimately, those two concepts are merely supplements to human emotions.

And because of those emotions, ironically, they sometimes confuse emotion with reason and logic.

And usually, the emotion that falls into that category of confusion is ‘disgust’.

They define something as ‘evil’ simply because it looks strange to their eyes, and define something as ‘good’ because it looks beautiful or useful.

Even though living beings don’t need such distinctions.

……The reason humans didn’t immediately destroy elves upon meeting them, the reason they didn’t define elves who could use magic so well as ‘monsters’ and drive them away, was probably because the elves’ appearance was that of ‘beautiful humans’.

Because they looked human, they must have established a civilization, and therefore, rational and logical exchange would be possible.

“What does it look like to you?”

Just a moment ago, Ria, who was talking to me about monsters, was now asking me such a question.

“I…”

“If you’ve thought of something.”

Ria said calmly.

“Try it once. …I’ll do my best to assist you from the side.”

At Ria’s words, I turned my head again and looked forward.

“Kya-kyang!?”

The goblin finally saw us.

It seemed to have seen the magic being prepared beyond the camouflage.

Including Gloria, everyone was ready to shoot the magic in their hands forward.

How would the goblin act? Would it run straight towards us? Would it immediately recognize us as enemies and attack?

No. That goblin didn’t do that.

It quickly turned around. The weapon it held in its hand fell to the ground. It seemed scared by the almost invisible threat.

“Kyakyak!”

And then, it shouted forcefully.

Other bushes rustled, and goblins raised their heads.

The goblin, turning around again, shouted and fled.

The other goblins also quickly turned their bodies and fled in a panic. Among them, there were no individuals without clothes. There were even those fully dressed, including shirts.

One goblin fell.

I reached out towards the goblin running at the very back-

“…….”

I think I decided what I was going to do around then.

“Just a moment!”

I shouted with all my might and jumped up from my seat.

Light shone from the sky, and the magic being prepared around us dissolved into that holy power and disappeared.

I don’t know what kind of being is up there- but at least, it was showing some agreement with my actions.

Could this also be part of a plan to push me into some abyss? Since there’s no evidence to say that all the actions shown so far are not hypocrisy.

The way I believe in holy power is the same as believing in people who show me kindness. Now, if the being above changes its mind, I have no way to do anything about it.

……Or, if that’s not the case.

Does that being also agree with my words?

Actually, I don’t really know.

“F-for now, let’s capture it alive!”

At my shout, the hunters, who were looking at me with bewildered expressions, ran forward with all their might.

Gloria was looking at me with an expression of utter incomprehension until the very end.

And receiving that look, I felt very embarrassed.

Ah, I ended up doing it.

I covered my head with both hands and crouched down.

Still, my knight, Ria, stood calmly beside me.