Rash Action

Goblins are not particularly strong magical beasts.

Though they are more troublesome than ordinary magical beasts because they know how to use tools and tame and ride other magical beasts, their physical abilities are not high.

At least, teenagers with some strength can deal with goblins without problems.

The issue is that goblins live in dens with dozens of individuals, and these dens form clusters.

If it’s a hunting party or reconnaissance team that has gone far out, it’s fine to subjugate them normally, but when it comes to attacking and subjugating their cluster, the story changes.

You’re facing at least a hundred, and possibly several hundred goblins.

No matter how weak they are individually, when gathered in such numbers, they become extremely troublesome.

That’s why Rex Valtor, the 13th Platoon leader of the First Holy Knight Order, acted cautiously when he discovered a goblin den.

Having found the den, he needed to investigate how many other dens were around and how many goblins were in each den.

“James, Phil. Each of you take a squad and search the surroundings thoroughly. And Randy’s squad should inform the other platoons and the main force about this.”

Those designated moved all at once according to Platoon Leader Rex’s orders.

Rex Valtor was a middle-aged knight, experienced and seasoned within the First Holy Knight Order.

Even Commander Alma would listen to Rex’s opinions, which says a lot.

No one doubted his judgment and they followed his instructions diligently.

“The remaining personnel will hide in ambush and monitor the den.”

They couldn’t attack the goblin den until the thorough investigation was complete.

If the goblins formed a larger group than expected, they would need to prepare accordingly before attacking.

Of course, if the number wasn’t that large, the current personnel would be sufficient.

Platoon Leader Rex looked around at the members in hiding and spotted a young man.

Allen Ludwigh, a new trainee knight, still of an age that could be called a boy.

Though still young, he had impressed several officials of the knight order by demonstrating excellent physical abilities and reflexes in training.

Well, compared to his excellent physical abilities and reflexes, his technique was lacking, so he often lost in sparring with experienced knights.

Still, with repeated training and accumulated experience, it was expected that he could aspire to first-class knight level skills.

However, perhaps due to his young age, his character couldn’t be said to be particularly good.

He didn’t know how to bend his own thoughts, and he caused many problems, such as suddenly taking impulsive actions or forcing his thoughts on others.

Because of this, he was isolated within the knight order, not only among trainee knights of the same year but also among regular knight members.

‘He’s probably like that because he’s still young. As adults, we should guide him at times like this.’

Thinking that, Rex approached him.

Allen Ludwigh looked up at Platoon Leader Rex.

“Platoon Leader.”

“Are you nervous?”

Allen shook his head at Platoon Leader Rex’s words.

“No, sir. I’ve dealt with goblins before.”

“I see, come to think of it, you’re from the academy, right?”

“Yes, though I only attended for a very short time.”

He didn’t specifically mention that he had left the academy without even properly completing the first semester.

As someone who had left the kingdom almost as if being expelled for committing a crime, he couldn’t proudly talk about that.

“I see, but practice and actual combat are different. Don’t get too cocky and get caught.”

“I’ll keep that in mind, sir.”

“Well, as long as you follow your superior’s instructions precisely, there shouldn’t be any major problems.”

Saying that, Platoon Leader Rex patted Allen’s back and left.

For him, this goblin den subjugation was a familiar mission he had done many times.

Among those numerous missions, he had led new recruits like Allen several times.

And those recruits had now accumulated experience and were active even after leaving his command.

Allen Ludwigh was just one of those people, he thought.

“Platoon Leader, the goblins have started moving.”

“Have they noticed us?”

“No, sir, I think they’re just setting up perimeter guards.”

Back at his position, Rex received a report from his subordinate.

Platoon Leader Rex looked at the distant goblin den after hearing the reporting subordinate’s words.

It was clear that, as his subordinate said, three or four goblins were standing at the entrance of the den, guarding the surroundings.

“Instruct each squad to remain hidden and wait quietly.”

“Yes, sir!”

The platoon leader’s words were relayed to each squad leader, and from the squad leaders to the squad members.

The squad leader of Allen’s squad, Squad Leader Lowen, also relayed the current orders to his squad members.

Since their position was the closest to the goblin den, they needed to be especially careful.

“Kill your presence and observe quietly without being detected.”

“Squad Leader, those guys don’t seem to have noticed us yet, right?”

Squad Leader Lowen secretly looked at the goblins at the squad member’s words.

Although they were on guard, they didn’t appear to have noticed them yet.

In fact, the place they were hiding was difficult to notice, and they had completely erased the smell from their bodies using a magic potion.

“Yes, but preemptive attacks are forbidden until we know their scale.”

“I know that.”

While listening to the conversation between the squad leader and the squad member, Allen Ludwigh thought.

Four goblins visible there.

All of them are weak ones that don’t even have proper equipment.

The danger is that they might call their comrades, right?

If that’s the case, then they should eliminate them before they can call their comrades.

If they quickly take them out and clean up, there’s no need to waste energy keeping guard.

He conveyed this thought to his squad members, but their opinion was different.

“What kind of nonsense is that?”

“Allen, stop talking nonsense and follow the platoon leader’s orders.”

The squad members rejected Allen’s words outright and entered a state of alert.

Cowards.

Allen inwardly felt contempt, thinking they were acting that way out of fear.

If it’s just those four goblins, he could cut them down in seconds.

Allen looked at the goblins again.

Easy. At that level…

Allen took his sword and left his position.

He heard the squad members saying something behind him, but he ignored it.

He then beheaded one goblin.

“Keek!”

The goblin died with a gasping sound.

Maintaining that momentum, he slashed the next goblin and stabbed the blade into the chest of the goblin beside it.

‘What, it’s really nothing after all.’

Thinking that, just as Allen was turning to cut down the last goblin.

“Kieeeeeeeeeeeek!!”

The remaining goblin let out a loud scream that seemed to shake the forest.

Among the numerous goblins forming a village, those who come out for guard duty are particularly those with good vocal cords.

They first scream at the sight of an enemy, without needing to do anything else. That was Allen’s bitter mistake, not knowing this.

“Kieeek!!”

“Keek! Keeek!”

“Krrruk!!!”

Startled by that scream, Allen hesitated for a moment, and numerous goblin shouts were heard from around as if responding to it.

The goblin dens were not just one or two.

“Due to your rash actions, there were numerous minor and serious injuries, and Platoon Leader Rex was seriously injured while protecting the new recruits.”

“……”

“Of course, at that time, Platoon Leader Rex covered for you, saying it was his fault for not informing you beforehand about general knowledge of goblins, so it was resolved with just a light disciplinary action.”

“…Yes.”

Of course, even with Platoon Leader Rex covering for him, it was a mistake that would be hard to avoid severe punishment.

But at that time, Allen Ludwigh had the Cardinal behind him, and because of that, Vice-Commander Priestess Remia also advised her to be patient.

Although it felt like her insides were turning, she had given him a light disciplinary action and let it go.

“And yet you can’t even be patient for that long before causing trouble again?”

Alma burst with anger.

Allen Ludwigh, who had caused such an incident, had fallen out of favor with the platoon members and was being ostracized, knowingly or unknowingly.

In that situation, just as he got into a fight with one of his fellow trainee knights, he had left him half-dead.

“……”

Allen didn’t say anything.

It would be more accurate to say he couldn’t.

After the goblin clearing operation incident, he had been living quietly, aware that he had made a major mistake.

Even when the platoon members who were with him at the time cursed and criticized him, he endured it, knowing he was in the wrong.

‘Hey, blockhead. I heard you were expelled from the academy and came here?’

‘What? Is that true?’

‘Yeah, I heard a rumor that this bastard was stalking a noble woman he fell for, and when he was rejected, he went crazy and tried to assault her, then got expelled?’

‘Ha, to think such a bastard is a holy knight, the church is really in decline.’

The rumor was a bit distorted, but it was mostly true.

It was true that he had gone crazy and tried to attack Riel at the time, and it was true that he had been expelled as a criminal because of it.

So just as he was trying to let it pass silently, the person continued speaking.

‘Ha, do you think someone like you would even catch the eye of a noble?’

‘Yeah, noble women are destined to be with noble men’

‘Well, by now she’s probably forgotten about someone like you and is having a passionate time doing all sorts of things.’

The moment he heard those words, what came to mind were Riel and Kyo Wentos.

When he was exiled from the kingdom, he had asked Archbishop Marconi for a favor and had gone in a carriage to see Riel from a distance for the last time.

After being asked not to leave the carriage under any circumstances, when he went to the Aurum dormitory in the carriage, he saw it.

Riel, tightly clinging to Kyo Wentos’s arm, smiling happily.

That happy and lovely face she had never shown to him.

That sight seemed to be mocking him, and he almost jumped out of the carriage, but Archbishop Marconi desperately stopped him.

That was the last image of Riel he had seen, so the words of his peers who were provoking him pushed him even further.

Allen, having lost his reason, rushed at his peers and swung his fists.

He knocked away peers who tried to stop him from around, and while beating the peer he had been hitting to death, he was subdued by the commander who had been called.

And now this situation had occurred.

“From today, you are no longer a trainee knight of our First Holy Knight Order.”

“……”

“Adjutant.”

“Yes, ma’am!”

The adjutant quickly approached at Alma’s call.

“Send that guy to the Fourth.”

“…What? But he is under the Cardinal’s…”

“We don’t need someone who can’t even do the basics in the First Holy Knight Order.”

Allen Ludwigh was expelled from the First Holy Knight Order, which was said to be the most honorable among the holy knight orders, that very day.

The place he was sent to was the knight order that even knights couldn’t proudly call a knight order, known as the Fourth among the holy knights.

The fourth unit, which gathered problem children in one place and trained them harshly and worked them to the bone. The disciplinary unit.