It Seems That the Demon King Is Among the Members of the Hero’s Party

12. Goblin Subjugation and a Drunken Mistake

“We’re heading to a place quite far from the town.

Isn’t it a bit too far for a kid’s playground?”

“The destination is a river a bit further ahead, Tra-san.

It seems they’re fishing and playing in the water.”

───The next day, around noon, Tra-san and I left the town we were based in and headed towards the river.

I went alone to hear the victim’s story, as bringing Tra-san, the perpetrator, might stimulate the family.

The boy told me that he saw a group of goblins at the river west of the town, where they were fishing with friends.

They got scared and ran away, and luckily, the goblins didn’t notice them, so it wasn’t a big deal, but they lost one of their playgrounds.

That’s why they asked us for help.

There’s only one river around our base town, ‘Mannaka’, so it’s not hard to find the location.

The boy said they saw the goblins near the three-layered rock, which the kids call ‘Dango Rock’, so we’ll focus our search there.

I wanted to ask Daru to come along, but when I met him, he turned bright red and ran away, so I gave up.

It’s not a difficult task, so Tra-san and I decided to go alone.

As a beastman, Tra-san has better eyesight and smell than humans, so I can count on him to search instead of Daru.

“Over there.”

After walking for about 30 minutes from the town, the river came into view.

Now we just need to find the landmark, the three-layered rock…

“Kyle, I found them.”

It seems Tra-san found the goblins first.

I placed my hand on Durandal and turned my gaze to where Tra-san was looking, but all I could see were a few black dots.

“How many are there, Tra-san?”

“There’s one High Goblin and ten Goblins, I think.”

“That’s a typical Goblin group. Is there a Goblin Shaman?”

“No, I don’t see any Goblins with staves.

The only problem is the High Goblin.”

A typical Goblin group has one High Goblin and ten to twenty Goblins.

The troublesome part is when there are multiple High Goblins.

While individual High Goblins are stronger than regular Goblins, that’s within the margin of error. The simple threat is their numbers.

Since individual Goblins are weak, they form groups to hunt, which is their natural behavior.

The High Goblin serves as the commander, and when there are multiple High Goblins, it means the group is gathered around them.

We’ve taken on a request in the past where we confirmed around 10 high goblins.

At that time, the total number of goblins exceeded 150 and was close to 200.

Even if each one is weak, their sheer number makes them a threat.

Back then, we gradually reduced their numbers before Sasha’s magic wiped them out.

When it comes to defeating another goblin, we need to be cautious about the presence of a goblin shaman.

If there isn’t one, that’s fine, but if there is a goblin shaman among the group, we need to take them down first, or we’ll face a painful counterattack.

Goblins are known by the alias “Dark Spirits,” and the magic used by goblin shamans is, as the name suggests, dark-attribute.

Unlike demons, their power is lower due to a lack of knowledge, but their original killing ability is high, making them a formidable dark-attribute force. Even if a goblin shaman uses it, it’s still impressive.

In this group’s case, there is no goblin shaman, and only one high goblin. It’s a fairly ordinary group.

“What do we do?”

“Let’s get close enough for my attack to reach.”

“I’ll take the first attack. If I miss, Toru can finish them off.”

“Hah, for a group that size, I can handle it alone.”

“I don’t want to waste time. Let’s finish this quickly. Toru wants to get back before dark, right?”

“That’s true.”

With our plan decided, let’s wrap this up quickly.

We slowly close in on the goblins without being detected. When we’re about 100 meters away, we can see the entire group.

As Toru said, there are 11 goblins.

Among them is a large, adult-sized goblin, which must be the high goblin commander.

The entire group is looking in the same direction, seemingly unaware of us.

What they’re looking at is the river.

The group is gathered together, staring at something. What are they doing?

Upon closer inspection, it’s a fishing rod. The kids must have left it behind.

The high goblin is holding the fishing rod and swinging it around, and the other goblins are watching.

This is a convenient opportunity. If we’re lucky, we might be able to take them down in one hit before Toru even needs to act.

I draw Durandal from its sheath and infuse it with magical power.

“Fly Swiftly.”

I whisper the technique’s name, trying not to be heard, and swing Durandal in a flash.

A swift, sword-like slash appears, flying straight towards the goblins with a will of its own.

This flying slash, “Fly Swiftly,” is one of the few long-range attacks I have, and it’s a reason I can’t let go of Durandal.

It’s a simple technique that releases the magical power I’ve infused into Durandal with a single swing, but its power increases according to the sharpness of my sword strike.

This one hit would cut through even rock like butter.

Instead of using magic, I rely on Durandal to consume my magical power and convert it into a flying slash. It’s a technique that can only be done with Durandal.

The goblins don’t seem to have noticed the flying slash. This is going to hit. I’m certain of it. And when I turned to look, Toru was no longer beside me.

Toru had silently closed in on the goblins, following the flying slash.

Before the goblins could even scream, the flying slash cut the first one in two.

The slash’s power didn’t dwindle as it continued to attack the gathered goblins.

“Three escaped, I suppose.”

I saw that eight goblins, including the high goblin, had been cut in two and killed by the flying slash. The remaining three seemed to have sensed something was amiss and avoided it.

But it’s already too late.

Without warning, Goblin’s head was smashed by Tra’s silent and swift punch. Even from a distance, it was clear that Goblin’s head had been blown away.

Tra’s arms were as thick as logs, but what kind of strength was needed to blow someone’s head off like that? Before I could even wonder, another Goblin appeared.

By the time High Goblin confirmed Tra’s identity, Tra’s kick had already landed, and its upper body had flown off. It was clear that the force was too great.

“If you get hit by Tra, you’ll die.”

“Don’t spoil your mood, Master.”

“For now, let’s have one drink tonight.”

The battle against the Goblins ended in an instant, literally.

For opponents like these, it wasn’t even necessary for us to show up.

It was all to atone for Tra’s sin. Let’s regroup for now.

I sheathed Durandal and rushed to Tra’s side, checking on the Goblins’ lives.

“What happened?”

The sound of a bird chirping, “Chun-chun,” could be heard. It was already morning.

In the bed, besides me, was Tra’s figure.

After receiving the request, we drank together at the inn to celebrate. I didn’t get drunk due to my physique (cheat), so I didn’t do anything reckless. However, Tra got drunk.

In a drunken state, Tra attacked me.

I resisted, but the difference in physical strength was too great, and I was overpowered. I was eaten.

It wasn’t until the middle of it that I realized Tra was a woman.

She, or rather, he was a literal carnivorous woman.