The operation to subjugate the Goblin settlement was set in motion immediately.
For Zozo, it was a request from Rei—which meant refusing was never an option. The other Lizardmen, fundamentally fond of combat, had no reason to reject the proposal either.
...Gaga was the sole exception, setting one condition: Rei had to hold another mock battle with him at a later date.
The strike force consisted of Rei, Set, most of the Lizardmen, about half the adventurers... and the Water Wolf.
When Rei first explained that the Water Wolf would be leaving the lake to join the assault on the Goblin settlement, some of the adventurers questioned whether that was really wise.
But seeing the Water Wolf strolling along normally even after putting distance between itself and the lake, they figured it would probably be fine.
The Water Rope connecting the Water Wolf to the lake, however, remained a source of concern for everyone.
"Hey, Rei. It's really gonna be okay, right?" one of the adventurers asked, his tone hesitant.
Since Rei was acting so nonchalant about it, it was probably fine. At least, that was the consensus—but one look at the Water Rope made the worry inevitable all the same.
That said, even Rei wasn't entirely confident things would be fine.
As for the Water Wolf itself, it had made clear through its demeanor that it saw no problem, which was why he had brought it along. Honestly, Rei would have preferred not to bring it at all.
To Rei and the others, Goblin meat was foul-tasting and stank to high heaven. To the Water Wolf, however, that same meat was apparently quite delicious—and it was tagging along on their Goblin extermination to get its fill.
There might have been other reasons besides the meat, but from what Rei could tell, the Goblin meat was the primary motivation.
(When you go fishing, using bait with a strong smell makes it easier to catch fish... but is it even okay to compare fish and the Water Wolf?)
Rei mulled this over as he watched the Water Wolf scanning its surroundings from a short distance away.
Besides, if the Water Wolf merely wanted to eat Goblin meat and would be useless in a fight, Rei could have simply objected to it coming along.
"Awooo!"
Without warning, the Water Wolf let out a howl and charged into a nearby bush.
From within the foliage came the noisy chatter of panicked creatures.
Goblins.
Rei had already sensed their presence hiding in the bush. And it wasn't just him—every adventurer and most of the Lizardmen had picked up on it too.
The reason none of them had bothered with the bush was that they could tell the Goblins were visibly terrified.
Rei and the others figured they could leave those ones alone. While the goal today was to reduce the Goblin population as much as possible, nobody actually believed they could wipe out every last one. With that in mind, prioritizing the settlement's annihilation made far more sense.
At least, that was the plan. The Water Wolf, however, clearly couldn't have cared less about such reasoning. If there was tasty Goblin meat to be had, it was going to eat it—and that was exactly why it had launched itself into the bush.
"Whoa... it's really scarfing down that Goblin meat like it's a delicacy," one of the adventurers beside Rei muttered, watching the Water Wolf return.
Since the Water Wolf's body was made of water, its insides were plainly visible from the outside. In other words, the Goblin corpses currently lodged within it were on full display—corpses that were now being rapidly digested before their eyes.
Seeing the Water Wolf narrow its eyes in satisfaction, not only the adventurer who had cried out but many of the others wore fresh expressions of astonishment. They had already known the Water Wolf had a taste for Goblins and had even watched it eat them before. But knowing the taste of Goblin meat themselves, they still couldn't fathom how anything could devour it so eagerly.
"Come on, Water Wolf, that's enough for now. We're heading to the Goblin settlement, and it'd be a problem if you stuffed yourself here."
"Woof!"
The Water Wolf barked in response, but what it actually meant, even Rei couldn't say. Still, judging from its demeanor, it seemed to be saying there was no issue.
(Well, the Water Wolf isn't exactly our ally, so I guess it's fine. We're just traveling together.)
The Water Wolf was accompanying them for one reason alone: to eat Goblins. Given that, Rei had no intention of interfering with whatever it wanted to do.
If it had been getting in the way, that would have been another matter entirely. But its actions were strictly focused on killing Goblins—which posed no disadvantage to Rei's group.
"Alright then, let's move out."
After one last glance at the Water Wolf, Rei addressed the group.
Many of the Lizardmen couldn't understand his words, but they read his demeanor and resumed the march.
"Rei, how much farther to the settlement?"
"Hmm... it was quick enough when I flew there on Set, but on foot? Hard to say. All things considered, I'd say it'll take a fair amount of time."
The time gap that came with relying on Set for transport was a significant drawback—and one Rei felt acutely.
"That far, huh... Walking through the Treant Forest for hours just to deal with Goblins isn't exactly my idea of fun."
Rei understood the adventurer's sentiment perfectly. He felt the same way.
But that didn't change what needed to be done.
"Think about the Goblins that attacked the campsite. You know it's better to crush their settlement here, right?"
"I know that. But let me complain a little, at least."
Skilled adventurers like them rarely took on requests as mundane as Goblin extermination. Subjugating more powerful monsters, certainly—but Goblins? That was beneath their rank.
The others, to varying degrees, had let their guard down as well. Whether one called it carelessness, composure, or simply relaxation depended on the individual. To Rei, it looked more like composure.
If the group had been fresh-faced recruits, that would have been a different story. But every person here was an adventurer the Guild trusted. They should be able to handle a Goblin settlement without breaking a sweat.
Of course, if someone committed an egregious blunder, all bets were off.
They walked for several more hours. Along the way, the Water Wolf made a few more detours to kill and consume Goblins it detected hiding nearby. Naturally, no one else in the group had any desire to join it in those meals.
When it was about time for lunch, Rei pulled food from his Misty Ring and distributed it to the group. Once they had finished eating, they set off again.
And then...
"Finally here, huh."
They had arrived—but though the settlement was visible, it still appeared quite small from this distance. Even so, having the goal in sight made a noticeable difference in everyone's motivation.
(Then again, it was quite a trek even at our pace. Those Goblins that attacked the campsite really came all this way... Even if their raid had succeeded, hauling food and loot back this far would have been a serious struggle.)
If they had attacked with the intent of securing food and supplies, carrying the haul back to the settlement would have been no easy task. Goblins were small to begin with—smaller than even Rei, who was himself below average height in this world.
What's more, Rei's body had been built through the Zephyle Clan's technology, granting him strength far beyond what his appearance suggested. Goblins, by contrast, could only be described as feeble. Even if they managed to steal food, weapons, or other goods from the campsite, hauling everything across a distance that felt long even at their pace would have been nearly impossible.
(Do Goblins even have the intelligence to plan around carrying off stolen food and supplies? Well, if there were High-ranking Species or Rare Species among them, it might be a different story. But apparently, there weren't any of those in the group that attacked the campsite.)
If that was the case, Rei reasoned, they likely hadn't planned the raid at all. More probably, they had been scouring the Treant Forest for anything useful, stumbled upon the campsite by chance, and attacked on impulse.
When Rei and Set had escorted Anastasia and Fana to the underground space where the Wisp resided, they had encountered large numbers of Goblins along the way. Given that, it wouldn't be surprising at all for Goblins to have found the campsite by accident.
"Rei? What's on your mind?"
"Just thinking—I didn't expect the walk to the settlement to take this long. Which means the Goblins that hit the campsite probably weren't acting on a plan. They just stumbled across it and attacked."
"Ah, makes sense. That's probably right. Anyway, first things first: we annihilate this settlement. Like the ones we ran into on the way here, there are probably plenty of Goblins wandering around outside the settlement too. But there's nothing we can do about that."
Another adventurer nodded in agreement.
"Yeah. If you really wanted to wipe them all out, you'd have to come back at night."
"But that comes with its own set of problems. Well, if you're willing to trek all the way out here in the dark, be my guest."
In Rei's case, if push came to shove, he could always manage on Set. The others, however, couldn't fly—meaning they'd have to walk or use the Set Basket.
(Wait... if we'd used the Set Basket, couldn't we have just attacked at night?)
The thought occurred to him belatedly. But he reconsidered—the Birth Tower's guards would need to be more vigilant at night than during the day—and let it go.
"Either way, wiping out every last Goblin is impossible. Destroying the settlement should be enough. Once it's gone, they'll lose their gathering place and scatter."
Everyone nodded at Rei's words. Even the Water Wolf appeared to nod, as if it understood.
For the Water Wolf, as long as it could eat Goblins, that was probably all that mattered.
(Come to think of it... the Water Rope is still intact.)
He studied the nodding Water Wolf and noted this with quiet relief.
The Water Rope was supposed to connect to the lake that had teleported near the Birth Tower. Even here, at a considerable distance from that lake, it showed no sign of fraying or thinning.
Given everything it could have snagged on—tree branches, curious animals, or monsters that might have bitten or clawed at it on the journey here—that was remarkable.
(It's a Water Rope tying the Water Wolf to the lake. It must have some kind of special property.)
Half-persuading himself of this, Rei turned to the group and issued his orders.
"Alright, spread out and form a perimeter around the settlement."
Normally, vague instructions like that wouldn't go over well. But everyone here was a seasoned adventurer, more than capable of dispatching a handful of Goblins without breaking a sweat. Even with a casual order like this, annihilating the settlement would be no problem.
Unless, of course, someone committed an outright disaster.
(Why am I the one giving orders, anyway?)
He couldn't help but wonder. But then again, he was the one who had found the settlement, the one who had proposed destroying it, and the strongest person at the campsite. He also happened to be an Alias Holder whose name—Crimson—echoed across the surrounding nations. Given all that, it was only natural for the knight to designate him as the one in charge.
That said, by age alone, he was still undeniably young.
It had been several years since Rei arrived in Gilm, and his height hadn't changed at all—something many people had noticed. But in a world full of diverse demi-humans, they simply accepted that he must have some special circumstance. And since he had been raised as the disciple of a man who called magic "sorcery," it was easy enough to assume there was more to his story than met the eye.
Of course, the fact that the frontier drew adventurers of all kinds probably had something to do with that general tolerance as well.
"Alright, the enemy is Goblins. Let's wrap this up quickly and head back to the campsite. If we're late, we'll miss dinner."
At Rei's lighthearted words, everyone broke into smiles—even the Lizardmen, after Zozo relayed the quip in translation.