We cycled through several rotations to take breaks, and while the wounded received treatment, the fighting raged on. Eventually, once the number of fallen goblins exceeded two thousand, the onslaught finally ceased.
Thanks to the tireless efforts of the recovery mages and the heal slimes, there were no significant casualties among the adventurers. However, the ground across the trench was so thick with goblin corpses that there wasn't a single clear spot to set foot.
Suddenly, four men appeared through the use of Space Magic. It was Raypin, Asagi, Gordon, and Cher. Everyone except for Raypin, the mage, was drenched in blood.
"Is everyone well!?"
"Forgive us! Our reinforcements were delayed. What is the status here?"
"Looks like you're holding up fine? Man, the body count here is incredible too."
"Raypin-san, Asagi-san, Gordon-san, Cher-kun... you all came for us?"
"Oh! Ryoma, are you unharmed!?"
"Looks like you did quite a number on them yourself, didn't you? You're covered in gore."
"We aren't exactly ones to talk, though."
"True. But honestly, what is with these numbers? More than two thousand came this way. From the looks of it, there were quite a few on your end as well..."
"Indeed. That is something that must be explained."
"Excuse me, who is the commander here? We need a report on the situation."
"That would be me!" Prolia-san shouted, rushing toward the four men to explain everything that had happened.
"I see. So that was the case."
"Yes. We were only able to endure because Ryoma-kun and his slimes were here. If not for them, our unit would have been annihilated."
"With numbers such as these... it is a miracle that everyone survived nearly unscathed."
"In any case, I am glad everyone is safe."
"Um, what happened to the main unit?" I asked.
"For the time being, the situation has been brought under control. However..."
"No one was killed, but the damage was heavy," Gordon continued. "We couldn't tell from the scouting, but the horde was much larger than we expected. There was a Goblin King in there, and he had a swarm of Goblin Knights as his retinue."
"A Goblin King was there!?" Prolia-san cried out, and a wave of murmurs rippled through the surrounding crowd.
"Listen up, everyone! The Goblin King has already been dealt with, so you can stop your fretting!" Gordon’s declaration calmed the crowd slightly, and a moment later, a cheer went up. While the celebration continued, the leaders went back to their explanation.
"We planned the operation based on the maps of the abandoned mine, but it seems those goblins dug their own tunnels to expand the village. The areas the scouting unit couldn't reach, even with Detection Magic, were actually connected to separate mine shafts through unmapped passages.
What we thought was the entire goblin village was only a fraction of the whole. They had simply overflowed from their nest as the pack grew too large. The actual village and the boss were further beyond the known shafts, and we only realized this after the attack had already begun. By then, many goblins had escaped through other tunnels, resulting in the massive surge that flooded this area. This was a failure on our part. We apologize."
"So that's what happened... Well, none of us were seriously injured, so we have no complaints. But how did a village of that scale go unnoticed until now?"
"They likely fed on other monsters nesting in the tunnels and didn't approach the city, which allowed the pack to grow that large without being found," Raypin explained. "We found a massive amount of bones from small rats and cave bats inside the nest. Furthermore, it seems no one has approached this mine since last year..."
"The bureaucrats at the Town Office were negligent in their management. Since it no longer produces iron, the management costs for this mine were seen as nothing more than a waste of money. However..." Raypin looked around at the weary adventurers. "It truly is a relief that everyone is safe after facing such a horde. If there are no urgent issues here, could I take a few people who can use Healing Magic? I would like to request assistance for the wounded at the main unit's location."
"I understand," Prolia-san said. "If you have mana left and can use Healing Magic, please step forward!"
Including myself, four people answered the call.
"Hmm... apologies, but the limit of my Space Magic is three people at a time. I must ask one person to find their own way there."
"In that case, I'll stay behind," I offered. "I've recently learned Space Magic myself, so I'll follow you shortly."
"That is good to hear."
"Ah, Raypin-san. Is it alright if your load increases just a little bit?"
"As long as it is not too bulky, it shouldn't be a problem."
I called over two heal slimes. "Then please take these two slimes with you. I can only teleport myself for now."
"I see. But what are these creatures?"
"Heal slimes. They're slimes that can use Healing Magic."
"Ooh! So these are heal slimes! I have been researching monsters for a long time, but this is my first time seeing them in the flesh. Very well, I shall take responsibility for these two. Warp."
"I'm counting on you."
"Umu. We shall wait for you on the other side."
With those words, Raypin-san teleported away with the three others. I turned to say my goodbyes to Prolia-san.
"Prolia-san, I'm leaving the rest of the slimes here for now. You don't need to do anything with them; they'll be fine on their own."
"Understood. Good luck over there."
"Yes. Now then... Teleport."
I repeated short-range teleportations to reach a spot out of sight, then used the intermediate-level Warp.
At the destination, many people were lying wounded, receiving treatment.
"Ryoma! Over here!" Raypin-san called out. I ran over, took back my two heal slimes, and was guided to the head healer for instructions.
The two heal slimes and I were first tasked with treating those with relatively minor injuries. These patients were conscious and were quite surprised every time the slimes cast magic on them.
As soon as we finished with the lightly injured, we were immediately reassigned to assist with the critical cases. Since my mana was starting to run low, I drank one of the mana recovery potions I had received from Serge-san while I continued to work.
There were only a few people with truly life-threatening injuries, but those few were losing so much blood that they were only being kept alive by multiple healers repeatedly casting High Heal, an intermediate spell. My slimes and I couldn't cast anything that powerful, but we joined in because even basic treatment helped stabilize them. I also distributed some of my mana recovery potions to the other healers.
Every second counted. If we stopped the magic, the person in front of us would slip closer to death. It was every bit as intense as the battlefield where weapons were swung. I had no time for any other thoughts.
"What!?"
As I worked in silence, the group treating a different patient nearby suddenly cried out in shock.
"What's wrong!? Do you need more help!?" the healer working with me shouted.
"N-No! Everything is fine! It's just that the slime assisting us here suddenly started using High Heal!"
What!? My heal slimes!? They were only supposed to know basic Heal. They had never used anything else before now...
The man next to me shot me a look, asking with his eyes if my slimes could really use High Heal. I immediately shook my head.
"I think they just learned it or became able to use it just now. I've never seen them do that before."
"Well, we'll take any extra help we can get!"
With that, we returned to the work. A short while later, I heard that the other heal slime had also started using High Heal. It was an unexpected development, but a welcome one.
Regardless of how it happened, the efficiency of our treatment skyrocketed. Combined with the massive supply of mana recovery potions I pulled from my Item Box, we somehow managed to save them. It would take time for the patients to fully recover, but their lives were no longer in danger.
Once the crisis had passed, I checked the heal slimes' skills and found that their Healing Magic had reached level 3. While I was at it, I checked my own status board and saw that mine had risen to level 2 as well.
Suddenly, I was surrounded by more than ten people who thanked me profusely. They were the comrades of the people we had just saved. They spoke through tears, telling me their friends would have died if not for the slimes, my treatment, and the potions.
I was struggling to handle the social pressure when the Guild Master arrived. He assigned me as a messenger for the ambush unit, giving me an excuse to escape the scene. The message was simple: everyone was to gather at the mine entrance.
Thank you! I shouted in my head, mentally bowing to the Guild Master as I hurried back to the ambush site.
As the adventurers gathered in front of the mine entrance, the Guild Master appeared.
"Good work, everyone! Today turned into an unexpectedly massive job, but the rewards will be adjusted accordingly!"
A massive cheer broke out.
"Everyone will be paid at least one large silver coin for their efforts today!"
The cheers intensified, especially among the F and G-Rank adventurers. One large silver coin was worth 5,000 Suut—enough to cover living expenses for fifty days. This was likely the largest reward many of them had ever seen.
"No one's got a complaint about that, right? Good! It's still early, but we'll call it a day once we finish cleaning up the goblin corpses!"
The Guild Master then looked at me as if remembering something. "That's right, Ryoma!"
"What is it?"
"I know you've been buying up monster corpses, but you can take the goblins for free."
"I'd be happy to take them, but are you sure?"
"Goblins don't have any parts that sell. Everyone else is fine with it, right?"
Many of the surrounding adventurers were surprised to learn I was "buying" corpses, but no one voiced any opposition. Some even said it was a relief because it saved them the work. Usually, they had to incinerate the bodies, and the fire mages hated being asked for more magic when they were already exhausted.
"In that case, I will gladly accept them. I'll let my slimes eat their fill as a reward."
However, it felt wrong to just take them. I decided I would offer the Cleaner Slime Bath service to anyone who wanted it later.
The adventurers returned to their posts, and I went back to the ambush site. I collected the acid slimes that had been absorbing acid, tossed the goblin corpses into the pits, and then put the sticky and poison slimes into the trench to let them feast. By doing this, the poison slimes would pick out and eat the poison-tainted goblins, while the sticky slimes ate the rest.
I instructed the scavengers to clean up the blood and meat scraps left on the ground. As they worked, every trace of the battle vanished.
If this were used to destroy evidence of a crime, it would be the ultimate tool... I certainly wouldn't want this falling into the hands of a villain. Well, I have no intention of giving it to anyone anyway.
Now, time for one more task.
While the slimes were busy eating, I explained the cleaner slimes' abilities to the E, F, and G-Rank adventurers I had worked with and demonstrated the effect on myself. When the dirt and stench disappeared from my body, equipment, and clothes, I was immediately swamped with volunteers. Actually, everyone wanted a turn.
After cleaning everyone with eleven cleaner slimes, I waited for the slimes in the trench to finish their meal before heading to the goblin nest where the main unit had fought.
There, I disposed of the gathered goblin corpses and cleaned the people who had been tasked with hauling them. I had the scavengers clean up the filth inside the nest as well.
Just as before, the service was a huge hit. Goblin blood and fluids have a notoriously stubborn odor, so the Cleaner Slime Bath was praised by everyone.
Once the cleanup was finished, we were dismissed. The adventurers began heading home on shared carriages. I watched them go while resting with my slimes a short distance away.
After eating the goblins today, the poison slimes, acid slimes, and cleaner slimes were all ready to divide. However, I didn't have the mana left for the Taming Contracts, so I had to wait for it to recover.
To speed up that recovery, I decided not to fight for a spot on the first carriages. I would wait for the last one and head home in peace.
Ever since I joined the medical effort, it felt like time had simply vanished... I'm more tired than I thought.