My name is Gol.
I want to be the kind of man who meets even the most impossible demands with a smile. Or at least, that is what I’ve been aspiring to lately.
In reality, however, things are rarely that simple. I ended up meeting the current situation with nothing more than a strained, awkward grin.
But I couldn't let myself panic. I had to stay calm and think things through.
...
"Since when have the monkeys been in this area?" I asked.
"We’ve seen them in the forest for several years now," the village representative replied. "But this is the first year they’ve started laying hands on our fields."
I see.
The representative had mentioned that this year’s harvest was a total loss. I wondered if the village would actually survive.
"We can manage to scrape by on hunting and what we can gather from the forest," he explained.
Hunting and gathering, huh? Was there a chance the monkeys’ way of life had been pressured by the village’s own foraging?
"I don’t believe so," the representative said. "There are still plenty of gathering spots left near the village, and the prey we hunt would be considered natural enemies to the monkeys anyway."
On the contrary, it was more likely that the monkeys’ lives had become too comfortable. Perhaps their population had boomed because they were thriving, and now their numbers had outstripped the forest's natural food supply, driving them to raid the fields.
No, if that were the case, it would be strange for there to still be untouched gathering spots near the village. Had the villagers done anything to provoke the monkeys before the raids started?
"We’d try to intimidate them if they got too close to the village or the fields, but we never initiated any actual attacks."
That made sense.
Hmm.
Regardless, I decided I needed to see these monkeys for myself. They seemed remarkably clever; if I didn't show any hostility, they probably wouldn't attack. At least, that was my assessment.
I left Enderi and Kirisana in the village and headed into the forest alone.
I was greeted by a phalanx of monkeys.
...
I beat a hasty retreat.
Those monkeys were armed!
"I suspect they stole that gear from the Lord’s soldiers," the representative admitted once I returned.
I figured as much! And could you please lead with that kind of information next time?
"M-My deepest apologies."
"Just make sure you’re thorough from now on!" I sighed.
Phew. Stay calm, Gol. Stay calm.
Let’s see. The monkeys' armor didn't fit them properly, and they didn't have enough shields or spears for every individual, but the phalanx itself was rock-solid. Had they learned that from watching Baron Gima’s troops? Even if it was just mimicry, it was impressive.
Worse, it looked like there was no room for negotiation. Actually, 'no room' was an understatement. I had barely set foot in the forest before receiving that heavy-handed welcome.
One might wonder why I was even considering negotiating with monkeys, but the Village Head always treats every animal with courtesy and eventually wins them over. I thought that since these monkeys were clearly intelligent, I might be able to talk it out, but... hmmm.
"Gol-sama, the sun is setting. We should prepare for the night."
"The villagers have offered us a place to stay," Kirisana added.
I nodded at my wives' suggestions. For now, I would focus on gathering information within the village. I didn't think the representative was lying, but sometimes a change in perspective can reveal new truths.
Oh, but before that.
"Representative, do the monkeys ever enter the village itself?"
"They’ve tried a few times, but they haven’t managed to get past us yet."
Well, that was a relief. It meant our sleep likely wouldn't be interrupted.
That night.
"How was it, Gol-sama?"
"Did you find out anything new?"
Inside the small hut prepared for us, Enderi and Kirisana voiced their concerns.
"No new information yet. I’ll have to head back into the forest tomorrow to observe them properly."
"Observation?"
"Yeah. The goal is to 'discipline' them, but first I need to understand the target's ecology."
"That is true," Kirisana agreed.
I also had to figure out why they started raiding the fields in the first place. Even if I dealt with this troop, another might just move in and do the same thing if the underlying cause wasn't addressed.
"In any case, this doesn't look like it will be over quickly."
"Which means we need to keep a close eye on our food supplies," Enderi noted.
Since the village had asked us for help, it felt wrong to demand they feed us too, so we had brought our own rations. However, the three of us only had enough for about five days. Uncle Beezel was supposed to check on us in three days, so we should be fine, but... I had to account for the possibility that he might be delayed.
I decided that while I focused on observing the monkeys, I would ask Enderi and Kirisana to handle the foraging in the forest. To make things easier for travel, both of them had swapped their usual noble dresses for adventurer’s trousers—though they kept their signature golden curls.
"For now, Gol-sama, we’ll leave it to you for a few days," Enderi said. "But if we don't see any progress, please consider calling for reinforcements."
I nodded. While I wanted to handle this myself, I wasn't going to be reckless. I understood that much.
The real problem was who to even call for.
The opponents were monkeys. The first person who came to mind was the Village Head, but he was currently swamped with the autumn harvest and the upcoming martial arts tournament. I couldn't possibly bother him.
Sil and Bron were tied up with negotiating and verifying spy reports sent over by the Village Head. If they had been free to come, they would have been here from the start.
Alfred-sama and Tiselle-sama... didn't seem like the right fit for this. Urza could probably handle it, but she was busy acting as the guardian for the other two in the Royal Capital.
What about the Demon King? If he were available, I wouldn't have been sent here in his place.
If I could just borrow one of Kuro’s wolves from the village... No, that was a bad idea. It would probably just escalate the chaos.
Since Raimeiren-san’s nest was nearby, I considered asking her, but immediately shot the idea down. No matter how you looked at it, she was Instructor Hakuren’s mother. She had a personality that involved simply trampling over anything she found troublesome. There was a very real chance she would solve the problem by obliterating the monkeys and the entire goblin village along with them.
If I could get Hiichiro-sama to ask her, she might be more restrained, but she would be furious at the idea of Hiichiro-sama being used like that. That was a disastrous move.
I could ask Instructor Hakuren to help, but she was busy caring for the new baby. I didn't want to burden her. And naturally, asking her to come here in person was out of the question.
So... who was left?
Rusty-san had just given birth. Reports said Draim-san was completely obsessed with the new grandchild. No help there. Yoko-san couldn't leave Village Five... Should I stop looking at the Great Tree and look toward the Royal Capital or Shashato City instead?
"Um, Gol-sama?"
Kirisana was looking at me with a worried expression.
Ah, sorry. I was just debating who we could call as reinforcements.
"I see. You went quiet so suddenly, I was concerned."
"My apologies."
"Don't worry about it. But regarding reinforcements, couldn't you just ask the local nobles here on the Southern Continent? You were granted a fair amount of authority for this mission, after all."
It was true. Before I was teleported here, I had been given a significant amount of official power. However, I’d also been warned to use it wisely. Specifically, I had a bit of a prickly history with the influential Marquis Glitch.
"Think of it this way," Enderi suggested as she prepared our meal. "By reaching out now, you might be able to finally clear the air and settle that old grudge with the Marquis."
I thanked her for the food. I’d eat, then get some rest for tomorrow.
"Of course."
Late that night.
The villagers had said the monkeys never entered the village, but we decided to take shifts on watch just in case. We weren't patrolling outside; we were simply staying awake inside our hut.
I would sleep first while Enderi and Kirisana took the first watch. I told them they didn't have to stay silent for my sake, though they should keep their voices down since it was late. As I drifted off, I reflected that I probably should have hired some professional adventurers just to handle the night watch.
Then, I was jolted awake.
It was Kirisana’s voice.
"Enderi’s been taken! The monkeys carried her off!"
...
What?