Volume 3 Chapter 11 A Crisis Closer Than A Distant Threat, But...
"Yukina-sama, I apologize, but please explain. I can't quite grasp the situation."
"Oh, sorry. I was getting a bit too anxious."
I explain to Mikage, who hurriedly follows behind me.
"Are goblins really such formidable opponents?"
"For mercenaries, they certainly are. But for villagers, goblins are much more troublesome than dragons or giant mantises."
From a common-sense perspective, dangerous monsters like dragons wouldn't settle near villages. Therefore, for villagers, those monsters are nothing more than distant threats.
"But goblins can be found anywhere and build their nests anywhere. And you know where those nests tend to be? Near places where people live. Do you know why?"
"No, I don't."
Yeah, I don't think a diligent person studying goblin ecology would become a mercenary.
"They rely on hunting for their livelihood. But at the same time, they're also raiders. That's why I know. They think that attacking human settlements is the quickest way to make their own lives the most prosperous."
"──No way"
Finally, it seems like my sense of danger has also been conveyed to Mikage."
"It's not like a nest just happened to form near the village. They made the nest there because the village is near the cave."
"So, the cave is... a base for attacking the village?"
Actually, goblins don't often form 'groups'. Even when they do, it's usually just a small number. That's because goblins primarily hunt wild animals and plants for their survival. In a hunting lifestyle, there are limitations on the food supply that can sustain a large group.
Goblins build nests because they have a chance of sustaining large groups.
This is a human settlement with few means of self-defense. Goblins build nests in order to plunder the abundant food that is already available.
"Um... well, even so, when it comes to goblins..."
"Yeah, true, if you're dealing with a single goblin, even an amateur with some skills can take it down. But when it's a group battle, they're far more experienced than amateurs."
"Oh!"
Goblins never move alone. Because they know that they're weak. That's why they always work with other friends and devise strategies based on their lack of intelligence.
If it's just a group of two or three, that's one thing, but what if it becomes a group of more than ten? And especially if they're strategizing.
Goblins are weak. That's why they attack their prey only after they have calculated how to accomplish the task.
"If a nest is built near a village, that village is in danger. Did you get what I wanted to say?"
"Yes, somehow. ...But, Yukina-sama, how do you know so much about goblin ecology? No, I know that Yukina-sama used to be a farmer."
"This is a fairly well-known story for a rural village.
Actually, there was a time when goblins made a nest near my hometown. At first, they were not taken seriously, but when they started causing significant damage to crops and livestock, the local vigilante decided to go goblin hunting.
And lucky or unlucky for us, they found the "nest." And boy, goblins just kept coming out of there. We initially thought there would be around ten of them, but there were more than double that number living there.
If it weren't for Relix, who was a leader in the vigilante, I'm sure some of them would have died. Relix managed to rally everyone despite the overwhelming number of goblins and led uthen brilliantly.
By the way, I was also part of that vigilante. I probably defeated goblins right after Relix, but his heroic actions overshadowed my presence. Well, I guess that's what happens when you're just a guy with a spear.
I've heard stories about a village being wiped out by a group of goblins that attacked them after a Traveling Merchant arrived. Maybe it's just a common tale, but I don't want to become another example of a "common" story.
"But in this area, the security is relatively good, and if the nearby village needs mercenaries, they can come within a day or so. That's why they might not be familiar with this kind of situation."
"The same goes for the incident of the Monster Rampage (Stampede). They are quick to notice 'abnormal situations,' but they are too insensitive to 'common crises.' By the time they realize it, the situation has escalated into an unimaginable crisis."
That's why we must hurry.
In the worst-case scenario, the village that made the request could be engulfed in a 'common tragedy.'
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