Volume 5, Chapter 38 – Chris’s Mobile Unit

◆ Christina POV ◆

Lumia and I entered the northwestern forest, after being seen off by Fiene-sama and Shizuku-dono.

While I was happy that Fiene-sama cared for me that much, I also felt a complicated mix of emotions, as it seemed like my own abilities were being underestimated.

“Chris-san, let’s wipe out those pests quickly and go eat something delicious!”

“Right. I’ve heard the main Goblin force is to the south, so we likely won’t encounter a Goblin Lord, but we will certainly end up fighting Higher Species like Hobgoblins, Mages, and Archers. Do not let your guard down for a second.”

“Yeees. But the forest is like my own backyard, so I’m sure it’ll be fine!”

“Lumia, that is exactly what ‘letting your guard down’ means.”

“Hmph.”

I cautioned Lumia, but she looked somewhat dissatisfied.

In practical terms, Lumia had been borrowing the help of so-called spirits since we entered the forest, and they had been guiding her to the Goblins’ locations.

Furthermore, despite being in a place where we would normally have had to take turns hacking through the underbrush, the thickets were actually parting to create a path for us.

Elves truly possess terrifying power within the forest.

“Chris-san, there are ten pests and one big pest beyond those bushes over there! Doesn’t look like there are any others!”

Having been informed by the spirits, Lumia pointed out the Goblins’ location.

“Alright. Squad One, flank left. Squad Two, flank right. Squad Three, lure them in. Squad Four, intercept and annihilate the Goblins here. Squad Five, detour and cut off their retreat.”

“”””Yes, sir!””””

The squad leaders began to move according to my instructions.

I had divided the fifty soldiers entrusted to me by General Lu Fei into squads of nine, each with a squad leader and deputy.

The remaining five were assigned as my direct subordinates to protect Lumia, who served as this unit’s sole mage.

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Incidentally, this method of dividing into small squads is the practice of the White Moon Kingdom’s knights. In the Red Sky Empire, the squad sizes were considerably larger, and I judged that such a structure was unsuitable for skirmishing missions within a forest. When I explained my reasoning, the soldiers were convinced and followed my lead.

“Gegyagyagyagya!”

Provoked by the soldiers of Squad Three, the Goblins chased them and headed our way.

Then, ten Goblins and one Hobgoblin stepped right into the kill zone.

“Fire!”

At my signal, the soldiers from each squad unleashed a volley of arrows simultaneously. Lumia also summoned Mashiro, launching Wind Blade after Wind Blade.

In an instant, the Goblins were wiped out, leaving only the Hobgoblin, riddled with arrows, glaring at us with hatred-filled eyes.

Just as it spun around to flee, the soldiers of Squad Five, who had circled around, blocked its retreat.

Panicking, the remaining Goblins scrambled about, only to be picked off one by one by the soldiers.

It was then.

“Gugoooo!”

The Hobgoblin leader let out a great roar and charged toward us.

“Ugh!”

The male soldier standing in front of me flinched at the roar and took a half-step back.

Seeing this, I immediately leaped out in front of the Hobgoblin.

Drawing Sesrumnir, I delivered a single strike that sliced clean through the Hobgoblin’s torso.

Split into upper and lower halves, the Hobgoblin rolled across the ground and stopped moving.

I turned back to the flinching soldier and spoke.

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“This is already a battlefield. Do not flinch! If you show weakness, you die!”

“Y-Yes, sir!”

“Listen up, all of you! A Hobgoblin is nothing! Do not fear! Christina, Holy Knight of the White Moon Kingdom and shield of Saint Fiene Argentata, is here with you. Defeat is impossible!”

“Uoooooh!”

“As expected of a Holy Knight!”

“That’s right! We can do this too!”

“We can’t let Captain Christina down!”

The soldiers shouted their resolve one after another.

It seemed I had succeeded in raising their morale.

After incinerating the Goblin corpses, we left the magic stones behind and pushed deeper into the forest to search for the next group.

I didn’t collect the magic stones simply because they would be a cumbersome burden.

If Fiene-sama, who possesses Storage, had been present, I might have collected them, but we were currently in the middle of an operation.

We had no room for unnecessary luggage.

◇ ◇ ◇

We repeated this process five or six times: Lumia using the power of the forest spirits to locate the Goblins, and us hunting them.

The tally of defeated Goblins consisted of seventy regular Goblins, three Hobgoblins, one Goblin Archer, and one Goblin Mage.

As the sun began to dip and I was thinking of preparing the camp, it happened.

I felt a tremendous presence and instinctively turned my gaze toward the west.

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“Captain, is something wrong?”

Wan Zhang, whom I had appointed as the leader of Squad One, asked me.

“Do you feel nothing? I sensed a terrifying presence over there.”

“Is that so? I don’t feel anything. Perhaps you’re just on edge before we make camp?”

“…I hope so.”

I glanced at Lumia. She was staring west with wide eyes. Her face looked somewhat pale, and she seemed to be trembling slightly.

“Hey, Lumia! What is it?”

“A… a ridiculously big pest is there… it says it’s dangerous, and that we have to run…”

“What? Don’t tell me a Lord has circled around to this side!?”

“Hahaha, the Captain and Lumia-dono are worrying too much. How about we go take a quick look?”

Completely lacking any sense of danger, Wan Zhang said this and walked toward the western thicket.

“Ah… no, stop!”

“Wait! Wan Zhang!”

Ignoring our warnings, Wan Zhang and three soldiers from Squad One entered the brush.

I froze for a moment at this blatant act of insubordination, but quickly chased after them.

“Gyaaaaaaa!”

However, as expected—or rather, as predicted—the screams of Wan Zhang and the soldiers rang out, followed by immediate silence.

Then, multiple footsteps, presumably from whatever had killed the four of them, began approaching our way.

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“Damn it, all units, prepare to retreat!”

“Eh!”

“The squad leader is—!”

“Enough! Prepare to retreat! Squad Five! Get out of the forest and head to town immediately! The Lord is here!”

“What!”

“Go, now! Quickly bring General Lu Fei and Fiene-sama here! If we crush this thing, we win!”

“Yes, sir! Understood!”

The leader of Squad Five bolted as if shot out of a cannon.

“Squads Two through Four, if a Lord is here, there must be many Higher Species around. Keep your distance and take out the Mages and Archers! Lumia and I will hold off the Lord while the rest of you retreat to town!”

“”””Y-Yes, sir!””””

“The rest of Squad One, go to town as well! Take a different route from Squad Five to report the situation!”

“Y-Yes, sir!”

I sent the remaining five men of Squad One back to town. This should increase the likelihood of the situation being reported.

“C-Chris-san! It’s no good! Let’s run!”

“Why are you being so timid! Even a Lord is weaker in individual power than a Deadly Scorpi! It is by no means an opponent we cannot defeat! Besides, if we show our backs, we’ll be swallowed whole!”

“Grurururu.”

Looking toward the thicket, a massive Goblin about four meters tall, its hands stained crimson—a Goblin Lord—emerged, leading a horde of Higher Species