Chapter 69

"Master Naresu, we're saved!"

Baron Oliver couldn't help but exclaim. He seemed to be on edge, but from Naresu's perspective, his legs were already wobbling. It must have been a tough opponent.

"Lord Oliver, I'm late. Please leave the rest to me."

With that, Naresu stepped forward to shield Baron Oliver and Sir Felicia. The remaining Goblin Slayer readied the spear he had taken from Baron Oliver. Though his grip was more like that of a club rather than a proper spear, it was clear from the way Baron Oliver and the others were behaving that they couldn't afford to be careless.

"Ha ha ha!"

The Goblin Slayer stared intently at Naresu and slammed the tip of his spear into the ground with all his might. Soil flew up and hit Naresu's face, causing him to instinctively shield his face with his left arm. Seeing this, the Goblin Slayer pulled back the spear in his hand and swung it widely.

"Ha!" <Wave> Blunt Weapon Combat --- All-Around Attack Skill

"I won't lose!"

Naresu raised his sword to match the swinging spear. He met the Goblin Slayer's wildly swung spear with a two-handed grip on his sword.

Crack!

The spear in the Goblin Slayer's hand bent and broke where it intersected with Naresu's sword. The shock must have been immense to cause such a reinforced spear to bend like that. The Goblin Slayer discarded the broken spear and immediately thrust out his palm as if to grab something from the air. Naresu feinted to the right, then changed his angle and slid to the left. Taking advantage of the Goblin Slayer's confusion from the feint, Naresu switched his sword to his left hand and slashed at the Goblin Slayer's back.

<Hidden Blade> Straight Sword Combat --- Attack from the opponent's blind spot

Naresu's sword cut deeply into the Goblin Slayer's back, from the shoulder down.

"Ugh ha ha ha!"

The Goblin Slayer let out a scream. Naresu sidestepped, twisted his body, and kicked the Goblin Slayer from the front, sending him flying backward.

"Finish him!"

Naresu stepped forward, his right hand on the hilt of his sword, and brought it down with all his might. Naresu's straight sword cut deep into the Goblin Slayer's shoulder and down to the middle of his torso.

"Ugh a a a a a!"

The Goblin Slayer fell backward, spraying blood. Baron Oliver, Sir Felicia, and the other knights were shocked by Naresu's display of strength, their eyes wide open.

"The Great Hobgoblin is dead!" "Oh yeah!"

The retainers cheered. Naresu raised his straight sword in his right hand in response. The goblins, who had been fighting, suddenly let out a cry and began to flee.

"Don't pursue them."

Baron Oliver gave the calm order. The knights and retainers began to clear out the goblins who had invaded the camp. The church members and adventurers who had been guarding them also helped, tending to the wounded, repairing the camp, and disposing of the goblin corpses. Wald and Emerson finally appeared, but the knights' reaction was cold.

"Good job, Master Naresu."

Al approached Naresu and patted his shoulder. Sir Radyard and Sigmund, who were standing nearby, also looked pleased.

"This is a great achievement. I thought the Kilolizardman alone would be enough, but this happened right in front of the other knights and retainers. Lord Oliver will have to recognize Master Naresu. I'm proud of you."

"I might have overdone it a bit. Al, take a look at this."

Naresu showed Al his straight sword. The blade was warped from the hilt and wouldn't fit back into the scabbard.

"Is this the effect of the Physical Enhancement spell? I didn't expect it to be this bad..."

"Yeah, I swung it with all my might and it ended up like this."

Sigmund let out a sigh of admiration, and Naresu shook his head in disbelief, a broad smile on his face.

"Hmm, the bodies of the Goblin Slayer and the Goblin Mage will likely be transported to Lester for investigation, and we'll have to report about this sword and the Physical Enhancement spell."

Al looked worried at Sir Radyard's words. He had intended to stay out of the spotlight and had a goal of learning a flight spell with the reward from this mission. He didn't want to be sidetracked by other matters.

"Right, not just the Physical Enhancement spell, but the use of the Floating Eye spell for reconnaissance, the spell to improve night vision, and the use of the Light spell. Everything Al did on this expedition was revolutionary. We need to consider how much to report. But to use these for the Order of Knights, many mages will need to be able to do the same. I'm concerned about what Master Eric is researching."

From Naresu's perspective, the use of these spells could potentially be military secrets. However, Al had something else on his mind. The collar the Goblin Mage had been wearing, which was with the Kilolizardman, was very similar to the crystal where his assistant Grey resided. If it was the same, it could be very valuable.

"Hmm, I don't understand the Order of Knights stuff. Let's just try to avoid any trouble. By the way, can I go check around a bit?"

Naresu smiled and nodded, and Al waved and left the camp.

-----

The body of the Goblin Mage was quickly found, and there was no sign of the lizardman nearby. Al approached the body and dispelled the concealment spell. He tentatively touched the Goblin Mage's collar.

"Ha ha ha ha"

A voice sounded in his ear, similar to Malaki and Grey, but the words were the same as the barbarians.

"Al, I can't understand him..."

Grey's voice was heard.

Al was very disappointed and sighed deeply.

"Is it a barbarian assistant? Do you know anything?"

"I don't know anything... Maybe Malaki knows something?"

I might as well take it back... Al removed the collar from the Goblin Mage's body and threw it into a leather bag for loot.

"Does he have anything else?"

Al decided to use the magic detection spell since he was there. If the Goblin Mage and the Kilolizardman were smart enough to command this operation, they might have something. Sure enough, a worn metal button on the Goblin Mage's tattered clothes glowed blue-white.

Is it a magical item? Al cautiously touched the button, but nothing happened. It might just be out of magic power. He couldn't tell if it had any value, but he decided to take it back and investigate.

Al used the concealment spell again to hide himself. He made a detour to check the body of the Kilolizardman, but it was a complete waste of time. Still, he had obtained two magical items. As he returned to the camp, Al thought about how to investigate them.

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