Chapter 53

Estel's bombardment managed to take down a considerable number of the high goblins.

Still, the goblins weren't completely defeated, and they began to spread out from the thin parts of her attack, gradually advancing.

Due to the intense frontal assault, the firepower was concentrated there, and they seemed to have understood that clustering together would increase the damage from the bombardment, so they started to scatter, reducing the effectiveness of the attacks.

To deal with the flanking advance, I headed to the right, while Noll went to the left.

I asked Deus to protect them until the numbers decreased, and then join the fight.

Unlike Noll, I would definitely miss some enemies, so I felt reassured with Gauss and him protecting me. With Cis and Sumika around, there shouldn't be any accidents, but I wanted them to focus on healing.

Until now, I could rely on them to cover my mistakes because they were nearby, but I was worried if I could handle multiple enemies alone.

"Damn, there are too many!"

I ran to intercept the approaching group. In front of me were countless goblins, like a black wall.

I swung my mace, using wind attribute attacks to create invisible wind blades that took down a few of the leading goblins.

As soon as I made contact with the group, I was swallowed up, and spears hit my armor from all sides, making a clanging sound. It was a bit painful.

While doing this, I continued to swing my mace to take down the high goblins, but the number of goblins in front of me didn't decrease at all.

What is this amount... I'm glad I got new equipment.

"Whoa!? What is this?"

During the battle, suddenly light gathered around me and was absorbed into my body. The pain in my body eased, and I felt better. It must be Cis or Sumika's healing magic, thank you.

Occasionally, a tyrant goblin with bloodshot eyes would bite my arm or an axe would hit my armor, making me stagger.

Sometimes, Estel's bombardment would fly by, causing an explosion nearby.

Under normal circumstances, I might have wished to go home by now, but thanks to the Lion's Heart, my mind remained calm.

"Huff, huff, it hurts..."

"Are you okay, Oogura-sama?"

"Yeah, thanks."

Noll, who had finished dealing with the left side, came over and the battle temporarily ended.

I was really tired... Her concerned voice almost made me feel a bit teary.

There were no external injuries, but being attacked by the group left my body aching.

Since there were no more goblins approaching, Noll and I decided to return to Deus and the others.

"Sorry, I let them get pretty far back, didn't I?"

"A-ah... Cis helped take them down, so it wasn't a problem."

"Hey..."

"Ah, no! It's not like that! They came, so there was nothing I could do! It was beyond my control! And I did the healing properly!"

I let them get far back, but this guy... When I glared at Cis, she waved her hands in front of her chest, saying it wasn't her. What wasn't it?

Well, she did heal properly, so it's fine.

"Anyway, did we take down the first wave?"

"Yeah, thanks to Estel, we managed to reduce their numbers significantly."

Miguru nodded in agreement with Deus.

It seemed we had taken down most of the goblins in this battle, but about 100 were still waiting in the back of the grassland.

At the front were neatly lined up red tyrant goblins, which were usually the core monsters. If they were at the front, it meant another monster was definitely the core.

"The next ones aren't rushing in, are they?"

"The ones in front were probably just a gathering. The next ones are the main force. The ones in front are a subspecies of the tyrant goblin. They are usually the core, but since they are in front, it means another monster is definitely the core."

Hmm, so they are usually the core monsters. They seem pretty strong, so I should observe them.

---

●Red Tyrant Goblin Species: Goblin

Level: 45

HP: 35,000

MP: 0

Attack: 800

Defense: 150

Agility: 160

Magic Resistance: 0

Special Ability: None

Skill: Berserk

---

Ugh, they are indeed a bit strong...

One wouldn't be too bad, but there are about 20 at the front.

Should I have Estel use her skill to wipe them out at once...?

No, if Estel becomes unable to fight, we won't be able to handle any unexpected situations.

We'll have to take them down with regular attacks.

"Estel, is your MP okay? You've been using a lot of flashy attacks."

"Yeah, I have potions, and I have this. I can still go."

She smiled, patting the silver orb on her bracelet, the Moon's Tear.

I had given most of the MP recovery potions to Estel and Cis, so I wasn't worried about MP depletion.

It seems they are more reliable than I thought. Am I the only one who's tired?

"Noll... seems completely fine."

"I'm more worried about you, Oogura-sama. I wish I could be closer to you."

"I appreciate your concern, but I'm fine."

"Mm... Be careful, okay?"

She sounded very worried, having watched the previous battle.

Honestly, I'd like her to be with me, but in this situation, I can't say that.

After healing and regrouping, we moved forward to face the last group.

The ground was scattered with goblin drop items like fangs, spears, and axes, and there were craters everywhere, making it a bit difficult to move.

Deus and the others looked at the grassland and frowned, as if thinking, "What do we do now?" but there was nothing we could do.

"Let's go, hey!"

After advancing a bit, we received support magic again. Then, we faced the last group, and Estel started her attack.

She launched a large rock at the front of the group.

I thought it would hit directly, but a few red tyrant goblins caught the rock. However, the rock exploded, scattering and causing damage around it.

... It's unfair that even catching it doesn't work. I'm glad Estel is on our side.

After the rock took down the front, fireballs followed in quick succession.

Despite their high HP, the red goblins that weren't taken down kept approaching.

They seemed to be in a berserk state, with veins visible on their faces and drooling as they ran.

"Ah!? This is bad!"

The group, led by the red goblins, continued to advance despite the magical attacks.

Noll and I moved forward to intercept them, but suddenly Estel's magic attacks stopped.

Looking back, I saw a stray group returning from the rear. She had started attacking in a different direction to deal with them.

Facing forward, I thrust my mace into the approaching red goblin, and it fell immediately. It seemed their HP had been reduced by Estel's bombardment.

Noll was fighting a bit further away, taking them down much faster than me.

We could probably handle this without support attacks. I focused on taking down the goblins, and finally, the back of the group came into view.

At the back, a few goblins were carrying a chair-like object, and on it sat a 2-meter-tall, muscular goblin. He was naked except for a red mantle and a golden crown on his head.

A human would definitely be arrested for such a perverted outfit. What is he thinking?

While fighting the surrounding goblins, I kept an eye on the goblin lord, trying to see how he would move.

I didn't have time to check his stats in the chaos.

By the time I finished off the surrounding goblins, he stood up from his chair.

He received a golden spear from the surrounding goblins, raised it to shoulder height, and threw it at me.

"Whoa—Brraa!?"

The spear, wrapped in light, flew at me at incredible speed.

I tried to block it with a pot lid, but the attack was too fast, and the spear pierced my armor.

It didn't penetrate, but the force knocked me up into the air.

... It hurts, mainly all over. I'm glad I got new equipment. There's no way I could have blocked something that fast.

I'm flying, but falling will hurt, right? I don't want to fall.

"Oogura-sama!"

"N-Noll..."

Desperately flailing my arms and legs, I suddenly felt a floating sensation and was held by the waist and legs.

Looking at the source of the voice, I saw Noll, wrapped in silver light, holding me in a princess carry.

... This is usually the other way around, right?

"Exactly, that's why I was worried!"

"A-ah... Thanks for saving me."

She put me down on the ground properly.

Immediately, light gathered around me and was absorbed, indicating Cis and the others were doing their job.

After putting me down, Noll said a word and ran towards the goblin lord.

She seemed to be using her White Aura skill, intending to take him down before it ran out.

She quickly reached the lord and swung the golden spear she had just thrown. When did she retrieve it?

Five orbs of light appeared in front of him and transformed into red tyrant goblins.

However, before they could move, Noll's sword cut them down, and they turned back into particles of light.

... It was an incredibly unfair scene.

Finally, the battle between the lord and Noll began...

The surrounding goblins were instantly taken down by the aftereffects of her attacks, and the lord, unable to keep up with her speed, was cut down piece by piece.

His arm was severed, and deep cuts appeared all over his body. Despite being a lord, he was no match for Noll in her skill-activated state.

I could only watch. Joining in would just get in the way, and I might get caught in the attack. She was causing a disaster just by moving.

I decided to check his stats before he was defeated.

---

●Goblin Lord Species: Goblin

Level: 60

HP: 150,000

MP: 0

Attack: 2500

Defense: 1500

Agility: 250

Magic Resistance: 50

Special Ability: Overlord

Skill: King's Judgment, Summon Minions

---

The goblins she summoned were from her skill. The attack on me was probably King's Judgment.

His stats weren't that high. Compared to Noll in her skill-activated state, it's no wonder he was defeated.

As I was checking his stats, it seemed the battle was over.

The lord, at his limit, knelt and planted his spear in the ground to keep from falling. Noll's silver blade mercilessly decapitated him.

His headless body fell to the ground and turned into particles of light. The only things left were the golden crown, golden spear, and red mantle.

... I don't really want to touch that mantle.

"Ugh... After the skill wears off, I'll need your help, Oogura-sama."

"Leave it to me. Let's head back quickly."

Noll, who had finished the fight, returned. She was still wrapped in silver light but seemed a bit dejected, thinking about when the effect would wear off.

I didn't want to use her skill if possible, but since she used it for me, I should take care of her afterwards.

I was also worried about the stray group that had returned and the ongoing battle with Estel and the others. We decided to hurry back to them.

"Estel! Are you okay?"

"Yeah, no problem. I was just a bit surprised by the enemies from behind."

It seemed the battle was already over. Deus and the others were sitting down, looking exhausted.

"Hey? Where's Cis?"

I was relieved it was over, but Cis was nowhere to be found.

When I mentioned her name, Deus and Sumika looked up sharply.

"Oogura, what is that person? When Gauss and I couldn't handle it, we had her fight too..."

"What is she? She's definitely not a priest!"

They pointed to the back.

There, a few remaining goblins were being brutally beaten by Cis.

A tyrant goblin was flying through the air after being kicked by her.

From their perspective, our party's priest was definitely abnormal.

"That person... is hopeless."

"Yeah, but she did her healing job properly. Don't be mad at her."

"Yeah, that healing was her. If she did her job properly, it's fine—huh?"

I was used to it, but according to Estel, she did her job properly. I should thank her for the healing after being blown away by a spear.

Before I could, my phone vibrated in my pocket. What now?

I checked it discreetly, and the screen showed: "Great Slaying Reward: 50 Magic Stones, SSR Cost Down," and "Announcement: Great Slaying Commemorative Item Gacha Event."

I received an offer for book publication. I will provide more details in my activity report.