Chapter 21: Abnormal Individual and Academy Teachers

 

“And yet …… the timing was perfect for this term’s frontier aristocrat group of countrymen. You know.”

“Absolutely,” he said. “It’s also a abnormal individual called Goblin General. …… Well, it’s been a long time since we’ve had a death toll.”

“Wanna bet how many will die?

“Ha ha! That’s good!”

　Teachers at the academy.

　Those who are associated with the aristocratic families of the capital.

　Those who truly do not know how to fight.

　They don’t care if the frontier aristocrats die. What is important is their “compatriots,” the daughters and sons of the noble families of the capital.

　There is no malice there. It is a natural feeling.

　If it is a power struggle among the nobles of the capital, there will naturally be malice. If a member of a rival family fails, they will celebrate with a small leap of joy.

　However, I don’t care what happens to the members of the frontier noble families.

　In the first place, it is absurd for them to call themselves nobles and think they’re on the same level.

　To them, the children’s of frontier aristocratic families are just that. They are not at all afraid to gamble with their lives just for fun,…… or for pleasure,…….

　It is because of such a feeling that they can only live in the royal capital. It is only the aristocratic society of capital that tolerates them.

　There are many nobles who are concerned about the current situation, and not all of them are like this teacher.

　However, it is true that the value of looking down on frontier nobles is deeply rooted in the society.

“However, if a member of the Allport family dies, it will be troublesome to deal with it later. ……”

“No way? It is the fault of those who raised those who are so soft that they die in the fifth level of the dungeon.”

“Yes, yes! You’re right! If anything, we could even flick the talk of dividing and ruling the Allport territory and sharing concessions as a disappointment!”

“Ha ha ha! That’s hilarious! …… Well, that said, I don’t know if those in Allport will be sacrificed. It will be the will of the Goddess.”

　For them, it’s someone else’s business.

　The selection of betting targets continues.

****

“…… Lady Claudia.. It’s looks like if as wary of  something and distracted. Let’s retreat while we can”

“How can I be__against a single goblin?”

　A stagnant battlefield.

　However, it is a one-sided thing that can collapse depending on the opponent’s attitude.

　Five members of the nobility are in the hands of a single goblin, who has the right to kill or be killed.

　It must be a humiliating situation for those who cling to their empty pride.

　Fortunately, she is not so dreamy that she would be willing to fall in love with such a thing as empty pride. She is ashamed of her own immaturity, saying, “I am weak and it is my fault…But that’s all, Lifes of her and her companion are far more important.

　Claudia and her group begin falling back, jittery and wary.

　The escort with the large shield that was just blown away is unconscious. One more person is stuck in the force to hold him.

　Claudia, who is the main family and the main force, has the specs of a “mobile turret,” as is typical of western aristocratic families. She completes her magic and shoots before the enemy gets close. When the enemy approaches, his guards protect her. Such is the style.

　Unfortunately, at the current distance, if you try to compose a one-hit-kill magic, the goblin will end up stepping in. The abnormal goblin in front of her is not a sweet opponent to miss such a chance.

　The goblin’s body, which had been on the lookout for another direction, suddenly turns toward Claudia and her friends.

　It just looked at Claudia. That’s all. But she sees the shadow of her own death. She cannot move. A frog staring at a snake.

( Am i going to die. In a place like this?)

(Damn it! At least, at least let Lady Claudia ..)

　A boy who appears to be a member of the entourage scolds his trembling body and tries to step forward.

“Stop, Don’t move any further. You will die.”

“What?”

“Ugh?”

　A hand suddenly appears grabbing the boy’s shoulder. For some reason, there is someone right next to Claudia. A berserker.

　It is not wrong but not right that the goblin saw Claudia just a few minutes ago. To be precise, it only recognized the ‘threatening presence’. It means that Claudia and the others were in the vicinity. But they were not it’s target..

　The goblin moves slowly, and holds his sword as if he were carrying it on his shoulder. A serious battle stance. The posture of a desperate step.

“I heard that abnormal individuals of subhuman type can also be wise, although they were not in the Great Forest. Perhaps you can at least understand our language?”

“…………”

　Ask the goblin out of the blue.

　The answer is silence.

　But Al is convinced. There is a glint of reason in his eyes. He thinks about the question.

“I knew you understood the language. Hey, what’s the point of killing each other here? It’s not the kind of place for a dungeon where you can say you’re stepping into their territory, is it?”

“…………”

　Claudia and her group could do nothing about the sudden intruder. Why is this guy talking to a goblin? I can’ t figure out what it means.

“Don’t You have a request, I’ll hear it.”

“……………… Korosu.”

(……! You talked! (And, for that matter, who is this one?!)”

　The goblin’s human language answers. Claudia was inwardly surprised, but she stopped herself from raising her voice in this situation.

“Huh. I guess it’s right to kill each other with demons, isn’t it?”

“………… shh!”

　Instantly, the goblin’s body blurred.

　Step in at once. In the blink of an eye, they are in a deadly pause. Claudia and the others cannot even catch a glimpse of him.

　He does not care about others. He just wants to cut down the threat.

“………”

　Suddenly, both goblin wrists explode. Al’s fist thrusts into his face at about the same time as …….

　The goblin rolls backwards with a heavy thud, a sound so heavy that it is hard to believe that it is flesh and blood.

　The attack and defense took place in about three blinks of an eye.

　The single-edged sword, its hilt soaked in green blood, fell with a clatter at Al’s feet.

　When the rolling goblins stop moving, Claudia’s group finally begins to move their heads and consciousness toward understanding the situation.

“What is it, huh ……?”

“What the hell is ……?”

　A goblin that does not move even a twitch.

　The mana focus, which would have been quite strong, was also released. Blood flowing. A crushed face. Extermination.

(Phew. It’s been a long time since I’ve had a “not-so-nice fight”……, but it was a tough one. Not the kind of individual you want to encounter in a melee. …..it’s body art at the end, and the ”bullets” haven’t been exposed, have they ……?)

　Although he is better suited for it in terms of his abilities, Al does not like to engage in close combat with demons like this one. Mentally.

　Originally, from a position where the abnormal individual goblins are difficult to recognise, they would end up with a barrage of ‘bullets’ to cut them down. If this had been the Great Forest, he would certainly have done so.

　It was a consideration so that the “bullets” would not be revealed to Claudia and her group, who would be witnesses, but it was also a consideration that did not need to be made.

　The actual “bullet” was a series of shots that were used instantaneously to destroy the weapon,….but the wrist explosions, as well as the goblin’s step and even Al’s fist bump, were hardly detected or recognized by Claudia and her friends.

“…… a, are you ……you’re from the south ……?”

“I’m sorry ……, but I saved your lives. In return, I’m asking you not to say anything about me. I won’t tell you my family name, and I won’t ask you yours. You didn’t see me here. I don’t even know any abnormal goblins.”

　Before she can recover from her confusion, Al delivers his demands. Although I don’t remember her from the regular route, I have determined at my own discretion and prejudice that Claudia ……, a young lady with blonde hair and vertically curly rolls ……, cannot be a mob character. He concludes that it is best not to get deeply involved.

‘Ki, ki, you! Kuh, you disrespectful …… to Lady Claudia!”

“Stop it! …… Wow, I get it. I have not met you, and I do not know any abnormal individual goblins. I have never met you, and I don’t know any aberrant goblins. …… But for this moment, I would like to thank you for saving my life.”

　Admonishing the boy in her entourage, Claudia offers her thanks to Al. The bow is not the curtesy of a young lady, but the battlefield bow of a fighter …… someone who is associated with the nobility of this world, who puts the right palm to their neck and bows the head.

(She may look like one, but …… she’s still a frontier warrior. There is a little bit of naivete and She didn’t leave the wounded behind and run away,……, well, I don’t mind that kind of softness)

　Al senses in Claudia the spirit of a warrior, not a young lady. Perhaps her magic, which she unleashes in full readiness, is something that has been trained on the battlefield.

“Oh, just out of curiosity, is it common knowledge in the dungeon that monster like this  popping up? Sorry, I’m not familiar with the academy or the dungeon.”

　Even though they are both new students at the academy, the amount of information they have should be different. Al asked with a good guess. If Claudia is the daughter of a great noble, then she must have some information.

“I had heard that dungeons sometimes produce abnormal individuals. The academy is said to know the timing and individuals to some extent. This must have been a kind of harassment to the …… frontier aristocracy group. In any case…”

　Claudia replies bitterly.

　She knew it, too. The academy …… clearly has a tendency to look down on frontier nobles in the royal capital.

　There are many city aristocrats who visit the western part of the city, which is their territory, but they are generally arrogant and irreverent.

　And I had heard in advance that harassment of the frontier aristocrats was rampant at the academy from the teachers of the capital’s aristocratic families.

“Heh. I felt it was a rather rough treatment, but I guess it was meant for the frontier aristocrats. …… I see. So that goblin was not only poorly managed by the academy, but it could have been intentional.”

　Just a confirmation.

　That goblin was a powerful abnormal individual. Perhaps the current protagonists alone would have struggled. Of course, Joel and the others in the shadow of the royal family …… would have done anything. They would not have as much trouble as Claudia and her colleagues. On the contrary, they should have been able to defeat it more skillfully than Al before they got too close.

　

(?..Hmm..What is it? At the edge of my vision a flicker of black mana. A little different from that bishop’s time? …… some kind of revelation?)

****

　After exchanging some information, Al and Claudia’s group parted as if they had never met each other.

　The magic stone of the abnormal individual and the single-bladed sword left behind are pressed upon and received by Al as a natural right from Claudia.

(Hmmm …… something about this magic stone, too, I don’t like it. There’s a flickering of black mana in it if you ask me. …… Well, she was giving it to me as a gesture of goodwill, so I couldn’t say no.

　But still, the teachers at the academy? I know the city aristocracy are feckless, but are they that stupid ……? When it comes to war and you’re on your own ass, if you’re dragging each other down with the same mentality, you’re ..in the way. If the academy is to be independent and self-reliant, it doesn’t matter who the teachers are…)

　Al is absentmindedly thinking silently, and once again, he proceeds through the dungeon as if conquering an uninhabited wilderness, …… slaughtering goblins as he goes.

****

　The boss of the fifth level.

　A set of hobgoblins and goblins. A barrage of “bullets” ends it. The hobgoblin, the quintessential hierarchical boss, even tried to fight back after surviving a few shots, but eventually got the short end of the stick.

“I can’t keep up with every single one of you. I’m sorry.”

　For some reason, Al, who participated alone, was the first to arrive.

　As a tutorial, he cleared the five levels of the dungeon.

　The teachers who lost the bet called him a cheater, but Al was having none of it.

(There’s a flicker of black mana in these guys as well. The teachers who are keeping their distance from these naggers can’t see … this could be a sign of someone who is against the protagonists? )

“Are you listening to me! Funny how one person can be so fast! You must have done something dishonest!”

“Yes! I would never cheat the academy!”

　He chirps a lot. For Al, that’s about it.

　Mana control and body handling are totally lax. They may have knowledge, but they are not suited to fighting demons. Perhaps they might even struggle against goblins up to the fifth level. …… With such thoughts in mind, I let the teachers’ talk pass.

　The same story continued to be repeated until the next group of cleared people came out of dungeon.