Chapter 77 Habitat
Edited by: Kanaa-senpai
After finishing lunch, we started exploring in the direction where the hobgoblin had run away.
Relying on Martina’s tracking skills as a Thief, we moved deeper into the forest and came across a giant tree hollow.
”Maybe it’s here.”
Even a hobgoblin could fit inside. Just as Martina said, this must be the place.
”Wisp.”
A Wisp appeared from Kazumi’s palm and moved into the hollow.
When we peeked inside, we saw stairs leading down a little way ahead.
”I haven’t heard of any reports about discovering a dungeon like this… Is it a new one that appeared after the ‘Dungeon Burst’?”
Liz entered the area lit by the Wisp and stepped onto the stairs.
”I’ll go first. We don’t know what kind of traps might be here.”
Martina pushed Liz back and moved ahead.
”I’ll follow you.”
I stayed diagonally behind Martina so I could step in front if we encountered any enemies.
Rena, Kazumi, Liz, and Dorothy followed behind us.
”Yeah. No doubt about it. I can smell the nasty odor of goblins.”
With the Wisp leading the way, Martina walked cautiously, keeping an eye on our surroundings.
Eventually, the stairs ended, and we entered a hall. There was no one around.
”There are 2 doors, one on each side. What should we do?”
”Let’s check them before opening.”
In response to Liz’s question, Martina started examining the left door.
”There are no traps. It’s locked, but…”
She took something that looked like a wire from her pouch and inserted it into the keyhole.
Martina worked seriously, and after waiting for about ten seconds…
”It’s open.”
She quietly opened the door.
Inside, there were several women with their hands and feet tied up and gags in their mouths.
We cautiously rushed in to help them get free.
”Ms. Liz…? Mr. Hiroya too?”
One of the women we freed called out our names.
”Oh… it’s you…”
Liz recognized her, and I remembered too. She was the mother from the carriage we traveled with on the way to the royal capital, from Borg to Abil.
”Did you get captured? …By goblins?”
The mother nod her head in response to Liz’s question.
* * *
According to her story, a few days ago, while traveling from Abil to Borg, they were attacked by monsters and brought here. It seems that other women from different travelers and merchant groups heading to Borg were captured at the same time.
”What about your husband… and your daughter?”
I asked what I was curious about.
”…”
The mother shook her head and quietly shed tears.
”Dear… Kai…!”
* * *
”Anyway, let’s escape from here first. Rena, Dorothy, help out.”
Kazumi took the lead and guided the 8 women to the stairs.
Some looked relieved, while others cried, possibly having lost loved ones. Everyone disappeared down the stairs with Kazumi and the others.
”This is strange. It means the goblins didn’t bring them here.”
”Yeah, if it were goblins, they would have attacked them right away. And that little girl from the carriage… she wasn’t brought here…”
Liz nodded at my question. Remembering that cute girl, she had tears in her eyes.
”Only women of a certain age were brought here. If it’s goblins… I don’t want to think about it, but that girl must have been attacked too.”
At my words, Martina shook her head vigorously, saying, “No!”
”I’m sorry. But…”
Just then, a roar that sounded like a hobgoblin echoed.
”Another door!”
We dashed out of the room and pressed against the other door. We could hear a low growl from inside.
”No doubt about it.”
Martina quickly checked for traps and nodded at me.
Liz readied her composite bow, while Martina drew her short sword and man-gouge.
”Here we go…”
In the next moment, I kicked the door open and jumped inside.
And then── all 3 of us froze in shock.
In front of me were three women embedded in the wall, their faces, chests, abdomens, and thighs exposed, with their private parts protruding as if they were being offered. It was like a relief sculpture.
Two of the three women had greatly swollen bellies, and the remaining one was being embraced by a hobgoblin, who was vigorously thrusting his hips against her thigh.
”…I’ll kill you…”
The anger inside me was growing, and it was becoming impossible to contain within this small body.
I kicked the ground and horizontally slashed the hobgoblin’s torso with ‘Yamikirimaru’.
”Gboooooah!”
The hobgoblin collapsed, falling to the ground.
Somehow, its upper and lower halves were still connected by a thin layer of skin. It was barely alive, but still conscious.
”Do you understand what I’m saying? What’s going on here?”
I stepped on the hobgoblin’s chest and pressed the tip of ‘Yamikirimaru’ against its throat.
”Pregnancy… pouch… increase… allies…”
The hobgoblin, spitting blood from its mouth, answered haltingly.
”Did you do this…?”
”N…o… It… was… the… black… one… He… did… it… We… only… followed… orders…”
”The black one? Who is it?”
”Gbo…”
The hobgoblin spat out a clot of blood and then died.
I looked at Liz and Martina, who had rushed to the women embedded in the wall.
””…””
Both of them shook their heads slightly. I also looked at the woman the hobgoblin had been clinging to.
Her face was contorted in pain, suffering, and terror, and her expression was frozen.
She was almost completely unconscious, and in that state, she continued to plead in a small voice, “Kill me…”.
”I’ll do it…”
I drew ‘Yamikirimaru’ and slashed the woman’s neck in front of me.
Liz and Martina, who were watching my actions, placed their short swords against the necks of the women, who were like relief sculptures in front of them.
”…Hiroya doesn’t have to bear this alone.”
”That’s right, Big Brother Hiroya. We’ll… free these people too…”
Liz and Martina said this and then swung their short swords horizontally against the women’s necks.
After confirming that the relief-like women had died, the two of them also stabbed their short swords into the swollen bellies.
”I’m sorry, everyone…”
Tears naturally flowed, and my vision became blurred.
* * *
With heavy footsteps, I returned to the ground, where Kazumi and the others were giving water to the rescued women in turn.
”We have no choice but to take them to the village…”
Liz muttered.
I looked down and saw a teleportation array floating on the snow-covered ground, disturbed by the magic.
”Teleportation array! Hiroya!”
Rena shouted at me.
I was inside the array and pushed Liz and Martina, who were next to me, out of the array.
I barely managed to withstand the rapidly rising killing intent that was directed at me, and I managed to catch it with the ‘Yamikirimaru’ that I had just drawn.
A claw strike. It was different from the succubi of the past in terms of size and the weight of each strike.
Somehow, I managed to hold my ground and focused my eyes. A black shadow, about 2.5 meters (8’2″) tall, loomed before me.
”Oh, you managed to block it.”
It had horns like a sheep on its head and was carrying two women on its right shoulder.
”Those women… it seems the hobgoblins have been killed.”
”Are you… the one who gave orders to the hobgoblins?”
As the claw was pulled back, I sheathed ‘Yamikirimaru.’ I took a low stance and prepared for battle.
”Hiroya! It’s a lesser demon! It’s only a lower-ranking one, but don’t let your guard down!”
I heard Rena’s voice. I signaled with my left hand for them to ‘retreat.’
”I was planning to form an assault team with hobgoblins alone. I had prepared impregnation bags for them… but now I’m sure I’ll be scolded by Lord Azradelius.”
”You kidnapped the women and gave them to the goblins… right?”
”I don’t need goblins. I gave them to the hobgoblins. They won’t eat the women raw unless I order them to.”
Listening to that emotionless voice, the anger inside me grew.
”Hiroya! Hold back!”
I heard Kazumi’s voice, but I couldn’t stop now.
”…I’ll kill you…”
”Kid… you coming?”
I kicked the ground and leaped at the lesser demon.
The lesser demon threw the women on its shoulder and swung their hooked claws at me.
”Kid…”
The lesser demon’s swift movements seemed like a slow motion to me in my current state.
”What? You’ve grown so much!”
I easily dodged the slowly descending claws of both hands and, keeping my sword drawn, slashed the lesser demon’s right shoulder with a reverse diagonal slash and its left shoulder with a diagonal slash.
I sheathed ‘Yamikirimaru’ and kicked the demon’s head, landing on the ground.
”My… both arms… are gone! What did you do to me!?”
The lesser demon panicked as it looked at its shoulders, which had been sliced off by me.
”…And regeneration doesn’t work…?”
”Tell me everything. What did you plan to do by increasing the number of hobgoblins? And who is Azradelius?”
I slowly advanced toward the lesser demon, whose face was contorted in shock and pain.
”It’s nothing special. We’ll raid the village outside the forest. We’ll kidnap the women. We’ll make them impregnation bags. That’s the cycle. I didn’t expect to be killed by someone like you who doesn’t even know about Azradelius.”
”Tell me…”
I pointed the unsheathed ‘Yamikirimaru’ at the lesser demon.
”Cut me. You’re the winner here, and I’m the loser.”
It seemed the lesser demon had nothing more to say, so I cut off its head. Eventually, my consciousness faded, and I collapsed on the spot.
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Edited by Kanaa-senpai.
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