Chapter 19: Return to the Village
We met up with Rigel's party at the entrance of the forest.
In the end, we spent five days inside.
It was roughly the number of days we had planned.
Although there were various complicated matters, we managed to achieve our goals!
If I were to be greedy, I wanted to visit the Adventurer's Guild-like organization, the Free Association, in this village.
I don't think there are any, but there might be a "transmigrant" just in case...
Also, since this is a dwarf country, I wanted to see their craftsmanship and armor, but there's nothing I can do about it now.
I gained a companion who can be created. I should be satisfied with that!
I earned 20 gold coins, so there was some profit.
I introduced Rigel's party and Kaijin's party to each other and they exchanged greetings.
From now on, they will be companions. I hope they get along well.
By the way, I felt that the dwarves don't have much prejudice.
There are half-elves too, so it's good to think about the future.
Well, it's time to set off on our journey, but a problem arose.
Lang, wagging his tail with the intention of carrying me, approached. I told him to carry two of the three brothers.
Lang's happy expression immediately turned blank, and he staggered backward and collapsed.
Then, he looked at the dwarves as if to say, "If these stupid guys are gone, the problem is solved, right?"
The dwarves were scared by his expression, which seemed to say, "I'll eat you if you don't shut up now!"
From the moment I first saw Lang,
"Whaaat???!!! Why... such a thing..."
they were exaggeratedly surprised.
Is this one of their special abilities?
I'm not sure, but there might be a funny point somewhere.
"Wait, Lang! Actually, I tried to mimic a Black Wolf and want to test its performance.
For that reason, I'll entrust the two dwarves to you!"
At my words, Lang said, "I'll take care of them! My master!!!"
Kaijin and the eldest son Garum got on my back.
The second son Dold and the third son Mild got on Lang's back.
After confirming that two were on Lang's back, I fixed them with "Adhesive."
No matter what, 80 km/h is a bit scary in this world without vehicles.
I don't know if I can run that fast, but I don't plan to.
Transformation: Black Storm Wolf
My transformation was complete. Seeing it,
"Excellent!!! As expected, my master!!!"
"Hahaha! That's right! You should also try to evolve into this form!"
I responded to Lang's praise.
"Yes! I'll meet your expectations!"
With a new goal, Lang's eyes glowed red.
Drawn by Lang's enthusiasm, the Lamars also got excited.
Everyone seemed motivated. It's a good thing.
Now, let's try to carry Kaijin and Garum...
Why? They fainted, foaming at the mouth.
...What are you doing? These, uncles...
The result of our usual training! I sprayed "Adhesive" from my back and picked up Kaijin and Garum.
Success! I had been practicing controlling the threads steadily.
This way, I carried the unconscious Kaijin and Garum, and we set off.
By the way, at first, I intended to run lightly, but I ended up going over 100 km/h. It might have been fortunate that the two behind me fainted.
They probably fainted from the initial acceleration...
I looked at the two dwarves, Dold and Mild, on Lang's back.
They are tough, but... not really. They are the type that faints with their eyes open!
Leaving the unconscious dwarves behind, we set off on our journey.
They probably won't bite their tongues while unconscious.
Actually, if I were in their position, I wouldn't want to wake up and experience that fear again.
It's better to finish everything while they're asleep.
Of course, I'll wake them up for meals!
After all, I'm not a bad person (laughs).
"Rigel! I have a question. Did you succeed in summoning the Black Wolf?"
"No, it's embarrassing, but... I haven't succeeded yet..."
Rigel hasn't succeeded either...
The other goblins are also frustrated. Similarly, the paired Black Wolves also look frustrated.
"Actually, it seems Gobuta succeeded."
"What? Gobuta, is that true?"
"Of course! I called, and he came!"
At those words, the other goblins and Black Wolves looked fired up.
"But, it's possible. After all, Gobuta walked back and forth between this dwarf kingdom and the goblin village!"
Indeed, now that I think about it!
I thought he was a fool, but he's a man who does things when he needs to.
Well, Gobuta is a fool, but he's not incompetent.
Thinking about it, walking this distance while procuring food for four months is not an easy task.
Although he's weak, there are cases where monsters appear in this area...
My evaluation of Gobuta rose a few levels. Well, it will drop again...!
It was night, so we took a break.
I wasn't completely exhausted, but the others needed rest.
I let everyone rest and checked my abilities.
The physical abilities of the Black Storm Wolf are surprisingly high.
The feeling of overflowing strength.
With a light push, I can leap instantly. Running, I can sprint at a speed that feels like flying.
Combined with my reaction speed, it seems I can easily bring out its performance.
Until now, my battles were just using "Water Blade" to cut down enemies.
I didn't really pay attention, but strength and agility are also important in battles.
In that sense, this Black Storm Wolf has undeniable combat power.
Perhaps because of the "Great Sage" buff, if I mimic a Black Wolf, I can kill a black snake.
Without using special abilities.
According to the explanation I heard in the village,
Using the "Great Sage" simulation, I roughly calculated the ranks of other monsters.
In terms of rank, a black snake doesn't reach "A".
It can probably fight 10 centipedes, so it might be "A-".
Similarly, if I don't control the Black Storm Wolf, it's stronger than a black snake but can't handle 10.
Wait, there's a strange skill called "Black Lightning"...
My instinct tells me, "Isn't this dangerous?"
Returning to slime form, I decided to test it.
Crack! ............Boom?????!
The large rock by the river, which I chose as a test target, was shattered and disappeared.
Let's pretend it never happened! I immediately decided.
I didn't do anything! It was just a coincidence that lightning struck!
To the Rigel party, who ran over thinking something happened,
"It was just lightning in front of us! I was startled!"
I disturbed their rest. I'm sorry.
From now on, I need to do dangerous experiments in secret at a safe location.
Restarting the brain simulator.
That "Black Lightning," if used, I think the black wolf can defeat 10 black snakes even without my control.
That means the Black Storm Wolf might have surpassed the A-rank barrier.
A-rank monsters can destroy small villages. They are designated as "Disasters."
From now on, it's better to avoid mimicking Black Wolves near the village.
Thus, my research continued until dawn...
The dwarves who woke up still had pale faces.
"A, ah..., where are we?"
As they became more conscious, they started to panic at the unfamiliar scenery.
When I told them we were traveling to the goblin village,
"What! ? It usually takes about two months! You have to pass through a village to get a carriage, and there's not enough food!!!"
and so on, they were in an uproar.
What are you saying... I was about to say.
Thinking about it, I realized I hadn't properly explained how we got here or our speed.
For that reason, I decided to explain our situation to the dwarves.
Rigel's party was preparing breakfast.
Goblin cuisine is grilled! Only that!
It's fine now. I don't have a sense of taste, after all!
But, if I gain a sense of taste soon, I need to teach them cooking.
Can goblins get used to a civilized lifestyle?
I plan to try everything that's possible.
It would be troublesome if cooking becomes an obstacle!
While eating breakfast, we talked about our future plans.
When I explained that we would arrive at the village in about two days,
But, reaching the formula that two days to arrive = traveling at that speed, they clutched their heads and crouched down.
It's a bit pitiful, but I'll have them endure.
Don't worry! I'll lower the speed to about 60 km/h!
I comforted them. It's a lie, though!
Now, using "Telepathic Transmission," I created an environment where we can converse.
It seems to be effective for dwarves, which is fortunate.
"Telepathic Transmission" is like an advanced version of telepathy, and its charm is that it allows conversations with multiple people when linked.
It will be useful when performing coordinated actions. Most importantly, its range is about 1 km.
On the second day, and with mental preparation, the dwarves on my back didn't faint.
The wind pressure made it impossible to open their eyes, so I tried making a thin barrier.
Surprisingly, it worked well.
To some extent, I can control it with my thoughts.
As I get used to manipulating mana, it seems I can do certain things.
While learning common knowledge from the dwarves, we continued on our way.
The goblins were also listening to the dwarves' stories intently.
Comparing them with their own common knowledge, the stories were connecting.
It's reassuring to see them getting used to it. In this state, they should do well in the village.
Both dwarves and goblins are spreading.
Half-elves and long-lived dwarves.
Half-demons and short-lived goblins.
They diverged in the process of evolution. Of course, goblins might not be evolving, but degenerating?
The evolved goblins, Hob Goblins, might be like the demonic version of dwarves.
Their lifespan might increase with evolution!
Well, they might not have much skill, and there's a difference between monsters and fairies...
Even among half-elves, dwarves are closer to monsters than elves.
Therefore, they can blend in without discomfort once they get used to it.
I suddenly thought of something to ask.
"Kaijin, now that I think about it, are you okay? You, you respected the Dwarf King, didn't you?"
"Yeah, that's right. I respected him! There's no dwarf who doesn't respect him. After all, he's a hero from old stories, their king?"
The hero from bedtime stories.
That hero is alive, supporting and protecting them, their king. It's natural that everyone admires and respects him.
Everyone wants to be of help to the king.
He always does the right thing and doesn't forgive failure. The ideal image of a king.
To continue doing this in reality, how much has he sacrificed himself...
In a sense, it's even frightening. It must be an incredible mental strength.
That's why everyone believes in the king...
Do I have that kind of resolve?
I became the lord of the goblins. But, what about after that?
"Hey, Kaijin. Why did you follow me? No matter how you think about it, returning to the king's side is the right answer, isn't it?"
To this question, Kaijin said,
"Hahaha! You're unexpectedly sensitive! I followed because it looked interesting!
I had a hunch. This guy will make a big move! Isn't that enough of a reason?"
"Hmph. Don't cry later? I'm known for being rough with people."
That's right. After all, I have nothing.
Dependent on people, relying on people, if I can rely on them, I want to help.
I want to become someone who can be relied on.
Satisfied with his answer, I nodded.
Two days later, we arrived at the village as planned.
We achieved our goal and returned to the village!