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Chapter 314: Battle Preparations

The group of Goblins moved along the eastern side of the river that flowed to the south. This was clear proof that they were heading for Raum, which lay in the southern direction.

If they traveled through the forest, there was a risk of losing the sense of direction and getting lost. It was probably due to that that they chose to travel through a place with an open sky, that is, along the river.

However, given how calm Raum’s currents were, they would be able to cross the river when they neared it. If they started acting on both sides of the river, it would make monitoring them harder.

As such, magicians that could fly were positioned above the river and prevented that development by blowing up any Goblins that tried to cross it.

Those who couldn’t use the Flight spell were also contributing to the subjugation by using familiars to monitor the situation. Cortina also fell into this category.

The opposing Goblins had Goblin Shamans that could use small-scale spells and Goblin Archers that used bows, but their attacks couldn’t reach the magicians that bombarded them with spells from above while keeping great distance.

Much less when the Goblins couldn’t let their members who could use ranged attacks to a place where they would only get one-sidedly bombarded.

Thus, they prioritized maintaining their combat power, so the Goblins followed the river without crossing it.

But there lay fatal traps set by Adventurers.

The Goblin group advanced south while brute-forcing its way through them. They suffered over 50 casualties during the process, but the number they gained through breeding was even higher.

This ability to reform their ranks was the most frightening part of a Goblin Lord.

Normally, Goblins gave birth after a week from conception, and the offspring would stand on its legs that very day, and after three days, they could already hunt.

However, with the assistance of the Goblin Lord, that period was greatly shortened.

It took 3 days to be born, half a day to stand up, and they were fully functional fighters in three more days.

Goblins originally had a limit to how many individuals a single group could hold. That was because there was a limit to how much food they could obtain.

If they multiplied too much, those Goblins wouldn’t be able to secure food and starve to death. It’s because they held such high reproductive powers that the settlements that overbred themselves ended up starving to death, so it was normal for them not to multiply beyond a set number.

However, when Goblin Lord was involved, that upper limit would be broken. They used the corpses of their starved members as food and increased their numbers even more.

At that point, their rate of increase overcame their rate of losses. That was the reason they could maintain such a big group. Using such a high number to wreak havoc was another part of the Goblin Lord’s frightening aspect.

“So, the current numbers are about 450. We managed to kill about 100 of them, but their number keeps increasing instead.”

Cortina holding her head at the long desk set in the Adventurer’s Guild. This was her first time facing a Goblin Lord too. She had never experienced fighting an enemy that you kept killing and killing yet they only increased.

The strategy meetings were being held simultaneously in this main hall and the other conference room.

This was a division done to discuss things that needed to stay private elsewhere. I observed the hall meeting while in the usual disguise.

“Still, if we did not lay traps and commence air-raids, their numbers would be over 500 now.”

“Well, I understand that. So, what’s going on with Maxwell?”

“Unfortunately, it seems that the communication is getting obstructed in some way…”

“Given the timing… Someone seems to be working behind the scenes.”

“Someone is doing that… At this rate, Raum would suffer great damages!”

“Do you have any idea who would be hoping for that? I personally have a few… Or rather, I can also think of a few.”

As far as I could think of, there were Tarkashire’s survivors in the north, those related to the slave trader, and the group planning to revive the Devil.

Even I could think of that many. If we traced the history even further back, there would be even more people who held personal grudges towards Cortina or Maxwell.

“However, Goblin Lords are not monsters that would be influenced by human schemes.”

“True. Their appearance is already a rare enough occurrence. I wonder how they did it?”

If one could freely produce Goblins Lords, they could cause great damages to the surrounding areas. If it was something that humans could control, that would allow them to use them quite like soldiers.

If such methods existed, they couldn’t be ignored.

“At any rate, dealing with what’s in front comes first. What is their speed?”

“It seems they will reach us by tomorrow.”

“There’s no time to lay out any more traps then… Would be nice if it makes it in time.”

“What would?”

“Just talking to myself. How is the defense formation?”

“Yes, as planned, the Adventurers that went to intercept them were instructed to return inside the city.”

“What about the ‘walls’?”

“Their installation is going favorably. They should be completed by morning.”

“I see. Make sure to block all the windows and entrances of the private houses along the roads. Laying waste to the city is one thing, but if they could spill through those openings, there would be no point to it.”

“Understood.”

Cortina didn’t expect that traps and surprise attacks would get them anywhere from the start. Having seven times the difference in numbers was the point where people would normally evacuate without fighting back.

And the Goblins had now reached nine times our number.

“How about the evacuation of the citizens?”

“It is already done. However, the environment is not very good, so they won’t hold out for long.”

“Relax, everything will end within three days. Whether we win or not, that is.”

The citizens that had been accommodated in a narrow place could not hold on for too long. They couldn’t do any trades, and their fundamental livelihood could not be carried out. It was only a matter of time until the dissatisfaction exploded in them.

The fact that they obeyed the instructions was all due to Cortina’s fame and achievements.

“Well, that is still too early to talk about. That aside, you were called Kayle, right?”

“Y-Yes!”

Being called by name, Kayle replied with a tense expression. This meeting was conducted in the hall, so ordinary Adventurers could participate too. He was Fifth Rank, so he was currently the strongest battle power in Raum.

“I have a special mission for you and your comrades, how about it?”

With a mean-looking smile on her face, Cortina leaned over to the desk as she said those words.