The members of the Hunting Fangs could only watch this scene unfold, letting out cries of horror, utterly powerless to help.
Just then,
“Fire Barrier!”
Boom—!
A wall of blazing flames erupted around Alec.
Clang—!
The hobgoblin's downward-swinging broadsword was deflected, while the splashing sparks burned its flesh, forcing it to shriek in pain over and over again.
After weathering the heavy blow, the wall of fire merely flickered slightly before quickly stabilizing.
“Are you alright, Mr. Alec?”
Alec looked toward the voice, his eyes instantly lighting up.
“Shulim—!”
“Did you save me—?”
Standing before Alec's eyes was Shulim, holding a wand that looked like a wooden stick in her right hand, with a plain longsword slung over her back.
...
Rewinding to before the goblin attack had started.
Even while staying inside the carriage, Shulim's extensive combat experience had instantly alerted her to an incoming enemy attack.
She was the first in the entire caravan to react.
The very moment the first volley of goblin arrows flew toward the caravan, she charged out of the carriage, entering a battle-ready state.
However, just as she was about to face the enemy, she hesitated at the sight of the panicked crowd around her.
“The attackers are likely a goblin horde led by a goblin lord. Since there are only arrows and no magic attacks, they probably don't have a goblin mage...”
“Just an ordinary goblin tribe...”
Shulim carefully scanned the crowd frantically setting up defenses.
Hmm... Though the available combatants were far outnumbered by the attacking goblins, they had a total of four C-Class adventurer parties escorting them! Plus, quite a few of the merchants and passengers knew magic as well...
Wait, why does it feel like we actually have the upper hand?
“...”
Shulim quietly suppressed her aura.
I'll just wait and see. It's better not to reveal my true strength if I can help it...
After that, the four C-Class adventurer parties charged out to battle the goblin horde, while Shulim and the other combat-capable merchants and passengers relied on the defense line formed by the carriages, acting as the crowd's final line of defense.
Whenever a goblin broke through the carriage defense line and rushed toward the crowd, they were immediately met with focused fire.
After fighting for a while, the previously terrified crowd suddenly realized...
Not a single goblin had managed to breach the defensive perimeter to reach them.
But this was only natural. Shulim had kept her eyes on the entire battlefield the whole time. With her spell-casting speed and mana pool, she could easily cope even if the number of goblins breaking through the line doubled.
However, Shulim wasn't the only one handling the situation with ease...
Shulim's gaze shifted to a fifteen- or sixteen-year-old girl in a grey robe not far away.
So she's an adventurer too...
The grey-robed girl, who rode in the same carriage as Shulim, displayed a strength that far surpassed everyone else in the merchant convoy. While others had to chant their incantations for ages just to struggle to cast a spell, she could unleash one in a mere two or three seconds, and its power was significantly greater than theirs.
Her movement habits bore many similarities to those of other adventurers, which was why Shulim figured she was one.
At that moment, Shulim's eyes narrowed slightly as she quickly looked past the carriage defense line.
She happened to witness the moment Alec was sent flying by the goblin lord's warhammer.
The overall situation on the battlefield flashed through Shulim's mind in an instant. Then she moved, leaving the defense line and running toward the fray.
“?”
Watching Shulim leave so suddenly, a flicker of confusion crossed the grey-robed girl's eyes. However, the sudden spike in pressure on the defense line left her with no time to spare, and she immediately accelerated her spell-casting speed.
“Gyaaa—!”
Seeing Shulim rushing over, two goblins viciously brandished their weapons.
“Reinforce—!”
With a flash of white light, Shulim's speed skyrocketed.
“Get out of my way!”
Thud! Thud!
With two dull thuds, the two goblins blocking her path flew backward, crashing to the ground unconscious.
As she dashed past the carriage defense line, Shulim rapidly cast another spell.
“【ᚣᛃᛋᛖᛜᚢᚪᛖᛡᛞᚠᛟᛃᛜᛃᚾᚪᛜᛓᚠᛏᚱוᚠᛃᛖᛜᚢᚪᛖᛡᛓᛗᚠᚺ】”
“Fire Barrier—!”
...
“Mr. Alec, now is not the time to talk about this.”
Shulim replied calmly, simultaneously casting a spell.
“【ᚣᚠᛟᚪᛚᛜᚢᚪᛖᛡᛞᚠᛟᛃᛜᛣᛃᛗᛡᛃᚱיᚺᛜᛖᛋᚢהᛖᛜᛞᛈᛃᛡᛚᛖᛋ】”
“Flame Arrow!”
“Gyak—!”
The goblin trying to close in was pierced right through by the Flame Arrow, collapsing to the ground with its entire body set ablaze.
“You're right!”
Calming his nerves, Alec quickly stood up.
Scanning the surrounding area, he bellowed, “Hey! Give us some backup! Let's take down this bastard first—!”
The adventurer parties defending against the goblin onslaught in other directions immediately shouted back, “Leave it to us!”
“Alright!”
Alec locked his gaze onto the goblin lord once again.
“Bart, hang in there! York, Ange, Steen, ignore the small fry! Let's get him together!”
“Roger, Leader!!!”
Following Alec's orders, the Hunting Fangs swiftly went on the offensive.
Alec and Bart drew the goblin lord's attention from the front, while Steen circled around, ready to strike fiercely the moment the monster showed a vulnerability. Ange's arrows were fast and precise, leaving the goblin lord with no way to dodge; arrowheads steadily accumulated in its flesh, with one even piercing its eye.
Naturally, the most powerful damage dealer was the mage, York.
A single casting of the Third-Tier spell, Rock Spear, would directly inflict a gruesome, severe wound on the beast.
Both furious and powerless, the goblin lord tried to call on its subordinates to assist, but they were held back by reinforcements dispatched from the other adventurer parties.
Shulim quietly watched the Hunting Fangs corner and attack the goblin lord. Like the other adventurers who came as backup, she did not interfere with their fight to slay the beast. Instead, she maintained her cover as a D-Class novice, steadily thinning out the goblins on the outer perimeter.
Judging solely by individual strength, not a single member of the Hunting Fangs was a match for a goblin lord on their own. Yet, working together with seamless cooperation, they completely dominated the battlefield, rendering the powerful monster utterly helpless.
“Gyak!”
The goblin lord's massive frame suddenly collapsed onto its knees; Steen had severed the tendon in one of its legs.
Taking this golden opportunity, Alec raised his sword high and swung it down with all his might...
Thud—!
The goblin lord's massive body slowly toppled over, sending a dull, heavy thud vibrating through the ground.
With their leader dead, the remaining goblins fell into instant chaos.
Seizing the chance, the adventurers reorganized their ranks and launched a counteroffensive.
The once-formidable goblin horde was now nothing but a disorganized rabble, collapsing at the first sign of pressure.
As the final goblin fell to the adventurers' blades, the crowd erupted into cheers.
People raised their weapons high, celebrating their victory.
...
Rate on N.U.
