I had a lot to prepare now that I knew we were heading to the capital. This would be my first time going there, so I'm excited! Thus, I enlisted the help of Miranda, Frau, and Nikki.
With the three of them working together, packing for the trip went smoothly.
"Then, Master. I'll take my leave, as I also need to gather my belongings and pack," Miranda said right after.
Of course, as one of the "knights" participating in the proxy war, she would be accompanying us. My only concern is... will that be okay?
With the passive ability of her Mortal Sin (Greed) activated, which drains mana from everyone nearby, she will likely end up either at the front or the back of the caravan. That way, she'd be near one or two people at most, limiting the risk.
Well... I could just visit her if she gets lonely, so I suppose everything will be fine.
After lunch, Father gathered everyone to set off.
The travelers would include Father, me, Miranda, Frau, Celine, and a quarter of the Viscounty's knights. We couldn't bring too many, as that would compromise the safety of our place.
In total, there were 55 of us in the caravan: two carriages, 20 horses, and the rest on foot.
Just as I predicted, Father placed Miranda at the rear.
She marched along with the few knights ahead of her, looking as if she were a knight herself. Though she was still in her maid uniform...
That's definitely not appropriate attire for marching!
Anyway, the reason we couldn't travel without bodyguards was simple...
"My Lord, there's a group of goblins blocking the path! Please wait here while we clear them first!" One of the knights reported this information after returning from the scouts.
"Goblins?!"
To me, as someone well-versed in isekai stories, the name holds a special place in my heart. Goblins embody the weakest yet most merciless monsters, serving as a source of nightmares for many female characters in the doujins I've seen… Anyway.
"I want to see!" I exclaimed. "Father, can I watch them subjugate the goblins?!"
"Watch a subjugation?"
Father raised an eyebrow, slightly confused.
"It's dangerous for you to watch, though..." He frowned before his expression brightened as if recalling something. "Oh, right. It's your first time encountering a goblin, so I suppose it's fine."
He turned to the knight and commanded, "Lyle, have the rest surround the goblins for now. Rex and I will follow and watch."
"Yes, my Lord!"
Thereafter, the knight rode off and vanished in the blink of an eye.
Shortly after, the carriage continued moving forward.
Unable to sit still, I knelt on the seat and peeked from behind the carriage driver—also a knight. The road ahead looked quite rough, more like an animal path than a proper road. I don't know if I'm just being biased, but...
Well, there were marks of wheels along the edges, so it was definitely a path that merchants used to travel to and from our territory.
It's shocking to realize that we are so far out in the boonies that the official road leading to our town is in such poor condition. I'll definitely find time to address the road issue later. A good road is the heart of good trading, after all.
After a while, we arrived at the scene, and the carriage came to a halt.
Father and I climbed down from the carriage and made our way toward the circle of knights. From there, I watched as they kept little green creatures at bay. Goblins.
So this is what they look like... Just as I imagined.
They were small, about my height—around a meter tall. They had sharp ears and elongated heads, along with pot-like bellies. Their long limbs seemed disproportionate to their small bodies, and they wielded various bladed weapons such as swords and daggers. Their lower halves were covered by strips of leather, resembling skirts, just as filthy as their skin.
Their eyes were yellowed, much like their teeth.
And...
"They stink...!"
The smell left the biggest impression on me, and it was not a positive one.
Let's see... They smell like old people's urine marinated for a week, mixed with the feces of meat-eating animals? Yeah, that's probably the closest description. It's not hard to see why. These creatures probably sleep in their own waste!
"This doesn't look as exciting as I thought it would be..." I lamented while pinching my nose.
Father, seemingly anticipating my reaction, smiled and patted my head. "Well, it's still a lesson for you. Now, watch closely as the knights deal with monsters like those."
After comforting me, Father waved his hand, issuing his command.
The knight from earlier, Lyle, nodded in response and raised his voice to give orders. "Knights! Clean these pests up! Show the young master how cool you can be!"
"YES!"
Ahh... I can hear you too, you know?
The knights moved swiftly after the command was given. They stopped parrying the goblins' attacks and began to counter with determination.
A goblin charged, brandishing a rusty short sword in a thrust, but the knight closest to it effortlessly deflected the blade with a shield. As the monster lost control of its weapon, a swift blow from above split its head in half.
Green blood splattered everywhere.
In moments, the dozen or so goblins became fertilizer for the soil.
The knights maintained their vigilance even after they were certain they had eliminated every goblin. Goblins are known as cunning little demons, after all; they sometimes play dead and strike when you least expect it.
After stabbing the corpses to ensure they were truly dead, the knights kicked them to the roadside. Monsters' bodies decompose quickly, so there's no worry about polluting the path.
I had always dreamed that one day, when I became a hunter or an adventurer, I would go out and kill goblins for my first quest, but...
"To think they'd be this stinky... I should rethink my plan for the future."
Just as I walked past a goblin corpse...
"KEEEK!"
The corpse suddenly sprang back to life and swung the dagger in its hands toward me.
I panicked, curled up, and cried out "Mommy!" in that moment... I'm just kidding, I didn't actually do that. Since my Appraisal is always active, I already knew that this goblin was alive. I didn't see how it survived getting stabbed, but it doesn't matter.
As soon as it jumped up, I caught it with my Dominator's hand and twisted its head off.
Hmm...
Yep.
I don't feel anything even after killing humanoid monsters.
In isekai stories, I've always read about characters feeling guilt when they kill humanoid monsters for the first time... Am I the weird one?
Well, either way. Time to hit the road again.
We're still a long way from reaching the capital!