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The Goblin Village was larger than I expected.

At least several times the size of what I saw on the first floor. However, looking at its members, one could quickly understand the reason.

It seemed that the goblin village of this era maintained a community without distinguishing between regular goblins and hobgoblins.

Of course, it appeared there was some sort of hierarchy within the community.

The larger and more intelligent hobgoblins generally occupied roles like warriors or shamans, while regular goblins felt more like mere laborers.

That alone was quite a fresh sight for me.

The hobgoblins I had seen in the labyrinth treated wandering goblins like barbarians, not even seeing them as kin.

Males were the exception, but… well, considering them as an equal presence wasn’t the same.

On the other hand, the hobgoblins in that village might look down on regular goblins, but they didn’t treat them like tools or beasts.

The level of civilization seemed surprisingly high; unlike the primitive tribal appearance in the labyrinth, it felt like a rural village.

Well, before the madness spread. There were still aspects that didn’t differ from the original goblin ecosystem in the labyrinth.

“The God of Purity and the God of Lust must have already died by now.”

One female goblin was accompanied by at least three male goblins.

Of course, the lower-ranking goblins were a bit different, but overall it felt like a clear reversal of gender roles.

While the ideas of chastity were inverted, the monsters hadn’t succumbed to madness yet.

“Is this during the mid to late phase of the War of the Gods?”

Some gods had died, and a few races had gone extinct, yet civilization barely managed to hold on, and the world continued to turn.

One could say we had avoided the worst. Though in a situation promised to bring about destruction, it was merely the lesser evil.

At any rate, I roughly grasped the level of the goblins.

Their physical abilities seemed much weaker than the ones in the labyrinth, but their organization skills were in an entirely different league, and their shamans appeared to be two levels higher.

In other words, it meant that if I put my mind to it, I could massacre them all alone.

Feeling considerably lighter, I let go of my concealment and smiled warmly at the gatekeeper goblin.

“Hello, hello?”

“Kyaaah! You suddenly appeared! A young human! A shaman! Not meat! Goblins become meat!”

But perhaps I appeared too suddenly. The creature, startled, began ringing the bell it was attached to.

By the way, was the standard for meat based on strength? They seemed to adhere to the law of the jungle.

As I chuckled, goblins started gathering, drawn in by the ringing of the bell.

Instead of primitive weapons made of stone, wood, or bone, they showed up one by one, donning proper metal armor and weapons.

Perhaps because hobgoblins were roughly similar in stature to me. With hundreds of soldiers assembling in an instant, I felt a considerable amount of pressure.

“Wow. That’s quick.”

The War of the Gods has been a long, drawn-out conflict. Even at this mid to late phase, they must have suffered for decades.

Maybe because of that, their response to outsiders was fast and firm.

Of course, this isn’t solely a trait of goblins. While goblins are cunning, they’re only cunning to a certain extent.

That’s why they’re barely considered sentient.

Other groups composed of different races would surely be much more aggressive and exclusivist.

As I stuffed cautious knowledge into my brain, the largest and most imposing female hobgoblin in the front shouted.

“Human! For what purpose have you come to find us? Depending on the situation, you might have to present your neck!”

“Wow. You speak well?”

“…Are you a damned racist?”

???

Wait, how did it come to this?

I was merely astonished, and while I was taken aback by being called a fucking racist, the chieftain raised the weapon and shouted.

“People! Raise your weapons! The one who looked down upon us has now come to mock us!”

“Chieftain’s words! Hard to understand! Up, kill? What does this mean?!”

“…It means they’re ignoring us!”

“Kyaaah! Bad guy! Bad guy!”

“““Bad guy! Bad guy!”””

As I explained at their level to the goblins who didn’t understand my words, the cries of “bad guy” echoed from all around.

At this rate, it really seemed like a full-scale battle would break out, so I quickly added, “Wait! Everyone, calm down! I just came to ask something!”

“We don’t sell information about our kin! Kyaaaah!”

Even the somewhat rational chieftain lost it at the mention of information and started charging.

The sunlight glimmered on the spear, the deafening threats ringing in the air, and with a determination that seemed like no words would reach them, I sighed deeply.

“Can’t be helped.”

Call me Goblin Slayer.

***

There are times when some forces conspire to smear my name, calling me Ryona instead of Jonah, but I am neither a person who enjoys cruel scenes nor someone mad with slaughter.

I do it all out of necessity.

“Got it? If you all had just listened to me, you wouldn’t be facing death.”

“Kyaaah… Just kill me!”

The chieftain, barely keeping his life by the threads, stared wide-eyed.

The other goblins were in similar circumstances, with limbs torn apart but still breathing. I hadn’t intentionally left anyone dead, yet.

“Who was it that acted like they would talk before drawing their weapons first? Anyway, goblins are useless once killed. At most, their bones might serve as alchemical materials.”

“Could your relentless limb severing mean… this evil one! May the merciless butcher be cursed!”

“No, did I ever say I wanted to flay your bones? I merely stated it was an unnecessary fight.”

I sank deeply into a chair made of stacked limbs and shook my head.

Seeing the chieftain seemingly ready to bite off his tongue in despair, I shoved my shoe into his open mouth and asked.

“Where am I?”

“Ugh?!”

“Which part of the continent are we in? And are there any nearby countries or organizations? Oh, lastly, do you know where the Temple of the Goddess of Love is?”

“…….”

The chieftain glared at me in silence, and I noticed the strength leaving her jaw as I withdrew my foot.

Then the dull voice of surprise came back to me.

“You mean… you slaughtered us for just that?”

“Once again, I’ll say, it was you who drew the knife first!”

“If we had that kind of strength…!”

“Does my strength justify sparing the enemy charging at me with weapons?”

“…It doesn’t, I suppose.”

Perhaps it was the ongoing War of the Gods that got to him. The chieftain broke down for a moment but quickly nodded in agreement.

“So? Do you know or not?”

“I do. I can answer everything, but there are conditions.”

“Conditions, in this situation…?”

“Please don’t kill the children and men.”

“Aha! If you don’t charge first, we won’t kill anyone, right? If you answer well, I won’t just leave; I’ll even help heal you! Is that okay?”

“…I believe you.”

With an expression that showed how utterly untrusting he was, the chieftain began to answer my questions one by one.

“First, this place is what humans call the Forest of Senetus. We goblins just call it the Old Forest.”

“I’m not curious about the name. What about the location?”

“I’ve heard rumors that it’s in the southern part of the continent, but it’s something I secretly overheard, so I’m not sure. Very few talk to goblins seriously.”

“For now, we’ll assume it’s in the south. Okay. Any nearby places worth going?”

“If there’s a friendly place for you humans, it would be the Sun God’s Temple to the northeast… No, are you about the same height? ”

“Do you want to die?”

“Anyway, if you walk for about three days, you’ll find the Temple of the Sun God. Even if you aren’t a believer, as long as you praise the sun, you should be able to stay.”

“Hmm, alright. Lastly, do you know where the Temple of the Goddess of Love is?”

“I don’t know the way. But I have heard where it is on the continent.”

“That’s enough.”

“…It’s in the center of the continent. There’s supposedly nothing but the temple building with no notable land or army.”

“Hmm. Well, that makes sense.”

The Goddess of Love had maintained strict neutrality during the War of the Gods.

But powerless neutrality is akin to having no backing at all.

In any case, unlike the Divine Love Goddess, mere mortals who were her followers often found themselves in dire straits.

The goddess did her best to protect them during those times, but she didn’t retaliate to maintain neutrality.

In a world where wars raged everywhere, how many would really care for a god who didn’t actively protect their followers?

Moreover, the powers granted by the Goddess of Love were all beauty-related, which made surviving in such a world particularly difficult.

It was no surprise that her following was small. After all, in a world where surviving is tough without divine protection, people would naturally want to worship a powerful deity who could protect them.

Having assessed the situation, I made a rough plan in my mind for what was to come, then stood up.

“Alright. Now it’s my turn to keep my promise.”

“Uh…?”

The chieftain’s puzzled expression caught my attention as I purposefully activated the King of Thorns.

Crack!

This place is a forest. The plants growing all around are like my limbs.

As various stalks intertwined, they began to piece back together the severed lump of limbs I’d sat upon.

Naturally, living beings can’t detach their limbs like dolls.

So what I needed here was Recovery Sacred Magic.

Pah!

Perhaps because I had earnestly embraced the goddess’s will to fight Claudia earlier on, the amount of divine power at my disposal had significantly increased beyond comparison to before.

The divine power that had filled the temple at that time surged and surrounded the area, bending to my will.

What came to mind was the way Claudia had demonstrated the use of divine power.

Among the various methods I had no choice but to learn while forced into the barrier, the most impressive part was the one I directly imitated.

Vrum!

The reason Claudia was able to endure stubbornly wasn’t merely due to the barrier being strong.

No, she could pour all her strength into the barrier because she was granted absolute recovery inside that sturdy barrier.

What I was mimicking was that healing ability.

A veil of divine power spread broadly across the goblin village. Its defense level was pathetic… but within this, automatic healing commenced.

Though it was far inferior to a sanctuary, perhaps due to the sheer volume of divine power employed…

In an instant, the goblins’ limbs began to attach and heal.

“This…is…”

The chieftain stared blankly at her now pink-glowing form and that of her subordinates.

I waved casually at her and turned my back to leave.

“Alright? Then I’m leaving now, so don’t try to stop me. The next time, it’ll be your neck I’ll be severing.”

“…….”

Ignoring the glaring eyes of the goblins, I moved forward.

For now, I should head for the nearest Temple of the Sun God.

***

Seeing the ruins of the shattered temple and the murder professionals rummaging through it, I couldn’t help but let out a curse.

“I’m going insane.”

It seemed the Temple of the Sun God had fallen to the Forces of the God of War.

 

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