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[Translator - Pot ]
[Proofreader - Kawaii ]
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Chapter 49: The Savior of Goblins (2)
Among the goblins of the Outlands, there's a long-held prophecy:
[He shall descend on fire. The Savior will lead us and save us with blood and flesh.]
'It's a typical Messiah prophecy, though.'
Such prophecies have, in fact, appeared countless times throughout human history.
You could call it an Indigenous rain dance, where if you keep dancing until it rains, the success rate is, of course, 100%.
Ray's case, however, had many dubious elements.
A being descending from the heavens with a fiery chariot? It might have been a coincidence, but it fit astonishingly well.
'Heh heh, you foolish goblins. I'm not your savior. I'll use you completely.'
Ray's lips twisted into a wicked grin as he looked at the goblins.
They could speak? They understood language?
They had their own culture and were sentient beings?
Werewolves could also speak.
Yetis had their own culture, and vampires had a more aristocratic dignity than humans.
But were they creatures one could negotiate with?
No. Intelligent beings with beastly natures cannot coexist with humans.
Pastor Kim well understood why the struggle against these troublesome races had continued for hundreds, even thousands of years without 'harmony' being achieved.
How could coexistence and harmony be possible when they viewed humans as prey?
The same applied to goblins.
In fact, they were even worse than werewolves or vampires.
Compared to those two races, which had naturally small populations, goblins had excellent reproductive capabilities, were more aggressive, and more cruel.
Ray had experienced firsthand how brutal and evil goblins residing in the mountains near Obello Village could be.
'There's nothing more dangerous than misguided sympathy and empathy.'
Ray assessed the environment of this quarry with the Named goblin who communicated via telepathy.
"The Orcs kidnapped and are farming you?"
"Yes! We had designated territories, but one day they invaded our land and captured us!"
Orcs farming goblins? That was plausible.
Intelligent races often enslaved weaker ones.
Human history also had instances of white people kidnapping and enslaving black people, even forcing them to breed, so it wasn't hard to understand.
What was truly hard to understand was when mealtime arrived.
"Eat!"
The Orcs distributed meals to the goblins in cages.
The goblins then frantically devoured the food the Orcs threw.
The problem was that the food looked very familiar.
'Isn't this animal feed?'
Basic feed, a mixture of grains and animal fat.
Unless the Orcs had suddenly undergone a technological revolution, this was undoubtedly human-made feed.
'Orcs get feed from humans, and Orcs feed this to goblins to fatten them up?'
That was strange.
If they were merely using them for labor, there would be no need to give them livestock feed to fatten them up.
When using slaves, the basic practice is to feed them just enough to survive and discard them like consumables.
Even ordinary humans had a history of being treated and discarded that way.
So why would they treat goblins, who bred quickly if not kept in check, with such care?
'This is livestock farming, isn't it?'
Indeed. The quarry work was merely a secondary purpose; their true use was closer to livestock.
To be eaten once they got fat.
"Do the Orcs eat you?"
"Cough! We're not tasty, they don't eat us. They complain about the small bones."
So not for meat either.
Then why were the Orcs farming goblins? Unless it was for something like soap and cosmetics, like humans would use.
'There might be circumstances I don't know about.'
He'd have to investigate further, but it seemed the Orcs' objective was to increase and farm the goblins.
Ray began to devise a plan to escape this situation using these goblins.
For that, he first needed to win over the goblins.
"Ahem! Yes, I am your Savior."
"As I thought!"
Good, they were following perfectly.
To these foolish goblins, the Savior in the prophecy must be an absolute being.
'I'll use them to the bone and then discard them like trash!'
Ray first planned to use the goblins to wipe out the Orcs.
Since the Orcs had suffered significant damage from the fire tornado, it would likely be easier than he thought.
"From now on, you will follow my instructions... What are you doing?"
"Ritual! We are preparing the ritual!"
"Ritual?"
Why were they performing a ritual, pulling out stashed salt, and lighting a fire?
"Ohh! Our Savior has appeared! He shall save us with 'blood' and 'flesh'!"
"Kyaru!"
"Kyaru!"
Blood and flesh? It was then, as Ray recalled the latter part of the prophecy he had casually dismissed, that he was gripped by unease.
"From now on, we will! Take the Savior's blood and flesh! And reclaim goblin freedom!"
"...Huh?"
Ray had forgotten.
The only good goblin was a dead goblin.
***
Immediately after Ray was swept up in the tornado and ascended, the Cream Guild members did their best to search for him.
"Any further is dangerous! This area is swarming with Orc tribes! Including the ones who attacked us!"
The Outlands were a dangerous, lawless territory.
That much was clear just from the Orcs running rampant.
"Many carriages are damaged. We cannot guarantee mobility, so one-third must return to the city immediately."
Furthermore, many were injured in the battle with the Orcs. In such a situation...
"Risking our lives for a Father who is likely dead is..."
"No, Ray isn't dead!"
Ophelia's firm shout drew everyone's attention.
"I know it! Ray isn't the kind of person to die in a place like this!"
"Sister, that's not something we can just 'think' about..."
"He probably didn't die."
It was Aaron who stepped forward.
He was a learned young master who should have been more rational than anyone, but when it came to Ray Anderson, he had a strange faith.
"That... He's the kind of guy who just won't die, so he must have survived somehow. He has that kind of talent."
"Young Master is right. Brother Ray is truly someone who doesn't die even if you try to kill him. That's his innate talent."
"That's right! I can't imagine Brother Ray dying like this!"
These words were completely illogical and unreasonable.
Of course, they couldn't convince the guild members.
But Aaron had no intention of convincing all of them.
After all, he only needed to convince the leader, not the entire group.
"Commander Maria, may I have a word with you privately?"
"Speak."
Aaron spoke to Commander Maria alone, whispering carefully.
"Ray Anderson is... a Saint Candidate."
"..."
Commander Maria's eyes widened.
A Saint Candidate? Did that mean he bore a Stigmata?
"Is that true?"
"Why would I lie? You can trust me. The Solar Theocracy and the armed organization haven't announced it for safety, but he is indeed a Saint Candidate."
"...Then that changes things."
A Saint Candidate isn't a Saint, but a being who possesses the potential to become one.
It was a process all Saints underwent, and even the Axe Sisterhood's Saint Elizabeth possessed a Stigmata before her awakening.
"We cannot mobilize the entire guild. There are also injured members."
"We don't expect that much. However, the Orcs also died in that tornado, didn't they? They won't dare to attack us recklessly."
Commander Maria made her decision.
If Ray were an ordinary priest, she would have deliberated.
But for a Saint Candidate, it was worth gambling their lives.
"If Father Ray is alive, there's a high probability he was dragged away by the Orcs. The fortunate thing is... Orcs know how to use humans as slaves."
"Orcs taking slaves? That's the first I've heard of it."
Aaron had dealt with monsters in his territory many times, but he didn't know much about Orc tribes.
Graham's territory was famous as a noble clan, and naturally, dangerous monster groups in the vicinity were periodically cleared out.
They didn't give Orcs time to gather in large numbers. Goblins, with their incredibly fast breeding rate, were an exception.
"Yes, but... uh, Orcs... use humans as 's*x slaves'."
"...Huh?"
"They don't discriminate between men and women either."
"..."
"..."
Silence for a while. Aaron nodded and relayed this information to his party members.
"Ray's virginity is in danger! I haven't even claimed it yet!"
"Young lady, watch your words!"
In any case, Aaron's party, along with Commander Maria, began their search for Ray.
It wasn't that difficult.
They simply followed the tornado's path, and near where the tornado dissipated, they found the Orcs' base.
"That place has long been controlled by a powerful Orc tribe. They've been using the iron from that quarry to consistently supply crude weapons and build their strength."
Jenny, a Melfasa native, seemed familiar with the Orcs of the quarry.
"The ones who attacked us this time are from that tribe."
"By the way, I don't see any Orcs. They all seem to be inside?"
"Only goblins everywhere."
"To think Orcs would be enslaving goblins."
"Ah! Brothers and Sisters! Look over there!"
"What's that?"
Henry pointed towards the center of the quarry.
There, a burnt-out carriage lay abandoned, looking quite familiar.
It was one of the Melfasa Cream Guild's carriages.
"The fact that a carriage swept away by the tornado is there means..."
"There's a high probability Brother Ray also landed here."
The problem was finding Ray in such a large quarry.
"Let's infiltrate."
"Are you serious, Young Master?"
"Hmm, I don't think it's impossible?"
When Ophelia agreed, Jenny and Henry's gazes turned to her.
"Orcs and goblins generally have poor eyesight. You could say their default racial setting is astigmatism."
"So, if we disguise ourselves well and hide our scent, it's surprisingly doable."
"Goblins are physically out of the question, so we'll have to disguise ourselves as Orcs."
Fortunately, the Cream Guild's carriage was full of Orcs and goblins.
"Here are Orc armor and helmets. We will wait outside."
The Axe Sisterhood kept their carriages ready so that Ray's party could escape at any time once they left the quarry.
"Ugh... the smell of blood. I want to wash."
"You're being fussy."
Aaron and his party secretly infiltrated the quarry.
Fortunately, not a single Orc was visible, only plenty of goblins.
Perhaps because it was an Orc den, they hadn't even posted proper guards.
"The quarry is deeper than I thought... I wonder if we'll be able to find him."
"What should we do if we encounter goblins?"
"We'll just intimidate them and chase them away. Weren't they enslaved? They wouldn't dare attack."
However, Aaron's prediction went awry from the very beginning.
"Kya-ra-ra-kko-r-ku!"
(It's those Orc bastards!)
"Kya-la-kya-la-kya-la-kong!"
(There's still one alive!)
The first goblins they encountered pointed at them and immediately attacked with their group.
"Wha-what?! You said they wouldn't attack!"
"I don't know either! Damn it, drop the disguise and charge!"
Enslaved goblins immediately attacking Orcs? It was unbelievable, but with the situation rapidly changing, they had to escape the quarry first.
However...
"Kya-ra-kyu! Kyu-ha!"
(Over there! Surround them!)
Goblins in front, goblins behind. Instantly, hundreds of goblins, from where they were breeding, surrounded the party members.
"Crazy! So many goblins!"
"I'll break through!"
At that critical moment.
"GLORY! GLORY! Invictus in the highest!"
A familiar melody. A peaceful hymn, calming enough to deflate all tension, reached them.
"Exalt His name! All! Praise Him! My precious Lord, Sol Invictus! Give glory to the Lord!"
"Human?"
Aaron grimaced as if he had seen something monstrous.
And for good reason.
The one approaching with the familiar melody was a human riding in a palanquin carried by dozens of goblins.
The half-naked man, covered in metaphysical face paint, had a strangely familiar face.
"...Ray?"
Ophelia recognized him first and tilted her head, but the man's response was resolute.
"Capture them! I'll make them sacrifices!"
"Kya-ra-kyu-ku-kyu!"
"KASU! KASU! KASU!"
At Ray's command, the goblins swarmed the party.
Aaron and his companions desperately resisted, but with hundreds of goblins attacking simultaneously, they had no way to endure.
"Ugh, ugh!"
"Ugh! Ugh!"
The party members' hands and feet were bound, and their mouths covered by the sheer numbers of goblins.
Ray pointed at them and said,
"Complete the ritual to claim the Savior! And they will join me at the banquet! They will be the side dishes!"
"KYURAAAAAA!"
"KYURAAAAAA!"
The goblins cheered.
However, Aaron's party, who were about to become side dishes at the banquet, couldn't just let it go.
"..."
"You! Ugh!"
You bastard! We came to save you! If their mouths hadn't been covered, curses would have poured from the noble young master's lips.
But despite that, the party members who met Ray's gaze desperately read his lips as he whispered his intentions.
"As expected of my companions. You came to save me, right?"
"..."
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[Translator - Pot ]
[Proofreader - Kawaii ]
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