Chapter 5 – Her Body Responds
They were adventurers urgently summoned by the local townsfolk. Under the guidance of several guards from the team that had been attacked with Lady Lyra, they entered the forest and arrived at the scene of the assault.
Upon arrival, the guards froze for a moment, slightly confused. The traces of battle here seemed altered, yet also unchanged, making them wonder if their memories of the details had been mistaken.
A sturdy old man with a thin beard, Klethar, walked to the most striking trace—the remains of the carriage that had been attacked and destroyed. Experienced as he was, he quickly noticed the signs.
The magic attack seemed aimed at the carriage itself. Normally, such an explosion would leave only small craters in the ground. Yet the scorched earth from the shattered carriage bore no marks of a magical blast, only burned wood. This meant the spell had landed directly on the carriage, or its power had been insufficient.
This did not match the guards' memories of the blast's location and strength beneath the carriage's center.
Klethar brushed ash from the ground, doubt flickering in his eyes. Had this place been tampered with after the guards left to seek reinforcements?
No, impossible.
He shook his head. Goblins, with intelligence far beneath humans, could not have done something so pointless. Even clever humans would hardly bother. This would not prevent a future rescue.
Could it be that goblins were cunning enough to secretly alter the scene to mislead others?
When others came to assess the traces, Klethar chose to keep his suspicions to himself. As a veteran adventurer, he knew caution was important, but being overly cautious in front of others would only harm his reputation.
He had seen White Goblins and Purple Goblins before, even killed them with his team. He knew goblins were sly and cautious, but they would not return to the scene of the crime so soon.
They must have sought out a new safe place. The chances of this site being tampered with were near zero.
Their main task now was to locate the goblins who had attacked Lady Lyra's party. With their combat strength, they might not be able to annihilate all of them, but they could at least force the goblins to retreat and rescue the earl's daughter.
Goblins were not mindless creatures. They would not charge recklessly into overwhelming force. Otherwise, their race would never have survived this long.
The Goblin Shaman they faced had wielded a staff to cast fire magic. Its magical depth had been at level one (1–99), with moderate power.
Judging from the size and weapons described by the guards, at least two people were required to restrain one such goblin in open terrain. In the cramped confines of a cave, even three would barely suffice, and adding another would only hinder coordination.
"Rudgar," said a middle-aged adventurer with a tied ponytail, analyzing calmly.
Klethar nodded, agreeing with his assessment.
Hearing this, several armored guards frowned. They had eight guards and seven adventurers—only one adventurer was a mage.
Six would be needed to hold back two Goblin Giant Warriors, the mage against the Goblin Shaman, and another one or two to provide protection. How could the rest deal with dozens of green goblins inside the cave, while also rescuing Lady Lyra?
They could not use smoke or fire to force the goblins out—Lyra was inside. Everything had to prioritize her safety.
At that moment, Rudgar noticed the grim expressions of the noble guards. He chuckled and said:
"Everyone, don't misunderstand. When I said it takes three men to restrain a White Goblin, I meant you—not us."
The deputy captain of the guards frowned. "What do you mean?"
Rudgar laughed, joined by the other adventurers.
"We're not like you pampered types, spending your lives patrolling or training without real combat. Picking fights with goblins or wild forest wolves? That's our specialty."
"That's right!" another adventurer chimed in.
At that moment, Luthar stood up and said:
"Don't worry, everyone. We still have time. Goblins raise the women they capture before breeding with them. As long as Lady Lyra is rescued before then, she remains untouched."
"Are you certain?" a guard asked.
"Yes," Luthar replied confidently.
The guards brightened. There was still a chance to save Lyra. The future was not entirely bleak.
Meanwhile, inside the goblin cave.
"Has she recovered?" Altair glanced toward the room where Lyra was kept.
The old Purple Goblin nodded with a mumble. Its meaning: he did not fully understand the condition of the human girl, but he had given her some tonics. Her body was responding. That response indicated she was ready to give birth.
"Your form is similar to hers," he added. "So you may begin bearing children."