I Am Not Goblin Slayer

Chapter 355: Goblins will eventually have nowhere to hide.

"Safe! We're alive!"When Grayrock Town's gate opened and refugees poured into the streets, two lines of hot tears ran down their cheeks again.

"Lord Gauss, who are these people?"

The guard who opened the gate looked up at Gauss, who had floated down from the sky, and asked.

Up until that moment, they still did not know the identity of the newcomer; they had only opened the gate and welcomed everyone because they trusted Gauss.

"They're refugees from Blackwater Town. Blackwater Town has been overrun."

"I found them outside the town being chased and massacred by a group of monster cavalry, so I rescued them."

Hearing that, the guard soldiers drew a cold breath, feeling chilled to the bone.

Those two short sentences concealed the displacement of thousands upon thousands of families.

Everyone looked at the refugees entering the town with sympathy, mixed with a trace of lingering dread.

If Gauss had not been stationed at Grayrock Town, they might have suffered the same fate—homes destroyed, lives lost.

"Notify Sir Belock and get these people settled for now."

They could not simply let all the refugees flood Grayrock Town’s streets. There was still the risk some could be spies, so Gauss left this task to Sir Belock and the town's other administrators.

He only took responsibility for saving people; the subsequent logistics had to be handled by officials.

Soon the town's militiamen escorted the refugees to the barracks for shelter.

The camp cooks began simmering hot soups, giving the famished refugees something warm to eat and energy to recover.

"...I didn't expect Blackwater Town to be breached."

Sir Belock stood beside Gauss, glancing at the line of people waiting for food, and said helplessly.

This time the monsters had attacked not only Grayrock Town, but Lincrest Town and Blackwater Town as well, and even farther places; other monster tribes independently launched offensives during the deep winter.

That was why Grayrock Town only received support from Anvil Fort, where Sir Belock was stationed.

Actually, after Grayrock Town's defense victory two days prior, Belock and Eberhard had discussed whether to aid nearby besieged towns, but after careful consideration they temporarily abandoned the plan.

On one hand, Grayrock Town itself had suffered heavy losses; the town needed repairs and injured soldiers required rest and recovery.

On the other hand, they worried that pulling away garrison forces would leave the town vulnerable; if the monsters that fled into the Emerald Forest reorganized and counterattacked, Grayrock Town would be in serious trouble.

Most importantly, the constant heavy snow and freezing ground made large troop movements impractical.

Even in hindsight, had they decided to send aid then, they likely would have been too late; Blackwater Town's fall probably began earlier than Grayrock Town's battle.

While the camp settled the refugees, Gauss and Sir Belock exchanged a brief word and then, under many watchful eyes, mounted the red drake Hephaestus and launched into the sky, flying east toward Blackwater Town.

According to the escaping refugees, the handful they had seen was not the only group to flee Blackwater Town.

A day later.

Thanks to Gauss's efforts, more people kept arriving in dribs and drabs.

In the snowfall, that splinter of vivid red became a guiding beacon across the white expanse.

Of course, not every group Gauss found was intact and safe. He encountered several late-arrival parties; severed limbs and torn bodies lay across the snow, clear signs that chase units sent by the monsters had caught and slaughtered fleeing groups.

"Dragon Knight, sir."

"Thank you for rescuing us."

Gauss was escorting the last group of eight hundred toward Grayrock Town.

According to the cavalry captain, this mass of people had been part of a large convoy heading for Grayrock Town. The column included many adventurers and mounted troops as escorts, but because the group was so large and contained many women and children, they could not travel quickly.

They had repelled several enemy attacks along the way, which delayed them considerably.

Until the crimson drake descended from the sky in that glaring snowstorm and the refugees learned that the handsome man on its back was Grayrock Town’s powerful professional, Gauss, who had come to meet them, their anxious hearts could not fully calm.

Gauss checked the map in his head; Grayrock Town was still some distance away.

He glanced at a little girl and an elderly man in the column, their lips already blue from the cold, and said,

"Make a fire and cook first."

"I scouted the area from the sky a moment ago. There are no enemies nearby."

In such extreme weather, if they did not rest, many would likely freeze to death before reaching Grayrock Town.

The battle-hardened adventurers and soldiers were already famished and chilled; they naturally welcomed Gauss's suggestion.

Soon campfires dotted the snow.

The warmth from the flames eased the women's and elders' faces considerably.

Hephaestus served as a living furnace, providing steady heat.

But because of its fierce, terrifying appearance, many—although they knew it was Gauss's mount—kept their distance, afraid it might suddenly go berserk and make them a snack.

While they rested, Gauss took the time to learn the details of Blackwater Town's fall from the cavalry captain.

He learned that Blackwater Town's breach had a lot to do with a long-neglected sewer system that a squad of Fishmen had broken through. Early in the assault this created a two-front encirclement—threats from both outside and within.

Before the town entirely fell, when the monster horde poured in, civilians and adventurers were being sent out through hidden passages and small gates.

After this battle, Blackwater Town was effectively erased from the map.

Those who remained resisting in Blackwater Town would be slaughtered, and the empty lands from the Emerald Forest toward Blackwater would soon flood with monsters, converting the area into a monster domain.

If humans did not recapture those surrounding regions, they would slowly be absorbed into the Emerald Forest and become the Blackwater Forest.

Although the raid was sudden, similar events had occurred during the century of peace.

Border settlements sometimes fell and became monster havens, while humans had likewise organized strikes into the Emerald Forest—clearing trees, building towns, establishing outposts.

Wasn't last year like that? Although Gauss had been assigned to Outpost 11 and it fell, several outposts struck deep into the forest had formed small settlements there; in a few years some of them might again become small human hubs like Grayrock Town.

This seemingly stable border line had actually been shifting all along; recently the rate of change had accelerated.

Although Gauss felt both pity and curiosity over Blackwater Town's current state, he knew that going alone there now would not be wise.

During Grayrock Town's defense he had experienced firsthand the danger of an untidy mob forming military might.

Rashly going off in a fit of heroism to fight at Blackwater would be little better than suicide.

After a short rest, the refugees ate warm meals and regained some strength and morale.

Even confident in his own strength, Gauss knew they still needed to press on to town quickly to avoid unexpected developments.

By the time Gauss escorted this large convoy back to Grayrock Town, it was already late at night.

After arranging everyone, he—somewhat exhausted—finally returned home and slept well for one night.

The next morning.

The sky cleared.

After days of cold, the temperature had finally risen noticeably today.

Many townsfolk came out into the streets to bask and warm themselves in the sun.

The streets were unusually crowded, and now and then unfamiliar faces could be seen.

"They must be from Blackwater Town, right?"

"Seems so."

"Lord Gauss has been busy for two days."

"Terrible. I heard Blackwater Town has completely fallen, with at least thousands dead and wounded."

"A lot of those who fled were also killed."

Grayrock Town residents watched the ragged refugees waiting for porridge at the aid stall with pity and a touch of residual fear.

A town's fall meant countless deaths; even survivors would face a bleak life—homelessness, family separation, loss of property.

"Excuse me, have you seen a little girl with black hair? Nine years old. Hair about this long. There's a birthmark on her face here."

"Sorry."

"Mary! Mary!"

Many from Blackwater Town were still searching for lost family members.

Because the evacuation had been urgent, many had been separated from relatives.

Gauss and the others headed to the Adventurers Guild.

"Send people to the town hall to register Blackwater Town’s civilians first."

Gauss had escorted over two thousand people back.

Settling them was a massive undertaking.

Housing, food, heating, medical care...

The town hall could not handle it alone, so they entrusted the Adventurers Guild to assist.

"Thank you for your hard work."

Eberhard solemnly gripped Gauss's hands.

Gauss had no obligation to actively guide refugees from the wilderness, yet he had done it anyway.

Although the refugees headed toward Grayrock Town, finding the right direction across the snow was not easy, and the monster armies had been chasing them through the drifts.

A single day’s delay could mean the difference between survival and annihilation.

Cold, enemies, food shortages, getting lost—any of these factors could wipe out a fleeing party.

"It's what I should do."

Gauss waved his hand.

He was the only one in Grayrock Town capable of doing this.

Eberhard’s griffin also feared the cold and was less capable than Hephaestus for long-distance flights.

After brief pleasantries, they began to redeem rewards.

Everyone exchanged points for skills they could use now or in the near future.

Gauss redeemed the fourth-circle spell Locate Creature.

He needed it to search for enemies.

Compared to others, he had natural advantages: familiarity with many monsters and high mental strength, which extended the spell's effective range.

Coincidentally, Grayrock Town had the spell. Eberhard quickly had someone bring the scroll.

Gauss also mentioned the damage to his clothes from his transformation and asked Eberhard for a good solution.

"There is a transfiguration outfit spell."

Albenia suddenly spoke from nearby.

Gauss had been busy for two days; this was the first time she heard about his trouble.

"A transfiguration outfit spell?"

"Yes."

Albenia nodded.

"Like my armor. I commissioned an alchemist to inscribe a summoning sigil on it, so the armor can appear on me at the instant combat begins."

That reminder made Gauss recall that her armor could indeed be summoned on demand.

"I'll apply to the higher-ups."

Although not a spellcaster, Eberhard believed such a magic existed and, given the Adventurers Guild's resources, they could find the corresponding spellbook.

"Please do."

Gauss gratefully said.

If the guild machinery would assist, it should be straightforward.

"Pick one more spell."

Eberhard handed the list back to Gauss.

Perhaps not wanting Gauss to feel uncomfortable, he added,

"As a reward for rescuing so many Blackwater Town civilians these past two days."

"Then I won't be modest."

Gauss looked over the spell list again.

After careful thought, he chose another fourth-circle spell, Confusion.

This spell looked quite useful.

A brief lapse in concentration can decide the outcome of a battle.

Imagine a spellcaster reciting an elaborate, sky-shaping spell; if you suddenly hit them with Confusion and break their focus, their mana might surge uncontrollably and backfire, causing severe injury or death.

Or in close combat, a momentary daze can let Gauss slash across a throat and take a life.

Sometimes it isn't brute force that determines a fight; these subtle "small tricks" can be more lethal.

After redeeming his spells, Gauss and his companions did not delay Eberhard further, concerned he might assign them management duties.

Carrying the Locate Creature scroll, Gauss stepped out of Grayrock Town's main gate.

Over the next few days, the team would enter a rest period.

Albenia and Serlandul needed to prepare for a breakthrough; he, Aria, and Shadow needed to practice newly learned skills.

"Let's disband for now."

In a quiet room,

Gauss's bright eyes studied the spell scroll intently.

Although he was learning above his level, this was not his first time doing so. He already commanded two fourth-circle spells, Control Water and Ice Storm.

Now, tackling this auxiliary Locate Creature spell was naturally less difficult.

'I see...'

After studying for a while, the extremely complex spell model—one that could make an ordinary person's head throb and crack—had been thoroughly understood by him.

As he attempted it a few times,

a pale cyan three-dimensional, intricate model slowly formed deep within his mind.

"Done."

The fully formed spell construct was so complex it could overwhelm the brain of a novice Master-level caster, potentially causing cognitive collapse without urgent treatment. But Gauss handled it with ease.

"What an incredible spell."

Gauss marveled as he felt the Locate Creature magic.

The more he learned about spells, the more amazed he was by the depths of magic.

Magic was like an unknown box: once opened, humans could use it to manifest all manner of seemingly impossible phenomena and achieve various goals.

"Locate Creature."

In less than a tenth of a second, an image of a hateful green-skinned goblin surfaced in his mind, a faint cyan aura emanating from it.

The image immediately swept outward, cleansing and scanning space for thousands of meters.

Perhaps because of his strong mental power, or his familiarity with goblins, his first attempt at using Locate Creature specifically targeting goblins succeeded.

"Really?"

Not bad—his first casting produced results, even though he had not intended to search for goblins within the town.

"So faint. Is that the life signature of goblin pups?"

Within the mental link, he detected some extremely weak, evil-scented goblin life echoes.

Shaking his head,

Gauss roughly guessed the source.

Probably that night after the battle, some goblins that infiltrated the town had defiled livestock and impregnated them.

Although the townspeople had been moved underground that night, the livestock had not been so fortunate.

Goblins truly were like cockroaches: resilient and prolific, able to breed anywhere regardless of season or place. With one lapse in vigilance, they would spread seeds again.

Fortunately, now that he wielded Locate Creature, he felt empowered; wherever he went henceforth, no evil green-skinned fiend would have anywhere to hide.

He stared at the Locate Creature's magic and a faint smile rose at the corner of his mouth.