Banshee? No, an ogre!

Chapter 25: The road ahead

Upon returning to the village,

Lange threw away the two goblin heads and completed the job.

The whole process took less than an hour.

As for the poor people who were lucky enough to be saved, they were also handed over to the village. Those who had relatives looked for their relatives, those who had a place to go looked for a place to go, and those who didn't had to decide whether they wanted to stay. Those who chose to stay were basically treated as villagers.

If they are lucky, this experience of being looted may be the most miserable time of their lives.

Time is the best medicine, capable of dulling all pain.

I must say that this is also a kind of helpless sadness. They have a choice, but they don't have a choice...

Ordinary people, in this border area, really have no choice...

Fuke insisted on saying goodbye to the poor women before he was ready to lead the team and leave the village with the task papers stamped.

Wait, adventurer. A young villager hurried out, sword in hand.

'What is this?' Vuko was astonished.

I am the son of the village blacksmith. Thank you for killing the goblins and saving Rivenna! Please accept it! The young villager bent down and offered the weapon with both hands.

No, no, we were paid for our work and don't really need it...' Vuko was about to refuse without thinking, especially since he didn't lack for equipment.

'This, this is the best sword I've ever made!

'Take it, it'll make a good souvenir. When Vuko was about to say something else, Oug patted him on the shoulder with his hand and took the sword for him.

He picked up the sword and flicked it against his finger, and it made a crisp sound.

The sword's weaknesses and strengths were revealed to Ogg in high speed vibrations - his superhuman eyesight was also first class for observing the weaknesses of weapons. It wasn't completely accurate, but it was more than enough to get the general idea.

The material used for this sword was not particularly good; a really good material would not vibrate so easily.

But the sword was perfectly forged, and the vibrations were very even. It was definitely more than enough to kill goblins. I'm afraid this good sword was not made by this young blacksmith.

Thank you, it's a very good weapon. I think it's the best sword in the whole village, but I'm sure the best weapon will be your next creation,' Oug said jokingly.

He was also responding to Fuke's goodwill.

His praise made the young blacksmith's face turn slightly red: Thank you, thank you.

Fuke saw this.

In the end, he did not refuse this goodwill and carefully accepted the weapon, which was worthless to him, from Oug's hands.

...

Don't the people in the village need these weapons more than we do? Why give them away? Vuko asked Oug after he had put the sword into his empty pocket.

'Maybe the human isn't as complicated as you think. This is probably the best he has to offer,' Oug said with a smile.

'Poor people, why do they always like to give away their most precious things to express their gratitude...' Vuko didn't quite understand.

In fact, he would have preferred a child with flowers to thank him...

I don't really understand either,' Oog said, shaking his head.

In Oog's opinion, it didn't really matter what you gave.

Not getting an answer from Oog, Fook turned to Lange and Serendik, but in the end he had the feeling that they had nothing to ask either, so he could only sigh and say: 'Speaking of which, those rescued women are really unfortunate. I wonder what will happen to them in the future...'

They are not the unluckiest,' said Oug, and then he looked up at the sun: 'The unluckiest have already been left behind forever in a raid or played with to death in a cave.

Oug's words were the truth, but when they reached Fuke's ears, they sounded so harsh.

He did not refute or agree, but simply clenched his fists.

This young man, who had grown up with a silver spoon in his mouth, was seeing the cruel side of the world for the first time.

Vuko: 'Sigh...'

It turned out that someone had used up all his strength just by living.

Vuko's state of mind had quietly changed during this short journey, and he secretly set himself a goal... one that was even harder to achieve than his original one.

So, all goblins deserve to die!

These were the words of Serendic, who felt that the cause of all this was the goblins' abominable existence!

Seldanik raised his hand and struck a blow in the air, as if still reeling from the previous killing.

His gloves, stained with goblin blood, still had an unpleasant smell that would not dissipate - but he was satisfied.

Right and wrong don't matter. It can be said that some species are naturally in conflict,' Og said casually, thinking of his father...

But were the goblins responsible for this series of tragedies?

Yes, but behind it all was the laxity of the Empire.

Civilians? They're not even considered human?

That's what Oug heard when he overheard a noble talking.

The Empire is not incapable of handling this, like expanding the city, increasing the protection of the army, letting people live in the empty areas of the city...

But they didn't do any of that.

Perhaps ordinary people and imperial nobles really aren't the same species...

Instead of wasting time and effort, it's better to just let them evolve.

After all, people are like weeds, they always grow back.

Speaking of the Empire, why don't they just get rid of all the low-level monsters here at once? Langge added, his thoughts mostly on the surface.

His philosophy in life was simple - just follow Fuke.

But doesn't the Association of Professionals often give out clean-up jobs? Seldank asked, puzzled.

'Hell, that's because the guild wants to make money. If it doesn't make money, you won't see it published or not. We're the only ones who take on such trivial tasks, and the real professionals don't even look at them. Lange took off his stuffy helmet and added another comment.

Obviously he and Fuke had come across something unpleasant when they took on the job.

People like Lange are usually too straightforward, and he is a bit like Serendik.

The difference is that he has not experienced too many setbacks, so it is difficult for him to understand and recognise certain things.

When you are in the middle of a situation, it is difficult to step back if you do not have special encounters with your thoughts.

Long,' Fuko interrupted the conversation with an expressionless tone.

'What is it, my lord?' Lange stopped rambling.

'Go with me to pick up two more quests later,' Fuko said.

'But there aren't many such missions left...' Lange said subconsciously.

Goblins are a type of monster where it is often difficult to get anything of value, no matter how many you kill. If it weren't for some villages that really don't want to be bothered by them and are willing to pay the cost, they probably wouldn't even be on the mission list.

You can see the attitude of the Society of Professionals by the fact that they have placed them in the Apprentice category. This type of monster is basically used for novice practice.

Usually, the force that takes the initiative to clear most of these low-level monsters is the Dawn Church.

The Dawn Church is basically a gathering place for pure human supremacists. They take the time to clear these monsters a few times a year and treat the villagers for free.

It can be said that without the Dawn Church, there would be even fewer villages outside. This is also why the Dawn Church is able to flourish in every way, despite being inferior to the Church of Truth.

Even if there are no tasks, we still have to do them. Fokuzhi was not here, but he also wanted to do some good before he left.

In this world, probably only people with power and influence have the courage to unleash kindness.

If I don't do it, who else will? Fuke thought to himself.

Actually, there's no need to go to all that trouble. We can just do it and report afterwards,' Og suddenly interrupted.

Commissioned goblin purges, if there are enough of them and they are widespread enough, can also add experience to a professional's star rating.

Except there's no gold reward.

What do you mean? Fuke stopped and asked Og sideways, and the others had to stop following as well.

In fact, the three of them had been following Fuke's pace all the way, after all, Fuke was the mage in the group.

I've seen a goblin gathering place before, and the map the guard at the village entrance gave me also marked it. It's a bit far away, but if you don't mind, we can go there now. Although it's probably not part of the mission, I think there should be treasures there with so many goblins gathered... Even if there's no profit, it shouldn't be hard to report it and get a two-star rating.

Of course, Og saw through Fuke's thoughts, but he still didn't take it seriously.

He had seen many people like that before. There was always a sense of compassion when newcomers experienced or heard or saw something; they would feel and take on the responsibility of being the saviour, thinking of doing something about it.

But it was often just a rush of enthusiasm that didn't last long - after a while they realised they still had their own lives and didn't have time for so much.

Very few people could hold on to a fleeting thought.

People cannot and must not decide their future on the basis of fleeting impulses.

There is no saviour, people can only save themselves...

Oog never put his hope in a so-called saviour.

He admired those who could endure, but more than that, he felt that only he could truly save himself.

However, despite his thoughts, Oog would not ridicule those idealists.

To be able to take even one step because of a moment of enthusiasm is something to be celebrated!

Recklessness is better than the cowardice and confusion of doing nothing.

Relying on something will always collapse. My child, the true saviour is always one person - yourself.

-The Dawn's Word/On God and the Firstborn.

What are we waiting for? Lead on, brother, we have plenty of time today,' said the blond teenager, Serendic, who spoke first.

He was sneaking out to kill those green bastards for revenge!

Rewards and such were secondary.

Lange, on the other hand, held his tongue and waited for Vuko to make a decision.

Looking at the others, a sense of mission arose in Vuko's heart: 'Go ahead, Ogg, you're the expert.

Vuko was very glad that he had chosen such a reliable teammate, much better than the bunch of womanisers in his own family.

Fuke had never considered himself one of those self-indulgent types, and his rivals had always been the true sons of heaven.

Can you adapt? Oug asked.

Hahaha, I won't hold you back,' Fuke smiled broadly. He never thought that one day he would take the initiative to say something like 'I won't hold you back'.

The sudden hearty laughter made Oug look at Fuke a little more seriously.

For some reason, he really had the feeling that this guy, Fuke, might not be the same.

Then just follow me,' Ouge laughed as well.

Then the two of them made their way towards the burning sun.