We finally set off toward the village.
This might end up being a bit of an exposition chapter.
I regrouped with Rigul and the others at the entrance to the forest.
All told, we'd spent five days inside.
That was roughly in line with the schedule I'd planned.
A lot of things had happened, but the bottom line was that we'd achieved our goal!
If I wanted to be greedy, I would have liked to check out what amounted to an adventurer's guild in this city — the Free Guild.
I doubted they'd be there, but there was a chance some other otherworlders might have been around...
On top of that, since we were in a dwarven country after all, I would have loved to browse their crafts and armor — but it couldn't be helped now.
I'd managed to recruit the people who could make things. That should be enough to be satisfied with!
Plus, I'd earned twenty gold coins, so the haul was nothing to scoff at.
I introduced Rigul's group to
They'd be companions going forward. I wanted them to get along.
Come to think of it, the dwarves didn't seem to harbor much prejudice.
There were half-elves to consider as well, but thinking about the future, this could only be a good thing.
Now then, as we prepared to depart, one problem arose.
Ranga's cheerful expression instantly went blank. He staggered backward and sat down.
Then he stared at the dwarves with a look that practically screamed, "Once these old fossils are gone, the problem solves itself, doesn't it?"
The dwarves were terrified by that look, which practically said he was going to bite them to death at any moment.
To be fair, the very first moment they'd laid eyes on Ranga, they'd all been dramatically over-the-top in their reactions.
"Eeeeek! What is... why is there...?!"
or something along those lines.
Was that just one of their gimmicks?
I couldn't really tell, but maybe there was a joke I wasn't getting.
"Now now, wait, Ranga! The truth is, I've been trying out my Mimicry in the form of a Black Wolf, and I want to test its performance.
So with that said, I'm leaving the two dwarves in your care!"
At my words, Ranga snapped to attention with a sharp *shaaak!* "Understood! My liege!!!"
And just like that, he accepted.
I put Kaijin and the eldest brother, Garum, on my back.
I put the second brother, Dold, and the third brother, Mild, on Ranga's back.
Once I confirmed both dwarves were seated on Ranga, I used Sticky Thread to secure them in place.
At the end of the day, speeds of eighty kilometers per hour in a world with no motorcycles would be quite the terrifying experience.
I wasn't sure whether I could actually run at that speed, and I had no intention of pushing it that far, but...
Now it was my turn.
Mimicry: Black Storm Star Wolf.
My transformation was complete. When Ranga saw my form— "Magnificent!!! Truly worthy of my liege!!!"
"Fufufu! Of course it is! You should work hard so that you too can evolve into this form!"
So I replied to Ranga's praise.
"Ha ha! I shall rise to meet that expectation!"
Ranga's eyes burned red with renewed ambition.
Spurred by Ranga's spirit, the Storm Wolves seemed excited too.
Everyone was fired up. That was a wonderful thing.
Now then, time to load up Kaijin and the others...
Why was it that they'd foamed at the mouth and passed out?
...What was up with these... old men?
Whatever.
Thanks to my daily practice, I was able to produce Sticky Thread from my back. I used it to haul Kaijin and the others up.
Success! All that practice of producing and manipulating thread had paid off.
Just like that, with the unconscious dwarves loaded up, we set off.
As an aside, when I started running at what I thought was a gentle pace, I inadvertently hit over a hundred kilometers per hour. It was a blessing in disguise that Kaijin and the others had already passed out.
They probably would have blacked out from the initial acceleration anyway...
I glanced at the two dwarves on Ranga's back — Dold and Mild.
Did they have the guts for this? Were they okay? No... they were not. This must have been that rumor about passing out with your eyes still open...
My condolences.
Leaving the unconscious dwarves to themselves, we continued along the path home.
Honestly, being unconscious was probably better for them — at least they wouldn't accidentally bite their tongues.
In their position, I wouldn't want to be woken up just to go through that terror again either.
It was a kindness, really, to let them sleep through the whole thing.
Well, I'd wake them up for mealtime though!
Yeah, I really am a terrible person, aren't I?
Come to think of it...
"Rigul! Tell me — did you manage to summon a Black Wolf?"
"Well, it's embarrassing, but... no, I haven't had any success yet."
Hmm. So even Rigul hadn't managed it yet.
The other goblins looked frustrated too. Likewise, the Black Wolves paired with them looked equally aggrieved.
So did that mean only
"No, apparently Gobta actually managed it."
"Really?! Gobta, is that true?"
"You betcha! I called, and it came!"
At his words, the other goblins and Black Wolves alike burned with fighting spirit in their eyes.
"But that makes sense when you think about it. After all, Gobta walked this route between the dwarven kingdom and the goblin village entirely on foot!"
Come to think of it, he was right!
I'd always thought the guy was an idiot — and he still was — but when it counted, he came through.
Well, Gobta was an idiot, but that didn't mean he was incompetent.
When you really thought about it, making the round trip over four months, sourcing food along the way, walking this entire distance — that was no small feat.
Even if he was weak, monsters still showed up in these parts.
My opinion of Gobta jumped up a few notches. Of course, it would probably drop again soon enough...
Night fell, and we took a rest break.
I wasn't tired at all, but the others needed to rest.
While everyone rested, I took the opportunity to confirm my abilities.
The Black Storm Star Wolf's physical capabilities were staggeringly high.
I felt as if power was practically overflowing from every cell.
A light push off the ground and I leaped instantly. Running at full stride, I could sprint at flying speeds.
Combined with my own reaction time, I seemed capable of drawing out this body's full potential with ease.
Up until now, my fighting had mostly consisted of using Water Blade to go *swish!* and cut down an enemy, then calling it a day.
So I hadn't really thought much about it, but things like raw strength and explosive speed were also crucial elements of combat.
In that regard, the Black Storm Star Wolf form possessed impeccable fighting ability.
Probably thanks to the Great Sage's corrections, but in this wolf form, I could likely one-shot a Black Serpent.
Without using any special abilities, mind you.
Based on the explanations I'd received in town, the lizard had been ranked at B-.
Using the Great Sage's simulation function, I could estimate approximate ranks for the other monsters as well.
By that metric, the Black Serpent fell short of A rank.
It could beat ten Centipedes, so probably A- at best...
Similarly, with a Black Storm Wolf under my control, it would be stronger than a Black Serpent, but probably couldn't handle ten of them at once...
No, wait — there was that suspicious skill, Black Lightning...
My instincts were screaming that this thing was dangerous.
Once I turned back into a slime, I'd have to try it out.
And so— A flash! ...followed by a thunderous *BOOOOOM!!!* Hehehe...
I'd chosen a large riverside boulder as my test target. It shattered into dust and vanished without a trace.
Let's just pretend that never happened! I made the call immediately.
Yes. I had done absolutely nothing. Lightning just happened to strike on its own.
That was the story, and I was sticking to it.
Just like with the Black Serpent's Poison Mist Breath, I would seal this skill away too. At least until I could properly control the output!
More importantly, it had drained a massive amount of Magicules. Without control, I couldn't use it freely.
That said, the sheer power and area of effect were beyond anything I'd expected...
As I stared at the area around where the boulder had been — a roughly twenty-meter radius of glassy, superheated ground — I came to a conclusion...
Rigul and the others came rushing over, alarmed by the commotion.
"Oh, um, lightning just struck right in front of me! Gave me quite a scare!"
I deflected their concern.
I'd disrupted their rest. That wasn't very nice.
Going forward, I'd need to do any potentially dangerous experiments somewhere secluded.
But at least I'd gathered data.
I resumed the mental simulation.
That Black Lightning — if I used it, even without my direct control, a Black Wolf should be able to defeat ten Black Serpents.
Which meant the Black Storm Star Wolf might have already surpassed the A-rank threshold.
A-rank monsters were classified as "Calamity" threats, capable of annihilating small towns.
Going forward, I should probably avoid using the Black Wolf Mimicry near populated areas.
And so my research continued until dawn...
……
The next morning.
The dwarves who had finally woken up still wore pale faces.
Were they going to be all right?
"You guys okay?"
"A-Ah... where are we?"
As their consciousness cleared and they began to take in their unfamiliar surroundings, confusion set in.
When I told them we were heading toward the goblin village— "What did you say?! A trip like that would normally take about two months! You'd need to pass through a town and hire a carriage, and you wouldn't even have enough food along the way!!!"
They reacted with belated astonishment.
What are you talking about — I started to say, then stopped.
Come to think of it, I hadn't explained a single thing about how we'd gotten here or our travel speed.
There was no rush, though.
So I decided to explain our situation to the dwarves.
Rigul and the others were preparing breakfast.
Goblin cooking was just grilling. Grilling only.
It was fine for now, since I didn't have a sense of taste!
But once I eventually gained one, I'd better buckle down and learn to cook properly.
Could goblins adapt to a cultured lifestyle?
I believed they could.
I didn't know exactly how things would play out, but I intended to try everything in my power.
If cooking became an obstacle, I'd be in real trouble.
Over breakfast, I told them our itinerary.
I explained that we'd arrive at the village in about two more days, and they— "That's impossible...!"
They clearly weren't convinced.
But when they grasped the implication — two days meant traveling at a correspondingly absurd speed — they clutched their heads and slumped in defeat.
I felt a little bad for them, but they'd just have to endure it.
"Don't worry! I'll ease the pace down to around sixty kilometers per hour!"
I reassured them. That was a lie, of course!
We resumed our march.
Now then, I activated Thought Communication to set up a conversational environment.
It worked on the dwarves too, which was a huge help.
Thought Communication was essentially an upgraded version of telepathy. Its appeal was that once you established a link, you could hold conversations with multiple people simultaneously.
It would be especially useful during coordinated operations. Although, the effective range seemed to be about one kilometer.
This being their second time, perhaps they'd steeled themselves — the dwarves clung to my back without passing out.
Since the wind pressure made it impossible to keep their eyes open, I used the thread to form a thin membrane over them.
It worked better than expected.
I was getting better at manipulating things through thought alone.
Once I got accustomed to manipulating Magicules, quite a lot would become possible.
I casually asked the dwarves about various common knowledge topics as we traveled along.
The goblins listened eagerly to everything the dwarves said.
They compared it with their own understanding, and the conversation flowed lively.
It seemed they were integrating well — a relief. At this rate, things should go smoothly in the village too.
Apparently, dwarves and goblins shared the same roots.
The half-elf dwarf clan, long-lived.
The half-demon goblin clan, short-lived.
Divergence had occurred over the course of evolution. Though for goblins, perhaps it wasn't so much evolution as devolution.
The goblins that evolved into hobgoblins might be something like a demonic version of dwarves.
Evolution might even have extended their lifespan!
Then again, they didn't seem particularly dexterous, and there was the distinction between monster and fairy...
But even as half-elves, dwarves were a race closer to monsters than elves were.
Perhaps that was why they could blend in naturally once everyone got used to each other.
Something occurred to me, so I asked.
"Kaijin — I know this is out of nowhere, but are you sure about this? You respected the Dwarven King, didn't you?"
"Ah, that. Yes, I did! No dwarf doesn't respect that man. The hero from the bedtime stories they tell you as a child? That's our king, you know!"
Fair point.
The hero of the bedtime stories — the legend you grew up hearing as a child.
That hero was alive and well, and he was their king, supporting and protecting them. Put that way, it was only natural for everyone to admire and respect him.
Everyone wished to serve the king in some capacity.
To always do what was right, to brook no errors — the ideal image of a king.
To maintain that in reality... just how much of himself must he be sacrificing?
In a sense, it was almost terrifying. The sheer mental fortitude that must require.
And perhaps that was precisely why everyone believed in the king...
Did I have that kind of resolve?
I'd stumbled into becoming the goblins' leader by circumstance. But what came after that?
"Hey, Kaijin. Why did you follow me? When you think about it, wouldn't the right move have been to go back to the king?"
Kaijin's answer to this question was— "Gahahahaha! Boss, you're more sensitive than you let on! It's because it seemed fun, obviously!
I had a gut feeling. This guy's gonna do something big! That's all there was to it. Isn't that enough of a reason?"
That's enough of a reason... huh.
It was. Without a doubt.
"Hmph. Don't come crying to me later, you know. I've got a reputation for working people to the bone."
True. After all, I didn't do anything myself.
I relied on others, I leaned on them. But when someone relied on me, I wanted to help.
That was the kind of person I wished to be.
"I already knew that!"
At the answer I received, I nodded with satisfaction.
Two days later, exactly on schedule, we arrived at the village.
We had accomplished our goal and returned home!