Lord: Starting from a Goblin Nest

The Priest’s signature Divine Magic: Blessing Magic.

The abilities of an Arcane Caster were certainly flexible and varied, but some things could still only be done by a Priest—like this.

And like the Calamity Magic Victoria was casting at this very moment.

”HOLY SHIT—” A cunning raider tried to take advantage of the chaos, launching a sneak attack on the obviously frail Ron. But just as his blade was about to find its mark, a beam of purple light enveloped him. A fellow raider jostled him from behind, and he stumbled, falling flat on his face in the middle of the chaotic battle!

”He’s mine!” Delaford screeched, leaping forward and slitting the man’s carotid artery with his dagger.

”Behold! I’m tougher than a tree!” Delaford shouted again. He grabbed a handful of oak bark from his pocket, and a spectral, bark-like shield of light immediately formed around the goblin. When a raider thrust a spear at Delaford, it failed to penetrate, instead letting out a dull THUD!

Ron was now completely certain. The fog from before had undoubtedly been this goblin’s handiwork as well!

”When did you learn to do all this?!”

”Just the last few days, while hunting in the woods!” Delaford yelled back to Ron as he charged into the fray. ”I was hunting with them, and I suddenly felt something new inside me, and then I just... learned these tricks!”

”Did you hear any whispers, or anything like that?” Buni asked hurriedly. ”Or some kind of sacred voice?”

”I don’t know, I wasn’t really paying attention!” Delaford was forced back, but he drew his shortbow and let loose another volley of arrows. ”I can just use them when I want to. It’s just that for some tricks, I have to throw something for them to work!”

A Ranger who cast Divine Magic using Great Nature Magic... Ron was basically certain of the source of Delaford’s power now.

He was practically consumed by envy. A Hunter who’d barely had any contact with Magic—a goblin, no less—could somehow learn Magic just by hunting in the wilderness. Meanwhile, he couldn’t even copy the spells from the Scroll in his hand because he was illiterate!

Was this fair?!

’Actually, it is fair,’ Ron thought. ’After all, a Ranger’s Spell List only goes up to the fifth ring, whereas a Mage is a noble Ninth-Ring Caster. It’s just that I can’t be considered to have officially crossed that threshold yet.’

’Besides, Delaford has been a Hunter for at least ten years, assuming he only started as an adult. If he really has a talent for this, then all those years of experience were bound to trigger a breakthrough. And clearly, he’s talented.’

’In any case, the stronger our side is, the better. For that reason alone, I should congratulate the Hunter.’

’As for now... let’s just finish off these raiders first.’

Buni’s Blessing Magic descended upon the group for a third time, but with only three targets left, her Energy was too depleted to cast any more high-level Divine Magic. Still, a large mob of raiders remained, surrounding the tent.

”Grom is watching me!” Sera let out a ferocious roar. As primal rage consumed the barbarian once more, she charged back into the crowd like a meat grinder, accumulating even more wounds.

This suicidal fighting style quickly shattered the raiders’ morale. The title of ”Gobi Desert Desperado” had been earned by truly ruthless individuals who didn’t fear death. These men were far from that standard, so when faced with a truly death-defying charge, their morale rapidly crumbled.

”Sera! Get back here behind me!”

In contrast to Sera’s ferocity, Aive’s fighting style could be described as an organic combination of Elf and human: brave, calm, and resolute.

If Sera could make a mob of rabble quickly collapse in fear, then Aive’s heavy tower shield and armor were enough to make even the most well-trained soldiers despair. Even as a teammate standing behind that shield, Ron couldn’t help but marvel:

’What kind of maniac was the first to use such a specialized military weapon in a small adventuring party?!’

Aive advanced very slowly, but for every step she took forward, the raiders were forced to take a step back away from the tent. There were no exceptions. Their Simple Weapons were like toys before this steel behemoth that weighed dozens of pounds; they weren’t even fit to scratch her. Aive, however, could continuously swing her blade from behind it, posing a significant threat.

Just then, chaos seemed to erupt from the raiders’ rear.

”HYAH! HAH!”

Ron looked out and saw a red-skinned figure brandishing a wooden staff, charging in from outside the camp. There seemed to be traces of some Alchemy Potion at the corners of his mouth, which lent him incredible strength. He smashed through the tide of raiders, fighting his way toward the tent.

There was no mistaking this person—that tail! That pair of horns!

”Kill them all! Don’t let any of them escape!”

The wooden staff in Quest’s hands spun like the wind, and ordinary raiders couldn’t even get near him. But the Tiffling didn’t seem satisfied with just that; his goal was to slaughter every last raider here!

”Quest, how are you everywhere?!” Aive was completely exasperated. ’Why is this Demon Descendant haunting us like a ghost?’

”Because everything here is Ming Datiss’s doing!”

Quest laughed. ”And I was sent to supervise these guys’ progress in sieging Fromm Town!”

With the addition of this fresh force, the raiders, who had only barely been able to suppress Ron and the others, were swiftly routed. But Quest had no intention of letting them go. He ran down every deserter, bringing his staff down on the back of their heads.

Both ends of the wooden staff were bound with iron rings to increase its lethality. One could only imagine the power behind such a blow.

”Ming Datiss?” Ron asked, looking warily at Quest as he surveyed the raider camp, which had been all but annihilated.

From their very first meeting, this Tiffling had given him a very strange feeling. With each subsequent encounter, that feeling only grew stronger.

”Demon Descendant, you shouldn’t be disobeying orders, even if it benefits me,” Victoria said with a frown. ”Why are you really here?”

”Gods, you’re so uptight, lady. Such a waste of a pretty face,” Quest sighed. ”Isn’t it obvious? I’m helping you. We’ve always been on the same side.”

”On the same side? I wouldn’t go that far,” Sera muttered. ”Why didn’t you switch sides back in the underground, instead of picking a time like this?”

”I’m not ’switching sides’—I’m making air quotes with my hands right now so you understand what I mean,” Quest said. ”I was just here to supervise the army and happened to run into you.”

”Obviously, I was outnumbered and couldn’t fight them all off by myself. All these raiders were killed by my boss’s enemies—that is to say, you. I barely escaped with my life, and who knows if I accidentally let slip any important information.”

”Such as?” Ron raised an eyebrow.

”Such as the fact that Ming Datiss is currently resting on a small river island in the Delusional Land—one with two pine trees on it. He might use the opportunity of you all rushing back to reinforce Fromm Town to link up with those outlaws hired from the Gobi Desert. Then they’ll search for something along both banks of the river, where it’s believed there’s a Mad Frogman territory. I didn’t reveal anything important, did I?”