Chapter 41: Welcome to the Sanctuary! (2) 

A militiaman standing atop the watchtower shouted loudly as he observed the goblins.

“The goblins just stepped on the Lego Pebble Trap! Several of them died or were knocked unconscious on the spot!”

Hearing this news, the militiamen erupted in cheers.

“Waaah! Amazing! That’s some incredible destructive power!”

“It’s way more effective than just setting up stakes, isn’t it?!”

“Unbelievable! I thought those were just pretty pebbles, but to see goblins dropping like that…”

“Well, of course! After all, these pebbles were bestowed by the Creator!”

“That’s right! The God must have known this would happen.”

Yet, contrary to the believers’ expectations, I was left wide-eyed in disbelief.

‘…Wait, goblins die just from stepping on Lego?’

—Ding!

[System]

• Due to the Blessing of the Creator, the destructive power of the Lego has been greatly increased!

Seeing the system message, I finally understood.

“If they stepped on Lego with greatly enhanced destructive power, death is understandable.”

Even the regular Lego causes excruciating pain that feels like dying the moment you step on it.

But Lego blessed with the Blessing of the Creator became an atrocious killing weapon that truly causes death upon contact.

Out of over a hundred goblins, more than 20% had stepped on the Lego trap, succumbing either to shock death or becoming incapacitated.

The surviving goblins limped around with tears in their eyes.

‘…Sorry, but the main stage is just beginning!’

Sending the signal, Jeanne d’Arc immediately shouted to the militiamen.

“Everyone, now! Fire all at once!”

Fiuuung!

Fiuuuung~!

Fiuuuuuuung!

Soon, the flaming arrows shot by the militiamen began tracing arcs through the air.

The blazing arrows soared over the goblins’ heads.

‘…Right now!’

—Ding!

[General Transmission List]

• Flour (1 bag) …… 20P

[Divine Power: 310/480 → 290/480]

I ripped open the flour bag I was holding and poured the contents out all at once.

A pale cloud of flour formed above the goblins like springtime yellow dust storms.

Then—

Puff! Bang! Poof~!

The explosion of dust caused by the collision of flaming arrows and flour erupted.

At the same time, the blazing Fiery Demon fiercely engulfed the goblins.

“Kyeeeeeek!”

“Gyaaah!”

“Kuaaang!”

The goblins caught in the dust explosion scattered in all directions.

Only about fifty goblins remained.

At that moment, Jeanne d’Arc raised her pure white falchion, the Twin Dragon Sword, high into the air.

As the clouds that had blocked the sun cleared away, the dazzling splendor of the Twin Dragon Sword was revealed.

Pure white blade, pure white armor, pure white shield.

The pure white glow emitted from her plate armor carried an air of nobility.

“…Even the custom-made titanium alloy armor and shield! The full set arrived just this morning!”

At that moment, the furious goblins charged forward with a roar.

Shaaak!

In an instant, a silver flash appeared.

Only two goblins lay sprawled where they had stood.

Jeanne d’Arc swiftly sliced down two goblins, then spun around and kicked away the remaining hesitant goblins.

One of them crashed face-first into the Lego trap on the ground.

Crack!

“…De-shaaaahh!”

The goblin screamed in horror and immediately perished.

Despite facing numerous goblins, Jeanne d’Arc showed no sign of fatigue.

Inspired by her bravery, the militiamen and Sanctuary residents grabbed their weapons and charged out.

“Protect the Saintess!”

“Defend our village!”

“God is with us!”

“Waaaaaah!”

Thanks to their iron-plated boots, the militiamen strode boldly across the Lego trap without hesitation.

They charged forward with weapons and shields, while the non-combatants hurled stones they had collected earlier at the enemy.

Among them were Lily and Anna.

“We can’t let these monsters defile the Sanctuary!”

“Don’t come any closer! You stupid fools!”

The goblins, bewildered by the continued barrage of stones, failed to regain composure.

At that moment, the goblin archers targeting Lily and Anna tautened their bowstrings.

And then—

Fisshuuung!

Dozens of arrows flew toward the non-combatants.

Startled by the fierce volley, Anna panicked and collapsed.

“Ahhhh! Sister!”

“Anna, watch out!”

Lily immediately embraced Anna, squeezing her eyes shut.

…….]

…….]

But no more arrows came after that moment.

When Lily slowly opened her eyes, a giant hand stood before her like a barrier.

‘…Not even a scratch.’

The goblin arrows all bounced harmlessly off my palm without leaving any wounds.

Then I swung my palm, knocking down goblin archers one by one.

“Thank you, God! You’ve protected us!”

“Th-thank you… I was so scared…”

Anna wiped tears from her eyes but soon stood up bravely again.

Focusing on the battle, I began rescuing the endangered residents one by one.

“Those who aren’t militiamen, don’t advance too far forward!”

Thanks to the Lego trap and dust explosion, we halved the goblin forces, but the battle was still far from favorable.

The Sanctuary militiamen had trained but lacked real combat experience.

Thus, the tide was gradually turning against us.

Of course, I had one more secret weapon prepared for such a situation.

I smiled faintly and said,

“…Afungi, it’s time to earn your keep.”

At that, Afungi, perched on my shoulder, flew down onto my palm.

Then, with fierce enthusiasm, Afungi began licking my fingers.

“Lick lick lick lick lick”

Ding!

[System]

• Do you want to send the Holy Relic Ashura Beetle to the small world? ……. (Y/N)
• 100 Divine Power points will be consumed.

※ Creator! How about aiming to become the strongest Holy Relic trainer? Embark on a journey to fill your Holy Relic compendium! Isn’t that exciting?!

I reached for the YES button and uttered a famous line from a manga.

“Go, Afungi! You’re the one!”

“Lick lick lick lick!”

A pure white light wrapped Afungi’s body and vanished in the blink of an eye.

Then—

Kuuuung!

A massive stag beetle appeared in the middle of the battlefield.

Afungi glared down at the goblins in front of him and breathed fiercely.

“Grrrrrr~!”

Intimidation, fear, charisma.

Faced with a stronger being, the goblins instinctively began trembling like leaves in the wind.

But the militiamen and Sanctuary residents were just as startled.

“Wh-what is that thing?!”

“Ahhh! A monster! God, help us…!”

“Gross! The horns are ugly and the green shell is horrifying!”

“Don’t come near! I hate bugs!”

“Go away, demon! Tch tch…!”

Afungi looked hurt, lowering his horns as if wounded by the insulting reactions to bugs.

At that moment, Jeanne d’Arc shouted,

“Everyone, don’t be afraid! This is a Holy Relic sent by God! A reliable ally who will fight alongside us!”

Only then did the believers calm down and begin praising Afungi.

“Oh, really? Haha! Now that I look again, he sure is majestic!”

“That’s right! I’ve never seen such a handsome beetle before!”

“Look closely—the horns are cool, and the green shell is so pretty~”

“The stag beetle is truly the king of insects! One of the few bugs we like!”

“Please punish the goblins for us, mighty Mr. Stag Beetle!”

Flap flap—

Appeased, Afungi lightly flapped his wings and fiercely charged toward the goblins.

Thud~! Thud~! Thudthud~!

Goblins toppled like bowling pins as they were smashed by Afungi’s horns.

The Ashura Beetle is a terrifying monster to face as an enemy, but as an ally, there is no more dependable presence.

With spirits soaring, the militiamen systematically defeated the terrified goblins one by one.

Eventually—

—Ding!

[Quest]

Kingdom Rush

• 1. Protect the Sanctuary……. [Complete (V)]
• 2. Protect Rivera.

・Reward: “Sacred Land Designation Right”

“W-we’ve won!”

“It’s a miracle! This is a miracle!”

“Goblin scum, God is with us!”

“Long live God! Long live the Saintess! Hooray!”

The Sanctuary militiamen defeated the entire goblin force of over a hundred.

…I told you, if they were coming, they should have sent the whole force.

Meanwhile, the believers gathered around Afungi, stroking his shell with nothing but praise.

“Wow, look at this stag beetle! So cool!”

“Looking great! A real general material!”

“Maybe because it’s a Holy Relic, it even looks divine!”

“Mr. Stag Beetle, you’re the best one I’ve ever seen!”

Under the storm of compliments, Afungi seemed embarrassed, raising his front legs to scratch his head.

Zero casualties.

Injured were quickly restored thanks to Medicasol.

The Sanctuary had perfectly repelled the monster assault.

“…Well then, let’s protect Rivera now.”

At my words, Jeanne d’Arc and the Sanctuary militiamen exchanged resolute glances.

They began preparing to head toward Rivera Citadel once again after rearranging their gear.

Meanwhile, I zoomed in toward the northern mountain range to attend to a different matter.

There, smoke was rising from mid-mountain.

‘…Found it!’

Zooming in further, a small bandit lair appeared.

It was the bandit group’s base that had attempted to invade the Sanctuary earlier.

The bandits sat around a campfire, loudly chattering.

‘Those bastards are having a party with stolen goods? In times like this…?’

If that was true, this time they’d get a proper beating.

Listening closely to their conversation, I heard,

“…But boss, why have we only been hunting in the forest lately? Aren’t we going to raid villages anymore?”

Scratching his cheek, the bandit boss replied,

“Well, maybe we should try living without harming others. Catch animals in the mountains, sell the hides, process the bones for tools, and cook the meat ourselves. That should be enough to live on.”

“You’re not afraid of the Demon Lord in the eastern forest?”

“W-what? No! But… this guy keeps talking back to me! Hey, have things gotten easier for you recently?!”

“Ah! Sorry! Boss, please don’t hit me!”

After giving his subordinate a couple of knocks on the head, the bandit boss grabbed a large chunk of meat and devoured it greedily.

“Kuhahaha! This is delicious. Wild boar legs taste best when roasted whole!”

“…Hello?”

Greeting them cheerfully, the bandit boss jumped in surprise and threw away the wild boar roast.

“Ki-kiyaaah! The Demon Lord has finally come! He’s here to kill us all!”

As they tried to flee, I quickly grabbed the collar of the bandit boss and lifted him up.

He flailed pitifully, screaming.

“N-nooo! I want to live!”

The bandits panicked, staring up at their airborne boss.

“Th-the Demon Lord! The Demon Lord is here!”

“Boss got caught again!”

“We’ll rescue you right now, boss!”

“I’ll save you later!”

Looking down at the chaotic lair, I murmured quietly,

“…Quiet.”

“Hic…!”

“Hic…!”

“Ugh!”

Not only the bandit boss but even the overly excited bandits covered their mouths tightly with both hands.

Satisfied, I nodded and slowly spoke.

“…If you want to live, there’s something you must do starting now.”