Baron Gilbert asked again with a grave expression.
“Demon beasts?! How on earth did a demon beast army end up in the southern region…?”
The butler nodded repeatedly, his face drained of color as he trembled.
The demon beast army was undoubtedly moving toward the Royal Capital.
Rivera was located far to the south, well away from the capital.
At that moment, following the butler, the Commander and Deputy Commander of the Rivera Knight Order entered the office.
The Knight Commander bowed respectfully to Baron Gilbert and immediately began to relay the situation.
“According to the report from a sentry stationed at the watchtower, demon beasts poured out from the direction of the abandoned mine in the Northern Mountain Range. It seems some of the troops heading to the capital must have launched a sudden attack on Rivera.”
Baron Gilbert uttered a brief grunt before turning to the Knight Commander and speaking.
“Prepare for battle immediately! How many troops are available in Rivera right now?”
“…Only half of the usual forces. Twenty knights and fifty soldiers.”
Just days ago, Rivera had dispatched most of its troops to the capital.
As a result, fewer than a hundred soldiers remained inside the citadel.
In contrast, the enemy force was estimated to be at least five hundred strong—over five times their number.
At that moment, Jeanne d’Arc slowly stepped forward and said,
“…I will fight alongside you!”
Then, the Deputy Commander, who had been quietly silent, cut in.
“Farmer’s daughter, your skill is undeniable. But defending the territory is the duty of the Knight Order! If an untrained outsider interferes, it will only become a burden! Leave the aftermath to our Rivera Knight Order!”
The Deputy Commander’s expression was firm and resolute.
However, it was not malice but a sense of responsibility as a knight, so Jeanne d’Arc quietly stepped back.
“Deputy Commander, hasten to assemble the knights and soldiers and distribute equipment! Also, expedite the evacuation of the residents!”
“Yes, my lord!”
Receiving the orders, the Deputy Commander quickly dashed out of the office.
“Butler, gather all the key figures within the Rivera inner castle into the Great Hall. We will begin a strategy meeting now. Knight Commander, follow me! And…”
Baron Gilbert, giving his orders, glanced quietly at Jeanne d’Arc and spoke softly,
“…Janet, we’ll finish our conversation later.”
“Understood, my lord.”
Jeanne d’Arc nodded and followed Baron Gilbert out of the office.
Just then,
“Sa, Saintess! You’re here…!”
Shylock came running urgently from the end of the corridor.
His unkempt clothes, disheveled hair, and face as pale as a blank sheet of paper—all showed a man gripped by fear.
It was the first time Shylock had ever been so thoroughly shaken.
But his fear was not for himself.
“Sa, Saintess! Lily… she’s in the Sanctuary…! My daughter is still there! This morning, she went to the Sanctuary to teach the children…! Th-this is no time for that! We have to save her quickly…!”
As Shylock, losing composure, tried to rush out, Jeanne stopped him.
“Shylock, I understand how you feel, but you must stay here. I will go to the Sanctuary.”
Jeanne’s words were perfectly reasonable.
A mere merchant joining the fight wouldn’t be of any help.
In the worst case, Shylock might lose his life swept away by the demon beast army.
Shylock gripped Jeanne’s hand tightly and said,
“Please… Saintess. I beg you, take care of my daughter Lily…”
The Knight Commander watching this quietly turned to Jeanne d’Arc.
Then, in a serious voice, he spoke.
“Rivera is ours to defend… You should protect what you can.”
Jeanne nodded resolutely.
“I will protect the innocent people of the Sanctuary. And…”
Her blue eyes sparkling, Jeanne smiled.
“…I will return to protect Rivera as well!”
With that, Jeanne d’Arc immediately leapt out the wide-open window.
Baron Gilbert and the Knight Commander could only stare in shock.
This was the fifth floor of the Rivera inner castle.
“Wh-what?!”
“W-what on earth is she doing?!”
Baron Gilbert and the Knight Commander hurried to look out the window.
What unfolded before their eyes was unbelievable.
Jeanne d’Arc was flying through the sky, riding atop a gigantic, mysterious hand.
Watching this, Shylock clasped his hands tightly together and muttered,
“…God, please save us.”
Meanwhile, Baron Gilbert, gazing skyward, murmured in a daze,
“All those words… could it be true that she really is the Apostle of God…?”
I carried Jeanne d’Arc on the palm of my hand and headed for the Sanctuary.
‘Well, this should be quite the performance.’
Jeanne d’Arc leapt from the window and flew on my palm.
The lord’s astonished expression as he watched was worthy of being photographed and saved.
「God, I’m flying in the sky! Oh, my…」
Jeanne peered down shyly from the heights, gazing at the distant ground.
「Wah?! It’s higher than I thought… Haha… Ugh…」
Jeanne curled her shoulders and gripped my palm tightly.
A forced smile masked her fear at the corners of her lips.
Unlike her usual upright and resolute self, the way she curled up was somehow endearing.
‘In technical terms, this is called gap moe.’
In beautiful Korean, it’s known as charm in contrast.
But now was no time for idle wordplay.
The goblin army heading from the western plains to Rivera had already split into two groups.
The main force was still advancing on Rivera, but the problem was a small goblin unit splitting off toward the eastern forest, aiming for the Sanctuary.
‘Attacking two strategic points at once…’
Jeanne told me demon beasts lacked clear command structure and fought mindlessly, relying solely on overwhelming numbers without strategy or tactics.
But the goblin army’s movements now were nothing like that.
‘Just to list what comes to mind…
- A surprise attack through the abandoned mine.
- Exploiting Rivera’s reduced forces.
- Sending just the right number of troops.
- Splitting forces to simultaneously assault Rivera’s citadel and the eastern Sanctuary.’
No matter how I thought about it, this was not a reckless charge.
There had to be something directing them with systematic command.
Watching the ant-like movements of the goblin army intently, a System Window soon appeared before my eyes.
[Goblin]
- Humanoid demon beasts with pointed ears and green skin.
- Aggressive and cunning, possessing intelligence enough to use simple tools.
- Their saliva and blood have corrosive properties that damage metal, so always watch your equipment’s durability in prolonged battles.
- While single goblins pose little threat, those under a Goblin Lord’s command become troublesome even for trained knights.
- Goblin Lords command their troops with a ferocity that does not fear death.
‘…Goblin.’
A common low-tier demon beast appearing often in games and novels.
Green-skinned with long ears and small stature, identical to the goblins you’d fight in a game.
The goblin force splitting off toward the Sanctuary was roughly one hundred strong.
They probably thought such a small force would suffice for a little forest village.
I smiled wryly and set Jeanne d’Arc down in the middle of the Sanctuary.
‘You should have sent all your troops here instead.’
The Sanctuary, under the Creator’s jurisdiction, was essentially an impregnable fortress.
Meanwhile, Jeanne began gathering villagers and militia members to explain the situation.
The believers trembled in fear, their faces pale, but one by one, encouraged by Jeanne’s passionate words, they found courage to act.
Men and women, young and old, busied themselves preparing for the imminent demon beast assault.
Back in the real world, I started searching the storage for useful tools.
“Let’s see… this one’s useless… this could work. Not bad. And…”
Then, I noticed an old box tucked in a corner.
Carefully opening the dust-covered box, inside were the toys I had played with as a child.
Among them, a colorful toy caught my eye.
“This… yeah, this will do.”
I picked up the Toy Box, wearing an evil(?) grin.
Thirty minutes later.
At last, the small goblin unit entered the Sunrise Forest.
I immediately zoomed in on the goblins’ location.
Suddenly, their noisy voices became audible.
[Nisœmoma?]
[∞moa”mMo!]
But I couldn’t understand a word.
No matter how much I focused, it just sounded like gibberish.
Then.
—Ding!
[System]
- Would you like to translate the goblin language? … (Y/N)
- Consumes 20 Divine Power points.
※ Creator, did you know? Goblins have the mental capacity of a 7-8-year-old human child. Why am I telling you this? Just so you know!
“…Look at this? Now it even adds useless trivia in the comments?”
That annoying System Window.
I pressed YES with feeling, and gradually the goblins’ voices became intelligible.
「Goblin. Hungry. Can we eat? Tree berry.」
「I heard somewhere that berry’s poison. Eat and die. Don’t really know though.」
「Hurry! Goblin Lord scary! Late means angry! Angry Goblin Lord very scary!」
「Goblingoblingoblingoblingoblingoblingoblingoblingoblingoblingoblingobling.」
“…?”
Only then did I notice the phrase at the bottom of the System Window again.
※ Creator, did you know? Goblins have the mental capacity of a 7-8-year-old human child. Why am I telling you this? Just so you know.
Apparently, it was translated to match the goblins’ vocabulary level.
‘There’s even one really gobbling nonsense.’
It was the first time I ever felt Divine Power was wasted.
In any case, the chattering goblin unit marched relentlessly toward the Sanctuary.
Emerging from the forest, the goblins soon spotted their target and started giggling.
But something must have seemed odd to them.
Colorful stones were densely scattered throughout the fields leading to the Sanctuary.
「What is this? Red, yellow, blue, green stones!」
「Humans stupid. Trying to block us with pebbles! Goblins smarter!」
「Goblingoblingoblingoblingoblingobling!」
The goblins laughed uproariously and pressed on.
And then—
KWA-JAAAK!
KWA-JIJIK!
KWA-AANG!
PPOGAK!
An ominous symphony began to echo through the Sanctuary.
A chilling sound that screamed they had stepped on something they shouldn’t have.
Kyaaahhhhh!
Kieeeeeek!
Goblingoblingoblingoblingoblingobling~!
Each goblin clutched its foot and rolled around in pain.
“…Fools, do you think those are just ordinary pebbles?”
The colorful stones scattered all over the forest were nothing less than a terrifying and wicked human invention.
Step on one by accident, and you’d be tormented with hellish pain.
Watching the goblins, I narrowed my eyes devilishly and muttered,
“…They just stepped on Lego!”
It was Lego.
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