I Am Not Goblin Slayer

Chapter 16: Spoils and Return

The sun rose, and the mist had just dispersed.

Gauss arrived at the signpost at the village entrance.

He was there to bid farewell to Hailier and the others.

Inside the village’s only carriage, Bell and Mia lay down, while Hailier also sat inside, pressing fever-reducing towels onto their burning foreheads.

Hailier had no intention of bringing her two companions back to Graystone Town.

Although Graystone Town was a hub for adventurers, its medical conditions were still far inferior to those of larger cities.

Moreover, the return trip from Birch Village to Graystone wasn’t short either—better to head in the other direction toward the nearest forest city, Barry, which was also the hometown of the three.

Back in Barry, they could also receive better treatment.

“Adventurers, it’s about time to depart,” the villager acting as coachman called out from the front.

“Do you need me to come with you?” Gauss glanced at the carriage.

“Don’t worry, as long as we reach the main road to Barry, there will be plenty of people along the way. It won’t be dangerous.” Hailier no longer looked as spirited as she had upon arrival, her face full of exhaustion.

Still, upon hearing Gauss’s concern, she forced out a faint smile.

“Besides, you still need to wrap up the commission work here, don’t you? I’ll leave everything to you!” Hailier blinked, her gaze at Gauss holding a trace of curiosity.

Her impression of Gauss had changed dramatically. If it weren’t for the urgent need to treat her childhood companions, she actually had many questions she wanted to ask him.

At first meeting, she had taken Gauss for a poor, low-level adventurer, and instinctively wanted to reject his offer to team up.

After a short time together, her impression shifted again—now she saw him as a fledgling mage who had learned magic by chance but lacked a family background to support him.

Perhaps he had grasped some magic, but without the funds or resources, he’d have a hard time walking a professional path.

But now, she couldn’t make him out at all. Even with her shallow experience, Gauss seemed quite extraordinary...

“Gauss, if you ever come to Barry, visit me at the Golden Beak Trading Company on the west side of the city. By then, Bell, Mia, and I will treat you well.”

“I’ll visit if I get the chance,” Gauss nodded.

But for the near future, he would probably still be operating around Graystone Town.

“Then I’m off.”

“Next time we meet, you might already be someone amazing.”

Hailier looked at Gauss and waved her hand.

“Safe travels!”

Gauss waved in return, standing still, quietly watching the carriage as it rolled away, the chestnut-haired girl disappearing at the end of the dirt road.

In less than three days, the small team disbanded just like that.

No one knew whether they would ever meet again.

This era wasn’t like his past life, where phones and the internet kept people closely connected—one goodbye could be forever.

The morning breeze brushed through Gauss’s soft hair as he turned and walked back toward the village.

He didn’t have particularly deep bonds with the trio—he merely thought they were worthy friends. But after all, they’d only known each other for a few days, not enough time to truly understand each other.

Still, he couldn’t help feeling sentimental.

Gauss decided to stay in the village for one more day, a decision that received a warm welcome from the villagers.

In this world, ordinary people generally held a simple reverence toward mages—perhaps because, compared to other professions, magic was more mysterious and flamboyant.

Ordinary folks could see the destruction of sword strikes, but not the invisible flow of magical energy.

And humans always feared what they didn’t understand—magic was such a power that inspired awe.

However, Gauss didn’t stay in the village to enjoy the worshipful gazes or the food offered by the villagers.

He stayed one more day to allow his body to fully recover.

And also to gather the spoils of battle.

He needed to cut off the Goblins’ left ears as task proof, obtain the signed commission paper stamped by the village chief, and collect the scattered weapons from the battlefield.

He returned alone to the site of last night’s battle.

The blood had completely dried, and after a night of fermentation, the stench in the air was even more intense.

Suppressing the urge to vomit, he began searching the open area in front of the cave.

Stone and wooden weapons had no resale value and took up space—no need to collect them.

Iron weapons, however, had to be collected without missing a single piece. Even badly damaged ones could be sold to the blacksmith for a bit of money.

Besides two short swords and four daggers, the most valuable item was the large cleaver used by the Large Goblin.

The only pity was that its leather armor was severely damaged—pieces scattered everywhere. Otherwise, it would’ve been worth something too.

Fortunately, as he carefully searched, he stumbled upon a pleasant surprise.

Around the Large Goblin’s neck hung a rough stone emitting a faint green glow.

The stone was about the size of a peanut, but it radiated a comforting aura.

Even though Gauss didn’t know what it was, he was certain it had to be a treasure.

Moreover, the Goblin’s unusual size might have been caused by this green stone.

Having gathered the spoils from outside, his gaze turned toward the cave.

He lit a torch and stepped inside.

Even though it was daytime, the cave lacked lighting, and visibility was still poor.

“Cough, cough.”

Sticky green moss covered both sides of the cave, and ever since he entered, the air had been filled with the reek of feces and urine.

These primitive green-skinned monsters clearly had no habit of maintaining hygiene in their living environment.

“Squeak, squeak—”

Now and then, a rat would scurry past his feet.

This natural cavern had been transformed by Goblins into a filthy, reeking tunnel.

Who knew how many bacteria and viruses lurked in the murky air?

If not for the battle spoils, he would never have entered willingly.

Carefully stepping over a pile of dung, he finally reached the space at the cave’s end.

It was an enlarged cavern, with all kinds of animal bones randomly piled inside. Flies, rats, and maggots scurried about.

At the center of the cave stood a stone cauldron.

The firewood beneath had already gone out, and inside the pot was a thick, unknown mixture of solid and liquid, charred from heat.

It looked like when they had arrived last night, the Goblins had been holding a “feast”—perhaps celebrating their capture of two human females.

Unfortunately, that celebration turned into a funeral instead.

Apart from the various junk scattered on the ground, he also discovered a Goblin corpse hanging from the wall.

This corpse was slightly more muscular than an average Goblin, but still far inferior to the Large Goblin.

It looked like it hadn’t been dead for more than a few days—the maggots crawling on it weren’t too many.

“What’s going on here?” Gauss observed with his torch raised.

From his memory, Goblins were evil creatures, but generally didn’t resort to cannibalism—especially when a strong individual served as a leader, governing the others.

However, between different groups, battles and disputes were possible.

Gauss pondered.

Suddenly, he seemed to understand something and slapped his forehead.

He vaguely guessed why the intelligence report for this commission had been wrong.

If he wasn’t mistaken, this place had likely already experienced a Goblin civil conflict.

The Large Goblin, as an outsider, had easily killed the previous leader—who had managed seven or eight minions—and then merged the groups, instantly swelling their numbers to twenty.

That would also explain why this group of Goblins had previously only lightly harassed human villages, but suddenly launched a full attack last night.

Realizing this, his face showed a look of enlightenment, followed by clenched teeth and a long sigh.

What rotten luck.

If not for this unexpected situation, just eight ordinary Goblins would’ve been no match for their team.

Last night’s battle wouldn’t have been nearly so brutal.

He could only hope Bell and Mia recovered smoothly.

Gauss shook his head.

Even though, if his guess was right, the Adventurers’ Guild wasn’t really at fault, he had still learned a lesson.

He made a firm decision in his heart.

In the future, for any intelligence that didn’t come from his own investigation, he would remain cautious.

Carrying all the spoils—unsure how much they might sell for—he returned to the village.

After resting for one more night.

He once again set out on his journey back to Graystone Town.

This time, he aimed to sell the spoils and see if he could exchange them for suitable equipment to arm himself.

As a mage, he didn’t even have a staff yet—truly a sorry state.

He also wanted to gather information—understand what made Professionals different, and how one could become one.