Day 4. They continued walking along the forest path and arrived at a wheat field around midday.
About 200 meters ahead was a small hill. There was a stone wall and several wooden houses built within it. There was also a wooden watchtower, making it look like a small fort.
"Three families and their serfs live there," Aidan explained.
"A farm. Not the village I had in mind," Mash commented.
The wheat fields spread out around the hill. He walked toward them.
He didn't know much about wheat cultivation, but it looked overgrown. Weeds had started to take over.
"Master, there's a strange smell," Fam said, stopping.
"Yeah, I have a bad feeling about this too. Let's not go any further."
It would not be surprising to see people working there, but there was no one. It was eerie.
"We're being watched."
Mash followed Fam's gaze. Someone was watching from the lookout tower. There hadn't been anyone there a moment ago.
"It's a goblin. Let's turn back for now."
Following Aidan's instructions, they headed back into the forest. After walking for a while, they went into the bushes to catch their breath. Aidan began preparing his bow.
"I hope they don't follow us..." he muttered to himself.
"The quest was to exterminate the goblins that were destroying the village's fields, right?" Mash asked Aidan in a low voice.
"Yes, the villagers had found a goblin lair. It seems that about five of them had taken up residence there. We had planned to raid it, but the situation has changed."
"The fields are starting to look rough. It seems like time has passed," Fam said anxiously.
"We should consider it a goblin nest now."
Fam and Mash nodded at Aidan's words.
"Someone's coming."
Fam said. They stopped talking. After a while, the goblin pursuers appeared.
Six of them. They were equipped with iron swords and wooden shields. One of them had a bow.
"I'll draw their attention and shoot the one in the lead. Use that as your signal to jump out and attack. No, pretend to attack but focus on defense."
Fam and Mash switched to one-handed swords and shields and waited for Aidan's arrow. The weapon Aidan had given them was sharper and had more attack power. It was probably made from high-quality steel. But with a sword they couldn't hold a shield properly, and Fam's shield and knife would limit her range of attacks.
The goblins stopped moving, far away from where Mash's earth magic could reach them.
"Tch, they noticed us."
Aidan clicked his tongue, stood up, and fired an arrow, which pierced one of the goblins between the eyes.
"You can reach them!" Mash was more surprised than the enemy.
"Now that we're spotted, there's no point in staying hidden. Let's get on the road."
With weapons at the ready, they emerged from the bushes and faced the goblins.
It was a difficult distance to close. Mash was afraid they'd retreat. If he chased them too far, he could be ambushed and surrounded.
The goblin archer fired an arrow, but it fell short.
Aidan fired back, his arrows reaching the target but the goblin dodged.
"Let's try drawing them in. Run slowly and count to 25."
Fam and Mash nodded. They turned their backs on the goblins and ran. The goblins chased after them, but didn't close the distance.
"Are they worried we have an ambush set up?"
"That's unlikely. The goblins won't commit to a fight here. They'll want to lure us into the village and fight where they have the advantage. I want to shake them off, then approach the village again and get a better grasp of the situation."
Aidan said.
"We should return to town. We should call for reinforcements. It's called a village, but it's a fortress. We need numbers to attack."
The farmers who lived on the hill had probably built their houses like a fortress in that location to avoid attacks by monsters.
"That's right. I'll stay here and gather information. You two go back to town and contact the guild. Ask them to call the Knights."
Mash didn't know how to respond. Aidan was right. They wouldn't be of much use in the battle. They should return to town and call for reinforcements. But what would become of Aidan? Even though he was an A-rank adventurer, was it really okay to leave him in a place where they didn't know how many enemies there were?
"Master!" Fam pushed him away, making him stumble. An arrow passed by where he'd been standing.
He'd been careless. Before he knew it, the goblins had closed in to the point where their arrows could hit them.
"We can close the gap at this distance. Aidan, please provide cover."
Fam took off running, quickly closing the distance between her and the goblins.
The goblins realized that getting too close had been a mistake and tried to pull back, but Fam's sword reached them first. The blow made the enemy cry out in agony, but it wasn't enough to kill it.
The goblins immediately launched a counterattack, but Aidan's arrow intercepted their attack, and Mash, who was coming in behind, landed a blow in response.
One goblin was hit by an arrow and disappeared, while the other two were injured.
"Leave the damaged ones to me. Fam, aim for the archers."
"Yes!"
Fam headed toward the archers. Mash used his shield to deflect one goblin's attack, then swung his sword down at the other. The goblin vanished.
Aidan shot the fallen goblin dead, and Fam killed the archer.
"Be careful. There's one left."
"It's okay. He doesn't seem to be here."
"He's returned to the village."
Aidan said.
Had it gone to relay information? Did they have enough people, weapons, and intelligence?
Mash's body was shaking.
"My lord, there may be survivors in the village."
It seemed Fam wanted to go rescue the villagers instead of returning to town.
"That's true. It's unlikely, but there might be survivors. Aidan can handle himself. But Fam, you'd just be a burden. You're not ready for serious combat. Neither am I."
He wanted to leave as soon as possible. Ideally, all three of them, including Aidan, should return to town. It would take time, but they could defeat the goblins occupying the village with minimal casualties that way.
There was no realistic way to rescue survivors at this point.
"How about just observing the village from the forest?"
"Don't do that. It will only make them more alert and cautious."
Fam looked at Aidan, as if she'd given up on persuading Mash.
"Yes, they're probably already on guard. But I want to assess the state of the village while it's still light out. On the condition that we don't get too close, we can split up and investigate."
Aidan said.
"Wait, I'm not comfortable with Fam going. I want to send her back to town."
"Master, I stay with you."
Aidan nodded at Fam's words.
Fam's level had increased. She could avoid combat and return to town by herself. Mash wanted to let her go, but he couldn't back out now.
"I will investigate counterclockwise, and you two will go clockwise."
The road cut through the village and continued on the other side, where they would meet at a stone pillar barrier at the end of the road.
"Under no circumstances should you enter the wheat fields. Don't let the lookouts spot you. Also, there may be traps set up in places with a view of the village. There's no need to disarm traps just to observe the situation. If you can't make the rendezvous, or if it looks like you can't go any further, retrace your steps and return to town. Understood?"
Fam and Mash nodded.
"See you soon."
They parted ways with Aidan.
Fam and Mash walked along a pathless route through the forest toward the village.
"...Um, are you angry?"
Fam asked him. She must have known he wanted to go back to town.
"Yeah. But when I thought about it, there isn't a single woman who would listen to me anyway."
Memories of being ignored and brushed off by women in his previous world flashed through his mind.
"Can you tell me why you want to stay?"
"Yes. It reminded me of when my village was attacked."
"I thought that might be it."
He was angry because it reminded him of unpleasant things from the past, and he wanted to reprimand her, but couldn't find the words.
"I couldn't do anything back then. But after meeting you, I was able to become a little stronger. I can't just walk away."
"Neither of us are heroes, Fam. We're just tagging along with Aidan, pretending to be real adventurers. Please be realistic," he warned.
"Sorry."
She apologized sincerely. He put his hand on her head and ruffled her hair.
"Let's go. Let's get this over with."
He started walking.
"Wait a moment."
Fam called to him. She removed her leather breastplate. He wondered if it had been uncomfortable.
"Master, we're alone. Let's play our game."
As she said that, she squeezed her arms inward to emphasize her chest. She looked up at him shyly.
The nipple guessing game. Fam seemed to want to calm him down with this.
Come to think of it, this was their ritual to help them become closer.
"Um, please guess today."
Fam said, looking down.
"So you want me to show you the results of my journey so far?"
Suddenly, he raised his index finger and poked Fam's bright red cheek.
"No, I don't think this will be enough to show the results of your journey."
"Fine. I'll take on the challenge today. You know I'm upset right now, right?"
"...Yes. I'd like to become better friends with you."
"I will definitely win. And then I'll expose your bare chest to the goblins!"
"Hii, please enjoy it all by yourself!"
He focused all his attention on the tips of his index fingers. He mentally asked everyone in the world to lend him strength for his attempt.
He poked both of Fam's modest curves at the same time with his index fingers. They felt soft and yielding.
When he slightly bent the first joints of both fingers, he felt something firmer.
"Ahh, oh, that's amazing."
He wiggled his fingers gently. The sensitive spots gradually began to harden.
"I did it. I did it. I accomplished my goal."
It was hard to let go, and although he was reluctant to do so, he removed his fingers.
"Fam, I'm satisfied. Let's go back to town."
"Wait a moment. The purpose has changed."
"That's right. Damn, I don't want to go, but there's no choice. Let's finish our investigation quickly."
"Um, do I not need to show you?"
Fam asked shyly.
"I'm not sure I could control myself after seeing more. I'll ask to see when we get back to town."
"I, I see."
He helped Fam put her leather breastplate back on. As they started walking, Fam hugged him from behind.
"I'll definitely show you. Be sure to remember."
She buried her face in his back and quickly released her arms.
He had promised her that there would be a future. She was anxious too.