After seeing off the adventurer who called himself "Goblin Slayer," the Last Defender of the Way, a party of four adventurers, began scouring the goblin nest.
Every now and then, a surviving goblin hiding in rock crevices or caves would leap out for a sneak attack, but they were quickly dispatched. Soon, the party found the kidnapped villagers in a stone cavern.
Most of the kidnapped villagers were women, about ten in number. Their arms and ankles were tightly bound with coarse ropes twisted from dry grass. Their clothes were in tatters, their lower bodies exposed, and their eyes were red and swollen. It was clear they'd endured relentless physical and mental torment from the goblins.
Scattered on the ground were several human skulls, a grim testament to the goblins' brutality. That these women were still alive was nothing short of a miracle.
The villagers were curled up, their eyes vacant, barely registering the adventurers' arrival. Only when the party cut the ropes binding them and draped scraps of cloth over their bodies did they realize they'd been rescued. Tears welled up, and they broke into muffled sobs, crying in a chorus of relief.
There weren't enough clothes to go around, so Barrett reluctantly took the oilcloth tent from his spatial ring and sliced it into square patches with his knife, handing them to the villagers to cover their exposed bodies.
Truth be told, Barrett was loath to part with his top-notch tent—a premium piece he'd bought in the City Alliance for 60 silver coins. But EeDechi insisted on it, even dismantling her own tent to help.
Barrett was puzzled. Why did EeDechi get so worked up seeing the women's naked bodies? It was like sand had gotten in her eyes—no, more like a meteor had crashed into them, making her downright frantic. Could she really have come from a convent?
The thought made Barrett feel a pang of sympathy for Stella. EeDechi was always strict with her, demanding she dress plainly and skip heavy makeup. It was like she was being groomed to be a nun.
The four adventurers carried the surviving villagers out of the goblin nest and into the open air beyond the cave.
EeDechi then unleashed her indiscriminate area-of-effect healing magic. The villagers' various wounds vanished instantly, their bodies free of even a single scratch. Luckily, there were no intact enemy corpses around, so no goblins rose from the dead.
The people, long confined in the dark cave, saw daylight again. Though the sun's glare was harsh, they squinted and cheered with joy.
Some of the younger girls were so thrilled they started jumping, their makeshift oilcloth wraps slipping loosely, flashing glimpses of pale skin. EeDechi's forehead veins throbbed visibly in irritation.
Once the rescued villagers had recovered, the adventurers escorted them to Sheep Horn. The villagers there rushed to reunite with their daughters and wives. A few of the survivors hailed from other towns.
The Last Defender of the Way adventurer party's heroic deed earned them reverence from the village chief and the survivors' families, who saw EeDechi and her companions as fearless knightly heroes. They showered them with endless thanks, some even tearfully grateful.
Several young women cast admiring glances at Barrett and Sean, and a few bold girls even invited them to their homes. Barrett, seasoned and unfazed, brushed it off. Sean, however, blushed furiously under the village girls' teasing, fumbling awkwardly and stealing glances at Stella. Noticing a flicker of displeasure on the cleric girl's face, he felt a secret thrill and politely turned down the invitations.
"You're a true hero! Like the Thirteen Heroes from legend reborn! Thank you for saving my daughter!"
An old farmer, tears streaming down his face, knelt before EeDechi, bowing repeatedly. When bandits had raided his home, EeDechi had descended like a god, flattening a robber against the wall with a single sword strike, collapsing half the outhouse in the process.
Then, the party had gone on to wipe out the goblins and rescue his daughter, who'd vanished while tending sheep. After losing his wife and his son, who'd been conscripted for war and never returned, his daughter was his only reason to keep going. When goblins attacked and abducted her while she was out herding, he'd been gutted, his spirit shattered. Now, with her safely returned, how could he not worship EeDechi with boundless gratitude?
"Hero! Thank you, hero!" the old farmer cried, prostrating himself. EeDechi quickly helped him to his feet.
Facing the grateful villagers around her, the adventurer team leader's expression turned serious. Clearing her throat, she began her speech:
"I'm no hero," EeDechi paused and continued, "and certainly not a Yordle with a hammer."
"This terrible world is a blood-red whirlpool, and everyone must learn to save themselves. Because the ultimate truth in this world is that the might is right.
"I shouldn't even be involved in this matter because I came to this world with my own mission! I can't let these trivial matters waste my time and affect my mission! But I still choose to help the weak as much as possible."
The emotional villagers fell silent, their nearly a hundred earnest and devout eyes fixed on EeDechi in the center of the crowd.
"Because I despise the truth of 'might is right,' a true strong person, even if only performing superficial gestures, should help the weak, not bully them!
"Do those who believe in might is right not know? There are always mountains beyond mountains, skies beyond skies, and people beyond people. If you think you're the strongest and act arrogantly, one day you may encounter someone even stronger, and you'll face the same fate of being consumed!
"Of course, these words might seem like empty talk to you! Because you are truly too weak, and the human race is too weak!"
"You need to start multiplying and uniting quickly! Strengthen your bodies, practice your skills, clean your weapons, and organize your defenses. Only then can you survive in this world where alien races roam. You need to reform your system, develop technology, and advance magic! Embrace both science and magic!
"Of course, you might think, 'What does this have to do with me? I'm just a humble farmer or a simple shepherd girl. These grand issues of human survival are for lords, nobles, and emperors—those high and mighty figures to worry about. I just need to take care of my own small plot of land.'
"So when goblins attack, you have no means to resist and watch your wives and children be taken away; when bandits come to kill and burn, you can only kneel and beg.
"From now on, each of you needs to train your bodies, learn martial arts, and forge weapons! Contribute to human survival! Arm yourself and your family!
"Even a bee, when trapped, will fight to the death to sting. How much more should humans? Even a small stone should sharpen its edges to make those who dare to tread on it regret it!
"Humanity must resist! Humanity must fight! Humanity will never yield! Defend the justice in your hearts and never bow to evil!"
The scene fell into a heavy silence, with the villagers' sincere eyes showing a hint of dazedness. EeDechi's words seemed too advanced for them.
So, only a deathly quiet remained. The villagers stared at EeDechi with wide eyes, unmoving, like wooden carvings, as if waiting for her to wave her hand and say, "Meeting adjourned."
EeDechi took a deep breath, calming her chest that had been rising with her passionate speech. She thought with a wry smile, "What's the point of saying this to them? All roads, in the end, are mine to walk alone."
Leaning against a tree, Barrett curled his lips, unimpressed by EeDechi's speech but still clapped his hands together.
Seeing Barrett clapping, Sean and Stella exchanged a glance and also began to clap.
People have a tendency to follow the crowd. With these three leading, more villagers hesitantly started clapping, and gradually, the applause grew louder.
The scattered and uneven clapping surrounded EeDechi. Her previously tense face slowly began to show a hint of a smile.