—–
Ding!
[You’ve gained 4650 EXP]
[Your level has increased from level 0 to level 1!]
I could have gained more EXP if I killed them all myself, but that wasn’t the plan. I wanted the goblins to get the most EXP because they were going to get strong and protect their place while I wasn’t around later.
And ideally, I would want some of them to become Hobgoblins.
“I got so many Experience Points… I can’t believe it! I am about to hit level 10…” The Chief said in excitement.
“Nice!” I said while patting the baldie’s head.
“T-Thank you for doing this for us, lady Maria!”
“We feel so strong now!”
“We gained a lot of strength.”
“I think I even gained a new skill!”
It seems that the level-ups brought them nice stats overall. Some even gained bonus skills.
I don’t know why aristocrats don’t do this. Just ask some adventurers to bring you half-dead monsters or something!
Or maybe they do it, and they still suck?
Nonetheless, we were done here.
The former slaves were freed, and many of them began to cry.
I caught the souls of the bandits before they were able to escape and imprisoned them inside my Shadows. They began to slowly get encroached by the power of my Undead Queen Title, and in only a bit of time, they should become more open to talk.
“Thank you, strangers… It was really horrible….”
“I can finally go back to my homeland….”
“How can I see my family again after these demons have used me?”
It seems that some of the girls were used by these pigs.
Ugh. I hate this trope too. The worst part is that, aside from agonizingly killing the ones that did this to them, I can’t do anything else.
“We’ll receive you into our tribe after resting for a while and eating well. You can consider going back to your homes or stay with us. No matter the race, we’ll accept you,” Said the Goblin Chief.
He was an innate leader, and his simple words convinced the slaves, who felt welcomed and safe by the goblin.
“Thank you…”
“I hope we are not too much of a bother.”
“I-Is this a dream? Are we really free?”
As the Goblin Chief took care of the slaves for me, I began to pick everything up into my infinite Inventory.
Boop! Tent gone.
Boop! Food’s gone too.
Boop! Extremely suspicious miasma potions are nowhere to be seen now.
Boop! Corpses are gone as well.
I cleansed the entire cave of anything worth value or not, and then we finally decided to move back to the tribe.
There was a lot to talk about, especially these suspicious potions I was carrying with me.
Why were these things made, and who made them? What was the purpose behind them? Did bandits steal it from the merchant they got the slaves from as well?
Oh right, the slaves might know something.
I asked the elf girl with long blonde hair and emerald eyes. Her eyes were filled with sorrow as she seemed to have been used very roughly…
A leather coat barely covered her as she was almost nude when we found her.
We’ll also make sure that she takes a good bath later.
“I remember that… the potions… they were used on us, they once made me drink one. It made me go insane… I still have sequels from it… I remember there was a man, coated in black robes… perhaps he was behind this. We have only met him thrice… He goes from one bandit hideout to another. Perhaps they all work for him….” Said the elf.
So they used them as slaves to experiment on? Do they want to create an army of beastly people with them?
“Oh, dear… Well, make sure you get some rest. But let me ask… Do you remember anything from where you came from?” I asked.
“We used to be from a merchant that captured me almost a year ago. I used to be an adventurer… I wasn’t even a criminal slave. They just captured me when I decided to go complete a quest in the outskirts of Affnaria… I wasn’t able to escape, and they knocked me out. When I woke up, I had a collar around my neck, and I became a slave… Since then, I’ve wished to die every single day… I thank that I was given that potion, as it has made my mind dizzy, and fragments of my traumas have disappeared… but even then, the things… t-they did to me… I… hah… Sniff…”
The elven girl began to cry as she suddenly tripped over a rock. Her barefoot was all damaged, filled with wounds that were infected.
I wish I could heal her.
“Dear, I’ll carry you.”
“Eh?”
I held her with my arms as I carried her like a princess.
“Fweh?! Y-You, don’t need to… d-do this….” She stuttered.
“Don’t worry. It’s nothing. You’re very light, like a feather,” I said with a smile.
“B-But isn’t it embarrassing?” She asked.
“No? Why would it be? I saw your feet damaged and I couldn’t bear seeing you walk anymore. We’ll make sure to heal them. You can wash your body by the river in privacy, too,”
“Ah… T-Thank you for being so considerate…”
The other former slaves were carried in the carriage, which Kuro moved to the tribe.
After 40 minutes, we arrived back at the tribe.
“Nothing happened. You were paranoiac,” Said Lucifer.
Apparently, no bandits came here while we were off.
“Well, that’s for the best. We brought a lot of people and stuff,”
“I see… And that elf?” He asked, looking at the elf in my arms.
“Oh! I just couldn’t bear to see such a cutie walking with her foot so damaged… you can call me heroic all you want; I’ll take the title of the heroic ghost!” I laughed.
Lucifer looked at the elf girl as she timidly gave him a glance.
“H-Hello…”
“Hi. We’ll take care of you. For now, you should go wash up,” Lucifer said.
“I’ll bring her to the nearby river.”
Like this, we brought many slaves to wash as they were all filthy…
After that, we used the help of some of the goblins with a talent for healing magic, and we healed their minor wounds alongside using medicinal herbs harvested around the forest.
There was still a lot to do yet, and I am still in the blue about who exactly is this guy with black robes… If he’s threatening this whole place, we’ll have to smack him out of the picture.
—–