Chapter Sixteen

The residents of Blackstone Town curiously looked at the soldiers marching in formation. They all wore leather armors, their spears disassembled into two parts so that it'll be easy to carry during the march. Following behind the soldiers were five carts filled with wood and hemp ropes, with the last cart carrying a day's worth of rations.

"Hey, did you hear? It seems they'll be entering the eastern part of the Endless Forest to subjugate some monsters!"

"Yeah, I heard it from my brother! The young master said they'll be facing Goblins!"

"Are you an idiot? We've been living here for decades. There're no Goblins in the Endless Forest!"

Numerous murmurs and speculations filled the air as the soldiers marched. Due to the training drilled into them, the soldiers did not break formation and walked forth in steady, uniform gaits. They also had their doubts about this mission, but as this was an order from the Young Master, they had no choice but to obey despite the uncertainties.

Lark was riding the first carriage. Through the bowfront, he could see the soldiers marching in front. He was sure that they were nervous of the upcoming battle. After all, they knew nothing but the basic movements of the spear. All this time, aside from the stamina and discipline training, all they did was thrust and pull the spear.

Objectively speaking, it was still too early for the soldiers to face the Goblins living in the Kalrane Mine. But right now, the treasury was constantly being wringed dry by all the developments being made left and right in the town. Lark needed to secure the Kalrane Mine soon and obtain a steady source of income.

The small personal army of Lark entered the Endless Forest. Back when Lark was making a map of the town and its immediate regions, this was the only part he was unable to fully map. The name 'Endless Forest' truly befitted this place – even from the sky, the end of the forest was not within sight.

Lark was actually surprised that even though such a massive forest was adjacent to the town, the town itself was peaceful enough. Based on what he'd heard from Gaston, Blackstone Town was a lot more peaceful than the major cities near the Capital. In those places, monster attacks were so frequent that soldiers fight with them on a daily basis.

The trees inside the Endless Forest were far larger than normal. Their leaves created canopies that blocked the sunlight. Occasional rays would seep through the gaps, which gave enough light for the army to traverse the root-blanketed ground.

We'll be near the Kalrane Mine soon.

"Halt." Upon Lark's order, the entire army stopped in its tracks. "Captain Qarat."

A man with dark-brown skin stepped forward. "Sir?"

"Send two of your most nimble men to scout the area. The Goblin's den is nearby. Tell them to report immediately if they spot some Goblins in the forest." Lark leisurely sat inside his carriage. He used Magic Perception before to scan the immediate surroundings. He knew that the area was safe right now. There were some wild boars around, but they would not pose a threat to this small army.

"Understood!" Qarat saluted.

"You've briefed the soldiers on what they're going to fight against, right?" Lark saw Qarat's restless eyes after that. Indeed, these guys still have a long way to go to even be called proper soldiers.

"Yes… about that," slowly said Qarat. "There were some doubts about it. All of the soldiers are locals and they've never once seen a Goblin before. They're having doubts since monsters do not really come out of the Endless Forest."

This was one of the greatest mysteries for Lark as of the moment. There was no way that a forest large enough to be called 'endless' would not contain any monster. But since his hands were tied with administering the town and his daily mana training, he had no time to spare to investigate this.

If my hunch is correct, there must be a King residing within the Endless Forest. A creature strong enough to keep all the monsters at bay. That's probably the reason why no monsters are attacking the town.

"This will also be part of the training," said Lark. Looking around, although the soldiers were standing straight in attention, they failed to hide the uneasiness within their faces. "There's nothing more perfect than facing Goblins."

An hour passed. The scouts sent out returned with news. Their faces were pallid.

"Captain! Just like the Young Master said, there's a hidden cavern north of this place! Around twenty minutes of march away!"

"And we've… we've seen them! Goblins! We've seen two of them when we peeked inside the cavern!"

Since the voices of the scouts were loud and frantic, coupled with the silent forest, the surrounding soldiers heard it. Numerous gasping sounds escaped the soldiers' lips, some nervously looked around, probably afraid of Goblins suddenly attacking them from the shadows.

Captain Qarat creased his brows. "Good work. Await further orders."

The scouts saluted. "Yes, sir!"

After the scouts left, Qarat approached the Young Master. Contrary to his expectations, the Young Master was rather calm. It was probably because from the start, the Young Master really believed that there really were monsters in this part of the forest.

Qarat felt a bit ashamed that he doubted his Lord's words.

"Young Sir, the scouts spotted Goblins in a cavern nearby," said Qarat.

Lark grinned. "Tell the soldiers to assemble their spears. March until we're a five hundred steps away from the target. From there, start unloading those things from the carts and assemble them. That should be easy enough, yes?"

"Understood," said Qarat. As he was bowing his head, he peered at the Young Master for a moment. "Sir, if this soldier may ask…"

Lark stared back. "What is it?"

There was a moment of hesitation from Qarat. "Is it really alright to use spears? Each of the soldiers are also equipped with short swords. I believe that when fighting inside the cavern, those long spears will hinder us instead. I suggest that we use short swords."

Lark was pleased that at least this soldier had common sense. And he was also pleased that he was courageous enough to speak of his thoughts and suggestions. Lark approvingly nodded at this.

"What you've said is correct," said Lark. "Fighting with spears when inside the cavern is nothing but foolishness. But Captain Qarat — we wouldn't be fighting inside the cavern."

Seeing the confused look of the captain, Lark continued. "We'll be smoking the Goblins out. That's why we've bothered to bring wooden stakes and hemp ropes with us. We'll make a defensive line with those things. We'll fight them outside."

Qarat remembered the wooden stakes and hemp ropes that filled the first five carts.

"Disseminate the orders to the soldiers. I want the preparations to be completed within two hours."

Qarat left and began issuing his orders to the soldiers. Immediately the small army began to march once again. Upon reaching their destination, they began setting up wooden fences using wooden stakes and hemp ropes. There were small gaps between the stakes, which would, according to the Young Master, become a convenient place to thrust their spears through. Small pitfalls were placed in front of the fence, which were immediately covered with leaves.

Now, all that was left was to force the Goblins outside of the cavern. Once outside, they would have no choice but to clash against the soldiers behind the barricade.

If only I have more gold in the treasury, I wouldn't be rushing the subjugation like this. I don't know when I'll find another monster's den. A waste of experience, really, since these guys will be fighting behind already-made defenses. But if they fight the Goblins head-on, there'll surely be casualties. These guys aren't proper soldiers yet.

Lark sighed. He jumped down the carriage. Under the command of Captain Qarat, the soldiers gathered before the Young Master. Their spears were already assembled, spanning almost two meters in length. On their waists, short swords dangled.

Lark had decided to make them fight without using the magic weapons he had made. For now, it would be better if these guys had a hard time fighting against the Goblins. Several wounds or maybe a severed finger or two would be good too. It'll drill into them what a real battlefield was like.

"Listen, from here on, we'll be fighting against monsters – Goblins. A small army of them."

Some of the soldiers swallowed, while some quivered upon hearing the name of the monsters come out of the Young Master's mouth. Although Goblins were at the bottom of the hierarchy of monsters, they were still creatures stronger than these hastily made soldiers. In a one-on-one battle, they would probably be victorious over these men.

Lark was getting a headache when he thought of this. Giving them the magic armor and spears would immediately give these guys an overwhelming advantage, but that would be putting the cart ahead of the horse.

"Your job is simple." Lark pointed at the small entrance in the fence. "Kill all the Goblins that will come out of that pathway. At most, only two or three of them will come at a time. There's more than fifty of you. Use those damn weapons to kill them."

The soldiers were still tense, definitely nervous. Lark could not help but sigh. But he could somehow understand. These guys, after all, were mere residents a month and a half ago. They never held spears before that.

I guess they're not so bad, since they're really decent now with the basic thrust and pull of the spear. Qarat did a good job training these guys with the basics.

There were still a lot more they could do with the spear. Even close combat was possible if they used those poles correctly. But for now, Lark had to drill into them the most basic of things.

"Are there any questions?" said Lark.

A soldier timidly raised a hand, "Uhm, Young Master? How sure are we that those Goblins are going to come out of that cavern?"

"There's a simple trick for that. Although Goblins are monsters, they're just like other animals. They're afraid of smoke and fire. We'll force them out of the cavern with that." Lark turned to Qarat. "The castrel oil?"

"We've put them in the barrels, just like you've asked." Qarat pointed at the three small barrels near the carts. "We've also placed some dried leaves inside. All it need now is fire."

Castrel oil was a bit expensive, but it was a necessary expense. It was an oil that does not burn fiercely like others, yet at the same time, the smoke it produces was far greater than other oils. After adding some dried leaves to it, the smoke would turn black and irritate the eyes, making it hard to see.

"Place those barrels near the entrance of the cavern. Make sure that the Goblins doesn't notice you."

Qarat saluted. Several soldiers began moving stealthily towards the cavern's entrance, carrying with them the wooden barrels. After placing it near the entrance, they retreated back to the camp.

"Qarat," said Lark.

"Yes!"

"I will not interfere after this. Once those Goblins come out of the cavern, all of the soldiers will be under your command. Direct them as you see fit," said Lark. He planned on secretly saving the soldiers if ever they came into grave danger, but he had no plans of helping them subjugate these goblins. After all, if he helped, these guys would lose this valuable experience.

"I understand," said Qarat.

Lark walked towards the front. He had used Magic Perception before. He was sure that the Goblins still have not noticed that they were surrounded. As expected, moving through the day was the best choice when dealing with these nocturnal creatures.

He pointed a finger. Three orbs of fire started forming at the tip of his finger. The soldiers curiously stared at this phenomenon. Most of them did not know that the Young Master was capable of military-grade magic.

"Now, let's start."

The orbs of fire shot towards the barrels near the entrance of the cavern, creating a deafening blast upon impact. The barrels exploded and black smoke swirled up into the air, a portion of it entering the cavern. Even from this distance, the soldiers were able to hear the numerous squeaking sounds inside the cavern, which was quickly followed by numerous footsteps.

Lark nodded at Qarat. It was now his responsibility to command the small army.

From the cavern's entrance, the oil burned into thick smoke. From within the gap, numerous small green creatures came running out. They were screaming in rage, their eyes teary from the gas that entered the cavern.

Qarat gnashed his teeth.

"Soldiers! Spears up!" shouted Qarat.

Immediately, the soldiers pointed their spears at the charging horde. There were around the same number of goblins as that of the soldiers.

These guys are lucky. There's no Hobgoblin or Shaman in the group. Even in the Magic Empire, that's a rare find.

Seeing the humans that made a barricade around their den, the Goblins shrieked in utter fury. The Goblins held weapons as they ran. Their eyes were still teary, but the rage within those yellow pupils were apparent.

The soldiers gripped their spears tight, their bodies trembling, as dozens of Goblins came charging towards them. Most of the Goblins came rushing towards the only open path, while some of them collided with the barricade.

"Attack those that are stuck on the fence!" shouted Qarat. He stabbed a Goblin through the gap between the fences. "Those that are guarding the entrance! Spears ahead! Prepare for impact!"

Probably because of the gas that struck their eyes, the Goblins charged towards the soldiers without much thought. Those that charged through the open entrance were impaled by the spears, while several Goblins managed to breach the soldiers guarding the entrance. The Goblins and the soldiers quickly engaged into a melee. Several Goblins were still pouring out of the cavern. Some of them would fall into the traps and get impaled by spears, some collided with the barricade, while some charged towards the open entrance.

Lark sat on the bowfront of the carriage. He was a good distance away from the chaos, but he could see everything clearly.

That guy's done for.

One of the soldiers dropped his spear. Currently, he was crawling through the ground. A Goblin struck his calf using a dagger. The soldier screamed in agony as blood came flowing out of the wound. The Goblin shrieked in delight upon seeing this.

Lark opened the small pouch beside him. Inside were several pebbles. He took one pebble, added some mana into his fingers, and flicked it. The pebble whizzed towards the Goblin and hit its forehead, instantly killing it.

The soldier stared dumbfoundedly at the Goblin that suddenly fell down the ground. He looked around and saw nothing but his fellow soldiers engaged in a melee battle.

Over there. Another reckless one.

Lark saw another soldier about to succumb into his bane. His spear was stuck on the ground and he was unable to pull it out. The Goblin on his left jumped and tried stabbing him with a pointed stone. The soldier rolled on the ground in panic and successfully evaded the attack. He pulled out his short sword and engaged the Goblin in a fight.

Just like what Lark expected, the soldiers were weaker than the Goblins in a one-on-one fight. The soldier's short sword flew into the air in just a few seconds, and the Goblin's weapon made a deep cut on his arm. The soldier took several steps back until he fell down butt-first towards the ground.

"H-Help!" shouted the soldier. But those that were around him were too busy fending for themselves.

Lark took another pebble and flicked it towards the Goblin. It pierced the Goblin's chest, making it shriek in agony. As the Goblin wobbled towards the ground, the fallen soldier immediately stood up, grabbed the pointed stone from the Goblin's hands, and stabbed it into its neck. The Goblin croaked as the light in its eyes vanished. The soldier fell on the ground, huffing.

Good job.

Lark was glad that the soldier made a follow through after that pebble strike. At the very least, they have a great sense of survival.

Secretly babysitting these soldiers were tiring, but he cannot afford to let them die here. After all, training these guys took a lot of time. Lark hoped that in a year or two, these soldiers would be worthy enough to wield the magic spears.

The fighting went on, and Lark would secretly help the soldiers every now and then. By the time the battle ended, more than half of the soldiers were injured and unable to move. Thankfully, because of Lark interfering during crucial moments, there were no casualties. Those that were injured were immediately treated with herbs and bandages.

Looking around, numerous green corpses were scattered about. The oil near the cavern's entrance had dried out and the smoke subsided.

Captain Qarat, his leather armor tattered, saluted at the Young Master. "Young Lord, we've finished subjugating the Goblins. Thirty-seven soldiers are heavily wounded, but none of them are in grave danger."

Lark gazed at the Captain. He was a former resident too, but it seemed that he had a bit of talent in the spear. Although he had numerous cuts here and there, his body was in a far better state than most of the soldiers.

"Good work," said Lark. He jumped down the cart. "Continue tending to the wounded. Take five soldiers. We'll be going inside the cavern."

After gathering the soldiers, Lark led them inside the cavern. The smell of castrel oil was still strong and it assaulted their noses upon reaching the entrance. As they went deeper inside, the smell of oil was soon replaced by the putrid stench of decay.

The torches carried by the soldiers illuminated the cave. Judging by the size of the walls, if they had fought the Goblins here instead of the outside, the soldiers would have been annihilated. There were hidden pathways here and there, which was probably meant for surprise attacks from the Goblins.

The soldiers accompanying Lark realized that just by simply taking the fight outside, they eliminated such advantage in terrain for the Goblins.

Lark saw the uneasiness within the soldiers. "Relax. There are no more Goblins here. We're not here to fight."

As he said that, he signaled everyone to stop. He smiled and pointed at the glimmering stones at the end of the cavern.

"We're here to inspect the spoils of war," said Lark. He completely ignored the weapons and items left behind by the Goblins.

"Kalrane stones," said Lark. "From now on, they'll be the town's special product."