Chapter 30 Carne Village And Forest Rulers
After Minori left E-Rantel early in the morning,he followed the information and simple map he had collected from the Adventurer's Guild.
Heading northwest,he made his way toward the border region of the Re-Estize Kingdom, near the fringes of the Great Tob Forest.
There, a small settlement awaited him—
Carne Village.
—
This village—
Though technically a border village with a history of nearly a hundred years,its long years had not brought it prosperity.It remained a poor, forgotten place, barely acknowledged by the kingdom's nobility.
In the anime and novel, it served primarily as a plot waypoint,a minor setting connecting larger events.
Even so—it held surprising importance.
—
Suddenly—
"Kyaah!"
From a desolate roadside hill, a goblin hidden in the grass suddenly lunged at Minori!
Without hesitation, Minori drew the iron sword at his hip,twisting his body to nimbly evade the ambush.
Shing!
The blade flashed once.
The goblin gave a strangled cry—its body was cleaved cleanly in two.
『Gain 30 experience points』
—
Minori shook the green blood off his sword with a flick,expression cold and unreadable.
His sharp gaze swept the surroundings.
From the underbrush, four more goblins emerged—weapons in hand, snarling viciously.
"Troublesome creatures," Minori muttered, almost to himself.
He raised his free hand.
"Magic Arrow."
—
Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!
In an instant, consuming 5 MP and spending another 1 MP,Minori unleashed four magic arrows.
Each arrow pierced a goblin's heart with perfect accuracy.
Four bodies collapsed to the ground, lifeless.
『Gain 27 experience points』『Gain 25 experience points』『Gain 30 experience points』『Gain 28 experience points』
—
Minori sheathed his sword calmly, stepping forward.
Without a hint of hesitation, he sliced off each goblin's ear.
They could be exchanged for reward money at the Adventurer's Guild.
Every bit of income mattered in these early stages.
—
As he resumed his journey—
Minori encountered several more skirmishes along the way.Not just goblins—but minor beasts and forest predators as well.
He dispatched them efficiently.
—
Finally—
As dusk approached, Minori caught sight of a small village surrounded by wooden palisades.
Faint smoke from cooking fires rose into the sky.
At a glance—
those rough wooden walls would offer no real protection against the forest's monsters.
The fact that Carne Village, situated so close to the Great Tob Forest, had survived until now—
It was strange.
Too strange.
—
Along the road here, Minori had frequently encountered monsters.
Yet—
the closer he approached Carne Village,the fewer monsters he encountered.
There was a clear cause behind this anomaly:
The existence of the Forest Rulers.
The Great Tob Forest was home to three dominant monsters:
The Wise King of the Forest, Hamsuke, in the south,
The Eastern Giant, Gu, an ogre lord, in the east,
The Demonic Serpent of the West, Naga Rularus.
These three mighty beings ruled over vast territories.
The area surrounding Carne Village fell under the domain of Hamsuke, the Wise King of the Forest.
Thus—
ordinary monsters dared not approach.
—
The Forest Rulers—
Each was around level 30,and even among human heroes, few could match them one-on-one.
This was the natural advantage of non-human species in the New World.
—
Minori's gaze drifted beyond the village's shabby gates.
In the distance—
the endless expanse of the Great Tob Forest stretched out before him.
The dense canopy blocked his sight beyond a few meters.
Even so—
Minori's expression darkened,a subtle tension rising in his heart.
He knew.
The true terror of the forest was not the three rulers.
It was something far worse.
Two centuries ago, during the time of the Thirteen Heroes,a monster had descended upon this world—
the Demon Tree, sealed deep within the forest.
A monster whose level reached 85.
Even then, it had not been defeated—merely imprisoned through desperate means.
—
When the main story of Overlord began,the Black Scripture of the Slane Theocracy had mobilized a force to investigate the weakening seal—
carrying with them a World-Class Item, [Alluring Beauty],intended to enslave the Demon Tree.
Instead—
by a twist of fate—
they encountered Shalltear Bloodfallen.
The clash led to Shalltear's temporary loss of control and an important sequence of events.
All this—
for a being sleeping within the Great Tob Forest.
Suddenly—
"Who goes there!"
A rough voice barked out.
Minori turned his head.
Two middle-aged villagers, armed with steel pitchforks, stood before the gate,faces wary and tense.
Minori stopped calmly.
"I'm a traveler," he said in a measured tone."I seek shelter for the night."
—
The two villagers exchanged glances, their suspicion unabated.
One of them glanced behind Minori, scanning for hidden threats.
Finding none, their posture relaxed slightly.
"Wait here."
One villager turned and ran into the village.
—
Moments later,he returned with a man in his late forties or early fifties.
The man's skin was darkened by years of labor under the sun,his hair a coarse gray-brown.
Without question—
he was the village chief.
—
The chief approached, scrutinizing Minori carefully.
His eyes lingered on Minori's black hair—a rare feature among commoners.
"You seek lodging?" the chief asked gruffly.
"Yes." Minori nodded slightly.
After a brief pause—
the village chief smiled faintly.
"Then please, come in."
—
Minori raised an eyebrow.
That was unexpectedly straightforward.
Carne Village, isolated as it was, rarely received visitors.
In fact—
travelers arriving at dusk would normally invite fear, not hospitality.
—
The two villagers beside the chief looked confused.
The chief, sensing their unspoken questions, spoke lowly:
"These past two months, the forest beasts have grown restless."
He sighed.
The two guards' eyes widened slightly in realization.
Travel here had become dangerous.
If this black-haired traveler had arrived alone—
it meant he possessed considerable strength.
And—
if he had intended harm—
their palisade walls could not stop him.
Best to welcome him politely.
—
Understanding this,the villagers lowered their weapons.
The chief opened the crude wooden gate.
Under his guidance,Minori stepped into Carne Village.