NOVEL SIMPLE Chapter 44 Speech
After sending off the adventurer who called himself the "Goblin Slayer," the four members of the Last Defender of the Way began to search through the goblin lair.
Occasionally, some remaining goblins hiding in crevices and caves would leap out to ambush them, but they were easily dealt with. Soon, they found the kidnapped villagers in a stone cavern.
Most of the kidnapped villagers were women, around ten in number. Their arms and ankles were tightly bound with rough, makeshift ropes made from wild grass. They were scantily clad, with their lower bodies completely exposed, their eyes swollen and red. It was clear they had suffered physical and mental abuse at the hands of the goblins.
There were also several human skulls on the ground, a grim testament to the goblins' brutality. It was a miracle that these women were still alive.
The villagers huddled in a tight, terrified group, their eyes glazed over. It wasn't until the adventurers cut through the ropes binding them and draped some clothing over their bodies that they realized they had been rescued. Tears began to flow as they sobbed in relief.
Since there wasn't enough clothing, Barrett had to cut up the oilcloth tent from his spatial ring into square pieces to cover the villagers and hide their nakedness.
Barrett was reluctant to cut up his high-quality tent, which he had bought for 60 silver coins from the City Alliance. However, EeDeChi insisted on doing so and even dismantled his own tent as well.
Barrett was puzzled as to why EeDeChi reacted so strongly to seeing naked women, as if sand had gotten into her eyes. No, it was more like she had meteors in her eyes—she seemed uncontrollably agitated. Could she really have come from a monastery?
Thinking this over, Barrett couldn't help but feel a bit of sympathy for Stella. Under EeDeChi's strict requirements to dress plainly and avoid heavy makeup, she seemed to be heading towards becoming a nun.
The four adventurers carried the surviving villagers out of the goblin lair and into the open air outside the cave.
Afterward, EeDeChi cast a wide-area healing spell that did not distinguish between allies and enemies. The villagers, each with their own physical wounds, were instantly healed, leaving no trace of injury. Fortunately, there were no complete goblin corpses left here, so no goblins were revived.
The people who had been confined in the dark cave for so long finally saw the light of day. Although they were a bit disoriented by the sunlight, they squinted their eyes and cheered with joy.
Some young girls even leaped for joy, their oilcloth wraps falling loose and revealing their pale skin. This caused EeDeChi's forehead veins to throb with frustration.
Once the rescued villagers had regained their composure, the adventurers took them to Sheep Horn. Villagers from Sheep Horn came to claim their daughters and wives, and among the survivors were a few from other towns.
The Last Defender of the Way adventurers were hailed as brave and fearless knight heroes by the village chief and the families of the survivors, who showered them with thanks and tears of gratitude.
Many young girls cast admiring glances at Barrett and Sean, with some bold young women even inviting them to their homes.
Barrett, with his vast experience, remained indifferent, while Sean, stirred by the village girls, blushed and felt awkward, occasionally stealing glances at Stella. Upon noticing a slight displeasure on the cleric girl's face, he felt strangely relieved and declined the girls' invitations.
"You are true heroes! Like the legendary Thirteen Heroes come to life! Thank you for saving me!"
An old farmer shed tears as he spoke, facing EeDeChi and kneeling down.
When robbers had attacked his home, EeDeChi had seemed like a godsend, slamming the robbers against the wall and demolishing half of his cottage with a single strike.
They then set out to wipe out the remaining goblins and rescued his daughter, who had gone missing while shepherding. Since his wife passed away and his son was drafted into the army and never returned, his daughter was his only source of support.
When his daughter had been taken by goblins after straying too far while tending the sheep, he was devastated and had lost all hope. Now that she had been returned to him, how could he not be eternally grateful to EeDeChi?
"Hero! Thank you, hero!" The old farmer knelt on the ground, and EeDeChi quickly helped him up.
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.