Meaning that those goblins were their most elite.
Meaning that returning with information on the goblins would be a reasonable achievement in itself.
“Idiots….”
Barbro clenched his fist.
A loss was a loss, and those goblins were undoubtedly strong. Anyone who fought with them would be able to understand why Barbro had lost.
But to those who were ignorant, Barbro would be the prince who lost to goblins. He would become a laughingstock.
“Damn it! Damn it! Damn it!”
Frustration was boiling in his heart. This was why he could not go to sleep even though he was just as exhausted as his soldiers.
Every time he closed his eyes, he could hear the voices of mockery and hatred that were sure to come his way when he returned to the Kingdom.
For Barbro, the war was over. It was impossible to go to the Kattse Plains and join the battle against the Empire now.
Suddenly ― he felt a presence. Not from where the soldiers were sleeping, but from the direction they had fled.
Was it the stragglers who finally managed to catch up to them, or pursuing goblins?
In that moment, Barbro turned to look with an anxious heart, his face wrinkled in surprise. As though the figure had noticed that Barbro was watching, it waved with a light greeting.
“How ya doing~”
How did it appear in the middle of this vast open plain without being spotted? Not too far from him
―roughly twenty meters away― was an absolute beauty with a smile that matched her sincere expression. If this was in the middle of a city, he would not hesitate to ogle her, but this was in the middle of a plain. There was not even a village in sight.
The strangest thing was her attire ― that looked very similar to a maid’s clothing.
If she was armed, he would have thought she was an adventurer, but this just did not make any sense.
A monster?
The thought suddenly popped into his mind. Some monsters possessed a beautiful appearance.
Fairies were an example of that, but maid’s clothing was impossible to comprehend.
“Hello, I came over to play~. I didn’t catch you at a bad time, right?”
It was a question that was clearly looking down on him.
“Who are you?”
He asked that question while reaching for the sword on his waist.
It was a boring and unimaginative question, but he meant it. The girl’s identity was so shrouded in mystery, he could not even think of what to ask in the first place.
“They call me Lupusregina. I’m one of the maids who serve Ainz-sama.”
This mysterious woman greeted him by raising her hand again. Something about what that woman
―Lupusregina― said sunk into his heart.
“W-what.”
Barbro was so surprised, that he forgot to wake the soldiers around him.
“No, no, let’s not dwell on that… you really did go through a lot. But ya know, I think it was kinda cheating. I mean using a goblin army’s way too cowardly. Even I was surprised when I was watching that human, Enri, from behind and yelped in surprise. Who’d have expected so many goblins to come pouring out… hehehe.”
Lupusregina made a sound resembling laughter.
It was an obvious taunt, but Barbro was in no mood to put up with it.
“So what are you here for!”
He could feel someone stirring behind him as if reacting to the shout.
A taunt was a taunt, but her actions were strange if she was planning on an ambush. There was no need for her to show herself. Or was this an act to draw away his attention? To strike from behind while he was distracted.
No ― he was valuable because he was the first Prince.
Their plan was probably to negotiate with him if he was lucky, or to use him as a hostage if he was not.
But there was no way negotiations would end well for his side. He would most likely become a prisoner.
Barbro could feel the throne getting further and further away from him every second.
Although, the ones who were actually responsible were the upper echelons of the Kingdom, who had sent him to that village without informing him that goblins were there.
If he became a prisoner, he would have an opportunity to meet with Ainz Ooal Gown. Depending on the situation, he would cede one-quarter of the Kingdom’s territory in exchange for Ainz’s help in making him the king.
This was perhaps the best he could get out of the worst situation.
Barbro thought this.
“No, no. There’s only one reason I came ‘round.”
Lupusregina declared after a deep breath.
“I came to massacre everyone!”
He blinked several times before shouting.
“What?! What nonsense are you spouting! Don’t you know who you’re talking to?! I am the First Prince of the Kingdom of Re-Estize, Barbro Andrean Ield Ryle Vaiself!”
“Ha. Well, you say that, but aren’t you still a mere human? Am I wrong? For us, it’s all the same.
Ah, I already knew you were a prince, too.”
“Is that… Right! You mean to kill everyone besides me? I can’t say that’s a good idea. Even if you take me prisoner, you’ll need someone to take the news back to the king, or the negotiation will get more difficult in many ways.”
Lupusregina tilted her as if he was saying something strange.
“No, no. What are you blabbering about? I’ll say it again. Ma~ssa~cre. It’s a massacre because I’m going to kill every single one of you. It seems like your brain’s not too developed? Ah~ you might be valuable in that sense, but I’m not too keen on keeping you around.”
“What the hell are you saying! Don’t you realize my value! I am the First Prince! How dare you even think about killing me! You normally take nobles hostage and ransom them! Or do you want territory! It’s better to keep me alive to use for more advantageous position in negotiation than to kill me!”
“…Oh man, this is one perplexing human being.”
Lupusregina showed an unpleasant smile on her face, then continued in a tone that sounded as if she was trying to explain something complex to a baby.
“You’re not needed in the plan of the highest one, of Ainz-sama. That’s why you’re going to die. Do you understand now?”
Barbro was flabbergasted.
He could tell that Lupusregina was not saying it out of jest nor as a simple threat.
He swallowed his saliva unconsciously.
“…Are you really going to? Really going to kill me…”
“Ah, that’s a good expression. It’s my favourite kind. You’re going up and up in my favourite ranking.”
“Then―”
Lupusregina spoke to Barbro with a blank expression. Barbro was trying to smile despite the rigid expression on his face.
“The order from Ainz-sama is to massacre you all. Thus, nobody can leave this place alive.”