"A group of goblins!?"

"Yes, Sylph confirmed it," the shaman nodded as a sylph flitted over his head. The kobolds appeared confused but were ordered to line up so that everyone could be accounted for. The physical education classes from my childhood suddenly seemed to have a purpose.

It was indeed a goblin, appearing from the forest and heading straight towards us.

"Shaman, can you use your magic to determine what kind of unit it is?" I asked.

"Leave it to me, Lord. Sylph-dono, give me the scent," he replied.

I learned that spells cannot be cast unless the caster knows the location of the target. Even if they're within range, they can't be used if they can't be seen. However, the shaman explained that he could use the scent of the goblins carried by the sylph to cast his spell, which was effective even at a long distance.

He hadn't planned on using this combo, but it turned out to be very useful.

"Small circles and big circles. Looking into it, it's a wonder. Hello, far-off one. Clairvoyance!"

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The shaman cast his spell in a song-like manner, and a faint light shone in his eyes.

"Hmm, hmm. I can see it. It's definitely a group of goblins. Their equipment... well, it's just poor. Did they pick it up or steal it? It doesn't seem out of the ordinary."

"Are there any other creatures besides goblins?"

"No, nothing in particular... Oops, there's one that looks pretty strong. It might be a Hobgoblin."

“Hobgoblin, huh?”

Goblins and kobolds are almost evenly matched, and with proper commands and barricades, they can defend themselves. The real issue is the Hobgoblin, but with Sylph's sandstorm operation and the rest, it may be possible. We've fought before, but never to the death. That's only natural, being Japanese and having grown up in that era.

But if we don't fight, they'll die. We only have one week, and abandoning these guys would be outrageous.

"Okay, everyone, arm yourselves! Prepare to defend with barricades!"

"WooW"

The kobolds began picking up tools and I realized I should have bought some armor as well.

"By the way, master. We need to prepare for a barricade defense," said the kobold.

"What happened?"

"Goblins are cowardly and lazy. They may send some into the dungeon to serve as scouts and killers," replied the kobold.

"Well, we were able to defeat each one, so that's great, right?"

"Master, if you don't come back, we'll be vigilant and won't even enter the dungeon," warned the kobold.

"That's a problem," I said.

Sylph reported that he could only create a sandstorm once, so I needed to draw all the goblins into the dungeon.

"What should I do? How do I get all the goblins to come?"

"It's easy. Just go out in front of them in small numbers, wrap your tail around them, and run away," suggested the shaman.

"Can you do that?"

"The goblins are cowardly and lazy, and love to bully the weak," said the shaman.

"Okay, I'll be the bait," I said.

"What! My master is not a decoy! Leave it to me!" protested the kobold.

"No, I'm the best bait," I replied firmly.

"Please be safe," said the shaman.

"I'll ask everyone," I replied.

As the shaman left quickly, I started preparing for the defensive battle. I knew I couldn't do it alone and had to choose a companion to be the bait. And so, our first defensive battle began.