Forests Don't Support Idle Goblins

Chapter 395 The Ratmen's Plague

In fact, Sharl didn't know that the druid girl had been "promoted," since she hadn't mentioned it during their previous conversation.

But upon closer reflection, this situation is indeed a bit strange. A minor character who was supposed to be "sacrificed" by the church has suddenly been promoted. If Diana hadn't mentioned it, Charles wouldn't have recognized those two sashes, since he wasn't a member of the church.

His family were just not very devout followers of the Church of Fate.

"I'll talk to Sophia later," Charles thought to himself, completely ignoring Diana who was observing him from the side.

Diana just couldn't understand why the God of War would favor a goblin so much, or rather, he would be chasing after it to feed it.

Blessings to enlighten the mind, blessings to learn magic, blessings to XXX —

Ever since she was rescued by Sharl and finally agreed to try being a commander, this massive goblin tribe has continuously challenged her worldview, right up to the present.

"Would you believe me if I said I didn't know Sophia had become an apprentice bishop?" Charles met the gaze of the former commander of the Holy Crusade and asked tentatively.

"Hmm." Diana nodded perfunctorily.

"Alright." Charles waved his hand. He didn't need to explain anything; after all, he had many secrets he couldn't tell others. "I'm going to check out the East District plan next. What about you?"

"Me?" Diana smiled. "They've rested now, and we'll continue training them later."

T

After saying that, she stretched and then turned around and slowly drew a long sword. "Red Eyes, come out. It's time for sword training."

"Hmm? Is there sword training scheduled for this afternoon?" Charles frowned, but Diana, who hadn't gone far, didn't even turn her head and said directly, "I added it at the last minute."

In the distance, a goblin stood up, chattering away. On his right forearm, a clear red line was unusually conspicuous—a wound that had just healed.

In previous guidance sessions, Diana was able to accurately strike the same spot. Fortunately, Red Eyes possessed regenerative abilities, and after being cut several times, it could heal itself once it was reconnected.

This made Diana feel like she had found a new toy, and the reckless Red Eyes would continue to attack every time his arm was reattached, without caring about his own injury at all.

Charles witnessed their sword practice twice, both times after Diana lost a bet.

As a result, Akame's swordsmanship began to develop by leaps and bounds. Previously, he only relied on instinct and a fighting style, and such "swordsmanship" could not last three moves against Diana. Now, Akame can last more than five moves.

Of course, Diana only used two longswords at most. Ciel thought that if all four of his uncles were on the field, Red Eyes probably wouldn't be able to withstand even one move.

Regardless, Akame is growing rapidly, to the point that Sharl is hoping that this subordinate might develop an advanced version of the [Regeneration] ability.

Just then, Bucktooth came running over from a distance, calling out, "Leader, Leader."

"What is it?" Charles reached out to stop the other person.

"Little John is back. He's waiting for you in the forest." Bucktooth took a few breaths and slowly straightened up.

Without waiting for his subordinate to say anything more, Charles walked past him and strode quickly toward the portal.

The man with the buck teeth paused, almost forgetting the line of poetry he wanted to utter: "Starlight shines, but what does it shine on?"

"You just said that Little John is in the forest?" Charles stopped abruptly after taking a few steps, turned around, and asked:

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"Aren't you waiting for me at the fortress or the square?"

"Yes," the buck-toothed man nodded quickly, "He, he said something—"

His thoughts suddenly became chaotic. The goblin reached out and tapped his head, while Charles shook his head, having nothing to say to his subordinate.

The reason he left so quickly was because Ya had recently been inspired to write poetry again after seeing plants sprouting.

"Oh, right," he tapped his temples twice, finally remembering John's instructions, "He said he can't see you around, and you have to bring as few people as possible, but preferably just a few close friends."

"Hmm?" Charles frowned. He found this question strange. What was Little John up to?

"He also brought back a very large wooden box, which he carried all by himself. We tried to help him, but he refused. He didn't even use worker ants."

Charles narrowed his eyes. Little John's behavior was too abnormal. Had something urgent happened?

"I understand." Charles nodded, then quickly ran in the direction Diana had left. Among the tribes and clans, the former president of the Holy Army was definitely one of the most skilled.

The clanging of metal echoed continuously. When Ciel arrived at the training ground, Akame was frantically attacking Diana, but his sword strikes were deflected by the girl every time, failing to cause any effective damage.

"Hey, hold on a minute, I need to talk to you." Charles stood to the side and said loudly.

The sounds from the training ground continued unabated. Diana continued to guide Red-Eyed's sword strikes, simply saying calmly, "Speak."

"Uh," Charles looked at the girl and goblin fighting, neither of them showing any sign of stopping, so he had no choice but to briefly explain his purpose.

"It is a bit strange." Diana nodded. "I'll go with you."

After saying that, she suddenly took a step back.

This move not only caused the Crimson Eye Sword Technique to miss its target, but also left no time for a change of strategy.

With a "whoosh," an arm holding a long sword flew into the air and landed on the side with a "thud."

Before Ciel could even see how Diana made her move, his arm was severed by a single sword strike.

The wound is still the same incision as before, exactly the same.

"Let's go." Diana shook the blood off her longsword, then took out a handkerchief from her person and wiped the blade as she walked.

Behind him, Red Eyes gritted his teeth, bent down to pick up his severed arm, and carefully "stitched" it back up onto the broken end. His skillful technique was impressive.

"Think about why you failed," Diana said without turning her head, walking straight toward Charles, but her words were clearly directed at the red-eyed man. "Also, swing your sword a hundred times in a row later."

"Uh," Charles glanced at the silent red-eyed man, who just gritted his teeth, lowered his head, picked up his longsword, and walked towards the wooden stake not far away.

It looks like he's planning to practice swordsmanship.

"Is he alright?" Charles whispered, gesturing to his subordinate. Diana walked over, giving Charles only a cold glance. "Don't worry, he's more honest than you."

Charles pursed his lips, but ultimately said nothing.

In the forest, little John sat on a log, his eyes constantly scanning his surroundings.

Soon, a sound came from afar, the rustling of leaves, and a group of people emerged from the woods.

"You're here." Charles went to greet her. "How did things go?"

"Boss, please don't come any closer," Little John calmly stretched out his hand, holding it up in front of him to stop Charles and the others from approaching. "You need to see the situation for yourselves before you can say for sure."

This action made Charles stop in his tracks. Had Little John encountered something dangerous?

"I met Earl Silver Wolf and rented a warehouse," Little John began to recount his experiences in the Kingdom of Savoy. "The portal has been set up, and we can now exchange goods."

"But—" He hesitated for a moment, glanced at the people in front of him, and then slowly said, "I have also entered the western part of the Nightmare Forest, accompanied by two earls' guards."

"The western region of the forest?" Charles frowned. Count Silver Wolf had previously said that there were no more goblins there, only ratmen living in vast underground caves, and that he had agreed to help the count deal with the ratmen threat if the opportunity arose in the future.

John went to the Kingdom of Savoy to establish a currency exchange channel with Earl Silver Wolf and to investigate the situation of the Ratmen.

"How are the ratmen doing?" Charles asked.

"The situation isn't good," John shook his head. "No, it's very bad—"

As he spoke, he bit his lip, then looked up at the area above him. He had deliberately chosen a more open area where there was no obstruction above their heads, and the sunlight could shine around them.

"You should see for yourself," John said, turning and walking behind the tree. Soon, a "crackling" dragging sound rang out as he pulled a sturdy black wooden crate out from behind the tree.

The box was large, with the planks nailed together tightly, and two iron chains wrapped around the outside of the planks.

"What's in here?" Charles glanced at the wooden crate. "Could it be a rat-man?"

"No," Little John shook his head. He paused for a few seconds, as if calming himself, before slowly giving his answer under the questioning gazes of the crowd—

"This is a guard who accompanied me into the forest."

"Guards?" Charles frowned, sensing that things might develop in a way that didn't meet his expectations.

"After we entered the forest, we soon came to a cave entrance," John said, taking out a key and unlocking the chain. "I asked the two of them and confirmed that it was the cave entrance where the ratmen came out to hunt for food at night."

“But I underestimated those ratmen,” he said, letting out a long sigh. “I shouldn’t have risked going into the cave. My two guards tried to dissuade me several times, but I wouldn’t listen.”

With a "clatter," the iron chain slipped to the ground, and the wooden crate visibly moved and made a sound due to the noise.

A clanging sound.

"Alive?" Charles stared at the wooden box, a serious expression on his face.

"Yes," John nodded slightly, "but I'd rather he were dead."

After saying that, he kicked the wooden box hard, flipping it over. The wooden planks on top fell to the side, and a "person" rolled out of the box.

If we were to say that this is a person, it would only be based on his facial features, but in terms of physique, he would be more like a wild beast.

The guard was lying face down on the ground, his body curled up, his exposed skin covered with dark spots, and several veins bulging on his skin.

His hands were clenched on the ground, gripping the soil tightly. His head was only slightly raised, and his bloodshot eyes were fixed on the people in front of him.

"Is he a person?" Charles frowned as he looked at the guard on the ground. If John hadn't explained, he would have thought it was a mutated ghoul or a slightly larger hairless beast.

Before Charles could finish speaking, the guard on the ground exerted all his strength and charged towards him, his mouth wide open, filled with foul-smelling saliva, about to bite Charles.

With a clang, John pulled hard on a chain behind him. The other end of the chain was secured to the guard's neck, and the pull stopped the guard's attack, pulling him to the ground.

"Kill me, kill me." The guard lay on the ground, muttering something, but at the same time he gripped the iron chain around his neck with both hands and began to pull it hard.

"He got scratched by the ratmen's claws," Little John explained loudly, gripping the chains. "This is the effect of the plague."

"Is this a plague?" Charles took a step back, his eyes fixed on the guard.

The man frantically tugged at the chains, seemingly trying to break free of his restraints, while simultaneously pleading with the crowd to kill him and end his life. His bloodshot eyes also revealed a pleading gaze.

"I originally thought the ratmen's plague was at most just fever, itching, or boils, but after seeing it for myself, I understand why Earl Silver Wolf was so determined to get rid of these ratmen." Little John suddenly pulled the guard back two steps, away from the crowd. "This plague is very evil. If you are harmed by a ratman, you will be infected. You'll be normal for the first day, just a little lethargic, but that's just the incubation period."

"Two days later, you will develop an extreme aversion to sunlight, become irritable and aggressive, and attack everything around you. But sadly, your mind will remain clear; the plague has simply taken over your body."

John tightened the chains again, while leaving the guard in the sunlight. Just as he had said, the guard slowly curled up again, trying to hide the sunlight from his face, but the cries of "Kill me, kill me!" continued.

"I've heard from other guards that this plague is contagious. If someone is attacked by someone who is infected and has a wound, they can easily become infected. So once such a situation is discovered, the infected person must be killed immediately, even if it is one's own close relative."

"This plague," Charles stared at the huddled guard, "will even the ratmen get infected?"

“No, that’s the weird part. The ratmen are completely unaffected. Even when they fight and eat each other, it doesn’t trigger this plague,” John said with a sigh. “It’s like a method specifically created to target all other races.”

"I understand," Charles nodded. "Let's finish him off."

Upon hearing this, John nodded, then took a small jar from his back and smashed it directly onto the guard.

With a loud "boom," a fire instantly erupted, and the can of flaming glue ignited the guards.

The guard screamed and rolled on the ground, his cries reaching everyone's ears. Soon, he stopped moving.

The last thing Ciel and the others heard was, "Thank you."

These words made Charles's gaze turn cold once again.