The outer walls were lined with large, sturdy shells, and the watchtowers jutted high into the sky.
　At first glance, it looked like a solid fort.

　However, once you stepped inside, you were greeted by a lively bustle of sounds, colors, and smells.
　In the center of the open space was an altar made of huge bones.
　A fire was lit inside, and a mysterious steam was rising from the shell of a tortoise enshrined at the top.

　Around the altar were a number of pedestals, piled high with skins and shells of some kind.
　I wondered if they were used for rituals.
　A crowd of goblins seemed to be busily processing them with their hands.
　A closer look reveals that some villagers are also present.

　In one corner of the square, a group of people were enthusiastically beating percussion instruments made from animal hides.
　They were probably playing a song dedicated to the gods they believed in.
　Near them, there were many pieces of what looked like animal meat pasted on the wall.
　This is probably another kind of offering.

　Suddenly, a man approached the central altar.
　The goblins did not condemn his actions, but rather lowered themselves in reverence.

　The man, who possessed tremendous magical power, quietly extended his hand to the top of the carapace, which was covered with hot water.
　His gesture drew the attention of the entire square.
　Then, in front of the attentive audience, the man pulled out something red from the empty space one after another.

　The moment they were thrown into the shell, the goblins in the square all let out an eerie laugh.
　The sheer wickedness of it all nearly made Noemi dizzy, but she barely held it together.
　A cave of evil fairies built in the depths of the earth.
　What was taking place there was a horrible ritual of some kind.

"Hey, old Hans, what are you doing?
"Oh, it's crab soup for lunch today. I'm looking forward to it.
"What?

　When I entered one of the huts, I found a row of large shells with a variety of items on them.
　A pile of pure white salt, hard green nuts.
　There were also poisonous mushrooms with red spots and piles of what looked like bones.
　There are baskets of woven vines against the wall, and chunks of meat hang from the vine ropes strung across the ceiling.
　These were probably offerings used in evil rituals.

"Hey, Hans, what is this place?
"It's a storehouse of food. There's a lot more variety than before.
Huh?

　In the hut next to it, goblins were carving out wood with their big sharp claws.
　They were very skilled at drawing curves in no time at all.

　Here, red and black bird feathers, sharp fangs and beaks were piled high.
　In addition, tendons of some kind of animal were also laid out in large numbers.

　The goblins seemed to be dexterously gluing and binding them to the wood they were made from.
　Perhaps they are making ritual objects to be used in evil rituals.



"Hey, old Hans, what are you making?
"Oh, he's making bows and arrows. We're making bows and arrows.
Oh, bows and arrows, as they say. ......
"Heh heh heh!

　The three of them were suddenly interrupted by a goblin with a red feather decorating his head.
　Hans immediately fell out of favor, and as soon as he held out his hand, a firm handshake was given.

"It's been a while, Akabane.
"Gehin!
Yes, I'm doing as well as ever.
Geehee!
You don't look like it, sir. You're a joker.
Guffaw!
Yes, I've got exactly what you need. You can have it.

　Hans took out from his bag a variety of tools for processing.
　The goblin with the red feathers received them, his mouth split open to his ears and his hands clapping repeatedly.
　It's a horrible look and an eerie gesture.

　At the sound of the red-feathered goblin, the other goblins who had been making bows and arrows immediately swarmed in.
　They picked up the tools and began to play with them curiously, and then they began to laugh loudly as well.
　Noemi was again rendered speechless by the sight.

　The next place the three of them moved to was the far end of the fort.
　Log seats were lined up in a row, surrounding the hard-trodden ground.
　This, too, was probably the site of some dubious ritual.

　Standing in the middle of the fence-covered stage was an unusually large goblin.
　He held a sturdy-looking bone in his hand, with a small silver crown shining on its head.
　And confronting the vicious bone club was a young man holding a carapace shield.

　It was the very composition of a poor sacrificed villager and the demon that was trying to make him bleed.

　A large goblin raised a wild cry and swung his club down toward the shield.
　The sound is so violent that the bodies of the villagers fall on their hands.

　The goblin catches the young man with all his might.
　There were many spectacular exchanges of shields, bone clubs, and spears, and each time the villagers and goblins cheered.

The villagers and goblins cheered each time. Munching.
"What are you eating?
"Delicious dried meat. I got it from my neighbor.

　While they were talking like this, it seemed that a decision had been made.
　The defeated young man falls to his knees, and the big goblin looks down and smiles triumphantly.

　But the bone cudgel that he had raised to finish him off suddenly stopped in midair.


　The young man took out a silver crown and put it on his head just in time.
　After a moment's silence, the victorious goblin spun on his heel.
　The defeated youth bowed deeply and left the arena.

"Well, that was fun. By the way, why are there so many little people?
"Oh, they're goblins.
"Nya, nya, nya!　That's right. I've never seen goblins before.
Are you really a member of the Order of the Knights ......?
I'm so hungry. I'm looking forward to lunch.
You just ate some dried meat. ......

　As Hans had said, the lunch was a soup filled with crab meat.
　It also contained black rock mushrooms, which were so rare that they were rarely seen even in the capital.

　It was so delicious that Noemi was completely speechless again.