Helping with Adventurer Party Management - Chapter 306

“This goblin appears to be a male, but is it an adult?” the Baron asks.

“Judging from its size, I think it’s safe to say it’s an adult. I can’t say for sure about its exact age, but I don’t think it’s younger than a year,” I reply.

From the adventurers’ experience, goblins reach adulthood in about one to one and a half years. This rapid growth rate is comparable to that of wild animals, and it’s said that if goblins reproduce unchecked, they could become a major problem for nearby villages.

“So, is it possible that it was born and raised in this cave?” the Baron muses. “It’s surprising that it went unnoticed, even though it’s so close to the village.”

“Baron, for villagers who lack the strength to fight, the forest is a terrifying place where monsters roam. It’s not unnatural that they haven’t encountered any goblins,” I explain.

“Hmm,” the Baron ponders my words for a moment before replying, “I want to see inside its stomach.”

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Inside its stomach, in other words, the Baron wants to examine its contents.

“It’s dangerous if they’re still alive, as they’ll go on a rampage. We’ll need to kill them first, alright?” I confirm.

“There are a few over there, aren’t there?” he asks, pointing to the unconscious goblins. “Try not to damage the bodies too much.”

When I ask Swiberry if this can be done, a few of the team members frown. They’re accustomed to killing goblins in battle, but quietly dispatching them after rendering them powerless with chains might seem distasteful to them.

The group members surround the goblin, caught in an atmosphere of uneasy agreement, when Jilboa steps forward. He takes a spear from one of the members and smoothly inserts the tip into the goblin’s head. The goblin twitches violently for a few seconds, then falls still.

“Is this okay?” Jilboa asks quietly.

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The rest is similar to butchering an animal.

The legs are hung from a branch, and the blood vessels in the neck are severed to drain the blood. Then, a large knife is used to cut open the goblin’s abdomen.

The Baron, wearing leather gloves and a leather apron for protection, begins the dissection with his own hands.

I follow his instructions and record his observations on a piece of parchment.

“First, the stomach. The contents are… meat, nuts, grass? Doesn’t look like much worth eating. Three pieces of meat, four nuts, and some grass, all of unknown types,” the Baron notes.

“Three pieces of meat, four nuts, grass… types unknown,” I repeat, noting the details.

As we exchange these observations, Jilboa, perhaps intrigued, leans over to get a better look.

“The heart is… Hmm, small. Kenji, what do you think?” he asks.

“Given its small body, I suppose it’s not surprising. I’ve never seen one from a human, though,” I reply.

“I’ve had many opportunities to see the insides of humans on the battlefield, but this is the first time I’ve closely observed the insides of a creature like a goblin. It’s quite an interesting experience. Is it that different from a human’s anatomy?” Jilboa muses.

“It might be,” I say. “But it seems that goblins aren’t that different from humans in some respects.”

“Hmm. It may not be necessary for goblins, but it would definitely be useful to have diagrams like this for stronger monsters,” Jilboa continues. “It would show where to aim at a glance.”

Indeed, anatomical diagrams of the giant man-eating ogres, which the Sword Fangs Legion frequently dealt with, are invaluable. Understanding the internal layout and dietary habits of such creatures would dramatically improve the efficiency of extermination efforts.

“Perhaps I should lend a hand in the Baron’s work a little,” Jilboa mutters.