第１６８掘：ゴブリンという生き物
### Dig 168: The Creature Known as a Goblin
**Side: Jessica**
Once my discussion with Yuki regarding the Zilba Empire had concluded, I made my way to a certain location.
It was…
"Oh, welcome. I’m busy right now, so just grab a seat and help yourself to some tea."
It was the room of Steve, the Goblin General who had just been given an impossible task by Yuki.
"Yes, thank you. I’ll make myself at home."
I acted as naturally as I could, filling a kettle from the tap, flipping the switch, and boiling the water. It was simple once you learned how, but at first, I had been so confused by the reality of it that I’d nearly lost my composure. The very fact that water came out of a faucet was a shock to me. The logic was simple, yet I had never even conceived of such a thing.
It was easy to believe that Yuki came from another world. His way of thinking was completely off the beaten path from our perspective, yet it was undeniably a means to enrich people’s lives.
"So, what do you want?"
Oops, now was not the time to be reviewing Yuki’s character. I had come to speak with Steve.
"Actually, I have something I’d like to discuss with you."
I set down my tea and glanced around Steve’s room. Since the ruins had been turned over to the mercenary group—no, to Weed—training grounds and private quarters for the executives had been constructed in the blink of an eye. This room was one of them. To them, it might seem modest, but to us, it was a room packed with incredible technology. The kettle I’d just used, the faucet, electric lights that made the room as bright as day, high-quality paper, ballpoint pens, and so on.
The most surprising part of all was that this room was being used by a goblin. And he wasn't trashing it; he was sitting at a desk, surrounded by documents and stationery, working.
"Ah, is it weird that I’m doing paperwork like this?"
Steve must have sensed my expression, as he asked the question himself.
"No, it’s only natural for a General to handle administrative duties."
"As a General, sure. But what about a goblin sitting at a desk like this?"
"If you’ll excuse my bluntness, I’ve never seen such a thing. The goblins I know are…"
"Let me guess: loincloth-wearing or stark-naked creatures with crude weapons who attack humans and… well, do unspeakable things to women?"
"That’s… yes. That is the common image of a goblin. At best, they are captured and used as tools for war."
"Yeah, that sounds about right."
Steve didn't seem angry at my assessment; he just continued processing his documents.
"However, it’s clear that the goblins led by Yuki are entirely different. You included, Steve."
"I appreciate that. But, Jessica-san, it’s impressive that you can talk to me so calmly after I beat you to a pulp in battle."
"That was a matter of the battlefield. If I carried a grudge over that, peace would never come."
"You’re a real adult about it. But the people around us aren't. Even though we’ve been accepted here in Weed, newcomers and adventurers still fear us or try to pick fights just because we’re goblins."
"That is…"
It was not easy to discard long-held values. Even if Steve and his kin were a cut above the rest, to those who didn't know them, they were nothing more than lowly monsters.
"That’s exactly why the Boss gives us such unreasonable orders in public."
"Eh?"
"It creates the image that we’re being worked to the bone. It makes us look subservient. Plus, we actually complete those absurd orders. That’s why we’re respected here in Weed, just like you, Jessica-san."
"The way you put it, it sounds as if Yuki is calculating all of this on purpose."
"Of course he is. He’s doing it so that goblins can eventually blend into society. It’s the same for the other monsters, too. Since we have the lowest reputation, we’re the priority for these kinds of roles."
"…Just what is Yuki thinking?"
"Hm? Didn't you hear about the mana depletion problem, Jessica-san?"
"I am aware of it, but what does that have to do with improving the status of goblins?"
"Ah, right. Most people stop thinking there. But the Boss is even considering the possibility that monsters might hold the key to the mana depletion problem."
"What!?"
Monsters, the cause of mana depletion? No, there were monsters that consumed mana. In fact, monsters were born where mana gathered. It wasn't a stretch to reach that conclusion. Why had I only thought of exterminating them? Even though I was capable of talking to Steve like this.
"If it turns out that killing them isn't the solution, it would be a disaster. That’s why it’s better if we can communicate. And if we can talk, we might be able to convince them not to attack people in the future. The bridge for that is…"
"Goblins trusted by humans… people like you, Steve."
"Pretty much. We considered Surakichi-san or Mino-chan, but Surakichi-san can’t stay active here for long due to the mana issue, and Mino-chan is a legendary monster. That left only me."
It all made sense. Steve’s treatment, everything—it was all for the sake of the mana depletion problem. And surely, the status of goblins would rise in the future as well. Yuki might be an extraordinary politician, too.
I thanked him and headed back toward Yuki’s laboratory. He was likely up to something else entirely unpredictable.
***
**Side: Steve**
*Sigh.* Jessica-san’s gone.
"Well, even if he gives me impossible tasks, the paperwork actually gets done."
I allocated the budget the Boss had prepared for me toward the supplies needed for our next operation.
"People might call it soft… but the real reason for our existence is something else entirely."
I muttered to the door where Jessica-san had just left.
"We monsters are the ones tasked with stopping the Boss if he ever goes truly insane—even if it means killing him."
What a pain. If the Boss really did lose his mind, we’d have to deal with the likes of Jessica-san and the others who protect him, and Princess Aslin would surely become an enemy, too.
"First, I have to figure out how to break this command of absolute servitude."
I had to find a way to bypass the magic—or skill—that forced me to obey the Boss, or I wouldn't even be able to fight him.
*"If you can't even do that, you'll never be able to kill me,"* he’d said.
"Obviously, but that’s still an impossible request!?"
Today, as always, I spent five minutes trying to figure out how to break the Boss’s absolute command, then gave up and took a nap. The paperwork could wait.
It’s not slacking off, you know? It’s a necessary rest for the soul.
The reason why goblins are being utilized. And the reason for Steve’s existence. The former is for the future; the latter is a deterrent.
But honestly? I still don’t have a snowball’s chance in hell of winning!
Sorry for the short chapter today.