— Rimuru POV —
The village didn't stay quiet for long.
Once the decision was made, everything shifted. The goblins moved quickly, gathering near the center of the village, their attention fixed on us. Not scattered anymore. Not uncertain.
Waiting.
For direction.
"They're looking at you," Rei said.
"Yeah. I noticed."
That was new.
A few hours ago, they were afraid of us.
Now, they were depending on us.
I slid down slightly from where I was resting and dropped back onto the ground.
"Alright," I said. "Let's figure this out."
Rei stepped forward beside me, his attention already moving across the village, taking in everything at once.
"They don't have defenses," he said. "No barriers, no controlled entry points."
"Yeah, I saw that."
"They won't survive a direct attack."
"Yeah. I figured that too."
I looked at the goblins.
They weren't strong.
Not individually.
Not as a group.
If the wolves attacked head-on—
This would be over fast.
"Then we don't let it be direct," I said.
Rei glanced at me.
"Explain."
"We control where the fight happens," I continued. "If they're stronger, we don't fight them everywhere. We force them into one place."
Rei was quiet for a second.
"That works."
"That's it?"
"It's efficient."
"I'll take that."
We started moving.
I explained as I went, pointing things out while Great Sage helped organize everything in my head.
"They attack at night, right?" I asked.
The goblin leader nodded immediately.
"…Yes… always after dark…"
"Good. Then we prepare before that."
I turned back to the group.
"We're not going to fight them in the village," I said. "We pull them outside."
Rei nodded slightly.
"Less risk to non-combatants."
"Exactly."
I pointed toward a narrow section between the trees just outside the village.
"There. That's where we make them come."
Rei followed my line of sight.
"That limits their movement."
"And makes it easier to control."
"Yeah. That works."
The goblins watched, not fully understanding the words, but following the tone, the gestures.
So I simplified.
"They come," I said, pointing outward. "We wait here."
I tapped the ground near the chokepoint.
"Not inside."
The goblin leader nodded quickly.
It understood enough.
Then Rei stepped in.
"We need spacing," he said, looking at the goblins. "Don't group together. If one falls, the others need room to move."
I glanced at him.
"You're taking over now?"
"I'm fixing the weak parts."
"Fair."
He continued without hesitation.
"Keep distance. Don't rush forward. If they break formation, you fall back. Don't try to win alone."
The goblins didn't understand every word.
But they understood the tone.
The intent.
They started adjusting.
"They're following you," I said.
"They're adapting," Rei replied.
"Same thing."
"Not exactly."
"You're really consistent with that."
We worked like that for a while.
I handled the overall plan.
Rei refined it.
Where I said:
"Hold here"
He adjusted:
"Not that close. You'll get surrounded."
Where I said:
"Attack when they come in"
He added:
"Only after they commit. Don't move early."
It worked.
Better than I expected.
By the time the light started to fade, the village looked different.
Not stronger.
But organized.
The goblins weren't just waiting anymore.
They were preparing.
I stopped for a moment, looking over everything.
"This might actually work."
"It will increase their chances," Rei said.
"That's not very reassuring."
"It's realistic."
"Yeah, that sounds like you."
The air shifted slightly.
Not strong.
Not immediate.
But enough.
"Night's coming," I said.
Rei nodded.
"Then we'll see if the plan holds."
I looked out toward the forest.
The direction the goblins had pointed earlier.
The direction the wolves would come from.
"We're ready," I said quietly.
For now
That had to be enough.