VOLUME 3: CHAPTER 188 – RIVAL CHIEFS (1/3)
After the defeat of Elrain Kingdom’s Goudal Gaschall, word of the revival of the Kushain Believers reached the Goblin King’s ears.
The intelligence department made with the help of the Leon Heart Clan that the Goblin King advocated for was gradually starting to show results.
“And now there’s a civil war within Elrain Kingdom?” The Goblin King knitted his brows as he listened to the information passed by Zaurosh.
Half of that was because he was astounded, while the other half was because he did not understand.
“On the surface it appears to be a war regarding the king’s successor after his death, but looking a little deeper, the Red King seems to be trying to take over Elrain Kingdom,” Zaurosh said.
From the sound of things, it seemed like your usual internal squabbles, but the Goblin King’s brows remained knitted.
“I’ve been hearing that Red King a lot lately. Is it that big of an organization?” The Goblin King asked. Zaurosh’s faint frown as he uttered that name did not escape his eyes.
“They’re a coalition of clans, but that might be a bit hard to understand. Basically, they’re a group of adventurers trying to steal a country,” Zaurosh said.
“I take it that’s something unusual,” the Goblin King said.
As far as the Goblin King was concerned, it was common sense for those with power to yearn after the throne. But judging from Zaurosh’s reaction, it seemed this was not a common thing.
“Yes. At the very least, no one has attempted such a thing since the conception of clans.”
Mercenaries with a country of their own. When you put it into words, it may not seem like much, but actually making it happen takes a lot of resolve.
The fact that this coalition of adventurers could attempt such a thing spoke volumes of their power. The Goblin King understood that much.
“The Red King, huh.”
It was an enemy they would have to face one day, but for now, they were still too far from the Goblin King.
“The next matter is about the Kushain Believers, I believe,” the Goblin King urged Zaurosh to continue.
“Yes. We have details of their last battle. Apparently, the saint led their army,” Zaurosh said.
“The saint?” The Goblin King asked.
“A maiden who has inherited the blood of Kushain, Mira Vi Burnen; a 16-year-old princess.”
“A noble birth, in other words. But is that all? She may be able to grasp the people’s heart with that noble blood of hers, but tactics is a different story.”
Ra Gilmi Fishiga and his men may have gotten some results by attacking the villages of the Kushain Believers, but in the end, the believers were still able to protect their turf.
No matter how much faith that Saint Mira could muster, on the frontlines, it was the soldiers who fought. There should be a skillful commander among their ranks.
“Your Highness’ perception is as brilliant as ever. Vilan Do Zul, though still but a boy, is practically the tactician of the Kushain Believers. He is devoted to Saint Mira and without his counsel, their generals can’t move.”
The Kushain Believers were able to come back because of a young boy and a young girl.
“It’s like a fairy-tale.”
“Unfortunately, it’s true. The Kushain Believers have banded together with them as their hope.”
“What a pain.”
Enemies with high morale were not easily dealt with. Such enemies with unbreakable will could turn the battle around at any moment. If miracles existed, then it’s that high morale that will bring them to light.
“And then there’s the Ashunasan Alliance,” the Goblin King said.
“Well, other than Elrain Kingdom, there’s only really the merchant country, Pena. Only nations with the power and leisure like that of Elrain Kingdom could afford to come here, after all.”
“If I recall correctly, they haven’t stood out until recently.”
“Yes… They dispatched troops alongside Elrain Kingdom to the Kushain Believers. They should have lost, but just a few days ago, it seems that a city of Elrain Kingdom has been taken over because of a coup.”
“Another internal dispute… Humans sure are unoccupied,” the elf, Fei, said from the side while he was working on some documents.
Zaurosh wryly smiled. “You jest… But in any case, there’s no harm in keeping tabs on others. Especially Pena, Elrain Kingdom, and the Red King that’s trying to take over from within. And I’m sure the Kushain Believers will become an important topic whether we want to or not.”
The state of affairs in the south was gradually becoming much easier to understand compared to when the Goblin King first arrived here.
There were 3 forces that could stand against the Goblin King.
The Red King, the merchant nation of Pena, and the Kushain Believers.
It is with these three forces that the goblin army will most likely compete with to gain hegemony over the south. Elrain Kingdom would probably be the first to withdraw seeing how the Red King was gradually eating it from within.
“In any case, whichever power it is, they will all most likely aim for the small feudal lords here in the borders. Although Pena’s actually made the most contact recently…”
The merchant nation of Pena is a merchant city state built around an oasis in the desert. It makes its income mainly through taxes earned from the roads leading to the east and the west.
“It is a country ruled by a queen. More specifically, Raksha El Pena, who just recently rose to power.”
“How much intel do you have on that country?” The Goblin King asked.
“We have all the basic information at our disposal,” Zaurosh said.
“Enlighten me then,” the Goblin King replied.
With head bowed, Zaurosh spoke to the Goblin King about Pena.
◆◇◆
Pena has always been a nation blessed in commerce. That hasn’t changed to this day.
There was even a time when it ruled over the whole desert, but that was only for a moment.
Since long ago, the nation of Pena has always been devoted to the God of the Desert, Ashunasan, and the princess of their royal family did not serve just as their princess, but also as their priestess.
Just as the words ‘merchant nation’ implied, the nation of Pena does its best to avoid doing anything that might negatively influence its finances.
Pena raises sand horses, monsters that live mainly in the desert, and uses them to raise an army of knights that work alongside their army to maintain their territory in the desert.
Their special goods include the sand horses and alexandrite.
They have a population of 200,000. A relatively meager number, but due to being a nation focused on commerce, they are incomparable to the northern agricultural nations.
The royal family of Pena possesses great wealth and have many mercenaries at their disposal.
Of the knights serving the royal family, two were renowned.
One was the leader of the blue knights, Aizas, and the other was his dear friend and vice-commander, Allen.
Both were commoners, so they gained their position through skill alone. Their popularity could be said to be second only to the queen.
Their valor and strength was shown when they conquered a city from Elrain Kingdom.
But what was most noteworthy of all was the holy sword handed down by the ancestors of their nation.
“Holy Sword?” The Goblin King said after listening quietly all this time.
“Yes. The holy sword, Guradion. A sword crafted by a god to be wielded by a hero.”
“A holy sword to be wielded by a hero, huh.”
The Goblin King becoming thoughtful was a strange sight to Zaurosh, and he could not help but look wide-eyed.
“I did not expect your highness to be so interested in a weapon.”
“Hmm… Just a little.”
Zaurosh continued, but even after he left, there were only two things that occupied the Goblin King’s mind.
“A holy sword to be wielded by a hero…”
Such things were common symbolically, but what if it was the real thing?
If there existed a Monster King who would encroach into human land, then would the one to vanquish him be a hero possessing a holy sword?
Although just faintly, the Goblin King felt like he heard Altesia laughing.
“Svenna has capitulated! Gaza has fallen!”
Goudal Gaschall’s defeat hit Elrain Kingdom severely. And when the king collapsed due to sickness, the flames of rivalry among the king’s successors grew even fiercer.
Brandika rode alongside the noble general, Kanash, as the army slowly advanced.
“You have my deepest gratitude. If there is anything you wish, just speak,” Kanash said.
Brandika heroically laughed. He was participating in this battle as the duke of Fatina.
He responded positively to Kanash’ jubilant mood. “I hear that man who tricked the king, Goudal Gaschall, is foaming in the mouth right about now.”
“Indeed. He audaciously said he would end the battle immediately, but in the end, he ran back home with his tail in between his legs.” Kanash nodded.
After a while, Kanash left Brandika. He did not stay long with him as he needed to check the frontlines.
He was a general, but he was also a noble. And as far as nobles were concerned, he had a lesser position than Brandika. Because of that it was only natural for him to greet Brandika, and then shortly after excuse himself.
But the soldiers and the people saw it differently.
As far as they were concerned, Brandika was currently the most influential person within the kingdom, so they took Kanash’s interaction with Brandika as his acknowledgment of that authority.
Brandika himself didn’t care, however, and instead he rode to where Carlion was.
“How’s that alliance with Pena going?” Brandika asked.
“There’s a proposal to deal with the Kushain believers and the monsters, but so far, everything seems to be going well. Pena has already given up on Elrain Kingdom, after all,” Carlion replied.
“Because of Fatina’s duke?”
“Because of Fatina’s valiant duke. It wouldn’t hurt to work with such a man, right?”
Brandika saw through Carlion’s true intentions when he said he could still use Elrain Kingdom’s flag and ferociously laughed.
“The king picked a bad time to fall sick too. Do you know anything about it?” Brandika asked.
“No. But there’s a possibility Goudal Gaschall may have poisoned him,” Carlion said.
“I see…”
After confirming those things, Brandika left Carlion and rode to the head of the army.
“Alright, you bastards! It’s time to earn our keep!”
As the members of the Red King cheered, the gnome warrior, Cell the Sword Dancer, approached Carlion.
“Why did you lie?” She asked.
“It would be better if my lord doesn’t know some things. Although, he might find out eventually,” Carlion replied.
Carlion had let slip some of Elrain Kingdom’s plans to a spy that appeared in Fatina.
If not for that, things wouldn’t have gone so well for Cultidian. Saint Mira wouldn’t have made her appearance just like that, and as a result, she wouldn’t have been able to lead their army.
“We intentionally let an enemy spy leave… They know everything now, no?” Cell asked.
“It’s fine. Although it might be about time to remove an unwanted piece from the board,” Carlion faintly smiled as he hurried his horse.
“…Hmph,” Cell harrumphed as she watched Carlion vanish into the army.
While the goblins were busy with the trouble in the west, the internal strife within Elrain Kingdom was quickly concluded. The victor was – of course – the eldest son, Yuguno, who had allied himself with the army, but he did not possess any actual power, and in the end, it was the name of the Red Clan’s clan leader, Brandika, which resounded throughout the Elrain Kingdom.
At roughly the same time as Elrain Kingdom’s internal strife was concluded, the Ashunasan Alliance broke up, and a new alliance was formed between Pena and Elrain Kingdom.
After securing Elrain Kingdom, the Red King spread his influence further, until eventually, it was decided that he will be given the position of the prime minister. The Red King’s rise to power was clearly underway.
◆◇◆
It has been three months since the small feudal lords had gathered under the banner of the Goblin King. Of course, they had done so with Zaurosh’s clan behind them.
While Ra Gilmi Fishiga’s detached forced was starting to take shape, the Goblin King was unsure where to invade next.
“King of Goblins, we’ve come to bring you word of our decision,” the feudal lord of Shirak said.
“Decision?” The Goblin King glared.
But the feudal lord of Shirak along with the other feudal lords did not shrink from that overbearing pressure as they knelt and offered their sword.
“…We promise to work alongside you from here on. Please accept our fealty.”
“I accept.”
“Thank you.”
After the feudal lords left, Zaurosh approached.
“So? What was that about?” The Goblin King asked.
Zaurosh wryly smiled and knelt. “I pulled some strings and forged an article.”
“Forged an article?”
“Yes, I used the ploy of the Kushain Believers and made it so that the saint said she would never forgive the small feudal lords.”
“I see, so that’s why they’re clinging to me all of the sudden,” the Goblin King wryly smiled.
Zaurosh wordlessly nodded. “…Was that out of turn?”
“No, they needed to come to an answer sooner or later anyway. And considering the other forces, we need to fortify our internal issues as soon as possible. If anything you did well.”
Moreover, the plan Zaurosh thought of was something the Goblin King could’ve never come up with. What with how unfamiliar he was with the writings of this world.
“Just know that I can’t focus all of my attention on the Kushain Believers just because of this,” the Goblin King reminded.
“Of course,” Zaurosh replied.
The Goblin King’s attention was focused on the approaching forces of Pena from the south, which could move easily through the dessert on their sand horses and were backed by the great wealth of the queen. Not to mention, the hero and his holy sword.
Those ominous footsteps weighed so heavily upon the Goblin King’s heart that he was starting to consider turning his attention away from Germion Kingdom and focus solely on Pena for the time being.
Tl Note: Sorry for the super delayed chapter. Someone had cut a tree onto our power line.
Also, I started putting more effort into learning GIMP (just now, actually), so the map this time is a lot cleaner than before. Hope you like it.
