In the black of the night, spider threads landed on the ground. I thought the only thing I had to worry about were the humans and the elves, but it seems I’ll have to look over the reports on the araneae again.
Did I trust Nikea too much?
Araneae fell from the ceiling, wielding short spears, but the shaman, Gi Za Zakuend’s, wind took their weapons away. And when they landed on the ground, the ferocious Gi Ba was waiting for them with his three normal goblins.
The araneae screamed as the normal goblins attacked their legs while Gi Ba cut off their arms. There was another araneae approaching from another corner, but Gi Ji Arsil quickly dealt with it with a blow from behind.
“Goblin boss!” Shumea said.
“Stand back,” I replied.
There was a secret battle occurring right now in this huge lodging of ours.
The darkness didn’t matter much to us goblins, but to the humans and the elves, it was a huge disadvantage. I had Shumea and Selena hide behind me. The araneae that approached them were dealt with by the wind mage, Gi Do’s, wind bullets.
“Quite the enthusiastic welcome we have here, Your Majesty,” Gi Za said.
I chuckled. “Let us receive them with hospitality then!”
Leaving the approaching araneae from the flanks to my subordinates, I dealt with the araneae before me with a single blow. A closer look at the fallen araneae showed a faint light coming from the area around their eyes.
“Moss?”
I touched it and then examined the glowing moss on my fingers. They were well prepared.
It seems Nikea failed to convince the araneae.
“Try not to kill. I want to know who’s behind them,” I said as I kicked the dying spider.
The goblins wordlessly nodded, reminding me again of how reliable they were.
Well, then… Just how much of the araneae have become hostile, I wonder.
I pondered on the situation as I conserved my strength.
◇◆◇
“Chief!” An araneae cried.
That cry was enough to make the entire Nikea faction turn. Nikea drew cold sweat as soon as she saw the desperate expression on the araneae’s face.
“The Nerou Faction attacked the goblins!” The araneae said.
“Impossible!” Nikea said as she immediately ran past the messenger and looked down to the goblins’ lodging from the tallest tree in the village. Hope and despair mingled within her. Perhaps the messenger was mistaken, or then again, perhaps the worst has happened. She didn’t want to look, but her eyes were still drawn to the lodging.
“Nerou…”
Nikea watched the goblins’ lodging as she unconsciously grit her teeth. There were araneae clinging to the roof. When the araneae kicked open the door of the lodging, an araneae was thrown out from inside. The araneae was covered in lacerations, one of its arms was missing, while several of its legs had been cut. When Nikea saw that, she ran faster. She used her eight legs to run vertically down the trees, swinging from tree to tree with her spider threads.
As she quickly approached the ground, she saw from the corner of her eyes the goblins exiting their lodging and her brethren attacking them.
“Sto—” Nikea tried to say, but before she could finish that sentence, her brethren were cut down by winds of blade. By the time she felt the ground pushing against her legs, her brethren were already on the floor, bleeding as they crawled.
“…Ku.”
The battle was decided in the time it took her to land. That was how short the battle was. Despite their powerful bodies, her brethren were defeated just like that.
Those araneae on the ground might not have been warriors, but they were still araneae.
The araneae was one of the physically stronger among the demihumans, and yet… The goblins were beyond them.
How did the goblins defeat them?
She thought hard, trying to find an answer, but in the end, no answer came.
“Don’t move,” a voice sharply said just as she was about to stop the goblins from attacking any further.
“You’re… Gi Ji, yes? I’m not your enemy. Please believe me,” Nikea said.
“That is for the king to decide,” Gi Ji nonchalantly said, though some of his hidden emotions still leaked.
Gi Ji regretted not killing Nikea back when they were dealing with that fiery demihuman. If only he had killed her then, they wouldn’t be in this situation now. Gi Ji’s emotions became a mess as he thought that.
The king’s orders were absolute. Any goblin who served the king knew this. But what if… what if one must disobey the king for his sake? Wouldn’t it be the greatest display of loyalty to serve the king even if one must earn his reprove?
“Let me speak with your king then,” Nikea said.
It was almost as if she spoke to stop him from thinking anything unnecessary. Gi Ji shook when he heard her voice, the thoughts he was thinking just now quickly vanishing.
“Fine, but you better not pull anything, or else…” Gi Ji warned.
“Thank you.” Nikea said.
Gi Ji led Nikea into their lodging as he kept his blade on her.
Nikea went pale when she saw the scene inside. Several araneae were on the ground, unconscious; each and every single one of them were young. They were all either members of the Nerou Faction or the Neutral Faction.
Nerou must have either tempted or threatened them. Regardless, they were deeply wounded. Like this even more the goblins’ hands would be tainted with even more blood. As Nikea thought that, chills ran up her.
She never thought there was this much of a difference between their races. Nikea’s legs almost quivered. The goblins’ lodging was big, but it didn’t take long before she stood before the king.
“I deeply apologize for this incident,” Nikea said.
“Didn’t you say there wouldn’t be a next time?” Gi Za asked.
Nikea could tell from the corner of her eyes that he was smiling, but she kept her eyes on the king.
There was no one here who would go against the king’s words. As long as the king forgave her, even this goblin would have no choice but to let her off.
Gradually, impatience filled her, so much so that it felt like her chest was on fire as she waited for the king to speak. It wasn’t just her though, as even Gi Za couldn’t keep waiting and asked.
“Your Highness, you wouldn’t mind if I took some of these living araneae, would you?” He brazenly asked in front of Nikea.
When he was about to lay a hand on the fallen araneae, the king finally spoke, “Stop it, Gi Za.”
Gi Za clearly looked unhappy, but the king avoided his gaze.
“Lord Nikea,” the king said.
There was a majesty and power to his gaze.
“Yes,” Nikea said.
“I’ll get straight to the point, how will you make up for this mess?”
Nikea didn’t know what it would take to receive the king’s pardon. She didn’t have time to know either, as the fallen araneae were inching closer and closer to death by the second, so she gave the most she could offer.
“We shall treat the demon children of chaosyou and your people the same way we treat the elves. We shall treat you as guests of honor.”
To save the young of the village was the chief’s greatest duty. They might have erred tonight, forming factions among themselves and fighting a foolish battle, but in time, surely they too would one day grow up.
“I grow uncertain whether you are truly capable of keeping such promises, Lord Nikea. Know that just as you treasure the people of your village, I too treasure my goblins. I hope you understand that.”
“I do… understand.”
It takes power to unite a tribe.
The king’s words deeply resonated with Nikea. She was a proud araneae who swore to lead her tribe according to her own ideals. There was no future under the leadership of the old-fashioned araneae like Nerou who relied on their lineage.
It was because of that that she became chieftain.
And yet… the reality before her now was this.
Under Nerou’s sedition, the araneae attacked the goblins whom they have received as guests. Exactly, who was the filthy race here?
“Very well,” the king said.
“Your Majesty!” Gi Za cried, but the king shook his head.
“I will trust you, Lord Nikea,” the king said. “But this truly will be the last. If anything else happens after this, we shall welcome the araneae not as friends but as slaves.”
“At that time, I shall give you my life.”
In any case, with this the goblins have shown their good will.
Their king wished for them to live together as equals.
“Then if you’d excuse me, there is somewhere I need to be.”
After Nikea felt the sword pointed at her be drawn back, she left. The wounded araneae needed to be treated as soon as possible.
She selected the sensible from her faction and sent them to the goblins’ lodging.
But there was yet work to be done.
Sharp talons came out of Nikea’s fingertips as the hair on her legs angrily stood up in the green hue of poison.
◇◆◇
The araneae glanced fearfully at the goblins from time to time as they carried their wounded out of the lodging. When they were all gone, Gi Za blew up.
“Soft, soft! Too soft, Your Highness!” He said.
“Don’t get so mad,” I said, wryly smiling.
Even Gi Ji who usually kept his thoughts to himself spoke. “Please pardon me for this, Your Majesty, but I do believe that you were being too soft.”
It seems they really do think that I was too soft. But is that really the case?
“Do you really think Nikea will be able to quietly take control of this village?” I asked, but the goblins just looked puzzled.
I explained. “Judging from the way Nikea acted a while ago, it should be safe to assume that she doesn’t have full control of this village.”
The noble class goblins nodded.
I continued. “Moreover, the people going against her are quite influential. They disobeyed her for the second time, after all.”
The first was when those two araneae followed us. The second is this recent incident.
“Now, let me ask you a question. What would you do to avoid any future troubles?” I asked.
“…Are you saying this was all meant to incite discord?” Gi Za asked.
I nodded. “With this we’ll be able to watch from the sidelines as they eat each other up.”
“Weren’t you planning to receive the descendants of the crystals as friends?” Selena timidly asked in hushed voices, but there was anger reflected upon her eyes.
The goblins all turned to her when she spoke. As soon as they did, the elf hid behind Shumea. Although she’d gotten quite friendly, it seems she didn’t really respect me.
“Right, as friends,” I said. “But whether they value that proposition is something they will be proving from now on.”
Will they take my hand? Or will they bare their fangs?
“But, well…”
Friends would be best. I’ll even support her a little. Time is limited. Who knows how far this forest stretches? The more friends we have, the stronger we will be.
“As expected of our king,” Gi Za said.
I wryly smiled. “Let us prepare then.”
“Prepare?” Shumea suspiciously asked.
My wry smile grew bigger. “If they intend to be friends, it wouldn’t hurt to gain their favor. And if they intend to fight, then we should get rid of them as soon as possible.”
“Boss, you’re not the honest type, huh,” Shumea chuckled as she patted Selena on the head.
We got an araneae to lead us out of our lodging.
◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆
Gi Za’s level has risen.
43 => 45
Gi Do’s level has risen.
60 => 63
Gi Ji’s level has risen.
3 => 7
Gi Ba’s level has risen.
1 => 10
◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆
