“Oh, if it isn’t the esteemed chief. To what do we the honor of this visit?”
The man responsible behind the anti-Nikea sentiments, Nerou, lived in the western part of the village. The lands he owned were vast, being someone whose lineage traced back to many generations. The fact he lived in the western part, closest to the elves who were also in the same direction, was proof of his proud araneae blood.
This arrangement of the araneae village was because of the deep gratitude they felt to the elves, who quickly responded to them in their darkest hour. Their decision to live atop trees strung together by their threads was also because of their gratitude.
The Nerou Estate was built up slowly over the years, each tree carefully planted. The precise gap between each tree was proof of just how powerful and deep Nerou’s lineage went.
“You should know why I’m here,” Nikea said.
Despite those dangerous words, Nerou sneered back. “You came because of the goblins, I suppose.”
“Obviously!” Nikea angrily said.
Nerou calmly spoke. “I don’t understand why you treat them so favorably, but…”
Nerou’s followers neared him to speak out words of complaints in accordance to Nerou’s own thoughts.
“Why did you let them into this village?” Said one.
“Do you see those disgusting things as equals of us proud descendants of the crystals!? You must be insane!” Said another.
Nikea’s followers spoke back against the jeers.
“If you don’t want to obey the chief, leave!” Said one of Nikea’s followers.
When it seemed like a battle of words would begin, Nikea ordered them to stop.
“Stop,” she said.
Although she spoke only a little louder than normal, for someone like her who rarely spoke from the start, those words carried a power that was enough to silence her faction.
“What!? Are you unable to respond now that the truth has come to light? After all, you’re nothing more than a commoner without a drop of noble blood!” Said another member of Nerou’s faction.
The members of Nerou’s faction kept adding oil to the flames, so much so that even Nerou felt that things were getting out of hand.
“Wait, I think that’s going a bit too—” Nerou tried to stop them, but even he could not stop his own faction from spouting insults at their chief.
It was around this time that he saw a shadow from the corner of his eyes.
It was Nikea. By the time Nerou saw the color of her talons, one of his follower’s head had already fallen.
It was unfortunate, but they had forgotten one terrifying fact. The chief that stood before them was in fact a distinguished warrior of their tribe. It was easy to forget with Nikea’s quiet personality, but her power was the real thing, such that she was even known by a second name: Poison Feather.
“It doesn’t matter if they curse at me… They will all be dying tonight, anyway.” Nikea’s voice was colder than ice as she attacked Nerou and his followers. She was not one to let slip an opening. Her talons which she killed with, dripped with poison, a kind of poison that could paralyze.
“Nikea…” Nero tried to say something, but Nikea, who seemed to have lost all emotions, nonchalantly spoke over him.
“The goblins were attacked just now. You should have never tricked our young, Nerou. To forsake one’s duty and use his own family as pawns… That is a sin too grave to pardon.”
Nikea glared at Nerou’s followers, and they quickly turned away. Nerou turned around and sighed for a moment before looking Nikea in the eye.
“Do you know your mistake, Nerou of the blue crystal?” Nikea asked.
“I suppose…”
He seemed to have resigned himself, but when he shook his head, his followers tried to step in. Only, they were stopped by Nikea’s glare.
“…But I share my faction’s stance. I am against allying with the goblins.”
Nikea’s brows rose when she heard this man actually speak out his own opinion.
“We should live peacefully in the forest,” Nerou said. “But you, who is as passionate as fire, keeps trying to lead us down a different path. That goblin is the same, I’m sure… We are the defeatedGoulen. The gods have already abandoned us,” Nerou said.
“No, we aren’t over yet! There isn’t a parent in this world who does not love his own child!” Nikea passionately said.
“It’s ironic,” Nerou laughed. “In the end, it was fresh blood, like yourself, who was blessed with the araneae spirit.”
Nerou’s followers were speechless as he cast his eyes downward. It was a first for him to expose his emotions so clearly. Usually, he was always smiling and at leisure, never truly stressed or anguished, but in the end, that mask backfired on him, and he lost the position of chief to Nikea.
“But it’s too late now… I suppose I should have talked with you properly once.” Nerou said as he noticed the black goblin from a distance.
“Indeed… I too regret that,” Nikea said.
The bitter smile that rose upon Nerou’s lips was as elegant as ever.
Suddenly, Nikea’s arms swung and Nerou’s head fell.
Shortly after, his nearby followers’ heads also fell.
“Bi—” One of the remaining followers tried to scream out, but an araneae of the Nikea Faction threw a spear at him before he could. With his throat pierced, he was powerless to stop Nikea.
Nikea’s arms dripped with poison as they swung like feathers. Standing with four of her legs, she used the other four to shoot threads at the enemy, while the poison dripped from her finger tips onto the threads to paralyze them.
Renowned as Poison Feather, Nikea was a skilled araneae warrior whom even her own tribe feared.
After suppressing everyone around her, she took Nerou’s freshly severed head.
“…Pitiful Nerou, your sacrifice won’t be in vain. I will restore our glory. One day, the light shall once again shine upon us, descendants of the crystals.”
As she gently closed her eyes, she kissed Nerou’s freshly severed head, then she turned to her faction.
“The leader of the traitors has been executed! Judgment will be passed upon the remaining colluders!”
The araneae prostrated themselves before the ground in response to the chief’s authority.
“This issue is settled. From here on out, any disrespect to our guests will not be forgiven.”
With this Nikea had finally taken complete control of the village.
◇◆◇
I watched as Nikea took down the leader of the traitors.
“It seems they’ve reached a conclusion,” I said.
“Mu… That’s no fun,” Gi Ba complained as he fiddled with his sword.
“Hmm… I seem to have unjustly looked down on that woman,” Gi Za thoughtfully said with a difficult expression.
“With this they won’t attack us anymore, right?” Shumea nonchalantly asked.
“Most likely,” I nodded. “Well, in any case, this is one problem solved,”
Shumea smiled as she rubbed Selena’s head. “That’s a good thing, right, Boss?”
Right, after all, with this we’ve successfully made friends with a tribe, giving us a foothold in the west.
As we were talking among ourselves, Nikea approached, carrying the enemy’s head in her hands. Her eyes seemed to be wet with tears.
“King of Goblins, with this we’ve shown you our sincerity.”
“That you have. From here on our races shall be friends.”
Nodding, Nikea calmly walked away. The intimidating aura she emanated caused even Gi Ji, who carried much animosity toward her, to back off.
“What will you be doing with that head?” I asked.
“If you ask for it, I could give it to you, but… The people of the village are my family. I would like to mourn for him.”
Her hands, dyed in the blood of her own family, carefully lifted up the head of the traitor.
“I see… Do that then.”
“Thank you.”
As she vanished into the distance, Selena muttered, “She looked really sad.”
Nikea’s vanishing back seemed to carry a great burden.
It was as if it was saying she could no longer stop. For if she stopped even a moment, she would surely be crushed.
◇◆◇
Lately, Gastra’s been bringing all sorts of things.
From kittens to pups, even the adult dogs trained in the army, or the white tiger cubs that were raised for royalty.
Miss Lili says we should properly discipline him, but we’re still talking about it.
Well, the animals he brings back are cute, so I guess it’s fine, but his lack of boundaries is really surprising.
Reshia thought to herself as she held Gastra and looked at the figure sitting before her.
“Lady Reshia, rumors of your person have been spreading quite far lately.”
Exchanges such as this have been occurring a lot lately.
While it was well and good that word of her healing people had spread, she was essentially under house arrest, only able to go out to town once a month and only with an escort of guards. A few days ago, she tried going to the orphanage without permission, but as a result, people spoke ill of King Ashtal.
From then on, she’s been kept under tight watch. Then as if the influential merchants and nobles were waiting for this opportunity, they had meetings with her scheduled.
From what she’s heard it seems they paid a good sum of money just to meet her.
—I’m not something to be shown around though.
Despite feeling embarrassed, she played along anyway and paid attention to the merchant before her. But with the conversation going nowhere, she couldn’t help but sigh.
The merchant noticed that, so he changed the topic.
“By the way, Lady Reshia, have you heard of the scarlet maiden?”
“No, I’m not privy to the rumors outside the castle.”
The merchant was elated to see Reshia show some interest, so he shared the rumors he’s heard.
The scarlet maiden was a knight who could use the evil sword of the royal family.
The scarlet maiden would soon be appointed holy knight.
The scarlet maiden would become a grand hero in the footsteps of the great hero, Gulland.
The scarlet maiden would appear in the battlefield and rake in achievement after achievement.
“She sounds amazing,” Reshia said.
“Indeed. In fact, there are plenty of rumors going around that she’s going to become holy knight soon. It seems she would be sent to the north as well to quell the bandits,” the merchant said.
Come to think of it, Reshia thought, she hasn’t been seen Lili lately because of some business she had to do in the north. They haven’t met for two weeks already, in fact. It seems King Ashtal had something he wanted her to deliver.
Reshia hated the fact that she couldn’t openly go against King Ashtal.
She sighed at the short ceiling above her that cut her off from the vast blue sky.
