Gi Gu Verbena was wounded in the western region war and could not fight alongside the other goblins in the quest to conquer the western capital. Though his wounds have long healed, the regret he felt that day burns within him yet.
“I lost to the humans. That in and of itself is unforgivable, but even worse, I lost personally.”
Gi Gu Verbena was the leader of the southern goblins and had the greatest army among the goblins with the exception of the king. Not even the fierce Gaidga Tribe nor Gi Gi’s army could match the scale and power of his army. Gi Gu Verbena was given the honor to lead the advance guard in the previous battle, but in the end, he lost in the hands of the human, Gowen Ranid, the feudal lord of the western region.
To make things worse, not only had Gi Gu betrayed the king’s trust, he even lost to a human. There was no greater humiliation.
“But the humans were really strong, Great Brother!”
“They were really strong.”
“Right! Right!”
The three sibling goblins Gu Long, Gu Big, and Gu Tough tried to console Gi Gu, but their attempts only fell on deaf ears, as Gi Gu himself had already arrived at a conclusion on why he lost.
The power of numbers. It was with the same strategy that he once conquered the south. In fact, Gi Gu himself had not fought many battles where he had less numbers than his opponent.
“We shall expand our territory.”
Which is why when Gi Gu suddenly said that, the three sibling goblins were shocked.
“But the south is all sand…”
“Sand is hot…”
“Won’t the king get mad?”
The three goblin siblings each voiced out their concern.
In response, Gi Gu nodded and said it was alright. “The forest will always be our home. Besides, we’re not expanding toward the south but to the west. We… will have to send a messenger to the king.”
◆◇◆
Ever since the Goblin King occupied the western region, he has been busying himself with government affairs in the western capital. Unfortunately, he still couldn’t read the writings of this world. He has put much effort in studying it, but he still couldn’t read anything harder than reports.
Beside the king was the elf from Forni, Fei, and the goblin druid who studied for a short time at the elven school, Gi Za Zakuend.
All sorts of information were being brought to the king. Gi Gu Verbena’s request to expand his territory, the Leon Heart Clan’s report on the affairs of the south, reports by the elves on the state of the villages, reports by Shumea and Yoshu on the dissatisfaction of the humans… all sorts.
One reason they could gather information so easily despite using the western capital as their headquarters was because they were close to the frontlines.
The Goblin King also had no choice but to work near the frontlines due to him being acknowledged by the goblins as their strongest. It simply wouldn’t do if the strongest goblin warrior weren’t present in the frontlines.
To protect the town areas, the Goblin King asked the chief of the araneae, Nikea, to take charge of security. As a result, they have created a complex encampment by weaving together their threads.
The defense of the eastern part of the western capital was left to the “Man-Eating Snake” Gi Ba Hagar. The humans had eight small fortress on their side of the border, so all trade was currently halted. Monsters also frequently fled to the eastern region due to Gi Gi’s monster army.
The monster beasts would sometimes also go toward them. After all, they were monsters. They attacked everyone without discrimination, so Gi Ba had set some patrols to protect the humans on their side, but so far, there have been no problems.
In the south, Gi Gi Orudo, Gi Ji Arsil, and Gi Zu Ruo have currently stopped their respective army’s advance and were observing the situation. Depending on the Leon Heart Clan’s progress, they might have to move further down south soon. Their three armies were more than enough for an advance force.
As for the main force that would naturally include the Goblin King himself, Gi Gi Rax and his imperial guards, Gi Do Buruga’s druid platoon, and perhaps some of the human platoons.
The western part of the western region was given to the yugushiva and the demihumans. The Goblin King only demarcated its borders before leaving it to them to manage. He also hasn’t imposed anything on the demihumans other than the construction of the facilities along the roads connecting the Forest of Darkness and the western capital. The demihumans were few in number and weren’t suited to fighting in the frontlines, so the king didn’t bother to ask too much from them.
That being said, what they lacked in number, they made up for in quality. There was no doubting that they were powerful warriors indeed. Which is why the king decided to use them sparingly. The Goblin King greatly valued their abilities, and this was while they were only starting to learn how to fight a war.
As for the northern part of the western region, it was a wooded region and was being used to house the defeated humans. Shumea and Yoshu have been put in charge to ensure that they are able to live alongside with the goblins. Thanks to the help of the elves, the northern part is currently being used as the center of agriculture.
The humans farmed mostly grains, which were strong against the cold, and the goblins were also tasked to learn from them. Harvest was still some time away, but it could be expected half a year later.
Information on the affairs beyond the borders were also regularly being passed by the Leon Heart Clan, but they had their limits too. One of the information they shared was the fact that the holy knight, Gulland Rifenin, has been made in charge of the western region, which was currently under goblin rule.
Gulland Rifenin was a man who could fight evenly with the king. Alone, the Goblin King could take care of him, but things might go differently if he had someone with him.
The clan known as the Red King was also gaining momentum in the southern desert region of the Free Cities. They were hostile to the Kushain Believers, so the Goblin King believed that he might be able to pit them against each other if he used his cards right.
Several cities leaning toward the Kushain Faith has already capitulated and returned to the south due to the Red King Clan’s activities.
If their momentum were to grow too big, they could have a negative impact on the king’s plans to bring the small feudal lords to his side.
The Goblin King’s scheme relied on the fact that they had no one else to rely on but them, after all.
As the Goblin King managed the affairs of territories from every direction, the next report that came in made him raise his brows.
“Reshia…”
The Saint, Lady Reshia Fel Zeal, helped the wounded demihumans of the small country of Orphen to the north and are keeping them close.
Word of the Saint left the king speechless for a moment as he felt both impatience and relief stir within.
