When word of the centaurs, werewolves, and Ganra Tribe being attacked reached the king, the Goblin King and the high ranking goblins all made grim faces as if enduring a headache.
Although a ray of hope has appeared amidst dark clouds with Yoshu’s return, the fact that the adventurers were still rampant meant that the situation couldn’t be predicted.
And the fact that the enemy was able to approach an area very near their headquarters, the Fortress of the Abyss, struck fear into their hearts. Some of that fear turned into criticism of Gilmi for failing to vanquish the enemy after all this time.
The Goblin King wanted to head east as soon as possible.
The goblins knew that, so their criticisms naturally fell on Gilmi, who was at the rear and couldn’t respond. Meanwhile, the Goblin King tried to come up with a plan to break this deadlock with the War Princess outwitting them, but it was no easy to feat to make the enemy in front of them retreat.
It was then that word of Gi Za Zakuend’s scheme succeeding reached them.
“One of the three great noble families of Shushunu, the Kushunora House.”
At Gi Za’s words, both Goblin King and Pale raised their brows in surprise
“Truly? It’s true that the name came up, but…”
Pale asked, unbelieving, and Gi Za snorted as if his feelings were hurt.
“If you think I’m lying, you can check it with your intelligence network. I don’t mind.”
Pale was still only half-convinced, but she went to investigate the information from the intelligence anyway. A few days later, word of the Kushunora House acting strangely reached her.
The Kushunora House seemed to be gathering soldiers, but another of the three great noble families, the Agarmua House, also started gathering soldiers. Control of the army was grasped by the Ririnoie House, so these soldiers must surely be their private army.
“Are these the signs of a civil war?”
Confusion was yet to be seen from the enemy camp.
Was it because of the skill of their commander, the War Princess, or was it merely because word was yet to reach her? Blanche the War Princess’ camp looked to be fully intent on fighting just yet.
“…If the enemies betray each other, then it’ll be a perfect opportunity for us, but…”
But the enemy was a great country that needed the War Princess. What profit could they possibly find in betraying her? The goblins haven’t even encroached into the territories of the Holy Shushunu Kingdom.
They were currently at a standstill with the fierce attacks of the War Princess.
Unable to come up with a decision, Pale turned to the Goblin King.
“I want to consolidate our information first. Let’s delay making a decision for now. Though either way, ignoring the stability of the rear and advancing would be a fool’s errand.”
The Goblin King nodded to Pale’s advice, and the war council ended with them deciding to begin preparations to mobilize the troops while also watching how the war at the rear develops.
◆◆◇
Though the cold has grown gentler in this month of Tiga, Gilmi’s Fanzel continued it pursuit. They have caught some adventurers here and there, but their real objective, Esgare, was yet out in the wilds. Gilmi didn’t know the exact numbers of the adventurers, so he couldn’t afford to split his army too much.
Gilmi was furious at the fact that the Ganra Tribe’s village at the Unknown Forest had been burned down, but he quietly endured that.
Gi Za Zakuend’s schemes have born fruit at the front lines, and they were starting to gather momentum in this war. Because of that it has been commonly acknowledged that securing the stability in the rear would make this a great opportunity to attack.
The various rebellions occurring here and there have decreased thanks to the desperate efforts of the rulers, but disorder in the circulation of goods could still be seen in the Western Region where the adventurers were. A great city necessitates a great amount of goods. The Western Capital and the capital of Elrain Kingdom were both cities that purchased and consumed things from the places near them, and were not cities that produced things.
Disorder in the circulation of goods left these consumers with worry and a feeling of hopelessness.
Naturally, voices of criticism would fall on none other than Gilmi. With goblin eyes watching everywhere, the humans couldn’t possibly criticize the king, but they still wanted to blame someone for their dissatisfaction.
As such, they’ve started to entertain the thought that the goblin known as Ra Gilmi Fishiga was incompetent.
Sophia was sensitive to such information, and immediately brought word of it to Pale. After her superior thought for a while, she told her to do as she’s been doing until now.
“…You seem unsatisfied.”
“No. I just think it’s an unfair evaluation.”
They spoke at a village within Germion State. Once, the Eight Fortresses of the West could be found here, but now nary a defensive structure could be seen, and only a village could be found here.
“Even though they were full of praise for them when they crushed the main force, and yet as soon as they’ve found themselves in a dicey spot, they start mocking them…”
“That is human, no, it’s what you call a citizen. They foolishly believe that the king exists to protect them.”
She narrowed her eyes as she thought of the elven people she was supposed to protect betray her.
“They are tenacious, cunning, and selfish. If Gilmi-dono is able to defeat the enemy, I’m sure those criticisms will change into praise.”
“But that’s…”
“And leading them is the duty of the king. Sophia, you find out if there are any among these people who are up to no good.”
“Yes.”
“If they are merely voicing out their unhappiness, then they’re still adorable. But if there are people trying to start a fire, then that’s a different story altogether.”
As the Elks Clan planned to tighten their watch over the country, they set out to rebuild their mesh with the yet chaotic Western Capital at the center.
