Chapter 17: Battle (6)

The goblins in the newly discovered village were confused. They may be confused but they also knew what to do. They have no choice but to follow the words of the strong.

It is ironic of them that the problem that they were trying to solve was the tyranny of Raen but they succumbed to the other. Now, they can only pray that they'll be treated at least bad. The worst treatment they could get is death.

That should have been the case but... When they were invited(forced) to the village that the monster-like goblin rules, they saw something that was unbelievable. Of course, it was the goblins that have been blessed by the battlefield.

'W-what is this?! Over 10 goblins have been blessed by the battlefield in a single village?!'

The chief and the knowledgeable goblins in the new village know the ins and outs of the blessings. They know how hard it is to be recognized.

One goblin that looks fiercer than the other goblins that have increased their rank has come up to them. He then spoke.

"Oh! Isn't it chief Karkas?! You have survived!"

"H-huh? Who are you?"

"I'm Didi, The son of the late chief of the village!"

The goblin is Didi. Karkas couldn't recognize the goblin in front of him.

"Didi!? What happened?! Why are you so big!"

In the past, the two villages of Karkas and Didi had a friendly relationship. The village thought of each other as brothers who have survived the calamity called Raen. And Karkas was a close friend of the late father of Didi. There's no way he wouldn't recognize Didi. In normal cases, he would.

"I have received the blessings of the battlefield. Now then, the king wants to talk."

Didi then turned around and gestured for Karkas to follow him.

Karkas was dumbfounded at the sight of Didi. He knew how weak the goblins of this village had become after the fight. Even if they couldn't visit each other anymore for the past months, there's no way he will forget about them.

'Didi is a Goblin High... Why are there so many beings who have received the blessings?'

He pondered to himself.

After walking for some time, they are now outside of the place that the being that scared Karkas so much resides on. It was a simple place. It used trunks as doors and even the whole house was made of trunks. A simple house couldn't even be used to describe this.

Didi pushed aside the trunks and went in. He then kneeled and Karkas followed suit.

"King! I have brought Karkas here."

"Good."

Didi then stands up and looks at his king. He noticed that the king was making a puzzled expression. He followed his gaze and what he saw at the end was Karkas. The king asked Karkas.

"Why are you still on your knees, Karkas?"

"It is the proper conduct when in the presence of the king."

"Ah!"

Didi knew full well that it is proper manners to be in this kind of behavior when in the presence of the king. He then kneeled again.

The king let out a groan of frustration. He was satisfied that he was receiving the respect that he deserves but...

---How can we talk when you are not facing me?

"Stand up. I want to ask something, Karkas."

The king went straight to the topic so that he wouldn't hear any complaints.

"I've been told by Didi and the Elder that you fought Raen personally and consider him as a threat. Is that right?"

"Y-yes. At the very least, the people in my village consider him as an enemy."

"Hmmm. Do you have information on him? How many are his men and his strength?"

Karkas paused for a moment to think about his answer. He then spoke with a careful tone on his voice.

"I only know the basic information about him. I don't know how many there are in his village but I can guess that it is over 100 goblins. He probably united the other goblin villages on the other side."

The king puts his hand on his chin. As if to indicate that he was thinking deeply, he didn't speak or do anything else. After a minute or so of thinking, he finally spoke.

"What kind of information do you have on Raen himself?"

As if waiting for this question, Karkas spoke immediately after he heard the words. He also put on a serious expression on his face.

"First of all, Raen is a member of the five great clans. No, he used to be. He belonged to the clan of Black Goblins, Tabak clan! He did whatever he wanted so he earned the wrath of the clan leader. He was exiled after then he came here wishing to dominate us."

After he spoke the information, the faces of Didi and the Elder darkened. They knew what it means to be born as a black goblin.

"Hmmm. And then? What about his personal strength?"

"He is strong. From his physique, his rank is probably Goblin Baronet. I guess the king is a Baron?"

"Yes. My rank is a Baron. What of it?"

Karkas put on a tense expression then he spoke slowly.

"I'm sorry to say this king. You won't be able to win if you fight Raen."

"What do you mean?"

"The black goblin is a race that is superior to us strays. If Raen's rank is a baronet then his power is comparable to the stray goblin that is ranked above the baron. That is why we lost even though he was only a normal goblin at that time and we were blessed by the battlefield."

At that moment, a peculiar expression appeared on the face of the king. To be more precise, his face was making an expression that seemed to be happy. As if to prove this thought, he said.

"Then that means if I beat him, I will be able to progress even further."

"B-but king! If you lose, you'll die!"

Karkas, disregarding his nervousness, spoke what was on his mind. He was surprised at the reaction given by the king. And now, he was interested in this goblin.

Faced with absolute strength and the advantages of the race of the enemy, why does he seem so happy? That was the thought of Karkas. To be honest, Karkas doesn't have a good impression of the king however he doesn't have a bad impression either. He wanted to use this chance to know more about the being that he will serve from now on.

The king spoke with a smile so hideous that it makes him scarier instead.

"If I die, that means I wasn't good enough. If I am not good enough, what is the importance of my existence?"

"Ah."

A being blessed by the battlefield prioritized his own life and yet the king is making a statement that he doesn't care if he wasn't good enough. Karkas let out a low exclamation from the shock. Not just Karkas but Didi and the Elder too. That was how unexpected the answer given by the king was.

Karkas quickly regained his wits and spoke with a powerful voice.

"My lord, I wish to fight with you."

"Good. I expect great things from you, Karkas. You too, Didi."

The two lowered their heads and made a promise to themselves that they will respond to his expectations. The two then exited the room and the Elder too went out of the room.

The moment the Elder went out of the room, the king spoke to himself.

"My pride won't let me live after failing."

****

"Kill them!"

The ground shook. The trees were dancing to the tune of footsteps.

A sight that was an everyday occurrence was happening in the forest. A battle to the death between many men!

One man was standing out in such a scene. This man was killing his enemies as if they were nothing.

The sound of a punch flowing and the breaking of bones can be heard.

Crack.

The opponent of this large man couldn't even hold out to his consciousness. He was killed by the swarm of the footsteps crawling over him. After all, the number of people racing forward was over 100!

The large man sneered at this sight. He was elated by his overwhelming power! Not even the chief of the opposing village can stand up to him.

"Kill the males and secure the females! Kik! Kik!"

Of course, this man was Raen. The one he just killed was the chief of the village. It was an overwhelming victory.

The remaining enemies got routed up after just a few minutes. The females of this goblin village were brought to him. The females didn't look too different from the males. It didn't matter to Raen as he was satisfied.

He licked his lips. And then he laughed. If one could see this, one will probably think that he was a lunatic! His face was so twisted from the smile deepening on his mouth.

Tears flowed from the eyes of his victims. Even in such a situation, they kept quiet. They knew better than to make noise in front of a predator.

"Now then... the next village is Karkas' village. I will finally kill that bastard!"

He laughed once more to show off his power. Not just his victims but also his subordinates trembled every time he laughed.