Chapter 28: Horizon (2)

Three men were walking down on a hallway, with one of them, which was walking further, being a guide for the two. The hallway was dark and its light came from the outside as it protruded from the windows. As they were walking, the thinner man of the two in the back started a conversation.

He spoke with a respectful tone for the man.

"It is suspicious sir, no matter how many times I think about it. They called us straight away when the reason that we gave was one that could be called a national threat."

The second man had a body bigger than the average adult human's size but when compared to his superior, Prawler, Rey seems like a normal guy. He spoke to the thinner man who was an adjutant to the southern army.

"I do think it is suspicious but they probably want to bring mud to the commander's popularity. As he always defeated the enemy and protected the people without fail, the surroundings lords felt a need to do something like this."

Indeed, the army led by Prawler defended the people magnificently and as the center of all that, Prawler was a leading figure here. The lords can't help but be anxious about it.

The south of Rosas kingdom only had a few small countries, with it being divided by the mountains between the Raoz Forest on the west and the countries on the east. However each of those survived the turbulent times. Small as they may be, the quality of their commanders far surpassed a bigger country. It wouldn't be an exaggeration to say that if those small countries formed a unified front, they would be able to match the Rosas kingdom and bring it to bend its knee.

In fact, Forpor kingdom, one of the small countries is trying to pierce through the massive land of Rosas kingdom. As they were the ones who shared a border with the Rosas kingdom, they often bear the weight of being the shield and thus they ought to make the current situation to their advantage and attack their hated enemy.

The adjutant who was accompanying Rey to the lord of the lands that they made a base of had a complicated expression and muttered under his breath.

"Power makes one blind…"

As they were walking, the dark hallway came to an end and at the end of it was a door decorated by guards on the sides. The guards at the door noticed them and looked at the guide.

The two men exchanged glances with each other before nodding. They cleared the path for them and opened the extravagant door. The guide, having finished his job, quickly dispersed to the background.

As they walked on, the room came into full view. The room had quite the number of extravagant furniture. With one of the walls being manned by a bookshelf, the table in front of them had pure gold tracing the name of the owner of the room. And the owner of such a room, the man sitting beyond the table, Baron Jester, turned to look at his visitors or rather…enemies.

It didn't take long for him to speak as this was a meeting that he was waiting for ever since he received the news of the army pulling back. He spoke with an agitated tone and expression.

"Why did you pull back!? Do you mean to not fulfill your duty given by His Majesty?!"

Rey who was given an abrupt reprimanding from a man who had a higher status than him spoke with a calm voice.

"As we have reported, there is an enemy lurking about in the Raoz Forest. We believe it to have a number greater than our own."

They reported that there was an unknown factor to the forest and that they had to retreat. Word hasn't reached the capital yet but the surrounding nobles took this as a chance to make the people-loved southern army fall.

"At best, that will only be bandits! Our feared southern army led by the Demon has run in front of such bandits?! What disgrace!"

"We do not know that for sure. The commander has deemed it to be better to be on the safe side of things."

Despite Baron Jester was taking such accusations, Rey wasn't backing down. Even if the nobles may try to make things harder for them, they won't be able to take the army out of the entire picture. The nobles have their own army but the southern army was stronger than them. They don't even belong in the same battlefield.

"And that is why you guys are insufficient! Backing down at these times and…"

Baron Jester who was shouting outside was laughing on the inside. Baron Jester was one of the many barons of the massive Rosas kingdom. In all actuality, barons are so common that from the standpoint of commoners, they just have a bit more power than the usual. However Baron Jester was not a normal baron. His house was under the care of a duke, a most prominent figure even in the capital.

What's more is that the duke wanted the southern army to weaken a little. So the duke in question, Duke Zembo, told Baron Jester the inner dealings with prince Narkus. He told them that the enemy hiding in the forest wouldn't come out no matter what and gave the authority to roast the southern army.

As such, in the mind of Baron Jester, his victory against the arguments with the army has already been set in stone. The opinions of the people will be with him this time, he was sure of it.

He shouted and lashed out as he had such thoughts.

'Fools who are dancing on the palm of our hands!'

He was truly happy at the chance of being able to take out his anger on the rightful owner but he didn't know they too were dancing on another's palm.

****

As the goblins walked on the journey, they trampled down every monster that they came across. For the king whose pride was high as the sky, it was something to be satisfied about. However, he knew how big the forest was. His instincts told him the scale of the forest and the land that they were treading on was but a fraction of it.

In other words, that satisfaction was a hollow one. And thus, he thought about it.

---What if the goblins could rule this land...

The forest for the king was just a means of survival. He wasn't really motivated on conquering such a boring land but if his subordinates could do it, he would gladly take it.

He was thinking that if they could, the goblins would be safer and the abundance of food will be enough for the goblins. That was the best possible scenario for them but…it wasn't the case for his pride.

---That would mean just living. That doesn't sound right with me.

The living that the king sought after could not be found on the forest. A forest that had prepared everything for them, animals, river, food, water, fruits, land and shelter, the king couldn't allow it. If one thought about it, they could live without doing anything as long as they could topple the other monsters.

The type of living that he wanted was one where the goblins didn't have to rely on anything, one where the goblins could do everything and provide anything for themselves. His pride wouldn't allow the goblins to rely on something like a forest, especially with food when that's what sustains them.

As he fell deeper on his thoughts searching for an answer, he suddenly recalled something.

---Come to think of it, Karkas didn't tell me if he was blessed.

Karkas haven't told him if he attained a new height or something and thus, he was curious. He decided to call for Karkas who was following behind.

"Karkas!"

He shouted with a loud voice.

Strangely, every time he found out that a goblin was blessed, he felt happy. He didn't know what to make of it so he just brushed it off to the corner of his mind.

Not a long time after calling, Karkas appeared in front of him.

"King, you called?"

For some reason, Karkas' voice was low and it didn't have the usual vigor that it had.

"Now that I thought about it, have you been blessed by the battlefield?"

Karkas lowered his head and spoke with a voice small enough just to be barely heard by the king who attained a new evolution.

"…I have."

The king tilted his head in wonder because of the behavior of Karkas.

---If he's been blessed, isn't that a good thing?

"What did the battlefield bless you with?"

Karkas dropped his shoulders and as if to indicate that he resolved himself, he raised it his head to speak.

"I have been blessed with the rank of… goblin thinker."

The king couldn't hide his confusion on his face. He asked.

"What's wrong with it?"

"I-I don't know anything about it. I don't feel any strength coming from it and my body didn't even change."

---Now that he mentions it…

The king looked at the body of Karkas. It was the same form that he had seen when they met for the first time and even after a tough battle, he stayed the same.

He spoke to the worried Karkas.

"Hmm, the Elder told me that the blessings one receive differ by the individual and that it has some rules. Well, don't worry about it. It doesn't mean that you got any weaker."

The king then moved forward as he already got the knowledge that he wanted.

Karkas who was left behind suddenly found a new motivation in him and he thought about it.

'That's right…I just have to do the things that I have done before with the same, no, better quality and efficiency.'

His motivation came from the words of the king. He didn't get any weaker. In that case, he just had to come up with ways that will allow him to service the king with better and if possible, the best method.

And so, Karkas was finally able to move forward with his rank.