Chapter 49: Four Big Villages (3)

What is a king?

If one asks what a king is, most people would definitely answer that it has a very luxurious life. Wealth, fame, power...those kinds of stuff are normal to have when you are a king.

However, those things were only the tip of the iceberg.

A king isn't someone who naturally garners wealth, fame, and power. The king is someone who works hard for it.

He is the one who makes an effort to make sure his name wouldn't be tarnished and gets the things that come with being a king.

The king's performance, however, depends on the person who is labeled as one.

Some people are bad at being a king, some are good, while some are just perfect for the job. It depends on the circumstances and nature of the person, but well, those aren't excuses.

The king may be great and a powerful figure who stands above all, but the substance of a king is its people. Without those people, a king is just a hollow title.

If a king doesn't treat and guide its people right, no matter how strong, wealthy, famous the king is, that king will soon step down from the throne.

Being a king isn't easy, and even the most prepared crown prince of a nation may not do so well if he does become a king.

And that is why a goblin who doesn't know anything about a king, like Dawn, will naturally get lost in the maze called 'king.'

Even if Dawn knows 'instinctively,' that doesn't mean he could do it well without pressure.

Naturally, Dawn, a goblin, could still feel the pressure that comes with the position of king.

Without a predecessor, without knowing how to do these things, Dawn was lost. He ended up relying too much on Karkas and the Elder, but that was fine.

What was important for Dawn was that he doesn't know what to do. And, whether it's because they were in a tight spot or not, an answer so natural blew Dawn's mind.

"The king bows to no one, huh."

Karkas' words were played out in Dawn's mind several times. The feelings of the goblins, Dawn knew it all too well.

He knew they looked up to him, revered him, and always respected him. And that was why he was trying so hard to reciprocate those feelings.

"In that case..."

If the goblins want him to bow to no one, then he will do it. If the goblins want him to rule, then he will rule.

Dawn doesn't notice it himself, but he values the goblins because they are his people. And Dawn knows that he is nothing without them.

That is why, although it isn't much, for Dawn, who was lost in the maze and process, those words lightened up his path like a lamp post.

"Attack!"

"Uwaaah!"

The words signaling the battle resounded out, and Dawn's subordinates responded out with their own cry.

Even though they were about to enter a deadly battle, the goblins all had a look of determination on their faces.

"It's because of me, isn't it?"

The goblins who were eager to go all out to kill their enemy only have one reason to do so. That is to tear apart the hateful goblins who disrespected their king!

"I should go too."

Because of his subordinate who was so competent in giving orders, Dawn didn't have to stay in the backlines.

For this particular war, Dawn wanted to do something for his goblins. He doesn't believe that they'll lose with Karkas taking control, but he wants to take action for them.

That is why Dawn walked. He walked forward in the battlefield with his dignified appearance, which was showing the vestige of a king!

****

Swish.

With a punch that cut the air magnificently, Dawn killed a goblin.

Looking over the entire battlefield, Dawn noticed that the enemy goblins were still spread out, making their frontline thin.

And in the frontlines, there resides the enemy which he must kill.

"Womo!"

As his eyes took on the form of an armored goblin, which was basically nonexistent, Dawn ran forward.

Dudududu.

His speed was fast, and his steps were heavy. There wasn't much distance between them, so he was able to enter the frontlines in less than a minute.

Splat!

A goblin in his right was killed by a fist protruding out of its stomach. When his eyes looked up a little bit, Dawn saw Didi.

"Didi!"

Turning his head to where the voice came from, Didi quickly ran over when he saw Dawn.

"King! Your orders?"

"Go with me! I need you to restrain that blessed goblin by the side of that Womo."

"Yes, king!"

Dawn kicked off the ground with Didi by his side. His speed was so fast that if ever he crashed against a goblin, it wouldn't be an exaggeration to say that goblin would die on impact.

"Ahhh!"

"Guraaa!"

Avoiding the goblins here and there in his path, Dawn chopped off a goblin when he stopped.

Even in a chaotic battlefield like this, a goblin knows naturally who is the enemy and who is an ally.

With their senses, they could prevent accidentally killing an ally and accurately kill an enemy.

"King, they noticed us."

Didi's voice was picked up by Dawn's ears. When Dawn looked at the location where Didi was pointing, he noticed three goblins dominating the area.

It was Womo, Wos, and the other blessed goblins, Yamu. The three goblins were looking in his direction with heated gazes.

"Didi, I'll make that goblin a quick work. Can you buy some time while fighting those two?"

Dawn wasn't planning to make this a prolonged war like the one from before. He was much stronger, and his goblins also evolved.

He didn't want to have them killed on such a pathetic battlefield. Furthermore, he also wanted the other sides' goblins.

Just with pure numbers, Womo's village outnumbers Dawn's.

If those goblins were to 'pledge' loyalty to him, his forces would grow, and if possible, he would also get information about the south.

When he looked at it this way, this war was just like a blessing to him. However, he has to work hard to make sure that the blessing doesn't turn out to be poison.

"Of course! Even if I die, I'll at least last until you kill that bastard."

"Then, let's go!"

****

"Chief! They are making their way here!"

"I can see that! Block the enemies coming from the front and wait for the others to join us!"

Womo's voice resounded out powerfully on the battlefield. He was getting anxious by the minute.

His senses warned him of this happening, but he couldn't avoid it. He didn't expect that the enemy goblin would actually refuse an alliance.

'What king!? Those are just dreaming fools!'

As a goblin, Womo doesn't believe in the king. He has lived for almost 60 years, but thanks to his achievements and the Blessings of the Battlefield, one couldn't ascertain his real age just from his body.

And in his long life, not once has he ever seen a trace of the so-called king of the goblins. His father, who was once a village head, taught him that the king's birth is coming soon.

'60 years! I waited for him for 60 years!'

As a young goblin, he naturally believed in the legends. Day by day, he would go near the cave of Regalia to give offerings of meat, and that lasted for half of his life.

However, his experiences in life and the forest didn't permit him to continue.

Something or someone destroyed his village, which housed many great chieftains, and his comrades were found dead. His father was killed too, in the most gruesome way.

He survived only because he was out, making his way to offer meat in the cave of Regalia.

When he vowed in his heart to take revenge, he went out on a journey and founded his current village. Until then, he was still a believer.

However...

"T-the ones who destroyed my village are those who defend the cave of Regalia?!"

"That's right. Your father seems to have killed a goblin who has a mark of the cave and died as a result."

The truth reached him when he came across a goblin who was once a friend of his father—a goblin chief in one of the Four Big Villages.

"B-but why?! The cave of Regalia is where the king lives, is it not?! Why would they kill us, his people?!"

The goblin chief didn't know the answer, and so he was left with questions unanswered.

Since then, his hatred for the king grew, and he searched for those who killed and destroyed his village.

However, he didn't get results.

Tired of this long life, Womo saw the end of his path. But then, one day, his sons brought him news of a particular goblin who has the mark of the king.

'M-maybe this time!'

Maybe, this time, the king will...protect me. Maybe, the king will punish those who killed his people. Maybe...!

Although he didn't show it on the outside, he was full of hopes on the inside.

He marched on the village where the said goblin lives, and when he saw the goblin, his hopes were answered somewhat.

'T-the mark of the king! It's real!'

He was so excited that he would jump up and down just at the thought of kneeling in front of that goblin.

His heart was focused on revenge, and now, his heart was given a new reason to beat longer. To stay alive longer, to stay by that goblin's side!

However...

"Annihilate them!"

"I want your head!"

"Attack!"

...Those words soon crushed his hopes down to the ground.

'Why?!'

Womo felt wronged. Was it because he said that he wanted an alliance? Or was it because it was his fate?

His father, who was killed by the cave's defender, always reminded him to believe in the king.

And now, he who believed in the king was blocking the king's path. And soon...be killed.

"Womo!"

Womo's eyes, which were blazing hot from hatred and sadness, met Dawn's fiery eyes.

'Ahh!'

His longing for the king grew, but soon, that too was taken from him.

The thick killing intent swirling around Dawn made Womo realize something.

He realized that he and his father, his comrades...were all abandoned by the king.

'If he won't protect!'

I will! I will protect my goblins!

His strong hopes were gone, now replaced by sorrow and determination to kill the enemy in front of him.

That is why he shouted. He shouted with all his might; his hot emotions were poured in his angry bellow.

"You bastard! I will kill you personally!!"

And so, he took the step forward to face the goblin that he yearned for but ultimately couldn't have...