Chapter 62: Count (2)

Dawn walked his first step towards the second village.

He could see on the left the familiar goblins, and on the right, goblins that he couldn't tell who was there.

---They separated themselves for me to tell easier, huh.

'Quite considerate of them.' Dawn thought as he looked for Didi and Karkas.

They were the two pillars of this plan, so he thought that he should look for them now that it was time to launch a real attack on the third village.

Actually, seeing that they succeeded in their part made Dawn's confidence in them rise a level higher.

After all, this was what Dawn was aiming for when he let them go hunt every day.

Goblins that could hunt on their own could take down strong monsters and goblins on their own.

Dawn nodded his head once more in satisfaction.

---Am I a good planner, perhaps?

Dawn thought as he saw the goblins running to him. It was his normal retinue of goblins.

"King! You returned!"

"Y-you are injured!"

"Wos, what were you doing?!"

---W-what?

Dawn was overwhelmed by their reactions. Although the goblins didn't hug him straight up, they were looking at every wound on his body as they reprimanded the goblins who went with him.

"You bastard! I told you to get in there as soon as things got rowdy!"

"T-that's what I did! There was a stron-"

"Do you think you could excuse your way out of this?!"

Karkas was the harshest and had his voice cold as the snow as if he was speaking thunders.

After all, Dawn was full of injuries all over his body. There were also marks of burns on his neck, showing that he had a tough struggle with someone.

Some argued while some were relieved that the king was safe.

And seeing those goblins argue because of him and the issue of his safety, Dawn couldn't help but feel a new emotion.

It was happiness.

Dawn couldn't explain it, but he knew that it was a different kind of happiness from the usual.

However, that happiness didn't last long as Dawn felt strange about it.

No...he wasn't used to it, making him a little bit shy.

He shook his head to try and get rid of it, but he still felt a lingering emotion.

Trying to get over it, he spoke to his goblins.

"Enough about that. We'll start the attack on the third village. We'll ask the village chief of the second village about it, so get him for me. Also, the goblins who arrived will take a break and eat first."

"Yes, king!" " Yes, king!"

All the goblins answered as one as if they practiced it beforehand before fetching their new ally.

Dawn just looked for a big rock to sit on and waited for them while looking at himself.

He didn't look too deep; he just scratched the surface of the iceberg called Dawn because he didn't want to distract himself right now.

All thoughts about himself could be resolved later after he finished the work.

After all, the fight that would happen later could become his last fight.

Nothing was certain in this world, and Dawn, who always faced death, knows that.

After a while, only two goblins returned and knelt before Dawn.

It was Didi and the village chief, Razta.

"King, this is the chief of this village."

It was only after Didi called out to him that Dawn opened his blackish eyes.

Gulp.

Razta, who had his head raised because of his curiosity, drank down some saliva after seeing Dawn's eyes.

'A-abyss!' Razta thought as his focus was all over Dawn's eyes.

Razta couldn't keep his eyes off and was mesmerized. Normally, Didi would smack Razta's head right about now.

After all, Didi was kneeling to Dawn just to show Razta who was superior.

However, this time, Didi didn't. No, more like, he couldn't.

It's because when he also looked up when Dawn wasn't saying anything, Didi's soul felt some strange pressure.

'I-it's sucking me in?!'

When he saw Dawn's blackish eyes, Didi could feel himself losing in the abyss.

Circulating in the world of darkness, Didi felt being everything and, at the same time, being nothing.

He felt the apex of the world where everything was below his feet, and he also felt like a bug where he could only crawl on the ground.

"AHKKKKKKKK!" Finally, Razta's soul broke as he couldn't stand it any longer.

"AH! AH! AH!!" He shouted as he spasmed on the ground. His big arms flailed as if he was swimming through the sky.

"No! No!"

Many goblins noticed what's happening, but no one dared to go near. Not even Karkas who would go through the depths of hell for his king.

The reason is simple.

It was because of their bodies that wouldn't move...and because of Dawn, who calmly looked over the two.

No...he seems to be looking at the air where only he could see something.

---This is...

Dawn murmured in his head as he looked at something all over again.

[The Blessings of the Battlefield is sending a message.]

[...You...will...die...]

[...The...Thr...------>

[The Blessings of the Battlefield has ended the message due to Dawn's lack of power.]

---I will die? And...who is the one sending me a message?

Dawn thought and thought, but no answers would come up to him. After all, this was a sudden event that occurred at a time that he didn't expect.

No, he didn't even expect something like this to happen in the first place.

It was then.

When Dawn moved his head, he saw one goblin who was squirming on the ground and one goblin who was trying his hardest to remain kneeling.

"What's wrong?" Dawn asked as he didn't get the situation.

Well, if you find someone convulsing on the ground, you probably wouldn't be able to prevent yourself from asking.

"Huuuu." Didi breathed in deeply before exhaling all out.

He repeated this process a couple of times and asked Dawn.

"W-what happened, king? When I looked at you, I felt strange."

"M-me too. It was as if something was weighing down on my whole being!"

Razta gave his side of the story as he continued breathing roughly. He was able to recover fast because he evolved twice.

Didi was also able to prevent himself from convulsing because he gained the mark of the Cave.

Meaning, if any normal goblin tried to look at Dawn during that time, it wouldn't be weird if they died.

---Is this because the Blessings of the Battlefield sent me a message?

Dawn suspected it as so. After all, the timing was too close.

"...go rest first. I'll ask you later after you've taken a rest."

"No, we're fine, king!"

"Hmm?"

Dawn eyed the goblin who dared shout at him. The goblin Razta was on his knees again after getting a grip on himself.

"It would be a waste of time if we were to rest! Please, do your thing!"

Razta's voice was quite desperate after experiencing something like that. His fears became true, and he became sure.

'K-king!'

If he didn't get the king's approval now, how could he get it later?

He became even more confident in his actions when Didi wasn't reacting.

Didi didn't support or refute Razta. It seems he also feels the same way, given that he only kneeled at the same spot.

'A new guy and a new personality, huh.' Dawn thought as he looked at the goblin again.

It was the first time a goblin of his own tried to talk back to him, so it was a new experience for Dawn.

Well, seeing his loyal subordinates do everything for him made Dawn complacent.

"Then, I'll ask you now. What is the strength of the third village?"

Dawn wanted to know because this would be the only village he would confront in a straight and direct fight.

He wouldn't use Didi's power of the Cave, and he wouldn't use night-time tactics.

Even if he could, Dawn doesn't want to win that way.

"There aren't many goblins there...around 150 or so, but! They have the biggest strength out of all the Four Big Villages."

Razta then continued with his explanation while lowering his head further. It seems the pressure coming from Dawn, who was silently listening to him, was immense.

"It is because of their chief who is much stronger than us, and their special squad that consists of goblins who have taken the knight path."

Dawn's eyes narrowed a little bit because of the unusual term of 'knight path.'

"Knight path? What do you mean by that?"

"You don't know, king? It is one of the paths that we Strayman can take."

"Hmmm. Then, what are their weaknesses? Those goblins."

Razta then thought for a moment before speaking carefully. He doesn't want to make mistakes now.

"Pardon me for saying this, but...I think they don't have one. If those goblins join the fray, the battle will last for days even with your forces."

Razta knew how many goblins Dawn had right now. Starting with his own, Dawn was basically able to conquer three Big Villages.

At the very least, Dawn should have 600 goblins on his arsenal.

However, even with those goblins, the battle will be hard, according to Razta.

Dawn couldn't believe it.

"Are they that strong?"

"It's not that they are strong, but...when I once faced them in battle with my village, I couldn't win."

"Hmmm. Then, I guess Karkas will be the first one to destroy that squad of theirs."

Didi then replied, 'Indeed.' after staying silent all this time.

Dawn believes in Karkas when it comes to battle. As such, the goblins in Dawn's village believe in Karkas too.

After all, their king believes in that goblin. Who are they to reject it?

"Still, a goblin force that is considered the strongest, huh."

Dawn revealed his fangs when he imagined clashing with them.

His goblins against their goblins.

Who will win?

"I can't wait!"