Goblin Kingdom

Chapter 21: The Scar of Defeat

[Race] Goblin
[Level] 14
[Cla.s.s] Duke; Horde Chief
[Possessed Skills] <> <> <> <> <> <> <<> <> <> <> <>
[Divine Protection] G.o.ddess of the Underworld, Altesia
[Attributes] Darkness, Death
[Subordinate Beasts] Kobold (Lv9)
[Abnormal Status] <>





The thick scent of the shed blood permeated the air.

I had gone after the main unit, but it was already too late. By the time I had caught up, the hunt had already ended.

"The damages?" I asked, heaving, still out of breath after having sprinted so desperately.

"The beasts under our command have all been killed. From the main unit, three goblins have been killed," replied Gi Go with his head bowed deeply, a hint of apology in his voice.

"I read wrong," I said.

The gray wolf wasn’t alone. It could have been a pair; I don’t know for sure. Regardless, while I was fighting with one of the gray wolves at the back, another one attacked the goblins from the front.

That’s why that gray wolf left me so easily.

Without putting itself in any more danger than necessary, it took what it needed, and left.

"f.u.c.k!" I cussed to myself, gritting my teeth in frustration. Then exhaling, I asked, "Is there anyone injured?"
"Only shallow wounds, nothing serious," replied Gi Go.
"Then let us go. I wish to reach the settlement if even a moment a sooner," I declared.

In the end, the gray wolves never came back, and it became clear that we would eventually reach the settlement safely.

But at the same time, there’s no doubting that I had lost.

And the bitter taste of that defeat remained within my chest.

I had lost&h.e.l.lip; To a beast no less&h.e.l.lip; A beast&h.e.l.lip;

Anger seethed, and I gritted my teeth in its fervor.

This humiliation&h.e.l.lip; I will definitely make you pay for this, you mutts!


◆◇◇


–––Ahh&h.e.l.lip;. The red snake coiled around my right arm is itching&h.e.l.lip;

I’ve been restless ever since the day I lost to that gray wolf. Even running without rest continuously is unable to exhaust this body. The word, fatigue, had completely vanished from my senses’ lexicon. The only sensation left, the incessant itching of this red snake.

Before I knew it, the <> had been raging without my behest.

Like pyre in my brains, scorching its pith, magical energies violently flowed from my body as if it were being wrung out from the very nucleus of this flesh.

"Where are the enemies!?" begged my soul. My eyes ravenously darting as I watched over my horde.

"Enemy! Enemy! Enemy! Enemy! Give me an enemy!!" beckoned my soul.

"Something to kill! Something to cut! A foe! A threat! An enemy!!!" cried every fiber of my being. "Is there no one? Is there nothing!? Where are you!?"

Those craving, almost wis.h.i.+ng thoughts stormed a gale at the back of my mind, driving me into lunacy when the village entered my eyes.

"To the village!" I shouted, ordering the horde to enter.

Then I rushed back to the rear end of the horde’s line.

Come after me, you mutts!

I’ll kill every single one of you b.a.s.t.a.r.ds!!

"GURUuuuauu&h.e.l.lip;"

That restless howl left from the pits of my stomach, echoing out loud as I glared viciously towards the path we had come from. Then from my back, a voice entered my ears, "King" it said. It was the old goblin.

A king? King&h.e.l.lip; Right! I’m a king! A king! Me! Me! Me!!! A king!

I am a king!

By forcefully invocating the [Skill] <>, you are able to resist against the urges attacking you.

I want to swing my arm. I want to release this never ending gush of magical energy!

Destroy everything you see! Crush them! Break them! Kill them! Kill every single one of them! KILL! KILL! KILL––

"OOOOAOOOAOooo!!"

At that bellowing roar gus.h.i.+ng forth from the inner pits of my stomach, I struck Iron Second into the earth.

"Silence!" I commanded within my mind.

Gritting my teeth, I focused all of my strength, and activated the [Skill] <>. Then the old goblin spoke again, "King?" it asked.

"&h.e.l.lip; Are you done evacuating?" I asked back, at the same time wondering whether my voice was shaking or not.

"Yes, without any problems," replied the old goblin.

"I see&h.e.l.lip; I want to be alone for a moment. Don’t let anyone near me."

"Yes."

The old goblin left, while I remained. I didn’t move one bit from that spot until I had managed to calm down the <>.



◇◆◇

Gi Go’s horde of goblins that were injured were able to reach the settlement safely.

This settlement still has plenty of room left, but thinking that if I don’t do something I’ll end up remembering that loss again, I decided to go mark the boundaries between the different areas in the settlement.

At the center is an open s.p.a.ce where the goblins are to have their meals. Some stones have been piled up in the center of that open s.p.a.ce, serving as a fire place. Then north of that open s.p.a.ce is the dwelling place of the prisoners. Then east of that is the king’s, my house.

I then decided to let the goblins that have evolved into goblin rares live near me. While the other goblins are to be situated around the open square, following the fence.

I decided on this arrangement in order to make it easy to distinguish who is close to the king and who is not, as well as to make giving out orders quick and easy.

As for the non-combatant goblins, I gave them the area west of the goblin rares’ dwelling.

The horde of goblins that Gi Go was leading, even after being reduced by the gray wolves, raised our numbers by 45.

Although that’s for both combatants and non-combatants, having that many goblins added to our number would still definitely cause friction.

So in order to avoid that, I arranged them in this way.

After that a day pa.s.sed since returning to the village.

There are now 92 goblins in total, but the goblins are too weak. I handed the thin ones over to Gi Gu, while I thought up of a countermeasure for the gray wolves.

We are, after all, only a day’s distance away from a number of powerful beasts.

While they won’t be able to destroy the village in one raid, they could certainly prove to be a hindrance in our hunts.

But really it’s just that I can’t stay put unless I do something.

For the meantime, I ordered my subordinates to spread their hunting grounds towards the west and the east.

From what I know there’re at least two gray wolves. I need to think something up quick.

I walked while thinking, and before I knew it, I found myself in front of the shed where Res.h.i.+a was being kept captive.

"Uu~u," cooed someone&h.e.l.lip; or something.

Hmm? That voice sounds familiar.

Knitting my eyebrows, I looked for the source of that voice. And when I found it, I saw the kobold from before being fed by Res.h.i.+a.

Suddenly, the kobold turned around, and then it wagged its fluttery tail vigorously.

Res.h.i.+a threw it a bone, and the kobold chewed on that as if it were in heaven.

With it looking completely intoxicated like that, it’s really no different from a dog.

The shed Res.h.i.+a’s using was originally meant for domestic animals, so it’s easy to see what’s going on from outside.

It’s not even locked. Really, the only thing that’s guaranteeing their safety is my word.

While thinking that, I noticed the kobold staring at me as it wagged its tail.

In the next instant, it ran towards me, and played at my feet.

But despite that, it didn’t let go of its bone once. What a glutton.

[Skill] <> has activated. Oops, I guess stared too much.

[Race] Kobold
[Level] 9
[Cla.s.s] Puppy
[Possessed Skills] <> <> <>
[Divine Protection] None
[Attributes] None
[Master] Enslaved to a Goblin Duke

Am I supposed to laugh that all it can do is literally eat?

Looking at this guy is kind of exhausting. All that anger is slowly seeping away, sigh.

As I breathed out a deep sigh, a voice called out from inside the shed.

"Are you back?"
"Yeah, although we didn’t come back unscathed."

Having calmed down to some degree, I entered the prisoners’ shed.



◇◆◆



"A bit cranky today, aren’t you?" I asked.

To which the goblin in front of me responded with a smile as if deriding itself.

"I lost some of my subordinates&h.e.l.lip; Even though I dared call myself king; it’s unsightly."

In other words, you’re depressed? Even though you’re a monster?

Ever since I was acknowledged by the G.o.ddess of Healing, Zen.o.bia, and received her divine protection, I’ve been given a number of special privileges. The best education, exemption from taxes in different countries, preferential treatment should I enter a guild, and more.

One of the things I’ve been taught is the ability to see through lies. No matter who it is or what it is, as long as they possess intelligence, what they’re thinking will definitely show in their eyes. This is knowledge I received from humanity’s highest inst.i.tute of education, the Ivory Tower!

And just as I’ve been taught, I gazed into the goblin’s eyes, but&h.e.l.lip; it’s not wavering.

It’s common sense in human society that monsters are nothing but brutal, egoistical,