3 bar menu

Chapter 98

A young High Goblin male led the Goblin army. In human years, this High Goblin would have been in his early twenties. He was Gougo Guuma of the Guuma clan, one of the Goblin clans ruling the dark northwest wilderness.

During the afternoon recess, Gougo resided in an erected tent. The fur rug of a tiger-shaped beast took the place of a carpet, and he was seated within with displeasure clouding his face.

The High Goblin Gougo, the highest ranking species of all Goblins, had a bald head and a gigantic physique lined with muscles of steel. His large body, which forced one to look up to behold, was covered in grey skin. His eyelids and lips were thick, and his tusks were stocky and sharp. Each of his five fingers was stained yellow, and his thick claws were as vicious as those of fierce beasts.

Under the gloomy and barren land governed by the Goblins, abundant mineral resources lay hidden. The Iron Shadow Armor wrapped around Gougo’s humongous body was made of this very magical metal.

The image of Gougo in his Iron Shadow Armor was an unusual sight from the usual Goblin soldier, considering their naturally robust build that could easily parry blunt blades with their hard chest and abdomen. Yet, Gougo had his armor covering his shoulders all the way to his wrists.

For some time, Gougo had been tapping the leather sheath containing a large single-edged sword bearing a flaming pattern with his right index finger impatiently. Not only had he lost his provisions due to the raucous attacks of humans over the past few days, but those assailants had also inflicted considerable damage to his camp. Gougo, who was naturally cantankerous, was peevish at this result.

Gim Gee, the leader of the Wizard Troops, Jada Zanum, leader of the Cavalry Troops, and four other military captains were in the tent alongside Gougo.

The main members of the Guuma clan army sent to Bern village were gathered at Gougo’s command to discuss counteractive measures against the humans who had been aggressively attacking in the past few days.

Gim was of High Goblin blood, a species that reigned over the Goblins. He was stronger and taller than Dran, though failing to reach Gougo’s build. His hair, which was the same shade of grey as his skin, draped down his back. His features were much more human than Gougo, except for his slightly hooked nose, pointed ears, and tusks peeping through his lips.

As a sorcerer who specialized in spirit magic and dark magic, Gim possessed the skull of the thunder cow, a magical stone, and a sorcerer’s staff made of spirit stones. Moreover, he donned a robe made of the feathers and fur of demons. He was a stellar young sorcerer of the same generation as Gougo, and he was expected to become Gougo’s advisor and right-hand man in the future.

Gim had been selected to accompany Gougo on this expedition, acting as Gougo’s personal consultant and keeping the conspicuously impulsive Gougo in check. However, the wizards under Gim’s command had failed to detect the approach of the Bern village calvary, leading Gougo to regard Gim rather coldly for these failures.

「So, how are you planning to deal with those humans?」

Gougo had not attempted to repress his annoyance as he interrogated his subordinates. A bloodbath had resulted due to the negligence of the wizards and scouts who had failed to detect the invasion of Bern village’s calvary. However, Gougo’s irritation had subsided considerably regarding this matter.

Anger was clearly being repressed in Gougo’s voice, holding back an outburst of fury. Facing such a situation, the various captains trembled in evident fear.

Finally, the one who answered Gougo was Jada, leader of the Cavalry Troops. His head was covered with the fur of a large wolf he used as his stead. The numerous tattoos and patterns on his body served as a form of hypnosis for himself and his beast stead.

Jada, who was one year older than Gougo and Gim, was one of the fiercest warriors of the Guuma clan. Even though Gougo’s anger prickled him, he expressed not the slightest trace of fear.

「Young master, I regret to say that our calvary beasts’ noses and ears, as well as magic, cannot detect their approach. I have to acknowledge this now considering the success of their four consecutive attacks. Hence, we have waited for their approach to seek our vengeance. If they are to retreat, I’ve reorganized the Wolf Fang Unit for pursuit.」

「So, we’ll have to wait for them to make the first move? That pisses me off, but, Jada, make sure you slaughter every last one of these assailants.」

「I, Jada, and my companions swear to do so.」

Gougo stared at Jada icily, as though questioning his highfalutin proclamation. Jada met Gougo’s glance with a confident nod, puffing his chest up proudly. Up until now, Jada had let the Bern village calvary invade and flee like the wind. However, he was certain that these humans would not be able to escape if he waited in ambush to pursue them.

「Well, Gim, how about the rations? The soldiers are flooding us with tireless complaints about their hunger. Can we hold out until we attack Bern village?」

Gougo’s voice when he spoke to Gim was a tad bit warmer than his gaze. After all, Gougo understood that Gim was an irreplaceable right-hand man to him, and they had been friends since childhood.

Gim was aware that Gougo’s trust in him had faltered a little during this expedition. Yet, there was still time to repair this relationship. There was no need for Gim to be frantic.

「The remaining rations will not be sufficient to fill everyone’s stomachs, but we can proceed with fighting Bern village smoothly. Rather, the troops may be blinded by food and ignore our commands once the battle is over.」

「I don’t care about a functioning army right now. Got it? Even as we’re doing this, the other clans are eyeing the seat of the Goblin King, birthing children, training them, and building an army. The Guuma clan will win the coming battle. In order to become king, we will exact our revenge on humans starting with Bern village. We will burn down villages, steal their food, make the Goblin species known to all, and inspire fear in their hearts. With these victories, we will return to the clans triumphantly and prove to them that the Guuma clan is the rightful successor to the throne of the Goblin King and rulers of the clans.」

As Magul had expected, the Goblin army led by Gougo, one of the sons of the Guuma clan leader, was just a foil to decide the next Goblin King among the clans. This ploy was also the reason Gougo had been entrusted with five thousand soldiers to ensure an easy victory.

For the Goblins who occupied the dark wilderness, Bern village was one of the most fiercely contested and prominent areas in the northern frontier of Arkrest Kingdom. If it were to be taken down, the other clans would no doubt pay attention to such a feat.

However, none of these Goblins having this conversation were aware of the worm-shaped golem the size of a sesame grain that had sneaked into the tent they were in. With this golem, every single word they had uttered had been communicated to Dran. As Gougo and his men planned their attack on their enemy, they would never have imagined that their forces, tactics, strategies, and every last detail about their plans were being made known to their opponent.

「Young master, we’re being attacked. The humans are finally here!」

A soldier reported breathlessly from outside the tent. Gougo and Jada, smug at the thought of their enemy falling into their trap, stood up with sinister smiles on their faces.

「Well then, Jada, let’s proceed as planned. Bern village is just around the corner. Perhaps this will be the last time they’ll be launching an attack on us.」

「Yes, leave everything to us.」

Jada responded with utter confidence and then looked contemptuously at Gim.

Gim remained unbothered by Jada’s gaze, as though nothing had happened. Annoyance bubbled further within Jada as he averted his intent glare and headed out of the tent.

This single act was sufficient to reveal the disconcerting feud between the two close aides of the candidate for the next clan leader. Both Gim and Jada yearned for each other’s failure, envied each other’s success, and secretly wanted to cause the other’s downfall or kill the other if possible.

Naturally, Gougo was aware of the feud between these two. Such matters were commonplace for Goblins. He was simply using their rivalry to ensure greater success for himself, and above all, he would do anything to avoid defeat. Moreover, the downfall of either did not bother Gougo, and he did nothing to stop their dispute.

The entire Goblin race possessed similar trains of thought, and Goblins were often slaughtered by those more powerful or influential than themselves. Even those born with great potential might not escape such a fate.

The Goblins had been an isolated existence for centuries or even millennia, stuck at a stalemate without making any progress. However, a majority of the species had failed to notice this situation. The only exceptions were probably Ancient Goblins with direct experience serving their Creator and his followers, and the descendants of such Goblins.

Even though the Bern village calvary had made it clear that the targets of their second attack were the Goblin wizards, calvary, and archers, there was little danger of infiltrating too deep into the enemy camp.

The enemy soldiers and scouts on the periphery of the enemy camp were being eliminated by gradual attacks aimed at thinning out their numbers. This strategy that focused on fleeing from the enemy served to reduce casualties for one, but little damage would be inflicted on the enemy as well.

However, the addition of Dran, Christina, Dramina, Aldeath, or Amias to the calvary would always lead to Goblin casualties of over a hundred after each siege. It was hard to say whether such a result was to be expected or rather excessive due to this formation. This time, with Dramina in the calvary once more, at least a hundred Goblins were guaranteed to be killed.

The calvary of Cres, Albert, and Dramina proceeded with the same strategy as before, riding their horses to scout the enemy camp’s periphery and taking out Goblins little by little.

Finally, the calvary’s movement altered when the Goblin calvary, who had fed on the final morsels of rations in their camp, rejuvenated their spirits. These Goblins charged forth fiercely for their counterattack.

Cres, who had grasped the Goblins’ movements fully from the information provided by Dran and Dramina, noticed that the Goblin calvary had begun to move as per their predictions. With a swift maneuver, Cres whipped his horse around and retreated from the Goblins.

The Goblin calvary, straddling great wolves the size of horses, consisted of 150 handpicked troops from Jada’s squad. The flames of revenge burned in their hearts to restore their dignity as they sprinted after the Bern village calvary who had just turned to flee.

However, the Goblin cavalry had ended up taking the bait laid by the Bern village calvary as they charged in pursuit, leaving their camp far behind them for Bern village.

As the Goblin calvary was lured away successfully by Dramina and her party, the Bern villagers lurking in ambush within the dark wilderness finally struck. They docked their bows with arrows, while Dran, Christina, and Selina unleashed their magic. This sudden siege eliminated the entire Goblin calvary, leaving none alive to return.

Jada, who had lost his precious cavalry helplessly, received the same icy glare from Gougo that had been directed at Gim earlier. Gougo’s trust in Jada, too, had wavered, and this valiant warrior no longer had the courage to make further proud declarations.

Even though the Bern village calvary had failed to annihilate the entire Goblin calvary, they had succeeded in eliminating a large majority of these enemy forces. Their goal in staging this attack had been more or less fulfilled. All that was left now was to wait for the siege in Bern village.