Chapter 172 – Fight for The Holy Land (2)

The allied army started to make a fuss.

-End the old war…?

-They don’t want to destroy the snails.

And it wasn’t a good fuss. Instead, the commanders of the other races, who were listening at the side, all began to vent their anger towards the goblins.

-That means they’re siding with the slavers.

-That’s a bunch of bullshit!

-That’s probably why they were hesitating to participate in the war!

-They probably waited until both armies were weak and tired before coming to make their move. It’s possible that the snails asked them for help. Aren’t you guys ashamed to face the spirits of your ancestors?

Criticism poured in like a flood.

But the goblin warriors didn’t even bat an eyelid.

-It doesn’t matter what you say. We have boldly revealed our intentions. The Fire River Council held 12 small meetings and 6 large ones. And our consensus at the end was that [This war which will lead to the extinction of the snails goes beyond simple revenge].

-Traitors!

-You should put chains around your ankles again!

-Wait a minute.

Flap.

Hundreds of bats, who were hanging from the fence that was built around the camp, spread their wings. Then, one of them flew down and transformed into a humanoid form. A vampire wearing a dark cloak. That was the evolutionary form of the bloodsucking race.

-I am Karajan of the Blood Forest. Commander of 1,600 elite soldiers. My ancestors lived on the roof of Rimepolis and my grandfather and grandmother were great warriors in the last expedition.

The Black Dragon Master shook. Although she’d expected it to an extent, the evolution of her own race took her by surprise.

-Warriors of the Wet Lands. You were the first to escape Rimepolis in the era of the Great Escape. You were the first to pick up your stone axes, but when we had the chance to destroy the snails once and for all, you turned your backs.

A noble of the bloodsucking race, a bloodsucking noble, bared his fangs.

-According to the legends, the snail pursuers also let you go for some reason.

-…….

-I can’t help but feel suspicious. You, who refused to participate in any of the expeditions, have now appeared before us and cried for the war to stop. Why does it feel like you made a secret pact with the snails a long time ago?

-It has been more than half a millennium since that time. It was thanks to the achievements of Kekerkker and his apostle Gorke that we defeated the snails’ pursuit. The apostle Gorke, climbed onto the back of Kekerkker and defeated 13 snail warriors in a row in one on one combat.

Hey.

‘Our Gorke was appointed as an apostle?’

For some reason, I felt happy and sad. He was a kid who called me a demon, and said he didn’t want to get hit by me. But now he has left his name in history.

-Impressed by their ability, the commander of the snails retreated with his army.

-Heh. How impressive.

The vampire sneered.

-The honorable duel of the noble prophet and the admiration of his adversary. That is indeed a heroic tale that can be sung in legends. I don’t know if it’s just me, but I feel like that was more like [A pact between two sides] rather than [Impressing the enemy].

The expression of the goblin commander changed slightly.

-……it was by no means an honorable duel. Kekerkker has a cruel and vicious side. He forced Gorke, who didn’t want to fight, to participate.

Huh?

-The apostle Gorke made a request to us even upon death. Kekerkker is not our god. Instead, he is a friend who wants to help us. But because he has a dirty mouth and a foul temper, he’s not a friend you should keep close.

Huh?

-That’s right. To put it simply, Kekerkker is a bad friend.

-How can you call your god a bad friend? That’s blasphemy!

The human commander shouted loudly. However, the solemn expression of the great warrior dispatched by the goblins didn’t change.

-That’s what the lore says. The names that are used to refer to Kekerkker are [Foul-mouthed Lion], [The one who loves to hit with their hands], and [Believer of education through violence].

“…….”

The other hunters slowly turned to look at me.

Uhhh…

I could tell from their expressions, their gazes. It was like they were all suspicious of me and were inwardly criticizing me. It had been a long time since I’d received these kinds of gazes from my companions

“Death King….”

The Black Dragon Master opened her mouth.

“You… I didn’t think you were that kind of person. Have you been beating up these children when we weren’t looking? I’m shocked. To be honest, I’m very shocked.”

“…it’s said that a person’s true self is revealed when they become parents and have to raise children.”

The Crusader looked at me with a sharp gaze.

“How bad were you to the goblins to have lore like that passed down? Death King. How many times did you hit that goblin’s small boy? I hope you reflect….”

“No, no, no. Wait a minute! Stop! Hold on!”

I waved my hands violently from side to side.

“It’s not like that! I’m not violent! You know that!”

“Well. You had to do something right…? Otherwise, such words wouldn’t have been passed down.”

“I did hit him! But I did it while using the [Dream Possession] item. It was in the item. The item! No matter how much he got hit in the dream, he wouldn’t get any injuries. So I used the quickest method to teach him aura…….”

“Oh my god. Did you try to kill the goblin in its dreams?”

The Crusader asked with wide eyes. My other companions also murmured softly.

“Leaving no injuries on his body is different from mental scarring. Mental injuries could be many times more serious. Moreover, education through violence….”

“[Foul-mouthed Lion]….”

“[The one who loves to hit with their hands]….”

“[Believer of education through violence]….”

“No, wait a minute. Seriously, that makes me sound bad, but it wasn’t like that! I can’t tell you exactly how it was, but I assure you it wasn’t that bad! Really! I was just making sure the little blinnies didn’t lose their culture. You have to believe me”

“Typical self-explanation….”

“Just like in domestic violence cases….”

Ahh, ahhh!

My reputation! My image was being tainted!

My precious image that I could be relied on at any time, anywhere, and that I was reliable, kind and competent!

-Hey. Who are you talking about…?

‘Me of course.’

-You really are a crazy bastard….

While my image was being shattered, the leaders of the allied army were also looking at the goblin great warrior in shock.

-It’s well known that the descendants of the rock salt miners have gone crazy….

-How could they treat their god like that? Are they out of their minds?

-As expected, we can’t mix with these weirdos.

Well. It seemed the goblins also had a strange image.

That wasn’t my fault, was it? No. I don’t think… Maybe?

-Ugor.

The goblin great warrior sighed.

-We have conveyed the intentions of the council. I do not care if you accept us or not. However, keep in mind that we are here to end this war. Whether it’s the snail race or another race, we will not sit back and watch them be annihilated.

-Hoh! Do you think you can do whatever you want?!

-We always do whatever we want.

After saying those words, the goblin turned his lion around.

-Keep in mind. We are just the vanguard. The Chairman of the Council is directly leading the main unit. The Rain Drinking Lions and the Fire Loving Warriors are all on their way. You ought to be afraid.

Then he said to his subordinates.

-Let’s go.

The goblin warriors moved as one, leaving the allied army with frustrated expressions. If they wanted to stop them, they would have to fight, but there would be no benefit fighting forces that were neither allies nor enemies. The allied army could only furrow their brows as they watched the goblins who were doing this and that.

-No.

Then.

-Those guys…?

As they looked at the goblins, the allied army suddenly erupted. Even their leaders were shocked.

-TH-, they’re building a camp there?!

In the place between the camps of the allied army and the snails.

The goblin warriors settled down in a place that would allow them to reach either side in an instant.

-Uug. The viscosity of the dirt here is not bad.

-It’s just sticky enough.

-I’m tired from marching. Do my back for me.

A stream flowed through the plains, and beside it were roughly 400 goblins kneading the mud on its banks. They pressed the mud to each other’s backs and carved intricate patterns on their bodies. It was a leisurely and relaxed scene similar to that of a group on vacation. One would never have expected to see such a scene on the battlefield.

Those who didn’t know anything might think they were just there to hang out.

“How shameless…”

“Somehow, I feel like this is familiar….”

“I feel like I’ve seen this somewhere before…?”

The hunters beside me began to look back and forth between me and the goblins.

I couldn’t tell why.

I’ve done nothing but good things for those kids.

-Move as soon as you pick a number.

After their bath, two goblin warriors left the camp.

One faced the allied army.

The other faced the snails.

Only two warriors stood, blocking the paths of two armies.

-Ugor.

The goblin warrior looked at the allied army while holding a greatsword.

It was as though he was telling them they would have to get past him to go forward.

-Those, those……!

Realizing the meaning behind his action and gaze, the leaders of the allied army were indignant.

-Those rude bastards! Do they really think we wouldn’t dare to fight them one on one?!

-The goblins are always like that! They talk like nobles, but their actions are barbaric!

-We are the knights who are upholding the holy will of the guardians. How dare these noisy mongrels who mock their god block our way?!

-Send fighters! Sending one of our fighters is more than enough!

Soon after, an elf fighter got onto a white horse and stepped out.

-Mold bastard! I will bury your smelly corpse in the ground today!

When he saw the elf standing before him, the goblin warrior called out.

-My name is Murmu. Descendant of Kekerkker and the great warrior Gorgir of the Great Escape. I’m ranked 631st among the warriors of the Fiver River Council. What is your name?

-I don’t need to tell you my na-…!

At that moment, the goblin warrior threw his greatsword.

The huge sword flew through the air like a windmill.

-me?!

Shocked, the elf barely managed to raise his twin swords in time. Clang! With an explosive sound, the fairy was sent flying. He had blocked the blade, but the force of the attack was so great that he couldn’t negate its momentum.

-C-, cough!?

Unable to even perform a proper landing, the elf let out a cough before trying to get to his feet. However, the goblin was already approaching while riding on his lion. The lion stepped on the elf’s shoulders with its front paws.

-Hee….

-Not revealing your name and that of your ancestors shows that you lack etiquette. Ugor.

Puk!

The goblin then controlled his lion to step on the elf’s head. After the head of the elf disappeared, the lion swiped its paw across the ground before letting out a roar.

The duel had ended in an instant.

-Neigh!

The white horse, which had lost its owner, cried out and pitifully ran to the other side of the plain. Or at least it tried to,

-Neigh?!

One of the goblin soldiers suddenly threw a spear into the horse’s chest. The plains instantly became quiet. The goblin then rushed to the horse and dragged it back.

When the allied army stared at them with blank expressions, the goblin realized they had done something embarrassing and bowed their heads politely.

-Sorry. I’m a bit hungry….

-…….

-I thought it would be a waste to just let it run away like that. Meat is precious. Or at least, that’s what I think. Go back to fighting.

And with that, he leisurely returned to the goblin camp.

He had been perfectly polite when he bowed his head.

-…….

The allied army found it hard to close their mouths.

-That…….

-Cheap bastard!

-I never thought there was such an ignorant bastard in the world!

-He threw his sword in an honorable duel! Is that what you call a warrior?!

-If you think it’s unfair, throw your swords too. Ugor.

The warrior who killed the elf scrunched his nose.

-And we’ve always been like this.

-What?

-We learn aura from a young age, and the big brothers who teach us it, beat us up. We are originally a weak and ugly race, so if we don’t want to die, we have to learn how to use aura. They beat us to the point where we wished we were dead, but they were so skillful at beating that we couldn’t die. By getting hit over and over, we learned how to use aura.

Choosing one of the older brothers and beating them up instead was the process to be recognized as an adult.

The goblin warrior looked at the sunset sky.

His bright eyes seemed to contain sorrow that couldn’t be expressed in words.

-Even a council member like me can’t believe that there is such an ignorant race in the world….

-…….

-But it can’t be helped. This is for the best. There is no method more effective at teaching aura than the pain of death. This is the teaching that Kekerkker gave to the apostle Gorke over 600 years ago.

The warrior murmured.

-We call this the [Shibal Aura Training Method] modeled after Kekerkker’s manner of speech. It’s really crazy.(TL: You should know by now… ED: dies laughing)

Behind him, the other goblin warriors all shouted out.

-Friendship instead of reverence! Trust instead of faith!

-Shibal!

-Shibul!

The warrior nodded.

-The river of our race is deep and wide. There are no gods in this world, just bad friends. So we have to do our best. We have no choice but to do our best. Those who were once bound in chains with us. Stop destroying the snails.

-…….

-Otherwise, you will lose.

The plains became silent.

I was also silent.

But my companions weren’t silent

“That’s the Death King….”

“Definitely the Death King….”

“Death King, why are you over there?”

“When did you grow your teeth and paint your skin green, Death King?”

Wait a minute.

Was there something wrong with my image?