Tl Note: Please check the note at the end in the last chapter. There are no sprites anymore. The four sprites are all elves. There’s a more in-depth explanation at the end of the previous chapter. Also the character underneath the koro toku? was changed to small cave dweller.
VOLUME 2: CHAPTER 100 – A CERTAIN PARTING
Status
Race Goblin
Level 36
Class King; Ruler
Possessed Skills Ruler of the Demon Children of Chaos; Defiant Soul; World Devouring Howl; Sword Mastery A-; Dominator; King’s Soul; Ruler’s Wisdom III; Household of the Gods; One-Eyed Snake’s Evil Eye; The King's Dance at the Edge of Death; Magic Manipulation; Soul of the Berserk King; Third Impact (The Third Chant); Instinct; Blessing of the Underworld Goddess
Divine Protection Goddess of the Underworld (Altesia)
Attributes Darkness; Death
Subordinate Beasts High Kobold Hasu (Lv77); Gastra (Lv20); Cynthia (Lv20); Orc King (Bui) (Lv82)
Abnormal Status Blessing of the One-Eyed Snake; Protection of the Twin-Headed Snake
“Do you want to go home?” I asked.
Shumea and Gi Za turned to me with reproach in their eyes. In Gi Za’s case, it was probably because he would be troubled by the elf’s absence, while in Shumea’s, it was most likely because she thought I was only teasing her.
“Will you let me go home?” Selena asked with fear.
I nodded. “When the time comes. I need a contact to reach out to the elves after all.”
That wasn’t a lie. The goblins weren’t enough to take over the world. It’s not enough even with Bui’s orcs and Hasu’s kobolds.
To win against the humans, I need to gather the power of many races. The sylph with their masterful archery is one such race. I need them, but there’s no need to antagonize them.
Should they get in my way, however, I won’t mind forcefully annexing them into my kingdom. Everything will depend on how the sylphs react.
“Goblin boss, you sure are big-hearted,” Shumea said.
“Are you sure you haven’t simply forgotten your place?” I said back.
Shumea wryly smiled and scratched her head. “Well, if you put it that way…”
“Umm… T-Thank you,” Selene sheepishly said.
“It’s nothing to be grateful about.”
Everything depends on how the sylphs respond. There’s no reason to thank me.
After that Selena talked about the particularities of the sylph’s lifestyle.
She talked about playing with the small peoplekoro, about eating the edible plants near her village, and about the other elves her age.
The thing that caught my attention the most were the small metal workerskoro dwarves. They dug out holes to live in and were skilled in smithing and other industrial arts. The elves often traded elven liquor in exchange for their arrows and knives.
“How many of those koro dwarves are there?”
“Oh, they’re everywhere,” Selena said with a rare smile.
I inadvertently raised my brows at that. Her smile was beautiful, like the blooming of a flower, but I can’t believe she’s still answering so vaguely. It’s not actually that much of an issue, but it really slows down the conversation. Not to mention, I can’t follow up on this right now. If the other sylphs found out that I’m interested, they might use it to their advantage.
I asked a different question.
Apparently, the sylphs prefer to isolate themselves in various forests and build villages for themselves. They rarely interfered in matters of the world outside. They truly believed that there was no greater happiness than being in the forest.
But there were exceptions, and some of them would choose to live alongside the humans as adventurers.
When the discussion reached this point, Shumea spoke. “I’ve heard of some of those. There’s the King of Bows, Feeney, from the Blood Oath of the Moon FlowerFairy Clan, Five-Bow Shuen from the Holy Shushunu Kingdom to the east, and although not an archer, there’s also the salamander, Barui.”
Sylph happily added. “Feeney and Mr. Shuen are both sylphs. Mr. Barui is probably a salamander. But regardless, they all went out into the world over 30 years ago. They’re amazing people!”
The Five-Bow apparently refers to the top five bow users in the Holy Shushunu Kingdom.
“So, why did you end up a slave then? Weren’t the sylphs supposed to be happy living in the forest?” I asked.
Apparently, it wasn’t a pleasant topic for the sylph, as Selena’s shoulders immediately dropped. Shumea’s glare was pretty painful, but I ignored it and implored Selena to speak.
“…I’ve always looked up to the world outside. In the forest there’s no need to worry about food and other basic needs, but…”
When Selena went silent, Shumea consoled her with a hug.
“…A long time ago, someone told me this, ‘This place has everything… Everything except freedom’. That person left the village, and I never got to meet her again, but it was meeting her that made me want to see the world outside. I couldn’t understand what this ‘freedom’ she kept talking about was, but she dreamed of it. I wanted to understand what that ‘freedom’ she yearned for was, so I left the village.” Shumea said with tears in her eyes.
“And then you got caught by an evil slave trader?” Gi Za said, at which Selena tearfully nodded.
“Freedom, huh. Well… It’s good to be able to do as you please.” The former slave, Shumea, wryly smiled as she rubbed the back of her neck where her collar used to be. All her life she’s been thrown around by others. Who knows how mentally painful it is to realize not even your own life belongs to you.
My Defiant Soul ached within me. How many have been tortured with that pain? It doesn’t matter whether it’s the gods or the powerful humans. Such an act is unforgivable.
“I see… So that’s how you ended up a slave.”
“Cheer up, alright? If I ever meet that person, I’ll tell her you’re doing well. So, what’s her name?”
“Thank you… That person’s name is… Pale. Pale Tranquil ForestSymphoria.”
◇◆◇
The main street, where the mainstream stores were lined up, was hustling and bustling as always. In the alley, a short walk away from the main street, was the corner taken up by the slave traders.
Today, one of the imperial guards, Yuza, was out on a patrol with the lowborn soldiers.