Possessed SkillsRuler of the Demon Children of Chaos; Defiant Soul; World Devouring Howl; Sword Mastery A-; Dominator; Kingâs Soul; Rulerâs Wisdom III; Household of the Gods; One-Eyed Snakeâs 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 ProtectionGoddess of the Underworld (Altesia)
Abnormal StatusBlessing of the One-Eyed Snake; Protection of the Twin-Headed Snake
âNow then, let us talk,â I said.
Nikea looked like sheâd eaten a fly as she nodded.
âFirst of all, I shall have you keep your earlier promises,â I said.
âOf course, we will do as we promised,â Nikea said.
âI also want you to introduce me to the other descendants of the crystals.â
ââŚWhy?â
âTo make friends, of course, why else?â
âI wouldnât know.â
The battered araneae was forced to acquiesce to my requests. As such, trade between the goblins and the araneae would begin, their village would have to welcome my goblins, and Nikea herself would have to introduce me to the rest of the demihumans.
Iâm sure Gi Za would reprimand me, saying Iâm too soft, but itâs really not a good idea to demand too much. Tribes that donât hold ill will to us goblins are precious. The araneae will serve as our foothold into the world of the demihumans. It wouldnât do to sour our relationship.
âThat will be all,â I said.
Nikea looked at me, confused.
âIs that really all?â
âYes. Oh, there is one more thing.â
âWhat?â
Nikea went full alert as soon as I said there was one more request.
âI would like to rest at your village tonight.â
ââŚOh, alright.â
Nikea laughed a little when she saw me mischievously smiling.
After defeating the fiery demihuman, we headed back to the araneae village. When we got there, we were led to our lodging, where beds made out of spider threads greeted us. Shumea and Selena immediately went to jump on them, leaving me dumbfounded. After that nothing unusual happened. Even the reaction of the araneae upon seeing us return looking exactly as if theyâd seen ghost was just as expected.
From here on out is Nikeaâs job.
Will the araneae⌠Will Nikea keep her promise?
Tonight, I refrained from sleeping and kept watch for the goblins.
âDo you truly intend to trust them, Your Highness?â Gi Za asked.
I smiled. âI donât trust them yet. Everything will depend on their response. If the need arises, I donât mind making every araneae taste the bitterness of defeat.â
âAt that time, please let me lead the battle.â
They used wood for their pillars, while they used mud and threads for their walls. We sat before the entrance of our lodging.
Gi Ji Arsil prostrated himself before me. âI shall surely present the head of that araneae, Nikea, to you, Your Majesty.â
âDonât rush. The way things are going, Nikea probably wonât become our enemy. If anything, sheâs most likely to fight for us in the case something does happen,â I said.
âAgainst her own tribe?â The ferocious Gi Ba asked, to which I nodded.
Gi Ba and the other goblins of his generation were raised in an environment where all goblins were allies. He must have grown up thinking that those of the same race would never attack each other.
Gi Za and Gi Ji understood how the world worked, but Gi Do and the others could not.
âYour Highness, they live in the same village, surely they wouldnât attack each other,â Gi Do fearfully said.
âThe people unhappy with Nikea might not think so,â I said, but again Gi Do could not understand.
Gi Ba sneered. âIdiot.â
âYou mean they would actually fight each other despite being of the same race?â Gi Do asked.
I touched my chin. âThey donât necessarily have to fight out in the open. They could just grumble. Werenât there araneae who followed us this morning? That woman probably doesnât have this whole village under control.â
âIn other words, her enemies might ignore her words and attack us,â Gi Za said.
The other goblins nodded.
âThen which side will we pick?â Gi Ji asked.
I became thoughtful. âHmmâŚâ
Would Nikea really stay put even as her own tribesmen are killed? Iâm sure she would choose them over us despite their differences.
âIf Nikea bares her fangs at us, we will respond in kind.â
As my heart ferociously laughed, a twisted smile rose upon my lips.
âââ
âNikea of the hard crystal, do you truly intend on accepting them? They are goblins. You think such creatures are trustworthy?â One araneae said.
Up above at the tallest tree of the village was a vast hall made of threads, where the masters of the village gathered.
âExactly, Nikea. Why is someone as wise as you unable to understand? Those goblins should be killed,â another araneae said.
Voices of complaints rose one after another, but Nikea only calmly listened.
Of the people gathered, more than half of them were against the goblins. About 30% of those voiced their criticism loudly.
ââŚâ Nikea quietly listened to those voices, then she turned to a single araneae. She asked. âDo you think the same, Nerou of the blue crystal?â
That araneae was young and overflowing with elegance. A smile appeared on his lips. âBut of course, the goblins are filthy creatures.â
The araneae was smiling though his eyes were filled with scorn.
Nikea quietly sighed.
Nerou was a skilled araneae with good blood. He was originally chosen to be the next chief, but Nikea became the chief instead. From then on he has curried favor with the other araneae, using them to try and seize the position of chief from Nikea.
Nerou never openly went against Nikea. Instead, he allowed others to criticize her, making sure he didnât do anything to disadvantage himself.
Cowardly bastard, Nikea thought. Her earlier attempts to capture the fiery demihuman was originally a plot to try and convince these people, but as a result, it only made things more difficult.
The goblinsâ request was by no means excessive.
At the very least, it was far better than the Nerou Factionâs demand to kill the goblins.
The arguments went without any resolve, while Nikea only quietly waited. She waited patiently until they would finally give her an opportunity to speak her thoughts.
When the Nerou Faction, the Neutral Faction, and the small Nikea Faction were finally exhausted, Nikea spoke. âHear me, descendants of the crystals. I have come to an agreement with them as your chief. To speak against that decision is a challenge to my authority as chief. Moreoverââ
Nikeaâs dignity as chief made the araneae shudder.
âWe, descendants of the crystals, came to be because of our trustworthiness and our righteousness. The goblins are here among us in our village precisely because they trust us. To attack them in their sleep, would that not shame our pride!?â
The Nerou Faction had no choice but to keep silent despite their frustrations. The Neutral Faction nodded as they talked among themselves. The members of the Nikea Faction were all smiling, delighted at the greatness of their chief.
âThat is all. If there is nothing else, this meeting will be adjourned.â
The first to stand up were the Nerou Faction, who left posthaste, followed by the Neutral Faction. The Nikea Faction stayed behind and gathered around Nikea.
âChief, are you sure this is the right choice?â One of them asked.
âEverything should be fine as long as we donât pull anything. Itâs just thatâŚâ Nikea replied.
âItâs just that?â One of them asked.
âIf a war breaks out, we will surely lose,â Nikea solemnly said.
The members of the Nikea faction looked at each other.
âButâŚâ One of them tried to argue.
âDid you see that goblin? The big black one.â
Nikeaâs voice was gentle, as if to guide them. Her gaze was gentle, much like a mother, as she looked at the araneae who was like a younger brother to her.
âYes,â he said.
âThat is their king. He fought the Man-Eating Tiger by himself and won. And those goblins under him. What do you think of them?â
âThere were all sortsâŚâ
âYes, the goblins reproduce quickly. So quickly, in fact, that itâs terrifying. More than likely, their main force is waiting somewhere. If a war breaks out, that army would come marching to our doorsteps. Individually, we might have the upper hand, but numerically? They would overwhelm us.â
The araneae were speechless at their chiefâs predictions.
âWe have to work with them. This is the only way for our tribe to survive,â Nikea said.
The members of her faction all fearfully nodded.
Tl Note: Both chapters were short, so double chapter it is. Much thanks to all those who answered my question in the previous chapter. Iâll go with poisonous next time.