<h4>Volume 3, Chapter 156: The Invasion of the nds (2/2)</h4>


    Race: Goblin


    Level: 92


    ss: 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 Maniption; Soul of the Berserk King; Third Impact (The Third Chant); Warrior''s Instinct; Blessing of the Underworld Goddess; Guided One


    Divine Protection: Goddess of the Underworld (The goddess)


    Attributes: Darkness; Death


    Subordinate Beasts: High Kobold Hasu (Lv77); Gastra (Lv20); Cynthia (Lv68); Orc King (Bui) (Lv82)


    Abnormal Status: Blessing of the OneEyed Snake; Protection of the Twin-Headed Snake


    Gowen Ranid was in his manor when he received the report.


    He has been in his office sinceing back from training to ensure that all the ns tomorrow were good to go. It was then that some soldiers appeared before him, panicked.


    “The signal fire from the colonial city has been lit! It’s red! The monsters are attacking!”


    Gowen was in the middle of his lunch when they entered. He cut the bread on his te, dipped it in his soup, and then he took a bite out of it.


    “Details?” Gowen asked as he pushed away the thoughts of panic from the monstersing too early.


    “W-We don’t have any information as of the moment! But…” One of the soldiers said.


    “Then send some scouts and prepare to send a messenger to the capital,” Gowen said. “The north and the south too.”


    “Yes, sir!” The soldier said.


    “Oh, and the guild too. We’ll be paying handsomely, so tell them to send their best,” Gowen said.


    “The Adventurers Guild, sir?” The soldier confirmed.


    “Yes. Anything else?” Gowen asked.


    Seeing the soldier dumbfounded, Gowen said. “Don’t worry. Even if a horde of monster attacks, the colonial city won’t fall so easily. We have more than enough time to have our lunch.”


    “Yes, sir!”


    Satisfied that the soldier had finally calmed down, Gowen finished the bread in his hands and hurriedly concluded his lunch, then he gathered the soldiers of the west.


    “To think on top of the southern heretic revolt we would have to deal with the monsters. I don’t think they intentionally aimed for this timing, but…”


    The reinforcements from the south will be lessened.


    The south was too unstable for the capital to easily send reinforcements. He would ask Gund for help, but the barbarians have started moving in the north again.


    “So the time of tribtion hase, has it?” Gowen muttered.


    Currently, his forces had 800 footmen, 200 cavalry, and 100 archers. On top of that, he also had the new weapons, the chariots, from the east beyond the Eastern Holy Shushunu Kingdom.


    The engineers mentioned they had to test the chariots in livebat. The chariot unit’s training hasn’t beenpleted yet, however, so Gowen wasn’t sure how effective they would be, but as far as mobility went, they were unequaled.


    They had less cavalry as a result, but since Corseo’s passing, no one has really managed to win the cavalry over anyway.


    Gowen lifted his head and pushed away the needless worries.


    “We have to win,” Gowen said.


    Since they’reing out to the nds, they have some advantages. This time they’ll be the ones to trample them as they try to surround the colonial city.


    As Gowen resolved himself, he began his preparations.


    ◆◆◇


    As Gilmi led the detached force under hismand to surround the colonial city, the main force led by the Goblin King took arge detour through the north before going to the nds.


    As the sun set, the harpyurea, who traversed the skies, and Gi Ji Arsil’s unit, who traveled on ground, moved to scout the enemy.


    In the position of the vanguard was the Goblin King’s subordinate with the biggest army, Gi Gu Verbena.


    His duty was to gather information on the surrounding area, search a safe route, and move his army ordingly.


    One of the harpyurea flying in the sky cried a high-pitched sound as she descended to where Gi Gu was. As a duke ss goblin, Gi Gu’s muscr body was a size bigger than everyone else’s.


    “Reporting,” the harpy said.


    As Gi Gu raised his head, the harpy flying at a low altitude behind him casually reported.


    “There is a human vige northwest half a day’s distance away. Size: slightly big,” the harpy reported.


    “Slightly? That’s not very specific. Enemy number?” Gi Gu asked.


    “Don’t know~” The harpyughed, then she flew back to the sky.


    Nuu, Gi Gu groaned, then he turned to his subordinates and gave an order.


    “Contact Gi Ji and have him confirm the harpyurea’ intel,” Gi Gu said.


    After ordering one rare ss goblin, he sent another rare ss goblin.


    “Inform the king that we’ve spotted a human vige. We’re currently investigating it. Direction: Northwest. Distance: Half a day. Go!” Gi Gu said.


    The rare ss goblin mumbled to himself Gi Gu’s orders, then he bolted off for the king.


    Gi Gu had a lot of goblins under him, so he could afford to use the precious rare goblins as messengers.


    The battle with the killer ants made Gi Gu realize just how difficult it was tomunicate during wartime. Normal ss goblins can’t deal with unexpected situations and are too dumb to memorize long


    messages, so the minimum ss for messengers had to be rare ss. Theck of a more satisfactory solution made Gi Gu groan.


    Using the rare ss for such tasks meant that their battle prowess would dwindle.


    “I know it’s the king’s orders, but this is really going to be difficult,” Gi Guined to himself.


    The king had ordered them to capture the human viges without killing any humans. That was a tall order for the goblins who knew nothing but war.


    Gi Gu had to ensure that his subordinates understood their mission.


    The Goblin King gave that order after considering the post-war issues, but Gi Gu did not understand that. As far as he was concerned, the king asked them to upy the viges to execute surprise attacks.


    “It would be faster if we just killed them all,” Gi Gu muttered.


    In that case, wiping out all the humans to seal their lips would be ideal. But despite worrying endlessly, Gi Gu convinced himself that he had to obey the king’s orders. Gi Gu hurried on with his army.


    His objective was the western city. He would take the humans by surprise and take the head of their boss.


    Until then he had to move carefully.


    “Hurry!”


    Gi Gu ran to the vige with 40 rare goblins, while the main force ran to the east. Even as the twin moons, Ervi and Navi, dyed the nds in their light, the demon children of chaos (goblins) army showed no signs of stopping.


    ◆◆◇


    Gi Gu’s messenger arrived at the rear guard the Goblin King led. It was already night by the time he arrived.


    “A vige, huh. We should drop by,” the king said.


    The Goblin King immediately made up his mind and left the task to Gi Ga Rax, who then bolted off with his ck tiger.


    The Goblin King had borrowed 10 iron legs from the Paradua reserve forces, so he decided to have Shumea and Fei ride with them.


    “Shumea, Fei, you’reing with us,” the king said.


    The spearwoman blessed by the god of mes and the elven officer and warrior looked at each other, puzzled.


    “I’m going to dere an edict in the upied vige. You are to ensure that the vigers fully understand what I’ve said,” the Goblin King said.


    “W-Wait a moment, Boss! That’s impossible for me!” Shumeained.


    “I’m not taking no for an answer. You’ve rested plenty, and now, I’m going to work you sick,” the Goblin King said.


    “But Boss…” Shumeained.


    She looked pitiful, almost like she was about to cry at any moment, but the king ignored her and asked the messenger the directions of the vige.


    “Hurry,” the king implored with a cool face.


    Fei immediately got up one of the ck tigers and sat behind a Paradua goblin.


    “Uu~, damn it! If a girl has guts! She can do anything!” Shumea said as she thrust her spear into the innocentnd before jumping onto one of the ck tigers.


    “Ready? Let’s go!” The Goblin King said.


    The Goblin King ran alongside the 10 ck tigers. It was a pity but there weren’t many beasts who could carry someone of a king ss’s stature.


    Of the ck tigers, the only one who could would be the old chief, Aluhaliha’s, jirouou. But even if jirouou could, he wouldn’t live long if he had to carry the king for a long time.


    Fortunately, with the king’s superior body, he could move quickly even without a mount.


    After a while, the human vige came to view. There were several goblins outside. They were probably Gi Gu’s people.


    The king was relieved to see that they were able to safely upy the vige. He heaved a sigh of relief as he entered the vige.


    Gi Gu’s subordinate goblins were from the south. They had long arms and specialized in climbing trees. When they saw the king, they prostrated themselves before him almost as if they were facing a god.


    A rare ss goblin toonmander greeted the king.


    “Your Majesty, to think you woulde here personally,” he said.


    The Goblin King nodded and had the vige chief summoned.


    There was a za at the center of the vige, where a stump just big enough for the king to seat on was. The king sat himselffly on that stump and struck zweihander into the ground.


    The pressure emanating from him was heavy enough to make even the stern officials of the capital run away barefooted, so it was only natural that Shumea would feel pity for the chief.


    “I kind of feel bad for them,” Shumea remarked.


    “We’re not killing them, though. If anything I’d say we’re being kind?” Fei said, causing Shumea’s face to turn bitter.


    “Your Majesty, I present to you the vige chief,” the rare ss goblin said as he presented the pale and shivering old chief to the king.


    “Thank you,” the king said.


    The Goblin King stared at the old vige chief.


    He wondered to himself how he could convince these people he meant no harm. After all, even old adventurers would want to run away upon seeing him. The pressure he emanated was simply that great.


    True enough the old vige chief couldn’t stop shivering just standing before him.


    To the old vige chief, the Goblin King looked like the sort who could speak only two words: ‘kill everyone’.


    The old vige chief desperately held on to his flickering consciousness. If he let his guard down for even a moment, he knew he would faint. He had little grandchildren left in the vige. At the very least, he had to find a way to save them.


    It was only a moment, but it felt like an eternity before the king finally opened his mouth.


    He went straight to the point as usual.


    “We will be taking control of this vige,” the Goblin King said.


    When Shumea heard the king’s low-pitched voice, she looked up to the sky.


    “That had the opposite effect, Boss,” she quietly remarked.


    Only Fei reacted to her. He raised up one of his brows as he quietly watched the Goblin King and the human converse.


    “Y-Yes…” The chief weakly said.


    The Goblin King continued. “So long as you don’t rebel against us, we won’t hurt you, so just shut up and live.”


    As far as the Goblin King was concerned, there was no problem so long as this vige had no ways ofmunicating with the west.


    Though he would have to wait until the true leader of this ce, the enemymander Gowen Ranid, was gone before he could assume full control.


    “W-We won’t s-say any-anything! I-I swear!” The vige chief said.


    “You keep that promise, it’s the one thing keeping lives. I’ll leave you some people to ensure things go smoothly. Dismissed,” the king said.


    As the Goblin King stood, he took zweihander back from the ground and sheathed it by his waist.


    The vige chief fell on his buttocks when the Goblin King did that, but he ignored him and passed by Shumea and Fei.


    “There’s no reason for needless battles. If anyone gets in the way, remove them. We can demand taxester,” the Goblin King said.


    “As youmand,” Fei said.


    “Well, we’ll manage somehow,” Shumea said.


    “I’ll be going ahead. Make sure the vigers understand my policies perfectly, then 2 daystere after me,” the Goblin King said.


    Fei quietly nodded and Shumea heaved a sigh of relief. Before the king left he asked the rare ss goblin toonmander to work with Shumea and Fei.


    “What will we be doing?” The goblin asked.


    Shumea heaved a sigh of relief as she looked at the chief, who was still sitting on his buttocks, dazed.


    “I think we can start by bringing an old man’s soul back,” she said.


    This is going to be a long 2 days, she thought.


    Author’s Note:


    From here on out, the story is going to feel much like an historical battle story, so I’ve decided to shift to a third-person perspective. I’ve also decided to stop showing the status unless necessary. They’ll be shown again when we switch back to a 1st person perspective.