Chapter 222

“Hmm… Goblins. This world really has all sorts of races.”

The person who said this while looking at the book with interest was Kurt.

However, it was Kurt from his younger days.

Though he had grown a bit since the first time he picked up that book.

He continued reading, and it seemed he had gotten the hang of it, as his reading speed had noticeably increased compared to when he first started.

Compared to the time when reading a single page felt like deciphering ancient texts, this was a huge improvement.

Moreover, while Kurt initially read books to gain knowledge to escape the Lizardman Village and live outside, now he flipped through the pages with genuine interest, purely enjoying the content.

His reading speed and attitude toward the book.

All of it had changed drastically compared to when he was first born as a Lizardman and felt disgusted by everything.

And what had changed wasn’t just about the book.

*Thud*

“Eek…!”

“Found you.”

A Lizardman with a gruff voice looked down at Kurt.

He was Iot, the village’s top hunter and Kurt’s mentor.

And…

“Iot…!”

“Don’t call your father by his name.”

He was also his father.

“…What kind of parent is a Lizardman anyway?”

“Kurt.”

“…”

At first, Iot would let it slide when Kurt hid in the Shaman’s hut, knowing he was there but hesitant to approach. But as this behavior kept repeating, Iot could no longer tolerate it.

“Playing hooky again, huh? How do you expect to become a hunter who can pull their own weight?”

“Hmph. I don’t care about being a hunter. I’m going to be a chef. And by the way, a chef’s hands are their life, so I can’t risk injuring them by doing something barbaric like hunting.”

“…I don’t understand. Cooking is meaningless.”

“On the contrary, I don’t understand why you don’t understand cooking!”

“…”

“…What, what is it?”

Kurt’s defiance was met with silence as Iot simply stared at him.

Though his pupils weren’t slit vertically, the weight in his gaze made Kurt shrink back unconsciously, though he still resisted. However, the boldness he once had was gone, and his voice faltered under Iot’s gaze.

After staring at Kurt for a moment, Iot turned around and spoke.

“Follow me. We’ll continue the lesson you missed.”

“I told you, I’m not going to be a hunter! And a chef’s hands are their life…”

“Today’s lesson will be theoretical.”

“…Ugh.”

“Are you not coming?”

Kurt felt a hint of sadness in Iot’s voice as he asked without looking back.

At the same time, a wave of guilt surged in Kurt’s heart.

‘No. What am I thinking… Why should I sympathize with a lizardman…?’

Of course, it was just a fleeting thought, and Kurt quickly shook his head to dismiss it.

Then, he reluctantly got up, carefully placed the book down, and followed Iot outside.

The hut he left behind now only had the book he was reading, left open on the page he had been on.

—

Goblins.

They were once one of the demon’s minions who nearly drove humans to extinction on this continent.

Alongside orcs, ogres, and trolls, they served as the vanguard of the demon’s army, leading the charge in massacring countless humans.

Now, after the great war of unprecedented scale in human history, those minions of the demon have all moved to the western part of the continent, hiding from sight. In contrast, humans have gathered in the eastern part, avoiding contact with those in the west, making encounters with them extremely rare. However, goblins were once a symbol of terror for humans.

Their physical characteristics include green skin, noses and ears larger and longer than those of ordinary humans.

In folklore, their eyes are said to be slit-like, and their teeth are sharp like saw blades, giving them a sinister appearance.

Their height is generally similar to that of dwarves, but unlike dwarves, who possess physical abilities far beyond their small stature, goblins have physical abilities proportional to their size.

In other words, they are weaker than the average human.

However, if that were their only trait, goblins would never have been a symbol of terror during the great war.

While their physical abilities and individual combat prowess pale in comparison to other minions of the demon, such as orcs, ogres, and trolls, goblins possess exceptional senses that those races lack.

Remarkable dexterity and eyesight.

Especially their ability to move around in pitch darkness as if it were daylight, combined with their small and fragile frames, allowed them to sneak into human camps at night during the great war, causing countless casualties.

The terror of waking up to find your comrade next to you dead from a goblin’s attack.

That was far more terrifying than the orcs and ogres charging with loud roars during the day.

Thus, during the great war, humans always feared goblin night raids and couldn’t sleep properly at night.

Goblins are generally known to be cunning and cruel by nature…

—

In the city of Astram, where various humanoid races live together, small disturbances occur here and there. Yet, despite the chaos, countless races coexist peacefully.

However, a suspicious shadow loomed over this peaceful city of Astram.

“Hehe. So this is Astram.”

The one who said this with a greedy smile was a goblin.

He wore a suit that was subtly different in style from what humans typically wore in the eastern continent.

It was a style more common in the western continent, where goblins, orcs, and other humanoid races lived, unlike the eastern continent where humans and others resided.

Yet, it was clearly a high-end, sophisticated outfit.

Behind him, several wagons pulled by docile herbivorous monsters resembling a mix of horses and oxen were lined up.

And those wagons were filled with what appeared to be various goods.

It was a massive trade caravan, larger than what even a sizable company would typically manage.

The goblin leading this caravan was Tirmel from the Coconut Company, a goblin-only nation in the western continent.

He had come to Astram with this large caravan because he had been appointed as the head of the Eustia branch of the Coconut Company’s overseas operations.

Or, more accurately, he wasn’t just appointed as a branch head but was tasked with establishing a branch of the Coconut Company in Astram.

While the eastern continent, inhabited by humans, elves, dwarves, and beastkin, and the western continent, inhabited by goblins, orcs, and ogres, rarely interacted, the Coconut Company, to which Tirmel belonged, was a massive company well-known in his nation.

Though the Coconut Company was a relatively new company with less than 20 years of history, its exceptional business acumen and aggressive expansion strategy had rapidly increased its influence. In his nation, the Coconut Company was seen as a dream company for young goblins seeking employment.

However, the Coconut Company had one problem.

Its influence was limited to the domestic market.

In the international trade market, other companies with long histories and traditions maintained strong relationships with their partners, and the image of a new company with less than 20 years of history was a deterrent to conservative foreign partners.

Thus, the Coconut Company, which wanted to grow beyond a domestic company and become an international trade company, repeatedly failed in its attempts to expand overseas and had to swallow bitter defeats.

As the company’s atmosphere grew increasingly gloomy due to these continuous failures, the company’s owner and Tirmel’s father decided to take a gamble.

Instead of trying to secure partners in countries already dominated by other companies, he decided to pioneer the untapped market of the eastern continent.

This bold, almost reckless decision was to expand the business by targeting the human society, which had never been friendly since the great war caused by demons.

While other executives were horrified and tried to dissuade him, the owner’s resolve was firm, and thus Tirmel, his son, who had inherited his father’s exceptional business sense, came to Astram.

“Hehehe… Astram…”

Standing on a hill overlooking the entrance to Astram, Tirmel gazed at the city with greedy, gleaming eyes.

Inside Astram’s streets, humans, beastkin, dwarves, fairies, and various other humanoid races bustled about, full of life.

It was a sight that would fascinate anyone visiting Astram for the first time.

However, Tirmel showed no curiosity. Instead, he looked at them as if they were nothing more than walking wallets, licking his lips with greed.

“Hehe. No matter how great Astram is, in the face of the Coconut Company’s business prowess, they’re just humanoid-shaped wallets waiting to be squeezed. Just thinking about the money makes my whole body tingle.”

With a sinister smile, Tirmel led his caravan into Astram.

“Hehehe. Astram… I’ll suck you dry to the bone.”

This happened not long before Kurt came into contact with the Coconut Company.