Chapter 9

The cave where the Goblin King resided was incredibly vast.

Perhaps it was even large enough to have once been used as a lair by a dragon in the past.

In that enormous space, the Goblin King had installed a magnificent throne.

To lead a goblin horde—no, even further, to lead a goblin kingdom—one needed to possess such grandeur.

So, installing a throne was essential… or so he claimed, but in truth, it was also the Goblin King’s personal desire.

Even without a throne, leading a goblin horde wouldn’t have been a problem.

The Goblin King was essentially just another goblin with red skin and a slightly larger build.

In other words, he was a mutant, born among goblins at an extremely low probability.

Humans also referred to him as a Hob Goblin.

From birth, Hob Goblins were revered as kings by other goblins.

Perhaps it was because of their red skin, greater strength, and larger size that goblins instinctively followed them.

As for other qualities befitting a Goblin King, there were none.

He wore a necklace made of animal bones around his neck and held a somewhat impressive staff, but in reality, if four or five ordinary goblins attacked him simultaneously, even a Hob Goblin wouldn’t stand a chance.

Thus, the need for a grand throne. To be recognized as a king, one had to at least look the part.

While a Goblin King who had led a horde for a long time might have established his position, this current Goblin King had only recently formed his horde.

In other words, he was a novice king.

He had managed to form a goblin horde, but he had no idea what to do next.

The sight of dozens of goblins staring at him with gleaming eyes was psychologically quite overwhelming.

So, the Goblin King, with an air of majesty, issued this command:

—Go out and plunder other races!

It was a mindless command with no plan, but the goblins cheered and scurried out.

They might go out and get themselves wiped out by another race, but that was just how things were.

The Goblin King sat on his throne and let out a deep sigh.

The weight of the crown was indeed this heavy…

As he was basking in his own atmosphere, the goblins returned shortly after.

Surprisingly, they had actually plundered another race.

It seemed they had ambushed some humans.

The loot included a crude iron sword, two horses, two human men, one human woman, and a young elf.

The Goblin King was astonished. This level of loot was quite impressive.

He had sent them out without much thought, and they returned with this. Perhaps the day of establishing a goblin kingdom and ruling the continent wasn’t far off.

This was all thanks to the king’s greatness. Thinking this, the Goblin King’s shoulders swelled with pride.

The three humans and the elf were thrown into the prison, while the two horses were given to the goblins to eat.

It was a reward, so to speak.

“Kerruk!”

The goblins, excited, lit a fire in the cave, which almost filled the cave with smoke and nearly suffocated everyone.

The Goblin King executed the goblin who had started the fire and then had the other goblins tear the horses apart and eat them raw.

A goblin must possess a certain level of savagery, like eating animals alive, to rule the continent.

Of course, the Goblin King didn’t partake. He had a constitution that couldn’t handle raw meat.

“Kerruk kerruk.”

Though small, the goblins were numerous, and the two horses were soon reduced to bones.

Seeing the goblins smearing blood on their faces and patting their bellies contentedly made the Goblin King feel uneasy.

Still, he felt a sense of accomplishment.

The Goblin King issued another command:

—Bring me the human woman!

Having given out rewards, it was now time to display his charisma.

He planned to execute the human woman in front of the goblin horde. Doing so would solidify his position as the Goblin King.

Shortly after, the human woman was dragged in by two goblins.

The Goblin King descended from his throne and examined the human woman closely.

“H-Hic!”

Seeing the human woman, terrified and staring at him, made him feel somewhat grand.

The Goblin King lifted the crude iron sword he had obtained as loot.

The sword was heavier than he expected, causing his arm to tremble, but he tried not to show it.

With a single swing, he would behead the human woman, and the goblins would cheer.

Then, the Goblin King would spread his arms wide and shout something like, “Long live the goblins!”

Just the thought of it was thrilling enough to make him grin, but…

The Goblin King lowered the iron sword.

On second thought, did he really need to do this himself…?

Kings usually didn’t perform such tasks personally. A king simply sat on the throne and issued commands.

The Goblin King handed the iron sword to a goblin standing idly by and returned to his throne, resuming his majestic expression.

His heart was pounding. In truth, the Goblin King had never taken a life before.

He had ordered goblins to kill horses and executed the goblin who started the fire, but he had never bloodied his own hands.

So, he didn’t really want to do it. It felt somewhat uncomfortable.

Such tasks were meant for underlings.

The Goblin King shouted at the goblin holding the iron sword:

—What are you doing! Execute the human woman!

“Kerruk?!”

The goblin holding the sword was startled. Handing him the sword meant he was supposed to execute her? That was the expression on his face.

The king’s command was absolute. For some reason, the goblins firmly believed in this.

The goblin, trembling, lifted the iron sword. It was heavy. His back felt like it would break.

Goblins usually wielded light daggers, not such a massive, crude iron sword.

Regardless, the goblin swung the sword at the human woman.

And the sword struck the ground, not the human woman.

Clang!

The sword was too heavy, causing the swing to miss.

*

Susan didn’t know whether to laugh or cry.

Seeing a goblin, barely reaching her waist, struggling to wield a sword as tall as itself was almost laughable.

Yet, she couldn’t laugh because her life was hanging by a thread.

The goblins who had dragged her out of the prison seemed intent on killing her.

They probably wanted to eat her. The two horses from the village were already reduced to bones.

She would soon meet the same fate. Thinking this, Susan’s body trembled. The fear she had momentarily suppressed began to consume her.

If only she could communicate, she would beg for her life, but these goblins just chattered among themselves no matter what she said.

“Kerruk!”

The goblin lifted the iron sword again.

This time, his expression showed determination, as if he wouldn’t miss.

Susan had to make a choice.

Should she let the goblin kill her, or should she try to resist, even a little?

Goblins were quite cruel.

Remembering how they had mercilessly stabbed Jack with daggers made her hesitate to resist.

But if she stayed still, she would die anyway.

If she was going to die regardless, it might be better to at least try to resist.

“Eat this!”

Susan sprang up and headbutted the goblin’s chin.

“Kerruk!”

The goblin dropped the sword and fell backward.

Susan immediately started running.

Her direction was toward the cave’s exit.

As Susan fled, the goblins looked at the Goblin King with blank expressions.

The Goblin King also wore a blank expression but managed to regain his composure and shouted:

—Catch her!

“Kerruk!”

Only then did the goblins start chasing Susan.

They were a bit late, but it didn’t matter much.

Currently, the cave had several barrier gates installed. The Goblin King had ordered their construction.

The Goblin King valued safety.

With barrier gates, even if another race invaded, they could buy time.

He firmly believed that one day, these gates would save his life… but unexpectedly, they proved useful in another way.

They prevented Susan from escaping.

Of course, she could open the gates, but it would take time. By then, the goblins would have caught up.

As Susan fumbled with the gate’s latch, a sharp pain in her side made her flinch.

“Ah!”

She touched her side and felt warm liquid. It was blood.

A goblin chasing her had stabbed her with a dagger.

Susan despaired. It seemed impossible to escape.

Even if she opened the gate, her body would be torn apart like Jack’s.

Even if she managed to open the gate and run, how far could she go with her injured body?

She couldn’t outrun goblins in the forest. If she could, she wouldn’t have been caught when fleeing the carriage.

The shadow of death loomed. Susan deeply empathized with what Tom had said earlier.

She never should have left the village.

A glamorous city life? Romance with a nobleman? What good was any of that?

A peaceful life in the village, eating well and living comfortably, wasn’t so bad.

At least she wouldn’t meet such a miserable death surrounded by goblins.

“Kerruk kerruk.”

Dozens of goblins gathered in front of Susan. She clenched her teeth.

Thinking she was about to die, a montage of her life flashed before her eyes.

Her birth in Harrington Village, the various troubles she caused, the moments she tried to boost her self-esteem by seducing men—it all seemed so pointless.

If given another chance, she wanted to live a better life. No more vain thoughts, just honest work…

“Kerruk!”

Seeing the goblins charging at her, Susan tightly shut her eyes.

It was too late for regrets. She braced herself for death.

Boom!

The barrier gate behind her exploded.

Susan’s body was flung forward along with the gate.