At the Goblin King’s behest, the goblins stood up and went to work .
Although they had already decided to retreat, it wasn’t possible to leave immediately . They had to prepare food for the trip, prepare to carry the wounded, and complete other necessary preparations .
“Your Majesty… If we may have an audience with you…” Zaurosh said .
After the Goblin King had given his orders, Zaurosh appeared before him with the small feudal lords .
When the Goblin King saw the small feudal lords behind Zaurosh, he suddenly had an ill foreboding .
After hearing them out, he closed his eyes and groaned .
The wrinkles in the middle of the his eyebrows were as deep as his worries .
“We hope to start a new life at the western capital, Your Majesty,” the feudal lord of Razuel said with a desperate look on his face .
Apparently, these feudal lords wanted to flee the borderlands and travel to the western capital with the entire population of their fiefs .
Frankly, the Goblin King hadn’t even considered the possibility that the feudal lords might want to go with him .
After all, humans hated goblins, so he’d a.s.sumed that the humans could only be elated to be rid of them .
“Why? I don’t understand . You could live again with fellow humans . Is this not much better than being ruled by us?”
Although the Goblin King said that, deep inside, he was actually hopeful . After all, when he thought about it, the way he ruled was simply too honest . They could produce their weapons and armor back at the Forest of Darkness and procure their food from hunting monsters, so there was barely any need for taxes .
In other words, a goblin army was inexpensive and yet powerful .
To statesmen, there was no treasure better than this .
On top of the insane cost-quality ratio, the goblins were also absolutely loyal to the Goblin King .
The Goblin King also chose not to take any taxes from the feudal lord for one year, so as to make them more amiable toward goblin rule .
The Goblin King has already been ruling the borderlands for half a year, and as such, the people of the borderlands have already gotten used to him .
“We’ve since changed our position on that . In the past, we believed that coexistence with monsters was impossible, but under Your Majesty’s leaders.h.i.+p, we realize that isn’t so . ”
It was one thing if they only wanted to be protected because there was powerful enemy, but that wasn’t the case . Now, the Goblin King was really perplexed .
It was good that the Goblin King’s leaders.h.i.+p has succeeded enough to make the humans wish to follow him, but unfortunately, they were about to retreat . Having all these humans tagging along was quite frankly a nuisance .
Goblins ran much faster than humans, but now, not only would they have to take a lot of humans along, they would also have to bring women and children .
“You won’t change your mind? If you come with us, there’s a chance the enemy might attack you too . ”
“If you can’t take us along, then we shall abandon the borderlands and head for the western capital by ourselves . ”
If they did that, they were sure to either fall prey to the monsters roaming the plains or be captured by the Red King . And even if they did succeed in reaching the western capital, only a small part of them would be left .
If they were only going to die upon being left behind, then the Goblin King would surely feel bad .
They may be humans, but they have already become his subjects, as such, he could not simply watch them throw their lives away .
Besides, if he could bring them back with him, they were sure to bring him much profit .
The small feudal lords alone would surely be useful when raising government officials .
They would also be useful in the future battles . Just having the 2,000 from Leon Heart Clan was enough to open up all sorts of possibilities with the tactics they could employ .
They would also be useful in the future battles . Just having the 2,000 from Leon Heart Clan was enough to open up all sorts of possibilities with the tactics they could employ .
If they had as much people as the entire borderlands under them, then one could only imagine the scope of tactics they could utilize .
“2 days . Be ready within 2 days . Anyone late will be left behind . Is that clear?” The Goblin King said .
“Thank you,” the s.h.i.+rak feudal lord said with a bow .
“…They got me,” the Goblin King said .
It was a rare sight to see the Goblin King say something so weak, so Zaurosh couldn’t help but laugh .
“It’s because of Your Majesty’s personality,” Zaurosh said .
“This retreat won’t be easy . Are you ready?” the Goblin King asked .
“Would we be called adventures if we abandoned the weak?” Zaurosh replied .
As the Goblin King nodded, he started revising his plans .
Because of the revisions the Goblin King made, the work of the goblins changed on the very next day .
They set traps while preparing for the retreat . They especially dug more pitfalls along the road extending directly for the western capital and cut trees from the nearby forest to build fences .
But even then, they only had about a day .
After the Goblin King decided the important parts they had to cover when the humans attacked, the Goblin King himself went to to dig out pitfalls and build fences .
No matter how strong the goblins were, having to protect the humans while retreating was not an easy task .
No matter how strong the goblins were, having to protect the humans while retreating was not an easy task .
When it came to retreats, speed was the most important aspect .
That’s why the Goblin King put as much of the humans as possible on the carts while Gi Gi’s powerful monsters pulled them .
He specifically picked out the ones with weak legs and loins to ride the carriage, while he had the men dress as light as possible .
The Goblin King then had the humans position themselves in between the rear guard and the advance guard, and then they began their retreat .
At the vanguard was the a.s.sa.s.sin, Gi Ji Arsil, Gi Gi Orudo who led the monster army, and Ra Gilmi Fis.h.i.+ga .
At the rear guard was the Goblin King, Rashka, Gi Zu Ruo, Gi Go Amatsuki – the goblins skilled at breaking through enemy ranks – and Gi Za Zakuend and his druids .
If the enemy took them from behind as the Goblin King expected, then they would form a thick wall .
At the very back was Gi Gu Verbena . His job was to set traps as he followed the main force .
And then there were the Paradua goblins whose job was to watch for enemies in the surrounding area and attack them . And lastly, there was Zaurosh’s Leon Heart Clan, Gi Ba Hagar, and Felbi’s elves whose job was to protect the humans at th center of the formation .
After the Goblin King positioned everyone, they started their retreat by moving north .
As the long line of people began moving with a tinge of anxiety, the Goblin King turned back to the southern lands, where much blood was shed .
“…We’re barely moving,” Rashka whispered unhappily .
“But the king’s decision is right . At the very least, I agree,” Gi GO said indifferently .
“Can’t abandon the weak? You’re soft as usual,” Gi Za said as he watched that large back up ahead .
“Weren’t you the sort to say that the weak should be cut down?” Rashka asked Gi Go .
After seeing how strong Gi Go’s sword was, Rashka naturally started liking him .
“Weren’t you the sort to say that the weak should be cut down?” Rashka asked Gi Go .
After seeing how strong Gi Go’s sword was, Rashka naturally started liking him .
Rashka was a simple goblin who liked the strong . That simplicity was very goblin-like .
Rashka – as strong as he was – could feel chills just from seeing Gi Go’s sword . Gi Go was literally in a different dimension .
The only ones Rashka wasn’t sure he could beat were Gi Go and the Goblin King .
“Me and my horde was once hunted by a gray wolf . It was the king who saved us,” Gi Go said as he firmly touched the hilt of his curved sword . “I follow because he is the king . If it were someone else, I wouldn’t follow . ”
As Gi Go said that, he watched the back of the king .
Rashka and Gi Za both had their own thoughts, but they too naturally watched the king’s back .
“But even the king won’t live forever . What are you going to do after he pa.s.ses?” Gi Za asked .
Gi Go smiled . “Maybe I’ll go on a trip to wherever my sword G.o.d directs me . ”
“In my case, I would aim to be king myself . What about you?” Rashka said with confidence as he turned to Gi Za .
In response, Gi Za laughed . “There’s no point thinking about it . I will die before the king dies . Simple as that . ”
“I see . I guess there really is no point thinking about it,” Gi Go nodded in agreement .
Seeing Gi Go nod like that, Rashka couldn’t help but knit his brows .
There was a difference between the goblins from the Gi Village and the tribal goblins .
The goblins from the Gi Village basically wors.h.i.+pped their king, but Rashka didn’t . He revered the king, yes, but not to the extent that he wors.h.i.+pped him . To Rashka, the king was a wall to overcome, a goal, so to speak .
As Rashka pondered to himself the difference between the Gi goblins and the tribal goblins, he watched the long and the barely moving line of humans .