Chapter 200.2

VOLUME 3: CHAPTER 200 – RETREATING BATTLE (2/2)

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 assumed 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 leadership, 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 leadership 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 .

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 Shirak 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 .

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 assassin, Gi Ji Arsil, Gi Gi Orudo who led the monster army, and Ra Gilmi Fishiga .

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 .

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 passes?” Gi Za asked .

Gi Go smiled . “Maybe I’ll go on a trip to wherever my sword god 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 worshipped their king, but Rashka didn’t . He revered the king, yes, but not to the extent that he worshipped 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 .