Chapter Volume 3: Intermission – In the Old Days When the Sunlight Leaked through the Leaves of the Trees
In a time long before the Goblin King was born, was the tale of a human and a goblin.
In that age, a single knight was given charge of the Western Region in accordance to the holy knight system of Germion Kingdom. Gowen Ranid the Iron Armed Knight. He was not just an old knight that served the king. His martial arts skills and his tactics in battle also proved to make him a special person in Germion Kingdom.
In his later years, his specialty would lie in his duty as a feudal lord to raise new soldiers, but it wasn’t until a little later that he would begin showing his talents as a feudal lord.
In this year, there were yet many unexplored areas in the Western Region, and it was only due to the expedition led by King Ashtal that the attacks of the monsters finally quieted.
In the last expedition led by King Ashtal, His Majesty picked up an adventurer that survived a monster attack. This year that man would begin to serve Germion Kingdom. His name was Gulland Rifenin. At this time, the holy knight that would later be known as the Storm Knight was just a lucky adventurer who managed to survive the attacks of some monsters.
King Ashtal’s last expedition was a bitter struggle to the end.
Even with Jize the One-Eyed Knight and Gowen the Iron-Armed Knight serving him, when you look at it from a whole, it always felt as if they were always on the losing ground. It is said that at one point the monsters even invaded the throne of the king. One could only imagine how fierce the fighting was.
After the king concluded his expedition, the damage the Western Region received was so great that he cried and decided to manage the Western Region seriously. As such, he decided to have his right-hand man, Gowen, take charge of the Western Region.
King Ashtal was a capable king. And at this time, he was in his 23rd year in power. He was a great man who inherited the throne at a young age and relied on his wits to become the king of the holy knight kingdom. And just as one might expect from a man of his caliber, he did not just entrust the west to his trusted right-hand man, Gowen. He also took another measure.
He called a person that – at the time – lived at the Holy Shushunu Kingdom and he asked her to help with the management of the Western Region.
She was Falmia, Falmia De Floria, the woman known in the capital as the ‘The Sage of the East (Turku Mercy)’. She was a famous eccentric at the prime of her life, but even the Ivory Tower acknowledged her wealth of knowledge.
But she had another nickname apart from the Sage of the East.
That nickname was: ‘Doll User’.
A name she received due to her research in a special magic that gave her the power to control monsters.
Humans learned to use magic after the war of the gods.
There used to only be as many types of magic as there were gods, but they later organized them to make them easier for humans to use. As such, the different types of magic were divided into four major elements: fire, water, earth, and wind. As for the rest, they were placed under subcategories. Of the four major elements, humans had a particular affinity with fire. As such, approximately 300 years later, humans acknowledged fire to be the greatest of the elements.
But at the same time, there were people that were reluctant to see the other branches of magic die.
It was then that the Ivory Tower was built. Its purpose was to gather knowledge and be an engine of research for the development of villages. On top of the four major elements, they gathered knowledge on every branch of magic they could find. Light, holy, darkness, death, lightning, wood, metal… And all of that was stored within the Ivory Tower.
Of those, Falmia studied darkness. Of course, part of the reason was because she had an affinity for it, but the main reason why her research was permitted was because she had received the divine protection of the Goddess of Wisdom.
Later on, word of her talents which were said to be equal to that of Tanya Fedra the White Elder and Serion Harlon the Red Elder was spread far and wide by the handsome Floyd Berchen of the Blue Tower, who at the time already held a high social position.
After many years of research and persistence, her efforts were finally rewarded. The ability to control monster beasts. She was able to mark her name within the branch of magic said to be the hardest of them all, Dark Magic.
But she was not satisfied.
If it were possible to control monster beasts, then it should also be possible to control monsters.
She believed it was possible in theory, so she wanted to try it as much as possible. For her first experiment, she tried it out on a relatively safer monster, a goblin. Surprisingly, she succeeded on her first try.
The Ivory Tower lauded her achievements. They even said that she would one day inherit the White Tower and be the next White Elder.
Humans are greedy creatures. And she was not satisfied with that.
She wanted to let the world know that her magic that could make monsters submit to her was not inferior to the four major elements. She wanted to prove that.
So she bid farewell to Floyd Berchen and went directly to Germion Kingdom. Behind her was a strangely charming goblin that carried her belongings.
“Master, where are we headed to this time?” The goblin asked.
“To a country called Germion Kingdom,” she replied.
“Gerumion?”
The goblin inclined his head and Falmia replied while gesturing with her hands exaggeratedly.
“Hear ye, hear ye! All men that yearn to be knights! Head to the west! There, lies a kingdom of knights! Where neither social status, nor gender, nor age matter! Only the power of a knight! Our king is King Ashtal Do Germion! …Or something like that, anyway.”
“Amazing! Amazing!”
The goblin’s eyes twinkled and she smiled.
“Well, I performed at a play before. The strongest country of the Western Region. That is Germion Kingdom.”
“Will I have friends there?”
“…Let’s see. It would be good if there were.”
The goblin happily laughed and Falmia nodded.
Even though she knew that was a wish that could never come true.
◇◇◇
A woman accompanied by a goblin came to Germion Kingdom..
Their first impression greatly shook the kingdom.
Falmia, the sage who also held the second name Doll User, was given a residence at a corner of the nobles district and received a warm welcome from the kingdom of knights.
But it was at the moment of their visit that the proposal to reclaim the unexplored lands was pushed forward and the damage from the monsters increased. Even without the Orc Madness that would occur later, it was during this time that the monster beasts and monsters were retaliating against the humans after having their territories invaded.
Because of that her ability to control monsters garnered much attention.
They thought that perhaps with her power she could tame the fiendish monsters and make them fight other monsters. King Ashtal, who wanted to reclaim the Western Region, was aiming for just that. Although, he himself wouldn’t be able to deny that it was also a decision made partly out of desperation from the unending losses to the monsters.
One day, she revealed her tamed goblin before the king. On the throne was a young King Ashtal. The aura about him was yet tinged with the flavor of war and was brimming with the majesty of a country’s king. Around him were the famed holy knights as his guards.
“It is a pleasure to meet you, Your Majesty.”
When the goblin bowed its head, Ashtal narrowed his eyes.
“Oh? Who could’ve thought that a goblin would…”
Gowen the Iron-Armed Knight and Jize the One-Eyed Knight opened their eyes wide upon seeing that. After all, the goblin was talking fluently. That was enough to shock them.
“It doesn’t seem like she’s hidden a child inside that thing, but…”
Gowen and Jize were still suspicious, so with the permission of the king, they closely observed the goblin.
“Is it not dangerous, Falmia-dono?”
“Are you questioning my magic?”
Jize’s question was met with a cold response from the offended Falmia. Jize knitted his brows, but Gowen interjected to keep things from escalating.
“Can this goblin fight?”
When Gowen glared at the goblin and showered it with killing intent, the goblin was spooked and hid behind Falmia.
“Scary, scary, scary.”
“…It’s alright.”
Falmia unreservedly patted the goblin’s head as she turned a criticizing gaze toward Gowen.
“Excuse me. That was thoughtless of me.”
“Goblins are known for their ferocity, but who would’ve thought there would be such coward among them…”
When the king said that, the two holy knights bowed their head and moved away from the goblin.
“It certainly piques one’s interest. Falmia-dono, please stay at our country for a while and continue your research.”
“…Thank you.”
After that she became very busy.
She did not overstay inside the house she was given and instead traveled throughout Germion Kingdom as she continued her research. The goblin spent most of the days doing housework for the house she was given.
◆◇◇
On the 3rd year since Falmia and the goblin came to Germion Kingdom, Falmia’s research finally bore fruit. By having two monster beasts mate, she was able to succeed at domesticating them.
They acknowledged her as their parent and as such would not attack her. Yes, this could be considered domestication. She presented her results to King Ashtal immediately, and the king praised her, while promising to treat her even better.
“That’s great, Master.”
“Indeed. Even I can’t help but my admire my own talents.”
She cheerfully laughed while drinking eastern grape wine at her own residence. Naturally, the goblin was also elated at his master’s happiness and cooked some food.
“At this rate, I’ll be able to reduce the casualties from the monsters and I’ll be able to make my dream of humans and monster beasts coexisting a reality.”
“The coexistence of humans and monsters?”
The goblin inclined his head in confusion and Falmia laughed.
“Yes. It is my belief that those who are living shouldn’t always fight amongst themselves. If we could live while holding each other’s hands, nothing could be better.”
There was a tinge of sadness in her gaze, so the goblin spoke cheerfully to try and cheer her up.
“Master is gentle! Everyone will get along! That is good!”
“Yes, that’s true. Perhaps my dream won’t come true while I’m alive, but one day, I’m sure… The day will come when races of all kinds will hold each other’s hands and walk together.”
Because of how great and different her ideals were, she had to leave the Ivory Tower.
After all, the Ivory Tower was merely a place for research.
“Yes. I’ll give this to you.”
She took out a book from her chest and gave it to the goblin.
“Book…”
“Learn how to read. I’ll teach you to get you starting.”
Falmia gently smiled and the goblin happily nodded.
Falmia and the goblin spent their fourth year at Germion Kingdom peacefully. Because of her last progress in her research, she spared no effort in gathering material. To that end, she needed time.
The time she spent at home increased, and she used that time to teach the goblin how to read.
Perhaps, the goblin had always held a talent for it, but he was elated to be able to meet her expectations. He quickly learned how to read.
But then the fifth year of their stay at Germion Kingdom came, and an event that would decide their destiny occurred.
This event was none other than the Orc Madness.
On the fifth year of Falmia’s research, the results of her domestication of the three-horned boars (triple horn), the one-horned boars (horn boar) and the likes, were adopted by a pioneer village, and they were even able to successfully multiply them.
But on that year, on the month of Horus, a news came that greatly shook the imperial capital.
A pioneer village had been destroyed. And all of the villagers were killed. Even the beasts she had domesticated were all destroyed.
From the corpses left in the outer moats, it could be inferred that the enemies were orcs. The question now was, how many orcs were there? After all, this was a horde so great that not even a single survivor was left to tell the tale. Sending the holy knight was – of course – a given, but they still needed to find out how many soldiers to send them with.
Meanwhile, they also had a lot of other problems, such as the Southern Free Cities or the problems pertaining to taxes.
If they sent too many soldiers, they could lose their territory to the south. As such, King Ashtal decided to rely on the strongest force of the central continent, the Holy Shushunu Kingdom, to arbitrate, while he focused his forces in the Western Region.
“Holy Knight Gowen, Holy Knight Valdor, lead your soldiers and destroy the orcs.”
While King Ashtal sent the holy knight, Jize, to watch the south, he summoned Valdor from the east and sent him with Gowen to put a stop to the Orc Madness.
The two holy knights relied on solid tactics to cope with the situation at hand.
By fortifying the defenses of the pioneer villages and patrolling them, they were able to stabilize the situation and reduce the damages from the orcs. After all, what they feared the most was for the pioneer villagers to flee the pioneer villages out of fear.
It could be said that these two unfortunate holy knights were given the difficult task of having to repel the unpredictable attack of the orcs while also dealing with things on the political side.
But these two holy knights were both brilliant and excelled at cooperating with others.
They kept in touch frequently and regularly exchanged information while they searched for the orcs.
“It seems this incident is the Orc Madness. At least, that is what Doll User-dono says.”
“So, the enemies are pseudo-pigs then?”
“Yes. Still, it’s been 10 days already. Have you seen any orcs?”
“No. The villages haven’t suffered as a result, but…”
This was their second time exchanging information, but they still haven’t caught any sight of the orcs. But that wasn’t surprising, as at this point in time the orcs have moved down to the south and were attacking the Border Lands of the Free Cities.
“What are the odds they just went back to the forest?”
“It’s not zero, but when the Orc Madness occurred in the east before, they never retreated once.”
“So we can’t let our guard down. But in that case, just where could they have possibly vanished to? There’s no way they found out our intentions and are moving in response…”
Gowen tilted his head, while Valdor did the same without saying anything.
“Emergency report!”
And then the worst possible news was brought before them.
“The orcs have appeared at the south! The holy knight, Jize, is dealing with them, but there’s too many! Requesting reinforcements at once!”
“Damn! They got us good!”
As Gowen and Valdor clicked their tongues, they immediately pulled their army.
◆◆◆
The sudden appearance of the orcs at the south brought great chaos to imperial capital of Germion Kingdom.
The orcs were headed straight for the capital. They numbered approximately 500. Although an official advisory to evacuate had already been given to the villages along the way, the damages received were already impossible to count. Because of this emergency situation, King Ashtal summoned the adventurers to the castle.
In order to respond to the enemy, King Ashtal had them join the fray as an impromptu army.
During this emergency, Falmia herself was also busy. The meetings held at the castle frequently demanded information on the monsters. And she was the foremost figure when it came to knowledge pertaining to monsters due to her research on monsters and monster beasts.
Of course, the king had many questions, and she had to respond to all of them, as well as the inquiries of the nobles.
Falmia never excelled with human relations from the start, so the continued days of excessive meetings gradually took a toll on her mentally and physically. She never was one to eat much, but now, she ate even less and became weaker.
The goblin hated to see her like that, but the only thing he could do was to tend to the house. He poured out his heart cooking for her, but she wouldn’t even eat half before returning the food.
The goblin wanted to make her happy no matter what.
He knew that his master loved magic.
So he desperately studied the characters she taught him before and successfully learned magic. He thought for sure she would be elated if she were to see that. That was why he did that.
But fate was a fickle thing that changed with just one step.
One day, when she came back in the dead of the night, the goblin showed off his magic before her, hoping to get her praise, but instead, what he got was her anger.
“Master! Look. Magic!”
“…Here I am suffering so much, unable to do any research, and you’re playing around!?…”
The goblin thought for sure she would be elated, so when she suddenly said those harsh words, he shrank. As the goblin stood their, shaking and unable to speak, Falmia said this.
“Leave! Leave at once!”
As she said that, she fell onto the desk and cried.
“Master…”
The goblin carried the magic book she got from her and opened the door with shoulders dropped.
By the time she’d stopped crying and had regained her calm, the goblin was no longer in the house.
“No, it can’t be…”
It was only now that she finally realized what she’d said.
“What have I done!?”
She left the house and searched the capital.
But in the end, she failed to find her goblin, and though saddened, she had no choice but to be swept in the flow of time. Although the Orc Madness was eventually suppressed by a young adventurer who then received the position of holy knight. None of that mattered to her.
She refused even the king’s gratitude, and after purchasing the house the king had given to her, she began living a secluded life.
◆◆◇
The old goblin opened his eyes.
He felt like he was seeing a long dream. A dream about a time from long ago.
When he heard the shouts outside, he got up and went outside to take a look.
“Oh, Elder. Look, these are the elites of His Majesty.”
The young water mage goblin called out to him. The old goblin gently nodded to himand turned to the direction he pointed. At the direction he pointed were many young goblins orderly lined up.
Their great king had brought them much food from the world of humans. That was a great achievement.
Because of the abundance of food, the forces of the Goblin King were steadily increasing.
“…Germion Kingdom will probably fall.”
“Yes. Before the power of our king, the countries of humans are nothing but dust before the winds.”
“…I was thinking of going too.”
“Hah?”
“I think I should join the war too.”
“But you’re in charge of the management of the Fortress of the Abyss.”
The old goblin shook his head and patted the shoulder of the young water mage.
“I’ll leave that to you.”
“Ha. But…”
“It’s the wish of someone who doesn’t have long left. Please let me go.”
After some hesitation, the young goblin eventually nodded, and the old goblin gently smiled.
“Master…”
Are you still alive? The old goblin wondered. The book you gave me is gone already, but…
As the old goblin took a spear in place of the cane he walked around with, he prepared to depart.