"…What is this?"
Two weeks.
That's how long we'd been gone. Two weeks, and the village had somehow gotten worse. You couldn't even call it a village yet—just a few goblins huddled inside a half-rotted fence, with tents scattered around like someone tossed a bunch of rags into the woods and called it urban development.
But what really caught my eye?
"Oh, it's a statue of you, Akuma-sama!"
A… statue. Of me. Built with dried leaves, tree branches, and a few unfortunate rocks. It looked taller and much skinnier than me—like someone saw me once in the fog and decided to make a scarecrow tribute.
"This is why I didn't bring any souvenirs.."
"... you didn't even bother buyi-"
"Because of this!" I turned to Kajin with a flat look
If I knew they'd build a shrine, I'd have skipped the gifts entirely anyway and let Kaijin play dress-up with them later. They were already drying pelts anyway. Not exactly a shortage of materials.
"Where's Rigurd?" I asked Peanut Butter and he immediately pointed.
A massive goblin was sprinting toward me, waving.
"Welcome back!" Rigurd huffed. "I hate to trouble you so soon after your return, Sir Akuma, but… we've had visitors."
Visitors? That's rich. I don't remember making friends.
I left the dwarves to wander around and settle in, dumped the tools in a spare tent, and had Peanut Butter escort me to the so-called guests. They were stationed in a larger tent near the center—something that looked like a goblin tried to recreate a city hall from memory and missed the point entirely.
"Ah. Goblins."
Weak ones. Not mine.
Before I could speak, the visitors dropped to their knees like dominos.
"""It is an honor to meet you, O great master!!!""" they wailed, pressing their heads into the dirt.
"Please, hear our humble request!"
I blinked. …Okay.
First of all, I was gunning for a cool nickname like Senpai Supreme or something equally ridiculous, but hey—beggars can't be choosers.
"Sure, go ahead."
I took a seat—one I definitely didn't steal from Kaijin's workshop. (He doesn't know. He doesn't need to know.)
"Oh thank you, most noble one!" an elder cried. "All of us wish to join your service!"
"""Please grant us your magnanimous kindness!!"""
So that's what this was.
Honestly, I should've burned them to a crisp for abandoning Rigurd during the direwolf attack. But we needed manpower. I could smell the desperation on them—and desperation was easy to shape.
If they betrayed me, they'd get the same fate I give everyone else.
One by one. No mercy. Innocents included.
…Damn it. I'd need more names again.
Anyway, their story was predictable: ever since the direwolves ran them off, they'd tried settling deeper into the forest—but ran into trouble.
With Veldora's presence gone, the forest had erupted into chaos. The orcs, lizardmen, and ogres were all scrambling to claim territory in the power vacuum. A turf war was inevitable.
That's when I paused.
My eyes narrowed slightly. Without saying a word, I turned and waved Fenral over.
He trotted up. "My lord?"
I leaned close, whispered something only for him to hear.
Fenral's face shifted with brief surprise—then understanding. He nodded firmly and vanished into the woods like smoke on the wind.
Rigurd watched. "Was… something wrong, my lord?"
I smiled, just a little. "It's for the future."
He didn't ask more. Smart man.
"Alright," I said, turning back to the crowd. "If you want to join, step forward. If not, live in peace until something eats you. Your choice."
I walked off without waiting for a reply
-
"…Yeah, this is a problem."
I stared out over the endless lake of goblins that had shown up. Four tribes' worth. Five hundred bodies. And apparently more on the way.
Work was underway. Kaijin was out chopping trees. The three dwarven brothers were processing pelts into hobgoblin clothes—also an excuse to keep them away from the women. Their gazes had been… less than professional.
We hadn't even started housing yet.
And if I didn't do something fast, we'd be building tents on tents on tents.
I pulled Rigurd aside.
"What would happen if we moved the village near the cave where I lived?" I asked.
He blinked. "That's… quite the journey. But if it's your will, we shall follow."
I could tell they were surprised I'd lived there, but they didn't question it. Loyalty was a beautiful thing.
After some planning, I had them gather scouts to begin prepping for the move. Ranga joined the team, just in case something nasty was lurking along the way.
And then… came the real work.
I stood before an empty patch of land, arms crossed. Thinking.
"I need homes. Infrastructure. Roads. A proper septic system. And…"
I glanced sideways at Mildo.
"Don't forget my hot bath."
He blinked. "Again with the bath?"
"I like feeling clean. Deal with it."
He shrugged. "Fine, fine."
Naturally, I threw all the work on him. As per tradition. I offered a silent prayer to whatever gods existed:
I am very sorry. Please be successful.
And then, with most of the logistics handled, I turned away from the camp and looked toward the horizon.
A cold wind swept through the trees.
A presence stirred in the back of my mind.
If I fail now… she dies.
"...Hey," I said aloud, speaking to the skill that had been my companion since day one. "I have an idea. A plan to save Shizu Izawa."
"Tell me—"
"—Is it possible"