Chapter 105: The Little Ones
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 105: The Little Ones
Three days passed. In truth, sending Baek Ahyeon to the small city of Somorah was something I had been planning for a while. She had left the Sky Dragon Guild, formed a clan with her Martyrs, and headed for the East long ago. I thought she would have arrived by now, so I was a little surprised she still hadn't made it.
I’d expected her to be later than planned, but I never imagined it would be this late. I figured there had to be a reason, but it turned out to be more absurd than I could have ever guessed. The problem was a seed that Black Spear and I had sown long ago.
[I… I’m sorry, my Savior… My arrival is being delayed because the Ogres of the jungle have suddenly gone on a rampage. All the roads we were using are blocked, so we have to take a long detour…]
Hilariously, it was because of the Ogres that their journey through the jungle had been so prolonged. According to Baek Ahyeon, they had departed around the same time we did, but the Ogres had forced them to take a massive detour. I immediately thought of the Big Ogre Clan.
They were turning the jungle into a complete mess, trying to fill the void left by Goff, myself, and Black Spear. It had gotten so bad that humans were speculating a new dungeon had appeared in the jungle. That gave me a rough idea of just how wild the Big Ogre Clan was being. In any case, because of the Ogres, the humans had been forced to take a different route, which ultimately delayed their arrival. It was a ridiculous story.
I made a mental note that from now on, I would have to calm the Big Ogres down before passing through the jungle.
Three days ago, she had told me she was almost at Somorah, so I figured I would hear from her soon. I started to head outside the tent. A goblin standing guard in front of the tent greeted me, and I nodded back at him.
“For Blood Dagger!”
The clan had grown quite complex in that time, thanks to the human kids and the new Green Skins. I hadn't decided whether to accept the human children or not, but they were certainly proving to be useful. So much so that I thought it wouldn't be a bad idea to send them to Baek Ahyeon if we didn't end up keeping them in the settlement.
But for now, there was a reason I couldn't send them away. We had decided to entrust the rescued young Green Skins to the care of the mother goblins, and funnily enough, the human children were proving to be an enormous help in raising them.
Kim Yoora had even started learning the Green Skin language, spending her time with Jung Hayeon. Every evening, she would gather the children and teach them what she had learned. The rescued young Green Skins were included in these lessons, which was having a very positive effect on the clan. As a result, I found myself pondering their fate even more seriously.
Before we had even said we would accept her, she was already blending into the tribe perfectly. She’d even lost all fear, to the point where she once went to greet the Black Spear Clan all by herself. I still couldn't forget Black Spear's dumbfounded reaction.
To put it bluntly, it was as if his lunch had walked up to say hello. Though only three days had passed, other Green Skins had started to unconsciously raise a hand in greeting to Kim Yoora when she passed by. Eventually, she could even be seen getting along quite well with the Goblin Three Sisters.
Moreover, Kim Yoora had somehow taken over the task of feeding Ibar. Unafraid of the massive wolf, she would receive chunks of monster meat every day and bring them to him.
The only problem was that the original young Green Skins of the clan, led by Nicole, didn't seem to like Kim Yoora and the other humans very much.
It wasn't to the level of picking fights for no reason, but I could see Nicole glaring at Kim Yoora from time to time. Kim Yoora's unspoken plan to integrate into this tribal society included ‘playing’ with the existing young Green Skins, but the problem was that young Green Skins played by crashing their bodies into each other.
If things got a little too rough, a mother goblin would step in to stop the fight, but this ‘play’ that wasn't really play had become quite the spectacle for the other adult Green Skins. What had once been a chaotic free-for-all now had a semblance of structure.
Sure enough, as I left the tent, I saw the original tribe members, including Nicole, facing off against the new Green Skins who had arrived with Kim Yoora.
“Yaaaaah!”
When this ‘play’ first started, the rescued Green Skins were clearly outmatched by the original tribe members, but now, three days later, they were putting up a decent fight. The instincts that had been neutered were slowly but surely returning.
Naturally, the original tribe members had been enjoying a long winning streak, but from the looks of it, the new kids had come well-prepared this time.
The little ones began to move under the human girl's command, their movements more organic. They would have two rush in at once, or a tired one would fall back. Bit by bit, they were pushing back the original kids. In the midst of it all, Kim Yoora was locked in a close struggle with Nicole.
“Hnngh!!”
Nicole gritted her teeth. Even for a Green Skin, at just one year old, she was having a hard time with Kim Yoora. The story would likely be completely different in another year when she was bigger, but for now, it seemed a bit too much for her.
Of course, it was still just a chaotic scrap between kids with no form or technique, but it was surprisingly fierce.
“Hah.”
What Kim Yoora was doing was simply astounding. She turned her back and ran from Nicole. Of course, she wasn't actually fleeing. It was obvious she was luring Nicole into their formation. Nicole couldn't see it from her perspective, but from where I was watching a short distance away, I could see the little Green Skins moving stealthily.
“Eeeek!”
Frustrated, Nicole chased after Kim Yoora, but she was quickly subdued by the new Green Skin kids, bringing the game to an end.
“Waaaaaah!”
“The human kid is amazing! Kkirik!”
“Nicole was careless! Kkirik!”
The watching Goblin Three Sisters and other Green Skins were clapping as if they were enjoying the show. When I appeared, they stealthily bowed their heads.
A twelve-year-old using military tactics. It was baffling. I had no choice but to speak to Kim Yoora. My reaction wasn't just because she had feigned a retreat to lure Nicole in. It was clear that Kim Yoora, the little Green Skins, and the other human children had all been moving according to a pre-arranged plan.
“Where did you learn that?”
“Ah. Is this against the rules?”
It might be elsewhere, but it certainly wasn't against the rules in the Blood Dagger Clan. I shook my head, and only then did Kim Yoora speak, her expression worried that she might get her teacher in trouble.
“I learned from that goblin over there.”
Her gaze fell upon Hakajin, who was sitting and scratching the back of his head. I glanced at him and saw that he was looking at the human child with an incredibly fond expression.
When I continued to stare at him without a word, Hakajin spoke up shyly.
“Ahem… sh-she’s a rather bright child. She understood even though we couldn’t communicate well.”
Her adaptability was terrifying. It wasn't enough that she was trying to learn the language just three days after arriving; she was also wandering around, absorbing all sorts of things. The Goblin Three Sisters also stealthily avoided my gaze, as if they had taught the kid something too. They seemed to think I was about to reprimand them. They had probably been teaching her basic combat methods.
In fact, I wanted to praise them. Learning and teaching were certainly not crimes. The position of Kim Yoora and the other children, who were neither tribe members nor anything else, was quite ambiguous, but I felt a strange sense of pride for both Kim Yoora, who sought to learn, and for those who taught her. I reached out and patted her on the head.
“Ah. Thank you.”
Kim Yoora’s face lit up. Only then did I get a good look at her. Her face and body were covered in scrapes and bruises. She was fighting desperately to be acknowledged by us. She must have been physically exhausted, yet she looked strangely happy.
“Hmph…”
Meanwhile, Nicole was staring at Kim Yoora, holding back tears of frustration. This was likely the first time she had ever lost. And to a human child, no less. It was only natural she would be upset.
Feeling a bit sorry for Nicole, I lifted her into my arms. Her startled voice rang out.
“It’s… it’s an honor. For Blood Dagger! Sniff…”
It seemed humans weren't the only ones who cried when comforted. Thinking she was being consoled, tears and snot began to stream down Nicole's face.
“Hnnngh… sniff.”
But she tried her best to hold it in. Seeing this, the Goblin Three Sisters began to speak to her.
“You can’t become a strong Green Skin if you cry, Nicole!”
“Nico-Nicole! Don’t cry!”
“The human kid was smart, Nicole.”
“That’s right! It couldn’t be helped, Nicole! The human kid was just stronger!”
“The human kid is really amazing. Nicole was just a step below her. Kkirik! Kkirik!”
“You’ll be able to win someday, Nicole!”
By no stretch of the imagination could their words be called comforting. But looking at their faces, they seemed to be genuinely trying to console her. Hearing their voices, Nicole bit her upper lip with her lower teeth, trying her best to stop the tears. Seeing this, it was only natural that I spoke up.
“There is no shame in losing.”
“B-But I lost to a human… sniff…”
“I, too, have lost to a human, Nicole. Giving up is shameful. Losing is never shameful.”
Interestingly, it wasn't just Nicole who nodded. Many of the young Green Skins who would one day lead the tribe were listening to my words and nodding their heads. Even the humans and the newcomers did the same. They might not have understood the exact words, but the meaning was conveyed. In the end, I had no choice but to pat each and every one of them on the head. They all yelped with joy and ran to their mothers.
“It’s an honor!”
“Blood Dagger patted my head!”
“For Blood Dagger!”
As always, the clan was full of life. I looked around and smiled in spite of myself. No, to be precise, I smiled as I looked at Kim Yoora and the human children.
They were a positive wind of change. Whether they would eventually become Green Skins or not wasn't important. They were helping the tribe right now, and I was sure they would continue to do so in the future. As I glanced at them, a few of the human kids swallowed nervously, but Kim Yoora met my gaze with unwavering eyes.
Looking at Kim Yoora and the other children, I spoke slowly, in the Green Skin language, loud enough for everyone to hear.
“Welcome to the Blood Dagger Clan, little ones.”
It was the moment humans were accepted into a tribe for the first time in Green Skin society.