Chapter 117: A Small Festival
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 117: A Small Festival
“You must know… why I’ve suddenly brought this up, Blood Dagger…”
I slowly nodded. Black Spear, who had been listening beside me, also tilted his large cup to his lips, listening intently to the Ogre’s words.
“I know I am not yet qualified. I am not strong, nor am I wise. If I had been the first to set foot on this continent instead of the Great Tribe Leader Agar, I would have surely led everyone to their deaths. It would have been an honorable death, of course… but that is not the kind of honor I truly desire.”
I smiled, looking at Goff.
It wasn’t just his body that had grown. Like his physique, his thoughts had deepened and broadened. Anticipating his next words, I unknowingly swallowed. Goff looked at me and spoke.
“I want to become the Great Tribe Leader, my brothers. No… someday, I will become the Great Tribe Leader.”
It was a bombshell of a declaration. Of course, he wasn’t speaking of rebellion. His words held a more abstract, symbolic meaning—to become a being respected and trusted by all, the most honorable and shameless man in this land. I nodded.
“Admirable…”
Black Spear said to Goff. His words were true; the Ogre was admirable. I found myself quietly reflecting on my own path. The Great Tribe Leader? I had never even considered it. From the beginning, I was not a man of great ambition.
Petty vengeance and a thirst for strength were the driving forces that had brought me this far. Of course, as time passed and I spent more of it with my clan, I began to find new meaning in my life, but the Great Tribe Leader… I had never dared to imagine it.
Having met the Great Tribe Leader in person, and having just heard this story, I knew. That position was a heavy one.
The Great Tribe Leader is the one who stands above all other honorable chieftains. The one who stands above Goff, above Black Spear, above the Big Ogre, Storm Shadow, and the Green Goblins.
I stared into Goff’s eyes. His sincerity was unmistakable. He would not waver. He would seize what he desired and never bend his will. He might fall, but he would never give up. I felt a tingling sensation spread through my chest, an emotion I hadn’t felt since my time as a human.
It was a sense of inferiority.
This Ogre was cut from a different cloth.
“What are your thoughts, Blood Dagger?”
Whether he had read the doubt in my eyes or not, Goff met my gaze and asked. I wanted to say something, but my lips trembled, and the words wouldn’t come out. Of course they wouldn’t.
How could I, who was once human, have ever considered becoming the Great Tribe Leader? In the end, I kept my mouth firmly shut.
But Goff didn’t reprimand me or demand an answer. He simply raised his cup and muttered again.
“For now, it seems you are closer… Blood Dagger.”
I had no idea what he meant. As I looked at him with a puzzled expression, Black Spear gestured with his hand to the side. He clearly wanted me to look behind me.
My head turned naturally.
And there…
…stood countless Green Skins with their hands over their hearts.
They weren’t the original members of the Blood Dagger Clan. They looked completely different from when I had first met them. At the very front, to my surprise, was a massive Minotaur. I could guess who he was. The giant shield he held and his unwavering eyes came into view.
‘Orbo.’
He had shed his Troll form and evolved into a Minotaur. It couldn’t have been an easy choice. It must have been a decision made in his quest for strength. Kneeling with him were all the Green Skins who had once been slaves. Even Kim Yoora and the other young ones were there. The cute little girl had been granted permission to join the clan, but it seemed she wanted to give that chance to the other children first. The vacant expressions they once wore were gone. The fear in their eyes had vanished. In its place were blazing eyes and muscles that looked ready to burst. The Green Skins who had looked like slaves were nowhere to be seen.
“We will repay this kindness with our lives!”
“With our lives!”
The Blood Dagger Clan had, of course, accepted Orbo. It was already planned to absorb them and expand the clan.
But this felt heavy. Whether it was because of the alcohol or Goff’s sentimentality, it felt heavy. I began to look around.
Gark and Hark were looking at me. When our eyes met, they placed their hands over their hearts, their eyes burning with fervor. The loyal Five Siblings and the Goblin Three Sisters did the same. Ragia and Jung Hayeon were smiling, while Hakajin and Mev were teary-eyed. Even Baek Ahyeon, who had decided to stay in the village for a while, was watching me intently, as if she couldn't miss this moment.
Looking at those who believed in me, I, too, placed a hand on my chest.
“I accept.”
An oath of honor is answered with an oath of honor. Only then did I feel like I could finally understand the meaning behind this seemingly pointless gesture of placing a hand on one’s heart.
And then…
All of them began to roar.
“For Blood Dagger!”
“For Blood Daggerrrr!”
The roar was loud enough to shake the village. It was louder than any cheer I had ever heard. Seeing this, Goff and Black Spear clinked their cups, and I raised mine as well.
“Let us enjoy this festival of victory, my brothers.”
Thank you, my brothers.
I will live up to their expectations. I smiled, feeling genuinely happy.
And so, the festival began once more.
*
After spending a good deal of time with Goff and Black Spear, they left to join their own clan members, and I did the same. It was a day to feel good. It was the day many Green Skins who had lived underground finally came up to the surface, and the day our clan grew a little larger.
I sat with all of them, sharing drinks. Thanks to Gark and Hark, who tirelessly sang my praises to Orbo, the children, and the new clan members, it was an enjoyable but rather embarrassing time.
“Blood Dagger is amazing.”
“He was incredible during the Warrior’s Exam. He slaughtered 100 humans all by himself!”
I’ll say it again: Green Skins don’t lie. Which means, in their eyes, it truly looked like I had slaughtered 100 humans.
“A-Amazing. As expected…”
“Niconicor respects the Chieftain! Blood Dagger is great!”
Kim Yoora’s reaction was the highlight, nodding along and agreeing with the story, having apparently studied the Green Skin language quite a bit. Even Nicole was nodding eagerly.
After Gark and Hark finished their tales, it was Hakajin’s turn, and after Hakajin, it was Orbo’s. Spending time with these people who felt like family was truly a joy. Not wanting to make a drunken fool of myself, I moved on, this time heading toward the area where the female Green Skins had gathered.
The problem was, for some reason, I could feel sparks flying.
“Come this way…” Ragia said, subtly guiding me to her side.
“……” Jung Hayeon said nothing, but a comfortable chair made of roots grew next to her.
“Chieftain! Chieftain! Over here!” Mev shrieked, her face flushed as she flapped her arms wildly.
“M-My savior…” Baek Ahyeon murmured, her eyes sparkling.
It was only natural to feel I had made a wrong turn. I was about to retreat to the men’s side, where tales of valor were still being told, but I just plopped down right in the middle of them all. The spot was a bit uncomfortable, but duty was duty. On a day like this, it was a chieftain’s job to praise them, celebrate with them, and spend time together. However, a sharp question was thrown at me before I could even open my mouth to steer the conversation in my favor.
“I have something to ask the Chieftain. It is presumptuous, but I must ask.”
“That’s right! Blood Dagger is great, but this is a very important issue for us.”
As expected, the ambush came from the Goblin Three Sisters. Their flushed faces showed they were quite drunk. For some reason, they seemed a little angry. For the Goblin Three Sisters, who were always shy in my presence, to be this assertive, I was sure that topic was about to come up. My head was already starting to ache.
“I heard the Black Spear Clan has already produced heirs. I definitely saw the women of the other brother clans… hic… laughing at the women of our Blood Dagger Clan…”
“Hic…”
They probably weren’t actually laughing at them. It was more likely a sense of insecurity. I knew this concept was important to the tribe, but for them to get this worked up, it must be an incredibly serious matter for the clan’s women. As if to prove it, they were now appealing to my sympathy, pressing for an answer.
“Hic…”
Overcome with emotion, the women who didn’t yet have mates began to cry. The scene was threatening to turn into a sea of tears. Looking at their faces, they all seemed drunk. The liquor Goff brought must have been quite strong.
“The women of the Blood Dagger Clan are lacking in nothing… hic…”
To make matters worse, the bravest of the three sisters, the one with the hammer, was starting to take off her top.
“If it’s come to this… I will sacrifice myself!”
I was flabbergasted to see a pipsqueak like her acting this way. What’s more, the other sisters beside her were also preparing to put on a strip show.
“No. I will take on that glorious mission.”
“No. I have skills I’ve honed just for today.”
Eventually, the elder goblin mothers rushed in and began to restrain the Goblin Three Sisters. I figured that tomorrow, when they sobered up, they’d run away the moment they saw me, just like Mev did back then. The sisters were somehow calmed down, but the next part was the problem. I shot a look at Ragia, but she avoided my gaze. For even Ragia to act this way, the women of the clan must truly feel cornered.
They were making their last stand.
Is there no way out of this? Just as I was thinking that, Mev slowly began to walk forward.
She wore the expression of a triumphant general returning from war.
“Ahem… ahem… The women of the clan have no need to be alarmed. Rest assured and protect the clan’s children! If you trust in Blood Dagger and the executives and hold your current positions without the slightest wavering, you will obtain what you desire.”
“……”
It was a statement uncharacteristic of the usual Mev. Moreover, it sounded very familiar. Just as I was feeling a sense of unease, Mev spoke in a confident voice.
“Chieftain! Which is your preference? The one with wings, or the one without!”
I couldn’t help but feel that the inevitable had arrived. Mev, who had declared herself the clan’s mistress, had finally earned her chance to evolve.