Chapter 420: Opening of the Western Continent
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 420: Opening of the Western Continent
“Ugh… Why in the world was I rejected! It’s hard to understand why our tribe doesn’t qualify!”
Big Hand, the Ogre from the Big Hand Clan—a quasi-vassal of the Big Ogre Clan settled in the jungle—slammed his fist on the table for no good reason and began to speak. Of course, he knew he shouldn’t be acting this way in front of the Alraune who had borne the Great Tribe Leader’s heir. But the situation was so urgent that he felt he had no choice.
Clans he considered weaker than his own had all been approved. It was incredibly difficult to comprehend why his tribe, which had been established in the jungle for so long, had not been granted qualification.
The Alraune before him glanced over the application written on the parchment one more time and murmured.
“It’s simply according to the regulations. If you wish to be re-evaluated, you can go inside and wait a bit. The Great Tribe Leader, Blood Dagger, hopes that as many Green Skins as possible will take an interest in this policy. I will confirm what the exact problem is and then request a re-evaluation for you.”
“Our Big Hand Clan has participated in countless glorious battles! Even after the Free Dungeon Alliance was formed, we worked with the black-haired humans and achieved many great things. Many humans traded with our Ogres under the Free Economic Agreement as well. There must have been some kind of mistake!”
“Yes, of course, I am aware that the Big Hand Clan is an honorable tribe. However… right now…”
When Big Hand glanced at the Alraune, she gestured slightly, as if telling him to look behind him. When Big Hand looked back, he saw Green Skins who all led small- to medium-sized tribes. They were all waiting for their turn.
“The… The Big Ogre Clan was approved, you said. The Big Hand Clan cannot be left out!”
“Yes, but let’s talk about this in a moment. Others are waiting for their turn.”
“B-But still.”
If his clan was the only one to be rejected when the esteemed Big Ogre had been approved, his tribesmen would surely be disappointed. He couldn’t back down like this. Thinking of their disappointed faces, he felt it was only natural to try and persuade her a little more. It was then that a voice came from right behind him.
“Tsk. Big Hand. Can’t you see others are waiting? Just accept the results cleanly!”
“Ah! She said there’s still a re-evaluation.”
Muttering to himself, he turned around again and saw a male Orc with a solemn expression. But the voice he’d heard was clearly a woman’s. It had come from behind him, yet it had also distinctly come from below.
When he lowered his head, the face of the goblin who had spoken to him came into view.
He knew, of course, who this goblin was. She was the shaman, Little Finger, who sat as the chieftain of the three united tribes—an alliance that had been on a winning streak recently after establishing the Land of the Couple with Giant Scream Apache and the battle sorcerer Crugar.
“L-Little Finger.”
The goblin had been a mere rookie before he had entered this place, but after whatever ordeal she had gone through in the Brother’s Land, she had grown into one of the most prominent Green Skins of late.
The saying, “Fight if you must, but never make an enemy of her,” was already quite famous among the Green Skin chieftains.
“Didn’t you hear that the re-evaluations happen after all the initial reviews are finished! She told you there will be a chance, so you should wait!”
“I-I heard.”
The reason Big Hand knew so much about these three tribes was not just because of the rumors he’d heard, but because he was very well acquainted with Little Finger’s husband. He didn’t have much of a connection with the battle sorcerer Crugar, who stood behind Little Finger. But the one behind him was a fellow he could call a brother without hesitation.
‘Giant Scream Apache.’
He couldn’t count how many times they had shared a drink. He was certain the fellow would help him out.
“B-But I’m anxious. If I could just talk to her one more time… Giant Scream Apache, you should say something too…”
When he craned his neck, he saw Apache’s face. But his eyes were desperately avoiding his.
‘Apache!’
Was this what it felt like to be betrayed by a brother? But he couldn’t give up. Recalling what Giant Scream had said at their last drinking session, Big Hand opened his mouth once more.
“Giant Scream! You! At our last drinking session, you definitely…”
“What? Giant Scream? A drinking session? Apache, you again!!”
In that instant, he saw a little she-devil. Little Finger was glaring fiercely behind her.
“A-A drinking session? I don’t know what you’re talking about. I-I don’t remember having a drink recently. Little Finger… I-It’s true. All Big Hand and I did was… was hunt together.”
A flustered expression, trembling eyes. He could only think that he had made a mistake.
‘Ah… I’ll have a good word with Little Finger for you, Big Hand. We might even see each other in a human guild!’
He had looked so confident that Big Hand had assumed he was the one who wore the pants in his relationship with Little Finger. It didn’t take long to realize the situation was the complete opposite.
The look on his friend’s face, his eyes darting around as sweat poured down his brow. The situation was urgent, but he wasn’t so heartless a Green Skin as to see that and just ignore it.
“I-I must have been mistaken. I’ll wait a little longer. Little Finger, you can have your review first.”
“Hmph. Thanks, Big Hand. And as for what you just said, we’ll have a long talk about it later.”
“U-Understood.”
The moment Apache’s resentful gaze met his, Big Hand couldn’t help but lower his head.
“It’s been a while.”
“Strength, Wisdom, and Honor. It has been a while! Our three united tribes have decided to reside in the Western Continent for exactly two years!”
“Could you please check the documents you’ve brought and the region you desire?”
“O-Of course.”
“Little Finger, the Goblin Sisters in the Brother’s Land miss you very much. They said it would be good to meet sometime if you ever stopped by. How about seeing them today?”
“Oh, I’m a little busy today… S-Sorry.”
Various other conversations came into view. He wasn’t really interested in their personal affairs. What he was more curious about was the criteria for success or failure. Observing like this would be a great help for the re-evaluation to come.
“Yes. Then let’s proceed. We have finished reviewing the documents that the three chieftains—Little Finger, Giant Scream, and finally, battle sorcerer Crugar—sent in advance. You have already met the conditions.”
“Th-That’s a relief. Phew…”
“It’s only natural.”
“There will be a few questions. There are no right answers, but it’s a necessary step to go to the Western Continent. You must answer truthfully.”
“I know.”
After receiving a small piece of paper from the Alraune, Jung Hayeon, Little Finger’s expression turned incredibly serious. The future of her tribe was at stake. It was only natural for her to look that way. He probably had the same expression when he answered the questions.
Watching her write without hesitation, Big Hand couldn’t help but think, As expected. Three years in the Brother’s Land—she surely understood the current Great Tribe Leader, Blood Dagger, very well. It was then that Little Finger paused for a moment. He hadn’t intended to pry, but Big Hand found himself turning his head slightly and infusing his eyes with magic.
[What would you do if a large human army began to enter your temporary settlement? What choice should you make?]
It was the question he had struggled with the most. He thought that perhaps this question was the key point. With a grave expression, Little Finger nodded briefly before starting to write her answer again.
[If it is an enemy you cannot win against, you should not fight. If the situation is unavoidable, evacuate the women of the tribe first. Immediately request support from other tribes and face the enemy together, or immediately flee the area and contact other Green Skins.]
An unexpected answer. Big Hand swallowed hard. It was because he remembered how he had answered that question.
‘The entire tribe will join forces and fight to the death. There is no enemy that cannot be overcome with grit. We must show them the power of the Green Skins.’
He remembered writing that with confidence. Only then did he recall that the current Great Tribe Leader, Blood Dagger, was not afraid to turn his back.
He had made a foolish mistake.
He had gotten caught up in the atmosphere and made a foolish mistake. As expected, after she finished filling out the questionnaire, the Alraune, Jung Hayeon, carefully checked the answers and began to stamp the Great Tribe Leader’s seal onto the parchment.
“You’ve been approved. Our side will assist with the relocation process, so please wait for your turn.”
“Ah! Th-Thank you! We… We did it! Crugar! Apache!”
“Y-You worked hard… Little Finger.”
“You went through a lot, Little Finger…”
The other Green Skins around them were also applauding the trio.
“You must continuously move your temporary settlement to a new location at least once every three months. Please don’t forget to report any unusual circumstances through the elves. If you violate the treaty, it will be considered as ignoring the will of the Great Tribe Leader, Blood Dagger, and you may be subject to forced repatriation, so please be careful.”
“U-Understood! Th-Thank you!”
“Welcome to the Land of Honorable Struggle, Chieftain Little Finger.”
“Th-Thank you!”
Watching the Alraune pin a dignified-looking accessory emblazoned with the crest of the Great Tribe Leader, Blood Dagger, onto Little Finger’s chest, he naturally felt a surge of envy.
Depending on one’s achievements, one could receive Storm Shadow’s accessory. With even greater achievements, one could wear an accessory engraved with the crest of the Great Tribe Leader Agar himself. Every Green Skin here was probably aiming to collect all three.
“Alright, next person.”
“Winter Goblin Clan of the North. Kkireuk.”
“Yes.”
As he watched the moments of joy and sorrow slowly unfold, Big Hand nodded. He still didn’t quite understand why one had to turn their back, but the Great Tribe Leader, Blood Dagger, was no coward. The fact that he had made such a groundbreaking proposal was proof that he was not a coward.
It was surely a command to preserve their strength for a greater battle to come. He was a wise Green Skin. He thought it was only right to follow the will of the current Great Tribe Leader.
The day was already slowly growing dark. Some Green Skins shed tears of anguish, unable to accept the results, while others cheered as they received Blood Dagger’s badge on their chests.
Feeling the long-awaited time for his re-evaluation drawing near, Big Hand slowly swallowed.
“Alright then, for those who have been waiting, I apologize for the long wait.”
It was a nerve-wracking moment. One by one, they quietly spoke with the Alraune, and unlike before, most of them were nodding and leaving with satisfied expressions.
‘He’s wearing it.’
They were definitely wearing the accessory with Blood Dagger’s crest on their chests.
It was only natural for his throat to go dry. If he made a mistake here, everything would be for naught. When his turn finally came, Big Hand slowly took a step forward.
“Yes, Chieftain Big Hand. I apologize for making you wait so long.”
“N-No, it’s fine.”
“To be honest, Chieftain Big Hand, you have no other disqualifying factors. However, there was an internal judgment that if you were to go to the new Land of Struggle, your entire tribe could be endangered. Not fighting is a dishonorable thing, but the Great Tribe Leader has judged that the battles that will occur in this Land of Struggle are not the kind of battles worth dying honorably for. Problems were found in several categories. Therefore, I would like to ask you the question once more.”
“U-Understood.”
“A formidable human force with overwhelming numbers and strength has begun to enter your temporary settlement. How will you respond, Chieftain Big Hand? I will ask one more time.”
It was the very question he had thought was the problem. Big Hand unknowingly raised the corners of his mouth slightly and voiced the thought that had formed in his mind.