Chapter 480: The Successor
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 480: The Successor
‘Wh-what do I do?’
Mev swallowed nervously.
“Don’t worry, Mev! We’re here!”
“Laveua, just trust your aunts! We can do this!”
“We’ll crush Brother Gark, who knows nothing but Blood Dagger!”
The boisterous shouts of the Goblin Three Sisters echoed beside her.
“I never imagined we’d be the first pick.”
“That’s our Mev!”
“Mev!”
They sounded incredibly grateful and satisfied. It was a natural reaction, of course, having been chosen first in this festival-like mock battle. But Mev couldn’t help but be consumed by worry. The rules were far more complex than she had anticipated.
‘Choi Eunju… and… Gark…’
The quick-witted Jung Hayeon and Lapura had already recruited Choi Eunju, while Jang Ye Ri had swiftly secured Gark. Mev had heard this news right after she had successfully recruited the Goblin Three Sisters.
It was Choi Eunju, renowned for her incredible spatial magic, and Half Blade Gark, said to possess the greatest martial prowess in the tribe. Mev didn't know the full extent of it, but she had been quite astonished seeing Gark in action at the Blackrock Mountains.
Watching Gark single-handedly defeat all enemy forces felt like watching the Blood Dagger of the past. Some even claimed that the swordsmanship of the one-armed warrior, who could conceal his presence, had already surpassed that of the old Blood Dagger.
“We’re… we’re doomed.”
She whispered quietly, but the Goblin sisters, lost in their excitement, didn’t seem to hear her.
‘Mom. What do you think?’
‘Let’s get my aunts! That’s the best choice!’
‘Hmm… I was thinking about your aunts, too. This worked out well.’
Of course, it wasn’t that the Goblin Three Sisters were a bad choice. In Greenstone, the Goblin Three Sisters card was actually quite effective. Though the card, which split into three upon being played, had the weakness of being vulnerable to a single powerful card, its advantage was the ability to instantly multiply one’s numbers.
However, compared to the Gark card, which could trigger a stealth trap, or the Choi Eunju card, which allowed for teleportation, it was common sense in the world of Greenstone that the sisters were a step down. If she had known they would be picking one by one, she would have never chosen the Goblin sisters first.
No, if she had possessed any sort of thought or strategy, she wouldn’t be this anxious. Laveua might have had a plan, but Mev was certain she had chosen the three sisters simply because they were close. They had been together for so long, irreplaceable friends who had always supported her.
The results of the special tutoring she’d received from Blood Dagger, after he’d told her she could use any means necessary, were only now becoming apparent.
‘Ch-Chieftain… I’m a little confused…’
‘I figured you’d come. Sit down. I’ll explain it in more detail. But don’t forget that the final choice must be left to Laveua.’
‘Ah! O-Okay!’
‘You’ll be picking one person at a time, in sequence. If you focus on recruiting executives and squad leaders, you’ll also have to consider the clan members who come with them.’
‘Th-Then…’
‘Lapura has decided to team up with Eunju, Ratga with Gark, and you with the Goblin sisters. So now, the selection process starts over from the beginning. Understand?’
‘Ah… O-Okay!’
‘It’s a rule designed to prevent anyone from monopolizing the executives. And remember, when I said you could ask for help, I meant help in explaining the abilities of the executives and other tribe members that the children might not know. Don’t try to control them from start to finish. I’m watching everything through Elia, so I trust you understand what I’m saying. I’ve already told the others the same thing.’
‘Ah… O-Okay… Th-Then I’ll be going, Chieftain.’
The shock after hearing the precise explanation was indescribable. Of course, in the case of Tribe Executive Gark and the magician Choi Eunju, they didn't come with any subordinate tribe members. Choosing the Goblin Three Sisters and gaining the Goblin Corps, which included Goblin Warriors and Thief Shamans, wasn't a bad deal.
While the elite fighting force was the Elite Orc Swordsmen, she had heard they would be distributed evenly. For now, her only comfort was that she had the advantage in troop numbers.
She also had to think about the election that would follow.
Of course, if she put on a pathetic display, she would face a backlash in the subsequent vote.
“Mom. Do you know much about someone named Hazaku?”
“Ah! L-Laveua, you probably wouldn’t know him. He’s the squad leader of the 1st Elite Orc Swordsmen unit. He’s dispatched outside so often that it’s been a while since I’ve seen him, too. I heard he travels back and forth to the Eastern Continent… Do you remember him? That orc uncle who carried his sword in a scabbard.”
“Aah! So that’s who he is. Aah… I think he seemed strong.”
“Yes… he’s strong.”
“Is-is there an age limit for participating in the mock battle?”
“I heard the election is for those three years and older, and the mock battle is for everyone up to those who had their coming-of-age ceremony this year…”
“Then… Yoora can participate, too. Nicole will probably join Ratga’s side, right?”
“Yes. S-So! How about we go for Uncle Mirror Blade Hark this time?”
“Ah. I heard he decided to join Lapura’s side.”
“Huh?”
“Uncle Hark is with Lapura…”
“Wh-When?”
“Around the time you went to see Dad yesterday?”
“Ah… I-I see… S-So that’s what happened… I see.”
She had been completely outplayed. It felt like watching an opponent play the Blood Dagger card on their very first turn in Greenstone. The thoughtful Laveua was calmly holding her pen, considering various options, but the combination of Mirror Blade Hark and Choi Eunju was a total cheat.
Even in Greenstone, the Hark card was sometimes played to counter the Gark card. Hearing that Ratga’s side was with Gark, Lapura must have rushed to pick Hark with her next choice.
Though he might be considered inferior to Gark, Hark’s martial prowess—splitting his body into two and wielding dual swords—was also overwhelming.
“Don’t worry! We can blow away the likes of Brother Hark!”
“We’ll send him flying!”
“The only Green Skin in this world who can withstand the Goblin Three Sisters’ Blade Storm is Blood Dagger! Brother Gark! Brother Hark! They’ll both be annihilated in one shot!”
“The same goes for Orbo of the Shield! Orbo of the Shield isn’t ready yet!”
“Receive the baptism of the Goblin sisters!”
“I can feel the power of Blood Dagger!”
“Just trust us!”
“I trust you, aunts.”
Unlike Laveua, who nodded in satisfaction, Mev’s face couldn’t help but turn pale. Of course she trusted the Goblin Three Sisters. But memories of having once dedicated her life to card games with those three came flooding back. In comparison, Hark had never stopped swinging his sword.
Just as she was lost in her worries, she felt a presence in front of the tent.
Thinking someone might have come to Laveua’s camp, she was about to smile when the news she heard was completely unexpected.
“Mev!”
“Y-You may speak!”
“I’ve been informed that Ratga has joined with Minotaur Orbo of the Shield! I was told that once Laveua makes her choice, we can proceed to the next stage!”
“I-I understand.”
The news was heartbreaking.
“Ah…”
Overthinking things had been a fatal mistake.
“This is just like Greenstone…”
It felt exactly like a game of Greenstone. No matter how much she racked her brain, she just kept sinking deeper into the swamp. Even when she thought of a killer move, it would be blocked in some absurd way, or she’d feel like she was already dancing in the palm of her opponent’s hand.
Naturally, she wanted Laveua to become the successor, but it was only right to feel that the prospect was somehow growing more distant. Laveua still seemed to be deep in thought about something.
“Sob…”
It was definitely her fault. Laveua had surely inherited her occasional clumsiness and the limits of her own mind, no matter how hard she tried to think.
‘I’m sorry… sob…’
“L-Laveua… do you have any good ideas…?”
“There’s no time limit. I’m going to think about it a little more.”
“O-Okay… Mom believes in you, Laveua. Take your time and do what you want to do…”
“Okay, Mom. Thank you.”
She was such a good daughter. Even if she was smiling and comforting her now, she might suddenly change after the competition was over.
‘This is all your fault, Mom!’
‘N-No! Laveua… M-Mommy just!’
‘If only I took after Dad…’
‘I-I’m sorry, Laveua…’
‘It’s your fault! Everything! It’s all your fault!’
‘Laveua! No! It’s not like that! Laveua!!!’
A situation like that could happen. It didn’t matter if she lost the trial. There was still the election, and the situation wasn’t entirely hopeless. But she couldn’t bear the thought of that imagined scene becoming reality.
“I can’t give up.”
She couldn’t give up. The real competition hadn’t even begun. If her spirit broke now, she wouldn’t be able to hold her head high, no matter how pathetic a mother she was.
But it was an undeniable fact that this was a crisis, and crises exist to be overcome. Although she had never overcome a crisis like this in a card game, her Unique Ability had been remade for just such a situation.
‘Brain, full activation!’
Unique Ability
[Cornered Fairy]
Literally, she considered every possible move she could think of. She began searching for talent that could tie down both Gark and Hark. Not just executives. There were countless strong individuals with special abilities in the Blood Dagger Clan. Even if their power was meager, it would become a great force when gathered.
Just like combining cards, if their abilities were combined, it might create a huge synergy. There were still executives who hadn’t been chosen by any side. There were newcomers who had joined as the clan grew larger, but it was an undeniable fact that they were strong. Or what if she focused on increasing her troop numbers?
Since this was a mock battle and not a real one, having a larger number of troops was one way to dominate the field. The format of the mock battle hadn’t been decided yet. It could be a point-capture mission or a payload escort. If not, there was a high chance it would be a territory-capturing game. Having carefully watched how the children played, countless games were already stored in her head.
The composition of forces could also vary greatly depending on the type of battle. In that sense, the versatile Goblin sisters and the Goblin Corps would be a great asset. She was starting to think it was a good thing she’d picked them.
As she desperately racked her brain, considering every single possibility, a certain name popped into her head. At that perfect moment, Laveua also slowly opened her mouth.
“I’ve decided, Mom. You know that uncle we used to see a lot? What was his name again… Lee…”
“Wanyong?”
It was the moment mother and daughter’s minds became one.