Chapter 76: Ragia
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 76: Ragia
Security was, of course, the most important thing in this operation. It had gotten a little noisier than I’d anticipated, thanks to Hakajin unexpectedly blowing things up, but we were thorough with the cleanup and erased all traces. More importantly, when we later visited Hakajin's village, we found no sign whatsoever of Ragia's group's involvement.
Even though the Hobgoblin archers managed by Mev were on standby in Hakajin's village at all times, the only ones they saw were members of Broken Bow's group heading out to hunt. Even they didn't seem to care much about the missing goblins. It’s a funny way to put it, but Ragia's group didn't even leave a shadow.
Thinking back, it was a little strange. Normally, Green Skins don't care what other villages do. A village's autonomy belongs solely to that village. No one interferes or pays any mind. That's the unspoken rule. Even if Hakajin's group had been wiped out by a human attack, unless Hakajin had directly asked Ragia for help, it was his group's problem. It was none of Ragia's business.
Of course, since Green Skins are social creatures, they get excited about rumors, heroic tales, and stories of honor. But those stories end where another village's autonomy begins. The situation might be a little different for sworn brother clans like mine and Black Spear's, but for these reasons, I had assumed Ragia simply hadn't paid Hakajin any mind.
What I had overlooked was that she was quite interested in the surrounding state of affairs. And that she was far smarter than I had given her credit for.
This woman knew something had happened in Hakajin's village and deliberately chose not to show herself. Of course, she might not have known. If she were like Black Spear or Broken Bow, who have little interest in their surroundings, she certainly wouldn't have known, assuming she wasn't paying attention.
But she is ambitious. Unlike Hakajin, she knew why I had come to her village and even deduced my purpose. I started to recall the conversation we had when we first met.
‘You asked if I knew why the Blood Dagger Clan visited this area.’
‘I did.’
‘Isn't it to increase the size of your tribe? Your numbers are dwindling from constant, honorable battles, and with a high ratio of males, you can't even grow through reproduction. Is that not why you've come…?’
‘You've hit the nail on the head.’
It was absurd, but she had seen through our clan's internal affairs with considerable accuracy. This meant she hadn't just made a snap judgment after seeing my clan members; she had learned it through some independent channel. She wasn't just interested in her surroundings. She was a woman who valued information.
For a woman like that to not show her face in Hakajin's village was all the more strange. There was no way she wasn't curious about what had happened.
‘She's a truly clever woman.’
I began to tighten my grip.
“Ghk…”
She was probably racking her brain right now, trying to figure out the right answer. In truth, no matter what she answered, I was already prepared.
“I… I knew.”
An excellent choice. Either answer would have been correct, but this one was more definitive. At the very least, it meant she wasn't lying.
“You're a clever woman. A wise Green Skin, Ragia. Do you know why I have you by the throat?”
I let go of her neck slightly so she could speak more easily. She instantly dropped to the ground, gasping and choking, but I felt no pity for her.
“Deception… it was. I dared to try and manipulate the Blood Dagger Clan. I knew of the exam, the only chance to regain honor, yet I tried to use it for personal gain. To… to eliminate the other factions and take only those who followed me.”
“So you took me for a fool.”
“…”
She didn't answer. It would be more accurate to say she couldn't answer, because my words were the truth. In truth, there was no need to pressure her like this. Whether she knew about the exam or not wasn't important. If anything, the fact that she knew about it could have been proof of her competence.
But Ragia…
‘She tried to stand above me.’
From a Green Skin's perspective, the problem was using an honorable exam for personal gain. From the clan's perspective, the problem was trying to stand above the chieftain. And crucially, abandoning the other tribe members, despite knowing what I truly wanted, was also a problem.
Passing the exam by cheating was something I could applaud. But nothing else about her actions was acceptable.
If I had truly been an idiot, or if I hadn't figured out her true nature, I would have danced splendidly in the palm of her hand. I likely would have worked with her, thinking I was the one pulling the strings. All the while, I would have been oblivious to the fact that she was the one truly manipulating me.
Ragia used me brilliantly. She held me in her palm and moved me about. It must have been amusing for her, right up until things went wrong. I spoke to the bowed head of Ragia.
“What do you think I'm going to do with you? You, who used a test of honor for personal gain and deceived me…”
At my words, Ragia slowly began to raise her head. Finally, she looked at me and spoke.
“You… you will accept me.”
Snake-like bitch. This is truly amusing.
“Why?”
“Y-You need me. If you didn't, you would have surely killed me on the spot. You certainly wouldn't be asking these questions.”
I didn't bother to answer. Ragia watched me with an anxious expression, and I looked back at her and laughed as if I found it all very entertaining.
Her words were correct. If I truly had no intention of letting her live, she would already be dead. I wouldn't have bothered asking so many questions, nor would I have dragged out the interrogation like this. In a way, this was a second test for her. An unfair test where she had to please me to survive.
“You're right. In that case, can you tell me why I'm asking you these questions?”
“That's…”
“…”
“To know… my place…”
Before she could even finish her sentence, I snatched a dagger from one of my clan members and plunged it into the back of her hand. A sickening sound of the dagger piercing flesh echoed, and she immediately let out a scream.
“Aaaaaargh!”
“Correct.”
I pulled the dagger from her hand and continued.
“Whenever anything happens while you are a member of our tribe, do not forget this pain. What I want from you is to stand above our enemies, not above the Blood Dagger Clan.”
Her eyes were filled with terror. But, as if she'd had a realization, she nodded. I don't think this alone will be enough to control her. Whether human or Green Skin, it's only natural that one cannot hide their innate nature. I looked at her, thinking that someday, if she ever harbored other thoughts, she would remember what happened today. Ragia slowly began to speak.
“I will remember… I will never forget.”
The moment she answered, her body slowly began to change.
‘Was it a quest…?’
The condition must have been to enter the Blood Dagger Clan. It was absurd, but it seemed her last statement was judged as completing the quest. The fact that a quest guiding her personal objective had even appeared made me understand just how desperately she wanted to join this clan, which was reassuring, but it still felt a bit strange.
Soon, her body finished its transformation, revealing the form of a Lamia. Like an Alraune, it was a monster classified as a special type. A race with stealthy movements and outstanding skill in handling poison. A perfect choice for an assassin.
I stared at her transformed face with a strange expression. Flesh-toned skin, long black hair. The eyes and tongue of a snake. To be honest, her appearance was enough to make me swallow. Flawless skin and a sharp nose. Her sharp, monolidded eyes were incredibly beautiful and striking.
“So you've passed the Warrior's Exam. A beautiful form…”
The unnecessary words slipped out before I knew it. As her body changed, the clothes on her upper torso had slipped down, revealing large breasts comparable to Jung Hayeon's. The only problem was that her lower half was entirely that of a snake, but even that began to look alluring. Hearing my voice, the transformed Ragia bowed her head.
“Thank you for the compliment. I will serve you with all my loyalty. Until the day my life ends.”
She bowed while clutching the back of her hand, trying to staunch the flowing blood. As Ragia paid her respects to me, the others who followed her also began to bow. Seeing the near-certainty on Ragia's face, I wondered if she had perhaps figured out the existence of this second test as well, but I quickly dismissed the suspicion.
Whether she had figured it out or not didn't matter. She had proven her competence, and I had already decided to accept her. It was no longer an important issue. It might not be a perfect analogy, but the anecdote about Cao Cao, Yang Xiu, and the 'chicken ribs' from Romance of the Three Kingdoms came to mind. Hoping for a different outcome this time, I extended my hand to her. She took my hand and began to rise.
As long as she is useful to the clan, I don't care what kind of foolishness this woman gets up to. What's important is that she constantly remembers her place.
I gestured to Hakajin, who rushed over to Ragia and treated her hand with a healing totem, finally bringing the long ordeal to a close.
I remembered that everyone had been watching my exchange with Ragia without making a sound, completely focused. I looked at them all and spoke. Gark and Hark looked utterly confused, but Hakajin gave a subtle nod. It must have meant he didn't think my choice was a bad one.
“Ragia will also join the tribe. Her methods were wrong, but she passed the test. She is a competent and wise Green Skin, and she will bring prosperity to our tribe.”
My words were brief, but the Green Skins who followed me roared in approval. They held no complaints about my decision.
“For Blood Dagger!”
“For Blood Dagger!”
Mev and the Goblin Three Sisters had somewhat complicated expressions. Mev's expression looked anxious as she gazed at the now even more beautiful Ragia, but she too nodded as if to say she trusted me.
“For Blood Dagger!”
At her voice, the Goblin Three Sisters also raised their voices.
“For Blood Dagger!”
It felt like a long time had passed since I came to the continent, but only now did it feel like the clan's foundation was truly set. Listening to their cheers, I slowly started to walk away.