Hidden, You Say?

...Huh?

I stared blankly at the window floating before my eyes.

Submission? A retainer? Those words kept swirling around in my head.

That's way too much pressure!

Village management. Appeasing the spirits. Dealing with monsters. My days were already packed tight!

The Totori alone took up so much of my attention...

And now they wanted me to take responsibility for goblins on top of that?

No way in hell!

I shouted inwardly, my leaves trembling violently.

That's when it happened.

Flutter flutter—!

The spirits zoomed over and landed right in front of the Goblin King, narrowing their eyes into fierce triangles and raising their voices.

-What nonsense is that!

-A retainer? Hah!

Right! Exactly! I flapped my leaves in agreement.

Good job! Go tell him no!

But then the spirits' next words made my shaking branches freeze solid.

-We're already his retainers!

...Huh?

Before I could even process it, the spirits puffed out their chests and shouted at the Goblin King.

-We came first!

-We've been with him from the very start!

-You just showed up!

The Goblin King narrowed his eyes and replied without hesitation.

“I can offer many things.”

His voice was firm and low.

The spirits shot back with pouty faces.

-Same here!

-We can do lots of stuff too!

One spirit stepped forward boldly.

-And we can talk to him directly~

-Have you ever even heard his voice?

The Goblin King faltered.

‘...’

His eyes wavered subtly.

He wanted to argue, but he couldn't.

Direct communication—that was the biggest difference right now.

With his pride wounded, the Goblin King slowly opened his mouth.

“No...”

Direct conversations with that one! It was seriously enviable.

“Urk...”

It was a total defeat.

Seeing the Goblin King like that, the spirits grew triumphant.

-See? We're the closest retainers!

-Number one priority!

-Got it?

I stared at the scene in a daze.

Kids...

What the hell are you even saying...?

As I watched in disbelief, the Goblin King urgently spoke up.

“Then... even second place...!”

That's when it happened.

Pat pat.

Soft footsteps approached, and someone appeared.

It was Tabu.

Tabu quietly walked up to the Goblin King and placed a hand on his shoulder. With a stern expression, Tabu spoke.

“Kku-wung... Kkuu-wung!!”

A spirit giggled and translated.

-That's right! Second place is already taken!

-The Totori are number two!

Tabu grinned smugly, beaming with pride.

The flustered Goblin King stiffened and asked,

“Then... us...?”

The spirits replied matter-of-factly.

-Third place!

-Yup, third!

The Goblin King's face hardened.

“Us... the mighty Goblin King...”

He continued in a world-crushed tone.

“...dead last?”

His voice dripped with shock.

The spirits burst into laughter.

-What's wrong? Don't like it?

-Then forget it!

The Goblin King cried out desperately.

“No! Sniff... even that... I'll take it!”

The spirits and Tabu reacted in unison.

-The baby!

-The maknae!

-Woo! Goblin King maknae!

“Kkuu-wung~”

Laughter echoed through the village.

From the vibe, it looked like everything was already decided.

As I watched them, I thought to myself,

Hey. Kids...

What about my opinion...?

In the end, that's how it went down.

I gazed at the window, slowly rustling my leaves.

It was an unexpected turn, but... whatever. Not bad.

Having someone like the Goblin King as a subordinate would definitely be convenient.

He was clearly leagues above your average goblin.

As I thought that, another window popped up.

Huh? A name?

Did subjugating someone mean I had to name them?

A name, huh...

I pondered for a moment.

What would be good?

Goblin King...

The strongest being in Pirel Forest.

Leader of the pack.

A majestic build and resolute, icy gaze.

A perfect name flashed into my mind.

Khan.

The word for a chieftain—or king—among northern nomadic tribes.

Fits him perfectly.

I entered the name without hesitation.

I passed the message to the spirits, and the Goblin King's eyes widened as he heard it.

“...Khan?”

He blinked, then murmured softly.

“Khan...”

He rolled the name around in his mouth, savoring it, then bowed his head toward me.

“I like it.”

His low voice carried sincere gratitude.

Phew, good.

Glad he liked it. I swayed my branches gently.

Getting so emotional over a name—he must have lived without one for a long time.

Even as an intelligent Goblin King, he'd probably only been called ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠by his title.

Let's get along from now on, Khan.

As I basked in the good mood, the sky began to dye orange with sunset.

Oh.

It hit me then.

The goblins need a place to sleep.

The spirits rushed off to relay my thought to Khan.

-Where do you sleep?

-You need houses!

Khan replied casually.

“Building homes won't take long. We'll start right away.”

He immediately ordered his goblins.

“Bring wood and leaves.”

The goblins sprang into action with impressive discipline.

They scattered in different directions, returning with thick logs.

They jammed the logs into the ground with quick hands, then bound them tightly at the top.

This formed a conical shape, and they wove leaves densely over it.

“Kieeh!”

The goblins proudly showed off their homes, looking very satisfied.

I watched, letting out a small hum.

Hmm...

Ah, sure, it was fast.

At this rate, they'd finish houses for all the goblins before sundown.

But the problem was...

One gust of wind and it'll all fly away.

It might look fine to goblin and Totori eyes, but to me—having lived in ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠Korea for so long—it seemed ridiculously flimsy.

The logs were tied so sloppily. The whole structure looked like it'd collapse with a single poke.

Fine as temporary shelter, but not ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠for long-term living.

I'll have to think of a way to build sturdier houses.

I'd talk to Khan about it later.

As I mulled it over, the other goblins were rapidly finishing their homes.

The Totori and spirits pitched in too, of course.

“Kku-wung~ Kku-wung~”

“Kku-wung!”

The Totori helped carry heavy logs.

-Here, leaves!

-Not 'cause we like you or anything!

The spirits grumbled but gathered and brought leaves anyway.

Everyone's so sweet.

I watched the heartwarming scene with a smile.

Before I knew it, the sun had fully set.

Thankfully, they'd barely finished all the houses just in time.

It really feels like a village now.

I could see Totori and goblins heading to their homes.

At first, they eyed each other awkwardly.

“Kieh.”

“Kku.”

Then they waved awkwardly and parted.

I rustled my leaves happily.

Nice.

Looks like they're getting along.

The spirits flew up and nestled into my branches, settling in for the night.

Guess I should rest too.

That's when a window appeared.

Oh.

Time to check the status window.

I pulled it up right away.

Spirit Power was steadily rising.

And most importantly...

Jackpot!

Divine Power hit 100?

I excitedly stared at the window again.

It jumped that much all at once? Finally breaking from two digits to three.

The thrill was indescribable.

Hope the smooth growth keeps going like this.

I was about to close the status window contentedly when—

Huh?

Out of nowhere? Well, Infinite Growth always triggered at unexpected times...

But was there a reason to activate it here?

As I puzzled over it, another window followed.

No way.

Evolution!

Finally evolving again!

Each evolution made me way stronger than before, so I was thrilled just from this.

So Infinite Growth enabled the evolution list!

My heart pounded as I scanned the list.

My eyes quickly caught one thing.

Huh?

Hidden?