Chapter 202
Chapter 202
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 202
Chapter Title: Named Monster, Gogrid of Greed
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A single goblin came trembling through the midst of the blue-eyed undead.
It was smaller in stature than the others, a tiny thing that seemed not yet fully grown.
Keruk, hehehe…
The creature soon flattened itself on the ground before me like it was kneeling, then held out an object clutched in one hand.
A glittering shard of glass.
Ka. Kasha… kuheuh….
As far as I knew, goblins had a habit of hoarding shiny things in their nests. This glass shard must have been its own little treasure.
Offering up one's treasure was a sign of sincerity, whether from a monster or a human.
Keheuh….
With shoulders slumped and body pressed flat against the floor, its posture probably meant it was begging for its life.
So, what should I do?
As I pondered that,
Kiheueuk, kehehet-.
“T-this little shit just insulted Lord Hassan, calling you a stupid nigger-headed idiot!!”
Paranoya, who had been watching the scene beside me, started shaking like she was having a fit.
I could only ask in bewilderment.
“What? What did you say?”
“T-this bastard just insulted Lord Hassan!! This is, this is an unforgivable crime! As Lord Hassan's right hand, allow me, Paranoya, to execute this thing…!!”
Paranoya had a habit of accelerating wildly. Her accelerator was so sensitive that even a feather's touch would make it roar full throttle.
Her mana was good too, so her zero-to-hundred was quick. Sometimes she outpaced even my best-laid plans.
“What insult? This thing insulted me?”
Kehehek, hehek!
The young goblin seemed just as flustered.
I didn't know if it understood words, but it shrank back in fear at the sight of Paranoya thrashing about.
Keruk, haeuruk, kasha ki.
“Ah!? This thing just called Lord Hassan a moron who grovels to the strong but bullies the weak with chestnuts—!! Lord Hassan, you can't let a creature like this live—!!”
Could Paranoya actually understand goblin speech? Was this little shit really cursing me out at my feet?
No matter how I looked at it, it felt like Paranoya's paranoia was kicking in.
So I ignored Paranoya, who was growling like a starving leopard, and addressed the goblin trembling at my feet.
“Fine, I'll accept your sincerity. You're going to serve me.”
Kehehet-.
I took the glass shard from the young goblin's outstretched hand. I wasn't sure if my words got through, but a strange glimmer of hope seemed to flicker in its red eyes as it looked up at me.
But only for a moment.
“Of course, you'll serve me in death.”
I smashed its head in with my gauntlet, still gripping the glass shard tight. The creature, already prostrated, convulsed under my fist.
Kueeeek-!!
At the sight, Paranoya—who had been raging just moments ago—spoke up, sounding utterly terrified.
“B-betraying its trust and snatching away its hope…. Lord Hassan, how deep into the abyss will you descend…?”
Keheueueuh….
Paranoya gawked at the dying young goblin like she was witnessing pure evil, but this was standard procedure.
One lesson I'd learned trailing after Elfriedee: monsters could always threaten your life.
Even if one seemed young and feeble, you had to kill it without mercy to avoid future trouble.
Geuaek…!
Sure enough, in the right hand of this young one—still clenched tight even as its head burst and blood sprayed—there was another sharp glass shard.
Crude as it was, if it stabbed with force, it could pierce thin human skin and draw blood in an instant.
This little bastard had been planning to slit my throat the moment I let my guard down.
Maybe Paranoya was right; maybe it really had been cursing me.
Thinking I'd nearly been killed made my head boil over.
“Wipe them all out.”
Gaaaak-!!!
Geiya aaak-!!!
At my rage-filled command, the blue-eyed undead threw their heads back and roared.
They squeezed through holes dotting the burrow, tearing apart the monsters hiding inside.
This wasn't a fight or a battle—it was a one-sided massacre.
The scene was chilling, yet the thought that I commanded these things made my heart pound with excitement.
So where was this goblin king or boss or whatever?
As I stood there arms crossed, one hobgoblin approached and smacked its lips.
Dalak, dalak.
I could vaguely tell it was trying to say something to me, but damned if I knew what.
As I furrowed my brow slightly, Paranoya—who was also standing there arms crossed—spoke up beside me.
“This one's saying it has something to show Lord Hassan…!”
“Really? Is that true?”
Dalak.
The hobgoblin nodded as if confirming Paranoya's words. I followed it through the burrow's maze of tunnels.
How deep into the ant-hill-like interior did we go?
“This is—.”
I discovered something quite surprising inside.
“O-oh gods—!! S-stop that now—!!”
There lay a woman on the floor, hands and feet bound, blindfolded, writhing about. Short golden bobbed hair, light armor. Even a small shield on her hand.
I knew this woman.
She was part of that Iron Tier party, Scarji or whatever. If memory served, her name was Kashi, Ka-. Kakashi, fuck if I remember.
Everyone's names in this world sounded like they'd been oiled up to be forgettable.
Anyway, why was she here?
I was momentarily taken aback.
Then I remembered: goblins hoarded anything valuable in their nests.
This one must have been treated like treasure and stashed away. Plenty of villagers and low-rank adventurers got kidnapped by goblins, after all.
“G-get away—!!”
No signs of wounds or abuse on her body. But she was clearly terrified.
I'd probably panic too if kidnapped by goblins and dumped in some back room like this.
So what to do with her?
Letting her go seemed the humane thing, but right now I was purging goblins with necromancy.
If she saw this, it'd spell big trouble in all sorts of ways.
What now?
A fleeting idea crossed my mind.
Hassan the Samaritan rescues a rookie adventurer kidnapped by goblins, and even takes down the goblin king—.
Even I thought it was a solid scenario. A tale like that would easily snag a full page in the papers.
So I stationed a few hobgoblins in the Iron Tier girl's room, sealed it with a big rock, and said to Paranoya,
“Paranoya, I've got a favor to ask. If you obey my orders perfectly, I might bump your share of hell's domain back up to sixty percent.”
“Y-you're giving me a chance for revenge?”
“Yeah.”
“Hueueu-!!”
Paranoya shuddered with overwhelming emotion at my words.
Dogs sometimes piss themselves from sheer joy—hope she doesn't do the same. As I worried briefly, she asked back.
“So, what do I need to do?”
“Simple. When I give the signal, free her and bring her to me. Let her know Hassan the Samaritan's come to save her, and that I'm currently taking down the goblin king. Ease her mind.”
“So Lord Hassan, the dumb barbarian warrior Samaritan, is going to put on a show of defeating the goblin king for her?”
“Yeah, something like that. You get it.”
“Is there really any need? Why cling so hard to that false identity of Samaritan?”
Paranoya asked like she genuinely couldn't fathom it.
To her, my true self as Hassan was the facade, and I was really the necromancer son of Pluto or whatever. She believed it without question.
No time for a long explanation, so I went with a plausible dodge.
“As my right hand, you should pick up on intentions like that. Don't tell me you can't grasp the profound meaning here?”
“Hueut-!! N-no, of course not—!! I-I actually knew all along—!!”
“Oh? Then tell me what it is.”
“W-well, Samaritan Hassan seems dumb, but actually he's, uh, what was it….”
Maybe it was my imagination, but it sounded like this little nymph's head was churning like an old washing machine. At this rate, she'd botch the job.
“Ah-!! I got it!! You're wearing the hero's mask to manipulate the world from both light and shadow—!!”
“Yeah, half right.”
“H-half…?”
Paranoya blinked, clearly not getting it. Truth was, my intent was transparent: I just wanted fame.
“Paranoya, Lord Hassan's right hand and the sharpest mind among his followers—even I only grasp half your scheme. Truly, Lord Hassan is unparalleled….”
Sharpest mind among my followers?
For a second I thought it was nonsense, but she was the only one who saw me as a god. Wait, Antiope too now. So she was bragging about being top of two?
Antiope's probably smarter, though. Of course, I didn't say that to spare her feelings.
“Anyway. Do exactly as I say. Got it?”
“H-hu, no worries…!”
Paranoya clenched her fists confidently and nodded.
I still felt uneasy, but bringing someone over on signal was dead simple. Anyone could do it.
Now for the actor.
All that was left was recruiting the goblin king or whatever.
I'd have my minions take him down, turn him undead, then soften up the undead horde and resurrect him as the goblin king.
Then I'd welcome the audience—girl and her party—with a fierce, bloody duel where I triumph over him.
I'd gotten tangled with that Ka-whatever girl's party before while training against my own minions. Just scaling it up this time.
“Genius.”
Even I had to admire the brilliance of the idea.
My brain usually creaked like rusted gears. Why did it spin so smoothly when it came to deception?
So, still no sign of the goblin king?
『Settling minion battles-.』
Text for battle settlements kept popping up as my minions rampaged everywhere.
My current karma value: +355.
It was around 310 when I entered this cave, so I'd killed about 45 goblins inside here.
At this rate, they could call me Goblin Genocider Hassan. No clues on the king yet, though.
Swish, swiiiish.
I followed the path my soldiers had carved through the slaughter.
With goblin corpses littering the way, even the cramped cave was easy to navigate.
“Rise and fight-.”
I didn't forget to revive the dead along the way. Now I had 40 goblin undead under me.
Was my mental strength—whatever they called it—reaching its limit? Or was the air thinning in this underground tunnel? My head spun, but it was bearable.
Just not for long.
An hour or two at most.
I'd have to wrap this up before then. Or retreat today and come back tomorrow.
Retreat.
Normally, I'd consider it without a second thought.
But I'd come out today determined to accomplish something. Running away now felt pathetic.
I'd finish it today.
Tomorrow's morning paper would boldly feature my name: Hassan.
“Find it. Find the skull throne.”
I commanded the undead standing by, awaiting orders. Their blue eyes gleamed as they vanished into the shadows again.
A race against time.
That's what I was thinking when—
Gaaaaak-!!!
"Kuhuk, y-you bastard-!!"
A scream that chilled my spine rang out loud. It sounded like one of my minions, but mixed in was a voice unlike their usual cries—thicker, different.
A deep male voice. Not mine, not Paranoya's, not that Ka-whatever woman's.
“Paranoya, you hear that?”
“I-I did, yes…!!”
I asked Paranoya following behind me, and she nodded vigorously. We headed toward the screams.
Soon we entered a space so vast it hardly seemed like a burrow.
The first thing I saw: red linen, velvet, silk, and all sorts of unnamed fabrics laid out long across the floor.
Flaming torches atop them, platters, and in the center—a chair.
A chair crudely fashioned from bones of some unknown beast.
Atop it sat a massive figure battling my minions—.
A massive green hunk of meat.
The true goddamn goblin king.
The moment I saw it, I couldn't help grinning ear to ear.
“Nice to meet you, you little shit. I've been dying to see you.”
"Who are you, who—!!"