Chapter 46: Gods?

There was no point in telling them that I used to be a human who had reincarnated here as a castle.

It would only confuse them. Worse, knowing how goblins viewed humans in this world, revealing my origins might even make them wary of me. I had no reason to throw away the trust I had built with my own citizens.

But that didn’t mean I should tell them that I was a god either.

Sure, if they believed I was a god, they would probably worship and revere me even more. If I eventually gained enough followers, I could even turn myself into the center of an entire religion and expand my influence much faster.

But I didn’t want to build my relationship with my citizens on a lie.

If they eventually discovered that I wasn’t actually a god, they might feel betrayed and lose their faith in me. No matter how useful such a lie might be in the short term, it could cause serious problems later.

And there was another reason I didn’t want to casually claim divinity.

This was a world of magic and unknown powers. I had no idea whether actual gods existed, or what they might think of someone suddenly declaring himself one.

Why risk attracting the attention of a real god when I had no idea what the consequences would be?

So, for now, I decided to stick with the truth.

Well... at least the part of the truth I was willing to share.

"Well, haha, I may be able to make food appear from thin air, give you powerful blessings, and even help you level up, but I’m actually not a god."

I said it as casually as I could.

But for some reason, my words seemed to come as a huge shock to them.

"No way!!!" Gopuro exclaimed. "Big Boss is so powerful! Big Boss can make things appear, give us power, and even make us stronger, and yet Big Boss isn’t a god?"

Even Gopuran looked confused.

"If you’re not a god, then are you... more powerful than gods?"

"Ooooh! Right! Right! That must be it!" Gopuro suddenly nodded in agreement.

Oh boy...

I couldn’t help but feel speechless.

I had only wanted to be humble and avoid declaring myself a god. And somehow, they had immediately jumped to the conclusion that I was even more powerful than the gods!

What kind of logic was that?!

"Well, then, why don’t you tell me what exactly a god is?" I asked.

Based on their answer, I might be able to learn more about this world and the beings that these goblins revered as gods.

And perhaps... I could even figure out whether I might actually qualify as one.

However, the moment I asked the question, both goblins looked at each other again.

Neither of them answered immediately.

Their brows furrowed as they tried to remember something from the stories they had heard.

"Hmmmm..." Gopuro finally muttered. "Puran, do you remember... the tales about gods?"

"Well, I only remember some of them..." Gopuran replied hesitantly.

And then, as they slowly pieced together what they had been taught, I finally got my first glimpse of what counted as a god in this world.

Or at least... what gods looked like in the eyes of these goblins.

"The elders said that gods are mythical and powerful beings who live on the highest mountains or in the deepest oceans..." Gopuran began. "They are immortal and possess unlimited magical power. They can do almost anything."

"Right!" Gopuro nodded enthusiastically.

"When the gods are happy, they bring good weather and bountiful harvests to the world..." Gopuran continued. "But when the gods become angry, terrible disasters can happen."

"Oh! And the legends also say that there used to be a Dark God!" Gopuro suddenly added.

"Oh, right!" Gopuran exclaimed, her eyes widening. "There was a super evil god who nearly destroyed the entire world thousands of years ago! Fortunately, the other gods were able to defeat him."

At the mention of the Evil God, my curiosity immediately skyrocketed.

A god powerful enough to nearly destroy the entire world?

I wanted to know more, so I asked them for details.

Unfortunately, both goblins simply shook their heads.

They didn’t know anything beyond the stories they had just told me. Apparently, that was pretty much everything the elders had passed down to them about the gods.

Suddenly...

"Big Boss, where do you come from?" Gopuran asked.

"Right!" Gopuro’s eyes widened as though he had just realized something important. "I was here last winter, and there was nothing like this here!"

"Big Boss, when did you build this... giant pretty house?" Gopuran asked.

"Haha, it’s called a castle!" I replied. "And like you said, I’ve only been here recently. But as for where I came from..."

I hesitated.

How should I explain this?

After thinking about it for a moment, I decided to give them a simple answer.

"Well, it’s a place very, very far away. So far away that I can’t even remember how to get back home. Apparently, I was sent here by a mysterious power."

"Ooooh! Then that mysterious power must be a god!" Gopuro exclaimed.

"That... maybe?" I mused.

Thinking back...

The power to pluck a soul from Earth and reincarnate it into a completely different world, then turn that soul into a literal castle and give it a System?

Yeah... that definitely sounded like something only a god could do.

But who was it?

And why had they done this to me?

What did they want from me?

I really wanted answers to those questions, but there was no way I could figure them out right now.

"Big Boss... are you on a mission for a god?" Gopuran asked, tilting her head.

"Haha, well..." I laughed awkwardly. "I don’t actually know. That being suddenly transported me here without giving me any explanation or warning."

"Huh?" Both goblins looked confused.

"But since they gave me this castle form and all these powers, I think I might have an idea of what my mission is," I quickly added.

"Ohh! Mission?"

The two goblins immediately listened intently.

"Yeah," I replied. "They probably want me to grow stronger. And by stronger, I mean gaining more citizens, making those citizens stronger, and then expanding my territory. Basically..."

I paused for dramatic effect.

"...creating a powerful kingdom!"

"Ooooooh!!! A powerful kingdom!!!" Gopuro suddenly gasped, his eyes shining with excitement.

"And world domination!" Gopuran chimed in, pumping her fist into the air.

"Yeah, yeah, something like that!"

The two goblins exchanged a brief look.

Then, almost simultaneously, they turned back toward me.

"Alright, Big Boss! Please let us help you!"

"Please make us stronger!"

"We will conquer the world! Hahahahaha!"

Well, needless to say, I liked their enthusiasm!

More importantly, they seemed to understand my goals a little better now, and they were willing to help me achieve them. That realization made me feel surprisingly excited as well.

Still...

World domination, huh?

That’s a pretty big goal.

But who knows?

Maybe one day, I really could achieve it.