Chapter 94: Helping the chieftain (2)

Haha...

Honestly, I couldn’t blame the chieftain for being speechless.

If I were in his position, I’d probably be wondering whether I’d hit my head a little too hard during the battle.

Still, we didn’t have time to stand around chatting.

"Anyway," Gopuran said, bringing the conversation back to the point, "are you the only survivor here? What happened to the rest of your tribe? Are there any others?"

The moment he heard her questions, the chieftain’s eyes suddenly widened.

It was as though he’d just remembered something incredibly important.

"Ah! My tribe!"

He tried to straighten his enormous body, forcing himself upright despite the pain.

"Ugh...!"

His knees trembled, and blood trickled from the corner of his mouth, but he stubbornly refused to sit back down.

"They escaped!" he managed to grunt. "The others... they escaped! But they’re still running! Please... I have to... help them!"

"Hey! Calm down!" Gopuran immediately tightened her grip around his arm, trying to stop him from moving. "Look at yourself! You can barely stand! You won’t be able to help anyone in this condition!"

"But...!"

"Leave it to us!" Gopuberry quickly interrupted. "Just tell us which direction they went!"

The chieftain hesitated for only a moment before raising his remaining arm and pointing toward the forest.

"There! They went that way!"

The moment I heard that, I immediately issued an order.

"Shadow. Flammy. Go help them!"

"YES, BIG BOSS!"

Gopushadow and Gopuflammy responded almost simultaneously.

The white-haired goblin immediately dashed in the direction the chieftain had indicated, weaving between the trees with incredible speed.

Gopuflammy followed close behind, her massive hammer resting against her shoulder as she rushed off to help the fleeing tribe.

With those two on their way, the survivors should have a much better chance of making it out alive.

At least, I hoped so.

But as for the battlefield here...

Well, we still had plenty of wolves to deal with.

I shifted my attention back to the remaining Horned Gray Wolves.

After watching so many of their packmates get slaughtered, the survivors were starting to look a lot less confident. They backed away cautiously, keeping their wary eyes on my goblins as though they were trying to figure out whether they still stood a chance.

There were still more than a dozen of them left.

Or, more accurately, only a dozen or so!

Heh. Too bad for you guys.

You’ve picked the wrong opponents today.

"Everyone, finish them off!"

"YES, BIG BOSS!"

My goblins immediately sprang into action.

Gopuro and Gopugiga went on the offensive, unleashing their inner killing machines as they charged toward the remaining wolves.

Meanwhile, Gopuran and Gopuberry stayed beside the chieftain, keeping him supported while watching the battlefield for any threats that might slip past the others.

As for me...

Well, I just settled in to watch the bloody show!

****

Less than ten minutes later, the battle was already over.

The remaining Horned Gray Wolves had been thoroughly dealt with. Their corpses lay scattered across the clearing, joining those of their fallen packmates.

"WHOOOO!"

Gopuro thrust his axe into the ground and rolled his shoulders, letting out a satisfied sigh.

"That was awesome!"

"Yeah!" Gopuran agreed, wiping the blood off her sword before sheathing it. "I’ve wanted revenge on these fucking wolves for so long! Finally, I feel so much better!"

"Mwahahaha!" Gopuro burst into laughter. "I know, right?! Who would’ve thought that just a few days ago, we were still running away from these bastards with our tails between our legs? And now, their entire pack barely gives us enough exercise!"

The guy was practically beaming with pride.

Well, I couldn’t blame him.

Not long ago, these very same Horned Gray Wolves had nearly killed them. Now, after receiving my blessings, getting their hands on better weapons, and growing stronger through evolution, they could take on an entire pack without much trouble.

The difference was honestly ridiculous.

Hehe. Looks like my investment is paying off!

Meanwhile, the chieftain had finally managed to sit down and lean against a nearby boulder. His enormous body slumped against the rough stone, and his remaining arm rested limply across his lap.

Gopuberry stayed beside him, keeping a close eye on his condition.

"Here... have some water."

She carefully took out her waterskin and offered it to him.

"Thank... thank you..."

The chieftain accepted it with trembling fingers and raised it to his mouth. He drank several mouthfuls, swallowing with some difficulty before finally lowering the waterskin.

Even this simple action seemed to leave him exhausted.

Damn...

He really was in terrible shape.

"Big Boss..." Gopuberry suddenly murmured.

Her eyes were filled with worry as she stared at the chieftain’s bloodied body.

"Will he be alright? He’s losing so much blood..."

"Hmm..."

I paused for a moment before replying.

"As long as you guys can bring him back to me alive, he’ll be fine."

"Phew..."

Gopuberry let out a soft sigh of relief, and some of the tension finally left her shoulders.

However...

Well, shit.

The truth was, even I wasn’t entirely sure whether the guy would survive.

I certainly hoped he would. After all, I’d already started thinking about recruiting him into my castle, and losing such a powerful potential citizen would be a real shame.

But looking at his injuries...

And the increasingly vacant look in his eyes...

And the way his breathing was becoming slower and weaker...

Yeah, it was hard to feel optimistic.

The chieftain was doing his best to stay conscious, but his body was clearly reaching its limit. Every now and then, his head would droop slightly before he forced himself to raise it again.

He was fighting to stay awake.

But for how much longer?

Damn it...

If only one of my goblins had some kind of healing skill!

Unfortunately, none of them did.

Sure, my citizens had become much stronger, but their abilities were still primarily focused on combat. We had powerful attackers, a sturdy defender, a swift scout, and several other capable fighters.

But a proper healer?

Yeah, we were sorely lacking one.

And right now, that weakness was becoming painfully obvious.

I could only hope the chieftain’s body was tough enough to hold out until we returned to the castle. Once he became my citizen, I might be able to use the System to find some way to help him.

The problem was getting him there alive.

Come on, big guy. Hang in there a little longer!

Just then...

Rustle!

Several figures emerged from the forest.

I immediately turned my attention toward them.

Leading the group were Gopushadow and Gopuflammy!

And behind them...

Oh!

They’re here!

The remaining members of the Bright Red Nose Tribe had finally arrived!