Chapter 95: Reunion

Now...

More than twenty goblins emerged from between the trees. Some were supporting wounded companions, while others carried whatever weapons they’d managed to hold on to during their desperate escape.

Among them were three Hulkgoblins, five Hobgoblins, and quite a few ordinary goblins. I also spotted the elderly shaman with his skull-topped staff, his tattoo-covered body adorned with countless bones and trinkets.

Hmm... This old guy seems pretty high-level, too!

Even from a distance, I could tell this old fellow wasn’t an ordinary shaman. He was practically radiating some kind of powerful aura.

Unfortunately, I barely had time to examine him before the entire group noticed the enormous figure resting against the boulder.

Their chieftain.

For a moment, everyone froze.

Then...

"CHIEFTAIN!"

"He’s alive!"

"CHIEFTAIN!"

The clearing erupted with voices.

The goblins rushed toward him, relief spreading across their faces as they crowded around the boulder. Some were limping, others were also suffering from nasty wounds, but nobody seemed to care about their own injuries anymore.

Among them, one figure moved faster than everyone else.

A young goblin girl.

Despite her injured leg, she stumbled forward as quickly as she could before throwing herself into her father’s remaining arm.

"Father!"

Her voice broke almost immediately.

"Father! You’re still alive! I’m so glad! I’m so glad!"

I see...

So this girl is the chieftain’s daughter!

Well, this is touching.

She clung to his enormous body, sobbing uncontrollably as tears streamed down her face.

"Uwaaaahhh... I thought... I thought I’d never see you again!"

The chieftain stared at his daughter for a moment. Then, slowly, his expression softened.

"Ah... I’m here. It’s alright now..."

He carefully wrapped his remaining arm around her, pulling her close against his chest.

The moment he embraced her, his shoulders began to tremble.

He was crying, too.

The enormous goblin who had faced an entire pack of Horned Gray Wolves without backing down was now holding his daughter and weeping quietly.

He’d fought desperately to protect his tribe. He’d endured terrible injuries, pushed himself far beyond his limits, and come within a hair’s breadth of death.

And now, finally, he could see with his own eyes that his daughter was alive.

Apparently, that was enough to break through whatever strength he had left.

Around them, the other goblins struggled to hold back their tears. Some covered their faces with their hands, while others lowered their heads, their shoulders shaking as they remembered just how close they’d come to losing their chieftain.

Even the elderly shaman, who’d remained composed throughout the battle, had tears gathering in the corners of his eyes.

For a while, nobody said anything.

They simply gathered around their leader, sharing in the relief of having him back.

...

Well, damn.

Even I couldn’t help feeling a little moved by the scene.

After everything they’d been through, they deserved at least this moment of peace.

However, the old shaman soon turned toward Gopushadow, who was standing nearby, pretending to be strong by swallowing his own sobs.

The elderly goblin suddenly reached out and grabbed both of the young goblin’s hands.

"Thank you! Thank you so much!"

His voice trembled with emotion.

"Thank you for saving our chieftain! If you hadn’t arrived when you did..."

He couldn’t finish the sentence.

He didn’t need to.

Everyone there knew what would have happened.

Gopushadow scratched his cheek, looking slightly embarrassed by the old goblin’s gratitude.

"Hehe... it’s nothing."

The chieftain slowly lifted his head from his daughter’s embrace and turned toward my citizens.

His gaze lingered on each of them before finally settling on Gopushadow and Gopuflammy.

"The Bright Red Nose Tribe..." he began, his voice still weak but carrying a solemn weight. "Will forever be indebted to you, great warriors of the Castle Tribe."

He lowered his head as much as his exhausted body allowed.

"And to your great leader... We will never forget this debt."

"Hehe..." Gopuro scratched his nose, looking a little awkward. "Come on, there’s no need to be so formal!"

"That’s right!" Gopuran added. "We’re all goblins, aren’t we? We’re brothers and sisters! When one tribe is in trouble, the others should help!"

"Yeah!" Gopugiga nodded enthusiastically. "Besides, beating up those wolves was pretty fun!"

And just like that, the tension eased a little.

Several of the Bright Red Nose goblins chuckled, and even the chieftain managed a faint smile.

Watching them, I couldn’t help feeling pleased.

Nice! Looks like my citizens are making a good impression.

This is fantastic.

More importantly, this was exactly the kind of relationship I wanted to build with the other goblin tribes. If we could help them through difficult times and earn their trust, perhaps we could eventually bring more of them under my protection.

Well, one thing at a time.

For now, I decided to let them enjoy their reunion a little longer.

After all, they’d just survived a massacre. They deserved a few moments to catch their breath and make sure their loved ones were safe.

*****

However, we couldn’t afford to linger here for too long.

This was still Horned Gray Wolf territory. We’d dealt with the pack we’d encountered, but there was no telling whether more wolves might show up.

And then there was the battlefield itself.

The ground was practically covered in monster corpses.

Which meant... lots of potential Points!

Unfortunately, I couldn’t exactly stop here and start processing every corpse while everyone was still injured and exhausted.

Damn it. What a waste of a perfectly good farming opportunity...

Still, getting everyone safely back to the castle had to come first.

I was just about to issue the order when the chieftain spoke up.

"Alright, everyone. Let’s get moving... We need to reach the Castle Tribe before sunset."

He slowly released his daughter and began pushing himself away from the boulder.

The old shaman immediately stepped forward to support him. He placed one hand against the chieftain’s chest and began channeling green healing energy into his battered body.

A faint glow spread across the chieftain’s wounds.

Some of the bleeding slowed, and a few of his worst injuries began to close, at least slightly.

Oh?

I watched with interest.

So this guy knows healing magic?

That’s awesome!

However, something seemed off. For some reason, the old shaman’s expression remained grim.

Even so, the chieftain stubbornly forced himself to stand.

"Ugh..."

He gritted his teeth, straightened his back, and took one step forward.

Then another.

For a brief moment, it actually looked as though he might manage to walk. And I was starting to feel optimistic again.

But then...

His legs suddenly gave way.

"Ah..."

The chieftain’s eyes rolled back, and his enormous body collapsed toward the ground.

...

"FATHER!"

His daughter screamed.

Fortunately, Gopuran and Gopuberry reacted immediately, catching him before his head struck the rocky ground.

"Hey! Chieftain!"

"Can you hear us?!"

"Hey!!!"

But he didn’t respond.

His head lolled to one side, and his remaining arm hung limply beside him.

He’d lost consciousness.

"NO! FATHER!"

The young goblin girl dropped to her knees beside him, grabbing his arm with both hands.

"Father! Please wake up!"

Her voice shook with panic as she turned toward the elderly shaman.

"Shaman! Please! Help my father!"

The old goblin was already kneeling beside the chieftain, one trembling hand pressed against his chest. Green light flared around his palm as he poured more healing energy into the massive goblin’s body.

For several seconds, he worked in silence.

Then his expression changed.

The color drained from his face.

"Damn it..." His voice was barely more than a whisper. "He’s lost too much blood!"

The shaman clenched his teeth and desperately tried to increase the flow of healing energy.

But the green glow flickered weakly.

"Even with my healing magic... it’s not enough..."

He looked up at the surrounding goblins, despair filling his eyes.

"At this rate, he’s not going to make it!"