Chapter 158: The Last Thing Rikko Had Left

Rikko had spent the entire morning wandering through the ruins of Grumhold, searching for familiar faces among the broken buildings and countless bodies scattered throughout the fortress.

The settlement that had once been filled with merchants, laughter, and the sounds of children playing had become a desolate graveyard, leaving the young goblin with nothing but unanswered questions and the terrible fear that everyone he loved was gone.

"Mother..." He called out again, his voice growing weaker with every attempt.

There was no response, only the sound of the wind passing through the broken walls and the occasional groan of a damaged structure collapsing somewhere in the distance.

Rikko continued walking, hoping that he might discover a hidden shelter or find someone who had seen his mother, but every familiar street led him toward another scene of destruction.

Eventually, he encountered a group of survivors gathering near the remains of the eastern gate.

There were perhaps a hundred goblins, some injured and others too exhausted to stand properly, all gathered around an elderly goblin wearing a torn robe.

The old goblin held several sheets of parchment in his hands, carefully examining the names written upon them while two younger goblins helped him organize the records.

"Everyone, please gather here!" the elder shouted. "Those who survived the attack must report their names and the names of their families!"

Rikko immediately rushed toward the crowd.

"What’s happening?" he asked a nearby goblin, grabbing the older man’s sleeve. "Are they searching for the survivors? Do they know where my mother is?"

The goblin looked at him for a moment before shaking his head.

"We’re trying to determine who survived and who didn’t. The elder has the records of the people who lived in this district, but many of the houses have been completely destroyed."

Rikko’s heart sank.

Nevertheless, he approached the elder, desperately hoping that his mother’s name would not appear among those who had died.

"Your name?" the elder asked without looking up.

"Rikko. My name is Rikko, and my mother is called..."

He gave the elder her name, explaining where their house had stood and describing the small wooden figure she always kept beside their bed. The old goblin listened quietly before running his finger down the parchment, searching through the names recorded for their district.

Several seconds passed.

Then the elder stopped.

Rikko noticed the change in his expression immediately, and the young goblin’s stomach tightened as he watched the old man’s finger remain fixed upon a particular line.

"What is it?" Rikko asked. "You found her, right?"

The elder did not answer immediately.

Instead, he looked toward one of his assistants, who carried another list containing the names of goblins whose bodies had been recovered from the ruins. The two elders compared the records, checked the district where the bodies had been found, and exchanged a brief, sorrowful glance.

"Your mother..." the elder finally began.

"No."

Rikko stepped backward before the old goblin could finish his sentence.

"No, wait. You haven’t checked properly! Maybe she escaped to another district, or maybe she’s still inside one of the bunkers!"

The elder lowered his head.

"I’m sorry, child. Her name is on the list of the deceased, and the survivors who recovered her body confirmed her identity."

For a moment, Rikko could not understand the words.

He stared at the elder, waiting for him to correct himself, but the old goblin only held the parchment more tightly.

The surrounding conversations seemed to fade into the background as Rikko remembered the last time he had seen his mother, sitting beside their wooden table and preparing to help their neighbor with the evening meal.

"You’re lying..." His voice was barely audible.

The elder slowly reached toward him, but Rikko immediately turned around and stumbled away from the crowd.

He did not want to hear another word, nor did he want anyone to look at him with pity, because accepting the truth meant accepting that the person who had raised him would never return.

He walked until he reached the remains of his house.

There, he sat upon a broken piece of stone and stared at the place where his mother had once prepared their meals. His stomach ached with hunger, but he could not bring himself to care, and the tears that had been gathering in his eyes finally began falling one after another.

He was alone.

His mother was dead, his house was gone, and he had no idea whether Tiko had survived the attack.

The future he had once imagined, one in which he became a knight and returned home to show his mother how strong he had become, now seemed like a ridiculous dream belonging to someone who no longer existed.

Then a loud voice interrupted his thoughts. "Everyone, listen carefully!"

The elderly goblin had gathered the survivors again, standing upon a pile of rubble so that his voice could reach those scattered throughout the ruins. His expression had become serious, and the parchment in his hands had been replaced by a sealed message that bore the mark of the Burrow Kingdom.

"The world is engulfed in chaos," he announced. "This attack was not an isolated incident. Reports have arrived from several territories, and multiple kingdoms have already fallen to the invading forces!"

The survivors began murmuring among themselves.

"What invading forces?"

"Who attacked us?"

"Are they coming back?"

The elder raised his hand, trying to quiet the growing commotion.

"According to the messages we have received, the enemies came from unknown worlds. They possess unfamiliar races, terrifying beasts, and powerful warriors, and their armies have been destroying every settlement in their path."

Rikko slowly lifted his head.

Unknown worlds?

He had heard stories about distant kingdoms and unexplored lands, but the idea that entire civilizations existed beyond their world had always seemed like something from a fairy tale.

Now, the elder was telling them that beings from those unknown places had crossed into their homeland with the intention of destroying everything.

"They aren’t here to negotiate," the elder continued, his voice growing heavier. "They are invading our world, and every report suggests that they intend to wipe out everything in their path!"

Fear spread through the survivors.

Some goblins began crying, while others cursed the invaders and demanded that the remaining armies retaliate. A few insisted that they should flee toward the mountains, believing that escaping the battlefield was their only chance of survival, but the elder’s next words silenced them.

"The Burrow Kingdom is gathering the remaining forces from every territory. It will be the center of our resistance, and the next major battle is expected to take place there."

He unfolded the sealed message and read its contents once more before looking directly at the crowd.

"Every goblin who is willing and capable of fighting is being called to the Burrow Kingdom. Soldiers, hunters, magicians, and even ordinary citizens who can carry a weapon are being asked to join the defense!"

A young goblin raised his hand. "Can we actually defeat them?"

The elder remained silent for a moment, seemingly struggling to find an answer that would not sound like a lie.

"I don’t know," he admitted. "But if we do nothing, they will continue destroying our homes until there is nothing left. The Burrow Kingdom is where our people will make their final stand, and every warrior we can send might make a difference."

Rikko stared at the ground.

He remembered the enormous silhouettes that had passed overhead, the beams of light that had erased entire streets, and the terrifying explosions that had swallowed everything he knew. He had never seen an enemy like that before, and the thought of facing them filled him with a fear he could barely control.

What could someone like him possibly do?

He was only twelve years old, a child who had dreamed of becoming a knight but could barely swing a sword properly.

His mother was gone, his home had been destroyed, and the only thing he had left was the clothing he wore and a small wooden figure he had managed to recover from the rubble.

The elder’s voice sounded again.

"Those willing to join the resistance should gather at the eastern road before sunset. We will send everyone to the Burrow Kingdom, where the Emperors are assembling their armies to confront the invaders."

Several goblins immediately stepped forward.

Some had lost their children, others had lost their partners, and many had watched their entire neighborhoods disappear beneath the bombardment.

Their faces were filled with grief, but beneath that grief was a growing determination to prevent the same tragedy from happening to the remaining goblin kingdoms.

Rikko watched them silently.

He thought about his mother, who had always told him that becoming a knight meant protecting the people who could not protect themselves.

Back then, he had imagined himself standing proudly before a cheering crowd, wearing shining armor and carrying a magnificent sword, but he had never considered what it would mean to face an enemy capable of destroying an entire fortress.

His fingers tightened around the wooden figure he had recovered.

For a long time, he remained where he was, staring at the ruined remains of Grumhold.

Then, slowly, he stood up.

"I want to go."