Chapter 26: Goblin Village Pt.II
When they got to the front, they were surprised by the sight. There were actually nineteen dead rabbits and there was an actual chicken. It was bigger than what he had been told by the chief. But much like the stories, it had yellow feathers and looked weaker than the average bird in Larm. What was alarming though was the antenna like structure on its head and the dark violet tips it possessed, as well as black beak and talons.
This was an amazing development. He was certain his brother was the cause of their victory. He was interested in the story of how his brother managed to gather this much food. He wanted to hear all about it then boast to the chief once he returned.
He looked around for his brother but couldn't find him, so he went to the leader of that hunting expedition. That goblin was considered the smartest of them all, right after the chief and the sorceress, but he was also one of the physically weakest goblins in the cave. And seeing as the goblins were simple minded creatures that only cared about food, they didn't pay much attention to this detail and as such, never treated him correctly. So it was only natural that the goblin would be so distracted by the attention he was receiving.
"Where is he?"
The young goblin grabbed him by the shoulders as he questioned the leader. The leader's face went slack when he listened to the young goblin. He had completely ignored the goblin that had been killed by Hinotori a while ago. So now, all he could do was shake his head solemnly and hope the young goblin would understand. After all, the goblins that went out on hunting trips knew that death was an occupational hazard.
"He died."
"Ah… what killed him?"
The young goblin was dumbfounded by the quick and heartless response.
"The chicken." The goblin responded by pointing his thumb at Hinotori without a second thought, then changing his attention to the other goblins who were coming to praise him.
"What?" The younger goblin, shocked, shook his head several times. Maybe he hadn't heard right so he would ask again.
"What killed him?"
"Ah. I just told you that the chicken did. Can you not hear properly?"
The goblin asked him with a slightly annoyed tone.
"Surely he must have been taken down by a strong monster!"
"Exactly. The chicken."
"Ah! No way! He wouldn't lose to a mere chicken. It would be more believable if you said the Fire bird killed him."
"No. No. No. That is just a regular chicken."
"No regular chicken could kill a goblin so easily."
"Yes they can."
"How many chickens have you seen do that?"
"One. This one."
"Huh? Are you stupid?"
"How many chickens have you seen?"
The older goblin glanced at Hinotori with a thought in mind after arguing with the young stupid goblin.
'Fire bird? Really. That creature… it couldn't be.... is it?'
The younger goblin's gaze fell down to the ground. Certainly, it was true that he had never seen an actual chicken before so he wouldn't know their abilities first hand. Still, the chief had told him that they were harmless creatures. And he trusted the village chief with his life. He wasn't going to let some oaf fool him.
"Y-you aren't trying to tell me that this weak creature killed him, are you?"
He pointed at Hinotori who had been looking around the place as if it were searching for something.
The older goblin looked at the younger goblin with eyes that said, "I don't know what to tell you at this point."
"It was that chicken that hunted down all these rabbits for the village! Do you still believe it to be weak?"
The goblin yelled for all the others to hear. They all then fixed their gazes on Hinotori. The creature looked majestic and radiated a weird aura of trust around it. The goblins felt like they were staring at an object of reverence.
"When we tried to fight the chicken, your brother attacked it and was killed!"
Suddenly, an unexpected voice came from the crowd.
"Ah! Is that not the chicken the Tyrant said is her slave?"
"Ah! Yes! She said she would kill anyone who touches it."
"You fools! You will bring the Tyrant's wrath upon us. Send it back!"
The group of goblins that had been sent to beg Minerva for help this time complained.
"Ah but...."
Suddenly it turned into an argument between the two groups. The goblins in the cave were frightened as soon as they heard the word "Tyrant". This word was one that carried a very powerful meaning for the residents of the forest. However, for the younger goblin, it just made him feel rage.
He despised the cowardly Tyrant who wouldn't even help her own home village. Anything of hers, he wanted to destroy it. So in a rage, he drew his dagger and charged at the chicken.
"RRRRAAAGGGHHHH!!! DIE YOU STUPID CHICKEN!"
He was too close to the chicken and the others would not be fast enough to stop this attack. They could only watch in shock and pray that he missed. For if this chicken died, there would be hell to pay.
Just as the younger goblin was about to stab the chicken, his learned skill [Truthseeker Eyes] accidentally activated and he could sense something off. Even with his eyes, all he could get was a mere feeling. Something was not right with this bird.
Why was he suddenly feeling hot? It was like he would be burnt to a cinch if he got any closer. But it was too late. He had jumped and was merely inches away from the bird. The creature's beak was open and there were sparks coming from it.
***
So after a while, the cave had descended into a state of pandemonium. It was like wherever I went, there had to be chaos. The 4 goblins from earlier who had seen me with Minerva were scared silly. They were pleading for me to be safely returned to Minerva, as if I were some sort of pet.
The goblins who I hunted with on the other hand were saying that I was not dangerous and that as long as no harm befell me, nothing dangerous would happen. Personally I would prefer that they all just shut up for me to find out about their situation. I was tempted to use [Timber Wolf King's Howl] to silence them, but decided against it.
Suddenly, a goblin charged at me with a stone dagger. For a second I could have sworn his eyes glowed purple. He had a look of pure disgust and rage on his face. I understood perfectly well if it were because I killed his younger brother, which apparently, I accidentally did. But I knew it wasn't because of that. In fact, he didn't believe that I had killed his younger brother. There must have been another reason for that. And the only reason I could think of was Minerva. He must have had a grudge with her or something, so he wanted to take it out on me.
He had already pissed me off by calling me weak. If anything happened to me and Minerva got angry, he would surely die so I doubted anybody would care if I ended up killing him. I would simply use [Fire Breath] to burn him to a crisp.
When his dagger was a few inches away from me, I was about to dodge but something interesting happened. My mana sense alerted me to a swarm of mana forming and God's agent even warned me.
<<Alert! Sensing Mana components being gathering. Most likely a magic being created>>
'Magic?'
To my left was an individual wearing a cloak and holding a staff. No, it was a Hob-goblin?
'Ah… isn't that the hob-goblin who almost killed me the last time?'
I could see weird blue droppings in the air. They kept on gathering at one point and rotating violently, forming a spherical shape. A ball of water formed in front of the individual.
[Magic: Water Magic
[Type: Attack
[Effect: A simple water ball spell. Summon a ball of water and fire it at high velocity to cause damage. Damaged cause varies with the amount of mana, control and precision in which it is used]
[Magic Perception] activated like that, forming a little screen at the corner of my eye.
'Water Ball? A very common and generic spell? Wait, is she firing it at me?'
I noticed its trajectory and was instantly reminded of the incident before my original death. I froze up, confused as to what to do. I mean, what could I do? I wasn't fast enough to dodge a bullet.
SPLASH!
The ball of water hit the goblin before me, splashing all around me and sending the little creature flying away. I stopped my attack and just looked at the one who shot off the spell.
I was so stunned by it, I almost didn't notice the other individuals that were standing next to the Hob-goblin. No, there was another Hob-goblin dressed in a shirt and brown pants, with rusty armor and a sword strapped to its back. It had short messy black hair and a goatee. He was at least three inches taller than Minerva and definitely more bulky. He let out a sigh as if he had done something, then approached me.
All the goblins went down on one knee and bowed to him.
"Welcome back, chief!"
"The chief is back!"
"How was your trip!?"
I heard them murmur things about a chief. Was he the chief of the village?
The Hob-goblin that was easily some inches taller than Minerva looked at me with its leafy green eyes, then went on one knee. He exuded a very oppressive aura and I felt like he could kill me anytime. When I used [Analyst] on him, I knew I wouldn't want to mess with him. His stats weren't much higher than mine, but there was something about him. Was this what they called a warrior's aura?
"Excuse my tribesman for his rude behavior. I am Gorm! Chief of the village of Ooo."
Pfft... Fufufu...Ooo.
Gifts
-- Gift
received Weekly Power Status
-- Power
Ranking 
-- Power
stone