Mina was deep in joyful slumber after a pleasurable and long night when she was woken up by the light scent of smoke.

With her eyes still closed she felt at her side, noticing the absence of Kar in the hammock, and thought that maybe he was cooking something.

Kar’s personal quarters were big enough to compare to a small house in an average city of the Kingdom. It even had a space for cooking and a passage in the back that led to a private restroom further deep.

But this smoke didn’t carry with it the scent of food, just burnt wood or burnt meat. After a while, she decided to check for the source of the smell, maybe Kar had messed up with the cooking.

Mina blearily rolled in the hammock and raised her head to take a look around and found Kar sitting cross-legged in front of a black stone tablet. Somehow he looked a bit taller than before.

From where she was, she could see the side of his body. He had his eyes closed.

He was smoking, probably got his hands on some of the herbs gotten from the Humans, or so she thought until she noticed the smoke did not come only from Kar’s mouth but the shoulders, legs, and back too.

She blinked a bit to make sure she wasn’t seeing things due to being half-sleep. Then she looked again and cursed.

He really was smoking, but from all over his body.

That was definitely not normal!

Shaking the sleepiness away, she jumped down from the comfortable hammock and make her way towards Kar in alarm.

“Kar!”

He didn’t respond, sitting completely still. She didn’t dare to touch him lest she made whatever was happening to him worse or get herself affected too. But she had to do something, she could leave Kar like that!

Mina looked around the room and spotted a big basin filled with clean water.

In her hurry as she went to get it, she didn’t notice Kar’s hand raising to signal that he was fine. Instead, she hoisted the basin and poured its content over Kar just as he opened his mouth to tell her to not worry.

He opened his eyes in surprise, but stayed put, still sitting cross-legged as he looked at Mina.

“Kar, you okay? What happened? Are you hurt?”

Mina stared at him with naked worry. Especially the naked part, as Kar soon noticed. He blew out a puff of smoke and spat water at the same time.

“I’m fine, Mimi. I’m training.”

“You were smoking, and not in a funny way. I thought you were on fire.”

Mina glared at him and Kar just grinned. The Goblins who liked to smoke the strange herbs from the big cities or the ones found in deep parts of the forest always had funny expressions when they smoke.

“Do you see anything different in me?”

He said and spread his arms, inviting her to take a closer look. Mina looked at him closely, the earlier worry fading now that she saw him speaking normally. He didn’t seem to be hurt either.

Now she noticed the changes. And wow, there sure were some changes in him.

He really was taller than before; it hadn’t been her imagination. His skin was a darker green color and he had gained some muscular mass. His face looked a bit sharper now, but more mature. He had a weight to his presence that had nothing to do with physical mass.

Comprehension dawned in her as he dedicated her a grin full of sharp fangs.

“You are a Hob!”

Mina jumped at him and gave him a tight hug, a big smile blooming on her face.

“I’m so happy for you. You deserve this, more than any other in the tribe.”

She spoke with enthusiasm as he returned the hug. Kar had been a Goblin for more time than anyone expected. He was strong as a Hobgoblin, stronger than some of them in fact, and he was definitely smarter than all of them. It was well about time for him to transform into the next step.

“Thank you, Mimi.”

Kar held her close in his embrace, rejoicing at hearing her congratulations. He had woken up early and got to reading the tablet given by the Sage, and what he had glimpsed there had been glorious.

He had envisaged that reading the tablet would provide a greater comprehension of the techniques he knew, which it had, but it was so much more. He had seen what it was like to be a Goblin, he had felt the call within his blood to rise and be better, as he had answered it.

His body had changed now, he was stronger, more powerful, with a better understanding of the Skills he had gained across his life.

Kar was a Hobgoblin now, and that was only the beginning.

With this tablet, the tribe could rise, they could all become better and face all challenges by using the legacy of the Goblin God.

Kar felt Mina’s hands stroke his shoulders and back, then slowly glide along the shape of his arms and abdomen. The touch was ticklish but pleasurable, sending soft shivers along his spine. Kar turned away from the stone tablet to look at the giggly Goblina with the naughty smile next to his face.

Mina, whose hand was caressing a little bit too low to be merely feeling his new muscles, mischievously licked her lips, desire was burning within her bright eyes.

Kar smiled in complicity and finally took a look below her face, relishing at the sight. She wasn’t wearing any clothes and neither was he.

Well, time to put his new body to good use.

Having a breakthrough in power and spending joyful time with the one he loved. A fantastic way to start the day.

Waking up in a cell without his material possessions right after being possessed by a vengeful spirit, and then being interrogated in a room filled with people that he despised and who despised him in turn.

This had to be one of the worst ways to start the day, Eric thought bitterly as he spoke in front of the City Council to explain the events that led to his current situation.

The City Lord had ordered him to tell everything he knew about the events of the attack to the city last night, and there were obviously some Class shenanigans at work, as Eric felt the weight of the order almost make him drop to his knees.

Ruling Classes were powerful and useful, with a wide variety of Skills that literally outclassed their equivalents used by those of lower castes. Just like the [Grand Slash] from a Knight was more refined than the version from a Warrior and the [Greater Strength] that a Fighter would have was better than the [Enhanced Strength] of a Builder or a Farmer, Ruler-type Classes had Skills on a league of their own, both in reach and effectiveness.

It was also said that Rulers who specialized in combat, like [Martial Lord] and [Conqueror King], possessed extraordinary abilities that even the Champions and Paladins didn’t acquire.

Things similar only to those Skills of [Heroes] in the legends.

Apart from their own increase in personal power and the ability to influence other people, people with those Classes had Skills that affected armies, the economy, and even the harvests. It was the only reason that Eric could find for why Nobility and Royalty were so strong and stayed on top of the countries despite people like Adventurers and Mages wielding great combat prowess and influence.

Now Eric just got to experience first-hand what it was like to receive a direct order from a Lord. Even without the use of a Skill, it was like a constrictive command. The pressure was suffocating, compelling him to obey.

And yet, he didn’t bow to it.

Because Eric had just experienced something that such a mortal Lord could not hope to compare to. After being face to face to a Deity, how could he remain the same man? How could earthly authority make him bend his knee?

He inwardly smiled, hiding his satisfaction and the desire to gloat, keeping his emotions out of his face. It would not do to have the Council notice that it didn’t have that much force over him.

So Eric spoke, he told them what they wanted to know. What he told was not a lie, yet it wasn’t the complete truth. Oh, he told them a lot, sure. That he had been in the Dungeon and studied the Undead, and how a week ago something had changed in the Dungeon that enabled the monsters to get out. It was at this point that they had been most worried, but he didn’t know much about it besides the fact that the Revenant had gotten out.

And then he had been possessed by the Revenant, which had led to the attack to the city after he had gained control of the Undead in the Crypt, so he couldn’t tell them exactly how the Dungeon restrictions worked even if he wanted to.

Their worries had been put to rest when Eric had said the Revenant had been destroyed last night, resulting in his liberation of its influence.

When pressed about it, Eric had simply said that an unknown individual had exorcized it and left afterward. They pressed for a description, which he had readily given.

Hah! Good luck finding that guy.

If such a powerful entity didn’t want to be found, there was no way to find him. And even if he let them find him, they wouldn’t be able to do anything to him, not that there was any reason to be an enemy of him, they couldn’t antagonize him after killing an Undead monster.

How would they find him, anyway? Would they get every light olive-skinned young man with wavy brown hair and blue eyes that they found and ask ‘Hey, are you the man who exorcized the Revenant near the Dungeon?’? Yeah, right.

That being could be on the other side of the world right now. Or in another world, if some legends were to be trusted.

And thus the questions had ended, since after the exorcism Eric had passed out and woke up in the cell as a prisoner right before being brought to this courtroom.

All that he said was true, yet he didn’t say any word about the technicalities of the ritual, what his experiments had been, nor what the mysterious stranger had said to him. Eric had managed to keep the Council’s attention on other matters, like the types of monsters down in the Crypt and how the Revenant had seized control of him.

Now it was time for Eric to let a smile show on his face. The gem in the Lie-detecting artifact had remained blue all the time, so they could not accuse him.

By law, he could be exonerated of fault if he had been under magecraft influence or possession.

At most, he would need to pay a fine for endangering the citizens due to his experiments, just like an Adventurer who endangered the city due to activating some trap or letting a monster loose while in a Dungeon or attracting beasts to the city while exploring the wild regions of the Kingdom, but they could not jail him nor execute him.

There were too many witnesses here, the ploy of making him look like the evil Necromancer that attacked the city in front of everyone had backfired on them.

Lie-detection artifacts, while not infallible, were very powerful and not easy to fool. The presence of such a useful tool in the legal system of any big city had made judgements and accusations very smooth and fast. There were still many crimes, of course, but if a suspect was presented to the authorities, they could instantly clear them of culpability and move on with the investigation or get an instant confession and clear the case.

It was a bit more complex than that if Nobles or powerful individuals were involved, of course, but then there were other measures taken. It was just one of the truths of this world that even Justice was not the same for those of the upper levels of society.

While resenting such thing, Eric had already accepted it as the way of the world.

“Anything else?”

“That is all. I was brought here immediately after waking up.”

Eric finished his recount of the events and the room fell silent. The people of the City Council were looking at each other, unsure of how to proceed now. Finally, all eyes fell on the person with the greatest authority in the room, the City Lord.

“I understand now.”

Harold Bareas spoke with a firm voice. He stared at Eric for a moment and made a decision.

“Under the law of the mighty Kingdom of Likia, you cannot be held responsible for the actions committed by the monster that possessed you. There will be no fine either. However, I must restrict your access to the Dungeon unless under the supervision of either an appointed member of the City Watch or a member of the Adventurers’ Guild. You had already been possessed once, we must be careful to prevent further such threats.”

Whispers spread across the room as they heard the verdict of the City Lord. Members of the Council showed different expressions; surprise, anger, frustration, and even suspicion, then they all schooled their faces into carefully blank masks devoid of emotion.

“I order you to remain in the city’s area of influence so that further investigation can be carried out, and you must collaborate with it to the fullest of your capacity. Am I understood, Eric Rauda?”

“Yes, City Lord. Thank you for your wise and fair judgement.”

Eric replied and bowed his head, hiding his surprise. He didn’t expect it to go that smoothly. The City Lord hadn’t asked any compensation, which he was certain had pissed off some members of the Council. Even if it was obvious Eric couldn’t pay any large sum of money, they expected him to be fined anyways, just to make a point.

Yet the City Lord hadn’t made such a thing.

Eric doubted that he had been released out of the kindness of the City Lord’s heart. Harold Boreas wasn’t a man famous for his sentimentality nor mercy, although he had a reputation of being strict but fair in every action.

The key must lie in the last part of the verdict. He had said there would be ‘further investigation’, so Eric was clear of suspicions for now, but not released from involvement in the case. The City Lord planned to keep Eric in the city, but why?

What would be his objective in this action? What was there to win from that?

Eric pondered this as the officer from the Watch took off the shackles binding him.

“You understand that if you try to flee the city without authorization, you will be fined and hunted down, right?”

The officer from the City Watch told him. Eric uttered a ‘hmph!’ in disdain, not giving any proper response.

“There were some items in my possession that were… collected by the City Watch while I was unconscious. When will they be returned to me?”

Eric asked to no one in particular, but his voice was loud enough and his gaze was ambiguously pointing at the City Lord, instead of to the officer next to him.

The officer turned to look at the City Lord, who calmly nodded and the officer left the room. A few minutes later, the man returned with Eric’s Bag of Holding and a mundane leather bag that held the objects they had confiscated from him, like his daggers and other trinkets.

Eric grabbed them, noticing with satisfaction that the seal he had placed on the Bag of Holding was still intact. Either they hadn’t tried to open it due to lack of time or their Mages hadn’t been able to open it.

Eric had put a strong seal to his Bag of Holding, but he doubted the Mages’ Guild was so incompetent as to not be able to open this. They were corrupt and a bunch of bastards, but not complete idiots.

He was about to use a spell to make sure the contents were complete, but he was aware that there were multiple eyes on him right now.

Besides, there was a restriction to his Mana Pool, he couldn’t use magic. Not by ordinary means, anyway. Eric still hadn’t tested if he could use the dark sphere made from the Revenant as a source of energy yet. Better not try his luck right now.

“How long until the Mana restriction wears off?”

Eric asked to the Guildmaster of the Mages. The old man eyed him with contempt but replied anyways.

“Just about an hour left, or you can pass by the Mages’ Guild to get it removed earlier.”

“Ha! I’m not giving any of you bastards any coin. I’ll wait.”

Eric replied and the Mage Guildmaster gritted his teeth in anger. Eric wasn’t going to let any of them get their hands on his body and risk them finding about the dark sphere inside him. Although if they hadn’t found it when placing the seal on his Mana Pool, it was unlikely they would find it when unsealing his Mana Pool. It was better to not take unnecessary risks.

Eric bound the Bag of Holding to his belt and turned to look at the City Lord.

“May I leave now, City Lord?”

He forced his voice to be respectful. At least this man, whatever his reasons, had been respectful and let him go without any problem. So Eric replied in kind.

There was also nothing to gain and a lot to lose if one was impolite and got on the bad side of the City Lord.

“You may, but remember to not leave the city unauthorized, report to the Watch if you want to go anywhere, and the Adventurers’ Guild will provide supervisors if you intend to enter the Dungeon.”

The City Lord replied to Eric and then rose to his feet as the Guildmaster of the Adventurers gasped in outrage.

“This court season is over. You are all dismissed. Members of the Council, I require your presence in another room.”

And with that, he left the room by a door on the back, followed by the members of the City Council, who wore expressions of intrigue and annoyance.

Eric was led out of the Courtroom, while the gazes of dozens of people fell on him.

He got out, feeling the slight rain falling on him and the cool breeze blowing. Eric took a deep breath, enjoying for a moment the sensation.

Eric grinned, showing too many teeth to be a fully amicable smile.

“Well, let’s see what Fate has for me.”

He walked down the street, feeling the black sphere inside him stirring with energy.

Reaching the back of the courtroom, there was a door that led to a hallway at the end of which was a stair to another floor.

A private meeting room for the judges and auxiliaries to deliberate before making decisions in a case. It also served as a place for the members of the Council to discuss in private, or to discuss about an important case, like the one that had just taken place.

But the problem was, that they usually gathered before reaching a verdict, not after.

“Ok, what was that, Harold? Why the fuck does the Guild have to supervise that bastard’s activities? Lock him up if you still hold suspicions but don’t bother me with that crap.”

Once they all sat at the table, the head of the Adventurers’ Guild, Johannes Vasarut, voiced his frustration.

“He is right, City Lord. Why didn’t the Necromancer get any fine? I do not mean to gainsay your decision, but I know you have something in mind. Would you kindly share your plan with the rest of us?”

Zalia Theressin, Head of the Merchants Guild, inquired in a serene voice while leaning back in her seat. She wasn’t the kind of straight-forward and unmannered person that Johannes was; she was a businesswoman, not a glorified mercenary as the Adventurers.

She knew better than contradicting the City Lord, and Harold Boreas was not the type of man to do things on a whim or without a plan.

The City Lord smiled.

“There was no point in giving him a fine that he can’t pay. That would only put him in jail and I want him outside. Eric Rauda reached deeper in the Crypt region of the Dungeon than any other before him, Johannes. Aren’t you curious about the things down there? I am, and I don’t make a living out of it.”

“Then we should just force him to take us there. I can gather an expedition and raid the Dungeon, we would only need him to guide the rest, many of the undead attacked the city, the Crypt should be more vulnerable now.”

Johannes replied. He didn’t see much point in letting the Necromancer go. Yet the City Lord disagreed.

“If we did that, he wouldn’t honestly guide us and could put the rest of the expedition in danger. Besides, you can’t force anyone to be a guide in a Dungeon Dive, Adventurer or not. Long-reaching approach, while slower, is more certain and safer. The looser the leash, the less he will struggle against it.”

“That only works if the leash is not completely loose. Prudence, City Lord, but not carelessness.”

Zalia commented and the City Lord nodded in agreement. Then he looked at every face in the room before speaking in an even tone.

“Indeed, but that’s a relatively minor matter. I didn’t gather you now to discuss that subject.”

Everyone in the room showed varying levels of confusion on their faces.

“Two matters need our deep consideration today: One, the recent summon for a Goblin Extermination Troop in view of the recent attack to Buri City by a tribe of around a thousand Goblins.”

Harold took a deep breath. Telling them the next bit of news would likely cause unrest but he couldn't keep quiet about it. There were too many influences and enterprises related to the state of the Church that would get affected by this. It had been a week already since they had been crippled, the rest of the Council could not be kept in the dark. Especially the Adventurers, since they actively risked their lives and came back to the city looking for priestly healers for their wounded.

Everyone’s expressions got serious when they saw Harold's face, some of them showed sharp and cold eyes. But they were not prepared for the next words of the City Lord.

“Two, the situation with the Church. As of a week ago, all the Priests have lost their ability to work miracles and their Healers can’t call on the Holy Light to cure anymore. This is happening all across the continent, possibly the world. At the very least, the Priests are now unable to contact any Gods. We must now face the very real possibility that the Gods had forsaken us and the Church has lost all their effective power.”

Silence took hold of them all for ten long seconds.

And then, as if someone had thrown a fireball in the middle of an Alchemist’s workshop, they all stood up and started showering him with a dozen questions at the same time.