The young Goblin wasn't as unprepared as Thom had originally thought. A cold smile appeared on his face as he announced the strength of the horde, the one that the black-haired group had originally thought to be minuscule.

The three humans looked at each other. They seemed to be discussing something without words. Some kind of untold accord was being transmitted through their worried gazes, one that agreed to let the hobgoblin keep speaking before they could make a proper decision. Clung, of course, wasn't planning on ruining the momentum he had created with his dramatic reveal.

He proceeded to explain that, besides 4,000 goblins, the horde also counted with giant boars and even a few magic casters between their ranks. Adding that each horde of 500 goblins was guided by a powerful hobgoblin with its own name, it became each time more apparent that Clung and his party had been thinking about their strategy for a rather long time.

To be precise, they had been planning for little over two months. They were supposed to attack Pontya a few days back, but Clung had somehow managed to stop the others from taking action. This had been especially difficult since the hobgoblins were eager to avenge the death of one of them, a white hobgoblin named Plung. For Clung, however, his death had served to prove that they were underprepared for a full-on war.

Thom simply nodded repeatedly as Clung kept on going about the power they boasted of, until Clung began talking about a bloodline he and the other goblins possessed, making Erina freeze in place.

"Do you know about it?" Thom asked.

The girl reluctantly nodded and proceeded to explain.

A bloodline, in specific situations, referred to the property of an ability to be passed onto others of the same descendance. The ability of an individual would be handed over to the next generation without the first individual losing it, and this next generation would do the same. It was used as a way to spread power and contain it under a family name or a clan, a means to monopolize military power, magic research ability, or social status.

The Clawgold, for instance, were famous for their unique bloodline.

"Demofagia." Erina muttered. "It's the reason why the Clawgold are often called demon eaters. They have the ability to consume the flesh of a demon and appropriate the demon's qualities. And the scariest thing about it is that... It stacks. The more you eat, the more powerful you become."

"It is close to that." Clung nodded. "The master certainly called it Herbofagia, so I must assume he was inspired by that clan you speak of. Those who were blessed with our bloodline are capable of consuming the raw magic from herbs and becoming stronger thanks to it. The more we consume, the stronger we get. We tend to take the color of the herb we consume, too."

That meant that, in reality, the four thousand-strong army of goblins counted for a little more than the numbers they had. However, keeping an army regularly fed with a specific product wasn't something easy to accomplish, either. The herb must have been distributed among the higher ranking goblins, and the scraps given to the foot soldiers.

From the twelve goblins present, Thom could see that the color was the darkest in Clung and Kulung. They had probably consumed the herb several times, while the others had only shyly eaten some of it. He couldn't condemn a savage society like theirs because of it, but he would keep it in mind.

"Alright. You've explained your point, and you seem to be confident in your ability to take over Pontya." Thom yawned, looking down on Clung and his plans. "Haa, but you don't seem to know the strength of the soldiers you're fighting."

"Which is the reason why we need of you, King Thom." Clung bowed slightly.

"Oh, that had a ring to it."

"Don't let yourself go." Suu hit Thom on the side with her elbow.

It was the humans' turn to explain that, sadly, regardless of how many goblins they counted with, they didn't meet the quantity or quality of Pontya's army. Not only the middle, upper and core battalion were present inside the city, but they also counted with robust walls that extended twenty feet high. Their gates were impassable, and, even when attacking the north gate was possible, it was like calling for the enemy to rain them with arrows from afar.

Attacking the east gate wasn't an option thanks to the river, and attacking the west was impossible unless they were planning on marching on open air. The south was out of question— they couldn't round the whole city without getting discovered and still manage to siege the doors.

Erina also stated that Pontya counted with cavalry, and the castle of the duke was protected by an extra layer of thick walls, aside from being just a few minutes away from the headquarters of the army. The castle was massive and filled with knights and defensive weapons, which were also present in the outer walls of Pontya.

Even tho Clung already seemed restless enough, Erina didn't stop talking. She cleared her throat, and continued.

The dukedom also counted with allies in several places of the country that would be more than willing to lend them a hand in exterminating a horde of goblins. After all, it would mean no detriment to international relationships, and their armies could get a good workout from slaying what the rest of the world saw as simple monsters.

If that wasn't enough on itself, she also pointed at the fact that the Crown of Kulkus would probably not let one of their best-producing dukedoms to fall to a group of monsters. If push came to shove, the crown could send reinforcements of Royal Knights, that could easily take care of a group of goblins and boars.

Clung seemed extremely disheartened by the end of her exposition, but Thom was wearing a rather relieved smile instead.

"See? It's not possible. Your master gave you one hell of a task, Clung. I don't think you meet the standards." Thom sneered. "So, without further ado, I'd say we have to start packing and make our way to the Neirenian Empire if we want to survive."

"Wait!" Clung extended his hand.

"Hm?" The three of them turned towards him. The hobgoblin gulped slightly and forced a smile, chuckling under his breath.

"The thing is... That is exactly the reason why we have come searching for you, king Thom."

"For the last time, I like how it sounds, but I'm no king. I'm only one person. How much good could I make? I wasn't even able to defeat Miel, so why would I be a game-changing piece in your chess game?"

"It's not about fighting."

The one to speak this time wasn't Clung, but Kulung by his side. The three humans dumbfoundedly changed their eyes from the hooded youth to the scrawny kid, piercing him with a questioning gaze. Upon feeling their massive auras, he took a single step back, but proceeded to speak.

"You don't seem to... To understand the power you're holding, king Thom. Not, not only you. Your vassals, each on their own, are amazing." Although he spoke in goblin, his language was fluid and didn't sound at all like a kid's.

"Aha." The black-haired man sighed. "What power are you talking about, now?"

"Your aura!" Clung stepped forward. "I was the one to feel it first, but now that Kulung has felt it too, I'm sure he agrees with me. For someone who has lived his entire life in the depths of the forest and has struggled to survive, I can tell, more than anyone, that you are not just a human! You are not just an enemy, and the fact that you're speaking here with me proves it!"

"I'm speaking with you because you saved me back then, Clung."

"That's merciful enough!" The black hobgoblin forcefully swung his arm in front of his body. "Not many humans would have established a dialogue with us. I know it because I've seen my companions massacred over laughs and cheers for over a decade now. Our bodies are no different from a target to humans, but you're treating me like a person right now. And that's because you're not just a human!"

"Fucking hell. From where I come from, there are only humans." Thom leaned on his back and smiled. "What exactly do you mean? Are you trying to convince me now that I'm a goblin?"

"No, that's not what I meant either. It's all about that... that red fire that dances into a heaven-piercing tree, the roots that spread across the land— I was a mile away when I saw you fight, but I felt it! I felt it wrapping around my heart and pulling me in, as if it governed me, even without knowing!"

"Stop yer horses, friend!" Suu stood up and wrapped her arm around Clung's neck, tapping him on the chest. "Are you talking about some kind of weird fetish? Because I feel like that's what you're talking about, and you lost me preeetty quick after that."

"Wha—" Clung's eyes turned square.

"What she means is, can you go to the point, Clung?" Erina raised her hand with a smile.

Clung timidly lowered his eyes and nodded. Suu retired her arm and silently stood beside him, waiting for the hobgoblin to speak again. Thom looked to be in a similar position, his face denoted annoyance and impatience, it was obvious that he would rather be anywhere else. Clung knew more than anyone that he would need to calm down in order to get his feelings across.

With a deep breath, he spoke.

"Your presence is the same presence of the forest. It's vast, it tangles around you and impedes your breath like poison ivy, but also cradles you like swinging vines. I can't explain myself entirely, but anyone that has lived inside the forest will surely share my feelings. I came to you because we need that power and charisma of yours— we need a leader to guide our troops, and the divided hearts of the horde! King Thom, there is no one else who can do that except you! If you weren't born for this, then I don't know who was!"

A breeze seemed to push Thom's hair back, a wind that carried Clung's feelings clearly into his chest, but also, that pulled from it everything that Thom had been trying to hold back.

He felt his heart bumping rapidly, his ears ringing slightly. The thrill he had felt at the moment didn't seem normal. Why had the word 'King' excited him so much this time? His lost sense of security and self-trust slowly started to rebuild itself with the bricks that Clung placed, and he couldn't even understand why. The words that had come out of the hobgoblin's mouth barely made any sense. So why? Why was he so excited?

"King..." He muttered.

"Thom, what are you thinking about?"

Suu grabbed Thom's chin and lifted his face. Their eyes met, revealing to the young man the face of a preoccupied and angered girl.

"I was just fantasizing slightly..." Thom whispered. "About the whole 'become a king' thing..."

"By the gods, again?"

"Why not? What can we lose at the moment, Suu?"

"The opportunity to go back home, for instance!"

"I don't wanna go back home." Thom stood up, and held Suu's hand close to his chest. "I'm fine here. I wanna stay here. Maybe not leading an army of monsters, but even that would mean a far more exciting life than being a farmer"

"Are you really thinking of staying here after all the mess we've made and how wrong have things gone?" Suu put on an extremely tired expression, frustration welling up in her tightly-knitted brow.

"I know, I know it's stupid. This isn't what any normal person would choose, but personally... I don't think I'm losing anything anymore. My family's not missing me. I was planning to head towards another country and live my life there, but now it feels like I've found something to do for a while longer."

"How could you change opinions so easily? Weren't you against this a while ago?"

"How can I say this..." Thom closed his eyes and sighed, looking up to the leaves above his head. "There is something about being a king... That really calls for me, haha." He chuckled slightly.

"Well, of course." Suu shook her head in distress. "Anybody would want to be one! But not like this! Is this the way you want to die? Fighting for a group of unknown... beings?! Thom, I've really been following you because I want the best for you, but this is—"

"Hey, you don't have to follow me." Thom smiled. The girl let go of a small whimper as she heard those words, darting her eyes on Thom's expression. "You don't have to follow me, because I don't want anything to happen to you either. Suu, I don't want to be dead weight for you. If you wish to find a way to exit this world, I will help you, and maybe you even make me change my mind once more. But if you want to stay here with me and keep helping me stay afloat like you've done so far..."

He smiled, grabbing her cheek with his hand.

"If you do that, I'll make sure to pay back everything you've given me, hundredfold, thousandfold. I have given up on searching for Runa, but I have a new goal in mind. I can't tell you the finer details right now, but If it's fine with you... I want you to accompany me through it."

The girl's eyes turned soft as Thom's smile grew warmer, and his gaze became tender. She held his hand on her cheek, and growled lowly before speaking.

"Geez... Swindling a swindler like me isn't easy. You really are a bad person! A really bad person, Thom! But... ha... I can't really say no to you, can I?" The girl closed her eyes and warmly spoke back to him.

Thom smiled back at her answer. Before Suu could shed a tear, however, he pinched her cheek.

"Uwah! Wahwah! That hurts, hey! What the hell are you doing?! More importantly, why the hell can you hurt me?!"

"I learned this trick from Miel!" Thom evilly smiled, pinching the girl's other cheek with his other hand. "Your physical defense is nothing against my aura-infused pincers! Tremble!"

"Wahh! Stop, haaa!"

"What kind of relationship do you two have?!" Erina stood up with tears on the edge of her eyes, swinging her hands from top to bottom as she tried to make Thom let go of Suu.

While the trio put up a comedic number, Clung and the rest of the goblins stared at them with lost, petrified looks. How had a serious conversation turned into such a messy play? Humans were truly a terrifying species if they could substract importance from matters with such ease.

Clung reached with his hand to say something, but the humans were faster to act. Thom let go of Suu, and the girl stood by his side. Erina nervously took a step back as she saw such a quick shift in their expressions, turning from playfully evil to business-appropriate visages.

Thom walked forward with a smile and extended his hand towards Clung. The black hobgoblin nodded, still lost and in a daze, and shook his hand back.

"I don't know how much I will be able to commit myself to your cause, but if you are going to attack the city either way, at least I will instruct you so there are no civilian lives lost. I won't have direct participation in this fight, but I can see a few ways in which I can help you. With the condition that you let me do as I please when all of this is over, win or lose. Alright?"

"Yes!" Clung showed a beaming smile as he firmly shook the hand of the black-haired man. "It will be an honor serving such a merciful king!"