Chapter 245. <Era of Heroes(3) >
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6.
That night, I was lost in thought.
“What should we do?”
A question that I normally would have muttered to myself or monologued before now flowed out of my lips.
Hunter. In other words, when I was just a Hunter, I had to think about everything on my own. The Black Dragon Master was my only advisor that I could talk business with and receive advice. Since that was what it meant to be a Hunter, I never felt that it was lonely.
“I don’t think complete intervention is necessary. Family Head.”
However, it was different now.
While looking out across the plains, Estelle answered my question.
I was no longer just a Hunter. Instead, I was now the Head of a Family Clan and I no longer needed to mutter to myself or monologue. Beneath the cold moonlight, we sat in an open clearing and talked.
“What do you mean by complete intervention?”
The Ghost Flame Demon asked.
Estelle answered the question.
“The Chun Mu-mun Master is using [multi possession] as a means to utilize several heroes at the same time. From the perspective of the people of this world, this is no different from a [god]’s power favoring the oni race arbitrarily. It is irrational. And we have no choice but to use irrationality to fight irrationality.”
“Hmm.”
I, the Family Head, sat in the center, and Estelle, the Advisor and Heir, sat to my right.
Uburka, the Warrior Commander, crouched his large figure down on my left. Sylvia Evanail, the Grand Chamberlain, was standing, and Kim Yul, the Shadow, sat across from me and quietly looked down at his notebook.
The leaders were surrounded by the Four Demon Lords, who were then surrounded by the 1,000 or so members of the Demonic Cult. The 1000 members of the Family Clan all held their breaths as they listened to the ‘family meeting’.
In the middle of the night. The moonlight breathed, and wherever the sound of the moon’s breath shined, members of our Death King Family were immersed.
“Well. In truth. If even Uburka alone were to make a move, the entire oni army would be devastated.”
Sylvia Evanail said flatly.
“Isn’t it possible for the Family Head to purchase the [Person Possession] item? Just buy a few, no, just two, and give them to Advisor Estelle and Shadow Kim Yul. If the Advisor were to let loose a boomboomboom beam, and the Shadow forgets the smell of the coffee he drank last night, the oni will be eliminated in one shot.”
“…you, are you dissatisfied with me? What’s with that style of talking?”
“Dissatisfied? Definitely not. I, Sylvia Evanail, am as filled with loyalty for the Family Head as the heavens. My loyalty is more numerous than the cockroaches that infest the food storage in the summer.”
A completely disgusting loyalty.
“Regardless of her manner of speaking, the Grand Chamberlain’s point is useless.”
Kim Yul quietly opened his lips.
At that, Sylvia raised an eyebrow.
“Useless? Why?”
“Because it’s not the winning that matters. A landslide victory would be easy, and the Family already knows this. That’s why he asked [what should we do] and not [how should we win].”
Shuk, shuk, using the moon as a light, Kim Yul flipped through his notebook.
Eyes like a newly born star looked at me.
“However, the Family Head’s words are also contradictory. Before asking the means, please clearly set the goal you’re aiming for.”
I rubbed my chin.
“A goal you say.”
“That’s right. Does the Family Head intend to only have the ‘minimum number of victims in this war’ like you declared to the Chun Mu-mun Master? If that is the case, then there is no other option apart from complete intervention. Nevertheless, the Family Head’s reluctance to do so means that you have another goal, and that you’re weighing those two goals against each other.”
Kim Yul’s voice resembled starlight. This voice, which felt like it wouldn’t be a burden even if it was taken and drunk, resounded.
“The Family Head considers the goblins to be your children. It’s just that they aren’t your biological children. Just as parents worry about [how to give the best education] when taking care of their children, the Family Head also worries about the goblins with the heart of a parent.”
“…….”
“And because of that perspective, until now, the Family Head has refrained from intervening in the goblin race as much as possible. Only when it can’t be helped. When the entire race in itself is at risk of extinction if you don’t interfere. Only in those situations will you intervene directly. However… there is a war now, even if the oni are the ones who started it, the goblins seem to [want] it.”
Kim Yul raised his head and looked at Sylvia then at me.
“This isn’t a war over resources, it is a collective duel between warriors. Isn’t that why the Family Head is unsure of whether to intervene or not?”
I let out a sigh.
Raviel’s ancestor had accurately discerned my true feelings.
“Indeed.”
The Sword Demon shrugged.
“It’s right, though. If someone got involved in my fight, I’d be pissed. Wouldn’t you feel the same?”
“…let’s just pretend to pass over the Deputy Warrior Commander’s presumptuous words.”
Estelle touched her chin.
“In addition to the warriors’ pride, it also makes him question whether our large scale intervention is the right education. [God will always intervene when it’s necessary]. It would not be good to give the goblins that impression.”
Mm.
I turned to look at Uburka.
“What do you think, Warrior Commander?”
“Ugor.”
Uburka answered immediately without a change of expression.
“The Family Head’s thoughts are my thoughts.”
I see.
I nodded.
“We are strong. Whether it’s the goblins or oni. We can end this war without killing a single person.”
I removed my hand from my chin.
“However, now that I think about it, I’m not the Tower Master.”
If this war began by mutual agreement.
If the agreement included accepting the result.
“Before anything else, it makes sense to ask the children living in this era for their opinions.”
The retainers that were exchanging words, closed their mouths.
Then, they quietly looked at me as if waiting for my orders.
“Warrior Commander.”
“Ugor.”
“You are the only one among us that has a body recognized by this world. You are also a renowned figure who is revered as a legend, which is why you should be the one to go talk to the goblins. Go. Go and ask. Ask the Chairman of the Fire River Council— ‘Do you want our help, or not?’. Ask and come back.”
“Ugor.”
Uburka grinned and clenched his fists.
“I was waiting for those words. Family Head. Wait for me. I’ll go ask the kids of this era and return.”
Thud.
Uburka raised his butt, causing the surroundings to shake. Of course, not just Kim Yul, but Estelle and Sylvia as well were great people who wouldn’t collapse because of this much shaking.
“Kuhaha!”
Uburka seemed to be in a good mood as he let out a loud laugh as he crossed the plains.
At the end of the direction he was heading in was the camp of the goblins.
Buuuuuu! Buuuuuu!
As if an alarm had been triggered, a horn could be heard from the camp in the distance. Well, considering the fact that a warrior the size of a wild horse had invaded the camp out of nowhere, even the goblins would be alarmed.
Not long afterward, sounds of commotion could be heard from within the goblin camp.
“Will it be okay?”
Estelle looked at the goblin camp in the distance with a worried gaze.
“Why?”
“Warrior Commander Uburka… it’s only been a little while since we’ve met, but I feel like he is hot tempered. I’m a bit worried about whether it is appropriate to send him as a diplomatic envoy from one force to another like now.”
“It is easy for you to see your little brother as an ignorant man who only knows how to fight, but that child’s mind is deeper than you think.”
Flinch.
Estelle froze slightly when she heard the words [your little brother].
Feeling like she’d heard something unexpected, no, something that was difficult to get used to, Estelle spoke hesitantly.
“Little brother…”
“You are my eldest daughter, and Uburka is my second son. Therefore, naturally, that makes you two big sister and little brother. Titles like Warrior Commander and Advisor are only for use in public, so you’ll have to get used to using them in private.”
“No way, Father!”
Finally, Estelle put aside the official title and called father.
Of course, it was said so quietly so as to prevent others from hearing it, then she whispered in my ear.
“How could I treat such a big child like a younger brother?! I-, in the first place, brother and sister. It’s a relationship I never had before! I can’t even imagine it!”
“It’s fine.”
I patted Estelle’s shoulder.
“After this stage, more people will enter our family.”
Among those people were also my two starting points.
My starting point inside the Tower, Yoo Soo-ha.
My starting point outside the Tower, the Director.
Thinking about my starting point outside the Tower, I spoke.
“The Director is an amazing person. [Making children that aren’t family, family] is something he has been doing all his life. Regardless of the difficulties, regardless of the troubles, and regardless of the difficult problems, he always made it work somehow.”
“Are you nervous?”
“Yes… I’m nervous.”
Estelle lowered her head.
“Destroying the continent and burning the royal family were difficult, but I wasn’t nervous. There wasn’t even the slightest hint of anxiety… But I, I’m not sure if I can really be someone’s family. No, in the first place, I don’t know what a family is…”
I repeated my words.
“It’s fine.”
I held Estelle by the shoulder.
“We will definitely be a precious being to each other.”
“However, Father. If I, as the eldest sister, were to make a mistake…”
“Then we’ll discuss it together at that time. Just like now. We’ll bring together all the retainers together, sit down, and ponder the problem and the solution.”
“…”
“Can you trust this inexperienced dad?”
Estelle hung her head a bit lower.
Then, she murmured softly, like the sound of migrating earthworms.
“…yes. I’ll trust you. Dad.”
Under the cool moonlight.
The two of us, who had just become father and daughter, leaned against each other as we sat.
7.
Estelle’s concerns were half right and half wrong.
When Uburka said when he returned went something like this.
When Uburka appeared in the goblin camp, naturally, there was a commotion. From their perspective, the Legendary General who they thought was dead [He’s not? Is he really alive?] appeared out of nowhere.
The goblin forces exploded.
Among the goblins, there was only one who didn’t fall into a state of panic. The current Chairman of the Fire River Council was the only to keep his composure and welcome Uburka in a refined manner.
-Who are you, sir?
“I am the 212th Chairman of the Fire River Council, Uburka.”
-I am the 627th Chairman of the Fire River Council, Kersombork.
“You don’t look that strong…”
-Compared to you, isn’t everyone in this land a baby?
Uburka grinned.
“If you want, I can help you. I am neither a god nor a divine spirit. I just became a bit stronger than after training to pierce the extremes of martial arts. In the end, I am still a goblin and a former Chairman of the Fire River Council, so if you want reinforcements, you can reach out to me for help.”
At those words, the goblins began to whisper amongst themselves.
0
-Uburka! That shibaling ancestor is going to help us?
–He tore off a mountain peak and stuck it into the middle of the battlefield, and now that power can help us!
–Ugo! We should accept it! Let’s crush those horned bastards that don’t know what’s good for them!
–It’s even just crushing those horned bastards! If that shibaling ancestor helps us, then it would be easy to capture the entire continent, every port, and every waterway, and create a unified nation for goblins in this land!
As the heat began to rise together with the voices of the goblins, the current Chairman of the Fire River Council made a noise.
-Enough.
All of the goblins flinched. The chattering subsided, and the excitement cooled.
The current Chairman, Kersombork, looked around with a glint in his deep blue eyes.
-Let’s say we win and knock down the oni. If anything, the only wouldn’t have fallen to our goblin race, instead, they would have been crushed beneath the feet of the Great Godly Spirit, Uburka.
-….
-Let’s say we were to unite the continent with ancestor Uburka standing at the forefront. If you look at it, would it be the country of the goblin race? Or would it be ancestor Uburka’s country?
-….
-The White Lion has always cared for us and helped us. Nevertheless, the White Lion always asked us to call him [Friend] because the White Lion thought that [friendship] would be the most beautiful feeling between him and us.
Chairman Kersombork was a muscular, good looking middle aged man.
The muscles he’d developed in his youth supported his body, and the wisdom he obtained as he aged supported his head. Standing between youth and old age, the Chairman spoke like the nameless priest of a forgotten temple.
-The White Lion wanted all of us to feel friendship. If it is too hard, then help, if it is too difficult to help once, help several times. When someone wins, congratulate them. Make the winner feel pleased by expressing feelings of jealousy and envy as they are. The loser should become desperate enough to devote their life so that they will win someday. We should also regard the life of a loser as beautiful, and we should feel boundless friendship towards such a loser.
-….
The crowd was silent.
Thousands of goblins listened to the priest’s speech with bated breaths. The speech rang in the hearts of the goblins.
The [Doctrine of the White Lion], which had been passed down unbroken for countless years, pounded in their hearts in sync with the speech.
-Warriors of the goblin race.
Chairman Kersombork looked at the distant lines of warriors beneath him.
-Are we weak?
Thud! Thud! Thud!
The warriors raised their left feet and stomped on the ground.
The answer was obviously a resounding [no].
-Is it that we do not dare try to defeat those horned chaff without the help of ancestor Uburka?
Thud! Thud! Thud!
-Is our goblin race so weak that we need to ask the White Lion to come here to lead us and comfort us again?
Thud! Thud! thud!
-That’s right! We’re not!
Chairman Kersombork spread his arm.
-We don’t need the help of our ancestors! God’s help is even more unnecessary! Uburka! White Lion! Because we believe in friendship, we will respond to you as friends. Wait! Watch! How brilliantly our goblin race will defeat the oni race without danger or worry! Please look closely!
Uooooh!
The goblin warriors waved their swords and spears in a frenzy.
-We are warriors born from and raised by the the White Lion!
-The White Lion feels friendship towards us, so what should we fear?!
-We are one! Fellow countrymen! United as the children of one being!
-We can’t make him worry! There will be no wrinkles on the White Lion’s white brow!
Morale was boosted a hundredfold.
Uburka said that he had no choice but to smile bitterly in front of these warriors who had no intention to lose.
“This, ugo. Even if the education is good, is it a problem if it’s too good…”
After boosting the morale of the troops, Chairman Kersombork returned and said.
-We do not need ancestor’s help. I dare to say that we don’t even need help from the White Lion. We want to show ancestor and the White Lion that we’ve become stronger on our own.
That was the message from the goblins living in this era.
8.
“As expected of the Family Head. You raised the race well.”
Estelle smiled brightly as if she was in a good mood. The other’s reactions were similar. Uburka was in such a good mood, he got a barrel of alcohol and drank it, and Kim Yul nodded expressionlessly.
However, Sylvia Evanail was the only one who acted as if she didn’t like it.
“Why are you like this now, Grand Chamberlain?”
“I just thought that it was nice that everyone could show off. I don’t know if there is any place for a weak person like me to stretch my legs. No, no. This is just the complaints of the weak. I hope the strong Death King Family Head and the strong retrainers enjoy all the joys.”
“…”
It had been a while since this child had grumbled like this, so I let it pass. This airhead* was probably annoyed because the world would turn out beautifully.(*: Not exactly… the slang used here(빈또가 상해서) is a bit hard to translate.)
I just lightly flicked a peanut to her head.
“That hurt! What was that for, Family Head!?”
“You said you wanted to become a person that the butler wouldn’t be ashamed of. So take a broader look. Over there.”
The over there that I was pointing to was the plain that the sun was rising over.
The armies of both the oni and the goblins had begun to advance as if they had completed their preparations. Thud, the footsteps of thousands rang out, thud, and it was immediately echoed by thousands of footsteps from the other side. The thuds rang out across the plains like two different melodies.
-Nyahaha! Today is the day that will be dedicated as the memorial day for the pigs!
Of course, the 7 Heroes could be seen in the ranks of the oni army.
The Venomous Snake, the player who was in charge of the oni race from the beginning of the stage to the end.
He had chosen to jump into this war more actively than anyone else.
On the other hand.
“Is this really fine?”
Estelle asked with a cautious expression.
“It might not be too obvious if we provide a little help depending on the situation. Family Head. If you help in a way that neither friend or foe will notice…”
“No.”
I raised my hand and cut Estelle off.
“Now is the time to trust those kids and wait.”
“So to speak, this is a [Coming of Age Ceremony]. The massive race known as the Goblin Race, is finally trying to overcome their coming of age ceremony. You are free to watch and cheer from afar, and pray for their good luck if you’re anxious.”
I said.
“But you can’t interfere.”
“….”
“We will trust the power of those kids and wait.”
“Yes.”
Estelle didn’t raise any disagreements after that.
We sat on the mountain that Uburka had broken the peak off of and silently waited for the war to unfold.
Then.
Buuuuuuuuuuuuuu-
The sound of a horn came from somewhere. Soon afterward, more horns began to sound. The dawn of the plain was soaked in a paradoxical pain as one horn sounded after the other.
Buuuuuuu… Buuuuu… Buuu…
By the time the horns died down.
-Attack!
Someone screamed.
-Attack! All troops, all out attack!
-Crush those horned bastards so that they will not be able to attack again!
-All troops chaaaaarge!
With that loud cry, the goblins began to rush forward in unison. Not to be outdone, the oni also drew their swords and spears and charged, screaming.
‘I believe.’
I watched the goblin army with an unwavering heart.
‘You are strong enough to overcome your path. My children.’
It was the beginning of the war.
~~~
(TL: So one side has the help of their god and the other doesn’t? I can’t see the logic…)
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