(Attendances… plz…)
….
The goblin's casual question hung in the air, unanswered. His tone wasn't threatening, not in the way a cornered monster's would be. It was just a simple question, as if he were asking for directions.
He asked again, tilting his head as if maybe they hadn't understood him. "What are you humans doing in our village, sneaking around like this? Do you understand me or not?"
Kaval, as the self-proclaimed party leader, tried to take control of the situation. He squared his shoulders, puffing out his chest in an attempt to look authoritative.
They're just goblins, he thought, a flicker of his old confidence returning. We can handle this.
"Sneaking?" he said, his voice a little too loud. "And yes, we can understand you! We are adventurers from the guild, sent here on a mission."
The goblin on the wolf, the one with the carefree, almost dopey face, just tilted his head again. He looked more curious than intimidated. The other wolf riders didn't even flinch. Their spears remained pointed steadily at the party.
Shizue stepped forward slightly, her voice calm and even, a clear attempt to de-escalate. "We mean you no harm. We were simply passing through the forest."
"Didn't I say the exact same thing?" Kaval muttered under his breath, feeling a familiar sting to his pride.
The lead goblin seemed to consider their words. "Then how did you get here?" he asked, his simple question cutting through their excuses.
"Our village isn't close to the center of the forest or any main paths. How did you just stumble upon it?"
Reinhard stepped forward, his expression open and friendly. "We were passing through, yes," he said, his voice smooth and reasonable.
"But we also noticed the smoke coming from this direction. We initially thought there might be a fire and came to check, just to be sure." He then looked at the goblins and their mounts with an appreciative gaze.
"Though, I certainly didn't expect to find goblins smart enough to build a village, let alone riding Direwolves. Those are much stronger monsters than simple goblins."
The lead goblin's stupid-looking face broke into a wide, proud grin. He took Reinhard's words not as an insult, but as a huge compliment, to himself, his village, and most importantly, his master.
"Hahahahaha! I like you, red-haired human!" he declared cheerfully. "Of course I'm smart! And I have a name, too. It's Gobta! It was given to me, and everyone in my village, by our lord!"
He finished his little speech, puffing out his own chest now. He clearly hadn't meant to reveal so much, but the praise had gone straight to his head.
Besides, he couldn't attack them even if he wanted to. His lord had given them all a very strict order: do not, under any circumstances, attack humans.
Gobta's statement made Shizue's head snap up. She stared at him, her voice sharp. "What do you mean by that? Naming everyone in your village?"
Kaval, Gido, and Ellen just looked at each other, completely confused. What was Shizue getting at?
It was a common enough fact that most people, even adventurers, didn't know the true significance of a monster being named.
Shizue, on the other hand, had been alive for a very long time.
She knew exactly what it meant.
Naming a monster forced it to evolve, granting it greater strength and intelligence. It was a process that consumed a massive amount of the namer's magicules.
She had served under the Demon Lord Leon Cromwell; she had trained with a True Hero. She knew that no ordinary mage, not even a powerful one, could name an entire village of monsters.
For someone to exist in this weak goblin village who could name not only all the goblins but also their Direwolf mounts… it pointed to an individual of incredible power.
And looking at the organized way the village was being built, it was clear their master was not a goblin.
Goblins didn't know how to build proper structures, and they certainly couldn't command a pack of Direwolves, a monster species far stronger than themselves.
This meant their leader was strong, intelligent, and had knowledge of construction, clothing, and… weapons.
"Ahh, did you not hear what I said?" Gobta asked, looking at her like she was a bit slow. "I thought I said it clearly. We all have names in our village. Even our Direwolf mounts, too. Given to every one of us by our lord."
Before Shizue could press him for more information, a new figure emerged from the village.
It was another goblin, but unlike the scrawny riders or the hardworking builders, this one was different.
He was well-built, with the defined muscles of a hobgoblin. His face, while still goblin-like, held a stern intelligence in his eyes.
He wore a simple but well-made coat and carried himself with an air of authority.
As he arrived, the other goblins immediately lowered their weapons and bowed their heads respectfully.
Shizue's eyes narrowed. Is he the one? she thought, her mind racing. Is he the one who named all of them?
Learned from decades of hard-won experience, her hand instinctively went to the hilt of her sword, resting there, ready.
The muscular hobgoblin strode forward, his presence immediately commanding respect. "Gobta," he said, his voice deep and authoritative. "What is the commotion?"
Gobta straightened up on his wolf, his carefree attitude gone. "Chief Rigurd! We found these humans at the edge of the village. They say they were just passing through on some kind of mission. They're adventurers."
The hobgoblin chief, Rigurd, turned his sharp gaze to the party. His eyes lingered on Shizue's mask for a moment, then on Reinhard's out-of-place uniform, before scanning the others.
"Adventurers," he repeated, his tone thoughtful. "I don't know what you were doing, looking at our village… What exactly are you looking for in the forest?"
This wasn't how goblin encounters were supposed to go. For the trio, goblin encounters were a simple matter of fight or flight. Engaging in a calm, rational conversation was completely new territory.
Reinhard stepped forward, acting as the group's spokesman. "We are on an official contract from the guild to search the Great Jura Forest for any suspicious activity or irregularities, following the disappearance of the Storm Dragon, Veldora. We have no ill will toward you or your village. We were just passing through, as we explained to Gobta."
Rigurd's expression tightened at the mention of the dragon. "Lord Veldora's disappearance… It has caused us and others much unrest. That, and your sudden appearance near our village… it is a complicated situation. We cannot allow armed humans to wander freely so close to our home." He looked at them, his expression firm but not hostile.
"Please, come with us to meet our master. Our master will decide what to do. There is no need for anyone to feel scared. Our lord is very generous, loves humans, and has told us to never attack them."
It was phrased as a request, but with his imposing build and the spears still pointed in their direction, it felt very much like an order.
Reinhard met Rigurd's gaze and gave a slight, almost imperceptible nod to the trio, signaling them to stay calm and comply. "We understand," he said to the chief. "We will follow you."
The goblin riders formed a loose escort around the party, guiding them through the half-built wooden fence and into the heart of the village.
The trio and Shizue looked around in stunned silence.
They saw female goblins stirring large cooking pots over communal fires and hobgoblins carrying heavy logs for construction.
The sounds of hammers, saws, and purposeful work filled the air. It was a functioning, organized society, just like a human one.
"This is… unbelievable," Ellen whispered, her eyes wide.
They were led to the largest hut in the center of the village. Rigurd held up a hand, stopping them just outside the entrance.
"Wait here," he said. "I will inform our master of your arrival."
….
A/N: So, How was it?! First of all DAMN i said lets hit 1k power stone today and we hit it just it few minutes ago… so thanks. Next is 1500.
So, as we know naming a monster or demon grant them power and make them more stronger. But after reading, i realized that normal civilians or even adventurers dont know of this like kaval, ellen and gido.
And this fact is only known to people who engaged with demons and monsters like take church for example. Like when the trio or others stumble in the village or saved by goblin in the anime, they didn't really think much of it or after hearing them calling each other with names.
Q: New blessings names and their uses…
Here:-
Next two chapters are already on my discord.
Melatonin, spawn and many more on my discord … thanks for beta reading this fic and not to mention suggestions too.
Hoped you all liked the chapter and all.
And if you want to read ahead you can do it by just joining my discord server.
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