“Hi there.”
[Rick, you scared them. Look how tense they got.]
‘All I did was open the door and greet them, Velora. I don’t even know why they were caught off guard by that. I know I’m the Future King and all, but weren’t they stationed here to wait until I was done eating?
‘That should mean that they should’ve been prepared for me to come out eventually, right?’
[They probably needed more time to prepare mentally. Don’t bully your people, Rick.]
‘Blah.’
“How can we help you, Future King?”
“Don’t be so tense, guys, but I was told by Chief Galgo that you can lead me to the Chiefs' meeting area?”
“Ah yes, Future King! Right this way!”
‘You know, as I’m following these guys, I can’t help but think about the size of this Clan compared to the one we first walked into. This one is quite literally a tiny city, or maybe a big town.
‘A lot of the buildings are wooden, of course, but it’s the fact there are actually a lot of them in the first place. Of different shapes and sizes. Some massive ones like this one, which is the biggest of all, and then a whole bunch of smaller ones that I assume to be homes.
‘This is what happens when Goblins can get a bit of time to grow, huh.
‘I can only imagine just how much more they would’ve grown if their limit wasn’t Tier Six. And also living in a place like the Dark Lands of Mir.’
[Well, that’s why you’re here. According to General Rogu, you can reach Tier Ten. And not only that, you can allow a few of the Chiefs to rise along with you. You will be the catalyst for that additional growth you’re talking about.]
‘Yeah. Hopefully.’
“Give us a moment to open the doors, Future King.”
[How nice of them.]
‘I’m really going to have to get used to all of this unnecessary help I’m receiving for even the simplest of tasks, huh.’
[The sooner you get used to it, the better you’ll be. Just embrace it. It’s easier to fall into the role than it is to keep making everyone feel awkward when you don’t want to accept the respect they’ve shown.]
‘Yeah, I know. Anyway, let’s get this Chiefs' council over with. Part of me is looking forward to it, but another is a bit worried about all the potential responsibilities that will be thrown my way.’
This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.
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Rick walked into the conference room and immediately all 14 Chiefs stood to their feet and bowed their heads.
“We greet the Future King.”
All their voices came together in what seemed like a smooth, practiced blend of respectful noise.
They stood there for a moment in silence until Rick realized they were waiting for him. Well, it was Velora who realized, but no matter.
“Please have a seat.”
The Chiefs all looked up and were about to take their seats when they realized Rick hadn’t yet taken his. In fact, he was still standing at the door waiting for them to sit.
Chief Galgo cleared his throat.
“Ahem… Your seat is here, Future King.”
Chief Galgo pointed to the only seat that didn’t have someone standing in front of it. It was the seat at the head of the table.
“Ah, thank you, Chief Galgo.”
Rick then walked to his seat, and perhaps if it wasn’t for Velora, he might’ve unconsciously stayed standing.
But thankfully for the Chiefs in the room, he took his seat right away and the rest of them followed suit.
“Before we begin, I’ve told a couple of you this already, but please refer to me as Sir in private talks like this. Sounds good?”
“Yes, Sir.”
14 Yes, Sirs resounded right on beat, and not a single Chief even hesitated. Perhaps if this was a one-on-one discussion, that particular Chief might’ve shown some hesitation, or maybe even asked for a different option if they felt a simple “Sir” wasn’t respectful enough, but Rick had given this order in front of all of them.
There could be no hesitation here.
“Good. Then please continue with the topics for this meeting.”
Chief Galgo looked around at his fellow Chiefs, and after receiving a few nods, he began talking.
“Sir. We have many things to discuss, but I believe it is important to learn in detail about what happened to the Royal Retrieval Team. Of course, if you wish, we may move on to other topics for now.”
“No… this is as good a time as any to let all of you know what happened.”
After saying that, Rick then began a deep and storied tale.
He began from the first meeting at the edge of the Nameless Forest when General Rogu first introduced himself, and then the rest of the Royal Retrieval Team followed suit.
Then came a brief interlude on the situation in the Iris River Plains, regarding the Orcs and the other races, and how Goblins were oppressed. Forced to give tributes and not allowed to grow beyond a certain point.
The plan about liberating the Goblins of the Plains came next, and then all of the time that was spent back at Rick’s village once the liberation mission was successful.
After reaching this point, Rick took a deep breath and continued on in a somber tone. The attack of the Orc, and the sacrifice of a few members of the Royal Retrieval Team.
Kris. Krel. Sarug. Hurgs. Surgsha. Sarug. Rogu.
He listed them all and talked about the sacrifice they made.
A sacrifice made in an effort to allow him to escape.
Following a short pause, Rick explained the journey from the Nameless Forest to the Dark Lands of Mir. From the hectic encounter in the Demi-Human lands, to the relatively peaceful journey through the human lands.
By the time Rick had finished talking, silence had taken hold of the room, as the loss of life was heard plainly for everyone to understand.
Most of the Chiefs had only arrived while Rick was eating and hadn’t seen who Rick walked in with, so this was the first time they were seeing and hearing anything related to the other members of the Royal Retrieval Team.
One of those Chiefs was Chief Rogur.
He was one of the last to arrive due to distance separating his Clan from the others, and thus this was the first time he was learning of General Rogu’s death.
The death of his son.
Bonus Chapters are here!
paid sub on Patreon, I will release a new chapter for WAG :)
