Chapter 122
122. A Day of Mourning
“Take the warriors to the vacant lot next to the south gate.”
The battle with the Holy Army was over. The result was a big win, but a battle would always leave a mark no matter what happens.
A total of 519 Goblins were mobilized for the battle, and eventually, 41 of them passed on. It was obviously a small number. However, the magnitude of sadness wasn’t proportional to the absolute value.
The dead were taken to the vacant southern lot under the guidance of their people. Ko Byeong-gap was planning to build a cemetery there.
After the bodies were gathered together, they were covered with the whitest and cleanest cloth in Ashvilam. It was too late that night, so they had to work the next day.
sitting in front of the a wet tissue. He bowed his head low.
“… I’m sorry. I said I’d do it, but many of my kindreds died.”
your head.”
Vamond raised his stuttering head.
“You’ve done better than anyone. You’re the one who made the miracle in this battle.”
“Lord…”
“Let’s do the sad things together after sunrise. You still have work to do.”
The serious injuries were more than six times the death toll. As long as they didn’t lose their breath, there was hope. Even if their arms and legs fell off, the problems could be fixed with the dumplings.
Ko Byeong-gap gathered all the medicines he had stocked in Valtadren to treat the wounded. He sent a messenger to Somnium in case there wasn’t enough. Varmond also squeezed out his last strand of power to heal his people.
The work continued until dawn. In fact, the most worrying was the five Goblins who had their souls in their bodies.
They unraveled their assimilation with the souls after the battle. The souls didn’t perish. The soul they took remained in the corner of their bodies and could assimilate with them again at any time.
Of course, recoil was a different matter.
“Stop!”
“Ugh! Ugh!”
Everyone suffered from severe aftereffects, as Ko Byeong-gap did in the past. They suffered and suffered and eventually passed out.
It was rather a relief, and it would be more comfortable for them to relax.
“Lord, we’ve brought in all the humans.”
“Yes, you did a great job. You guys should go get some rest, too.”
“Yes. Lord, thank you for your hard work.”
Ko Byeong-gap sent off the workers and headed to the place where the humans were placed. They were laid neatly in the empty auditorium.
The dead were classified separately. There were a total of 223 people, 147 of whom died and were as skinny as a mummy. The 76 survivors were taken care of to keep them from dying. They fed them a little bit of dragon meat and rejuvenated them.
Ko Byeong-gap smoked a cigarette to calm his troubled mind.
“Whoa. I brought them here because I couldn’t leave them alone, but what should I do now?”
Space collapsed as expected when Al-Sharon was knocked down. The meadow disappeared and returned to desolate ruins. Ko Byeong-gap couldn’t afford to neglect the people, so they brought them to Ashvilam first.
Ko Byeong-gap was very tired, but he didn’t sleep. He sat down in front of the auditorium to stay up all night. He had to stop anybody from doing nonsense if someone woke up.
Time passed without end, and the sun lit up the sky. All members of Valtadren were told of last night’s storm. The residents of Somnnium and its second complex were also informed of this fact and gathered in Valtadren.
Everyone worked together to create a cemetery. The dead were wrapped in a white cloth and were buried in the ground. Ko Byeong-gap himself did the work.
After burying all 41 Goblins, Ko Byeong-gap devoted a cigarette to them. Also, he called the names of the dead one by one. Nearly 2,500 residents surrounded the cemetery to express their condolences.
“Huhu! Awh!”
“Awww!”
Many wailed loudly, and Ea was one of them. Although she wasn’t a Goblin, she was genuinely sad.
When one cried, the other cried, and the cemetery quickly burst into tears. Ko Byeong-gap didn’t stop it.
‘When you have to cry, you have to cry.’
“41 of our compatriots left us. They died fighting with pride as warriors of Ashvilam, but don’t be too sad. Even when they die, they will be with us forever here in Ashvilam. Cry for the dead. You may cry until your voice is hoarse today.”
Ko Byeong-gap wanted to cry too. He was actually going to cry. Landriol, who was asleep inside him, quickly stopped it.
“Even though everyone in the world cries, the king mustn’t cry. A king is a vessel that receives tears from the people. There’s no room in that bowl to hold your own tears.”
‘… I can’t even cry my heart out?’
‘Yes, there is poison in the tears of a king. That’s why he kills people. Someday, when your bowl is full, try to step down from the throne. You can cry as much as you want then.’
‘I get it.’
Ko Byeong-gap swallowed his tears as Landiol said.
The funeral ended late in the afternoon. The Goblins of Somnium decided to stay in Valtadren for a day and return tomorrow.
It was around the time when dinner was served that the humans woke up. Upon hearing the report, Ko Byeong-gap hurried to the auditorium where the humans were placed.
Those who woke up were Jeong Seon-kyung and others. They were in good shape since they were the last to suffer.
Whatever the case, they were on high alert. They fainted and woke up in a strange place, and it was natural to be wary of the Goblins that were everywhere.
Fortunately, the Goblin that was on guard was never harmed because Ko Byeong-gap arrived on time.
“Byeong-gap?! What are you doing? Are you okay?”
Jeong Seon-kyung shouted, turning blue.
Ko Byeong-gap left her alone for a while and spoke to the Goblin.
“Well done. Now go back to your seat.”
“Alright.”
The Goblin bowed his head and disappeared. The people who saw the scene freaked out.
“Hey, did you just talk to the Goblin?”
“What did I see?”
“Ew.”
Ko Byeong-gap sighed briefly, took a cigarette case out of his arms, and threw it to Jeong Seon-kyung.
“First of all, recoup. It’s safe here.”
“Hey! I can feel monster energy all over the place. What’s safe about that? And that, that! Aren’t they all dead?”
“Calm down with a smoke. I’ll explain everything.”
Ko Byeong-gap dragged a chair by the door and sat down. He felt a bit uncomfortable because there were bodies at the site.
‘I’ll have to get the kids to clean it up or something like that.’
Jeong Seon-kyung had her cigarette with a troubled face. Han Chang-hoon and Shim Seung-seop were no different from her.
“Are we alright now? What about that big monster?”
“Al-Sharon… He’s dead.”
“Dead, huh?”
“Yes, the Goblins and I did it.”
“Ah… Ouch!”
Han Chang-hoon wrinkled his expression at the rushing pain. They had first aid, but their bodies were still in a mess. Ko Byeong-gap bought and distributed some dumplings from an ancient store.
Their faces were bloodshot only after they ate the dumplings.
“Agh, thank you. I think I’m going to buy some more of that.”
“Where are we? I don’t think it’s Korea.” Shim Seung-seop asked, who had been silent.
“Yes, it’s not Korea. How did you know?”
“The air smells different.”
Ko Byeong-gap nodded and paused for a moment. After that, he hurried slowly.
“The name of this place is Ashvilam. This is the kingdom of the Goblins. And I am the king of this place.”
A long story began.
***
There were different kinds of absurd stories. Absurd, moderately absurd, very absurd.
The people who heard the outrageous stories had two reactions. Either they didn’t believe it at all or resigned and accepted it.
People couldn’t believe Ko Byeong-gap’s story. They weren’t skeptical; they just couldn’t believe it.
Come on, the Goblin Lord? If Ko Byeong-gap weren’t the Goblin Lord himself, even he would’ve thought of it as a story of a ghost eating lunch. However, in this case, Ko Byeong-gap had evidence to prove his story. The Goblins that filled Valtadren were proof of that.
In the end, the three of them resigned and accepted Ko Byeong-gap’s story.
“This… It’s more shocking than what I heard last time. There are all sorts of strange things like this in the world.”
“Hey, Ko Byeong-gap. So if you tell the Goblins to do this, do that, you mean they will follow you like a rock?”
“It’s like that.”
“Wow. So how many Goblins are here?”
“If you count the Goblins alone, there are about 1,800 people. If you include the Spirits, there are about 2,500.”
“I’m going to kill you.”
Jeong Seon-kyung rubbed the cigarette butt on the floor and immediately asked for a new one.
“Well, they look like people, do what they do, and they live like people, too. There’s a world other than Earth, and it’s not strange if the monsters were the inhabitants of it. No, it’s rather obvious.”
“But it’s strange.”
Shim Seung-seop tilted his head.
“What do you mean?”
“Goblins aren’t strong monsters. The strongest is a B-class. You mentioned there are about 1,800 Goblins here? I don’t think you would have defeated all those monsters even if you mobilized all 1,800 of them.”
“That’s right, Seung-seop. Aren’t Goblins not Goblins when they come together?”
“That…”
“Lord! You were here… Eh?”
That was then, the auditorium door opened, and some Goblins entered. They were the ones that had assimilated with the souls.
The humans reflexively showed signs of vigilance, but then they softened.
“The humans are awake. Were you in trouble because of us?”
“It’s okay, Dorma. And you’re all awake too. Are you alright?”
Dorma smiled bitterly.
“Yeah, I passed out and woke up repeatedly until daytime, but now it’s quiet.”
“I still feel a little sore, heh heh.”
“I know that feeling. Have you all been to the cemetery?”
“Yes, we went together to pay tribute.”
“Well done.”
While Ko Byeong-gap was talking with the Goblins, the group’s faces grew pale. It must’ve been because they felt the enormous energy emanating from the Goblins.
“Is… Is that a real Goblin? Oh my God, there are Goblins like that?”
“It seems like they would easily pass A-class. That one looks a little different, doesn’t it? He seems to be bigger than any other Goblin.”
“Ko Byeong-gap. She… Is she a Goblin too?”
Jeong Seon-kyung pointed at Doran with her finger and asked.
Doran furrowed her eyebrows in a bad mood.
“Why are you pointing your finger at me?”
“Hey, hey! What did he just say? Did it just talk to me?”
“Why are you pointing your finger at me?”
“Ahhh! I’m sorry.”
Jeong Seon-kyung hastily removed her hand. Doran snorted her nose and smirked.
“Okay. Everyone is at peace now that they’ve calmed down. Go back and rest. I have more to say to these people.”
“Alright. I will leave then.”
“Lord, see you later.”
“Okay.”
The Goblins left. Ko Byeong-gap looked at their backs and said, “As you can see, the Goblins here are a little different.”
“Amazing… Good.”
“Byeong-gap! Can I have a look around here?”
“Me too. I want to take a look!”
Jeong Seon-kyung and Han Chang-hoon begged with stars in their eyes. Ko Byeong-gap slowly shook his head.
“Sorry. Many Goblins have died fighting monsters. It’s not an atmosphere that can make you laugh, chat, and tour.”
“Is that so…? There’s nothing I can do about it.”
“Can’t we just watch quietly? We won’t trouble you.”
Jeong Seon-kyung didn’t give up easily. Ko Byeong-gap regained his appetite and told her to do so.
“Then just look around quietly.”
“Thanks!”
“But keep one thing in mind.”
“What?”
“I know noona and Chang-hoon, so it wouldn’t happen, but if you ever attack a Goblin…”
Ko Byeong-gap added in a serious tone.
“I will never let it go. Do you understand what I mean?”
“Of course not, dude. You said you live with them. Don’t worry.”
“That’s right. I’m relieved.”
“Look around and come back right away. I’m sorry, but I can’t let you run around on your own.”
“Okay, okay.”
Jeong Seon-kyung and Han Chang-hoon left the auditorium. Shim Seung-seop didn’t seem to have much interest in going on a tour around Ashvilam. However, he showed slight displeasure.
“I’d like to move a little bit. It smells so bad.”
“Ah, sorry. I was too indifferent.”
Ko Byeong-gap looked over at the 100 corpses piled up on one side. He had a headache figuring out how to deal with that. He first sent the Goblins to move the bodies.
It was a little later that they put them together and cremated them.