Lord: Starting from a Goblin Nest

”Does anyone have any questions?” Victor scanned the crowd below.

”Why are you recruiting a Pioneer Corps instead of sending the town’s standing army?” a strong young refugee who looked like one of the villagers raised his hand and asked. ”They seem so well-trained.”

”The town’s security and defense also require manpower,” Victor said, his expression troubled and full of regret. ”To the west of Fromm lies the Gobi Desert, a place teeming with outlaws. I cannot risk any action that might surrender the town to them. I hope you can understand.”

”But I am by no means just sitting back and waiting. From among my Attendants, I have hand-picked a sharp and capable warrior to accompany you—Victoria, come and meet everyone!”

A young woman clad in Scale Armor and fully armed stepped out from behind Victor with a firm gait. After a slight bow to the crowd, she retreated to her original position.

She held an iron helmet in one hand, a Hard Head Hammer hung at her waist, and a shield was strapped to her back.

Ron could hardly imagine how safe one would feel standing next to her. ’She’s practically a moving fortress.’

”Typical Priest gear,” Aive snorted. ”This Lord is really something, actually willing to part with a Priest for the expedition.”

”If Victoria weren’t going, it would just be me,” Buni said quietly, her voice tinged with embarrassment. ”But I’d probably just hold everyone back...”

”Don’t say that, Buni,” Lavinia comforted her friend. ”You’re just... a little less intimidating than her, that’s all.”

After all, even in the same gear, the presence of a Half-Elf and a human were completely different.

”If we conquer that Delusional Land, who does it belong to? You?” Sera shouted.

”It certainly won’t belong to you, Barbarian!” the Elf retorted. ”You’d be better off crawling back into your blizzards!”

”Why don’t we start fantasizing *after* we’ve actually conquered the Delusional Land?” a Dwarf muttered under his breath. ”We haven’t even left town, and you think victory is already in the bag?”

”As for that question...” Victor gave a cunning smile. ”How about I leave it to the members of the Pioneer Corps to sort out amongst yourselves?”

”My humble purpose is merely to lighten the town’s burden; I have no interest in expanding territory. I have already given myself, my very name, to the town of Fromm. I have no other ambitions. So, you need not worry that I will strip you of the fruits of your victory—it will belong entirely to you!”

The crowd below immediately erupted in cheers, but Ron thought they were all a bunch of idiots.

’This is practically an invitation for infighting and mutual slaughter! It’s just like Victor said—he has no interest in expanding territory. He just wants the refugees to leave so they won’t be his burden anymore.’

’As for whether they live or die, he couldn’t care less!’

’But damn, the man is a smooth talker. And if this really works, the obstacle to the south of Fromm will be completely gone. That’s good for the town, so he can’t lose, no matter what happens.’

’The only ones who will suffer are the refugees—or more accurately, the refugees from those villages.’

’The surviving Barbarians from the north are the elite of the elite. Those Adventurers who are just here for the excitement all have their own skills. And as for us... we’ve got a whole mob of goblins trailing behind us!’

’It’s painfully obvious who’s going to get knocked out first, yet they’re the ones cheering the loudest.’

Victor pressed his hands down, signaling for quiet. ”Members of the quest to conquer the Delusional Land, everyone will be handsomely rewarded. Furthermore, once a Lord for the Delusional Land has been ’elected,’ I am willing to act as a sponsor to introduce our new neighbor to the other Lords in the area. I can also pull some strings to attract merchant guilds, artisans... In short, please believe me when I say I would much rather see a new neighbor than worry about that no-man’s-land all day.”

”Rewards, Lord, merchant guilds... It’s all just pretty words,” Sera pursed her lips. ”Not a single real benefit in there! You’re just spewing nonsense!”

’Finally, someone who gets it...’ Ron had to admit he was starting to see Sera in a new light. The tribal Chieftain had some sense after all.

”Of course, of course,” Victor said, his face wreathed in smiles. ”If there are no other questions, then we can officially begin the banquet! This old fatty won’t get in the way and ruin everyone’s appetite, haha.”

”Now that’s more like it!” Satisfied, Sera walked over to the long table and was the first to tear a roasted chicken leg from a platter.

Ron: ’...I overestimated her.’

Although the scene immediately descended into chaos after Victor’s speech ended, nothing particularly noteworthy happened. So, Ron and his group took their seats and joined the banquet for the time being.

Half the food here was from the tavern where Ron and the others were staying, so the taste was quite agreeable. Soon, even Quest, who knew the most, seemed to let his guard down and began to feast.

After all, the last thing anyone wanted was trouble.

But just as Picasso had his burdens and Da Vinci his disagreements, trouble was inevitable. According to the law of that scoundrel Murphy, when something can go wrong, it is guaranteed to develop in an even worse direction.

Just as the crowd was growing boisterous with drink, a sharp cry like a cat’s screech tore through the night sky.

One of the pair of Spotted Cat People living next door to Ron’s group stood up, his eyes wide as saucers. He clutched his neck with one hand and collapsed softly to the ground.

”Ambush! We’re under attack!”

The Elf reacted the fastest. He raised his arm, shouted, and drew a thin sword before leaping onto the long table.

Ron shot to his feet and scanned his surroundings. Dark figures began to pour out from the surrounding alleys. Right beside him, the very same people who, a second ago, had been toasting everyone and encouraging them to eat and drink well, were now pulling daggers from under their clothes and stabbing anyone they saw!

In the distance, outside the town, a blaze of fire shot into the sky, followed by the deafening roar of battle cries.

”Wh-what in the world is happening?!”

The Half-Elf Priest Buni was terrified by the scene. An assailant took the opportunity to rush her, bringing a blade down toward the crown of her head.

BAM!

Two Flaming Arrows struck the man almost simultaneously, splitting open the fool’s head. Buni stared blankly as she turned to look, seeing a wisp of blue smoke rising from the fingertips of both Ron and Lavinia.

”Get ready to fight!”

The few who were already prepared immediately fanned out into their planned formation, protecting Ron, the newly added Lavinia, and Buni within.

Flashes of Aive’s sword danced as she cut down three men in an instant. Quest’s fists were like the wind; though he fought bare-handed, his power and technique were astonishing. Most of the people he struck down weren’t fatally wounded, but they were left howling on the ground, completely unable to fight.