Lord: Starting from a Goblin Nest

Having lived two lives, Ron had seen people take their father’s surname, their mother’s surname, and even their child’s surname.

But this was the first time he’d ever seen someone name themselves after their sword!

”Sera,” Silvia said, completely speechless. ”Rusaike is a Beastman Deity, and Xue Ming is clearly a Beastman surname. Don’t you think it’s a bit inappropriate to change your name like that?”

”Then... Sera Rusaike Xue Ming Ochre?” Sera’s mind was completely fixated on the sword; anything anyone said went in one ear and out the other.

”In that case, I can only advise you not to use your full name when you introduce yourself.” Silvia pressed a hand to her forehead, shaking her head in resignation.

”Ron,” Victoria said, looking at the giant sword in Sera’s hands, ”is there anything special about this sword? Why does it have a name like that?”

”I don’t know,” Ron said, holding up his hands. ”Identification Magic won’t show that part, but it definitely has special properties.”

Sera’s ears perked up.

”Hmm, let me see... When you use this Two-Handed Giant Sword in battle, its power grows stronger the larger your opponent is. Also, any wounds it inflicts won’t heal on their own for an entire day.” Ron looked up at Sera. ”See? If you’re dead set on finding a glorious death, you’ll have to find a big target.”

”I don’t know, maybe a Cloud Giant?” Silvia said offhandedly.

”A Cloud Giant? Are they big?” Judging by her expression, Sera was asking in all seriousness.

”Five or six meters tall, or so they say,” Silvia shrugged. ”Or maybe you’d prefer an ancient True Dragon? Forty meters long and weighing six hundred tons?”

”Hmm, at my current strength, there wouldn’t be much glory in it if I couldn’t even leave a scar on them,” Sera said, pausing to think for a rare moment. ”Alright, that’s not an immediate concern. But I still want to find something to test this sword on! It’s a waste to have such a fine weapon and not use it for combat!”

”You don’t have to worry about that,” said Ron. ”There are sure to be other creatures like the Mad Frogman King in the Delusional Land. And even if there aren’t, I’m sure our ’old friend’ Ming Datiss will stir up some new trouble for us.”

”Speaking of which, if you’re going to use the Grip of the Vast Wave, what about your axe? You can’t dual-wield them, can you?”

”Uh, for the record, I’m not the type to just abandon the old for the new,” Sera said, glancing awkwardly at the two-handed great-axe slung across her back. She couldn’t part with her old companion, but she was even more attached to the giant sword she just got. ”Seriously, can’t I just carry both? I’m strong enough to carry them!”

”I don’t think it’s a good idea to let your old companion watch from your back while you swing your new friend around,” Victoria said. ”Why not leave it at the trading post? We could mount it as a display piece...”

Sera quickly waved her hands. ”No, no, no, don’t do that! It should fight alongside me until the very end, not rust away in some room!”

”We could ask Klade and the others on Team Two if they want it. Andre seems to be looking for a decent weapon too,” Ron suggested. ”If none of them need it, we could have them give it to that Hill Giant. Either way, it won’t be left to gather dust.”

’Though, in the hands of a Hill Giant, that great-axe would probably be more like a Hand Axe.’

Sera agreed to the suggestion. As they put the stone slab back and walked out, they saw Aive about to head into the lair while the Black Dragon pleaded with her.

”Oh, Ron! You’re out?” Aive divided the venison she was holding into three portions and handed them to Ron and the others. ”Sera, you’ve already eaten, so none for you.”

”You missed a feast, Sera. You—” Delaford drawled lazily from where he lay amongst the ruins, but his eyes suddenly shot wide open. ”What in the world are you holding?!”

”How magnificent!” Aiksuuri suddenly felt the venison in his stomach lose its flavor. ”Was that from my hoard? I don’t remember it at all!”

”Of course you don’t remember it. We’re the ones who found it,” Sera said, showing off with a few flashy swings of the giant sword. ”And as for me missing a feast? I think not!”

”Gods, can I give it a try?” The Goblin Hunter ran over and took the Grip of the Vast Wave. He had some strength, but his size was a limiting factor. After just two swings, he was panting heavily. ”No fun, no fun at all! Here, you take it!”

”Here, take this,” Ron said, tossing him the Strong Acid Gemstone. ”Make sure you keep it safe. If you lose it, you won’t find another!”

”Don’t you worry! I wouldn’t lose it even if I had to sew it to my own belly button!” Delaford cackled and scampered off to the side to play with his new toy.

”Wow, how do you guys always manage to get so much cool stuff?” The Black Dragon looked at Ron’s group with envy. ”Can I come adventuring with you? I want to come along!”

”You have to guard the stone slab,” Victoria said. ”Remember? You signed a contract.”

”However, I did prepare a little gift for you,” Ron said, feeling a bit sorry for the whimpering Young Dragon. He took out the glass marbles that Quest had used as a distraction. ”Here. How about these?”

”WOW!” Aiksuuri excitedly scooped all the shiny little trinkets into his mouth. ”I noo oo were a goo’ guy!”

”So, what do you need me to do?” Aiksuuri happily trotted off to store the glass marbles, and when he returned, the look in his eyes had completely changed. ”Just name it. If it’s something I can do, I’ll do it!”

”Really? In that case, I actually have a big favor to ask.”

”I am a mighty True Dragon! By Bahamut, a word once spoken can’t be taken back!”

”We want to rebuild a town here. Would you mind moving your nest?”

The air suddenly went still. The young Black Dragon stared at Ron in disbelief. ”Say what now?”

’How did this end up with me having to move out?’

”It’s just that we considered how you prefer this kind of ruin,” Ron explained. ”Once the new town is built, the environment here won’t be as good, and it’ll be inconvenient for you to... do your thing.”

”I don’t care! I’m not moving!” Aiksuuri started rolling on the ground and throwing a tantrum. ”Just build it here! Do you have any idea how much work it took to make this nest? I’m not moving!”

”’You’re not a rabbit, what’s with all this talk about nests...’ Ron was at a loss for words. ’Alright, fine. If you can get used to living next to a town, then I don’t care. When the time comes, I’ll tell the construction crew to help you touch up your lair a bit.’”

”For now, you could help us clear up the surrounding area. It would make construction easier later on—but there’s no hurry. Based on our current progress, it’ll be a while before we get to this stage.”