Goblin Knight - Chapter 354



Only Noblemtl

EP.354 The Fall of the Moon (33)

“Well, that would be good. I’m not talking about things that didn’t happen, I’m just talking about things that happened. And… … .”

“There?”

“Those who gave us the gag order that day have already ended up like that.”

Yael placed her two forelegs on the huge table.

It was with a sigh that seemed to have been relieved.

“Goblin, just be honest with me. When you look at our current state, don’t you think it’s a bit shabby compared to what you thought?”

“huh?”

“Why, you know. The ruler of the forest, the descendants of those who destroyed the moon… Considering the grand nicknames known to the world, I think the scale is too small, considering the mess caused by the plague.”

“I don’t know the nicknames, but… that’s what it was like. Is there a reason?”

“It’s simple. This is the edge of the edge of the werewolf territory. The center of the territory, the capital as the humans call it, is so vast and magnificent that it can be compared to the glittering central part of the empire. But now, it’s impossible to go there… … .”

“Huh. Well, that’s true. Of course, compared to our demon tribe, we were lacking in many ways.”

Seeing Nellyvia say something like that, it definitely seemed like it was some kind of great place.

But why did you suddenly bring that up? Blanc looked at Yael with a questioning look.

“A place that prosperous inevitably has its share of conflicts. In order to achieve development, someone’s sacrifice is necessary.”

“It’s a sacrifice.”

“In this case, the victims were us… the werewolves with copper-colored fur.”

“Why?”

“You were born with the wrong ability.”

Yael replied sarcastically, then took a flask from her bosom that suited her large frame and took a swig.

Judging by the smell, it was bootleg liquor… and it seemed pretty strong too.

“The Broken Moon Tribe was originally formed by several werewolf clans, so I can’t go into all the details, but if you look at it broadly, it can be divided into two lineages. The silver-furred Wolrang clan, and our copper-furred Copper Tail clan.

In terms of physical ability alone, our clan was actually the most advanced. We lived mostly in the wilderness rather than the forests, and since there was nowhere to hide from strong enemies in the wilderness, we learned how to run fast and fight.

However, when the village was formed, the leaders were almost entirely from the Wolrang clan.

“I could hear the voice of the great wolf.”

Yael glanced at the ceiling.

“Perhaps it was because of the grace of the one who lived on the moon that the Wolrang clan knew a lot and could do a lot. On the other hand, we were only good at hunting, so it was a reasonable decision for them to become the leaders.

But as time passed and our own civilization developed and our culture became established… the class gap they created began to grow much wider than we had imagined.

They began to rule without sharing their knowledge or the words of the Great Wolf. No clan other than themselves could interfere in the affairs of the village, and only followed their orders.

The Copper Tail Clan has become like a private army of the Wolrang Clan.

Of course I was dissatisfied. We were dying without even knowing exactly what we were doing, and the other side was taking almost all the benefits from our work.

But still… I was able to hold out. Even though I lost most of what I had gained, I had no problem making a living, and looking back as time passed, it was actually helpful to the entire village.

Werewolves tend to value the pack more than individuals. So living like that wasn’t so bad. It wasn’t so bad… … .

“Something just blew up.”

Yael began to growl as if her temper was getting the better of her just thinking about it.

“Let me tell you something surprising. Although werewolves are considered to be feared by humans, this is not the case for all of them. At least the Copper Tails have managed to form friendly relations with some humans.”

“Uh… how? No, why?”

“Well, there are a lot of reasons… but the biggest reason is that humans have too many bones compared to what they eat, and it doesn’t taste good either.”

“… … .”

“Why would anyone hunt something like that? That’s why we usually let them go, as long as they didn’t bother us. But about ten years ago, one of our clan members showed a strange quirk.”

“What kind of whim?”

“Instead of chasing away the human who appeared in front of him and telling him to go back, he escorted him to the village while talking about various things going on in the world.”

“Huh. Weren’t you attacked after arriving at the village?”

“A militia with nothing more than a fire arrow as their most threatening weapon can threaten a werewolf? Haha, you think they were welcoming us with some bright and shiny things flying towards them, so you ran towards them, snatching them one by one?”

… … So, what you’re saying is that even though he risked his life to stop it, the attempt itself felt like a joke.

Does that boldness come from the confidence that he was born with the werewolf species?

“Anyway, after arriving at the village and talking to them, I found out that they were more friendly and cute than I expected. Since they say that much, I couldn’t help but go see for myself.”

“How did you view humans before?”

“A smart, ill-tempered, and large goblin.”

“… … How direct.”

“Well, I was mistaken. When we first went there, they looked like the end of the world had come… But after talking to them, we realized that we could communicate well. The portions were small, but the food was delicious, and they knew a lot about things we didn’t know.”

“So… you formed a ‘friendly relationship’?”

“Ah, looking at your face, I could tell what you were thinking, but it wasn’t like that. We really became friends. We are a family that knows honor!”

“I’m sorry if it sounded that way. But don’t you know? The common sense of monsters and the common sense of humans are very different.”

Yael nodded at Blanc’s reasonable concerns.

“I know. That’s why I really took great care to make it fit human standards.

Since they didn’t seem to be living very well, I hunted animals whenever I had time to sell their skins, and I also cleaned up the nearby monsters.

Then, they cooked with the leftover meat. They taught games to the children who were bored to death when they were not hunting, and they also taught them the ways of the human world and folk tales… … .

Then, about 5 years ago, the guy who first went down to the village ended up marrying the human woman he had protected. The woman attacked him first.

“I think we had a pretty good relationship.”

As she spoke, Yael’s face was filled with longing.

It must have been a really good memory, and probably for the people there too.

But… that’s a thing of the past… … .

“What happened to that village?”

“It was destroyed. By the will of the Wolrang clan. It was for pest control.”

“… … .”

“Our perception changed when we came into contact with humans, but not with silver wolves.

To them, humans were still like annoying pests, and it was natural to exterminate any pest nests around their territory.

But you know what?

I… we, after seeing that guy who married a human woman, crying while holding the corpse of a pregnant woman… I couldn’t accept that ‘normal.’

Yael continued, gritting her teeth.

“If the Wolrang clan had even the slightest interest in what the Copper Tail clan was doing, wouldn’t that have happened? If not, they would have at least consulted me before doing anything!”

But that wasn’t the case. Whether or not they really cared about us or didn’t feel the need to, it happened, and the pent-up anger of the Coppertail Clan exploded all at once.

That night we revolted. We planned to take advantage of the time when the saint went to hear the call of the great wolf to overpower the leadership and kill the man who gave the order to attack the village.

But things didn’t go as planned.”

The voice that had been seething with anger gradually lost its strength, and only a tired and sad tremble remained.

“The counterattack was stronger than expected, and casualties began to appear on both sides. What was intended to be a one-man kill turned into a civil war.

If they had tried, they could have won. As I said at the beginning, the Copper Tail Clan had the upper hand in terms of wielding weapons, and even they had accumulated experience in continuous fighting.

But for that to happen, many of our own people had to die. The Wolangs would never give up what they had, and we were so angry that we would kill them all to take it from them.

“I… didn’t want to see that sight.”

As the leader of a group, I didn’t want to see my people die for the sake of pointless anger.

Yael said in a weak voice.

“On the third night of the civil war, I secretly went to the saint and proposed an end to the war. I said that if things continued this way, it would all be over, and that this madness should end here.

The Wolrang clan accepted my offer, and the civil war ended without us being held accountable.

But things had come to this, and the two clans couldn’t stay together. We… decided to leave the embrace of the great wolf and live our lives there.

Because I knew that it was possible to live together with humans without having to rely on the One above.

“I willingly accepted the opportunity to abandon the name of Broken Moon and live as a yaksha.”

At the end of the long story, Yael let out a deep, heavy sigh and concluded her speech.

“This is why we were ‘banished’.”

“… … .”

“It was only a little later that I heard from them that the great wolf had left.”

It was a darker and more desperate story than I expected.

Of course, I thought it wouldn’t be a big deal since the two clans were divided… but a civil war?

It must have something to do with the fact that in the distant future, Yaul became serious when he was called a ‘werewolf’.

but.

“Then, you.”

“huh?”

“You… after all that has happened, and your anger has not yet subsided… still answered their call for help?”

“… … .”

Yael did not answer right away.

Instead, he avoided his gaze and remained silent as if looking into the distance… and then spoke in a dark voice.

“… … As I said, I… really… didn’t want my people to die.”

“… … .”

“That’s all.”