Chapter 24: Permission

     Veylir flew away with a sour mood. She didn't say any more words, leaving Gobuchiki in confusion.

     "We'll go back to our place," Soru told the goblins, and they simply left the scene.

     Soru quietly followed Veylir as they headed back to the settlement. Minutes later, Veylir spotted a faint glow ahead, indicating that the settlement is in that direction.

     "I can see a faint glow in the distance, and that must be the settlement. But..."

     Veylir looked back and saw the three goblins following them all this time.

     "Why are you lowlifes following us?" Veylir asked.

     Gobuchiki fidgets shyly as he follows Soru and Veylir, along with the other two goblins who also follow him.

     "T-The thing is, we don't know our way back to our village..."

     "And that was supposed to be our problem? Scram!" Veylir exclaimed.

     "But—"

     "Do you want me to beat you senseless for real!?" Veylir exclaimed as she flew towards Gobuchiki.

     "I'll walk ahead first. Deal with them, Veylir," Soru told the dragon and walked away while carrying the Luminite.

     "Wait, Master Soru..!"

     Veylir didn't continue and helplessly watched Soru as he walked towards the light in the distance. Afterwards, she turned around and stared at the goblins.

     "I told you to leave at once. Will you scram or not?"

     Suddenly, Gobuchiki cried in front of Veylir. Tears rolled on Gobuchiki's cheeks, and he intentionally widened his eyes, attempting to gain Veylir's sympathy.

     "Please! Let us stay in your place temporarily. W-We don't know the path back to our village, and t-there are scary monsters around! Sniff!"

     The two goblins behind him nod aggressively in agreement with Gobuchiki's plea. 

      Due to their relentless pleading, Veylir gave up and sighed.

     "Alright, alright! I'll accompany you back to the settlement. But it's not me who'll decide if you could stay there temporarily or not, but those who manage there will," Veylir said to Gobuchiki.

     Hearing that Veylir finally accepted his plea, Gobuchiki's eyes widened, and he smiled at her.

     "Thank you for your kindness! W-We will leave once the sun's up!" Gobuchiki exclaimed.

     "Yeah, yeah. Follow me, then," Veylir replied, continuing to fly forward.

     The goblin walked forward and followed Veylir in silence. Meanwhile, Soru was already ahead of them and continued to walk towards the light in the distance.

     While following the path with Veylir guiding them in front, Gobuchiki was lost in his thoughts. He was thinking about the joke before, which made Veylir pissed.

     "Mister F-Familiar. May I—"

     Gobuchiki hadn't finished his sentence when Veylir sighed loudly.

     "Just to be clear, I have a name. Plus, I am a female."

     Gobuchiki twitched.

     "Uh... Oh! Yes, Miss—what was your name, by the way?"

     "Veylir!" Veylir exclaimed while trying to hold back her irritation.

     "Eeek! Yes! Miss Veylir, Miss...!"

     All of a sudden, Gobuchiki paused.

     "Wait...! Veylir? Wildfire Dragon 'Veylir', guardian of the Great Forest of Drys?"

     Gobuchiki halted and stared at her.

     "Y-You're joking, right?"

     Veylir stopped and looked at him directly in the eyes. 

     "What? Do you think a great dragon such as me would joke about it?" Veylir replied.

     At that moment, Gobuchiki realized that Veylir was dead serious and wasn't joking at all.

     "T-Those who claim to be a Calamity Dragon won't be tolerated by the Draconic Clan. If you have guts to lie at—"

     "Oh, come on! Just believe me, will you?" Veylir exclaimed. 

     "But... T-That's impossible! Your aura doesn't feel like it belongs to the Wildfire Dragon... A-And your size..!" Gobuchiki replied.

     Veylir sighed.

     "Okay, I will answer your questions. Just for you to believe my words."

     Veylie flew slowly in order for her to tell the story at Gobuchiki. Gobuchiki matched his pace on Veylir and listened to her, eager to know the truth about her identity.

     "What you are seeing right now is just my shrunk-down soul body. My soul power is severely weakened, thus my aura doesn't match a Calamity Dragon's."

     "I-If what you're saying was true, what happened to your physical body?" Gobuchiki asked Veylir.

     "My physical body... was slain by Master Soru," Veylir replied in a sad tone.

     "Master Soru, you mean that human who made you his familiar?"

     "No... He's not technically my master, nor his familiar. I only called him that out of formality," Veylir replied.

     "Is that so..." Gobuchiki murmured.

     "H-How did he do it? Killing the Wildfire Dragon alone is simply unheard of! Wait, did he handle you all by himself?"

     Veylir nodded.

     "You're right. With his peculiar ability, he incinerated me to death. Even though I enhanced my scales to withstand the heat, it wasn't enough to prevent me from being burned to death."

     "That's... a horrible way to die. I'm sorry to hear that," Gobuchiki murmured while lowering his head.

     Gobuchiki glanced at Veylir, whom he saw wearing a sad face.

     "Do you resent the benefactor for what he did to you?" Gobuchiki asked Veylir.

     Veylir didn't respond right away. She fell silent for a moment.

     "I... do feel a slight resentment towards him, but what he did to me was reasonable."

     "He killed me in order to prevent my rampage from destroying that village further," Veylir replied.

     Gobuchiki fell silent for a moment.

     "Although I don't know the reason behind your sudden rampage, what you did in that village was bad. You're lucky that benefactor didn't kill your soul body afterwards." 

     "Yeah, I'm really lucky he spared me." Veylir replied.

     The four of them walked as they were getting closer to the settlement. Gobuchiki had a question in mind and asked Veylir once more.

     "Miss Veylir, do you have any idea why you rampaged that time? My initial assumption was that due to your agitation, you resorted to violence. But was that really the case?" Gobuchiki asked her.

     Veylir stopped and faced Gobuchiki.

     "You like to ask several questions, don't you? What are you, an interviewer or something?"

     "Come on, Miss Veylir. Sharing us a story or two won't hurt, you know?"

     Veylir stared at him for a moment, then sighed.

     "Such a nosy goblin. Alright, I'll answer it!"

     "Now we're talking!" Gobuchiki exclaimed.

     Veylir continues to fly ahead slowly.

     "It was noon when I woke up from my long slumber. When I opened my eyes, I decided to hunt monsters for food in order to satiate my hunger. I got out to my cave and checked around, looking for monsters that I could gobble up."

     "Basilisks were one of my favorite foods because their meat somehow tastes great, especially if it is fresh. So I looked for it, flying in the vast forest for minutes."

     "At that time, my nose managed to pick up a familiar but strange scent that belonged to a monster that I was looking for. I tracked the scent and managed to arrive at the scene, only to find out that the basilisk that I sought was already dead cold, like it was being squashed like a bug, along with the Rabid Wolves."

     "I was furious at that time. I spent minutes looking for my favorite prey, only to find out that it was dead and inedible. Adding to my frustration, the scent of the possible culprit was long gone due to it happening several hours ago since the battle ended, thus tracking it using my sense of smell is nearly impossible."

     "So at that moment, I decided to look for its whereabouts with my eyes alone." Veylir added.

     "The culprit... is it a monster who killed the Basilisk?" Gobuchiki asked her.

     "No... Judging by its corpse, there are no signs of bite or claw marks. It was only left alone after killing it; it was not being hunted for consumption."

     "Is that so..." Gobuchiki murmured.

     "I kept looking for the culprit until I noticed a dead Wyvern, not too far from the scene. It was burned to death by someone who can manipulate flames."

     "Probably Wyvern got into a fight with his own kind..." Gobuchiki said.

     "In this forest, only a Wyvern and I were the ones who could manipulate flames, and that dead Wyvern is the sole resident of this forest," Veylir replied.

     Suddenly, Gobuchiki's eyes widened.

     "So that means...!"

     "Yes, only a sentient being capable of manipulating flames was the one who managed to defeat it. And possibly, it is also the same one who killed that Basilisk and those pesky Rabid Wolves," Veylir replied.

     "Luckily, I found the scent of the culprit in that area. Although it was faint, it was enough for me to track it down. Along the way, there were signs of battle, and it ended up at that village situated at the edge of the forest."

     "I was unsure about who killed those monsters. All I know is that they were hiding in that village, so I rampaged on that village in order to smoke out the culprit. I was caught up with my emotions and didn't notice that I rampaged a little too hard. I was killed in that very same village without finding out its identity."

     Gobuchiki and others realized that they had finally arrived at the settlement, but they froze when they saw a human girl standing ahead.

     "Upon my physical death, I found out that the one who killed me was Master Soru. At that moment, I realized that he was the one who... Hm?"

     Veylir noticed that Gobuchiki was not moving at all. She decided to ask about his condition.

     "Hey, are you that shocked at finding out Master Soru's capabilities? Sure, it was un—"

     "Miss Veylir, that female human over there was glaring at us..." Gobuchiki said while his voice was shaking.

     "Human who?"

     "Oi, Veylir."

     Suddenly, Veylir's skin shivered. The dragon turned around slowly and found out that Reika was standing up ahead.

     "Erm... I..."

     "Enough. I already knew the reason for your secret trip thanks to Soru, but..."

     Reika stepped closer to Veylir and stopped in front of her.

     "Would you care to explain who's that... weird bunch over there? Soru didn't mention me anything about them," Reika asked her.

     "Uhhh..."

     What? Master Soru didn't tell her about these goblins?

     "Well... They're called 'Goblins', Master Reika. Soru and I saved them from the Rabid Wolves when we first encountered them."

     Reika scratched her head while staring at Gobuchiki and his companions.

     "Hmm... I don't know what 'goblins' are, but I'm sure I heard it somewhere..."

     "Do the idea about goblins exist in your wo— your continent, Master Reika?" Veylir asked her.

     "I know what goblins are... From what I've seen in the textbooks before, they looked small, ugly, and vicious-looking."

     "Ouch. You don't have to say that right in our faces..." Gobuchiki murmured.

     "But..."

     Reika stared at the goblins from head to toe in silence.

     "They looked... different?"

     "Different? What does that even mean?" Gobuchiki asked in confusion.

     "A-Anyways, Master Reika, these goblins pleaded with me to let them stay temporarily in this settlement because 'they forgot' their way back to their village. Perhaps you can make an arrangement...?"

     Reika raised her eyebrow.

     "You better ask Mister Alguis then. He made this entire settlement, so it's natural he has the authority to decide if they're going to stay here or not."

     "I'm not going to do it. We're not even close enough to have a casual conversation, let alone a matter like this."

     Reika walks closer to Veylir.

     "You said you already met and had a discussion with him; what's the fuss now?"

     "I'm not good at making arrangements, okay? You have good communication skills, so it's better if you'd do it."

     "I'm not the one who brought them; it's you and Soru. Better deal with it by yourself."

     "But...!"

     Gobuchiki and the other two goblins stared at them while they beefed each other out.

     "Is that Miss Veylir's real human master? She addressed her as 'Master'..."

     "They... fight," one of the goblins murmured.

     Gobuchiki stared at them once again.

     "Do they really have a master-familiar relationship? From the looks of it, it doesn't seem to be that case."

     Meanwhile, Alguis passed by and heard the commotion. Hearing voices that were familiar to him, he looked around and tracked those voices. He realized that the noise was behind the large house where they currently live.

     He goes to the origin of the noise and finds Reika having a fight with Veylir, along with unknown individuals behind the dragon.

     "Miss Reika?"

     Reika and Veylir stopped and noticed Alguis approaching them.

     "Is there a problem? It seems like you and your familiar have a misunderstanding."

     Veylir's eyes widened.

     "Hey, old man! For the last time, I am not her—GHAAAK!?"

     "We apologize, Mister Alguis. We only had a small discussion and just caught up with our emotions a little bit," Reika replied.

     "Is that so..." Alguis murmured.

     "And who's those little fellows over there? I didn't know that you had connections with goblins, Miss Reika."

     "Ahhh, the thing is—"

     "Mast..er Reik...aahk!"

     Reika sighed and loosened Veylir's collar.

     "Tch! Why does my soul body react like I was being strangled on my neck!? This doesn't make any sense at all!" Veylir exclaimed.

     "Ask Veylir about their identities. She and Soru were the ones who brought them here."

     Veylir flew closer to her.

     "Forget about it! It was such a pain in the ass to bring them here. I should've left them in the forest alone."

     Reika's face changed upon hearing Veylir's remarks.

     "What!? You just brought them here only to drive them away? Are you mad?"

     "You won't even help me persuade that old man Alguis over there, so why would you judge my decisions?"

     "Then be responsible! Isn't that hard?" Reika exclaimed.

     "Uhm... May I ask a question?" Gobuchiki asked them.

     Reika and Veylir turned their heads at Gobuchiki.

     "Oh, shut up!" Both of them exclaimed.

    "Okay..."

     Reika realized what she had done and immediately stepped back to regain her composure.

     "Ahem... Y-Yes, you may," Reika said.

     Gobuchiki stepped forward and faced Alguis.

     "S-Sir, is your name Alguis... Fellad?"

     Upon hearing Gobuchiki's question, Alguis' eyes widened. He fell silent for a brief moment before answering him.

     "How... Yes, my name is Alguis Fellad. How did you know my family name...?" Alguis asked him.

     Suddenly, Gobuchiki and the other two goblins kneeled in front of him. Alguis, including Reika and Veylir, was surprised by their actions.

     "We greet your majesty."

     Alguis was left speechless and didn't respond right away.

     "You may rise."

     Gobuchiki and others followed Alguis' command and stood up.

     Meanwhile, Veylir was irritated by the scene.

     "How come these imbeciles recognized that old dwarf's identity but doubted when I told them mine!?"

     "Shhh!" Reika exclaimed.

     "How did you recognize me?" Alguis asked them.

     "Who on this continent doesn't recognize you? Thanks to your order that allows lesser species like us to buy weapons from your kingdom, we survived monster invasions till this day! And it's all thanks to you, your majesty!"

     Alguis scratched his beard.

     "Is that so..."

     Alguis came closer to Gobuchiki and patted his shoulder.

     "Thank you for the recognition, young goblin. I'm glad that my actions benefited your species."

     "Nah, it's such a small thing, King Alguis," Gobuchiki replied.

     Gobuchiki looked around the area.

     "King Alguis, may I ask? How come you are here in this secluded settlement instead of your palace?"

     Just then, Alguis sighed.

     "It's a long story, kid. Telling you is a waste of your time."

     Gobuchiki chuckled.

     "I am a good listener, though."

     Hearing Gobuchiki's reply, Alguis smiled and turned around.

     "Follow me. I'll tell you along the way."

     Gobuchiki and others followed Alguis, telling the goblins about the coup d'etat situation in the dwarven kingdom and his exile.

     Meanwhile, Reika and Veylir watched as Alguis and the goblins walked away.

     Reika and Veylir stared at each other.

     "Does that mean... It's a yes?" Veylir asked her.

     "I guess it is..." Reika murmured.