Reincarnated as a random race, of course I got goblin.

Chapter 35 - Trauma

I keep a steady pace as I walk towards where Valena and the others went. I try to at least. I stumble to a stop, holding onto a tree as I fight the urge to vomit. What's going on?!

"We're going into shock. I was able to keep Our emotions under control during the fight, but now..."

My entire body is trembling so bad I have to lay on my side. My mind feels like its filled with cotton. Tears stream down my face, as I hug myself. 

I end up sitting like this for a long while, crying my heart out. Before I knew it, the sun has set, and the nocturnal monsters of the Illomen are waking up. 

"We should find the others. Being alone will just make this worse, I think."

I agree. I muster my strength and get up. Taking a few shaky breaths, I refocus on finding Valena. Walking through the forest, I listen out for any sign of monsters. Although my night-vision is flawless, it's not much use when the brush is too dense to see through. 

Eventually, I spot the warm glow of a campfire. I reach out to Valena. "I'm here, don't be alarmed." I tell her as I step into the clearing the camp is set up in. Valena gets up from her seat, seems she's been the guard, and sprints towards me.

"Millibelle! I was so worried!" She exclaims as she more or less throws herself at me. She looks up at me with serious, albeit teary, eyes. "D-did you-?" "I killed it. I burnt its body till there was nothing left, not even ashes." I respond, gently stroking her back. "You do smell like Leons' cooking..." She comments.

Oh dear, seems Leon's not the best chef. "I'll clean up once we get to some water." I promise as we walk back to her seat. I lie down next to her, letting her stroke my mane. "You want to talk about it?" Valena asks me, after a while.

I had mentioned that I had lost my Tribe before I Evolved into the Little Monarch, but I hadn't gone into full detail. It was still too painful, perhaps it still is.

"When I hatched, there was one egg that was struggling." I begin after a pause. "Not knowing any better, I helped it hatch. The Goblin boy was of a different color than the rest of us, and much weaker." I glance at Valena, she's looking out into the forest, listening to me whilst she strokes my mane.

"As Goblins do, they shunned him. I- I didn't pay much attention to him, either, being busy helping the Tribe, doing my own thing..." My voice cracks slightly as I start tearing up. "Maybe if I- if I had been with him more..." "Shhh... You couldn't have known..." Valena soothes me.

"She's right, you know. There was no way for you to prevent what happened. Maybe delay it, but We both know that something like that would have happened as long as Blue lived."

... I take a shaky breath and continue.
"I had been out on patrol with our Scouts. When I returned, he had left the Tribe. Who knows what he'd been up to in the meanwhile, but I did spot a massacred Bristle Wolf Alpha. Looking back, I'm fairly sure that was his doing..." Valena pauses her rhythmic petting for just a moment before continuing.

"Eventually, I found him again. As did a group of Hunters. He did something... Command, maybe, and I fell asleep." I clench my hands into fists, my claws digging into my palms. I don't mind the pain.

"When I woke up, the Hunters were dead, scattered across the forest floor... I ran back to our cave, only to find the Envoy of Death fighting Something." Valena stops completely. "That something was what was left of the Goblin boy. He had killed the entire Tribe before the Envoy managed to stop him." I leave out the part about Grim purposefully waiting with killing Blue, to ensure my Evolution into a Little Monarch.

I sigh. "After that, I had no choice but to Evolve into a Little Monarch, in order to survive without a Tribe." Only now do I notice the tears streaming down my cheeks. A bitter laugh issues from Valena. "Hah, and I thought I had a traumatic relation to Hateful Monsters..." She wipes her eyes.

"... Thanks for listening, Valena, I feel a little better now." I unclench my hands, the grooves dug by my claws quickly closing up as my HP Regeneration gets to work. "But to think, the Envoy of Death... Did they tell you why they appeared?" Valena asks.

I hesitate for a moment. "It was to protect me. If B- I mean, if the Goblin boy had managed to kill me, they'd have to start all over with making a Monarch. Apparently it takes a lot of time and effort." Valena nods. The explanation makes sense. 

"So, what are you going to do now? I mean, after you've helped us get out of the forest?" Valena asks. "... I have a Lair now, I'd need to go back to it. I bet my Servants are freaking out, since to them I probably just vanished." "I should visit you there sometime." "Of course! It's quite a ways away, though, almost on the border to Harmek."

Valena facepalms. "Of course, the request from the King." Did she forget? Ah! That reminds me! "Valena, could you tell your grandfather to tell the King that I no longer need that favor?" Valena looks at me, her eyebrows furrowed. "What favor?" "I helped the King, with something else, and in return he was going to inform me whenever a Forest King had been spotted." I explain.

"But, I'm fairly sure the thing I fought used to be a Forest King, since I got the Unique Skill only Forest Kings carry from it." Valena nods, putting two and two together. "But why would you need Bond of Gleipnr?" Oh- a difficult-to-answer question, at least, without causing undue worry.

"It seems like a neat Skill to have?" I try, unconvincingly. "Don't make me order you." Valena threatens, her tone one of worry.

I sigh once again, somehow, it feel really weird to tell her about my plans. Probably for a very good reason, I mean, Necromancy to free people from the grasp of a criminal organization? I tell her of my plan, or rather, the outline of it. "Of course, it would be entirely voluntary." I finish.

Valena stares at me in disbelief. "I- I'm speechless. I mean- it's good that you don't intend to force it upon people, but-" She trails off. "I mean, my other plan would be to just fight the entirety of Aurellium and free them that way." I inform, as if that plan is any better. 

"I'm... quite impressed. That you see someone in trouble, and then put yourself in potentially even bigger trouble just to help." Valena half jokes. "Seems to be the story of my life..." I look down. "Ah- I didn't mean-" She stammers. "Val~ it's my turn meow, go sleep! You too!" We both startle as Lima suddenly appears.

"Oh, yes, sleep." Valena yawns and stretches before getting up. "Let me get you a blanket... or two, maybe." She offers as I follow her to her tent, leaving Lima to take the late guard. I sleep deeply that night, too tired to dream.