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As we continued on our way, we eventually came to a place that was even larger and more open than the square we had just entered.

From the distance we had traveled, I guessed that this was the deepest part, the place known as the Lord’s Royal Palace.

If that was the case, I would be concerned about the Arc Shooters and Evil Magicians who hadn’t shown up, but Shiro didn’t seem to know much about them either.

Well, if intelligence and research were the main fields under their jurisdiction, it would be inevitable that Shiro, who was mainly involved in combat, would have no contact with them.

Just to be safe, we healed him with leaves and holy water, and then we walked to the square.

And then I gulped.

What we saw was a huge wall made of chalk.

In the center of the wall was a door about the height of two people.

It was different in style from the architecture I had seen in the city, but it was majestic enough to show the rank of the ruler of this place.

“Wow! It’s so white and sleek and beautiful!”

“Yes, Shiro is smooth and beautiful.”

For some reason, Shiro’s cheeks flushed, and she held down her skirt.

Oh, this was probably not good for Chibi’s education.

“But I knew from the way we got here that if the girls hadn’t been here, or if we hadn’t taken action a little later, I don’t know what would have happened.”

Garum scratched his head as he said this.

“So that means…”

“Yeah, there’s a very good chance that the Lord have evolved.”

I gulped at his words.

It seems that there wasn’t much information about the evolved form of the Lord.

Goblin Lords have been hunted before their danger was recognized and their damage spread.

Even though they were lords, goblins were still goblins.

There were few things that could resist their instinctive cruelty and the desire to show off the power they gained.

As a result, when a Lord was born, it would inevitably stand out.

It should be noted that there are many goblins in the world, and many of them could not evolve unless the goblins are overly neglected and mismanaged.

I, Chibi, Shiro, and Garum walked to the center of the plaza, talking about such things.

It was then.

“Yes, as you can see, our king has already completed his evolution and has become the Goblin Overlord.”

Suddenly, a shrill voice sounded from behind us.

When I hurriedly turned around, there was an old man-like goblin in a black Robe, who looked neither male nor female, standing there without making a sound.

I was almost confused as to when he appeared, but that was not the most important part.

The Robed goblin was holding a girl by his side.

She had long silver hair and a slender body, and although I couldn’t see her expression, her appearance was Youmu herself.

“Youmu!”

I panicked and prepared for action, but the robed goblin stopped me with a wave of his hand.

“Don’t worry, we only captured her when she was following the path we had laid out as a trap for intruders. She’s just sleeping now, yeah, for now.”

In a voice with a hint of sadness, he lit a magic of reddish-black flames in the hand opposite the arm that held Youmu.

Depending on our attitude, she might not be able to get away with it.

It’s an obvious threat, even if he didn’t say it.

But in a way, it might have been a blessing in disguise.

If she wasn’t dead, at least she could be saved.

“What do you want…?”

I call out quietly, wary.

Satisfied with our manner, the robed goblin nods broadly, looking a bit theatrical.

“Fine, fine. I do like the smart ones. Otherwise, I’d have to use you like he would… right?”

As I say this, a shadow appears from behind the robed goblin, making a rattling sound that doesn’t quite fit together.

Dressed in black armor that is cracked in many places all over his body, he is more like a person than a goblin.

That figure is…

It was the very same Black Knight that had been crushed by the rocks earlier.

The only difference was that the eyes peeking out through the gaps in his armor were unfocused and blood was dripping from his body.

It was hard to believe that he was still alive.

And I did not know what kind of magic it was in this world, but…

If someone is familiar with fantasy, they would probably think of a certain kind of magic that could be used.

“Necromancy…?”

“My name is Doz, and I am an Evil Magician, an exorcist. Please to make my acquaintance.”

At the same time, goblins with vacant eyes appeared from the edge of the square, closing in on us.

Most of them were missing some part of their bodies, and some of them looked like their heads had been cut off.

To be honest, it’s too bizarre a sight to describe, but I couldn’t let that stop me.

I looked ahead and glared at the Evil Magician, Doz.

“Oh, scary. You’ve ruined your pretty face. To be honest, I’d like to say that it’s a bit shameless of you to invade our territory and come so close to the royal palace, but I understand what you guys are thinking.”

“I know you have no choice but to retreat, so why don’t we stop this futile fight?”

“What…?”

“You have the misfortune to be able to step into the heart of our territory. Kudos to you for that… but aren’t you a bit too careless?”

Doz snapped his fingers.

Then, from the shadows of the buildings in the square, a number of goblins with bows appear, and one of them is a humanoid goblin wearing a robe hood that covers its entire body, with pink hair peeking out.

Based on Shiro’s story, that must be the remaining goblin Arc Shooter, Liz.

Surrounded by dozens of Evil Magician Doz units, the outer perimeter is further encircled by Liz’s sniper units.

To top it all off, there was Black Knight in a zombie state, an Evil Magician controlling him, and the unknown Arc Shooter, making for a total of three executives to deal with at the same time.

I’m not sure if I should put all my energy into trying to break through the siege by jumping at the Doz.

Garum must have read my thoughts, because he stopped me with his hand.

I protested with my eyes, but Garum stepped forward and spoke to the Doz.

“Let’s not fight over nothing… right? I’m sure you’re not the only one. It would be faster to just let us die, wouldn’t it?”

“No, that’s how much I value you guys.

It’s true that if we continue to wage an all-out war, our victory will be unassailable…but that would mean that we would suffer too much damage.

The loss would be too great for us to deal with the nation-wide strike force that is expected in the future.”

“So… why don’t we make a deal?”

The Evil Magician’s mouth quirked up in a grin as he approached me.

“…hmm, huh? What are you gonna do, girl?”

“What? You’re going to make me decide!?”

“Of course you are, you’re the best in the business here. You have the right to decide.”

Garum shrugged his shoulders, saying that he was the better negotiator, but he couldn’t say that.

With position comes responsibility.

I’m the master of Chibi and Shiro, then I’ll fulfill my responsibility.

“So, what are you going to do about it?”

“Join the army…that would be too greedy, wouldn’t it?
So let’s take a compromise here. We’ll send you back safely to the surface. Then you can return to the city and tell them that the defeat is complete. If you need anything incriminating, we can provide it. And then you can leave the country… all we want is time, time for the King to become more powerful.”

“But we also want a guarantee.”

Saying this, Doz quickly pulls Youmu into his arms.

“We will keep this girl as a hostage. If you do what we want, we will make you our guests… but if you betray us, we will torture and kill you in the most agonizing way possible.”

“So… what do we do now?”

Doz’s smile was twisted like a demon’s as he asked.