When César woke with the first rays of the sun, the first thing he noticed was that several figures were holding him.
As his mind cleared, he looked down at the bodies of the women clinging to him and couldn't help remembering what had happened.
When he had been with Asia, just as he was about to finish, several figures had appeared. Seeing what was happening, they clearly didn't want to be left out… and things had unfolded exactly as one might expect.
César looked at the sleeping women, then carefully slipped out of their embrace, making sure not to wake them.
Once he stepped away from the bed, he stretched his back and rolled his shoulders before shaking his head and muttering, "These women almost drained me dry."
Meanwhile…
The forest was silent except for the faint rustling of movement through the undergrowth.
A group of Pigmen moved carefully between the trees. Their heavy bodies were surprisingly quiet for creatures of their size. They carried crude spears and axes, and their eyes constantly scanned the shadows.
They were a hunting party composed of some of the Pigmen who had recently joined César's settlement. To prove their loyalty and help the village, they had volunteered to go out hunting.
Among them walked Brug, the scarred Pigman who had once spoken to the survivors of the tyrant's rule and later knelt before César.
An act he had never regretted for even a single day.
"Tracks," one of the hunters murmured after noticing footprints that clearly didn't belong to animals.
Brug crouched down and inspected the ground. His brow furrowed.
They weren't just large footprints.
There were many of them.
Brug stood up and narrowed his eyes dangerously.
"Why don't you come out?"
The moment Brug's voice rang out, a whisper came from deep within the forest.
Then another.
Then dozens.
Pigmen began stepping out from behind the trees.
Within moments, Brug and his hunting group found themselves surrounded by nearly a hundred Pigmen.
Weapons were immediately raised.
One of the larger Pigmen stepped forward. His tusks were long and curved, and his chest was covered in scars.
"Who are you?" he growled.
Brug slowly raised one hand.
"We are Pigmen," he said calmly while looking at the new group. After thinking for a few seconds about their identities, he seemed to understand who they were and continued, "Survivors. Just like you."
Murmurs spread through the group.
One of them spat on the ground.
"That seems true, since you don't carry the tyrant's mark," another observed while looking at Brug's group, who lacked the distinctive mark worn by those who had served the tyrant.
Brug nodded.
"Because the tyrant is dead."
Silence fell.
"What did you say?" the leader asked.
"The Mad King is dead," Brug repeated. "A goblin killed him."
The tribe exploded into angry and incredulous shouts.
"A goblin?!"
"Impossible!"
"Pigmen are stronger than goblins!"
Brug waited until the noise calmed.
"You're right," he said.
"But this goblin… is not normal."
The tribe's leader narrowed his eyes.
"Explain."
Brug gestured toward the hunters standing behind him.
"Do you see these warriors?"
The leader looked at them.
At first glance they didn't seem different from ordinary Pigmen, but if one paid close attention, their bodies seemed to emit a dangerous kind of energy.
"And what about them?" he asked.
"They follow the goblin," Brug said. "And thanks to him… we have learned something new."
He placed a hand over his chest.
"A new way to grow stronger."
The leader snorted, assuming it was some trick similar to what the previous tyrant had offered.
"Pigmen don't need tricks."
Brug smiled faintly.
"Behold the power granted by my leader, César."
The tribe murmured again.
The leader stepped forward.
"Fine."
Brug inhaled slowly.
Then he released his Aura.
A violent pressure surged from his body.
Dust lifted from the ground.
Leaves trembled.
The Pigmen froze.
"What is that?" someone whispered.
The leader's expression changed.
Brug lowered the pressure again.
"This is Aura," he said. "And some among us have already begun cultivating Mana as well."
Now the murmurs turned into shocked whispers.
"You're lying."
"Only elves and lycanthropes cultivate that power. They would never share it with outsiders."
Brug shook his head.
"No. This was a gift from a god."
Then, as if remembering something, he added,
"A benevolent god… unlike that evil one."
He looked at the gathered tribe.
"You survived the tyrant. Now that he's gone, you could return to your old homes. But do you truly want that? Return to normal… knowing something like this could happen again."
He paused.
"I offer you the chance to join us, under Lord César."
He paused again.
"You can become stronger than you ever imagined."
The tribal leader remained silent for a long moment.
Finally, he spoke.
"And what does this goblin want in return?"
Brug chuckled.
"He only seeks order and loyalty. Don't worry—unlike that madman, he doesn't seek pointless slaughter."
The leader looked again at the hunters.
They stood still.
Calm.
Disciplined.
Strong.
Stronger than ordinary Pigmen, thanks to that strange energy.
Slowly, the leader lowered his weapon.
"...Take us to him."
The Meeting
As the Pigman tribe approached César's settlement, Brug walked beside their leader and handed him what appeared to be a book with beige-colored pages.
"Here is the history and teaching of the god we pray to. If you read it, you will notice the difference between the two gods."
Although the Pigman leader listened to Brug's words, his attention was on the pages themselves.
"Dark elves joined your group?" he asked with curiosity. "They even shared the secret of making paper?"
The production of writing pages was a craft controlled by the dark elves, who made them primarily for their own use. Most races weren't interested in such things, even though many could read and speak the common language.
It might seem unimportant, but the leader noted it carefully. That goblin could only have access to these pages thanks to the dark elves, and despite their low status among most devil-humans, dark elves did not share their secrets easily.
Brug simply shrugged casually.
"One of the leader's wives is a dark elf."
Although the leader found it surprising that a dark elf would join a goblin, he didn't focus on that part.
Instead, his attention caught on the word wives.
Even so, he didn't pursue the topic. He simply nodded and carefully stored the book away to read later.
Later that night, the large Pigman tribe arrived at César's settlement.
Many goblins stared with curiosity at the size of the new group.
But César remained calm, showing no surprise.
He sat quietly near the central fire.
Asia stood nearby.
Luna observed silently from the side.
The Pigman leader stepped forward and studied the goblin carefully, as if trying to uncover all of his secrets.
"So you are the goblin who ended the tyrant's reign."
César gave a faint smile and shrugged.
"Well, yes. Though I had some luck. Who would've thought that madman would practically destroy his own army while performing some strange ritual? I was fortunate to interrupt him before he finished whatever he was trying to do."
The leader nodded slowly while continuing to observe the goblins.
They didn't appear very different from other goblins of the continent, though he did notice they were more muscular and far cleaner than most goblins.
'A group of goblins more disciplined… with strange powers… and blessed by a god,' he thought.
Brug stepped forward.
"My Lord César, the guest wishes to witness the God's gift."
César sighed softly. He had expected this.
Still, he quickly agreed. Why would he refuse a tribe of Pigmen that was practically placing itself in his hands?
And loyalty?
Heh. That could be ensured later with his ability.
Just look at how loyal the Pigmen already living in his village had become.
Without further ceremony, he steadied his breathing.
His eyes flashed faintly.
Then he released a portion of his Ether.
The ground cracked slightly beneath his feet.
The air trembled.
The entire Pigman tribe froze.
The leader's eyes widened.
'Incredible… that pressure… it's far stronger than Brug's.'
César crossed his arms.
"So," he said calmly. "I believe you mentioned something about joining us?"
After a long silence, the leader suddenly dropped to his knees.
With a respectful expression, he said,
"We will do it, lord blessed by the gods. Please accept my tribe into your ranks."
César smiled faintly at the reaction and nodded in approval.