César inspected the remodeling of the village with an excitement he could barely contain.
The walls were beginning to rise with a geometric precision that only the minotaurs could achieve.
Although they were the masters of the construction, one should not take credit away from the goblins and pigmen, who worked tirelessly carrying materials and following orders.
César walked among the constructions, nodding from time to time to his subjects.
The old huts built by the goblins had been demolished without remorse, replaced by solid structures.
For the foundations, the minotaurs used the Tauros Foundation, a secret and exclusive recipe of their race that turned the earth into an immovable base.
The streets, meanwhile, were being paved with Lito-marrow, a substance that, according to the builders, was the pure essence of rock.
Even the temple, the one that had once been César's pride, had disappeared. In its place stood a grand structure, a work that César knew would have taken him years to finish without the help of these giants.
'It's incredible what the right workforce can do,' César thought with a sigh of satisfaction. However, his expression quickly changed as he remembered the underlying problem.
Despite the Rock Horns having joined the village, the air felt heavy.
It was not physical exhaustion, but a silent contempt that floated in the atmosphere.
The minotaurs, giants of muscle and horn, looked down on the old inhabitants. To them, a goblin — no matter how intelligent — was still an inferior creature.
Gorn, the clan leader, had kept his word, but his eyes held a spark of rebellion.
César knew the giant put so much effort into the defenses because, deep down, he planned to claim sovereignty over the place once the fortress was finished.
'It's not enough for them to work for me,' César meditated, frowning. He knew that trying to directly subdue Gorn with his control ability was far too risky at the moment; the leader's will was too strong.
Then his eyes drifted toward the direction where the leader's daughter was. A dark idea crossed his mind and a wicked smile formed on his face.
'I'll make sure his bloodline is permanently tied to mine.'
That night, César summoned Taurina to his private tent under the pretext of evaluating her potential to form a mana core.
The young minotaur suspected nothing; she had seen César help other members of the village open their energy veins, so she came without hesitation.
"Lord Goblin, I hope this is quick. I have lessons with my father," Taurina said in a bossy tone, looking at César with poorly hidden disdain as she sat cross-legged.
"Don't worry, it will be very quick," César replied with a smile. It was a pity she had already closed her eyes to concentrate, because she could not notice the malice in that gesture.
Without warning, César grabbed the heavy hilt of his sword and struck the minotaur's neck with precision.
"You…," she managed to mumble, opening her eyes in disbelief before her world went dark. She could not believe that such a small goblin had dared to attack her.
"Sweet dreams, dear," was the last thing she heard before losing consciousness.
César wasted no time. He activated his control ability. He did not want a mindless slave; instead, he planted in her a deep admiration and a devotion that immediately blossomed into an intense and absolute affection toward him.
Days later…
Gorn entered the command tent, ready to discuss strategic matters, but stopped dead in his tracks. His eyes widened in disbelief at the scene before him.
He saw his daughter sitting beside César, looking at him with a devotion she had never shown to anyone.
She held the goblin leader's hand with genuine tenderness, laughing at his words and seeking his approval in every movement.
"What… what does this mean?" Gorn roared, making the potion shelves tremble with his voice.
"Father," Taurina said, standing up with a radiant smile. "César is the greatest leader this world has ever seen. Not only did he save our lives… he has won my heart. I have decided that I will stand by his side as his woman."
The giant was left perplexed. His axes felt heavier than ever. The plan to rebel collapsed in a second. How could he attack the being that his own blood loved? How could he betray the man who was now, technically, part of his family?
Gorn felt a helpless rage. For a moment he wanted to draw his weapon and crush the "dirty goblin" who had enchanted his daughter, but when he saw Taurina's gaze, he knew she would stand in the way. He sighed, defeated, and after muttering a few distracted words, left the tent.
As he walked among the constructions, he tried to comfort his wounded pride with a new reasoning. 'If my daughter is the sovereign's wife, this village I have worked so hard on will end up belonging to my family.'
His warriors looked at him, waiting for the signal for the insurgency they had planned, but Gorn simply picked up a stone hammer.
One of his captains asked:
"Will we keep obeying that little green one?"
The minotaur leader smashed a block of granite with fury.
"My daughter is the sovereign's wife," he declared, trying to convince himself. "That makes us the royal family of this land. We are not serving a stranger… we are building the empire of our own bloodline."
From the distance, César watched the scene with an inner smile of triumph. As he saw Gorn accept his fate, he tightened his grip on Taurina's waist, making the young minotaur blush deeply with happiness.
Control over the village was now absolute.