The Way Back to Goblin Village

What is a goblin warehouse?

It was a storehouse that could be called a collection of mysteries without exaggeration.

The goblins’ storehouse that all sorts of yokai and humans coveted in the past, spreading through rumors.

The floor of the warehouse is lined with untarnished gold and silver treasures as mere cushioning material, and piled on top are mysterious items that could sustain one for a lifetime with just one.

The entrance is narrow enough for only one goblin to squeeze through, but inside is said to be wider than even the mountain god’s lake – this is the goblin warehouse.

And this goblin warehouse could only be opened by the leader of the goblins, the Great Chief.

No, more precisely, only the Great Chief could possess the key to open the warehouse, the goblin bat.

In other words, what does this mean?

“…Does this mean I have to go directly to the village in Mount Seorak?”

It meant that I, the Great Chief of the goblin clan, had to go directly to our past goblin clan village in Mount Seorak.

“O-of course I’ll go with you too! I can’t send you alone to bring back the treasures. So how… couldn’t we go to Mount Seorak…?”

And as soon as I showed a slight hint of contemplation, Esi hurriedly shouted like that and looked at me with pleading eyes.

Feeling burdened just by looking at those eyes, I pushed away her face that was thrust towards me and said:

“You don’t need to worry that I won’t go. I’m interested in the goblin warehouse too… To the point where I wonder why I’ve forgotten about it until now.”

『Well… You, Shin-yeon, were just an ordinary goblin until you woke up a month ago. You probably weren’t even thinking about the warehouse itself.』

Probably as Hwa-gon said, I seemed to have not been thinking much about it since I was just an ordinary goblin until recently.

However, now that I’ve recalled the term ‘goblin warehouse’ and become interested, I’m fully inclined to go see it directly.

As the saying goes, strike while the iron is hot, I had no intention of hesitating to move, so hearing my words, Esi completely relaxed her restless expression and smiled broadly.

“Really?! That’s a relief!”

“Stop wagging your tail, you’re splashing water! And before that, we should decide how to go first. We need to think at least minimally.”

No matter how unplanned and spontaneous the goblin clan is said to be, how could we move without knowing how to get from here to Mount Seorak?

I calmed the rejoicing Esi and said that we need to make at least minimal plans about which direction to go and how to move in order to go to Mount Seorak.

“Let’s go to Yeon-ah first. Discussing with Yeon-ah will be the fastest way to make a plan.”

“Hmm, if it’s the General Management Team’s leader, I agree. She’s capable, so she might even point out parts that even I couldn’t think of.”

And at these words of mine, Esi nodded her head, composing her emotions in the blink of an eye.

To be honest, I thought she would say to go to Yeon-ah right away, wrapped in excitement, but Esi, who had composed her emotions, calmly wagged her tail and held out her hand to me.

“Then let’s make the pact now.”

“Yes, we should.”

I’m quite pleased with her extending her hand first, not forgetting the pact I mentioned earlier.

It’s a bonus that I’m inwardly smiling with satisfaction at Esi’s appearance, which seems capable in many ways.

And soon I took out Hwa-gon that I was carrying and began to establish the pact with Esi.

The content was the same as with Lavina, a clause not to reveal my identity.

It was the moment that ended the meeting of the two ancestors who had decided on quite a long journey.

---

“Alright, that concludes the pact. Then let’s go.”

“Yes, let’s go.”

Shin-yeon turns her body first and starts walking.

Esi begins to swim following that small back and recalls the conversations until just now.

‘She definitely said she was the former Great Chief.’

The girl in front of her clearly referred to the goblin woman Esi herself had made a promise with as the former Great Chief.

And she said that she herself was the one who possessed the goblin bat that could open the warehouse.

In other words, it meant that this small girl named Shin-yeon was currently the Great Chief of the goblin clan, which was hard to believe, so Esi couldn’t hide her surprised emotions inwardly.

‘She rose to the position of leader at such a young age.’

Of course, since Shin-yeon was the only remaining goblin in the current era, it was natural for her to become the Great Chief, but no matter how you look at it, Shin-yeon’s strength seemed inconsistent with becoming the Great Chief simply because she was the only one left.

Esi didn’t know if she, as a member of another race, should say this, but Shin-yeon’s power was comparable to the former Great Chief that Esi had seen.

And not just power alone, but an immeasurably firm mental strength could be glimpsed in Shin-yeon.

‘While her actions and way of thinking itself are tinged with youthful innocence, it’s supported by a core that seems like it will never break.’

What kind of life had she lived to gain such a tempered core?

‘She said she had her own issues within the goblin clan…’

Judging from her small physique, which was diminutive even compared to other goblins Esi had seen, and her hands that flinched whenever she talked about former goblins, Esi could roughly guess.

Looking at the visible differences, there weren’t many backgrounds that would lead to such a firm spirit and core.

Anyway, the digression has been long, but what Esi wanted to say was that it didn’t seem like Shin-yeon had become the Great Chief solely because of the condition of being left alone.

From Esi’s perspective, Shin-yeon was an excellent talent that didn’t fall behind even compared to the former Great Chief.

‘No… Shin-yeon might be a bit better.’

Comparing in various aspects, somehow Shin-yeon seemed better.

Esi fell into unnecessarily long thoughts as she gained confidence that she could get the treasures back.

And Esi was able to cut off these thoughts that had been stretching from one to another when she saw the door that was about to be reached.

Step—

“We’re almost there.”

“Ah, we’ve arrived already.”

The door of the office that comes into view as Esi comes to her senses from her thoughts.

Seeing that door, Esi immediately put on the mask and cloak she was holding.

“What? Doesn’t Yeon-ah already know your face? Is there a need to cover up?”

“That’s true, but you never know if another human might come in during our conversation. It’s never bad to be cautious.”

“You weren’t wearing it until just now though.”

“A-ahem! That was just because I had forgotten while thinking about something else.”

Esi cleared her throat and answered vaguely with a flushed face at Shin-yeon’s words that hit an undeniable point.

In fact, she should have worn it from the moment they left the conference hall… or at least after leaving the bridge, but she had unknowingly forgotten while thinking about Shin-yeon.

Deciding not to make such a mistake again, Esi put on her mask and cloak securely, and soon followed Shin-yeon, who opened the door and entered as soon as they reached it, into Yeon-ah’s office.

Clunk—!

“Yeon-ah, I’m here.”

“Excuse me for intruding.”

What comes into view upon entering the office is the scenery of a standardized office.

And of course, Yeon-ah sitting at the center was the first to catch Esi and Shin-yeon’s eyes.

“Ah, you’ve come. Ancestor.”

Yeon-ah, who immediately bowed her head in greeting as soon as she saw Shin-yeon upon raising her head at the presence.

However.

“Huh? Who’s behind you?”

“Shin-yeon and… the Judgment Team’s ancestor? You said you wanted to make a request, so you came along directly?”

“Welcome, Lady Shin-yeon.”

Surprisingly, Yeon-ah wasn’t the only one in the office.

Not only Yeon-ah sitting at the desk processing documents, but also a girl with colorful hair lying on the sofa, the Punishment Team’s ancestor eating snacks with her mask half-removed, and the Punishment Team’s leader guarding next to her.

At the sight of these new figures who could be called first encounters, Esi, who had put on her mask and cloak just before entering the office, unknowingly let out a sigh of relief.

“Haah… I’m glad I wore it before coming in.”

A sigh of relief that comes from the heart.

Following that, the thought of not making such a mistake next time gains more importance.

Before making plans to go to Mount Seorak.

It was a small commotion that occurred in the office.

---

Above the land that was once called Chuncheon City in the past.

Ring ring ring—

“…Hello?”

On the rooftop of a building overgrown with vegetation, a woman took out her device at the ringing sound.

Then someone’s voice is transmitted to the woman through the device.

The woman, who had been quietly listening, showed various expressions and then opened her mouth to speak.

“It’s already too obvious, isn’t it? Even the defense city on the Korean side noticed and sent a founding family member last time. We managed to get through that somehow, but this time it might really be dangerous.”

[……! …. …….]

However, as soon as the woman said that, someone on the other side of the device shouts angrily.

At that, the woman feels her head throbbing and presses her temple, but not long after, she nods with a resigned attitude.

“Alright. Then I’ll gather once more. Okay?”

[….. ……..]

Click—

Satisfied with the woman’s answer, the caller finally speaks in a calmed tone for a few words and then hangs up.

The woman stuffs the device into her pocket at the ended call and slowly begins to rise from the building she was standing on.

“Haah… How did I end up coming all the way to Korea for this trouble…”

The woman’s hand slowly rises as she looks at the monsters swarming on the road below her floating feet.

Eventually, fierce flames engulfed the blue sky of Chuncheon City.