After collecting all the information we could, I gave the orc knights a quick death by separating their heads from their shoulders. Hobu-Mi seemed worried, so I patted her back and smiled, "Don't worry so much. After I name everyone, our people will gain a nice boost in power. I also have more techniques like the one I gave you to enhance their abilities. Just leave it to me."
Recalling the powerful magic that she learned, hobu-Mi felt some sort of relief. If she had an entire team of magical archers, it would greatly relieve her. "Does that mean you can create more magical archers, Orion?" she asked hopefully.
I nodded, "After naming everyone, they should all receive a portion of my mana and perhaps even my spiritual power. I spotted a few with a talent for magic, but unlike you, they have not built up a skill in archery like you have. Unless they show any aptitude for archery, I will be using them for a team specializing in magic.
You, on the other hand, have an excellent aptitude for archery. I would like you to train a team of ranged combatants. All of the goblins should be able to use [Sagitta Magica] to a certain degree after I name them, but this spell, while being extremely useful, should not be overly relied on. You each have to train your own proficiencies properly."
Hearing me, hobu-Mi went into deep contemplation, but Treyni seemed quite shocked. "You intend to name all of them?" she asked.
"Hmm? Yes, it shouldn't be a problem for me. I have more than enough magical and spiritual power, and it's easy to monitor my condition with my abilities."
"Even so, " she hesitated, "Isn't naming one's subordinates a special privilege? Shouldn't you simply choose a select few to start with?"
"Perhaps what you've said is true, but I've already promised to name each of these guys. I won't just break my word to maintain my pride. That would only benefit my enemies."
Treyni was once again surprised, but then she smiled brightly at me. "You are pretty weird, Orion, but I like that." She then resumed her serious expression, "Please excuse me, Lord Orion. I must inform my people of this new information so that we can begin preparing at once."
I nodded and opened my arms for a hug, but Treyni looked at me, confused. So I stepped forward and hugged the curvy dryad. "This is a hug. In my world, it is used as a slightly intimate greeting and goodbye between people." I felt Treyni reciprocate the gesture, so I nodded. "I hope to see you soon, Lady Treyni. I wish you good health and safe travels."
Treyni nodded within my embrace as she squeezed me slightly harder. "You as well, Orion. Next time, I will make a delicious meal for you using the knowledge you have shared with me." She then turned to hobu-Mi and hugged her as well. "You too, hobu-Mi. Stay safe, and don't let this big bad wolf bully you too much." she winked at us as she dissolved into particles of light that fluttered away with a strange breeze.
Gobu-Ji was still sitting in the corner, muttering in fear over the orc regiment based nearby in an undiscovered spirit stone mine. So I casually knocked him out with a sedative formed from my [Venom] ability. I had already tested it on the orcs, so there was no need to be concerned for the elder's safety. Probably…
According to what we learned from the prisoners, the orcs expedition force initially numbered about 10,000, but after a bitter fight with the Ogre tribe, a group of B-ranked monsters, their forces took a significant blow.
Even though the orc's outnumbered the ogres, the ogres severely depleted their numbers within the forest. Half of their 10,000 remained in fighting condition, 1900/3000 of their Orc Knights remained, and only 7 of their 10 Orc Generals survived. In exchange, nearly the entire ogre tribe was exterminated. Fortunately, several of the younger generation managed to escape the encirclement through secret passages. Among them were the prince and princess of their tribe. I was quite curious how their strength would compare to Kishin's, but Saul informed me that species that evolve to a higher-ranked one are generally more reliable than those born as the higher race. Even more so considering that Kishin had a divine blessing.
With Treyni's departure, and Gobu-Ji's meltdown, it was only hobu-Mi and I left. She still seemed to be thinking deeply about training her forces and didn't notice me approaching her from behind. I swiftly grabbed her shoulders and started massaging hobu-Mi's neck. She was startled at first but quickly began to relax after seeing Treyni had left and Gobu-Ji was snoozing.
I released her for a moment as I sat down, much to her disappointment, before I pulled her into my lap and continued the massage.
"Mmm… don't get carried away just because I let you massage me, Orion. Hmm, this is just to increase my magical capacity!"
"Oh?" I stopped massaging her, "I guess I should stop then. This massage only helps you to relax and calm your mind. It has no magical benefits-"
I was about to lift the tsun-goblin off my lap, but she quickly replied, "N-no… that is fine too. It f-feels —Mmm— nice. Don't stop."
"I dunno…" I said as I gently grazed her spine, going from the base of her neck down to her tailbone. "You haven't even returned my jacket from last time, and you sound softly demanding to me…"
Hobu-Mi lowered her head for a moment before she stood up and slowly removed my haori. She struggled as she bit her bottom lip and slowly removed the white cloth surrounding her while she faced away from me. I was silently amazed at how powerful the [God Hands] skill was. She slowly turned toward me, with tears in her eyes. "P-Please…help me…f-forget…this pain…" she spoke softly between her sobs as she held her hands over her heart.
I stood before the pitiful hobgoblin and lifted her chin so that she would be facing me, then I stole her sweet lips once again, as I pulled her waist against mine. Mi passionately wrapped her arms around my neck as she allowed me to explore every corner of her mouth as she closed her eyes with a messy and blissful expression covering her face.
I had just grabbed her ass and lifted her up so that I didn't have bend down so much. Her legs quickly wrapped around my waist, and her pheromone production was in full swing. If this went a single step farther, hobu-Mi would become mine entirely. Unfortunately, it was also at this time when I heard the pitter-patter of steps approaching us. Using my array of sensory abilities, Saul identified the owner of the footsteps to be gobu-E. I didn't really want to stop, and I'm sure the strong scent in here would readily give away what was going on, but I still wanted to respect hobu-Mi enough not to parade around in front of the others what we had been up to. At leastwise, when it came to people who I couldn't just kill afterward.
Hobu-Mi was surprised when I broke the kiss. She even tried to pull me back in for another, but I quickly warned her that someone was coming. Hobu-Mi promptly put on her regular clothes, but instead of wearing her necklace like usual, she stared at it for a moment before tucking it in her pouch. I didn't comment on the behavior. It was similar to when a widow flipped down the picture of their deceased spouse when having sex with a new man. Hobu-Mi still had feelings for hobu-Rou, but she was also moving on.
Just as She finished organizing her blouse, give-E stepped into the cavern we occupied. "Everyone, come quick! Oga-Kishin has just evolved!" she looked at us excitedly, but then seemed to catch a whiff of something. She looked at the two of us strangely before apologizing and then running away.
Hobu-Mi sighed, knowing that all sorts of rumors would soon spread about her and their new leader. Regardless of what she would say. In fact, given the bush on her face and the smell she was emitting, any denials would be pointless.
"Orion, can you produce some water for me to wash up before we head out?" she asked, somewhat feeling defeated.
I nodded and bought a wooden tub and some bathing supplies for 10sp before filling the tub with water and heating it with my pyrokinesis skill. I could have just used the purification skill [Cleanse] that I copied from Treyni, but why miss out on this chance?
Hobu-Mi sighed and slowly removed her clothes as she used the bucket to pour some water over herself and started running off the day's muck. She was surprised by the lavishness of it all, but she also loved the feeling of the lavender-scented shampoo and conditioner I bought. I was tempted to join her, but she politely asked me to watch the doors so that nobody else interrupted her. It was different from her previous haughty and demanding tone, and instead said please and thank you along with her request—a mysterious but much-appreciated change.
While I was waiting, I decided against making small talk. I was a bit curious about why goblins we're bathing, but it seemed like only those around hobu-Rou were a bit cleaner than the rest, so I decided against asking that blatant setup. No need to pick at fresh wounds, right?
After Mi finished, I had initially considered buying her an outfit like Yoruichi's to wear instead of her dirty clothes, but I'd save that for when we start training. For now, I simply used [Cleanse] to clean her clothes and remove any untoward scents.
Now it was time for the feast and to greet my new subordinate, Kishin.
...
When Mi and I arrived, all of the goblins were sitting in groups around several fire pits while munching on various orc parts. There were even some goblins that were—Nevermind, we quickly found Kishin and Gobu-E sitting at their fire pit with three orcs all for themselves.
Apparently, the goblins held a lot of respect for strength, which was quite convenient for me. They didn't mind giving extra to the ginormous ogre, and as powerful people in our own right, they readily brought an orc corpse over to Mi and me, but I rejected it and told them to enjoy it. I still had my own store of orc knights that the four of us would enjoy.
Along with the orc knights, I also withdrew two watermelon-sized cockatrice eggs. I planned to introduce my future subordinates to another staple of breakfast, scrambled eggs.
I asked one of the goblins to go and bring me the cooking utensils I saw stored in the same room as the kidnapped humans before. They returned with a crate full of them, but I saw that they were filthy from rust and dirt, so absorbed them with [Celestial Devourer] and had Saul analyze them.
With a proper guide for an example, I was able to create a couple of pans, utensils, and a grill grate to place over the fire. They were all quite convenient, and I was curious if they were typical for adventurers to carry these items.
Kishin was devouring a spit-roasted orc from over the fire while gobu-E sat next to him, refusing to look at Mi and I. it is not difficult to imagine what was going through her mind, but I decided to ignore it. Mi, on the other hand, was embarrassed and tried talking to Kishin to avoid the topic. Thankfully, gobu-E either didn't say anything about what she smelt, or Kishin was too much of a meathead to understand.
"So, Kishin, how are you feeling?" asked Mi as she sat next to gobu-E.
"Great! I feel stronger than ever. The only problem is my clothes don't quite fit anymore. How about you? Gobu-E told me you and Lord Orion went out training today and came back with all these delicious orcs!" Kishin was so clearly quite excited by the food but also concerned for his friend.
Hobu-Mi nodded excitedly and told them about her day. From learning a spell from me to facing the orc general and his knights. Her expression was exuberant as she went into gory detail and told them how we played an amateur surgeon with the remaining orcs just a bit ago while tort—questioning them. Not exactly what most young girls gossip over but adorable none the less. During their conversation, I butchered the Orc knight and cut away the tenderloin. Not quite the bacon I was craving, but it would do. I tossed the pork in one pan and then put the eggs in another. It smelled remarkably delicious despite my limited cooking expertise. Too bad I don't have the Chef Job-class.
"Wow! Hey, Lord Orion, you wouldn't happen to have any of that orc general stowed away with your fancy magic, would you? I bet he tastes terrific." I could see the drool leaking from the corner of his mouth as he imagined it, but unfortunately, I would have to let him down.
"Don't worry about the formalities when were in private like this Kishin, you too, gobu-E. Unfortunately, the orc general has already been eaten by me on our way back. I'll make sure to save a couple for you next time, though." It was an easy promise to given that the orcs just revealed the location for their base.
"Aww, man..." Kishin's giant form slumped slightly, making me feel bad for the fellow. He was a typical teddy bear-giant. He looked big and scary on the outside, but on the inside, he was also quite ferocious towards his enemies, but a big softy for his friends.
I reached up and patted his shoulder, "No worries big guy, I already know where they're hiding, and we'll go together when we clear them out. From what I know, there are four other generals there, and soon, there will be even more, but I'll tell everyone about it after the feast." I grinned maliciously.
Kishin nodded cheerfully as he started telling me about the training that the goblins here went through. He explained that I would need to set up my own rules, and demonstrate my strength to make them understand who is in charge now that I've defeated Rou. Fortunately, I've already determined the rules, and I've already cowed them with my strength.
That was all part of the plan from the start, but since Kishin was warning me about it, I was relieved that he wasn't going to try and cause trouble with me at the moment.
It's not like Kishin, didn't value his best friend, but there was absolutely nothing he could do against my overwhelming strength. Even now that he's become an ogre-variant, a B-plus Ranked monster, none of the trio doubted the result.
"What sort of slime are you anyway, Orion? I don't recall you having those horns and fur before. Can you make them come and go with that shapeshift skill you use?"
The question silenced the group. 'Hey, Saul, is Kishin correct? Can I use [Mimicry] to hide my horns and fur?'
『...』
'Saul!!!'
『Tch... I liked the horns! Why'd that damn Ogre have to go and ruin my plans!』
I ignored Saul and closed my eyes to focus on my shapeshift ability. When I tried just to make my horns and fur disappear, nothing happened. But then, I tried completely transforming into my previous form. Slowly, my horns sunk into my skull, and the fur around the cuffs of my wrist retreated into my body. It was a bit unnerving to watch, but I soon returned to my previous mugetsu form, with no horns, and no fur.
During my transformation, hobu-Mi was giving Kishin the death stare. Unknown to Saul and myself, she also liked the more monster-like appearance and the scent exuded by my fur. There wasn't any need to hide it in her opinion.
After checking over myself, I smiled and looked at Kishin. "How is that, better?"
"I uh..." 『No!』"Hmph."
Kishin was at a loss for words since he didn't really care and was just curious, but both Saul and surprisingly Mi, seemed to have adverse reactions.
"Ehh... Don't worry, hobu-Mi. While this form is much more human-like, I'll most likely be using my true form for combat." I wasn't sure why Mi was in a huff all of a sudden, but I understood she was displeased with my transformation, so I tried to appease her.
I leaned over and whispered into her ear since she was pretending to ignore me. "Hey, Mi, when it is just you and me, I'll transform back to my natural form, alright? I think it's just better to continue presenting myself the same towards our people and anyone else we interact with."
Mi sighed and nodded. She also didn't understand why she got so worked up over something so Insignificant. "Just make sure you don't transform yourself into a muscle brain like that guy."
"Hey, what's wrong with my muscles?" Kishin asked innocently. He still didn't understand how he made Mi upset, but the rest of us just laughed.
"It's no issue, big guy. You just keep doing your best, alright!" I cheered up Kishin.
The eggs were done, so I dished some up for everyone to enjoy with their tenderloins. Just before I could dig in and enjoy my own, though, Gobu-Ji came over to speak with me. Apparently, he had awakened and already enjoyed some roasted (p)orc leg.
"Lord Orion, everyone is present and accounted for, and they have all eaten their fill. Would you like to address them now?" he asked politely.
"Hmm? Oh, I guess its that time already." the truth was that I hated giving speeches, but certain sacrifices must be made, so I stood up and released a smidgeon of my spiritual energy to gather everyone's attention.
Unfortunately, it was still too much for the regular goblins, so you-Mi pinched my calf and glared at me as I smiled wryly and retracted my energy.
"Kohun! As I said before, I am the Majinn Orion, and I have formed an agreement to protect your village for the next six months as I build my own forces. Is there anyone who disagrees with this decision?"
I looked around, but all I saw were the goblins and the few hobgoblins chattering between themselves.
"Good. I now have important news to share with you, but I think it would be more believable coming from someone you know. Hobu-Mi, could you please recount the information we discovered today while questioning those Orcs?"
Mi was surprised when I threw the ball to her, but in front of everyone else, she smiled and began recounting the story of the orcs we fought. She told them how an Orc Lord led them, and, how there was an expeditionary base nearby, preparing for the Orc Lord and his 200,000 strong army. What they didn't see was that hobu-Mi was pinching my side as she spoke. Luckily my endurance parameter was significantly higher than her strength parameter.
Afterward, she smiled at me and then sat back down. Despite the lack of pain, I couldn't help but have a throbbing tick mark near my temples from her payback antics.
Nonetheless, I now needed to take control of the situation as some of the goblins had started panicking. They might not know how powerful an Orc Lord is, but a 200,000 strong army was certainly not something they can face.
The first to ask a question was Kishin. "Do you know how long ago the Orc Lord was born, Lord Orion. Gobu-Ji told us stories about orc lords and how they and their subordinates grow stronger from the skills they steal when they eat their enemies."
"Ah yes, according to the Orc Knights we questioned, he was only born a few months ago, but he will likely grow much stronger as their forces enter the forest. We will need to inform the surrounding forces of the impending danger, and all of you will begin a new training regimen starting tomorrow while hobu-Mi and I scout out their local forces. Are there any questions?"
"What kind of training will we be doing?" Asked a random goblin from the back.
I nodded, acknowledging the question, "Today I will be analyzing and each of you to detect your specialties before I name you. Based on your specialty, you will be assigned to a Division and learn techniques suitable for your specialization.
In the future, you will have the opportunity to try out for other Divisions aside from your initially assigned one, but there's no guarantee you will be accepted. Regardless of your Division, though, each of you will be taught a set of advanced hand to hand combat techniques that you will be required to become minimally proficient in."
Another hand raised, and I nodded to them. "What if we can't become proficient in the techniques you are giving us?"
I thought for a moment before responding to the question that I'm sure many of them were wondering. "I understand that each person has their own specialty, but basic self-defense is imperative for all of you to master.
I won't demand that any of you master these techniques, but they will be the cornerstone of my organization in the future, and you will have a hard time progressing through the ranks if you do not practice and work hard on them. I have techniques for mages, warriors, and archers, but I will also need builders, healers, and scouts as we grow and develop our selves, so don't fear you won't be able to fit in.
There are also rewards for completing missions and increasing your capabilities. Similar to how hobu-Rou handled it, there will be suitable equipment and techniques provided to you upon evolution."
Hearing that there were rewards, the goblins became excited again, especially since several of them would evolve into hobgoblins after their evolution, and the hobgoblins would receive a boost towards their next evolution.
The next hand raised came from a hobgoblin standing in the middle of the crowd. "Lord Orion, can you tell us what happened to hobgoblin Rou?"
Sigh, I was hoping this question wouldn't pop up. I guess I shouldn't have mentioned him. "I came here on a quest to investigate hobgoblin Rou, and eliminate him should he pose a threat. After attacking me, I killed him. That is all I will say on this matter."
The mood naturally became dour, so I spoke once more, trying to motivate them and lift their spirits. "Work hard, and not only will you survive this threat, but you will thrive in the life we build after it! Now, line up to accept your names."
The goblins and hobgoblins all lined up eagerly as I prepared to name them. I didn't want to fall into the trap that Rimuru and other main characters did when naming people, places, or things, so I bought a unique book called The Big Book of Names. After allowing Saul to link up with the book, he became like the sorting hat from Harry Potter, giving names to the monsters and deciding the division they would do best in based on the divisions I had already designated. Hobu-Mi would lead a division of long-range combatants while Kishin would lead a team of heavy infantry led by our heavy hitters like an ogre.
One of our goblins turned into a hobgoblin Cleric, and aside from being the only of his kind, there was a notable cohort of goblinas around him that made him stand out from the others. The same might have happened to Kishin, but I think that gobu-E scared them all off. By the way, gobu-E's new name is Eve, and the name chosen for the hobgoblin cleric was Jesus. Saul claimed it was the Spanish Hey-Zoos rather than the Christian Gee-zus, but I got a kick out of it either way. It seemed the perfect name for our new cleric, so I stuck with it. His faux-name was gobu-Ji anyway, so the latter interpretation of his name seemed more fitting.
After it was all said and done, half of our people began their evolution while the others all received a substantial boost to their parameters. I had the still conscious goblins carry their fellows into the caves and settle them down. I thought I finally had a chance to eat, but hobu-Mi stopped me."Hey! Don't I get a name, Orion? After everything you've done to me..." the hobgoblin was teasing me and pretending, but I did feel bad about forgetting her after naming all the others. My mana levels we're fine so far, I had barely used even 10% of my reserves, but dealing with so much in a single day was a bit taxing on the mind.
That's actually why I kept fooling around with Mi. Teasing her and getting each other all riled up helped blow off a lot of steam.
"Are you sure about that? I thought you were going to wait until you were ready to evolve." I asked hobu-Mi.
"Mmm, since I rejected my evolution, it shouldn't matter, right? No sense in being the only odd one out."
I thought about it and nodded. This time I wouldn't use Saul and the book. I had already thought of a name for Mi. "From now on, then, you shall be known as Mia."
Just like after naming the others, mana surged from my body before inundating Mia. As my mana mixed with her own, an icy, frigid aura broke free as she started consuming more and more of my mana. This time, Mia consumed a large amount of mana from me draining my reserves down to 20% I was curious what happened since she definitely didn't have enough room for that much mana. After using [Appraisal], my eyes widened as I checked her status.
/-------------------------------------\
Status:
Name: Mia
Race: Hobgoblin(2nd Evolution)
Lv. 100/100(Locked)
Parameters:
STR: S[902] (942)
END: A[830] (850)
DEX: SS[1995] (2095)
AGI: S[930] (1024)
MAG: EX[5000] (5090)
SPR: S[999] (999)
Unique Skills: [Innate Magician: B]
Skills: [Goblin-Language], [Common Written Language], [Ranged Combat Specialist], [Archery], [Blood Thirst], [Mana Perception]
Magic: [Sagitta Magica]
Special notes: A high-level hobgoblin with extraordinary parameters given its race. Mia has developed a pinnacle magical magic parameter along with an unheard of spirit parameter for her race. Her intelligence and beauty are a deadly combination as she bombards her enemies from afar.
\-------------------------------------/