"Ignorance is a blessing."
A phrase as repeated as it is contested. To some, a comforting truth; to others, an insult to existence itself. The relief of knowing nothing… the terror of seeing beyond the horizon.
For Drokan, however, ignorance had never been a blessing. After an entire life shrouded in darkness, he could no longer imagine himself without the clarity he had newly discovered.
For the first time, he saw, truly saw.
He understood how primitive his people were. He grasped the food chain, and the fact that goblins occupied its lowest rung: creatures that only thought about tomorrow, hunting, fleeing, living by instinct.
But now his enlightened mind screamed a new truth: The goal was no longer survival. It was domination.
And so, the goblin chief rose above his kind, self-proclaiming himself the first of a new era. The pioneer.
The seed of a race that would finally reach glory.
"Drokan, the Founder."
Everything was already mapped out in his mind.
First, strengthen his soldiers by feeding them mana stolen from captive humans.Then, expand territory within the dungeon, crushing species he once considered mortal enemies, now nothing more than grains of sand beneath his feet.After that, pass on his wisdom, bequeathing the torch of evolution to future generations.
Drokan would be remembered.
Drokan would be the beginning.
Now, seated upon his improvised throne at the center of the village, he watched his people. They danced and screamed like savage animals under the silvery light of the full moon. He felt pity, pity for those who had not yet been enlightened. But there was nothing to be done; that generation was already lost.
Then…
BOOM.
A distant explosion echoed.
The goblins, intoxicated by celebration, didn't even notice. Drokan, however, raised his gaze.
For hours now, he had sensed the absence of mana from several goblin sentries. He knew something was infiltrating the village.
He knew someone was trying to free the captured humans.
Even so, he did not move. The intruder would come to him sooner or later. Whoever was acting knew perfectly well that as long as Drokan lived, nothing would change. Eliminating the Founder was the only possible path.
And so… all he had to do was wait.
The moon reached its zenith.
White light poured over the village.
And in the dirt corridor, between confused goblins silenced by the growing tension, a figure finally appeared.
A boy.
Small, wrapped in loose garments with bluish details that flowed like a mantle. A sheathed blade hung at his waist, emanating a presence that cut through the air even while sealed.
On his face, a fox mask, stained with the fresh blood of dozens of goblins. Down his back, black hair streaked with green fell like shadows mixed with moonlight.
He walked slowly, theatrically, while the village watched the chaos freeze at the mere sound of his steps.
When a goblin prepared to attack him, Drokan raised a hand… and the creature's impulse died instantly. All of them retreated, confused, at the silent gesture of their chief.
— You have courage, little one… that much I must admit.
Drokan's voice echoed heavily from the throne.
His massive axe rested beside him, but his presence alone was enough to crush the air. The difference in size between him and the boy was almost grotesque.
Yuto, however, remained unmoving, the pressure not affecting him in the slightest.
— I'd say the same about you, for deciding to start kidnapping my race
Yuto replied, his hand resting calmly on the sheath.
Drokan snarled.
— That sounds hypocritical coming from humans. You oppress everything you consider inferior. You treat animals and monsters like trash. And you dare judge me for doing the same? Don't make me laugh.
He rose from the throne, his expression hardening as his shadow swallowed the ground.
— I name myself Drokan, the Founder, the one who will lead goblins to glory, after centuries of having our name used as an insult!
The axe handle struck the ground with a thunderous impact that made the entire village tremble.
Yuto took a step forward.
— I think you misunderstood me. At no point did I say your actions were "right" or "wrong." It's natural to want your race to evolve. Natural… and logical.
His voice, muffled by the mask, sounded as cold as freshly tempered steel.
— I didn't come here for justice. Nor for morality. I'm here because you represent a future threat to my species.
The wind seemed to howl for a moment as Yuto drew his blade from its sheath
— And that's why I'm going to kill you here, Drokan.
The Founder narrowed his eyes.
— Hahaha! Kill me? Boy, I'm sorry, but life isn't a fair duel. I'm not alone!
He raised his arms, revealing hundreds of goblins behind him, a green sea vibrating, roaring with savage excitement.
But Yuto… remained calm.
Terrifyingly calm.
— You know… you're not wrong. Humans are far from perfect.
— We're not as strong as orcs.
— Nor as intelligent as dwarves.
— Nor do we have the absurd mana of elves.
He slowly raised his hand.
— But if there's one thing Humans surpass all other races in… it's perversity.
Drokan frowned.
Yuto then pointed past his back.
Drokan followed the direction, irritated, confused.
Until his eyes found two figures atop the village walls.
And in that instant… his body froze.
✦☀✦──────────────────────⚔──────────────────────✦☾✦
— Alright, everyone understood the plan?
Still deep within the damp goblin cave, I finished explaining the strategy to kill the chief. Vanessa, Ricardo, and Alice stared at me with expressions wavering between doubt and despair.
— You… are you sure this is going to work? — Vanessa asked, clearly hesitant. — I mean… he's a monster. I don't think this will affect him.
I crossed my arms.
— The crown technically "humanizes" the user's mind, right? So trust me. It'll work.
Vanessa rubbed her temples, exhausted.
— Argh… fine, fine. Let's move, then. We're reaching the darkest part of the night.
And so, each of us moved to fulfill our role.
Alice was responsible for creating the initial distraction, awkwardly carrying several small pouches of gunpowder I had brought along. It looked like she might explode along with them at any moment.
But her eyes shone with determination. She wanted to help. She needed to help.
When she finally detonated the explosive at the edge of the village, the blast echoed like thunder trapped inside the dungeon. Instantly, dozens of goblins ran to investigate, opening the gap we needed.
In the shadows, Vanessa and Ricardo leapt from rock to rock, agile and silent like two nocturnal predators.
Their mission: capture the target I had predicted.
Based on the village's geology, the position of rocks, wind currents, and muffled noises, I had already mentally marked the safest place where something valuable would be hidden.
And it wasn't hard to imagine what an "enlightened" goblin would protect so carefully.
My role?
When everything fell into place…
I would simply appear before the chief and convince him to fight in a fair duel.
Which, surprisingly, was working.
Because when Drokan raised his eyes to the top of the wall…
He froze.
There, high above, illuminated by the moon, stood Vanessa.
Red hair blowing in the wind, expression cold, holding the neck of a small goblin tightly in her grip, the heir of Drokan, while an arrow pointed directly at the panicking creature's throat.
Drokan's eyes widened.
Rage.
Anguish.
Fear.
Despair.
All mixed into a brutal storm he had never felt with such clarity.
But why?
It was just an heir. He could make others.
That should have been the obvious answer for a normal goblin.
But Drokan was no longer a normal goblin.
That was the weakness of the Crown of Athena.
It granted the user an evolved mind, but along with it came the consequence: emotions, bonds, vulnerabilities that primitive creatures were never meant to feel.
For a normal goblin, sacrificing its own offspring would be trivial.
For Drokan… it was like having a dagger plunged into his newly awakened heart.
— So? Will you fight a fair duel with me? Or do you prefer the end of your offspring?
My voice echoed through the village, calm and cutting.
That was it…
The only true trump card of humanity: Perversity.
Drokan clenched his teeth so hard the crack echoed. His mind struggled between logic and emotion, between ancient nature and recent consciousness.
It took time.
But at last, he chose.
He lifted the enormous axe and walked toward me with heavy steps that made the ground tremble.
— Very well, human… you will have your duel.