God Agent: All Hail The Great Kobold

Thud!

Molu, Crow and Kia all turned toward Loki as he abruptly rose from his chair, the wooden legs scraping against the stone floor beneath him. The young goblin’s expression was unusually cold, with none of the arrogance he had displayed during the chieftain selection. His fists rested at his sides while determination burned in his eyes.

"I’ll lead the hunting party and bring back food for our people," Loki said coldly.

Kia slowly nodded. Of everyone in the village, Loki was still their strongest warrior. Whatever his shortcomings as a commander, there was no denying his ability to fight. After seeing what had happened to him against Varg, she understood more than anyone that sending him outside the walls was dangerous, but if they had to send out a hunting party, having someone of Loki’s strength protecting it was their safest option.

"Sit down and think for a moment!"

Molu’s harsh words caught everyone off guard. The obese goblin had remained seated throughout most of the discussion, listening to everyone argue over how they could secure food without exposing the village to unnecessary danger.

But now his expression had become completely serious. The council hall had only a few narrow windows, allowing little sunlight into the room, and the dimness made the determination in Molu’s eyes even more noticeable. None of them had seen him carry himself like this before.

"Do you think the people who released our livestock will simply sit back and watch you recover them?" Molu hissed.

Buzz!

The expressions around the room tightened immediately. Kia’s fingers curled around the armrest of her chair until her knuckles became pale. Molu was not wrong. Whoever had destroyed their farms, burned their grain storage and released their livestock had done so knowing the Ashmork Clan would eventually be forced to pursue them.

"That is exactly why we need someone as strong as Loki protecting the hunters," Kia argued.

Her words were met with a mocking chuckle from Molu.

"You expect the man who couldn’t protect his own Mok tribe warriors to protect a group of volunteers and hunters who have never fought a war before?" he asked, laughing openly. "Do you even listen to yourself?"

Everyone shifted uncomfortably in their seats as Loki’s expression immediately darkened.

Thud!

He stepped forward and grabbed Molu by the collar of the wolf pelt draped around his neck and shoulders, pulling the obese goblin forward until their faces were only inches apart.

"Bastard, are you mocking me?" Loki hissed.

Molu did not even flinch. If anything, a disdainful smile appeared on his face.

"Of course I am, and I’ll only stop when you stop thinking like a fool and use your fucking brain for once!" Molu retorted fearlessly.

"Bastard!"

Loki raised his clenched fist.

Kia immediately shot out of her chair and grabbed his arm with both hands, forcing herself between the two goblins.

"Stop it! You guys can’t keep fighting like this, especially now that Varg is gone!" she scolded.

The mention of Varg immediately changed the atmosphere.

Loki’s fist remained raised for another moment before his expression slowly tightened. If Kia had not reminded him of the elder, he probably would have shoved her aside and driven his fist straight into Molu’s fat face. Instead, he lowered his arm and released Molu’s collar.

He stepped backward and returned to his seat, dropping heavily into it as he folded his arms across his chest. His eyes remained fixed on Molu with a cold gleam, while Molu calmly adjusted the wolf pelt around his shoulders as though nothing had happened.

Kia returned to her seat and looked between them with an exhausted expression. She had only just become Chief Shaman, and already she was beginning to understand why Varg had always looked tired whenever the leaders of the three tribes gathered together.

"Tell us your thoughts," Crow finally said.

Molu nodded and leaned forward, resting his elbows against his knees.

"If we lose Loki, we lose our strongest fighter. If we lose you, we lose our most competent commander. If we lose Kia, we lose our most powerful shaman." His eyes moved between the three of them. "If all of you are gone, who will defend this village?"

The room became silent.

"No one in this room is replaceable," Molu continued firmly. "So I will not allow any of you to walk to your deaths simply because we are desperate for food."

Several eyes widened slightly. Even Loki’s frown relaxed.

"Then what do you suggest?" Loki asked.

Molu straightened slightly.

"Put together several volunteer teams of five goblins each and send them out to hunt."

Buzz!

Kia immediately stood up.

"They’ll be sitting ducks to be picked off by the enemy!" she exclaimed. "Are you trying to get our people killed?"

Bam!

Molu slammed his fist against the armrest of his chair, making the entire thing creak beneath his weight.

"People are already dying! People have died, and people will still die!" he snapped. "What would you prefer we do? Send out the skilled warriors meant to protect these walls for some cattle?"

He pushed himself to his feet and stared around the room. There was a strange determination in his eyes now, the kind that came from someone who had already accepted that there was no perfect choice left.

"Do not forget that our first and most important duty is securing the survival of this village. We either lose skilled warriors who will be extremely valuable to our final defense against these barbarians, or we have our civilians contribute to this goal."

He turned toward Kia and stared directly into her eyes.

"Or we can send our warriors out now and have them mowed down by the enemy. Then we can place our civilians on these walls when the enemy finally comes to burn down our home."

His voice became colder.

"Make your choice."

Buzz!

Kia slowly lowered herself back into her chair.

She was shaken.

Molu’s argument was cruel, but she could not deny its logic.

Grash’s failed campaign to the south had already bled them of countless capable warriors. Loki’s mistake had cost them another ten. Their once formidable fighting force had been reduced to fewer than thirty actual warriors, while more than three hundred civilians remained inside the village.

If those remaining warriors were sent outside to recover the livestock and were wiped out, who would defend the gates when the kobolds finally attacked?

The answer was painfully obvious.

Regardless of which decision they made, people were going to die.

"If we do this, a lot of civilians will certainly die," Crow said calmly.

Molu nodded.

"We have roughly three hundred civilians and only twenty eight warriors remaining from what was once a force of nearly two hundred warriors." His voice remained firm. "Our warriors have bled enough for this village. It’s time our people do their own part."

For the first time in a long while, Loki found himself unable to disagree with Molu. That was why he had remained silent.

Loki leaned forward and rested his elbows against his knees.

"So how do we make sure they don’t all get killed?"

Molu smiled slightly at the reasonable question.

"If we send one or two teams at a time, they’ll be picked off easily. But if we send fifteen teams or more all at once, some teams will definitely make it back with livestock."

"While the rest are butchered," Kia said quietly.

Molu’s expression hardened as he looked at her.

"It’s either that, or you sit here and watch our old, women and children die of starvation." His voice became sharp. "If you cannot put your emotions aside, then please avoid attending war councils like this. We’ll make sure our decisions are relayed to you."

Buzz!

Kia’s eyes widened in shock. Before she could respond, Molu turned and walked out of the room.

Loki watched him leave for several seconds before slowly rising from his chair as well. He gave Kia a brief glance, then followed Molu out without saying anything.

The door closed behind them.

Kia remained seated in silence with Crow on the opposite side of the room. For several moments, she simply stared at the empty doorway before letting out a bitter laugh.

"You also think I shouldn’t be here, right?" she asked.

Crow’s dull eyes settled on her and he slowly shook his head.

"I think you need to understand that people will die regardless of what we do." He pushed himself away from the wall and straightened his back. "What Molu is doing now is giving their deaths meaning and making sure those deaths benefit the clan as a whole."

Kia lowered her gaze.

"It may not be morally right," Crow continued, "but we are dealing with morally bankrupt savages who are willing to kill even old people to get what they want."

He slowly stood to his full height and twisted his head from one side to the other. Several sharp cracks echoed through the council hall as his neck loosened.

"Your morality will get us all killed if you don’t keep it in check."

Crow turned and walked toward the door.

Kia remained seated after he left, staring at the empty council hall with a small frown etched permanently across her face.

For the first time since becoming Chief Shaman, she understood what Varg had meant when he told her that leadership was never about making the choices that felt right. Sometimes, it was about choosing which pain the people could survive.

Visit and read more novel to help us update chapter quickly. Thank you so much!