The Forest Feeds No Idle Goblins

Chapter 243: Chapter 216: An Unexpected Goblin

RUMBLE, RUMBLE. A carriage with a waterproof canopy rolled along the road. Inside the cargo-filled compartment, a human, a little goblin, and a plump owl sat across from each other, wide-eyed and sizing one another up.

"Why buy so much food?" the plump owl asked, leaning against the carriage wall. "And so many little muffins, too."

"Caocao likes them," Shan Xi Ao said bluntly. He clutched a block of honey, eyeing the owl before him with suspicion. Yet, he also wanted to dip his head and lick the honey, which made his expression quite comical.

"Caocao... is that the ’big brother’ you mentioned?" the owl asked, blinking its large eyes.

Little John, sitting off to the side with one leg drawn up, answered calmly, "No, Caocao is a Giant."

"A Giant?" the owl exclaimed in a hushed voice, but her surprise quickly faded. ’If I’m about to see a whole community of goblins building a home in the forest, one that has even formed an alliance with Centaurs and little goblins—no, one that *protects* those two Races—then a Giant who loves little gingerbread doesn’t seem so strange after all.’

"Sofia, I know this is a bit hard to accept, but the boss... he’s really not an evil person." Little John was still trying to explain, gesturing with his hands. He’d wanted to make it clear to her earlier that he would never have let her meet his boss if there were any evil intentions involved.

But Little John knew his words were pointless. Not after the Druid across from him had transformed into a large, plump owl right before his eyes. After all, this Druid could fly, run, swim, and even turn into a Chameleon to follow them in secret.

"I know. If they were evil, the little goblins and Centaurs wouldn’t choose to live with them," the owl said, her beak clacking. "And that’s not even mentioning the Unicorn they’re keeping."

"I’ve even ridden Big Golden Fur," Shan Xi Ao piped up, only to have Little John shove his face into the block of honey.

"Big Golden Fur?" Sofia asked.

"That’s the Unicorn," Little John could only reply. He knew there was no point in hiding anything now. ’Once the Druid sees the folk in our community for herself, she’ll learn all sorts of things, including the RATTLE-RATTLE of the Skeleton Warriors.’ "You know, its mane is gold, and its hooves and tail have golden hair too. So it wasn’t long before everyone started calling it Big Golden Fur."

The owl stopped blinking, her eyes growing even wider. Her body tilted back slightly as she spoke. "That is a mystical creature of the woods, a being known as the ’Forest Guardian’! And you call it... something like a common pet?"

"Well, my big brother was the first one to call him that," Shan Xi Ao mumbled while licking the honey.

Sofia was stunned. Her curiosity about the goblin she was about to meet grew. It seemed her assumption—that these creatures lived under the Unicorn’s protection—was wrong. Instead, the Unicorn had actively sought refuge with the goblins. ’This sounds utterly unbelievable.’

"The boss... he’s no ordinary goblin," Little John said calmly. He thought for a few seconds before continuing. "From the moment I met him, I’ve felt he wasn’t a goblin at all. He seemed more like a well-read, knowledgeable human."

Little John decided to conceal Shire’s true identity. ’Right now, only Mary, Miss Agatha, and I know the truth. I will never let my boss be exposed to danger.’

"Mm, I understand. I won’t underestimate him just because he’s a goblin. On the contrary," the plump owl said, winking her left eye and nodding, "I think it might be better to see him as a capable leader, just like a human."

"Humans aren’t so great either," Shan Xi Ao grumbled. The memory of Black Lion City, which they had just left, was a constant reminder of what happened to his sister. He would never forget it.

"His sister... had some bad experiences with humans," Little John quickly added. He didn’t elaborate. The matter was too complicated. If he explained further, he might expose the truth about the death of Philip, Count Valentine’s only male heir. It was best that as few people as possible knew about that.

Sofia fell silent. She could guess that something terrible had happened. She knew that some little goblins were captured and sold to nobles, kept as "canaries." The Earth and Life Church had brought this up with the King many times, but to no effect. The nobles would make a show of agreeing publicly, but in private, they continued to indulge their whims as they always had.

"For what those bastards have done, I can only say that I am deeply sorry," Sofia said softly. Her tone was firm, yet tinged with helplessness. "If the day ever comes when I have enough Ability, I will personally see to it that such foul deeds are stamped out."

The little goblin sitting across from her glanced up at the owl, then said nothing, lowering his head again to lick his block of honey. But his gaze no longer held any hostility. After all, a little goblin can distinguish the good or ill intent in a person’s words.

"You don’t need to worry so much," Sofia said. "I just want to meet this goblin, ask about the details of his battle with Vissans, and learn the general contents of that notebook he recorded. I won’t cause any trouble for them. Vissans did plenty of evil before, and I’m the one from the Church tasked with hunting him."

She tried to explain her intentions again, something she’d already done several times. Each time, the human and the little goblin across from her would just nod. She’d noticed that the little goblin had seemed about to say something earlier, but Little John had stopped him. ’What are these two hiding?’ she wondered. ’Perhaps it’s something deeper.’

Little John nodded again in understanding. "Once you meet the boss, you can ask him yourself. I imagine he’ll tell you all the details."

His gaze then shifted to the corner of the carriage, where a large barrel of Holy Water sat. It was the one Sofia had promised him, which he could now take back with them.

Little John knew that Shan Xi Ao had been present for the entire battle with the Fallen Druid. He worried the little goblin would let something slip about the Mother Tree or the "Ancient Inheritor." His boss already had too many titles to his name; a single careless word could attract all sorts of unwanted attention. It would be better to let Shire discuss these things with Sofia himself.

"So, when we get there, how will we enter the forest? Do you have some other way in?" Sofia asked.

Little John cut in, "We’ll walk."

He had already made up his mind: when the time came, he would lead the Druid in a few extra circles.

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