Chapter: 237
Thus, the country of the Knight King, Romania, began to govern itself by adopting a method of governance that had never been seen before.
The territories were divided into villages and cities, turning them into fiefdoms, which were then distributed to the nobles for rule.
The lords who received these fiefdoms began to act like kings over their lands.
During this process, minor issues arose as some lords collected excessive taxes, but the Knight King, who had anticipated such problems, immediately punished the lords who oppressed the people with excessive taxes by confiscating their lands.
Some of the vassals, noticing how swiftly the actions were taken—as if prepared in advance—began to suspect that it might be a trap set by the Knight King. However, no one dared to voice such suspicions.
The fief given by the king was both a reward for his subjects and a tight leash that could strangle them at any moment.
They realized that smooth governance could yield great benefits, but one slip-up could lead to losing everything at the king’s whim.
After punishing the avaricious vassals, the king began to discipline them by clearly establishing the amount of tax to be collected from the people.
As discussed in many conversations with the wise men, the country was governed based on powerful royal authority.
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Now, let’s take a quick look around.
First, Romania. The Kingdom of Romania.
Towns and cities conquered by the Knight King, stretching beyond the fallen territory of Arcadia, with frigid snowfields to the north and the scorching desert entrance of Procyon to the south.
A country boasting vast lands that cross the continent to the east and touch the sea to the west.
Of course, there were other human nations as well, but the largest of them all was Romania.
It was so extensive that they came to me seeking wisdom, claiming they couldn’t manage such vast territories.
Anyway, this newly enlarged Romania began to mend its war-torn lands and heal its wounds after enduring a long conflict.
To the west of Romania, a country bordered by the sea.
The nation centered around Minoa, ruled by Asterios, a king who had ascended to godhood, consisting of nearby countries—this was the Vistian Federation.
While it was predominantly formed around beast-folk, it accepted other races without discrimination, maintaining a solid unity that wasn’t engulfed by the flames of Romania’s conquest.
This strong bond included the Minoan worship of the Dragon Goddess and the faith of Asterios, the bull-headed warrior god who had ascended to the divine.
The Dragon Goddess was equated with the Goddess of Life, treated as a primitive form of the life goddess worship, earning significant attention from the Life Sect.
Furthermore, the faith in Asterios, one of the twelve who ascended to heaven, quickly spread around Minoa, later becoming a driving force that solidified connections within the Vistian Confederacy.
Thus, the Vistian Confederation, religiously unified, became a nation showcasing strong solidarity, one that even Romania could not easily provoke.
A small country located further west, Ratkinia—the realm of the ratfolk.
This seemingly tiny land, inhabited by exceptionally tough ratpeople, turned out to be surprisingly strong.
High birth rates and abundant food production primarily through rice farming, alongside advanced mining and smelting technologies, characterize the ratfolk.
Despite their small stature, the strength of these ratkin was undeniable.
Valuing kin and holding a belief in their ancestors who ascended to godhood, the Ratkin would readily sacrifice their lives for their kind.
Such bravery among Ratkin soldiers meant that invaders seeking to plunder Ratkinia’s rich lands faced fierce resistance and often fell before them.
Besides, the Great Forest of the Elves, the Sagarmatha of the Dwarves, and Procyon, the city of wizards, need no further mention.
These areas were not easily disturbed, and anyone who heedlessly provoked them would face a backlash they could never recover from.
Lizardmen? Those fellows are a different story. The physical gap is so vast that it’s embarrassing to compare them racially.
One Lizardman can knock down dozens of humans without a scratch. No sane human would initiate a conflict with a Lizardman.
There are also other countries to the east, beyond the great mountain ranges, but let’s skip those since they’re not easily accessible either.
During this era when numerous countries sometimes cooperated and sometimes competed, little by little—very little—a few problems started to emerge.
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After the establishment of Romania by the Knight King, bloody wars ceased to occur.
Even when there was fighting, it was only small-scale skirmishes, mostly just border guards clashing once in a while.
Compared to the frequent wars of the past, this period could certainly be described as peaceful.
However, as peace settled in, tiny issues started popping up here and there.
The cause? Monsters.
“A strange monster?”
“Yes. Thanks to that, lots of stories are circulating among the children.”
With the war nearly extinguished, I seized the opportunity of my small slice of free time to explore and check on the kids.
While having tea and chatting with Yggdrasil, a bizarre story emerged.
“What kind of monster is so noteworthy that even the elves are talking about it?”
“Well, what can I say… It’s a monster that doesn’t quite look like one.”
“A monster that doesn’t look like a monster?”
Hmm. Existing monsters were mostly animal-shaped… is this a different kind entirely?
What on earth is this monster?
“Yes. It seemed so alien that I wondered if perhaps Mom… no, Mother had influenced it somehow.”
“It’s perfectly fine to keep calling me Mom.”
As I spoke softly, Yggdrasil gave an awkward laugh.
“Now that I have a lot of kids, it feels a bit embarrassing to keep referring to you as Mom.”
“Well… if that’s how you feel.”
I personally feel more at home calling her Mom, but using ‘Mother’ somehow creates a weird distance.
“Anyway, you’re saying it wasn’t Mother’s doing?”
“Monsters are outside my management.”
To begin with, those creatures are almost spontaneously arising.
At this point, it’s debatable whether they can even be called living beings.
“What’s so special about these monsters?”
“Well, um… Although they’re monsters, they seem to exhibit a little intelligence.”
“Intelligence? In a monster?”
What nonsense is this?
“It was a monster that had started walking on two legs and using primitive tools, much like early humans evolving from beasts.”
“That’s… somewhat interesting.”
Monsters evolving? Now that’s a concept I hadn’t considered! While it’s theoretically possible since they all originated from slimes, it’s never happened before.
Instead of gaining power and special capabilities from magic stones infused with dark energy, it’s acquired intelligence… What on earth is going on?
Did that troublesome individual deep underground think today’s monsters were incapable of anything, so he mimicked me and evolved the monsters instead?
“What kind of monster is it?”
“Hmm. It resembled a small monkey-like creature. Furry, with strangely green skin.”
A small, monkey-like monster with green skin…? That rings a bell.
“Could it be a goblin?”
“Huh? A goblin?”
“No, forget I said anything.”
Green-skinned, small-sized… if they use primitive tools, it screams goblin to me.
“I’ve been told their strength is considerably weaker, possibly because they sacrificed something else for intelligence, but their ferocity and hostility toward other creatures remain as fierce as ever. The strange part is, despite being monsters, it’s said they give birth to offspring.”
Hmm… Giving birth while being a monster?
Typically, monsters were birthed through the mutation of other creatures gaining magical powers, but they now reproduce like living creatures?
Was this an intentional design or a change from their evolution? I’m not sure…
I can’t just leave this as it is.
“I want to take a look; is there any living specimens?”
“Our kids haven’t encountered any. They’ve shot down every one they see. The kids say they find them disturbingly unsettling.”
Hmm. Disturbing, huh? Goblins… Elves… Ugh… My mind…
Well, they probably didn’t see the necessity of capturing such suspicious monsters, so it’s natural they’d just kill them all.
“Then I think I should take a trip around the world to check.”
Are these monsters exclusive to here, or are they popping up elsewhere too?
How much intelligence do they actually have, and are there any additional threats they pose?
It seems I must investigate each thoroughly.
And if issues arise… extinction might be a tricky business.
Honestly, I’ve given up hope on exterminating monsters.
To rid the world of monsters born from the excessive magical power affecting living beings… It’s quicker for the magical power to vanish, or for the living beings to disappear! Honestly, that’s impossible!
I don’t know how goblins (presumably) originate, but if they’re sprouting up not just around the Great Forest but globally… it seems like extinction would be hard.
First off, let’s capture the goblin (presumed) and see what’s up. Slowly, but surely.
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