Chapter 185
Goblin.
A race commonly encountered in other games and novels.
In worldviews where monsters exist, they are the weakest beings bound to appear at least once.
In this world, goblins exist as well.
Before nations were established on the continent.
Before the age of civilization reached the tribes.
They existed, possessing highly advanced technology.
However, the gods punished them for their greedy pursuit of knowledge beyond their bounds.
Thus, the highly advanced goblin civilization came to an end, and the current goblin population plummeted.
Gladly accepting the karma of the gods, they were imbued with a single sin, and their numbers dwindled to the point of extinction. Now, they are a species so rare they are hard to come by.
Goblins.
That was right before Callias's eyes.
And in a place where they shouldn't be, no less, so he couldn't help but be surprised.
"Wow~ What's with that sword? You have a scabbard but wear a rosary, so it seems you're a pilgrim. Is it a demon sword?"
The fellow was a goblin wearing a tattered robe, holding a large sack in one hand and a luxurious staff carved with a bird in the other.
The nameless goblin observed the sword with wonder and evaluated him, showing no fear even with a sword at his throat.
"A pilgrim who has transcended humanity, yet also possesses the power of fairies and dragons, human. How truly rare. I've never seen such a variant before. Interesting. What on earth are you, whose very existence is so interesting?"
"Who are you?"
"A goblin, who else. First time seeing a goblin? Ah, that could be possible. We are beings who evade the eyes of the gods."
Saying that, the goblin casually rolled out a mat from his sack onto a spot, taking out items one by one.
"I am a goblin. Rector. A gatherer of treasures from all sorts of gods and monsters, and a goblin who trades if you possess legitimate knowledge..."
*Heh, heh.*
The goblin, stroking his fist-sized whitish beard, looked quite old.
His green face had age spots and large moles; had he been human, he would have looked like a sly old scoundrel brimming with cunning, so Emily felt a strange sense of disgust looking at him.
"……Father, what is this?"
Emily seemed to think of him not as a human, but something similar to a monster.
Callias did not bother to correct her.
"It's a goblin. Don't pay it much mind. What it desires is knowledge, or the struggle for its race's reproduction."
Upon his answer, it was Rector who was surprised.
"Hoh... A human who doesn't look like he's lived even thirty years knows the goblins' aspirations, how wondrous. There truly are many strange fellows in this day and age. Interesting. Are you one of those 'Challengers' or whatever?"
Challenger.
It sounded as if he had met Challengers before.
"……I don't want to answer your question."
"Why?"
"You didn't answer my question."
"Hmm, quite the arrogant fellow. Very well, one question, one answer. Fine. Ask. What are you so curious about?"
"This holy land is not a place for you to set foot. Why are you here?"
The goblin took out a pipe from his sack, put in some tobacco leaves, and took a deep drag.
Then, his upright back slumped and curved.
He then took out something like a dead sparrow's leg from his sack and showed it.
"A sparrow's leg?"
"It's the leg of a bird called the Meterigan."
"So what about it? Father, are you going to keep talking to this weirdo?"
Emily seemed eager to cut down the grotesque green goblin right away.
Because his appearance wasn't much different from the demonic beasts they had encountered before entering the holy land.
However, contrary to Emily's wishes, Callias quietly waited for his words.
"It's not an ordinary bird's leg. As a Decal created by our race, if we snap this, we teleport somewhere on the continent."
"Teleport?"
Emily was puzzled.
Teleport?
Not because she didn't know the meaning of the word.
It was because she had heard of the goblin race for the first time, didn't know what a Decal was, and her world's knowledge was too narrow to understand the words of this bizarre creature spouting nonsense while showing her a mere bird's leg.
But Callias was different.
'Decal.'
The end of the knowledge the goblins coveted.
The desperate aspiration that flourished because of it, and perished because of it.
Decal is the essence of the knowledge possessed by goblins.
It refers to a kind of technique achieved with it.
Simply put, it is a technique similar to tattooing or intaglio.
The bird's leg Rector was holding.
The leg of the Meterigan is just a leg.
It could be seen as a sparrow's leg.
However, once a goblin's Decal is engraved on it, it becomes extraordinary.
"Dad?"
"After goblins received divine punishment, they paradoxically felt a more intense desire for knowledge. The power of the gods is quite something. Before we knew it, we couldn't contain our curiosity and begged anyone—regardless of who they were—to seek knowledge."
The eyes of Goblin Rector, who was puffing his pipe as if enjoying himself, widened like the moon.
"Right, and so we developed a habit of collecting precious things. Because to fill our thirst for knowledge, we had to pay a fair price."
"……."
"But the traders who heard the news that they held many treasures didn't leave the goblins alone. Having obtained great treasures for a few questions that meant nothing to them, it was natural for them to think that way."
Greed arises.
They must have more treasures, so catching them would make them even richer.
Greed is inherently endless.
Thus, goblins created rules as a way to protect themselves.
"We made an iron rule to leave the spot immediately after completing a single transaction. I, too, a few months ago, finished a trade and immediately snapped the Meterigan's leg."
So I teleported, and of all places, it was here.
That was what he meant.
He had accidentally entered the holy land through teleportation, but had been trapped because there was no way out.
"You could have just gone out using the Meterigan's leg, so why didn't you?"
"The scenery was so good, and I could feel the dense power of a god for the first time in a very long time, so let's just say I was drunk on it. And don't forget the rule of one question, one answer."
Unlike before, the goblin was careful.
No, he was looking at Callias with an even more interested expression than before.
It meant he should now answer his question.
"Are you a Challenger?"
"I am not a Challenger."
"Not a Challenger... Then you must be something else."
Callias's eyebrows twitched.
Catching that, Goblin Rector flashed a sly smile.
"Phew~ How enjoyable~"
Tobacco smoke billowed from his nose and mouth.
Seeing him giggling while puffing smoke made him not want to get close at all.
"Emily, step back."
"A little tobacco smoke is fine."
"I said step back."
"…Understood."
"Heh heh! You listen to your father well."
"Shut up!"
A strange atmosphere was created.
Holding his pipe, Rector looked at Callias with sharp eyes brimming with greed to acquire knowledge.
His hand kept going into the sack, bringing out strange items before Callias.
"Nothing more you want to ask?"
"No."
"How disappointing..."
"But you must have a lot of curiosity now."
"Heh heh heh. If I make a mistake here, I'll be stripped of everything!"
The giggling goblin seemed to find the current situation very entertaining.
However, Callias felt the same.
He had been very disappointed not to meet a goblin in Oblpix, but to think he'd meet one here.
'But letting one's guard down is forbidden.'
Trading with a goblin is all about bargaining and stimulating its interest.
If he couldn't stimulate its thirst for knowledge, this trade would not be successful.
He had the goblin gold coin, but wouldn't it be a shame not to squeeze out more when he could?
"Yes. And so, human. What kind of knowledge will you fill me with?"
Rector, raising both arms and boasting, was full of confidence.
An expression of pride in bringing out treasures that any human would covet.
Callias felt it.
"I've brought out everything a human would like. The mask of Holybins, the sword of Ruten. The finger of Palima. Unending true blood. The hoof of a forgotten steed. The mouth that scoops up despair."
"The explanation for these?"
"Want to hear it? One question, one answer is still valid. It's better for me, but will you truly do that?"
At Rector's whispering words, Callias chuckled and shook his head.
It seemed too much to listen to the explanation of what was laid out.
Because if he listened to the explanations, he would have no choice but to answer Rector's question.
That would be a blunder.
Rector must be trying his best to suppress his own desires right now.
He must have a mountain of things he wants to ask.
Callias had dropped a lot of hints to him.
If he maintained the goblin's interest and negotiated appropriately, he could obtain not only the items laid out but even more.
'Interest has been drawn out. Rather than telling him something bigger, it's better to keep it calm for now.'
What would be best to break the ice and get the first fortune.
Callias pondered and soon spoke.
"The end of corruption and death are vacant."
Rector's eyes widened.
The end of corruption and death.
This refers to the epithets of the Corrupted who maintain the number 666.
The end of corruption is the lamenting Titeoi, and death means the undying corruption.
Disputes between factions and such wouldn't stimulate a goblin's thirst for knowledge, but if it was related to the gods.
When it comes to corruption, it's a little different.
Because, unlike in the past, corruption and dragons came to prioritize quality over quantity in the measure of their power.
"Proof?"
"I'll tell you after we set the price."
"If it's not certain, I can't hand over the goods. You are aware of that, right, human? Since you seem to know a lot about us, too."
"I know."
"It doesn't seem to be a lie..."
Rector picked up one of the treasures he had laid out. The one called the mask of Holybins.
"If I were to speak of this mask..."
Just as Rector was about to explain.
Callias shook his head.
"Hm? Ah, you mean the sword of Ruten? This is also a rare treasure sword."
*Click.*
Drawing the sword from its scabbard, Rector beamed and held up the sword of Ruten, which had no blade and only a hilt.
"It is also called the Sword of Light."
As Rector mouthed words and breathed power into the empty blade, a blade made of pure white light materialized.
The Sword of Light, Ruten.
"In the old days. The hero who wielded this sword slashed through thousands of corruptions, they say. Why it's in my hands is a secret."
Raising Ruten triumphantly, Rector sheathed the sword again.
"Amazing, isn't it? A masterless sword with a scabbard. Aren't you curious about what that means? But the weight of corruption and this sword are not equal. Your corruption is lacking..."
Despicable salesmanship.
Raising the value of his own goods and depreciating the value of what the other party had.
That was what Rector was doing right now.
It would have worked on an ordinary opponent.
But the opponent was none other than Callias.
"That's because it is not a Dead Sword."
"!!"
When he said it in a tone as if it were nothing special, Rector's boasting eyes widened as large as lanterns.
"How did you know that!?"
"Is that a question? I can tell you if you want. However, this unappealing sword will be mine."
As Callias reached for the sword, Rector recoiled in surprise and backed away.
"Hey, what kind of bandit... Hmm!? Then what. Are you saying you don't covet this sword?"
At the absurd question, he answered with his arms crossed.
"I have many swords. I don't need it."
If one's power was weak, that would be a great help, but it was unnecessary for someone who already possessed a powerful sword and strength.
Decal is a collection of knowledge and sorcery.
It is a power different from divinity.
This sword is strong even without using divine power. It must be the sword that slashed thousands of corruptions in the Dragon-Demon War.
However, this sword's ability is merely its cutting power.
It would show high efficiency below a certain level, but at Callias's level, it was a sword of little value.
Meaning it was not a sword worth coveting.
"I don't need a sword made with Decal."
Saying that, Callias flicked a gold coin in his hand.
A gold coin slightly different from ordinary ones.
It was the goblin gold coin he had acquired through quests all this time.
"Th-That! That!! Where did you get that!!"
Already surprised, Rector was now shocked to the point where his eyes were bulging out.
A relic of a lost ancient civilization.
Something absolutely necessary for a goblin.
The Goblin Gold Coin.
Because he had that.
"It seems difficult to satisfy me with just this. How about raising the stakes a bit, Rector?"
"Heh heh! An ordinary person wouldn't trade it for anything in the world even if they had just one, and you call such a treasure 'just this'? Heh heh heh!! Interesting! Ah~ Very interesting!!"
Rector, repeatedly stamping his bird-carved staff on the ground, couldn't hide his excitement.
The knowledge he possessed.
And the gold coin. All of them were enough to excite Rector.
Goblins, a race that received divine punishment for their excessive pursuit of knowledge.
He was showing a reaction as if he were addicted to the thirst for knowledge.
"It seems you have a lot of curiosity about me... Yet you still don't know my name."
"Heh heh, it feels like meeting a giant. Even though you're clearly a human. You have the same face as those arrogant bastards who boast about knowing everything in the world. Don't tell me you know everything about the items I brought out?"
"If it's a question, I'll answer."
Saying he would take a price for it.
Rector, taking a deep drag of his pipe, put down the sword, sat back in his spot, and began to agonize over it.
He seemed to be calculating.
Then, staring intently at Callias, he slowly opened his mouth.
"I'm originally not the type to ask things like this easily, but..."
"What is it?"
"What is your name?"
To his question.
Callias answered with his finger.
Pointing at the hoof of the forgotten steed among the laid out items.
"If you make this the price, I will answer."
At this, Rector smacked his forehead and giggled, throwing the hoof away.
"I've met a formidable foe for the first time in a thousand years. A formidable foe!! I never imagined I'd be asking for a mere human's name even at the cost of a price!!"
However, once thirst is sparked, it craves the rain of relief, like a withered cactus.
A lone goblin already consumed by the thirst for knowledge had no way to resist.
He had already endured as much as he could.
"Now! Let me hear the most expensive human name of my life! What is your name! Human who bears the sword!!"
Catching the hoof he threw, he smiled lightly and answered.
"Callias. The master of this land."