Chapter 158 - 131: Unicorn
"Have you seen any other humans?" Shire asked with a frown. After the recent incident with Count Valentine, he was still extremely wary of humans appearing in his territory.
"No humans." Broken Tooth’s head shook back and forth like a rattle.
"Hmm?" Shire was confused. Did Broken Tooth mean someone had lost a white horse, which then traveled all the way through the forest to his territory and was now just wandering around the cave entrance?
He stared at his subordinate, thinking, ’This plot feels so familiar. Is a monkey with a hairy face and a thunder god’s beak about to descend from the heavens with a staff, shouting, "Green-skinned monster, hand over my master!"?’
"Let’s go take a look." Shire checked the contents of his waist pouch, making sure the Magic Scrolls for Acceleration Technique and Slippery Feet were easy to grab.
The few goblins made their way to the edge of a grassy patch behind some trees. Shire pulled out his telescope and peeked at the "white horse" up ahead.
It was an exceptionally majestic creature, its body snow-white as if glimmering with starlight. The manes on its neck and tail, along with the tufts of hair on its four fetlocks, were golden and flowed like satin in the gentle breeze. A spiral horn on its head glinted with an ivory luster in the sunlight.
"It’s a Unicorn," Shire whispered, but he immediately clapped a hand over his mouth, afraid of startling such a beautiful being.
"This is the ’white horse’ you were talking about?" He glanced back at Broken Tooth, fighting the urge to kick him. He knew, however, that creatures like this were incredibly rare. Broken Tooth had only ever seen horses and mules, so it was understandable he’d mistake it for a "white horse."
"Don’t disturb it," Shire quietly instructed his subordinates, using hand signals to tell the goblins to back away slowly. He had read in one of Agatha’s books that Unicorns were as rare as they were beautiful. They only permitted good-hearted creatures to approach them. If an evil creature got too close, a Unicorn would charge and impale it. Unicorns were also immune to many forms of Magic, which unfortunately led some nefarious individuals to hunt them, hoping to craft magic-immune equipment from their hides.
Most Unicorns would choose a section of forest to call home and would protect that territory. Records also showed that some powerful Natural Mages or Druids would have Unicorns guard sacred areas or artifacts. As a result, some weaker races, such as little goblins, would follow Unicorns’ trails and settle in the areas under their protection.
All Unicorns possessed a Natural Healing Ability. They could touch the afflicted with their horns, curing diseases and healing wounds in a very short amount of time.
"Back away slowly." Shire urged his subordinates to be as quiet as possible. ’If it spots us, it might just charge right over and impale all of us goblins,’ he thought.
The Unicorn lowered its head to graze, its hooves making soft tapping sounds as it slowly ambled toward the goblins’ hiding spot.
’Why is it coming toward me?’ Shire tensed, his hand secretly closing around a Hand Grenade Fruit in his pouch. ’If it spots me and actually charges, I’ll have no choice but to ’greet’ it with a few of these.’
The distance between them shrank. The Unicorn even stopped grazing, raising its head to survey its surroundings.
’It must have spotted me.’ Shire and his subordinates continued their slow retreat, terrified of making a single sound that would give them away.
After scanning the area, the Unicorn’s black eyes locked onto Shire’s position. It then walked, step by step, toward the patch of grass where he was hiding until it was just a few paces away.
"Hey there, buddy. We didn’t mean to spy on you." Shire forced a smile. He had no idea if the creature could understand the Common Speech, so he could only adopt the most humble posture possible, hoping it wouldn’t hold the evil reputation of the goblin Race against them.
’I’m starting to regret not bringing Caocao,’ he thought. ’Then again, if I’d brought a three-meter-tall Giant, there would have been no chance of a stealthy reconnaissance in the first place.’
The Unicorn said nothing, merely staring at the goblin before it. After a few seconds, it lowered its head.
Shire watched as it lowered its head, its horn gleaming like ivory and pointing directly at him. GULP. He swallowed hard, terrified the Unicorn was about to charge.
However, after dipping its head, the Unicorn made no move to attack. Instead, it walked right up beside Shire and began to quietly graze on the grass, leaving Shire too stunned to move a muscle.
’Is it too proud to kill a mere goblin?’ Shire glanced back at his subordinates cowering in the grass, then looked at the Unicorn, which was now completely ignoring him.
He thought for a few seconds, then summoned his courage and slowly drew closer, half-expecting to be sent flying by a kick at any moment.
Fortunately, he reached the Unicorn’s side without being attacked. The creature stopped grazing and raised its head to look at him.
Shire reached out to touch the creature, but then he realized his hand had gotten dirty while he was hiding. After wiping it on his clothes a few times, he slowly, carefully, touched the beautiful Unicorn.
"Such a good Unicorn, letting me pet it." Shire chuckled to himself like an idiot. He stood on his tiptoes to stroke the Unicorn’s neck, sensing the aura of this forest spirit. "Were you raised by some Great Mage? Did you get lost? You should have a tag around your neck or something."
After a few moments of petting, Shire stopped. The Unicorn simply went back to grazing nearby as if nothing had happened.
"Don’t anyone disturb it. And whatever you do, don’t startle it," Shire immediately commanded his subordinates. He planned to head back and inform everyone at once.
Just as he was cheerfully walking toward the Fortress entrance, a voice buzzed in his ear. "Big Bro, how did you manage to get a Unicorn to let you pet it?"
Shan Xi Ao dropped his invisibility, hovering in front of Shire on flapping wings. His fists were clenched, and his eyes were full of adoring little stars, as excited as a fanboy seeing his idol.
"You snuck out again," Shire said, staring sternly at the little goblin. "Didn’t I tell your father? The forest isn’t safe these days."
"How could that be?" Shan Xi Ao zipped back and forth in front of the goblin, like a bee performing its figure-eight waggle dance. "A Unicorn showed up! That proves this area is super safe. Evil creatures can’t get anywhere near here."
"Hmph." Shire let out a cold laugh. He was terrified that Count Valentine might pull a surprise return and bring trouble to his Fortress. That was why he had strictly limited his subordinates’ movements in the area and warned the little goblin’s Clan Leader about the potential danger, telling them to stay inside the Fortress as much as possible.
"Big Bro, just tell me already! How did you manage to trick the Unicorn?" Shan Xi Ao pressed, still fixated on the question.
"What are you talking about? I’m a goblin. Do I look like I need to use tricks?"
"Big Bro, do you really not know what their presence means in the forest?" Shan Xi Ao exclaimed, then launched into a rambling explanation of the stories the elders of his race told.
......
"You should know what this means."
An Earth Goblin clad in black Leather Armor, one hand on the hilt of his blade, shook a piece of parchment and looked down contemptuously at the assembled Centaurs. "If you don’t sign this contract of fealty, your race will cease to exist in a few days."
The Centaur Clan Leader at the fore struggled to conceal the rage on his face, signaling to the others around him to remain calm.
"Emissary," he said, his voice trembling slightly, "could you allow us some time to confer?"
"Confer? This is the last act of mercy General Evil Throat will show you," the Earth Goblin boomed. Behind him, a dozen towering Ogres raised their massive wooden clubs and let out a guttural roar.
"But..." The Centaur Clan Leader trailed off, his mind racing to find a way to secure a better outcome for his people.
"There are no ’buts.’ Sign or don’t," the Earth Goblin said, throwing the parchment down before the Centaur Race. "Sign, and we’ll let you live. Refuse, and in a few days, we’ll level your huts and every one of you will be put to Enslavement in the Evil Throat Army."
"Don’t think you have any room to negotiate. You have only one choice, and it’s two words," he said, holding up two fingers. "Serve us."
"We can also choose not to serve!" a voice cried out. A female Centaur burst from the crowd and snatched up the parchment.
"Stop her!" the Centaur Clan Leader immediately ordered. Several others rushed forward and managed to restrain the female Centaur.
"Evita, you’re being utterly reckless!" he berated the female Centaur. He ordered the others to drag her away as he took back the contract, which had nearly been ripped in half.
"You need to control your daughter," the Earth Goblin sneered, watching as Evita was dragged away. Someone was trying to muffle the loud curses she was shouting.
"She almost destroyed your race’s only hope for peace."
"I know, Lord Emissary. I am deeply sorry." The Centaur Clan Leader bowed his upper body respectfully.
"Don’t think I don’t know what you’re thinking," the Earth Goblin said, suddenly changing the subject. He paced slowly before the Centaurs, hands clasped behind his back. "Don’t even think about escaping. The area is crawling with our Slave Capture Teams. Anyone caught becomes a slave for the Evil Throat Army, no questions asked."
"And stop clinging to your old beliefs. There is only one will in this forest now: the will of General Evil Throat." The Earth Goblin whirled around, fixing the Centaur Clan Leader with a deathly stare. "There will be no more Unicorns. Your totem beast is long gone. It’s dead."
"Submit. Work obediently for the Evil Throat Army—herding, farming, and charging into battle for the General when you’re needed." The corner of his mouth twitched as he shot a sidelong glance at the surrounding Centaurs. "And who knows? Maybe if the General is pleased, he’ll catch a Unicorn and give it to you as a gift."
The Centaur Clan Leader held out his hands to placate his people, then said cautiously, "I understand. But we still hope you will allow us some time to confer."
"Tomorrow. Same time. I’ll be back." The Earth Goblin grinned and walked right up to the Centaur Clan Leader, reaching out to pat him condescendingly on the cheek. "You’d better think carefully."
With that, he turned and walked away, laughing heartily.