The Monster King's Legacy

Chapter 27 Planning for the Future

Lance was currently seated in the middle of the goblin camp's central clearing, surrounded by maps, notes, and scraps of parchment that Lia and Zarra had helped him collect. Most of these were things Lance had been able to make or collect from spoils of their most recent battle with the ogres, as it would happen that they had more than food they took from the goblins. His makeshift desk was a flat stone polished smooth by countless years of wind and rain, and was covered in crude sketches of the forest he had made himself, including notes about resources, and strategies for both defense and expansion.

Most of these notes could notes could only be understood by him, since he wrote in English, the only language he could write in. At first, he panicked that he might have forgotten how to speak or write in English, mostly because he hadn't really tried to recently, but that wasn't the case, and he was glad. As for writing, it took a bit of practice for him to get the hang of it, and even then, it was as sloppy as a child's handwriting, since he had to use a feather and ink.

The camp buzzed with activity all around Lance. Goblins carried bundles of wood, sharpened spears, and some moved sacks of newly gathered herbs to Mira's tent. Rynne barked orders at a group of young goblins practicing formations, her voice carrying over through the rest of the camp, while Kaeli worked on reinforcing the camp's defensive equipment.

Even amid the chaos, there was an undercurrent of coherence and unity, like different parts of a single system working together.

Lia approached Lance who remained focused on his work, her calm presence grounding his scattered thoughts. She carried a small clay pot of stew and set it down beside him. "You've been sitting here all morning," she said gently. "You should eat."

Lance leaned back, sighing. "I will. Just... trying to figure out somethings, you know? What comes next." He said, taking note of the soup. "For mercenaries, they sure had a lot of different things, huh?" Lance remarked.

"As long as it helps us." Lia said, crossing her arms, her sharp yellow eyes scanning the maps. "And? Have you decided?"

"Not yet," Lance admitted. "We need a long-term plan, Lia. Something that'll keep the tribe safe no matter what comes our way, whether it be humans, other races, or even other goblin tribes, or... whatever else is out there."

Lia knelt beside him, her expression thoughtful. "We've already come farther than I ever thought possible, honestly. With your ideas and vision, I can see this place becoming something bigger, you know? More than just a tribe." Lia said, her voice soft and thoughtful.

Lance glanced at her, a small smile tugging at his lips. "You make it sound like we're starting a kingdom or something."

Lia didn't smile back as she spoke. "Maybe we are."

The words hung in the air, heavier than Lance expected. He looked back at the maps, his mind occupied. Could they truly grow into something that large? Something powerful enough to protect themselves against whatever dangers this world had in store? He had thought of it before, but suddenly hearing it from someone else felt different.

"It's a possibility," Lance said finally. "But if we're going to grow, we need more than just strength. We need knowledge most importantly, knowledge about the rest of the world, about its history, and about the threats out there that we might face." Lance said, sighing at the end before chugging a couple scoops of the stew from the clay pot using the wooden spoon placed in it.

He pushed aside the maps of their immediate surroundings and unrolled the sketch he had made of the ruins they'd discovered, and the metal piece they brought back. The strange symbols etched into the metal stared back at him, taunting him with their mysteries.

"I'd die from malnutrition, now hand me the soup." Lance stretched his hand to take it.

"Blee, you're no fun." She pouted, handing it to him.

...

The rest of the day was spent organizing the camp's efforts.

Lance worked with Rynne to develop more advanced training regimens for the warriors, using his limited knowledge, as in the end, she did most of the work. They focused on group tactics, teaching the goblins how to fight as a cohesive unit rather than as individuals, something that had been working rather well as of late.

"You're catching on," Rynne said, watching as a group of goblins executed a perfect pincer maneuver during a mock battle. "Not bad for a bunch of rookies."

"It's a start," Lance said, looking at the small number of goblins. Apart from knowledge and information, numbers also played an important role in building a kingdom.

He spent time with the others as well, assisting Mira a bit and spending time with Kaeli at her forge. He still wasn't good at anything at the forge outside his ideas, but he assisted as much he could, hoping to learn. Maybe it was the burn from not having magic skills, he wanted to improve himself in other fields as well while focusing on the one that brought the most results, improving his fighting and physicality.

As the sun set, the camp gathered around the central fire. With no booze to sate themselves with at such moments, the goblins could only engage themselves in other activities like dances and songs around the fire. With everyone's energy high, it didn't take long for Rynne to drag Lance up and force him to give a speech as the leader to uplift the spirits of his people.

Lance stood before them, his gaze sweeping over the tribe.

"We've come a long way," he began, his voice steady. "But this is just the beginning. The threats we face are growing, and we need to grow with them. Stronger, smarter, more united." He spoke.

The goblins listened intently, their expressions ranging from determined to hopeful, as their eyes captured Lance in full form.

"We're not just a tribe anymore," Lance continued. "We're building something bigger. Something that can last. And I promise you, no matter what comes our way, we'll face it together, and come out victorious."

Cheers and chants followed his speech, and with it, dancing and songs. Lance smiled to himself, a little pain in his heart as he returned to take a seat, 'that last part might have been too much of a promise to make... this is the mouth of a politician, when I don't need it.'