Chapter 154 : Invitation

Invitation

Little Black returned to the team, and seeing that the enemy had discovered them, Serea no longer had any intention of hiding. She stepped forward with her group openly. Upon seeing this, shortie also stood atop the wooden palisade.

Shortie the goblin carefully counted the people invading from below.

There were 15 werewolves, 12 Skeleton Warriors, 10 elves, 30 "humans", plus some rather unique individuals, making a total of more than 70.

Such a party, composed of Undead, werewolves, elves, and even humans, aroused his vigilance. But once he set eyes on the young woman leading them, his gaze became fixed.

"Oh, although we're meeting under these circumstances, I have to say, you truly are beautiful!"

Shortie the goblin's shrill voice rang out. On hearing this, Serea replied with a smile.

"Should I say thank you, then?"

"No need for thanks. Your beauty is worthy of the great Shortie's praise. You should feel honored."

Shortie the goblin said this as if he cared nothing for the team behind Serea.

Arrogant and conceited!

That was Serea's first impression of this goblin. Yet, since that fellow commanded nearly forty ogres, such arrogance and conceit were understandable—after all, those were bronze elites averaging level 18, matching the strength of her direct Skeleton Warrior troops.

Moreover, in addition to ogres, the goblin also commanded over 100 goblins. Though their individual prowess was negligible, their sheer numbers could be a headache.

A troublesome enemy!

"System, confirm again: Death Decay doesn't have any special side effects, right?"

System: Correct. After the host uses 'Death Decay,' you will gain the power of the Undead Queen. Such power is more than sufficient to face the enemies before you.

"Uh... Actually, I'm just curious, why insist on using Death Decay? Wouldn't Blood Frenzy work?"

System: The enemy consists of ogres, with extremely strong physical strength. It is best to use death-related curses and skills to counter them.

"Fine, it's just as well—I wanted to test my new ability anyway."

Serea spoke as she made up her mind not to wait for reinforcements. If she waited for the Skeleton Warriors to arrive, it would take more than an hour. Every ogre was an excellent Heavy Warrior—going into melee recklessly would be a bad idea, but bringing a ranged and guerilla squad was the best way to handle ogres.

Keeping such a hostile and bloodthirsty tribe near her own camp was unacceptable; she had to drive them out or wipe them out. Serea felt fully confident in victory—for in this great forest, there were few who could truly challenge her by now.

Just as Serea was preparing to make her move, shortie noticed "Becca."

"Wait, isn't that stupid dog!?"

Faced with this insult, becca growled a hostile "Woo-woof!"

Yet Shortie ignored it and fixed his eyes on Aruka.

"Werewolf tribe? I get it—you're those newly migrated werewolves, aren't you?"

"That's right! Now hand my daughter over immediately!"

"So that's how it is... I didn't expect someone like you to have such a beautiful daughter."

At the goblin's words, Aruka shouted.

"If you dare harm Auna, the Bloodfang Tribe will raze your camp to the ground!"

"Ha? Who gave you the courage to speak so rudely to the great 'Shortie'? The ragtag bunch behind you?"

Shortie continued to bluster, believing his ogres to be invincible. Even if the enemy had numbers, in terms of strength, no one could stand against an ogre!

No sooner had he said this than Little Black and Little White fixed their eyes menacingly on him. If not for Serea's control, the boastful goblin would not have had the chance to keep speaking, for he was just a level 17 goblin priest.

"You should know, this is Lord Maregof's great forest. Anyone daring to harm the goblin race will suffer Lord Maregof's punishment!"

Shortie blustered again. Hearing this, Serea became a bit more attentive and asked Leklis,

"Do you know this... Maregof?"

"Of course. He's a shrewd merchant, but also a great lord, commanding ogres, goblins, goblins, dwarves, and other diverse tribes. He's the most powerful lord in this jungle."

Leklis spoke and then added,

"Of course, if you intended to contest, who really is 'the most powerful lord' remains to be seen."

Hearing this, Serea got a general idea about Maregof.

"So, maregof? I'll remember that. I'm actually quite interested in the lord you mentioned."

"Oh!"

Hearing this human girl's words, shortie was a bit pleased.

"Since you're so interested..."

Shortie looked Serea up and down. Serea, the greatest beauty of the Otto Kingdom, could rival anyone present in looks.

But since Serea had long lived in the palace, few had seen her face. No one here realized the woman before them was Serea of the Otto Kingdom, but her beauty was impossible to conceal.

"You. It will be you!"

Finally, shortie made a decision. Serea responded with a puzzled look.

"???"

"That half-werewolf girl didn't lie to me after all—you're even prettier than she is and lead a tribe of your own. That means your status makes you even more suitable for Lord Maregof."

"What do you mean?"

"Looks like that dumb dog didn't tell you. But such important matters shouldn't be discussed here. If you'd be willing, may I invite you to my tribe to talk in detail?"

So said Shortie. The more she listened, the more confused Serea felt.

"Queen, don't go! This fellow is weird—I'm worried..."

"It's fine. He can't do anything to me."

Serea declined Lola's kind warning and took a step forward.

"Since the great 'Shortie' is inviting me, how could I refuse?"

"Hee hee, such a wise decision! You really are smart. Come in, then! But just to avoid unnecessary trouble, you may only bring two guards inside."

"No problem."

Serea agreed.

"Little Black, Celia, come with me."

"As you command, My Queen."

"All right."

Both answered. Seeing Serea accept the invitation, Aruka spoke worriedly.

"Queen Serea, you..."

"Don't worry. I'll bring Auna out safely. As for here, I'll trouble Chief Aruka to command for me. For now, have everyone wait here."

"This..."

"Trust my abilities."

Leaving those words behind, Serea didn't hesitate and walked directly to the enemy camp.

As for whether this was a risky move...

The ogre tribe might look powerful, but the outcome of this battle had been decided from the start. The only pity was that the victor would certainly not be them.

Meanwhile, shortie remained completely oblivious, still basking in the "illusory" might bestowed by Maregof.

(To be continued...)