The Monster King's Legacy

Lance guided Kaelthara through to the temple to show it to her now that she had met him there. Despite her formidable presence, Kaelthara seemed genuinely impressed.

"You've outdone yourself," she said, her voice softer as they walked.

Laughing lightly, Lance gestured around. "I just wanted to do something to honour the dragons and the dragon god, after all, this is the least I should do." Lance said.

"Everything looks good. I'm proud of you, Lance," she said, her voice sincere and steady with a wide grin on her face.

Lance blinked, momentarily taken aback by the rare compliment. "Thank you, Kaelthara. That means a lot coming from you."

Kaelthara pulled back, a slight smirk curling her lips. "Don't let it go to your head."

…

Kaethara met with Aelyndra for a bit before leaving, also running into Lia and Mira who were with her at the time. Kaelthara appeared to notice something in them, but didn't take any action. Before she left though, Lance remembered to ask her about the kingdom of monsters off to the south Rusak had spoken about. Surprisingly, she did know about it, but didn't know much about it as they kept much to themselves without making much contact with the outside world.

"I was surprised to see those two with you at first, I thought you had already made contact with them, but from your question, I assume that isn't the case." Kaelthara said.

"You're saying…"

"Calm down, I am not certain. They just looked familiar to those of that place. Anyway, it was a long time ago that I visited there. Perhaps, I can take you there the next time I visit." She said.

Nodding in agreement, Lance bid Kaelthara farewell as she left.

…

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…

A year had almost gone by now after Lance's return to the monster nation. The temple had been completed, and overall, the nation was flourishing.

This very day, news had reached Lance of an important matter. He stood at the head of the table, his sharp golden eyes fixed on the scroll in his hands. The message was clear: delegates from the human, elven, and dwarven nations were en route to the goblin kingdom. While the meeting had been planned for a while now, with the veneer of diplomacy, Lance understood the underlying tensions.

Though the other races had acknowledged them as a sovereign kingdom, it wasn't official yet, and if going by relationship alone, the elves appeared to be the most welcoming.

Mira broke the silence with a sigh, her voice tinged with concern. "This visit could be an opportunity, but it could also bring trouble."

Rynne leaned back in her chair, her arms crossed. "Heh, it's more like a scouting mission than anything." She said, followed by a little pause before she continued. "They don't respect us. They've never seen goblins, orcs, or ogres as anything more than savages… If they come here thinking they can intimidate us, we need to show them we won't back down."

"Rynne is right, but we can't afford to escalate tensions. If they leave here feeling threatened, it could lead to outright conflict." Lia said with voice of reason.

Mira tapped her chin thoughtfully. "We need to strike a balance. Show them our strength, but also our wisdom. Let them see that we're not just strong, we're smart, capable, and united."

Zarra smirked. "And if they step out of line, Aelyndra can remind them why messing with us is a bad idea." She said with a cheeky laugh.

All eyes turned to the dragon, who sat with an air of confidence. Aelyndra's lips curled into a faint smile. "If you wish, I can appear in my dragon form to greet them. It will send a clear message: this kingdom is not to be trifled with. Though, I do not really plan to get involved with your matters too deeply in that sense of politics."

Lance placed the scroll down, his expression unreadable. "We'll meet them with respect, but we won't bow. If they're here with good intentions, we'll respond in kind. If not..." His golden eyes flashed. "We'll make it clear that we're not to be underestimated." He said. "That aside, we shouldn't be the source of the trouble during the meeting of both sides."

"Of course." Lia said.

…

Far to the west, in the grand halls of a human kingdom, a council of nobles and generals sat in an almost heated debate.

"A goblin kingdom? Led by a human? This is an affront to everything we stand for." A grey-haired noble said, his voice calm.

A younger noble leaned forward, his expression sharp. "This isn't just a goblin tribe anymore, not like it was during the war. Our scouts report that it has expanded into a fully functioning kingdom now. Joining with the beastkin, they've long established trade routes, and formed a kind of alliance with neighbouring lands, they even have a standing army. Word is that their leader, the human... doesn't appear to be an ordinary human."

A grizzled general, scarred from countless battles, grunted. "The man led goblins, beastkin and orcs to several victories during the Demon Lord invasion. If he's built a kingdom, we'd be fools to ignore it. But the question is, what does he want?"

The gray-haired noble scoffed, and amused smile on his face. "What do all upstarts want? Power. He'll try to expand, and when he does, he'll encroach on our lands."

The younger noble shook his head. "They've been quiet since the Demon Lord's defeat. Perhaps this visit is our chance to gauge their intentions, and their weaknesses."

The general leaned back, his eyes narrowing. "We can just wait then, let's see how things play out."

In a hidden glade deep within an ancient forest, Ithil stood overseeing the structures below, a regal air hanging over him.

"A temple to the dragon god," he said, his voice calm yet sharp.

Melina nodded standing behind him towards the side. "They've finally completed it. The goblin kingdom has aligned itself with the dragons."

Ithil hummed as he thought on it. "Aligned themselves with the dragons? I doubt that. That aside, if the dragons favor them, it changes everything. The balance of power shifts in their favour." He said, a pause following before he spoke again. "It seems there is indeed merit to being on friendly terms with the one the Godking favours."

"For now, let's just follow the rest with this visit." He said, his eyes coming close.

"As you command, my lord."