After Jack and Araneida returned to the throne room, they found Sallow alone, sitting in the throne – appearing to be lost in his thoughts. Jack scanned the room, before walking over to Sallow, gently tapping his shoulder. “Hey, you alright?”

  Sallow looked at the Tamer, before nodding.

  “Everything is fine my Lord. I was just a bit lost in thought.”

  “...” Jack didn’t reply.

  After a moment of silence, he exhaled. “Did you find out where the other Hell Gems are?” Sallow nodded.

  “I did. I’m just waiting for her to prepare and then we can go and find them.”

  “Alright, good.” Jack crossed his arms. Silence fell in the room once more for a bit. Then, Jack sighed again, rubbing the back of his neck, before reaching into his small bag and taking out the Goblin Rune and handing it to Sallow. “Here, I found this in the old king's quarters. Thought that you may be able to use it.”

  Sallow looked at the rune, before taking it out of Jack's hand and examining it.

  “...An ancient race rune? Where on earth did he get his hands on this….”

  “Probably from the same guy that gave him the Hell Gems. Although, it’s strange that he didn’t use the rune immediately.” Jack responded, looking away.

  “Using an Ancient Race Rune isn’t as simple as a regular rune – you need to meet all the conditions for it and then go through a special solo ritual to integrate it with your essence. If you just break the rune, you risk damaging your soul.” Sallow explained, with Jack throwing his gaze over at the Goblin King.

  Suppose, that explained why the old King hadn’t used it yet then.

  Jack scratched his chin lightly. “And are you able to integrate it with your soul?”

  Sallow looked at the rune with scepticism. “I’m not sure… While I certainly meet the requirements for the rune, I have never done this before. Ancient Race Runes are really rare and they grant powerful abilities – most of the time, so powerful that the individual that integrates the rune into their essence, simply loses their mind.”

  “So sanity is affected by these runes as well… I guess I still have a good chunk more to learn about this world after all.” Jack commented in his mind and then sighed. “Well, then we won’t risk it for now. Just keep your hands on it – alright? You never know when it can come in useful.”

  “Of course, my Lord.” Sallow opened his own small satchel, placing the rune inside it before closing up the satchel. Then, three other individuals entered the throne room – two guards and the one they were waiting for.

  “...She looks a bit different.” Jack commented, while the Goblin King moved closer to Sallow and kneeled before him. “That’s because I had her swear her life to me. She’s essentially a servant now, who can never go against my word.”

  “I see..”

  Jack eyed Sallow a bit, before sighing and looking away - keeping his arms crossed. Sallow moved his attention to the kneeling Goblin. “Greth, are you prepared?”

  “Greth? Did Sallow also give her a name?” Jack threw his gaze at the Goblin King before moving it over at Sallow and sharpening it lightly. “That’s probably how the whole swearing her life to him works.”

  “...I am, my Liege.” Greth responded, lowering her head slightly more. “We may leave at any time you wish.” Sallow stood up, before looking over at Jack, who simply nodded lightly. Sallow nodded back, before looking at Greth and moving closer to her – until he stood over her, towering.

  “Then we leave this instant.”

  “...As you wish.”

  …

  Following Greth – Jack, Sallow and Araneida entered the halls under the castle of the clans camp. They were rather narrow and very, very dimly lit by blue candles, which at the same time, gave off an ominous aura - as if they were inscribed with magic.

  Greth moved in front of the trio, leading them through the halls, her expression stern and cold, while also showing signs of nervousness — one could even say fright. “If I may ask, what was the point of hiding four of the Hell Gems? If they’re as powerful as I’ve come to understand, then wouldn’t it make more sense to use their power to grow your own influence and territory?”

  The Goblin King remained silent.

  Sallow narrowed his eyes. “...You were asked a question.”

  “M-My apologies, my Liege…” Greth threw her gaze back at the trio, moving it onto Jack. “While Hell Gems do contain great power, they are also far too difficult for low ranked beings like us to control. If we weren’t careful, we risked incinerating our entire territory with a fire that is impossible to put out.”

  A Fire impossible to put out?

  “Now that sounds like a classic fiction element.” Jack commented in his mind. Greth looked away once more. “So, I decided to hide most of them and only bring them out, if they were ever absolutely needed.”

  “So essentially, you were keeping them as a last resort of sorts?”

  “I suppose,” Greth sighed. “I might have been a greedy and prideful king, but I wasn’t incompetent.” She then looked at the trio again, eyeing Sallow with a sharp glare of sorts. “It took quite a bit of brainwork to be able to push back the Grey Kings forces so that we could conquer some of his territory for ourselves.”

  So she is quite clever after all?

  That was surprising — from the way Sallow spoke about the Green Goblin King, Jack had understood that the ruler of the Green Goblins was an incompetent, foolish individual, who had been given underserved power. However, from the way she spoke about herself now, it sounded like she in actuality may be quite the genius battle strategist.

  Jack snickered under his nose, smiling lightly. “She could come in useful down the line… While I’m no fool when it comes to planning fights, I’m also not the best.”

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  Greth looked at Jack with a slightly crept out gaze from the way he had snickered after her explanation, before turning her head away. Sallow remained silent, scratching his chin while eyeing Greth.

  The group moved deeper and deeper into the halls, moving further and further down into the underground. Eventually, they all reached a set of large gates. Greth gestured to the trio to stop, before walking up to the gates and gently pressing her hand onto them.

  After a bit, she sighed.

  “The gates don’t recognise me as the ‘King’ anymore… Probably because of my new body as well as losing my status as King to the Grey King.” She turned around and crossed her arms, looking at Sallow.

  Sallow, understanding the hint, sighed and walked up to the gates and pressed his right hand onto them.

  For a moment, nothing.

  Then, a pattern engraved onto the gates lit up brightly – shining bright enough, to almost light up the hallway they were all in. Then, the clicking sound of three locks opening echoed from the gates.

  Click.

  Click.

  Click.

  The gates were slowly pushed open by Sallow, revealing a large room that resembled a bit the appearance of an archive. The group entered the room, with Sallow creating a ball of fire with his hands, before tossing it up into the air in the middle of the room, lighting up the entire place.

  There were scrolls and other items stored in this place, placed either on shelves or simply stacked upon one another. “Quite the place you’ve got under the castle.”

  “This is the clan's treasury. In here, we have stored many scriptures and artifacts that the clan has collected over the years — for safe keeping.” Greth explained, while Jack and Sallow looked around. Araneida stuck to Jack's side, throwing her eyes all over the place - examining everything in the room.

  Sallow looked at Greth. “The Hell Gems?”

  “Don’t worry, my Liege, they’re here.” She replied, walking over to a small box that was placed on a shelf at the back of the room. Picking it up, she turned around and walked over to Sallow, before kneeling before him and handing him the box. Sallow eyed the box for a bit, before taking it and opening it.

  Inside — were the items they had come for.

  “Well?” Jack asked. Sallow nodded, throwing a gaze at his master over his shoulder.

  “They’re here.”

  “Good.” Jack moved over to Sallows' side, with the Goblin handing him the box. Jack looked inside it — four identical, jagged orbs rested on a blue bedding of sorts. They gave off the similar ominous and sinister aura like the two orbs Jack and his friends had found before.

  “Alright, now what do we do with them?”

  “We destroy them.”

  Greths eyes widened, as she looked at Sallow with a panicked gaze. “M-My Liege, that’s far too—!”

  “My Lord, may you please dispose of them for me?”

  Jack eyed Sallow sceptically. “Only these four or also the ones you and I have in our possession?”

  “Those four and the one you possess. I believe the one I have could come in useful later down the line, so it would be better to hang onto it.” Jack looked a little bit unconvinced by Sallows words, however did not ask any more questions and simply reached into his bag and took out the Hell Gem he had found in the Green Goblin Kings quarters.

  Then, he sighed, walking away from the group, to the middle of the room. “Alright, stay back all of you.”

  “M-My liege, it’s far too dangerous! You mustn’t—”

  “Don’t underestimate my Lord, Greth.” Sallow eyed her coldly, while Greth looked at him confused. “Don’t ever underestimate my, and now yours as well, Lord.” Greth looked dumbfounded for a few more moments, before exhaling and looking away, falling completely silent.

  Jack laid out the five Hell Gems in front of him, before exhaling lightly.

  “Alright, how do I do this…” Jack thought, staring at the gems for a bit. Then, he stood up. “Sallow, your blade.” Immediately, Sallow manifested his stone greatsword, before tossing it over to Jack, who caught it, spinning it before swinging it down at the orbs and shattering them into pieces with a single swing.

  A massive burst of magical energy was sent from the gems as soon as they were destroyed — enough to push Sallow, Greth and Araneida back as well as singed most of the items in the room - covering them in a thin layer of ash.

  Greth looked paralysed.

  “There’s no way he’s unscathed! That burst of energy was extraordinary! Even a B-Rank monster would be scorched…”

  Greth thought, however her eyes widened as soon as she saw Jack push through the cloud of smoke and ash, looking completely fine – not a single mark having been left on his body or clothes. Jack exhaled. “That was something.”

  He tossed the greatsword back at Sallow, who caught it and dematerialised the weapon. “Are you alright, my Lord?”

  “As good as I could be. That was an impressive burst of magical energy – I admit that. But there was nothing that I wasn’t able to take.” Jack replied, with Sallow smiling and chuckling lightly. Greth was still lost for words, unable to comprehend the scene in front of her.

  Those were five Hell Gems…

  Destroying even one of them would be enough to incinerate the camp. He destroyed five of them at once and yet…

  Not only is the room intact, but he is unscathed.

  He brushed it off like nothing…

  Greth shed a cold sweat, shivers running down her entire body as well as goosebumps popping up. She shook slightly in pure fright of the scene she had just witnessed.

  …Just who is this human?

  The group had returned back to the throne room after destroying the Hell Gems. Jack and Araneida stood off to the side, while Sallow spoke with a couple of members of the Green Goblin clan that had requested to meet with him. These ones were dressed in deep brown cloaks, with hoods hiding her faces.

  Greth said that they were the clans ‘Great Mages’ — or the ones who oversaw the use of magic and magical artifacts within the clan. Apparently they had been out and about when the three of them had arrived, so after returning and hearing the news of the new King, they immediately came to introduce themselves as well as report on what the mission they had been sent out for by Greth.

  Jack kept his arms crossed, watching the conversation carefully.

  Araneida eyed her master, looking a bit worried about his cold, blank expression, however didn’t say anything, remaining silent. After a while, the two mages left, allowing Jack to approach Sallow.

  “Done?”

  “Indeed.” Sallow nodded, exhaling. “It turns out they had been to the border that the Green Goblin clan has with the Red Goblin clan. It appears that tensions have been growing on this side, with the Red Goblin clan more and more often sending spies and scouts to map out the border.”

  Jack narrowed his eyes. “A potential invasion?”

  “Possible.” He looked at Greth. “Is that correct?” Greth remained silent, before nodding gently. “I am a bit ashamed to admit, but I may have instigated a bit of a conflict with the Red Goblin clan's ruler…”

  Sallow facepalmed while Jack and Araneida let out a heavy sigh.

  “Of course you did… Did power get to your head?”

  Greth didn’t reply.

  Sallow sighed and sinked a bit more into his seat. Jack eyed Greth for a bit, before looking at Sallow and letting out an exhale again. “So? What will we do? If the Red Clan attacks, we won’t be able to leave.”

  “Indeed we won’t.” Sallow agreed, before resting his head down onto his right arm, which he rested on the armrest of the throne. Silence enveloped the room – with everyone just brainstorming in their heads.

  After a bit, Sallow let out an exhale, followed by a light snicker.

  Greth, Jack and Araneida looked at him with curious stares.

  “Thought of something?”

  “...Perhaps.” Sallow replied. Greth sighed. “Then don’t keep it from us – what did you come up with my Liege?”

  Sallow smirked.

  Jack, as if catching onto what Sallows potential plan was, chuckled before turning around. “You’re crazy.”

  “But it’s a viable option, no?” Greth looked at Sallow confused. “I’m sorry my Liege… what’s a viable option…?”

  Sallow remained silent for a bit, before leaning forward a bit, placing his hands together while a shadow fell over his face.

  “Simple.” He started, his eyes sharpening and narrowing.

  “If we want to avoid a conflict with the Red Goblin clan and the Black Goblin clan… then we’ll simply have to bring them under my rule as well.”

  ….

  “Eh…?”