After his mind finally calmed to the point he could speak, at least mentally, Rick took a deep breath.

  His first words were of course to Velora.

  POV Rick

  ‘Velora, I’m going to say some things. Let me finish first okay?’

  [Understood.]

  ‘Thank you. First of all Velora, I am sorry. Earlier you were only trying to help me, trying to warn me of potential danger, but instead heeding your warnings and responding to what you had to say appropriately, I was instead about to lash out at you.

  ‘Honestly in that moment, I think I even wanted to disable you for a moment or two. That is how angry at was at you for helping me.

  ‘How stupid I was.

  ‘I’m sure I could come up with plenty of excuses to try and justify my behavior but none of them sit right with me, and I don’t think that’s fair to you.

  ‘So, with that being said, this apology also extends more than a few months ago to that day in the Plains at the edge of the forest.

  ‘When I decided to conduct a full scale evacuation, potentially triggering a war with the Orcs. You cautioned me against doing exactly that, but I decided to do my own thing. Only to be left with the reality of my situation now.

  ‘So once again, I apologize.’

  [I’m sure you know that there is no need for an apology. I am skill designed to help you. I will always continue to do as such. Though, I appreciate your apology in the sense that it shows you are willing to accept the fact you made mistakes and are ready to do things to fix them and be better.

  [Something I’m sure you will be.]

  ‘Thank you Velora, I appreciate that.’

  [Of course.]

  ‘Now for these guys…’

  “Ra, thank you for that. All of this… all of this has been hard to handle, as I’m sure it is for you. You…no, all of you here, all of the Goblins in the Dark Lands of Mir, and all of the Goblins in the entire world deserve better.

  “So I will be better. I can’t promise I will be perfect, but I will be better.

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  “With that being said, you guys are right. We can’t stay here. And I know you asked me to be selfish so I’ll do just that. You all are too weak to move. I won’t be abandoning you all here. You will have to allow me that bit of selfishness.

  “Now, you don’t have long to get better. I will wait a few hours, and after that I expect you all to be ready to move. Don’t worry about Loruk. If he isn’t awake by that point then I will carry him myself.

  “In the meantime I need your help in understanding the journey that needs to be made to safely make it back to the Lands of the Clans. I know it took you all months to do so, and there were moments were things got risky, but now I need to know the details.

  “We can’t linger here, but we can’t just rush blindly into potential danger as well. We need a plan to move forward. Everyone understand?”

  ???

  Rick and the few remaining members of the Royal Retrieval Team began a long discussion regarding the path from this point on. Although Ra and the others were a bit weak, they participated with renewed vigor.

  It was due to Rick’s immediate jump in energy and calmness. His outward level of confidence had risen, and it had unconsciously caused the confidence level of the others to rise as well.

  This was something Rick was only beginning to understand.

  The confidence level of the leader would tend to trickle down to the people beneath them. Especially in a world like this where one’s individual power could be enough to battles and wars by themselves.

  If there was someone like that at your helm, then how could a nation ever fear others?

  This is what Rick was showcasing here on a much smaller scale. They wanted him to be selfish, to act more in accordance with his role as a Future King.

  Then he would try to do so.

  That’s why even though Rick only gave them a few hours to recover from the injuries they had, it somehow felt right with them.

  This was how it was supposed to be.

  They would push themselves to meet the expectations of their Leader. And in a situation like this, where the Leader’s life had to be prioritized, they wouldn’t allow themselves to become weights that held him down.

  Not when the future of Goblins were on the line.

  So their discussion progressed as they did their best to also gather mana and heal themselves.

  By the end of their discussion, the group was still dealing with injuries but they now had a plan forward and as Rick hoisted the still unconscious Loruk on to his back, they finally got up from where they had rested for the last few hours began moving towards the exit of the forest.

  It was not an easy thing for Rick to deal with, considering the reasons behind why he was leaving. He would never forget what took place here, he would never forget their names, their faces.

  And that included the Serpent and the Orc.

  He would never forget them either.

  There was no way for him to know the result of the battle that was taking place behind him, but something within him knew.

  Knew full and well that the Orc and the Serpent will both survive whatever is happening, in fact he hoped they would both survive.

  He didn’t want them dying before he got a chance to take their heads himself.

  The Wrath of a Goblin…of a Goblin King.

  They would feel it in earnest.

  And anyone else who planned to obstruct his journey to the Clans…they would all understand what it means to anger a desperate monarch.

  But only in time…

  For now, his wrath and his thirst for revenge will remain tempered, cooled but not cold, slumbering and waiting patiently for the moment Rick can unleash his wrath upon his enemies and all who would seek to cause harm to Goblin-Kind.