Kaito accepted immediately, and new notifications appeared in front of him.
[You have conquered the Kobold]
[You have obtained the Kobold territory]
[Your territory expands by 500 meters]
[You have acquired a bronze chest]
"Bronze, huh?" Kaito thought with a smile.
Even though he had conquered the territory easily, the system had classified it as more difficult than the wolves or the Strix.
That made one thing clear: the system didn't take into account the methods used or the effort invested—only the danger of taking the territory by force.
"Excuse me...? Lord Kaito?"
Kaito, lost in thought, returned to reality at the sound of Lorim's voice, who was looking at him respectfully.
He turned his attention to the old Kobold standing in front of him. His appearance was incredibly cliché: an anthropomorphic body, a dog-like head, and barely a meter and a half tall.
"Yes, Lorim?"
Hearing his response, Lorim lit up. He had thought his new lord was ignoring him.
"Please, come with me. We can't afford to disrespect you by receiving you in a place like this."
Kaito nodded and followed him along with his men.
All around, over a hundred rustic houses stretched across the village. Makeshift structures with wooden walls and straw roofs… though most were collapsed or burned. Only about a dozen remained standing and capable of sheltering people.
At the far end, a slightly larger house stood out among the ruins. It was built from sturdier logs, but even so, its quality was inferior to that of a regular home.
At least it was still intact.
They entered the house, which Lorim identified as his own. Inside was a sort of common room, with a table and benches on either side.
"Please, have a seat" said the old man with an exaggerated bow.
Kaito nodded and sat down. Lorim followed shortly after, remaining silent. He was waiting for his new lord's questions.
"I have many, but let's start with the most important one... why did you surrender so easily?"
He tried to adopt a posture worthy of a Lord as he spoke.
"That's because we are believers of the God of Earth."
Kaito looked at him in silence, waiting for him to continue. Lorim didn't make him wait.
"Perhaps you know that believers of the God of Earth gain certain benefits, correct?"
"Are you talking about jobs?"
"Exactly," he replied, visibly animated. "But those benefits are exclusive to humans. That's one of the reasons why, despite their weakness, they dominate the world."
"So you can't get jobs? That must make life difficult..."
"Indeed. But there is a way to access those benefits: by serving under a Lord.
For large or self-sufficient tribes, that may not matter, but for a small village like ours... the advantages far outweigh any disadvantages."
"And you're sure it works?"
"Of course. Ever since I submitted to you... I immediately learned how to build much better houses than ours."
"So you're an architect," Kaito thought, but set the topic aside. There was something more important.
"I understand why you surrendered, but... what happened here?"
Lorim looked down with a bitter expression.
"We were attacked by goblins."
"From the western territory? I thought they didn't cause problems outside their zone..."
Silver had taught him about the territories. According to her, goblins only hunted in their area, and while aggressive, they never crossed their borders to invade.
This wasn't due to kindness, but caution. Goblins were naturally cowardly, but also observant. Each group had a slightly smarter leader, so if they didn't attack... it was because they knew they would lose.
Fortunately, Lorim quickly explained.
"That's usually the case. But lately they've been more restless. While they don't attack directly, they often spy on nearby areas. We believe something scared them... and that fear led them to plunder our territory."
"And what does that have to do with the looting?"
"We don't know for sure, but we believe it has to do with their leader. Though he rarely appears, he's known for wearing jewels and lavish robes. Since he's a mage, we think he might have a reason to hoard such items."
Kaito thought about it for a few seconds before nodding. If they were looting out of fear, then that fear was probably tied to his magic. It wasn't hard to deduce.
And as for what scared them... there weren't many options.
He himself was the most likely cause.
He had already conquered two of the four neighboring territories… now three. If the goblins were watching, they surely knew.
"Give me all the information you have on them."
Encouraged by his tone, Lorim began to speak.
The goblin territory was to the west. It was a relatively large village, about a kilometer in diameter. Large, at least, compared to what Kaito had seen so far.
A four-meter-tall wall surrounded the entire village, with four watchtowers at the corners, each manned by archers.
About 1,000 goblins lived there, thanks to their rapid reproduction rate. When they first settled, there were only 50, and that was just a few years ago. Though their lifespan was short, their numbers grew quickly.
Among them, at least 20 were mages. At least one was born each generation, and since they lived longer, the number accumulated over time. Fortunately, they weren't experienced spellcasters—just basic fire and water magic, with a few exceptions.
The leader was another story.
He didn't look like a mage, but his power was abnormal. Sometimes he was stronger than any goblin, and other times as weak as the rest. He had even been seen surrounded by a strange energy, suggesting he might be some kind of body-enhancement mage.
After hearing everything, Kaito had already made up his mind.
They had to attack. And soon.
Whatever the reason for the looting, it was clear they were preparing for something. Giving them time would be a mistake.
Even so, they needed at least a day to get organized. He decided they would attack the next day, at noon.
"Would you have any problem relocating?"
Having the population split up would make management difficult. Besides, given the ruined state of the village, it was more practical to move them to his developing territory.
"Of course not. If we're a burden, we can leave this place and offer it to you, Lord," replied Lorim, bowing deeply.
Kaito quickly clarified.
"That's not what I meant. This place is destroyed. It's easier for you to live in my territory than to rebuild it."
Lorim, touched, nearly burst into tears.
"Thank you so much for accepting us! On behalf of the village, I promise we'll be of help!"
Without waiting, he went off to inform the others.
When Kaito stepped outside, everyone was already gathered with small bags over their shoulders. They didn't have many belongings, so the move was quick.
By the time they reached the central territory, around twenty houses had already been built. It wasn't enough for everyone, but just having a roof was enough to make the Kobolds happy.
They immediately began helping with gathering logs and construction.
Thus, 100 new inhabitants joined the territory. Only one of them was an architect: Lorim. The rest were mostly warriors, with a few artisans.
Kaito could only do one thing: rest, and wait for the next day.