---Author's Note---
This chapter isn't necessary to read — it just shows another side of Iris I wanted to reveal.
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Moments before the goblin ambush.
Hm~... I should make this boring trip a bit more fun.
Thought an elf as she leapt through the trees, watching the group below.
It's no fun when they have complete control over the situation...
While making thoughtful expressions, she suddenly smiled.
Got it. This'll be interesting~.
The elf stirred up some wolves to buy herself a little time, then darted off between the branches.
Spotting a goblin settlement, she stopped to observe the camp.
Hm… it's pretty big... Now, how do I lure them in?
As she pondered, she spotted some taller goblins — around 180 cm, with horns. The others were about 140 cm.
Hm, possible evolutions? Trolls? Hobgoblins? ...I hate not having enough intel...
Growing frustrated at the lack of information about this world, she decided to test her strength — kill the evolved ones or bring them back to the island for study, if possible.
If I can't control them, I'll just kill them all. I don't really know the power limit of that group headed to the island. If I wipe them all out, Khan might strangle me... or more likely, my sister would.
Jumping to the nearest tree, she launched herself straight into the camp.
Honestly, I don't need to worry much about safety. Worst case, I can call in a dragon strike to stall them.
Landing in the center of the camp and kicking up a cloud of dust, all the goblins were immediately alerted.
When the dust cleared, it revealed a beautiful white-haired elf. Some goblins, especially the evolved ones, dropped their guard.
The evolved goblins grinned, eyes dropping to her chest, full of perverse intent.
Seeing that, Iris played along, "Yah~!" she crouched down, covering her chest and shouting, "Pervert, idiot!"
The goblins responded with gleeful laughter, "Kekekek."
One of the evolved goblins approached her, completely off-guard, reaching for the crouching Iris.
But before he could touch her, two hands pierced through his chest and lifted him up.
Looking at the panicked goblin, Iris smiled, "So weak~. I worried for nothing."
She then ripped the goblin apart midair, dropping the brutalized body to the ground.
The other goblins reacted — some tried to flee, others prepared to fight.
These guys are even simpler than I thought. Something like, 'Oh, boobs. Must squeeze.' Well, lucky for me — I can use basic manipulation magic.
Iris cast a thick mist over the entire camp. It was just a basic spell, but enough to put all the goblins under her control, even if it wasn't her class specialty — as a tank-mage.
She ordered them all to gather outside their tents. Something unexpected happened — a burly goblin stepped out of a large tent, along with several lifeless-eyed human women, some even pregnant, under her control.
Why could I control the humans too? Is it because their egos were shattered? ...Doesn't matter now, honestly.
Seeing their numbers, Iris smiled — the plan would work.
Alright, I only need the small ones. The rest I'll send to the island for study. I'll take the women too — they could be useful and full of information.
Separating them into two groups — one for the ambush and one for the island — she summoned ten dragons. They descended and lined up with their heads bowed.
"I want nine dragons to return to the island with the right group. The rest stays."
With her command, the dragons lowered their wings to allow boarding.
After distributing small groups to each dragon, Iris spoke:
"Alright, that's all. Head to the island. Don't let anyone fall."
With that, the nine dragons took off.
Now, with just one dragon and a large group of goblins in front of her, she decided to take a final look around the camp.
It was empty — until she entered the last tent, where a cage full of human children stood. All of them girls, likely the result of collateral births.
The scene triggered something she thought she had forgotten. Her eyes sank into a pitch-black void, her face twisted into a grotesque, demonic snarl, and everything within a small radius was vaporized — even the air was gone.
After a short breakdown, she calmed down. Her face returned to its cute expression, spiral eyes spinning softly once more.
Fully recovered, she approached the frightened, skinny children.
"HI~, nice to meet you, little ones~," Iris crouched slightly, her voice still cheerful.
The children recoiled, staring at her smiling face.
One of the girls, seemingly the oldest, spoke, "W-Who are you?"
"Oh~, me? I'm none other than Iris~. And you? Do you have a name?"
"Y-Yes, I do. My name is Lucy."
"Such a lovely name, Lucy~... Do the others know how to speak? Do they have names?"
She shook her head.
"Hm~, I see..." Iris paused for a moment, then continued.
"Alright, I'll get you out of here... Is there anywhere you can go back to?"
Iris broke the lock, pulling the cage door off and tossing it aside.
"I… I think I do...," Lucy said, voice lacking hope.
"Okay~, we'll worry about that later. Want to go somewhere fun?" Iris asked, smiling brightly, spirals in her eyes spinning faster as she extended her hand.
"I guess… that's fine," Lucy replied, holding a small child in her arms.
The other girls followed her lead.
Once they exited the tent, they were greeted by a mass of frozen goblins and a dragon with its head bowed. The children huddled behind Iris's legs.
Looking down and back at them, Iris said cheerfully, "It's okay~. The goblins are under control and the dragon is a friend."
They walked toward the dragon. It lowered its wings, and Iris helped the children aboard. She handed Lucy a sealed letter.
"There~, give this letter to a knight dressed all in black waiting at a fortress. He'll know what to do. See you later!" she waved, still acting cute.
The children still looked scared, but the dragon took off and flew toward the island.
"Alright~, now about these pests... let's get this started," she said, sounding a bit less enthusiastic.
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Time passed. She had already recovered the knight girl's corpse and placed it in the rift — since she wasn't alive, there was no need to worry about air.
Iris, watching the chaos and Darui's expression, saw him recover and start killing goblins. She smiled at the sight.
More time passed. Darui was done with the battle, and Iris got bored. Her boredom didn't last long — her eyes sparkled with joy as she saw the dragon return.
With an idea to vent the stress the goblins had caused her, she had the dragon dive so she could climb onto its back.
Gripping the chains, she rose into the sky and pulled back some distance. Then she came soaring down in a devastating dive, obliterating trees and landing directly on a goblin cluster.
"YES, THAT'S IT! THIS IS WHAT I NEEDED! HAHAHA!" Iris shouted, laughing wildly.
"HAHAHA! BURN! SCREAM! MAKE ME HAPPY! HAHAHA!"