This Goblin Won't Give Up!

Chapter 21

I was concerned by what my grandfather said, but there was nothing I could do but wait and see what happened next. The rest of the party went by in a flash, as I did pass out several times during it. Each time that I woke up, I found someone new in front of me.

For the moments that I was awake, there were many nobles coming over and greeting me. Some tried to offer large presents for me while others offered to have their children become my playmates. I could tell that none of them saw me as a person. They saw me as a way to get closer to my grandfather. Though with each attempt, grandfather turned them down. There was talk about buying me a bunch of toys and dresses, but I was too tired to care.

When I woke up for the fourth time, I found myself lying on the couch in my grandfather's office, underneath a fluffy blanket. Curious, I looked around to see my grandfather and the king talking with one another.

"Kayden, are you insane? To make a decision like this without even telling me beforehand," the king said, using his grandfather's name.

"If I had told you, then you would have never agreed. I had to do this, and I didn't lie to you about the truth." Despite talking to the king, my grandfather stood his ground. I could tell that they were arguing about something, yet I didn't know what.

"Of course, I wouldn't have agreed to it. What were you even thinking? How could you bring three children from a goblin village back with you?" the king said to my surprise, revealing that he knew where we came from.

"Goblins are nothing more than savage monsters. You know that better than anyone else. After everything that they've done to your family, this is an insult to them. It would have been better to kill them on the spot like all the other goblins."

"At the time, they were believed to be elves. Killing them would have only harmed our teetering relationship with them. But seeing what I learned, you can't say that what I did was wrong," my grandfather said back to the king, causing my heart to start to race. The king knew that I was a goblin. There was no way that he would let me live. We were all in danger! "She had Illya's pendant; you know the significance that it has to my family."

"She is my flesh and blood, yet I kill her mother, Illya's daughter, my granddaughter, without even a moment's thought. I've committed the worst crime of them all, murdering my own family. You, of all people, understand the weight of killing a family member."

"For that, I mourn for you, but the fact is still there," the king said, sounding sympathetic. "This girl is a goblin, and the other two you mentioned are as well. I don't know how they managed to change their skin color or even their eye color, but that doesn't change what they are. They are monsters, working for the demons." The king sounded cold, and the warm expression that I saw on his face before was gone. Demons? There were demons in this world?

"They are children," grandfather said, refuting the king. "Even if you don't count Illya, the other two have done nothing wrong. Neither of them seems to be anything more than a little girl. They're innocent. Goblins are raised to be savage, which means they can also be raised to be civilized."

"Innocent? Am I hearing you correctly? Innocent after they murdered your father, your brother, your firstborn son, and even defiled your daughter. Stop talking lunacy and accept the facts for what they are. They can't be raised as humans! The king sounded furious, and hearing what he just said, it really was a miracle that I was still alive. My people have harmed him this much, yet he harmed me. Was there really such a thing as a right or wrong side to be on? Each side took lives from the other; there were nothing but victims.

"Then what do you expect me to do? Kill them? The other two are just children, and she is Illya's granddaughter. They had no part in what happened to my family. We were at war. My father, brother, and son knew that and accepted their fate like any other soldier of this kingdom. You cannot expect me to kill them. I won't kill her, even if you order me to."