Forests Don't Support Idle Goblins

"Goblin?" Valentine stared at the letter in his hand, his hand trembling as if he couldn't believe what was written on the thin sheet of paper.

"How could it be goblins?" He clenched his fists tightly. "Weren't they giant spiders and giant bees?"

After he led his troops to wipe out those giant creatures, he found his child's body in one of the caves. Thank goodness, Philip's body was relatively well-preserved, except for the missing leg.

But now this anonymous letter tells him that the murderer who killed your only male heir is not that dark sorcerer hiding behind the scenes, but just a group of somewhat powerful goblins.

"Absurd!" Valentine slammed the letter he was holding onto his desk. "How could a bunch of goblins possibly kill a group of guards in full armor?"

"Jules," he said loudly, turning his head, "what did that bastard who slipped through the net say when you were with Philippe and the Storm Brotherhood?"

Jules, standing among his subordinates, immediately stepped forward, bowed respectfully, and replied, "He said that the Storm Brotherhood was indeed attacked by monsters, including goblins, but also other creatures, and even a large number of brain-eating monsters."

"But now this damn anonymous letter claims that those monsters were commanded by goblins," Count Valentine angrily threw the letter into the air. "How could a bunch of goblins possibly command those giant monsters?"

"My lord," Jules paused for a few seconds, then said cautiously, "perhaps what they mean is that the one who ultimately killed young Master Philip might be a goblin."

"Goblins? Killed my child?" Valentine frowned, turning to his respectful subordinate beside him. "Do you know how others will view the Valentine family if word gets out?"

"Uh..." Jules was speechless. He knew that if this news got out, then the Count's family would really be equated with fools. The Earl's grand display of the giant monsters' corpses in various places was partly to find an excuse to collect taxes, and partly to prove that Philip's death was not a stupid result, but because the enemy was too powerful, and that the Valentine family had completed their revenge and killed the powerful evil creature.

"They may have been attacked by goblins, but," Valentine glanced at the crowd before him, "it couldn't have been goblins who killed them."

The senior staff members standing in the study nodded quickly, indicating that they understood.

Seeing that his men understood his meaning, Earl Valentine sighed. He knew that his child's death was somewhat suspicious, but as a nobleman, and at such a delicate time, some things had to be done according to a fixed pattern in order to avoid unnecessary trouble.

He picked up the second letter from the table, and after confirming that the envelope was intact, he used a knife to pry open the sealing wax and took out the letter inside.

After reading it, Count Valentine gripped the letter again, closed his eyes, and fell silent.

A few seconds later, he handed the letter to the scribe beside him. "The Third Prince requests my presence in the Golden Flower Royal City."

"To the capital?" The clerk hurriedly stepped forward to take the letter and quickly read it. The people around him also crowded around, but Jules stood still, watching their every move.

"He said that the king intends to summon me regarding the giant spider and bee I presented before, and also wants to offer some rewards," Count Valentine said expressionlessly. "He also said in the letter that he greatly admires my family for guarding the Nightmare Forest for many years, building a barrier against evil invasion for the Kingdom of Fran."

"These are all platitudes, Your Excellency," the clerk said after quickly reading the letter, then passed it to someone else. He himself took two steps forward and came to the Earl's side. "The other thing he mentioned in the letter is more important."

Seeing the Earl of Valentine's questioning gaze, the scribe turned and glanced at the letter. "The Duke of the North is also among those being rewarded this time."

"You mean..." Jules immediately continued, "the eldest prince's uncle, the Northern Duke who guards the northern fortress 'The Nest'?"

"Yes," the clerk glanced at Jules, quite pleased with the man's response, "I imagine His Majesty will be summoning quite a few people during this time, and you, sir, are just one of them."

"And the third prince," he thought for a few seconds and then said immediately, "is probably impatient; he wants to meet you in person."

"Hmm," Earl Valentine nodded, "He's still a kid who hasn't even grown up yet. He was so calm and collected before, but now that things have changed, he immediately starts to lose his composure."

"So that means," Jules stepped forward, deliberately lagging a few steps behind the scribe, "His Majesty the King..."

"His Majesty estimates," the scribe immediately picked up where Jules left off, "that this coming winter..."

He didn't say anything more, but shook his head slightly.

The people around him seemed to understand what he wanted to say, and Count Valentine clenched his fists a few times.

"My lord, we must go, we absolutely must go!" Captain Jules shouted immediately. He didn't even take the letter handed to him by someone next to him, but said to the count with excitement, "This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity."

Count Valentine gave Jules a deep look, then glanced at the others, and finally looked at his most trusted scribe.

The clerk narrowed his eyes, said nothing, but nodded heavily.

"Alright, reply immediately," Valentine said, but then waved his hand, "No, I will reply to the Third Prince myself."

"You will now begin inspecting the Earl's storerooms. You," he pointed to the clerk, "immediately draft the next steps to ensure our supplies and military strength are sufficient to cope with next year's mobilization."

"My lord, who is our target?" a trusted aide asked from the side.

"Attack south first," Count Valentine slammed his fist on the table. "That old bastard Kayud even wrote to me with feigned concern, but now he has no idea we should attack his territory first."

"Once we take Kayud's territory, there's a vast plain ahead. Our army will march straight to Torch City," he said, surveying his men, "until we occupy the entire Darren River basin."

Everyone in front of him was rubbing their hands together in excitement, and Jules was especially delighted. If the war could develop as the count had said, then he would become a minor nobleman, and might even become a minor count or something.

"And you, Jules," Valentine glanced at the captain of the guard beside him, "you won't be going to Plantagenet this time."

He looked at his somewhat bewildered subordinates and slowly said, "Take a few men to the forest and see if those damned goblins are really as that anonymous letter described."