Reincarnation of a Hunter Chapter 29.1 - Hello, Bixby (1)

Diego and Raul returned to the territory of Marseille.

 

“I bestow upon Diego the surname Garcia and grant him permission to use the family crest. Though I cannot grant him a manor, I present him with this ceremonial dagger to carry as a reminder of his unwavering loyalty to me.”

 

I handed Diego a single ceremonial dagger.

 

Originally, it was meant to be a simple ceremony, but I deliberately borrowed the church hall and invited most of the semi-nobles to attend. I also prepared expensive gifts for them.

 

This was a gesture to ask them to accept Diego into their exclusive circle.

 

Axel, the knight commander who served as the de facto leader of the semi-nobles, and Administrator Ricardo extended their congratulations on behalf of the group.

 

“Congratulations, Secretary Diego Garcia. There will be a welcoming banquet tonight—please do attend.”

 

“Secretary Diego Garcia, you must join our administrators’ group, the ‘One Heart Society.’ There are membership and participation fees, but they’re quite modest.”

 

While Axel offered normal congratulations, Administrator Ricardo brought up the name of a strange organization.

 

Diego, being the son of a wealthy merchant, had no financial constraints, but I didn’t want him joining any dubious groups.

 

Old men shouldn’t corrupt the young. I gave Administrator Richard a warning.

 

“About this ‘One Heart Society’ of yours. It’s not some kind of gathering meant to strengthen administrative power and check the monarch, is it? The name sounds suspicious—’One Heart.’ Whose heart are you referring to?”

 

“Oh no, my lord! Absolutely not!”

 

“Instead of gathering suspiciously among yourselves, why not form something more constructive? How about a flower-arranging club?”

 

“Of course! Absolutely! From today onward, the One Heart Society is a flower-arranging club! Hahaha!”

 

As expected, Ricardo was quick on the uptake.

 

By rebranding their secretive organization as a flower-arranging club, the One Heart Society would naturally dissolve.

 

It’s not like a bunch of rough-looking men would gather to arrange flowers, after all.

 

In any case, Diego carried out my orders with utmost diligence.

 

It seems we’ve even gained favorable responses from the chairman of the Lisbon Nobles’ Council. Truly, he is a capable talent.

 

And the money earned from the ‘Canada Bombing Operation’ was all returned to the territory’s budget, and all the bonds issued to the peasants have been recovered.

Since the peasants made a decent profit from the discounted bonds, they showed no complaints.

 

Now that the budget has a surplus of about three to four months, relocating the displaced people to the pioneer villages should gain momentum.

 

⚔️

 

My office in the lord’s manor.

 

An attendant brought a report from the administrative department.

 

“We’ve received word from the pioneer village of Comansville. They’ve caught a ‘chattering goblin,’ but I’m not sure what that means.”

 

A chattering goblin? It must refer to a goblin that learned human speech and became a chatterbox.

 

“This seems important. I’ll go to Comansville myself.”

 

I was curious about what that talkative goblin had been blabbering. That must be why Comansville contacted the lord’s manor.

 

Even the smallest piece of information couldn’t be taken lightly. A moment of carelessness could endanger the territory.

 

The next day, in the pioneer village of Comansville.

 

As I arrived with my knights and soldiers, the village chief came rushing out in a fluster.

 

“Chief, you caught a chattering goblin?”

 

“Yes, my lord. We tied it up outside the village.”

 

“You’re quick. How did you catch it?”

 

“It fainted in shock when a wood golem suddenly appeared.”

 

That made sense. Anyone would be startled if a 10-meter-tall wood golem appeared right in front of them.

“Good work. But why did you contact me?”

 

“That goblin said a war is about to break out.”

 

I frowned. Just as the territory is beginning to grow—what kind of nonsense is this?

 

“Show me the goblin first.”

 

Following the chief, I was led to a shack outside the village.

 

Inside, a single goblin lay bound hand and foot, with a gag in its mouth. The villagers dragged the goblin out and pinned it to the ground to keep it from moving.

I drew my Soul Reaper and commanded, “Stand it up and remove the gag.”

 

The villagers stood the goblin up, its hands still bound, and removed its gag.

 

The goblin immediately began spewing words rapidly.

 

“Pah! If you don’t release me, I’ll kill every single one of you. And you will all submit to me. Anyone who resists will be slaughtered. I am a great goblin—I don’t understand why you’ve taken me prisoner. When my tribe finds out, they’ll flay you all alive—”

 

The noise was unbearable. I pressed the Soul Reaper against the goblin’s neck.

 

“I am the master of this land. Shut your mouth.”

 

“Ack!”

 

“What’s your name? Answer shortly.”

 

“Name? I don’t have one.”

 

‘Appraise.’

 

---

Nameless (10 years old)
   ➺ Son of the goblin ‘Nameless.’

---

 

‘Huh, never seen this before. Does this tribe not give names?’

 

“I’ll give you a name. From now on, you’re ‘Bixby.’”

 

“Bixby?”

 

“Yes, Bixby.”

 

Bixby was overjoyed at receiving a name and began jumping around excitedly.

 

“Bixby! Bixby!”

 

“Stop shouting. Unless you want to taste steel.”

 

“Ack!”

 

I crouched down to meet Bixby’s eye level and asked, “Bixby, you said a war was coming. Is that true?”

“Yes. Soon, all the chieftains will gather. When the chieftains gather, war happens.”

 

“Do you know why they’re gathering?”

 

“No. But I think it’s because the trees keep disappearing.”

 

What kind of nonsense was this?

 

It was puzzling. 

 

Considering the scale of the cleared land, it didn’t seem like something that would make goblin chieftains gather for war.

 

‘Bixby might be lying. Well, I’ll find out once I meet this chieftain.’

 

“How far is it from here to your tribe?”

 

“Sleep twice, then walk until the next day.”

 

Goblins move faster than humans in the forest.

 

Considering that, the distance was estimated to be roughly 70–80 km. Looking in that direction, a large mountain could be seen about 20 km away.

“Bixby, is that mountain difficult to cross?”

 

“Yes. It’s very exhausting.”

 

If even a goblin finds it exhausting, it must be tough for humans.

 

‘Is there room for negotiation using that mountain as a boundary? Either way, I need to meet their chieftain.’

 

“Tell your chieftain this: The owner of this land wishes to meet.”

 

“He won’t come. Humans don’t keep their promises.”

 

“I keep my promises. Because I am the owner of this land.”

 

“…What do you mean?”

 

“If I don’t keep my word, I can’t protect this land. Deliver that message.”

 

“Understood, human landowner. Bixby will go.”

 

I didn’t particularly want to get along with goblins. Even if we won a war, there would be countless casualties.

I simply didn’t want to face war until my territory grew stronger.

 

Soon, I untied the ropes binding Bixby and handed him a military saber as a token of diplomacy.