Chapter 243 - 204: The Sound of Bowstrings on a Snowy Night

Inside a tattered animal-hide tent, the Giant Goblin Leiden nursed a cup of hot fruit wine brewed by the Centaur Race, trying to shake off the chill from a night on the move.

Though the night had been exhausting, a faint, irrepressible smile touched his lips.

In his eyes, it had all been worth it.

Not only had he averted the current crisis, but he’d also managed to join the camp of a human Baron. On top of that, Gus was still alive.

Everything had turned out far better than Leiden had imagined.

As a Giant Goblin with awakened Innate Wisdom, possessing an intelligence that far surpassed his kin, Leiden had always understood one thing with deep clarity.

In this day and age, humans were the undisputed masters.

It was the great tide of history—an unchangeable fact.

Just like the Titans of the Titan Era, or the Elves and Giant Dragons of the Magic Era.

Every era has a favorite, a race blessed by the Gods. For the past several thousand years, humanity—who firmly controlled the world’s most bountiful lands and fertile pastures—was undoubtedly that favorite.

No matter how he and Gus developed the Gale Race in the Wilderness, they would ultimately be a second-rate power. Even if they managed to grow strong, humans would snuff them out in the cradle before they could become a true threat.

Therefore, joining the humans was the best solution. As far as Leiden knew, many of the well-known Half-Beastman Tribes had already allied with humans, allowing them to survive and prosper.

Now, the Gale Race was finally on the right path—on the condition that they won this next battle decisively, their pledge of loyalty.

"How are the preparations?" He lifted his cup, drained the hot wine, and let out a long, steamy breath of satisfaction before inching his cold feet closer to the fire.

"Our men have shouldered their bows and sharpened their blades." Surrounding Leiden were the finest and most valiant Centaur Warriors of the Gale Race.

Their bronzed, powerful muscles were a testament to the strength they had forged in battle, bit by bit. Their calm faces, in the moments before the coming fight, were the ultimate expression of their fearlessness.

It was worth noting that...

In the Wilderness Alliance Army, there were many Centaur Warriors, but they all belonged to different Tribes.

The Gale Race, led by Gus and Leiden, still had roughly four hundred Bow Control Centaur Warriors, not counting those already killed in action. They also commanded over a thousand Bear Goblins who served as Auxiliary Soldiers.

Ever since Leiden had joined the Gale Race as its second-in-command, the Goblins and the Centaur Race had begun to work in symbiosis.

The Goblins handled production and some logistics, while the Centaur Warriors took care of combat.

Of course, the term "Goblins" here referred only to the Bear Goblins and Giant Goblins.

As for common goblins, Leiden considered them utterly disgusting, rat-like creatures, and refused to acknowledge them as kin.

The tent was silent, save for the CRACKLE of burning firewood. Leiden, meanwhile, was mentally running through every detail of the plan, searching for any potential flaws.

THUMP!

The simple wooden plank serving as a door was abruptly pushed open.

"Leid—"

The silence was shattered. A dozen pairs of eyes snapped toward the entrance.

Staring at the dozen or so fully equipped Centaur Warriors glaring at her with murderous intent, the Harpies Queen, Aidan, who had burst in so aggressively, felt her bravado vanish. She couldn’t help but swallow hard.

At a glance from Leiden, the Centaur Warriors, who were already drawing their bows, lowered their Nomadic Bows.

But they were confident that, from only a few steps away, they could put an arrow through her ugly skull before she could even utter a sound.

"It’s late, Aidan. Instead of sleeping, you’ve found the time to visit me?" Leiden smiled faintly and gestured for her to sit.

"You’re not sleeping either, are you?" Aidan took a deep breath and chuckled cryptically, sitting down directly across from the Giant Goblin with whom she had a tenuous acquaintance.

"Out with it. Why have you come looking for me so late?"

"I’ll be direct, Leiden. I saw you leave the camp alone tonight, out in the blizzard." The Harpies Queen glanced around; she was already subtly encircled by the Centaur Warriors in the tent. Deciding to put her cards on the table, she stared intently at his face.

Leiden’s brow twitched, and his hand moved unconsciously to the hilt of his sword.

It was true that he was as inconspicuous as an ant within this Alliance Army; even a single Pigman Warrior garnered more attention than he did.

But it was inevitable that someone with a watchful eye would notice, and Aidan was clearly that someone.

"I knew you wouldn’t go down with this Alliance Army. So, tell me, Leiden, when are you planning to leave?"

Before Leiden could smash his cup to signal dozens of axemen to burst in and hack the Harpies Queen to paste, she continued with an air of certainty.

"This Alliance Army can no longer handle the human offensive. Everyone knows this. That Zor Elf was just throwing a fit, but it’s nothing more than the rage of the powerless."

"Like you, I won’t let my people be buried in this frozen wasteland. As for the Primordial Blood Crystal? I haven’t so much as laid eyes on it. It’s probably just a ruse concocted by those Zor!"

"You slipped away alone tonight to scout a retreat route, didn’t you."

Leiden calmly moved his hand from his sword, his estimation of the Harpies Queen rising.

In fact, just as Aidan had said, most of them knew they no longer had any chance of winning this battle.

But they had already invested too much in this war. They had squeezed their Tribes dry for supplies and lost countless Warriors.