Dobby’s serene gaze met Noah’s.

He gave a small nod before quietly closing his eyes.

Each emotion drifted through the air like invisible currents, overlapping one another until they formed a suffocating haze around the two groups.

Feeling the emotions of those around him had long since become second nature.

And despite receiving Noah’s blood and becoming one of his Fallen, Dobby still found himself needing to shut out the world around him so he could focus entirely upon the emotions before him.

At first glance, it seemed unnecessary.

There was a time where he absorbed even stronger emotions back when his kin were under the influence of Noah’s blood.

But only Dobby understood that the two situations couldn’t be compared.

The emotions themselves were completely different. Every emotion held significance to the soul, leaving scars that would need time to heal, even after absorbing those emotions.

Only... emotions born from malice were the only exception.

When it came to emotions like grief, despair, fear, or depression, the soul instinctively rejected them.

Emotions such as envy and jealousy were different. They wounded the soul just the same, yet they also tempted it with promises that the pain or emotions could be comforted. Over time, those whispers often gave birth to resentment, hatred, and revenge.

Only emotions born from pure malice abandoned all pretense. They no longer burdened the soul; they sought only to corrupt it.

And the more the soul accepted them, the deeper that corruption spread.

That was what made emotions born from malice so dangerous.

Not only did Dobby have to absorb them carefully to keep them from affecting his own soul, but they also resisted being separated from the one harboring them.

Fortunately, receiving Noah’s blood had strengthened more than just his body.

His soul had become far stronger than before.

What once would’ve required every ounce of his concentration had now become little more than a greater expenditure of effort.

The silver markings spread across Dobby’s body gradually brightened.

Threads of black mist slowly rose from the surrounding monsters before drifting toward him from every direction.

It didn’t take long before the growling and hissing gradually faded. The killing intent that had weighed upon the goblins only moments earlier quietly disappeared, leaving behind an unfamiliar sense of calm.

The goblins instinctively looked around in confusion.

Several of them cautiously glanced back toward the cats and dogs, expecting another wave of hostility that never came. For a moment, it all felt like an illusion.

Yet what unsettled them even more wasn’t the change in the monsters, but themselves.

Weren’t they just afraid?

Unlike the goblins, the other party realized the source of what happened to their anger.

One pair of eyes after another gradually settled upon Dobby.

Confusion filled many of their expressions.

Others seemed almost unwilling to accept what he had just done.

The goblins were their enemies. To strip away the hatred they felt toward them almost seemed no different than asking them to stand on the goblins’ side.

Rather than answering them himself, he quietly looked toward Noah.

He had only acted because Noah asked him to. If anyone should explain that decision, it should be him.

Noah was of the same mindset as he quickly addressed everyone.

"Don’t look at him like that; I’m the one who told him to do it."

The monsters immediately shifted their attention toward Noah.

Yet unlike the looks they had directed toward Dobby, there wasn’t the slightest trace of accusation in their eyes. But of course it was only because they couldn’t afford to offend Noah that they had to behave themselves.

Noah didn’t pay any mind. As long as they respected him, then he would show them the same respect. However, he had to correct the issue at hand.

"But... I think you all are misunderstanding something here."

"I brought them here. They are under my protection. What gives you the right to think you can threaten them in front of me? What makes you think that your feelings trump my authority?"

Whether it was the cats or the dogs, they all instinctively lowered their heads in fear and submission. They didn’t think about the significance of their actions until now.

Some were now even grateful that Dobby had stopped them.

Their silence was loud.

Noah didn’t press them for an answer; their trembling figures were a reminder for him not to press them too hard.

"I’m not saying you have to forgive them."

"You don’t even have to like them."

"But from today onward, they’re part of this territory."

Another silence followed.

Noah could already see the uneasiness spreading among them as they subconsciously eyed one another. It was as if they were wondering what they should do. Or even questioning whether they still had a place here.

Even seeing this, Noah didn’t rise to anger. It’s not that they were struggling to understand his authority, but they were struggling to understand why the goblins deserved such accommodations.

No one there was ignorant enough not to know what it meant to live here. Even without Noah’s blood, anyone permitted to remain within this paradise of rich mana would inevitably grow stronger.

More importantly, the protection surrounding the territory meant they would have a peaceful life...

A sheltered life.

Why did the monsters that hunted their kind deserve such privileges?

After watching the expressions around him for another moment, Noah quietly let out a breath.

"I’m not blaming any of you. They deserve every bit of your hatred."

His words caught the cats and dogs by surprise. And just like them, the goblins were surprised too.

"They killed your companions. That alone would never go away."

"But look at them."

Perhaps because Noah had shown he acknowledged their feelings, their gaze shifted toward the goblins with a sense of trying to understand what Noah wanted them to see.

"That debt has already been repaid... With blood."

The goblins instinctively drew closer together as the memories they had desperately tried to push aside resurfaced once again.

Everything they had witnessed after entering the territory had been so overwhelming that, if only for a brief moment, they had almost forgotten what had happened earlier that night.

"Look at them."

"The ones standing here now are all that’s left. The amount of goblins we killed won’t bring back your companions, but..."

Noah paused; he didn’t regret what he did. However, he couldn’t continue to please them by tearing the other further down. Not when they will eventually become a part of their group.

"They paid enough so that they shouldn’t have to keep paying for them every day they live here."

—

Alexandria found herself quietly lowering her gaze.

She still remembered the conversation she had with Ailetta only days earlier.

At the time, she had wanted nothing more than to hunt the goblins down herself.

That desire disappeared the moment Ailetta explained how many goblins there actually were.

The risk had simply been too great.

Now... Looking at the small group standing behind Noah, she could finally understand what had happened.

More than two-thirds of it had disappeared in a single night.

The resentment she had carried within her heart didn’t disappear.

She wasn’t ready to forgive them.

But as she looked upon the frightened children huddled around Genghis... and the few broken adults that remained...

Alexandria found herself wondering whether the revenge she had longed for should be considered to have been carried out.

—

There was no heated back-and-forth afterward. Noah made Alexandria and Dog take their group away to talk things over amongst themselves.

Was there a chance that they wouldn’t accept Noah’s terms? That chance was always there, but Noah highly doubted they would leave because of this.

Alexandria, Dog, and Dobby should be able to correctly lead the others to make the right decision. Otherwise...

No, he didn’t want to think about what he would have to do.

After dealing with them, Noah noticed that the goblins were even meeker than before.

The silence that lingered between them wasn’t awkward. If anything, it was almost expected after everything they had experienced.

Noah simply turned and began walking. The goblins exchanged uncertain glances before quietly hurrying after him.

Rather than letting them stay in the center with everyone else, Noah guided them farther into the other part of the forest instead.

Eventually, the sight of the buildings disappeared altogether, replaced only by the rustling of leaves overhead and the distant smell of water.

After walking for several more minutes, Noah finally came to a stop.

His eyes slowly swept across the surrounding area.

The clearing was spacious enough to accommodate far more goblins than the handful currently standing behind him. The small artificial lake rested nearby, close enough that gathering water wouldn’t become an issue, while the surrounding forest provided more than enough room for future expansion.

Most importantly... It was far enough away that neither side would constantly have to cross paths with the other.

"This is where you’ll stay for now."

The goblins looked around in confusion. Besides trees, there wasn’t a single hut or shelter in sight.

Noah didn’t explain; four giant spider appendages appeared from his back before countless strands of silk webs burst from their fingertips.

They wrapped themselves around nearby trees before weaving together with impossible precision.

Walls gradually rose as countless strands intertwined until the web hardened into smooth, ebony-colored walls threaded with faint veins of dark violet.

More web stretched overhead, forming sturdy roofs for each building.

It didn’t take long before several barracks stood where an empty clearing had existed only moments earlier.

The goblins stared in complete silence. Not a single one understood what they had just witnessed.

Their entire tribe had spent generations creating and repairing crude wooden huts. Yet the Oni had casually built an entire settlement in little more than a few moments.

Noah paid little attention to their reactions. His gaze remained fixed upon the newly constructed buildings as he continued.

"This won’t be your home forever."

His eyes drifted farther into the forest.

"Eventually, your group will continue to grow, and you can do with this side of the forest as you please."

Only then did he glance back toward Genghis.

"When that time comes...This side will belong to your tribe. And you’ll make sure to protect it with your life."

Genghis’ eyes widened. The other goblins weren’t much different.

They had expected little more than a place to survive. To be treated as tools to do the Oni’s bidding.

Instead, the Oni had already begun preparing a future for them.