"The reason I'm having you all here is to discuss what to do with the prisoners we currently have in our dungeon. As you've already seen, they aren't typical goblins. Most of them are Chosen, and they're quite powerful."

"I thought they came for revenge, young totem," Flogga said, her brows furrowing slightly. "Why did they suddenly surrender?"

"To join our clan," I replied casually.

The reaction was immediate.

A quiet gasp spread across the room, and even Bundi, who had remained mostly silent up until now, looked visibly startled by that answer.

"To join us?" Flogga repeated, clearly trying to make sure she had heard correctly.

I nodded.

"They believe we have what it takes to perform well in the King's Games," I explained. "And because of that, they want to become part of the clan."

The room fell quiet for a brief moment as everyone processed that.

Then Narg spoke.

"Are they joining only because of the King's Games…" he asked carefully, "or do they genuinely believe in this clan and want to be part of it?"

I leaned back slightly before answering.

"The Games seem to be their main motivation."

Honestly, if I hadn't been a candidate myself, I doubted they would've come here asking to join. More likely, they would've either tried to forcefully take over the clan or moved on in search of another candidate they considered more worthwhile.

"And…" I continued, resting my arm lightly against the table, "their leader also seems to genuinely understand and respect the strength I possess after losing to me. So there's that as well."

"Or maybe he simply covets it," Zarah suggested calmly. 𝐟𝕣𝕖𝐞𝐰𝕖𝚋𝐧𝗼𝚟𝐞𝕝.𝗰𝐨𝐦

That was a valid suspicion.

Actually, it was probably the safer assumption.

Someone like Caius didn't strike me as the type to blindly admire power without wanting something from it.

"And what happens if you lose that power?" Flogga suddenly asked, her tone more serious than before. "Would they still remain loyal to the clan… or would they try to take over instead?"

I raised a brow slightly at that.

That was actually a really good question.

But after thinking about it for a moment, I couldn't help asking something in return.

"Doesn't that apply to all of you as well?"

They all froze slightly at that.

I looked around the table before continuing.

"Would any of you stay if one day I became powerless?"

The room fell silent.

Not because they were offended, but because it wasn't an easy question to answer honestly. In a world like this, strength wasn't just respected—it was survival itself. Clans followed powerful leaders because weak leaders usually died, and everyone beneath them died shortly after.

So asking whether they would stay beside me without that strength…

That wasn't a small question.

For a few moments, nobody spoke.

Then an old voice finally broke the silence.

"I'd stay."

Flogga snorted lightly before waving her hand dismissively.

"Ain't no way I'm serving another crazy youngling after this," she grumbled. "If somehow you lose your power or die, I'd probably just give up on living altogether."

"Flogga…" I uttered with a smile despite myself.

That was actually more touching than I expected.

"Me too," Zarah said without hesitation.

My eyes shifted toward her.

"If that happens, then I'll become king and you can be the queen," she stated calmly, as though she had already thought the scenario through before. "And as king, I'll take the heads of anyone stupid enough to mess with my queen."

That was… strangely cute.

But there was absolutely no way I was letting anyone call me queen.

I immediately pushed that mental image out of my head before turning toward Narg instead.

"And you?"

"I'd stay as well," he answered in a serious tone. "But you would no longer remain chief."

Zarah immediately scowled at that.

"You waste no time revealing your ambition, do you?"

"I'm being realistic," Narg replied calmly, completely unfazed by the hostility in her voice. "Strength is everything. If the Chief somehow loses his power, then he would no longer be capable of protecting the clan."

"That is true," Gobbo added with a slow nod. "Power is respect. Power is loyalty. Power is everything in this world. Losing it is almost the same as death."

Bundi and Gork remained silent through all of it. Neither agreeing nor disagreeing.

They simply avoided speaking altogether.

I slowly turned my gaze toward the two who had just spoken, letting a darker pressure slip into my stare.

The reaction was immediate.

Both of them stiffened almost instinctively after sensing it, and the atmosphere around the table tightened slightly.

Then I spoke.

"You two do realize I'm not powerless right now, don't you?"

Narg and Gobbo visibly gulped under my stare.

The pressure in the room had shifted completely at this point.

"You also realize," I continued calmly, "that I can make both of you powerless right now if I want to. With a flick of my wrist."

I gestured for effect.

"We do, Chief," they replied almost immediately, their voices noticeably tense.

"And what happens then?" I asked. "Would you simply die because you've become powerless, just like Gobbo claimed a moment ago?"

Neither of them answered.

I let the silence drag for a second before speaking again, my tone lowering slightly.

"In fact…" I said slowly, "how about I kill the two of you right now so you can personally tell me how death feels?"

Both of them stiffened.

"Then maybe we'll figure out whether losing power is truly the same as death…" I continued, my gaze fixed on them, "or whether actual death is far worse."

The tension instantly became unbearable.

Gobbo and Narg both dropped to their knees almost at the same time, panic flashing across their faces as they hurriedly began apologizing.

"Forgive me, Chief. We spoke wrongly," Narg said quickly, lowering his head. "It's just… the scenario you brought up made me think about... No… that is not an excuse. We're sorry, Chief."

"We're truly sorry, Chief," Gobbo added right after him.

I rolled my eyes lightly at the sight, almost laughing.

I wasn't angry at what they said. In fact, their answers were exactly what I expected from them, and if they had said anything else, I probably wouldn't have believed it.

Narg had always...