But there wasn’t really anything I could do about that right now.

Tomorrow, more shelters would be built, and eventually the rest of the clan would also get to sleep somewhere far more comfortable than tents.

This was only the beginning.

"Alright then, get some rest, all of you," I said while looking toward Caius and the others. "Tomorrow, we’ll be working nonstop, so prepare yourselves."

"Yes, Chief," they responded almost in unison.

After that, I gave a small nod before finally turning around and walking away from the area.

Honestly, by my standards, today had been an overwhelming success.

I woke up with garnets in hand.

Prevented a battle that could’ve easily turned disastrous.

Gained several valuable new members for the clan.

Successfully integrated both groups together through the tournament.

And somehow, against all odds, the day had even ended in a surprisingly festive atmosphere instead of bloodshed or tension.

A massive win overall.

Still, despite everything going well, I could feel the mental exhaustion settling into me now that things had finally calmed down.

Today had involved nonstop thinking, negotiations, tension management, observation, planning, and social interaction almost from beginning to end.

At this point, I didn’t even want to think anymore.

I just wanted to get back to bed, lie down beside Zarah, and fall asleep.

I headed back toward my quarters afterward, but partway through the settlement, I noticed Talia walking alongside several female goblins.

They were carrying bundles of blankets, pillows, and extra clothing in their arms while heading in the direction of the newly constructed shelters.

I immediately narrowed my brow.

"Where are you going with all that?"

Talia stopped after hearing my voice before turning toward me.

"I thought to give them some blankets for convenience."

The moment the words left her mouth, I shook my head.

"Take them back. They’re comfortable enough already. They’re sleeping inside an actual building while the others are still in tents. They don’t need all this too."

The female goblins immediately obeyed after hearing my decision, quickly turning around with the supplies still in their hands.

But unlike the others, Talia didn’t move.

She remained standing there, staring directly at me.

"What?" I asked after noticing the look she was giving me.

Talia narrowed her eyes slightly.

"Aren’t you being petty right now? You were the one who allowed them to build the shelters, weren’t you?"

I stared at her for a second in disbelief.

"Petty? Did you just call me petty?"

"Then what else would you call it?" Talia replied without backing down. "How can you get jealous over the outcome of a decision you made yourself?"

Jealous?

That wasn’t what this was.

If anything, what I felt was closer to guilt than jealousy.

The goblins who had followed me from the beginning had slept through cold nights in tents, fought beside me, bled beside me, and helped build everything this clan currently possessed from almost nothing.

Yet now, the newcomers were already sleeping inside solid stone buildings while many of the others still lacked even basic comforts.

That feeling sitting in my chest wasn’t jealousy.

It was the uncomfortable realization that I still hadn’t done enough for the goblins who had been with me from the start.

Of course, Talia wouldn’t understand what I was actually thinking.

But that wasn’t even the point anymore.

The point right now was something far more important.

I glared.

"How dare you call me petty?"

Talia raised a brow, completely unmoved.

"Are you not petty?"

I opened my mouth to deny it. And immediately failed.

Because unfortunately...I was, in fact, a petty person...goblin.

That was, admittedly, one of my many flaws.

Still, that wasn’t the issue here.

The issue was the sheer audacity she had to say it directly to my face without even pretending to fear me a little.

I pointed at her repeatedly, struggling to come up with an actual defense.

"You..." I started before narrowing my eyes. "Watch yourself."

That was the best I could come up with.

If I weren’t so exhausted, maybe I would have thought of an actual argument.

I turned and began walking away before she could continue the conversation any further.

But instead of stopping there, Talia followed after me while still holding one of the blankets tightly against her chest.

I glanced at her with a frown.

’What did she want now?’

For a few seconds, neither of us spoke as we continued walking through the settlement beneath the dim nighttime lighting.

Then Talia finally broke the silence.

"Aren’t you forgetting something important?"

I immediately narrowed my brow.

"What are you talking about? What exactly did I forget?"

Talia shook her head slowly, looking genuinely disappointed in me.

"I was right. You really do not value me."

I immediately stopped walking and turned toward her fully.

"What kind of conclusion is that?" I asked with visible disbelief.

"And what exactly did I even do to make you feel that way?"

Talia shrugged lightly.

"I don’t know. Maybe because, despite knowing what I can do, you never came to check on my work. Or because you still haven’t informed me about the crystal I told you I needed."

She paused briefly before adding the final part.

"Or maybe because you still haven’t made me an official member of the clan."

I blinked once. Then frowned.

"I haven’t made you a clan member?"

Talia simply stared at me.

And that blank look on her face immediately made something click in my head.

I pointed at her in shock.

"No, I did. Right?"

Talia said nothing. She just continued looking at me with the same expression, which somehow made the situation feel even worse.

And slowly, realization began creeping in.

...Oh.

I actually never did.

I immediately opened my status interface and pulled up the list of clan members.

Then I checked it carefully from top to bottom.

Once. Twice.

There was no name called Talia anywhere on the list.

Not before Caius and the others. Not after them either.

My eyes slowly widened.

How the hell did I actually miss that?

"That’s why I said you do not value me," Talia said with visible annoyance after seeing my reaction. "I could’ve left for another clan at any point, and you probably wouldn’t have even noticed."

"Don’t overreact. Someone else would’ve noticed you were gone. I’m sure of that."

She snapped.

"That’s not the point!"

I blinked once at the sudden frustration in her voice before looking at her properly again.

Then, after a brief pause, I spoke more carefully.

"But you wouldn’t actually do that, would you? Leave."

Talia didn’t answer.

That silence immediately bothered me far more than it should have.

Because if she truly intended to deny it outright, she would’ve done so immediately.

Instead, she stood there holding the blanket against her chest while avoiding my gaze for the first time since the conversation started.

I slowly narrowed my eyes and asked again, this time more slowly, my voice deeper than before.

"You wouldn’t do that, would you?"

Talia turned her face away slightly after...