Goblin Kingdom - Volume 1 - Chapter 1

Chapter 1: Parturition

Where am I?

When I opened my eyes. Darkness greeted me. And I felt the pangs of hunger viciously lash out from within me.

Hunger? No. It's more like... 'Starvation'.

"Gigi."

I'm... hungry.

I wanted to say that, but I couldn't. The only thing that came out of my mouth, was a cramped, blurred shriek.

I close my eyes.

The pangs of hunger continue to torment me. Relentlessly, without pause. 

I keep my eyes closed. I don't want to open my eyes. It's too much effort.

"Gagururu!"

Something... I heard something. Some kind of noise, from somewhere nearby.

"Gi?"


That noise slowly creeped in, eventually stopping before me. Then I felt something hit me. Something soft and tender, with a repugnant smell... Meat. It was meat! 

Rendered delirious by the hunger, I hadn't the patience to ponder what meat it was. Greedily, I put the meat into my mouth as I sunk my teeth into it.

Delicious! 

Hahahaha! It's delicious!

I don’t know what kind of meat this is, but it's delicious! Far more than anything I've ever tasted. 

“Gigi–––gigigi!”

Before I knew it, I had already eaten all of it.

–––More! I want more!

It's not enough! I want more! More! More! More!

The craving within me, unsatisfied, grew fiercer within my body as it lusted for more meat.

Then all of the sudden, something grabbed me. It took me from the back of my neck as it lifted me up.

"Gi?"

If only I could look up now, then I would know that I am being held up by the huge hand of a figure as it walked. 

But as I felt the wind caress me.

Light gradually began to fill my sight.

And as that light shone on me, I couldn't help but narrow my eyes.

Too bright. That light entered my eyes like a ray of fire, scorching my eyes.

I narrow my eyes. If I let my eyes slowly get used to it, then I should be able to...

"Gigi?"

When I was finally able to open my eyes, what greeted me was a great, thick forest. 

Then I noticed it, my field of vision was shaking.

I wonder how long it has been, since I last carried something like this. 20 years? No, even as a baby, I would've carried things in a more... normal way. I mean humans from the start are...

As I wondered who it was that was treating me so roughly, I moved my eyes. But what I saw shook me to the core.

What has been dangling me around like a cub, was something that I could not have thought to be anything but a joke.  A creature with a wide, green frame.

"Gi?"

No... No matter how you look at this. This...

This isn't human.

In other words... it's that. 

It may simply be the fault of my diminutive lexicon, but I can find no other word more fitting.

Goblin. Yes, a goblin.

That hideous face. That bulky, wide, frame with green skin. 

Yes. A goblin. It must be a goblin.

As I was muttering to myself, that goblin turned and looked at me with a face I can only describe as something turned hideous by hate.

Not good. I’m going to die.

I couldn’t help but think that as I gulped.

That green, bulky monster was so horrifying, its gaze, alone, was enough to make me brace for death. 

However, to my relief, it only glanced at me, before walking again.

It continued to walk, and eventually, we left that thick forest. After which, it lightly threw me to the shore of a beautiful lake. That lake’s beauty was a rare kind in present times.

“Feed. Catch. No good, then die.” 

After the goblin told me that, it turned its back on me, and it walked away. Seeing that green monster turn, I noticed that it had a lethal weapon that looked somewhat like a one-handed club on its back.

Feed?

Is it talking about the meat from a while ago? But exactly what kind of meat was that?

In any case, I’m not in any mood to go against a monster. So for the meantime, I better refresh myself with some water from the lake.

By the way, this is safe to drink… right?

As I quenched my thirst, I noticed that I was able to distract myself from the hunger.

Now, what should I do? Should I try to run? But my biggest problem is that I have no idea what’s going on. As I was thinking that, I calmly glanced at the surface of the water. At which, all of the sudden, my thoughts stopped. 

“Gi?”

Ah?

Why is it here? That hideous, green monster’s visage, was reflected on the surface of the water. 

“Gigi?”

Ah?

I can see it. That same, ugly, green skin.

“Gigi?”

Aah?

Staring at the reflection, I turned my hand. Like a mirror, the reflected image imitated me, and it cheekily turned its hand. “Impossible,” I thought. Unwilling to accept, I touch my face several times. In response, the reflection on the water moved exactly in the same way. I stuck my hand into the water, and shook it several times. The undulating ripples crashed into the reflection, causing it to dissipate.

“Gigi? Gu?” 

Me? A monster?

Still refusing to believe, I looked down on my hand.

That same, hideous, green color. Could anyone truly dare call this human? If so, then a dog’s hand or a pig’s should also be considered human. 

As I touch my face with that very hand, I look into the reflection on the water.

“Gigi.”

–––Monster.

No. I pinch my face, I tug on it, I twist, I contort, anything, just to grasp some hope that, that is not me. But alas, nothing could. Nothing could shine a ray of hope to that plea.

“Gugugugu.”

–––Kukukuku

“Gya–gaggugugu!”

–––Ahahahaha.

I can only laugh. 

What absurd comedy is this? Is there anyone who can explain?

Why?

I should have gone through life without any problems.

In a few years I would be getting a job.

Yet… why?

A monster? How? Is this a dream?

As I continued to laugh that parched laugh, what erupted next, within me, was anger.

Why?

An anger that no one should have to answer to. 

I turned my eyes away from the surface of the water and I struck at the ground.

The feeling of the earth. The sensation of the grass. And even the juice of that biting louse I had just crushed. All of them were shoving into me, screaming at me, the truth of this shitty reality.

“Gigurua!!”

I wanted to scream. But what came out of my throat was nothing but a sour sound that could not even be called a word.

Something like this could only be called the cry of a beast, or perhaps, it is no different from the wails of a newborn.

But as reason screamed, so did instinct.

I’m hungry.

I had only eaten, and yet… what is this craving?

As I kept my eyes away, I submerged my face in the water, and I vigorously gulped it down.

My throat beat as I drank until I filled my belly. Then I separated myself from the lake, and laid on the ground.

Those rays of light that are burning both my body and my eyes are annoying.

Fuck. I feel like an utter fool.

I am going to sleep.

I took cover beneath a tree’s shade. It wasn’t much, but I was at least able to lessen that vexing sunlight.

There, I closed my eyes. Thanks to all that water I drank, I was able to somehow quell even that insatiable hunger. Like this, I was able to quickly fall asleep.




△▼△




When I opened my eyes, it had already become dark.

“Gi.”

Shit.

I cursed as I opened my eyes.

As expected though, the voice that came out was nothing but an incomprehensible groan.

I tried raising my hand. Of course, it was that ugly green hand. With some bumps here and there, no one would definitely call it pretty.

“Gi–––?”

–––Hey?

As I left the shadow of the tree, I looked up at the night sky. Bang! It was as if lightning had struck me.

Up in the sky was the bright full moon.

But what hang there in the sky was far bigger than what I remember. Moreover, there were two of them.

Like a flash of lightning, I suddenly recall something I had once read from a light novel.

A different world.

In that story, people were transported from their world to another world, where they were granted special powers. Those people became heroes and they subjugated the demon king. Yes, it was one of those cliché happy endings.

I don’t remember the story much, but…

Because of this similar situation, for the first time, I couldn’t help but break out in a cold sweat.

But still… to actually take my humanity away. Is this one of god’s pranks?

Absurd.

Absolutely absurd. Even if I think such things, what would it change? In the end, I’m still an ugly monster.

I’m hungry.

In my pondering, a cry of instinct echoed, and that insatiable hunger once again lashed out from within me.

Unconsciously, that hunger paralyzed my mind. So much so, that my eyes began to swim around, looking for food.

… In any case, I better drink some water first.

After I drank my fill, I stood up.

This should be enough for now.

Now, regarding the current situation, and regarding the question of whether I can go back or not. I can think about such things later.

Right now, my hunger takes precedence. Meat, I want to eat meat.

Meat

I want to eat. 
I want to eat.
I want to eat.
I want to eat.
I want to eat.
I want to eat.
I want to eat.
I want to eat.
I want to eat!

Now that I think about it, I can see uncannily well in the dark.

I guess this is one of the advantages of being a monster.

My eyes begin to swim around, searching for a prey.

The instant a moving shadow entered my field of vision, I sprinted.

“Guruaa!”

Moving in the bushes, it was a rabbit.

It tried to run away as soon as it noticed me. But, surprisingly, I was able to leap with great strength, allowing me to drive the rabbit into a corner. There, without the slightest semblance of hesitation, I strangled it to death. 

Opening my mouth wide, I brought that lifeless corpse’s head into my jaw, and I sunk my fangs into its neck. As the blood dripped down its fur from where I’d sunk my fangs. I licked that line of blood lustfully and savored every part of the beast. Ah, delicious.

I crunch the cranium. The spinal fluids burst forth. And delightfully, I slurped it, sending gushes of pleasure, surging throughout my body.

In this way, I was able to stave off my hunger.

Then I remembered something.

Wasn’t there a story about a man who became a tiger?