And a few with something close to awe.

Honestly, none of that was surprising.

Even stripped of his former authority, Caius still carried himself like someone powerful. The way he stood, the calmness in his expression, the complete absence of nervousness under everyone’s attention—it naturally drew respect whether people wanted to admit it or not.

"He possesses a power that’s only a step below mine," I continued.

"Not anymore, I don’t," Caius muttered calmly from beside me.

But I ignored him.

"Which means he knows things capable of making this clan stronger," I continued, "and increasing our chances of surviving the King’s Games, which is our most important objective right now."

That statement noticeably shifted the atmosphere again.

The excitement from earlier settled slightly, replaced by a heavier seriousness as the reality of the King’s Games resurfaced in everyone’s minds.

And after hearing that, many of them began looking at Caius differently.

The distrust was still there, but now it was mixed with a clear sense of respect for what he had accomplished and the strength he possessed.

Caius himself, however, seemed completely unaffected by the attention.

Unlike the others, he didn’t look uncomfortable standing beneath everyone’s gaze at all.

Honestly, it was probably something he had long gotten used to as a former chief.

"Now..." I began, bringing the discussion toward its conclusion. "These goblins are not guests. They are not allies either. From this day onward, they are members of the Emerald Midget Clan operating under my authority."

The gathered goblins listened quietly.

"If they betray us, they die," I continued evenly. "And if anyone attacks them without reason, I’ll consider that an attack against my authority as chief."

A few expressions stiffened at that.

Some of Caius’ followers also reacted slightly upon hearing it stated that bluntly, though none of them voiced any complaints. After the oaths they had just sworn, they already understood their lives were now tied directly to this clan whether they liked it or not.

Good.

I wanted the message understood clearly before unnecessary problems started later.

"So unless one of them gives you a reason," I finished, "learn to work together. Understood?"

"YES, CHIEF!"

The response echoed throughout the settlement almost immediately.

I gave a small nod.

"Good," I muttered before turning toward Narg and the others. "Narg, Granny Flogga, Zarah, Gobbo, Bundi, and Gork—you’ll be joining me for a meeting at the round table."

Then I turned toward the newcomers.

"Caius, Sheera, Verya, Kharos, Drel, and Doro. You all come as well."

They nodded in understanding.

"The rest of you should try mingling with the others for now," I said to the remaining goblins from Caius’ group. "Dribb and Zonk will show you around the settlement."

Dribb looked like he had mixed feelings about being assigned that responsibility, though he didn’t complain openly. Putting Dribb in charge of guiding former enemies around the settlement sounded like a disaster waiting to happen. But at the same time, I trusted him enough to know he wouldn’t cross a line that I had drawn clearly.

"Yes, chief," the remaining goblins responded.

The word chief sounded noticeably awkward coming from some of them, as though they still weren’t fully used to acknowledging someone else in that position yet.

And that was expected.

They had followed Caius for who knew how long. Suddenly shifting that loyalty and openly calling another goblin chief wasn’t something they were going to adjust to immediately.

But they would get used to it eventually.

Or they’d be forced to.

I turned and began walking away, intending to head toward the round table meeting area with the others following behind me.

But before we could properly leave, a loud voice suddenly rang out from behind us, stopping the entire group in place.

"Wait!"

I stopped and turned around to see Dribb was walking forward with his axe resting over his shoulder, his expression serious in a way that instantly made me realize this wasn’t going to be something minor.

Gobbo, standing nearby, was already shaking his head repeatedly as though trying to stop him before he said anything stupid.

Unfortunately, Dribb ignored him completely, and lowered himself onto one knee respectfully before me.

"Chief," he began, his tone firm, "if you permit it... I’d like to challenge one of these unruly goblins to a fight."

The reaction from both sides was immediate.

Several gasps sounded throughout the gathered crowd while others outright scoffed in disbelief.

Some couldn’t believe Dribb had the courage to ask something like that directly in front of Caius and the others.

Others looked excited instead.

"This is not the time for your silly games, Dribb," Narg said with a deep frown. "There are more urgent matters we should be focusing on."

"This isn’t a game," Dribb replied immediately, his tone serious and unwavering. "If they’re truly going to stand beside us in battle later, then I want to see their strength with my own eyes."

Judging from the look in his eyes, I could tell he meant every word.

Gobbo let out a tired sigh and stepped forward, clearly intending to drag Dribb away before the situation escalated further.

"Stop this nonsense and go already, Dribb."

But before he could reach him, I raised a hand.

"No. Leave him," I said, a grin slowly spreading across my face. "Let’s hear him out."

Dribb immediately straightened slightly after hearing that, while Gobbo let out another exhausted sigh like he had already given up trying to stop what was about to happen.

"Chief, lets not entertain this" Narg whispered but I didn’t listen.

The tension between both groups was still lingering beneath the surface no matter how calm things looked right now. Everyone was restraining themselves because I ordered it, but restraint wasn’t the same thing as acceptance.

Caius’ group needed to properly establish themselves within the clan sooner rather than later, and this, if handled correctly, this could actually help with that.

"So..." I said, looking toward Dribb with an interested grin spreading across my face. "Which one of them do you want to fight?"

The moment I asked that question, the...