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“And so… the provisional application of supplies will be carried out separately by the demon and the human parties for the remainder of these peace hearings. Do you, General Maford, agree and sign this?” A lanky person with elf ears spoke on in a droning voice.

General Maford snorted as if he just woke up, and the shook his head up and down. “Yes, yes… let’s just get this over with.”

“And for you, lord Typhoon-“

“All this agreement is saying is that as long as our armies sit on the border, we’ll be responsible for feeding our side and they will be responsible for feeding their side. Was this really necessary to waste the last hour on such things?” Lord Typhon sounded irritated.

The tall elf seemed completely unperturbed by being snapped at. “It is only natural that for the peace treaty to continue, that rules be set down to prevent the talks from facing complications. It could take weeks, or even months for the two of you to settle on an agreement.”

“Weeks?” Maford’s sleep eyes widened at that.

“Months?” Typhon shouted at the same time.

“Both parties have agreed to make the elvish tribe the arbiters of your talks. Given our nature, it is in our best interest that both sides put away their differences and make peace. I’m only doing what is necessary to ensure this happens.” The elf explained, and then held up a cup, “Water, please.”

This was a massive tent place right on the border between the demon and human realm. It was filled with various humans on one side and demons on the other, all ready to discuss the prerequisites for peace. I immediately came forward from the edge of the tent and filled the man’s water cup.

If I had known I would be in the middle of these peace talks, I might have run away, to hell with the death curses and the slave collars. This was the place I least wanted to be in the entirety of both realms. Lord Typhon was treating me casually as his slave, while King Devon was shooting me occasional heavy looks as if to remind me that I was truly under his command. The only thing that helped me keep my sanity was a small army of goblins and wolves based in a farmhouse a few miles outside of town. I had made that place my sanctuary using my abilities. I reckoned that as long as I was there, I would be almost impossible to bring down. As long as I could lead any monster into my home, I could possess their will with ease.

However, that was for later. At the moment, I was just trying to make sure that my throat didn’t get cut. The demons and humans were glaring at each other quite hatefully, and it was a wonder that the peace talks ever made it this far. Any moment, violence could break out, and I’d be at the center. I wasn’t a coward to such things. More, I was just being cautious. I didn’t want any other close calls in my life. Although, what I wanted and what life set out for me never seemed to match, and as I poured the water quietly, the general’s gaze landed on me.

“A human slave?” He said, his voice rising in anger. “You dare strut a human slave in front of us?”

General Maford was a fat man with many wrinkles on his face. He had a big beard and an even bigger stomach. However, his beady eyes were sharp, and it was clear to anyone who saw him that he had earned his right to be called a general on the battlefield. He held a certain degree of bloodlust that only someone who had killed many people in cold blood before could master. I had also heard that his looks were deceiving, and despite his size, he was still very nimble, on the battlefield and in bed. Currently, his bloodlust was directed at me.

The atmosphere in the tent grew tense immediately. Guards standing along both sides, demon, elf, and human, were all stroking their swords, ready to battle. In a single moment, people could be dying all around me. My brain shot through my list of skills once again. I started trying to form a plan to cut the tension, however, Lord Typhon broke in a moment later, cutting a sharp end to my stray thoughts.

“You’re are right, it was completely inexcusable for us to collar this woman.” Lord Typhon spoke up suddenly.

General Maford narrowed his eyes and glared suspiciously. “What are you on about?”

Lord Typhon snapped his finger, and a moment later a magic user came in. He went up to me without hesitation and lifted his hands to my neck. I lifted my neck on command. The hair rose on my arms for a moment as magic was cast, and then the collar came off with a click. Like that, the damn slave collar that had been stuck on me for longer than I cared to remember fell harmlessly to the ground. I touched my neck, well aware that the death curse the humans had inflicted me with was of a higher caliber than the one put on Jenai, and left no tangible lines.

“I wish to free this slave, as a gesture of goodwill for our peace talks.”

It was abundantly clear that Lord Typhon had already planned this all out. I wasn’t aware of it, but a magic user who specialized in slave collars doesn’t just show up with you snap your fingers normally. I shot Lord Typhon a glare, but he completely ignored me. It couldn’t be that… Did he know about the death curse? If that was the case, why would he free me? Wouldn’t simply killing me in private me a safer option?

General Maford was still glaring, but he nodded, scratching his straggly beard. “Very well, I suppose we will accept your offer. Beautiful girl, you are no longer a slave of those demons. The human realm has rescued you!”

He made it sound glorious like he personally ripped off my chains of oppression. However, I was thinking about it a little more deeply. Looking between the demon realm and the human realm, I didn’t know which side was safer. The humans had put a curse on me and ordered me to kill Typhon. I was responsible for so many noble deaths, that I could just about call myself an outlaw. That said, the demon realm was a harsh realm that while I tolerated humans, it also enslaved many of them.

“Well, girl?” General Maford didn’t seem to be a patient man, as he immediately slammed his hand on the table. “Get over here and show us your praise.

“If I may, GGeneral.” Devon stepped forward, finally speaking up. “Perhaps we should ask the girl who she wants to stay with, the humans or the demons.”

“Devon!” The General looked over at him wearing some disdain on his face. “Don’t fancy yourself a King in this tent. Your country was dragged to ruin. After you requested the aid of a dozen other countries; Nadia isn’t even a Kingdom anymore. The only reason you were sent overseas to this war was so that they could get rid of you! So, sit in a corner, shut up, and let the grownups talk.”

Devon watched the General stiffly and then nodded. He gave me an expressionless look before turning and sitting back down. There were a couple of snickers in the tent, but only a few. The General didn’t seem to be aware of Devon’s assassination plan. That much was clear at least. There were factions on both sides. Some that seemed to want to end the war, and others that wanted to continue it. As for me, I just wanted to stay out of it, but this world had never cared about what I wanted.

“Aria here has been my maid for some time.” Lord Typhon suddenly spoke up, sipping some tea calmly. “Of course, I’d be happy to hire her as my servant, if that is what she wants.”

“Unacceptable!” The General slapped the table again. “I will not leave a human woman in the hands of demons!”

While this conversation went on, I tried to get my bearings straight on what exactly Lord Typhon’s goal was in letting me go. Was it merely as he said, a gesture to placate an angry general? If that’s the case, why didn’t he tell me this? If he knew about the death curse, was he just trying to throw it in Devon’s face? It seemed like as far as the armies went, Devon truly had little influence. Other than knowing the hero, he didn’t seem to have much else going for him.

At the very least, he knew that the collar had no effect on me. That would mean… these last two days must have been a test! That’s right. He basically gave me the freedom to go wherever I wanted. Since the collar didn’t work, I could have fled the second I left his sight. I could have run to the humans and had them remove the collar for me. I could have sold my knowledge of their troops or Lord Typhon himself. Perhaps, these last two days, he just wanted to see where my loyalty was. Since the collar was meaningless, it was my actions he was most concerned about.

Thinking back to the last two days, I had done many things. Exactly how much did he know? Did he know about those two soldiers I boinked? Did he know about my bet with the hero and our mini-battle? Did he know about me being held by Devon? He couldn’t know about my monsters, could he? I shook my head. Thinking about all the things he could possibly know was too terrifying. What was important was that taking off my collar didn’t change the relationship I had with him. In a conversation I had listened in on in the tent, he had said that I could be an ally. Was this what this was?

Just as I was about to speak up, the tall elf man suddenly spoke. “If I may be so bold as to offer a solution. In the grand scheme of this peace treaty, this woman is insignificant.”

I frowned but didn’t respond. It wasn’t like I didn’t understand what he meant. What could I do to change the face of this event? I was just a single slavegirl. However, being dismissed in this way already made my hackles rise. It made me wonder if perhaps elf culture looked down on women. Min was beautiful and powerful, but she also ran away from home. Was she supposed to be a homemaker? Was that the reason that she ended up dressing like a man so willfully?

“What is your suggestion, elf?” the elf moderator had caught the general’s attention.

“Simple. The girl will stay in the elf tribe. She will remain apart from either the demons or the humans. Is this acceptable to the pair of you?”

Lord Typhon shrugged as if it was no matter of his own. The General grunted and gave a nod of affirmation. Devon shot me a look but smartly remained silent. I suspected I’d be getting word from him soon now that his plan was completely disrupted. I couldn’t say I wasn’t pleased with this after he forced a death curse on me. The last person their eyes fell on was me personally.

“Ah? Uh, yes. I’d be happy to visit the elf tribe for a while.”

In fact, it was honestly what I wanted. Min had died, and I wanted to go back to the place she grew up. If for no other reason, I felt like I needed some closure. She had left my life so abruptly, that perhaps seeing the life she grew up and learning how she got there would do me some good. At the very least, it got me away from this high-stress place where the battle could begin at any moment.

“Very well.” The moderator nodded, also making a gesture.

A handsome elf walked into the room. He was an older man, like lord Typhon, but he had much less gristle and far fairer skin. Elves aged a lot slower than humans, so it was possible he was several thousand years old, but he could have been as young as thirty to my eyes. Eyeing my escort up and down, I thought that this wasn’t a bad change after all. A new place, a new man, and the freedom to keep building my army of monsters. What more could I ask for?

When the elf saw me, he stopped and gave me a wide-eyed look. “It’s you then, is it? You’re a beautiful woman… the most beautiful woman I’ve ever seen perhaps? She warned me, but I didn’t think it’d be so soon.”

“I’m sorry, what was that?” I asked, giving a wry smile and holding out my hand. “Um, thank you for the compliment, I’m Aria.

“The name’s Baron…” He said, frowning, and I guess I’ll be taking care of you… not that I have a choice. Hahahahaha…”

Before long, I couldn’t tell if he was laughing or crying.

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The small goblin was moving very cautiously. Each few steps forward, he’d crouch and then look both ways carefully. His ears seemed to be always open and he was taking great care to avoid running into any monsters. At the moment, he wasn’t part of a group. Goblins only seemed to be able to exhibit strength in number, so a single goblin could be said to be particularly weak. However, this goblin seemed to be on a mission. He was checking some rudimentary traps that might have caught rabbits or something. He was smart for his kind, and always cautious.

So, imagine his surprise when he looked out behind a tree to see me standing there. I had equipped all of my titles, maximizing my charm. As soon as he met my eyes, I activated my Seduction. I wasn’t kind or innocent about it in the slightest. I attacked this goblin with my innate magic as decisively as any adventurer would with their sword. It wasn’t so much influencing his mind as completely destroying it and substituting it with myself. Once I was done, there would be nothing this goblin would think about other than me.

“Hello, little one, come to me…” I purred, using my skill to identify the goblin’s status in the process. “Oh, my little Narg, you’re just a young one, only three months old, huh?”

The goblin paused, hearing its name sounded out. However, as I continued to gesture towards it, it shook its head and continued to walk towards me, loosing most of its previous caution.

“I won’t hurt you…” I spoke, causing the goblin to further lower its guard.

My skills worked all of the time now. That included Lover’s Trust, which meant that anyone I spoke to would trust the words I said more. I was only starting to realize what all of these skills meant. The truth was they meant that I wasn’t the same person I used to be. He came within arm’s reach and I affectionately stroked his cheek. As I made soothing noises and gestures, he seemed to grow less skittish, and more enamored. I pulled him into my grasp completely.

“Would Narg like to start my army?” I asked innocently.

The goblin smiled, an ugly yellow grin which included a bit of drool falling down his lip. He probably didn’t understand a word I was saying. All he knew is that my words were smooth and sensual. I didn’t care either way. This was the first of what would be many. It was the world that had forced me into this situation. There were the demons on one side, and humans on the other. What else could I do but find my own sanctuary?

“Take us to our home…” I spoke gently, gesturing for him to lead me.

Narg nodded, grinning dumbly. He started heading off into the woods, working just as cautiously as he was before. I joined him, keeping my head down, trusting in his judgment to maneuver these woods. Even with some sword experience, I still wasn’t confident I could handle a major threat in this forested area. At the very least, I had purchased a musky hunter’s cologne that covered up my scent. I didn’t smell pretty, but I wouldn’t attract dozens of horny monsters who would push me down and mount me either.

The beguiled Narg continued on his way, occasionally looking back and giving me a smile. The affectionate smile of a monster didn’t unnerve me like it once had. I was growing more confident in my abilities. I knew that at this level of seduction, the monster’s feelings for me went well beyond sexual desire. I had realized some time ago that there were various thresholds in love. When loyalty and devotion reached a certain point, sex seemed to cease to be an issue. They would happily follow any command I offered without resistance or want of anything in return. That was a level I had reached with this goblin in only a few moments.

Then again, this goblin was a first-class monster. This type was the first monster I had ever encountered in this world. In a way, it was fitting that this would be the first monster I’d start to build this army of mine. However, its level was low, ridiculously low. Any adventuring group in these parts would have been able to wipe out a group of ten to fifteen goblins with ease, including even Jerard’s group.

Adventuring groups had various rankings assigned to them. The group that had saved me when I first came to this world was like a C level group. Jerard likely sat closer to a high B. Any group that Bryson joined would likely be an A group. Suffice it to say, as someone who defeated Bryson, nowadays, I could have wiped out that first goblin group that had raped me when I arrived in this world if I encountered them today. Although, I say that without too much confidence, as I have no experience in battles with more than one opponent. The idea of fifteen goblins coming at me at once with steel drawn was still a terrifying thought.

“A farmhouse?”

I raised my eyes and let out this question as I realized the direction Narg was taking me. This was some kind of abandoned farmhouse. It had been left to the elements, and it looked like a group of goblins had taken up residence here. I noticed one in the ragged window curtains move as a watch saw Narg and I approaching. By my quick guess, it seemed like this goblin nest had about five goblins. However, I was not hear to fight them, so I did not feel any of the fear I should have. Quite the opposite, I had been out here for hours since I had banged that Baldy and the Scarface, and the thought of goblin cock gave me a strangely nostalgic feel. I wasn’t planning to have sex with one of them, but you never know how things will turn out.

There was a call that seemed like it might have been a goblin pretending to be a bird. There was more ruffling, and several goblins finally leaped out of their hiding spots with weapons drawn, quickly surrounding us. Narg shot them all angry glares, putting his body between me and the newcomers. He gave several screeches that had to be the goblin language. He didn’t really need to say anything though, because as soon as their eyes fell on a clear view of me, all the goblin’s loosened their grips on their weapons. The chattering instantly died down into stunned silence.

I held out my hands. “Hello… I’ve come hoping you will all join my family.”

I didn’t really know how else to word it. Telling them I hoped that they would become my meatshields felt a little more awkward, whether they understood me or not. There chattering finally returned, and several goblins ran off as if to go fetch something. Still more ran around, doing various things as if they were in a hurry. It only took me about thirty minutes before I realized what they were doing. The goblins had brought out several carcasses. Some of them were rotting, but they seemed to be trying to grab the ones in the best conditions. Others were piling up a bunch of sticks and trying to start a fire. In short, these goblins were trying to throw a feast. It appeared like I was the guest of honor.

I sat down next to Narg on a wobbly chair fetched from the farmhouse. Being directly targeted by my seduction spells, Narg seemed to be the most loyal of the goblins. The rest only seemed to take me as some kind of goddess or fairy they were required to dote on. Only Narg had accepted me as his master. Well, it’d do for now. However, I was realizing the language barrier would create some difficulty. I wished that one of my spells included some kind of babel tongue. My next level would likely go into updating my special skills unless the skill options that came up were some important like that.

The food had barely started cooking when there was a howl in the distance. The goblins started shrieking at each other, and I didn’t need to understand goblin to get the gist of it. In the goblin’s excitement of my arrival, they had brought out their best food and started cooking it. Most of the time, they left food raw. Fires and cooking were restricted and often done in special circumstances. This was because cooked food attracted other monsters.

This group of goblins was very small. Compared to the goblin group I had run into when I first entered this world, they were about 1/5^th of the size. Likely, a large reason for that was because of exactly how dangerous these woods were. Goblins commonly became food. I noticed none of them were significantly old in age. They likely barely managed to breed just enough to offset their deaths.

Now, they had led a pack of monstrous wolves straight to the camp. Well, the goblins began to panic and run for their weapons, I smiled and casually stood up. Of course, I didn’t have the brain of a goblin. I knew the fire and the food would certainly attract more company. In fact, I was counting on it! I wasn’t confident bringing down larger monsters on my own, but with a couple of meatshields and a location with some barriers, they could buy me the time I needed to get a grip on anything that came. If things went bad, I’d let them sacrifice their lives for me.

Looking up at the sun, I could see it was starting to get later in the day. I still had time to do this. With a determined nod, I found a safe hiding spot. Narg grabbed a rusty looking piece of farm equipment and stood over me like he was my personal guard. He had even put a pot on his head, which looked a bit silly, but charming in a certain way. I sat and waited, listening to the wolves get closer and closer.

In this dense forest, they weren’t far away in the first place. They were likely a small pack who were just hungry and attracted to the food. This wasn’t the first group of monster wolves I had encountered in this world. In fact, you could say I’d grown quite used to this sort of thing. Thus, when I saw their massive frames break from the brush, I barely flinched looking at these massive grey creatures the size of small ponies.

The goblins made shouts, practically shaking in their boots. In a normal situation, they would have already fled. It seemed to be my own presence that had bolstered their courage. None of the goblins wanted to be the one who ran away in front of the goddess. Thus, they stood their ground, even as they shot each other looks like they were approaching their own deaths. As for me, as soon as my eyes locked on the wolves, I didn’t hesitate to strike.

Seduction, Eye of the Beholder, Monster Tamer…  I tossed them out while standing up casually. These were high-level first-class monsters compared to the goblin’s low levels. Thus, they managed to resist for a moment longer. It was only a moment. I concentrated on the alpha in the lead first. After I used seduction on him, the alpha shot me a glare like I was a bug stinging him. However, by the time I launched a second seduction, he was now facing me entirely. The goblins could only watch in disbelief as the five giant silver wolves raced towards them at full speed only to suddenly slow down. About fifty yards from the goblin’s line of broken carts and various pieces of discarded furniture, they had slowed to a trot with their tongues sticking out in a show of nonviolence.

The alpha wolf kept forward passed the barrier while the other stood a few yards away from the goblins and waited. The goblins were too flustered to attack. Narg tried to block the alpha as he approached me, but the wolf held a prideful look in his eyes and just pushed back the small goblin, shooting him a disdainful look as he reached my feet. The wolf fell down, prostrating himself in front of me. While he had seemed terrifying as he stormed in, his teeth bared and bloodlust coming off him in waves, my extreme charm had tamed him in the span of a minute. He now lied at my feet, as innocent as a dog.

I stroked his long ears and the rest of the pack took this as permission to approach. They pushed through the goblin barrier and then lied down around the fire. The goblins looked around in disbelief as the wolves took up residence in their farm as if they had owned the place all along. Slowly, as they realized they wouldn’t die today, the goblins returned to cooking the meat. They gave the more rotted meat to the wolves, who ate it excitedly anyway. With my presence as glue, the two monsters that never should have gotten along were suddenly forming a dependent relationship, eating together at the same campfire, sharing food and warmth.

As the goblins threw meat to the wolves, the wolves in exchange allowed the goblins to touch them. The two enemies who would have killed each other for food not an hour before, now started to see an advantage in each other. This kind of cooperation would not have occurred if I wasn’t there, and I couldn’t predict the ramifications once I left.

This would be the start of the goblin riders, a fearful symbiosis of two monsters that left many adventurers quaking in their boots for years to come. Even if I left, the changes had already begun. However, I wasn’t finished yet. I watched with narrowed, thoughtful eyes as the goblins and wolves slowly started to work together. I needed a lot more than a pack of wolves and goblins.

The humans had an army. The demons had an army. Why couldn’t I have one as well? I had lived with monsters for months. They were no less capable of compassion, love, and companionship than anyone else. My eyes began to spark. It was time to change the status quo.

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