Book 9- Insomniac Goblin Slayer in the Demon Castle-II
The Demon King Castle had seen and felt many outsiders come crashing against its walls.
But this time they did not try to storm the walls with ladders and towers or smash the gates with a ram, instead what happened was that of a knocking on the front gate, which immediately lifted to let the caravan column from the order aliened factions in.
This caravan came once every 3 days, led by Sky Queen and a combination of various leaders from the Slayer Keep, today is was Cow Girl and Priestess who accompanied her as the 3 women went to visit Goblin Slayer, who was supposed to be a hostage, while behind them the caravan unpacked.
Midnight saw as they set up shop and started selling their goods. From the demi humans of Kobra Kahn there was silk and spice, timber, die, glass, furs and grain was from the human kingdoms, iron both crafted and raw along with beer from the dwarfs, wine and herbs from the elves along with coral and pearls from the sea tribes along with chocolate and tobacco from High Water Queen's trade with the Feathered Dragon Kingdoms from beyond the Western Ocean.
All were traded for salt, lime, copper and sulfur from the Demon Land, which itself was changing.
Midnight saw how more and more of the land was not the same at it was, the months of trade and peace between the two factions had altered it greatly.
The reduction of armies meant that many demons returned to their day jobs and because of this once barren fields of volcanic ground became lush crops, forest where planted in lumber farms and flocks of sheep and goat became sighted as the transhumanta, the crossing of great flocks over great distances for pastures started anew.
The camps that the demons lives that where once made of nothing but hide and wood started to give way to timber, then brick houses as with more time, more hands and more resources meant that a more solid form of settlements started to crop up.
Stranger still was the new norm, Twilight held in his hand the latest Goblin Slayer letter that was to be presented to High King to assure him of his most trusted subject and valued friend health and safety. The letters would also be published in pamphlets for the whole of the order aligned factions to see.
And from Midnight's understanding they were quite popular too. In fact people were so focused on that his spies had reported that there would be crowds at the time and date for the newest letter's time of arrival at the docks and someone shouted 'Did Demon Cleric pass his priesthood exams?'.
Apparently the humans where fascinated by the fact that demons had jobs, crops, work, hot springs, trade and any semblance of life outside of war.
"Foolish humans, thinking that we are common field goblins." Midnight said as he looked the letter over for hidden codes or meaning and as usual he found none.
It was a very strange state of things for there to be no war or no immediate danger of war, instead the latest meeting between him and the Council of Elders was what to do about the sudden influx of trade and surplus coin in the treasury.
"We should move to a new castle, this one was designed for war as a last fallback position that could be almost impossible to conquer, it is not suitable for peace or trade. I propose we build a new castle here." Midnight indicated at the junction where the trade from the Order Aligned lands converged.
It was put to a vote and passed easily, Midnight almost felt a bit disappointed at how smooth things were going.
Even with the Order Aligned factions the move was well received, less transit time for the caravans and Midnight suspected that with the demon capitol much closer it would also mean an easier time for them to strike a strategic target if war came.
But it was also true that it also gave the demons an easier time to strike, but Midnight wondered how many years would pass until war came again, if ever, while Goblin Slayer was alive, for the man seemed determined to stay for the rest of his days here in order to keep the parley never ending, strange times indeed.
"The moon colonies have rebelled and declared for the Old Demon King, it looks like he is trying to come back to life, what should we do?" Demon Cleric asked.
"Leave them be, those colonies where more trouble than their worth and now they are filled to the brim with all the extremists and warmongers that refused to follow me. We'll take precautions to counter against raids from them, but let the Order factions deal with them, fighting demons is what they are all about, aren't they?" Midnight replied.
"I use to think that was an absolute truth." Demon Cleric said.
"And now?" Midnight asked.
Then they heard it, the violin that Goblin Slayer played every night just as the sun went down and like clockwork the inhabitants of the soon to be Old Demon Castle all gathered in the courtyard beneath his window to hear the melody.
"Now it's complicated, things are now as they appear at first glance, and a bit weird, but...not exactly unpleasant." Demon Cleric said with a smile as they listened to the melody.
"Ashokan Farewell is what the humans call it, apparently it was written only a few years ago."
"Really your majesty? It sounds like a melody from the long distant past that survived the centuries on its haunting beauty alone." Demon Cleric said in surprise.
"Like everything else about these Order Aligned ones, things are not as they appear to be." Midnight said as Rocket Turtle came up to him to deliver a message from Goblin Slayer.
"He asks if his apprentices can come to visit?...Very well, tell them to set a date, oh and send a message to my son that he is to receive these children and be their host, this will be an important part of his duties as future Demon King." Midnight said to Rocket Turtle.
"I am sure that Twilight will be happy to have lots of new friends to play with." Demon Cleric said as Midnight said nothing but smiled.
"How many years to humans live?"
"Between 70 to 80 on average. I would say that Goblin Slayer has between 50 to 60 years left."
"I see, 50 to 60 years...only 50 to 60 years of this..."Midnight said with a small lament in his voice.
And this time Demon Cleric said nothing as the two watched the sunset as the demons listened to Goblin Slayer's music and Goblin Slayer asked himself if it was a good thing or a bad thing that he could see no goblin as far as his eyes could see over the demon lands.
It was one of the reasons that he had trouble sleeping at night, for it either meant that his mission was getting closer to it's fullfillment or another great Goblin WAAAGGHHH was being gathered.
Either way he would have trouble sleeping and seek out distractions in the Demon Castle in order to help with his slumber.
The sun went down, the melody finished and another chapter ended as the next one would come in due time.
