"What's your name?"
The troll seemed surprised for a few moments. However, that expression didn't take long to disappear, replaced by a broad smile of satisfaction.
"Well, well, a man with manners, huh?"
He scratched his chin with one of his thick fingers while his eyes roamed over our bodies, evaluating us from head to toe.
"Why would you want to know the name of a barbaric beast like me? Didn't you come to kill me and free the prisoners?"
I shrugged.
"I'm curious to know who was capable of setting up a factory with so few materials and such incompetent labor."
The troll's smile slowly faded.
For a few seconds, he remained silent, as if trying to decide whether he should feel insulted or flattered.
Finally, he let out a snort.
"And what do I gain by telling you my name?"
My eyes swept across the room.
The goblins surrounding us were well armed. Their steel armor and weapons with magical properties made them a considerable force, at least compared to the ones we had encountered in the forest.
If they had such a numerical advantage, why hadn't they attacked yet?
My lips curved into a slight smile.
"Time."
The troll frowned, bewildered.
I raised my thumb and pointed over my shoulder, toward the only exit from the chamber. An exit that, for the moment, we ourselves were blocking.
"You need to buy time so that the forces outside become aware of our intrusion. That way they can attack us from both sides and leave us without a route of escape."
The troll's eyes trembled for a fraction of a second.
Immediately after, he awkwardly settled himself on his throne, trying to disguise his reaction.
"I... I see."
His gaze fixed entirely on me.
"You're quite perceptive, human."
"Master! If that's true, we must kill him before the reinforcements arrive!"
Goliath stepped forward, tightening his grip on his weapon.
I raised a hand to stop him.
"So, what do you say?" I asked, without taking my eyes off the troll.
The creature watched me for a few moments before letting out a dry laugh.
"All right, human. I'll tell you my name."
He rose from his throne.
The plates of his armor clashed against each other, producing a strident clatter that echoed through the entire chamber. Then he struck the emblem of the two intertwined eagles that adorned his chest.
"I am Zarleurio Kasnier, non-commissioned officer of the northern sector of the Laurenz squad!"
His voice reverberated against the stone walls.
"And I am a proud member of the fallen empire of Varka Lakan Saberius!"
"Varka...?"
I heard Goliath murmur beside me.
For an instant, I stood completely motionless.
I hadn't expected that troll to pronounce my full name with such pride.
Zarleurio, for his part, seemed unable to contain his enthusiasm. His smile widened as he raised his chin, as if he had just presented himself before a crowd of admirers.
"That's right, little one! I am one of the last vestiges of the empire that fell fifteen years ago!"
He shouted it with absolute pride.
As if having served under the orders of a tyrant was the greatest honor he could receive in his entire existence.
However, that wasn't what worried me most.
There was a part of his words that I couldn't quite process.
"Wait..."
Zarleurio raised an eyebrow.
"What's the matter?"
I stared at him, trying to maintain my composure.
"Did you say fifteen years?"
My expression of bewilderment seemed to surprise him.
"Fifteen or sixteen? The exact date may vary a bit, but yes, it's around there."
He clenched his fist and raised it in front of his chest.
"If it hadn't been for that damn hero, I wouldn't be here now, surrounded by a bunch of inept goblins! I would have risen to become a captain or even a general of the army!"
Zarleurio continued talking about his former exploits, the opportunities that had been snatched from him, and the brilliant future that, according to him, he would have achieved if the empire hadn't collapsed.
But I stopped listening to him.
"Fifteen years...?"
My mind began working at full speed.
"For me it was barely a blink. So how the hell will the world be now?"
I couldn't imagine the magnitude of the changes that had occurred during all that time. Kingdoms could have changed hands, borders could have been redrawn, and the old powers might no longer exist.
And, above all, there was Reinhard.
"If he came to power after my fall... what will he have done with it?"
I had no way of knowing.
And that uncertainty displeased me much more than I was willing to admit.
"Master...?"
Goliath's worried voice pulled me from my thoughts.
"Huh...? Y-yes. What's wrong?"
Goliath watched me with a furrowed brow.
"Do you know that Varka guy?"
My expression contracted for an instant.
"Damn it."
How was I supposed to answer such a question?
Should I tell him that I knew him perfectly, since he was talking to him?
Or perhaps I should explain that the former tyrant whose name he had just heard was, precisely, the man he had decided to follow as master?
No. None of those options seemed especially convenient.
"I-I don't know," I answered, trying to feign indifference. "We have the same name, but... I don't know who he is."
Goliath tilted his head slightly.
"I see..."
He lowered his gaze, still worried.
"It's just that your expression was very strange, Master. You looked... terrified."
"Terrified?"
I gritted my teeth.
I wasn't terrified.
I had simply just discovered that fifteen years had passed since my death and that the world I knew could have become something completely different.
It was a perfectly reasonable reaction.
At least, that's what I told myself.
"Yes, well... That doesn't matter anymore."
I looked away from Goliath and fixed my gaze back on Zarleurio.
The troll was still talking tirelessly about his exploits, his former victories, and everything he would have achieved if the empire still existed.
I had heard enough.
I already knew the origin of the tactics they were employing and understood why the goblins were manufacturing those weapons. I also knew which faction the troll belonged to and what his relationship was with my former empire.
Any additional information he might reveal would only increase the risk of Goliath beginning to piece things together.
I couldn't risk him discovering my true identity before I understood what had happened during the last fifteen years.
My gaze hardened.
"Goliath."
"Yes, Master?"
I glanced sideways at him.
"Kill them."
Zarleurio shut his mouth instantly.
Goliath gripped his dagger and began advancing slowly toward the group of goblins.
They raised their weapons out of pure instinct, but none dared to take a step forward. In fact, for every step Goliath took toward them, the goblins retreated two, with trembling hands and weapons about to slip from their fingers.
It was as if their bodies had understood something their minds still refused to accept.
That fight was lost from the start.
"What the hell are you doing?!" Zarleurio roared, unable to understand why his best troops were behaving like a group of frightened hens. "She's just a damn girl! What are you waiting for to attack her?!"
But his orders had no effect.
The goblins continued retreating, without taking their eyes off Goliath. Their instincts screamed at them that they shouldn't face that creature, and not even their superior's shouts were enough to silence that warning.
I observed Goliath for a few moments.
His usual carefree smile had completely disappeared. His eyes, normally bright and full of innocence, were tinged with a fury I had rarely seen from him.
Each step he took made the ground creak beneath his feet.
"Damn useless fools!"
Zarleurio finally lost his patience.
He lunged at the nearest goblins and violently pushed them forward, forcing them to advance while he unsheathed his own sword.
"If you don't have the courage to fight, then you'll die right here! Kill them both!"
The goblins stumbled over one another as they tried to regain their balance.
And then...
Goliath disappeared.
One instant he was in front of the goblins; the next, a flash swept through the enemy formation.
Like a bolt of light tearing through the darkness, his dagger traced a succession of perfect arcs. The blades shone under the chamber's lighting and, before the goblins could understand what was happening, their bodies began to collapse.
When Goliath appeared in front of Zarleurio, all the goblins that had stood in his path lay dead.
The troll barely had time to react.
"What...?!"
CLANG!
A metallic thunderclap shook the chamber.
Zarleurio had managed to block the attack with his long sword, interposing it just in time between his body and Goliath's dagger.
Or, at least, that's how it seemed at first.
The troll's blade vibrated violently under the pressure of the impact. His arms trembled and the plates of his armor creaked as he sank his feet into the ground, using all the strength of his legs to resist.
In front of him, Goliath had barely changed expression.
With an icy gaze, he began to exert more pressure on his dagger.
Slowly, like an adult playing with a child in a contest of strength.
Zarleurio gritted his teeth. Sweat began to slide down his forehead as his arms slowly gave way.
Then, Goliath spoke.
"Those who choose to bring evil into the world, even while being aware of their actions..."
His voice no longer had that usual sweetness. It was cold and charged with a conviction that seemed to come from the deepest part of his being.
The dagger continued advancing, forcing the troll to retreat half a step.
"...are not worthy of a painless death."