Chapter 381 A Letter from Thomas

Hermit jumped to his feet, his short legs nearly tripping over themselves as he scuttled toward the door. His hunched form moved with haste, and if someone didn’t know better, they’d think he was being chased by a pack of hungry wolves. His meaty goblin ears flapped behind him as he disappeared down the hall, muttering under his breath about duties, sacrifices, and the unfair weight of the world on his tiny shoulders.

Just as the door swung shut behind him, it swung right back open, revealing Olivia. She strolled in casually, her arms crossed and an amused smirk tugging at her lips.

"Hey, Suzu." She said, glancing over her shoulder as if still seeing the blur of green that had just darted past. 

"What’s with the goblin? He ran like his clumsy little feet were on fire."

Suzuka, still lounging lazily against her desk, waved a dismissive hand.

  "Oh, don’t mind him. He’s just being his usual self—overreacting to the smallest things. I gave him a tiny errand, nothing big, but you know him. He probably thinks it’s the end of the world or something."

She pushed herself off the desk and stretched. 

"But enough about that—what’s up? You usually don’t drop by just to comment on my goblin’s latest drama."

Olivia leaned against the doorframe, arms still crossed, her smirk widening.

  "Larry dropped off a letter for me—from Thomas. Sounds like he and the rest of my party need a hand with a few quests, so I gotta head back to Rockmine Town. Shouldn’t take more than a few months… maybe less if things go smoothly. I’ll be heading out tomorrow with David and the others. So, try not to miss me too much, alright?"

She grinned, then leaned in slightly, lowering her voice into a teasing whisper.

  "I’d hate for you to feel too lonely without me around to keep the bed warm."

She pulled back with a wink, clearly enjoying Suzuka’s reaction, whether it be an eyeroll, a scoff, or something more flustered. 

"Think you’ll survive without me?"

 "You think I can't handle a few months without you? I might actually get some decent sleep for once. Also, Larry and his team will be here to help out. Nothing to worry about." 

She leaned back against her desk, tilting her head with a playful glint in her golden eyes.

Then, with a sly grin, she added, "Buuut… I guess I’ll admit, the bed might feel a little colder without you hogging all the blankets. Who else am I gonna steal body heat from in the middle of the night?"

She reached out, lightly flicking Olivia’s forehead. 

"Tch, leaving me here all alone while you go off on an adventure? I should be the one worried about you, not the other way around. Just don’t go getting yourself killed, alright? I like my personal space heater in one piece."

Olivia chuckled, rubbing her forehead where Suzuka flicked her.

  "Oh, please. As if anything out there could take me down. You know I’m way too stubborn for that. But it’s cute hearing you worry about me, Suzu. Warms my heart."

She stepped in closer, lowering her voice to a playful whisper.

  "And don’t act like you won’t miss me. You’ll be tossing and turning, thinking about all the fun we could be having instead of getting ‘decent sleep.’ Maybe I should make you beg me to stay, we could try and break your new bed. Oh, that would be fun. But I gotta go make sure Thomas and the others don’t get themselves killed. And who knows? Maybe I’ll bring back a little souvenir to make up for abandoning you," she winked, "Maybe I find a little toy for your collection under the bed."

Their playful banter filled the room, the air crackling with tension as Olivia leaned in just a little closer, her lips dangerously near Suzuka’s. She smirked, her golden eyes locked onto Olivia’s with that familiar spark of mischief.

But just as their lips were about to brush, a sudden knock at the door shattered the moment. Before either of them could react, the door creaked open, and in stepped Larry.

"Helen, I hope I'm not interrupting anything imp—"

 He froze mid-sentence, his eyes widening comically as he took in the scene before him. Suzuka and Olivia were practically nose to nose, kissing. Larry’s face turned a shade paler before he swiftly spun on his heel.

  "Sorry! Didn’t mean to interrupt! I’ll come back later!" he blurted out, practically fleeing the room.

 "Oh, come on, Larry, don’t be so dramatic. No need to run off, I was just about to leave anyway."

She turned back to Suzuka, flashing a wink before pressing a quick kiss to her cheek.

  "Bye, love. See you later." 

Her voice dripped with amusement, knowing full well how Suzuka would react to the teasing.

With that, she sauntered out of the room, leaving a slightly flustered Suzuka and Larry standing awkwardly by the door.

Suzuka let out a small chuckle, brushing a finger over the spot Olivia had kissed as if savoring the moment. Then she turned her attention to Larry, who still looked like he wanted to be anywhere else but there.

"Good timing, Larry. I was actually looking for you. There’s something important we need to talk about. But you go first. What did you need?" 

Larry scratched the back of his head, still a bit flustered from his earlier interruption but quickly regaining his composure.

"Oh, yes, yes. Well, it's nothing really important on my side. Just wanted to let you know I got all the things we needed. Took a bit of time to get clothes for the goblins, but I managed in time. You wouldn’t believe how greedy some of the merchants are."

"Also, Walter—the blacksmith—put extra elbow grease into making it happen with the tools we needed. I gotta say, that man works like a beast when he’s motivated. But yeah, I got it all. Goblins made short work of storing everything. Gotta hand it to them, they work fast when they put their minds to it."

Larry reached into his pouch, pulling out a small sack of coins and tossing it onto Suzuka’s desk with a soft clink.

  "Also, I brought the leftovers. Got a pretty good deal selling all the valuables we salvaged from those goblin farms."

He leaned against the doorframe, arms crossed.

  "So, what was it you wanted to talk to me about?"

"Good work, Larry. You never disappoint." 

She scooped up the coin pouch and gave it a little toss before setting it aside.

Then, with a confident nod, she continued, "Now, about what I wanted to talk to you about—I made a deal with the cat people and the lizardmen. Convinced them to join the town and help with protection. The way I see it, more hands on deck means fewer problems down the line."

"The cat people are strong, disciplined, and know how to fight. The lizardmen? Hardy warriors and survivalists. Both groups know what it means to struggle, which means they won’t take this place for granted. Also, they hold no hostility to any of the other races, which means there will be no conflict."

Suzuka then smirked, tilting her head toward Larry. 

"Of course, it took a little convincing, but let’s just say I made them an offer they couldn’t refuse. Now, with them around, we’ll have an extra layer of security. Keeps the town safe and deters any idiots who think they can mess with us."

 Then she fixed Larry with a playful yet expectant look.

  "So, what do you think?"

Larry nodded slowly, rubbing his chin in thought as he took in Suzuka’s words. His expression was calm, but there was a glint of approval in his sharp eyes.

"Smart move. Real smart. Lizardmen… they’re a proud folk, but once they give their word, they don’t break it. You’ve got yourself warriors who’ll fight to the last breath if it means protecting what they call their own. And cat people? They may look like they’re all about themselves, but they understand loyalty—if they trust you, they’ll stand by you. No doubt about that. I think you made the right call, Helen."

Larry crossed his arms, his face etched with concern as he spoke.

 “With them patrolling the town, it’ll make the work go faster. I heard about the attack from Hermit. Ever since the last monster attack, the goblins have been jumpy—convulsing at every snap of a twig, every rustle in the bushes. They’re so frightened they can barely focus on their tasks. It’s slowing everything down. But with guards around, they’ll feel safer. They’ll relax, and we’ll finally get some proper work done.”

Suzuka nodded, “Exactly my point. We need order, and we need it now. The longer we delay, the more vulnerable we become.”

 “So, when can we expect them to get here?”

“They should start showing up by the end of this week. Well, at least they said so.”

Larry’s eyes widened, and he let out a low whistle. 

“So soon? That doesn’t give us much time. We can’t just leave them standing in the open when they arrive. We need to prepare shelter, food, supplies—something. They’re coming to live here, not camp out like vagrants.”

Suzuka’s expression didn’t change, but her tone grew firmer.

 “Then we’ll prepare. Larry, you go gather the goblins and get them ready. Tell them to clear out the trees by the river. And give word to Jacob and the dwarves. I want them in my office within the hour. We’ll discuss the construction plans then.”