Chapter 391 Not Exactly a Reliable Source of Information

As she watched him, his mumbling faded into incoherent whispers, a mix of names, places, and pleas that made no sense but carried the weight of a lifetime of suffering. Finally, with a sickening crack, Hermit’s neck snapped back into place. His limbs twisted and straightened themselves out, and he let out a loud, gasping breath, his tongue retracting into his mouth. Then, his eyes fluttered open.

“M-Master? Did I... did I fall?”

Suzuka stood up, brushing off her hands.

“Yeah, you fell down the stairs. And broke your neck. Honestly, Hermit, how do you even function? You’re like a walking disaster.”

Hermit sat up slowly, rubbing his head.

“S-sorry, Master. I got too excited and... tripped over my own feet.”

Suzuka sighed, but there was a faint hint of a smile on her face.

“You’re lucky that this Lusseria who you were mumbling about got a sick sense of humor. Otherwise, I’d have to replace you every other day. Now, come on. We’ve got breeding farms to raid. And try not to break anything else on the way, alright?”

As Suzuka mentioned the name Lusseria, Hermit’s eyes widened, and his entire body stiffened. It was as if a floodgate had opened in his mind, memories rushing back in a chaotic torrent. He sprang to his feet, his movements jerky and frantic, his voice rising to a shout.

“Master! No, wait! We need to go to the mountains, to the hills! Kaka! Yes, Kaka is there! My beloved Kaka is alive! Master, he is alive! Alive, I tell you! Kaka, my Dada! My Muma! He is my family! My precious! He is alive! I know it, I feel it! The Goddess told me, he’s alive! We need to go there and save him from the goblin breeding farm before it’s too late! We must!”

 Tears streamed down his face, and his hands trembled as he clutched at Suzuka’s soft thigh.

 “Please, Master, you have to believe me! I can’t lose him again! I can’t!”

Suzuka stared at him, her sharp eyes narrowing as she processed his outburst. For a moment, she said nothing. Then she sighed, “Hermit, calm down. You’re not making any sense. Who’s Kaka? I think I heard you saying that name a few times. And what do you mean, the Goddess told you he’s alive?”

Hermit took a shuddering breath, trying to steady himself.

 “Kaka... he’s my family. My Dada, my Muma, my everything. When I was in the breeding farms, he was there with me. He protected me, cared for me... but a cruel monster took him away. I thought he was dead, Master. I thought I’d never see him again. But just now, when you said Lusseria’s name, I remembered... I heard her voice in my head. She told me he’s alive. She’s laughing at me, Master, because she knows I can’t save him alone. But I have to try! Please, we have to go!”

Suzuka crossed her arms, her gaze steady.

 “Come on, Hermit. That's a load of bullshit and you know it. You are not exactly a reliable source of information. This could just be another fantasy in your head.”

Hermit shook his head violently, his ears flapping against his cheeks. 

“No, Master, it’s real! I can feel it in my heart! Kaka is alive, and he’s suffering! Please, we have to go! I’ll do anything—I’ll work twice as hard, I’ll never complain, I’ll—I’ll even cook for the warriors every day! Just please, help me save him!”

Suzuka stared at Hermit, her sharp eyes narrowing as she took in his frantic, tear-streaked face. For a moment, she said nothing, her expression a mix of disbelief and annoyance. Then she sighed.

“Hermit, you’ve clearly hit your head too hard. Again. You’re delirious. Stop talking nonsense. We got better things to do then go on adventures conjured by your imagination.”

Hermit’s eyes widened, and he opened his mouth to protest, but Suzuka cut him off with a sharp wave of her hand. 

“No. I’m not dragging everyone on a wild goose chase to some far-off mountain range. Do you have any idea how far that is? Weeks of walking, through some of the harshest terrain imaginable. And for what? Because you think you heard some goddess voice in your head? Come on, this is ridiculous.”

“No, Master, it’s real! I swear it! Kaka is alive, and he’s suffering! We have to go!”

Suzuka crossed her arms, her tone firm and unyielding.

 “Hermit, listen to me. Right now, we’ve got work to do here. There are goblins suffering in breeding farms in our own lands. Your people we can actually help. So instead of chasing some fantasy about a mountain range weeks away, how about you point me to the closest breeding farm around here? You know, the one we can actually reach before they get killed.”

She turned and walked outside, her boots clacking against the wooden floor. But before she could take more than a few steps, she felt a weight latch onto her ankle. She looked down to see Hermit sprawled on the ground, his arms wrapped tightly around her leg, his face pressed against her boot.

“Master, please!” he wailed, his voice muffled but desperate. 

“We have to go to the mountains! Kaka is there! I know it! Please, Master, I’ll do anything! I’ll carry all the supplies! I’ll cook for everyone! I’ll even... even clean the lizardmen’s scales! Just please, we have to go!”

Suzuka sighed, dragging her foot forward as Hermit clung to her like a barnacle.

 “Hermit, let go. Don't make a scene in front of other goblins.”

“No, Master! Not until you say yes!”

“Hermit, I’m serious. Let go.”

“Never!”

Suzuka rolled her eyes, continuing to walk as Hermit was dragged behind her, his body bumping along the ground. 

“You realize this isn’t helping your case, right? If anything, it’s making me want to leave you behind even more.”

Hermit tightened his grip, his voice rising to a whine.

 “I don’t care! I’m not letting go until you agree to go to the mountains!”

Suzuka stopped walking and looked down at him.

 “You’re insufferable, you know that?”

Hermit looked up at her, his eyes wide and pleading.

 “Please, Master...”

Hermit’s trembling hands clutched at Suzuka’s ankle, his grip tightening as if she were the only thing anchoring him to the world. His voice, usually meek and stammering, rose in a desperate, broken wail that echoed through the town square. Every word was raw, every syllable dripping with anguish.

“Master, please! You don’t understand! Kaka... Kaka is all I have left! He’s my family, my heart, my everything! When I was in the breeding farms, it was Kaka who kept me alive. He gave me his food when I was starving, he shielded me from the whips when I was too weak to stand, he... he sang to me when I cried myself to sleep. He was my Dada, my Muma, my brother, my friend—all in one! And the monster took him away, Master! It dragged him off, and I never saw him again! All this time I thought he was dead... I thought I’d never hear his voice or see his warm smile again. But now... now I know he’s alive! I can feel it in my bones, in my soul! Please, Master, I’m begging you! Don’t make me lose him again! Not again!”

Tears streamed down Hermit’s face, his voice cracking as he continued. 

“I know I’m weak. I know I’m clumsy and useless and a burden to you. But Kaka... he’s strong. He’s kind. He’s everything I’m not. If you save him, he’ll be worth a hundred of me! He’ll work twice as hard, he’ll fight for you, he’ll... he’ll do anything! Just please, Master, don’t let him suffer anymore. Don’t let him die thinking no one cared enough to save him!”

Hermit’s body shook with sobs, his voice dropping to a whisper, broken and pleading. 

“I’ve lost everything, Master. My home, my freedom, my love, my dignity... but Kaka? He’s the one thing I can’t lose. He’s the only good thing I have left in this cursed, miserable life. Please... please don’t take him away from me too.”

As Hermit’s desperate plea echoed through the town square, the other goblins froze in place, their wide eyes fixed on the scene unfolding before them. To them, Suzuka was not just their leader—she was something far greater. They had seen her crush a mountain with her magic, her power so vast and terrifying that it defied comprehension. To them, she was a goddess of war and power, a divine being who had descended from the heavens to free them from their chains.

And now, their leader—their king—was clinging to her ankle, begging for her help. The sheer audacity of it left them stunned.

Whispers rippled through the crowd, their voices trembling with fear and disbelief.

“Did... did our great leader just ask the Goddess for a favor?” one goblin muttered.

“He’s touching her! He’s touching her!” another gasped, clutching at his tunic like he was about to faint.

“How can he be so bold? Doesn’t leader know our place? We’re nothing but dirt under her boot!” a third whispered, his eyes wide with terror.

The goblins had been conditioned for so long to believe they were worthless, that their lives were meaningless except to serve those stronger than them. The idea of asking for something—of demanding something—from a being as powerful as Suzuka was unthinkable, a blasphemy. It went against everything they had been taught, everything they had endured.

And yet, there was Hermit, their king, their leader, doing the unthinkable. His tears, his trembling voice, his desperate pleas—it was all so raw, so human, so unlike the meek, submissive creatures they had been forced to become.

Some of the goblins looked away, unable to bear the sight. Others clutched at each other in fear. A few even dropped to their knees, bowing their heads as if begging forgiveness for Hermit’s audacity.