Akalani makes his way to the village while muttering curses in his native language.

"They can stay together and have a bunch of mixed-blood little monsters for all I care."

The villagers don't understand, but no one dares to question what's happening.

"I bet she couldn't even get pregnant by him. I could have a child if I wanted. There's nothing I can't do. Nothing…"

"Vareg Bahal!" Ther elder gob calls out.

"What?!" He grits his teeth at the old goblin.

"We have prepared three of the best huts in the village for Vareg Bahal and his heralds." The elder one bows again and then shows the accommodations.

The village consists of about twenty huts scattered at the foothills of the mountains, where there are plenty of cold-climate trees, such as pine trees. Most of the residents live by hunting, cultivating cold-climate crops, or herding goats and sheep. The huts are made of pine wood and are relatively comfortable compared to the tents the steppe goblins used to live in. They have only one spacious room that serves as a bedroom, living room, and kitchen. In the backyards of some of them, there are wooden structures similar to latrines.

"I thought it would be worse." Akalani 'thanks' for the hospitality. "What's the strongest drink you have?"

"Pine liquor."

"What kind of rubbish drink is that? Tsk, no mind. Send some to my hut."

"We'll have a celebration to commemorate your visit. Won't you join us?" The elder asks.

"No." Akalani responds bluntly. "The trow and the orc will attend in my place. I'll stay in the farthest hut."

"As you wish, Bahal."

Akalani retreats to his cabin as the villagers start preparing a celebration in his honor. As the village begins to revel, Akalani hears a knock on his cabin door. Finally, the liquor has arrived.

But to his surprise, the pair of offerings are the ones bringing a small wooden barrel containing the drink. This time, they are dressed more elegantly, wearing ceremonial attire.

"Your liquor, Vareg Bahal." The young hobgoblin carries the barrel while the goblin girl brings porcelain mugs. Curiously, she brings three of them.

After serving a mug with the drink, the duo stands in front of the door. The young hobgoblin has a well-built physique, reddish-brown skin, and hair of the same color. The goblin girl is small and delicate, with black hair and pale yellowish skin.

"What is it?" Akalani asks after taking a sip of the pine liquor. The drink isn't as strong as he thought, and it has a slightly bitter woody taste.

"I said I wouldn't eat you." He takes another sip.

"Elder Pakan believes that Your Majesty may want to be served in other ways, which is why you took on a humanoid form." The goblin girl says. She seems to be more educated.

"This night couldn't get any worse." He thinks to himself.

"Your hospitality never ceases to surprise me. You can go." Akalani tells the goblin girl who leaves the place.

"Now, tell me, how old are you?" He asks the male gob while taking another sip of the pine drink.

"Twenty-one, sir." The lad replies.

Akalani didn't bother asking the age of the goblin girl. She could be younger or older, it wouldn't matter. The fact that she belonged to a race of short stature gave her a childlike appearance, which he didn't find appealing.

That and the fact that she was a female.

"Do you want some? Help yourself and sit down." He gives the hobgoblin permission to join him in drinking. The young goblinoid fills a mug for himself and sits shyly on the edge of the bed.

Both spend a good part of the night talking while drinking. As time passes, the hobgoblin's awkwardness fades, and he becomes more at ease.

"Twenty-one. The elder said you're pure. Does that mean what I think it means?" Akalani questions.

"Y-yes."

"Why?"

"T-the girls in the village... They don't like my appearance."

"Why?" Akalani inquires again.

"Hm?" The goblinoid is confused.

"Why don't they like your appearance? You're such a handsome hob." The dragonling seems to have completely lost his shame after several mugs of pine liquor.

"My mother was red, and my father was a green wanderer. When I was born, he had already left. So I was born with this strange color." He explains.

Most hobgoblins originated from the crossbreeding of elves with red goblins. That's why most hobs have reddish skin.

Love this novel? Read it on Royal Road to ensure the author gets credit.

"In Gorkaki, there are hobgoblins of various colors. Most are red, but there are also green and gray ones." Akalani talks about the diversity in his city. Several races of goblinoids and beastmen live there now. Gobs and beasts, a true metropolis of monsters.

"Are there any like me?"

"I never paid much attention, but probably yes."

The young gob is a little disappointed. He always wanted to find another hobgoblin like him.

"I like the color. It looks natural." Akalani says as he runs his hand over the hobgoblin's chest, exposed by the ceremonial attire.

"Natural?"

"Yes, as if you've been kissed by the sun. Not a fancy color like green, red, or purple."

His fingers begin to slide lower as he speaks. However, suddenly, he withdraws his hand.

"Is there a problem?" The hobgoblin asks. He looks directly at Akalani with his brown eyes.

"You wouldn't understand."

"I know I'm dumb..." The young gob speaks a little dejected.

"The thing is, I'm a monster. In several ways. I don't know when people are being kind to me because they want to or because they're afraid of me."

He pauses for a moment.

"I feel like there's only one person in this world who could be with me. But he's the worst."

"How bad?"

"A literal devil."

"Holy calf. I always thought devils and fairies were stories that grannies told to scare us."

"I'm literally a dragon."

"But you're not like the dragons in the stories, with wings on your back and snake eyes. You're more like a giant bat or an eagle with scales. A scally fire-breathing bat-eagle ."

"Do I look like something like that?" Akalani asks while he chuckles at the silliness of the comparison.

"You look pretty."

Both of them gaze into each other's eyes as their blushing faces draw closer slowly.

The young hobgoblin was surprisingly smooth. But Akalani was beyond his limits. The young dragon pushes the hobgoblin away.

"And you look drunk. That will be all for tonight. You can go now." Akalani says with a tender smile. He seems genuinely grateful for the company.

"Goodnight, Vareg Bahal." The young hobgoblin, a little disappointed, rises and bows before leaving the hut.

Alone, Akalani finally allows himself to sleep. However, his mind could only focus on one thing, or rather one person. With this fixation, he falls asleep.

§ § § § § §

"What's going on, Jeancito?" A voice calls for Jean.

It's Camilo. Jean looks around, and it seems like they're in an open field, maybe in the steppes.

"What is this? A dream?" He says, shielding his face from the strong wind.

"Something like that. What's wrong? You never call me." Camilo asks with a mischievous smile. He's dressed as a simple peasant this time. So is Jean.

"Call you?" He asks, confused.

"Yes. Usually, I'm the one who comes to you in your dreams. But this time, you called me. I must say, I like this way better."

"So all those dreams I've had since I arrived in this world? That was really your doing?" Jean had suspicions. Now he is sure.

"Yes. I needed to make you remember. But I couldn't communicate directly, only stimulate memories." Camilo explains while adjusting the hem of his pants. Apparently, he's not pleased with the peasant attire.

"You were messing with my head and memories?" Jean asks, annoyed.

"Yes." The elf-cambion bluntly replies.

"Yes?! You couldn't have done that."

"It was absolutely necessary. You reincarnated as a monster. It would take decades, if not centuries, for you to regain your memories and identity. By then, you would be someone else, something else."

"Maybe I should be."

“What?”

“I was born in these forsaken lands with chronic narcolepsy. I would rather never have gotten my memories back. Jean should have died forever. At least then his anguish would be over."

"Oh My Dark Lord. You're overreacting. You're just upset because your trow boyfriend dumped you for the shamaness girl." Camilo taunts his former classmate.

"You're reading my mind? How dare you?"

"I'm inside your head. You invited me. Nothing here is happening without your consent." The elf-cambion says, annoyed. "You need to stop denying things. I've seen it all."

Jean falls to his knees, defeated.

He was indeed weary of denial.

"I'm sorry. You're right. I'm so tired of denying."

Jean sits with his knees bent and his arms wrapped around them.

"I always had... these strange thoughts. I thought they would go away with time, but they became unbearable when..."

"When?"

"When I met you."

Camilo's big, golden eyes gazed at Jean from top to bottom.

"And what about Grant?"

"Grant? It was never serious. It was always a mix of carnal desire, admiration, and envy. I wanted to have him as much as I wanted to be him."

"And you wanted to have me?"

"Yes, but it was different. I wanted you to notice me. To smile at me and only me. I wanted to do silly things with you."

"Oh gosh. That's so gay. I think you're gay." Camilo tease him.

"Shut up."

"Now, now, Jeancito. So let me have you."

"What?"

"Let. Me. Have. You!"

"What do you mean?"

"Let me fuck you like you were a Madholian whore."

Camilo laughs at the taunting, already expecting a vicious response from his former classmate.

"I'll let you."

"What?" Camilo startled.

"I will let you fuck me like a Madholian whore. Whatever Madholian means."

The cambion seemed to enter a state of ecstasy for a moment upon hearing this. His horns glowed in a golden hue, and his tail moved frenetically like a snake until he regained his composure.

"Oh my my. Look at you, emo boy." He speaks with a hand over his face, hiding his lascivious smile.

"Can we... can we meet?" Jean asks.

"Unfortunately, it's not possible right now."

"Tell me. Tell me where you are, and I'll fly there." Jean stands up and grabs the hem of Camilo's shirt.

"I'm over there and there." The cambion moves the hand pointing to random places.

"You're pointing to nowhere."

"Exactly."

Camilo sighs deeply. Meanwhile, the landscape around them begins to crumble.

"At the dawn of the next century, when the veil that protects this world is weakened again, I will have gathered enough power to be on the material plane once more. Until then, be a good boy and grow into a full-adult dragon."

"Wait! Camilo!"

Akalani wakes up to the sound of his own voice.

The village had thrown a grand celebration in his honor, but he didn't care. On the same day, the group sets out for the peaks of the Mountains of Korath.