With Sanguis, the gargoyle apparently, and Mr. Gilson as my guards and escorts to a family mansion known as the Bellgastra royal estate, apparently, the daughter of said estate wished to find and greet the 'supposed' goblin that saved her life and virtue yesterday. As we traveled the long distance I realize that Sanguis is a lot more chatty than he initially let on, but I think it's because we are indeed similar in a lot of ways that I didn't expect to become a topic of enjoyment. So far he tells me that most red blood goblins like us are given higher opportunities to live among humans than with our own kind due to our natural ability to communicate better with them. With goblins we are expected to be pets to humans but that's just an old rumor that never died over the years.
He also told me that being the type of goblin I am, the dragonjaw, my smell is completely normal. Having the smell of human blood means I'm mixed with one while the earth smell just comes from my birth environment.
I was literally spawned in the woods by a lake, so yeah, that definitely makes sense. Doesn't reassure me in the slightest though.
Once we make it to a new area of the city he changes his appearance with some kind of water magic and goes from freak of nature to hunk of angels with greenish grey skin and sits properly like a gentleman now that he can fit in the carriage better. WHAT THE ACTUAL FUCK!!? He even change the look of his attire to fit the high class environment.
His eyes still an empty paly gold as he smiles at my reaction so naturally that it made me blush and want to hurt him at the same time. I still get this feeling I shouldn't get too comfortable around him yet. No matter how nice and good looking he is, I refuse to accept this sense of ease he's trying to put me in. I absolutely REFUSE!
Pin!
You have developed resistance to [charm]
[Charm cast immunity] has been set to level one
[Incubus/succubus charm resistance] is now level one
[Seductive resistance] has been set to level one
[Water charm cast] has been nullified due to resistance to [incubus/succubus charm resistance]
[Intuition], [instinct], and [observation] have been set to level three.
What in the actual fuck just happened!?
I can now see horns on his face and a small tail flailing behind him like a happy dog. Now he looks like a demon.
Well, now that I have all of that resistance I don't feel so overpowered by him anymore. I am actually quit annoyed now. I think I'm just gonna keep this to myself for now, but...
"Hey, Sanguis." I had to stop him from talking. He actually talks way too much when he's comfortable with someone and half the stuff he says has been very sexual in an odd way. I'm just noticing that he's been flirting with me the majority of this ride in between his informing no less.
"Hm? Yes, what is it, dear?" STOP IT!
"I don't mean to be rude, but could you tone down the flirtations. I'm not saying it's not flattering and your nice and all, but it's kind of creeping me out." There. I said it. I have no regrets either.
"...eh?"
Gilson puffs his cheeks and burst out in laughter as Sanguis's face turns bright pink and he stiffens to a silence. Just in time now that we've made it to our destination. I don't want to keep hearing him thinking about what our kids might look like. Why does this guy even want to think of that kind of thing right now? I just met the guy. Now I have to deal with his dejected face the rest of the way to the main hall but at least he's quiet.
A servant girl meets us in a large room and greets us warmly, but then stares at me for a while.
Oh, yeah. She was with the fancier lady in the forest before.
Toba only took the maids coat and Rolba never asked for any of the money I got from their left overs. She gives me a strange look and guides us to a book room filled, floor to ceiling, with books and scrolls and every possible readable material I could get my hands on. A girl in the most gorgeous day gown I've ever seen sipping a cup of tea with the tea set in front of her and an extra cup and seat next to her.
"They have come, madam." The servant says. The girl looks up at us and we make eye contact.
"So this is him, sir Sanguis? The lower goblin that saved us?"
Sanguis doesn't raise his head and his voice becomes stern and less friendly than when he spoke to me. His ears were low though. "It is, madam."
The girl stands and walks to us gracefully. I don't dare to say a word until she asks me, but the fact is almost everyone thus far but Sanguis used a male annotation for me. I hate being androgynous. Now she's uncomfortably close.
"What do you call yourself, sir goblin?"she asked. I know she means well with that statement, but still.
"Tessa Greenwool. I may not look like it, but I'm a girl ma'am."
"Watch your words, goblin!" The servant shouts. Rude!
"Christa! Stay silent!"
"But, madam...!"
"Silence! You do not insult your savior! My apologies, miss Tessa. Please come sit with me. Is there anything you wish before we talk?"
A bath would be nice. "Not now. I don't think I should sit inside though."
"Hm? There's nothing to be nervous of."
"I really don't think I should. I haven't been able to clean myself since I arrived in town so I feel a little bad sitting in suck a nice room." She is so friendly and sweet!
"Ah! Is that all!? Then come join me for a bath! Since your a girl, I'm sure there's no problem with that right?"
"Madam!!"
"Quiet! I'm talking to my guest."
"Uh..." Kind of pushy friendly but I gotta stay cautious. "I don't think that would be..."
"Oh! Let me rephrase myself. PLEASE join me for a bath!"
Her eyes were glistening with excitement when she says this. Sanguis said that a lot of humans in the noble prospects prefer to keep their company with goblins due to their pure honesty while some others would rear us as pets because of it. I think she's just flat out fascinated by the fact that I call myself a girl and that in itself scares me.
I look behind me and notice Gilson still trying not to laugh his head off at Sanguis's rejected face. Sanguis, though sad, seems to have a thought crossing his mind that's making him seem better but not in a good way.
"... Uh... I guess I will take your offer, ma'am."
"Vanessa Halliway, at your service. Please call me Vanessa. I'll call you Tessa!"
"Okay. I'll be in your care." I can't help but smile at her bouncy behavior. I don't think anyone's ever been this excited about me just being here.
The guards take their leave now as Vanessa and I follow the servant, Christa, to the bath. I don't think she likes me since she keep throwing dagger stares at me every other ten steps while Vanessa gave me a tour of her estate on the way there.
We make it to the bath and Vanessa tell Christa to get us a set of clothes.
"Eek! I am so happy to be able to bathe with one of you finally!" She says as she strips her clothes off. I start to notice that she was more well endowed than her clothes let on and started to upset me.
"Y-yeah. Sure." I stutter trying to hold back my pain as I look to my own chest while I undress.
Why do I have a male torso though?
"Hm? ... I thought you said you're a girl."
"Huh!? I am! I can't explain this! I don't have that lower half though. See?" I drop my shorts and she looks at me intensely. "Please don't stare like that it makes me very uncomfortable."
"Ah! Sorry. I just never seen a female goblin before. That's all."
"What?" She gets closer and then pokes my belly under my chest.
"W-what!? What are you doing!? Stop that!!" I cover my chest and stomach the moment she does.
That was so embarrassing! Why did she do that!?
"Well you sure do act like a girl, that's for sure." She snickers. What the hell!? "So why did you decide to help us, by the way? Not many goblins would willingly approach humans in the first place since there are a few prejudices still out there."
"... Isn't it right to help someone if you could? It's not like I had anything to lose in the first place at that moment. So I took the benefit of the doubt."
"... Do you not know who I am?"
"I just got here yesterday, after all. So I don't know anything."
"So you really just did it on a whim!?"
"Yes?"
"D-don't tell me your feral like Sanguis?"
"Huh!? Like hell I'm like that pervert!"
"Pervert!? He's such a gentleman, though!"
"Not when you have a resistance to charm spells."
"What!? Are you serious!? Ooh!! Oh no!! What did he make me say!?"
"I'm just gonna go on a limb and say he does this to every girl he runs into."
"We have to warn them!! There's a charm caster on the loose!... Though I guess it's fine since he never attempted anything with anyone yet."
"Are you serious? The guy was talking about how our kids would look like on the way here. And I just met him this morning."
"Ah!! Don't tell me he wants to be your mate!? And you rejected him!!? That's like a go to for most goblins! Since females with red blood are a rarity among rarities."
"R-really?" Is that why he was so flirtatious the whole time? Instinct wise, it would make sense that he would according to basic goblin logic I guess. "... Still, no thank you. He's a little over the top with his insistence."
"Well I wouldn't be surprised I guess since you're so intelligent and well spoken, and well mannered too. What goblin guy wouldn't flirt with you, honestly?"
"Huh?" Is it that big of a deal? "A-anyway? I don't know much enough to actually be considered a choice yet. So lets put that aside for now until I get my bearings here. Back to the reason I'm here, why did you want to call me here aside from thanks? I know you got some other motives." I gotta get to the bottom of her motives and get some knowledge about this place. What better way to do it than to take advantage of this opportunity.
"... Well my papa wanted to speak to you really. I only wanted to meet you and thank you for saving me and my Christa from those bandits. Papa wants to know your true motives for saving us, since as I said before, most goblins would avoid that sort of trouble all together, even as adventurers."
"... I see." That would have been harsh on her had I left her alone then. It'd be heavy on my karma if i didn't help though. "I'm glad your well though. My good deed of that day didn't go to waist so I guess that and this is enough for me."
I smile as I say this. It did feel good to help someone that needed it. And better knowing that I had the strength to do it and survive. She stares at me for a moment then cups her hands together as if praying. She seems happy with what i said. Its true after all.
We enjoyed each other's company for a while longer then finally leave, but the problem I have now is the outfit I had no choice but to wear.
So... Why this? Of all the things the maid gets me, she picks the most masculine adventurers uniform she could fine. And I choose to notice this after I put it on. What is wrong with me? Now I really look like a guy... God dammit. I know that maid is enjoying herself... What the fuck is with her face right now?
Christa and Vanessa where staring holes into me like they both had a fever.
"W-Why did you get her this, Christa?" Vanessa asks.
"I- I couldn't help myself ma'am! No matter what the goblin says, I couldn't get the thought of him- uh... Her being a male out of my head so..."
"Christa!!"
"I couldn't think of anything girly that would suit him!! Ah! Her! Aah!!! Dammit!! There's just no way that goblin would look like a girl in anything anyway! You don't even sound remotely feminine in the first place!!"
I look to her a little hurt in my pride and at the same time not surprised. "Well jesus, at least consult with me first. I don't really mind it since your right, but at least let me pick next time."
Their expressions now seem a little more feverish. Don't know why, but not my fault... I think.
° ° ° ° °
It takes their entire argument about me being so masculine to get to the "office" where Vanessa's father, the ambassador of Selest, resided. Selest being the name of this section of the city, which is, as I can see from the map plastered behind him, not a big section compared to the rest of it. Pretty nice to see something of better use than the guy himself glaring holes into me.
The ambassador was actually staring holes into me like he wanted to kill me. I am indeed scared but for another reason that has something to do with the two ladies next to me STILL arguing about what to make me wear after this. I hope I can live long enough to try them.
"So you are the goblin that supposedly saved my baby girl? Christa says you speak our language fairly easily."
"More hereditarily, sir." I say trying to lighten the mood a tiny bit. Understanding my place as a goblin instead of a human made me wish I never understood them to begin with.
"... Is that so. So you were raise speaking the human tongue from birth? Then may I ask how your family is?"
Family? Like a special clan of goblins or something? I don't know what that is, so let's see if this will hold out better than saying I'm a complete stranger from the woods. "Unfortunately, I have no memory of that, sir." Since this is my official body and not some other goblins corpse I was put in. Otherwise I would have had their memories. But I only have mine.
He glances to his right and instinctively I look to see another goblin at the corner of the room. Where'd he come from? And why did he need to look to that guy?
"... Hm... So you don't know your origin, I would assume?"
"... I'm not really sure what you mean by that?"
"Did you not understand the question?"
"I understood the question. I don't understand what your asking me. What do you mean by origin?" Please tell me more about the goblin faction. Cuz I obviously know close to nothing about it.
"Fine. What do you think of me and my child here?"
"You are a family. Those linked together by blood."
"Exactly. Do you have anyone like that, sir goblin?"
The other goblin in the room clears his throat the moment he says 'sir'. I look to him again and see that he seemed slightly uneasy.
"Hm?"
"'Miss.'" I correct. "I am a woman, sir."
"...Eh? Oh... Uh... My apologies."
"No worries. You're not the first and you certainly won't be the last." He's really not until I figure out how to get my girls back. "Now to answer your question: no. I don't have anything like a family here. I am alone as far as I can tell."
"... But you're not like the gargoyle?"
"I don't know what that means." Now I'm annoyed cuz I was just compared to the pervert.
"A feral. You seem more domesticated that that animal."
"Ah... No. Not as far as I can tell. I did find myself in the woods though but I don't drive myself on instinct."
He looks to the other again. He seemed displeased with my answer but sighs in defeat. "Well, I suppose a late introduction is well overdue. I am Vincent Halliway. Ambassador of the lower sect. I humbly thank you for saving my daughter from a terrible crisis."
"You're welcome. I'm glad to see they made it home safely."
"Noble words for a goblin. If you allow me I would like to express my gratitude to you by giving you our name and allowing you to live here in the mansion. Or if you prefer I can give you a place nearby."
Now that sounds like an offer only a complete dumbass would ignore. Unfortunately I am that dumbass. So far I couldn't pick up on anything off about his words but the thing that throws me off is the satisfied smile on the other goblins face. He was well dressed from head to toe like a servant. He seems to be content with his position, but the thing that put me off the most was the collor and cuffs on his neck and wrists. He probably made the deal and was asked to wear those as a precaution. I don't like that idea of freedom trade for wealthy standings.
"I'm afraid I'll refuse, sir. If you wish to give me a name that's fine and good but the reward is unnecessary."
"What?! ... Wait. What do you wish then?"
"Don't get me wrong. it's an ideal offer, I saw all I needed to see with your daughter and her servant safe at home. So my main worries are clear off my conscience."
"... That's not what your initial thoughts are is it?"
He called my bluff so no use in hiding it. "So I should trust your words as you telling me that you don't want to keep a close eye on me after hearing such a vague line of answers?"
He looks at me curiously. "... Explain."
"I'll simply be frank. I don't want to end up like your best man that's been standing behind me the whole time as a lie detector."
He looks at me shocked. Called it. "... So you noticed? When?"
"The moment you first look at him during this entire meeting."
"... Miss Christa told me you have a name already. How is that possible if you have no origin?"
"You won't believe me even with the lie detector."
"Try me." He seems more interested in me than before. And not in a way I like.
"... Alright. My name is Tessa Greenwood. I have no origin from this world. I have the intellect of humans because I once was one in my previous world... Or life. However you wanna see it."
And now he looks completely horrified. So does everyone else in the room.
".... Well... You're obviously not lying to me. But your still holding out on something aren't you?"
"So are you. And that makes us even."
"... If I told you that I could give you access to every place in this sect, would you tell me more?"
"Only if you give me access to every book in this sect, then yes."
"B-books...?"