Chapter 82: The Guardian’s Farewell
The Guardian was waiting when they came back through the Commander Village. He was standing at the path’s edge with his arms at his sides.
"You look happier," Arthur said.
The Guardian laughed. Not the carefully maintained laugh of something that was choosing to demonstrate warmth. An actual one.
"I am," he said. "I have waited for this day for a very long time."
The village was quiet around them.
Arthur was already noticing that the quiet was different from the quiet it had been before.
...
Athena stepped forward. "There are three surviving tribes?" she said. She had her notebook ready before the Guardian had confirmed anything.
"Three," the Guardian said. "The Mu Tribe, which you have found. The Su Tribe, which survives in the eastern section of the Realm. The Yan Tribe, which remains in the northern reaches." He paused. "They are the remaining people of the Kingdom of Dawn."
Arthur blinked. "The kingdom has a name," he said.
Mithra’s expression shifted toward something bright. "And it’s a good one," she said.
Athena’s notebook hit the edge of the basket of supplies that she was carrying it on top of and nearly fell. She caught it. Her face had done something that Arthur had not seen it do before.
"The Kingdom of Dawn," Athena said. "That name exists in historical records."
"But I thought there was no mention of a Goblin kingdom," Mithra said.
Athena looked between the Guardian and the rest of the group. "There isn’t," she said. "Not as a Goblin kingdom. The Kingdom of Dawn appears in ancient records as a civilization built by early human Beast Tamers. No Goblin connection is mentioned anywhere in any source I’ve encountered."
Sun blinked. "So historians thought it was a human kingdom."
"Thought it was, studied it as one, and never connected it to Goblins," Athena said. "Not once. In centuries of scholarship."
The Guardian’s expression had become very quiet.
"History," he said, "belongs to those who survive to tell it."
Nobody replied to that for a moment.
...
Arthur raised one hand. "If Goblins built the Kingdom of Dawn, why are there only three tribes left? There should be thousands of Goblins."
The Guardian stopped.
The stillness that came over him was different from the patient stillness he had been exhibiting. This was the stillness of something encountering an absence where information should have been.
"I..." he said.
He touched the side of his head slowly.
"There are sections of my memory that are simply gone," he said. "Not faded with time or incomplete from age. It feels like it was removed somehow."
Athena had stopped writing.
She said, very quietly: "Somebody your memory."
Arthur frowned. "Who would do that?"
Nobody answered.
Because nobody knew.
The Guardian gathered himself, and when he did, it was with the deliberate quality of someone setting something aside to be carried later.
"That does not need to be answered today," he said. "What matters today is that the Crown Fragment has accepted Vedas. The Mu Tribe has their Commander." He looked at Arthur. "And I still have one duty to fulfill."
He walked toward Arthur.
Arthur pointed at himself. "Me?"
"The King’s final instruction was to protect the next Commander," the Guardian said. "That protection should pass to someone who will be beside the Commander more often than a spirit can be."
He held out his hand.
Then he dissolved into golden light, and the light moved toward Arthur’s King’s Mark and the Mark accepted it.
Arthur looked at his hand.
Two symbols now occupied the King’s Mark. The spear that had always been there. And beside it was a hammer
Sun immediately points. "Another one?!"
Arthur blinks. "Looks like it."
Sun grabs his own hair. "WHY DOES THIS KEEP HAPPENING TO YOU?!"
Mithra laughs. "At least this one asked first."
A notification appeared.
[King’s Mark Updated]
[Stored Guardian Spirits: 1 / 3]
[Guardian Skills Available: 1]
Arthur suddenly felt warmth, and without thinking about it, he said.
"Guardian Strike."
Golden light erupted from the mark. The Guardian’s spirit appeared behind Arthur for one moment, larger than it had been in physical form, and one spear thrust produced a sound and a shockwave that would have moved a Stone Beast.
Then the light faded.
Arthur looked at where the spear had hit the ground.
"...Did I just get a skill?"
Sun blankly stared. "Of course you do."
Athena was already analyzing. "The Guardian’s spirit isn’t gone," she said. "It’s stored in the mark. When it’s used, it needs time to rebuild mana from the surrounding environment before it can be used again."
"Like a beast?" Sun asked in surprise.
"Not exactly," Athena said. "More like something inherited. A skill tied to a spirit that remains present."
Mithra walked around Arthur and looked at the mark. "Can you use it again?"
Arthur tried to tap into it again, but nothing happened. He even tried saying the name, but nothing appeared.
Mithra held her chin before she noticed something. "The light dimmed for the hammer is dimmed. It seems you need to wait a bit to use it again."
Arthur nods. "Makes sense."
Sun sighs. "Thank goodness."
Arthur blinks. "Why?"
"So you don’t summon ancient spirits every ten seconds."
Arthur’s lips twitched before a new notification appeared.
[New Title Acquired: Spirit Anchor]
[Effect: Mana absorption speed significantly increased. Stored Guardian Spirits replenish naturally from surrounding mana.]
Arthur blinked. "Spirit Anchor?"
He looked at the King’s Mark and then toward the place where the Guardian had disappeared. A small smile appeared. "...I kind of like that one."
"Hm? Is that what you’re going to call yourself now?" Sun asked with a raised brow.
"It does make sense; he has a spirit in him now."
"And if this continued, he might hold the other spirits in the two other tribes."
"Ugh, don’t remind me," Sun said with a sigh. "Can’t he reject them?"
"But that wouldn’t be fine, Sun! And besides, I need spirits to prove my title as the Spirit Anchor."
Sun looked horrified. "Please stop making sentences like those sound normal."
Arthur blinked. "It isn’t?"
Mithra immediately answered. "No."
Athena nodded. "Definitely not."
Arthur scratched his cheek. "...Really?"
Everyone.
"YES."
"But then life would be boring." He pointed out.
"Agreed." Mithra giggled.
"... Well–" Athena paused before slowly saying.
"You traitors!"
Mithra laughed as Athena looked away and Sun glared at them.
Vedas smiled and said. "I’m glad."
"About?" Arthur said.
"You have another way to protect yourself," Vedas said. "That’s good."
Arthur grinned and threw his arm around Vedas’s shoulders. "My partner really is the best," he said.
Vedas laughed.
The chamber opened.
The Elder came through the passage into the chamber with several hunters behind him, and when he saw Vedas, he stopped.
Arthur smiled. "Your new Chief," he said, gesturing toward Vedas.
The Elder looked at Vedas for a long moment.
Then he knelt.
"The Mu Tribe," he said, "greets Chief Vedas."
The hunters behind him knelt. Then the Goblins who had followed them from the settlement. One by one, and then in groups, and then the children who didn’t fully understand but understood that the adults were doing something important and copied them.
The chamber filled with kneeling Goblins.
Vedas stood very still.
Arthur nudged him gently.
Vedas looked at the Elder. At the hunters. At the children who were watching him with expressions that contained everything the tribe had been waiting to feel for a very long time.
"Hello," he said.
One little Goblin immediately shouted, "Chief smiled!"
The other children started cheering even louder.
Vedas looked embarrassed.
Arthur laughed. "You’re popular."
The tribe rushed over to Vedas, who also began to laugh.
As this went on, the King Mark glowed again.
Arthur suddenly felt warmth from the King’s Mark again. The hammer symbol shone brighter than before. Golden light slowly gathered in front of the tribe.
"He’s coming back."
The scattered particles began taking shape once more. The Guardian appeared one last time.
The entire Mu Tribe froze.
Then...
Every Goblin immediately dropped to one knee.
Children.
Hunters.
Elders.
Nobody remained standing.
The Guardian Spirit smiled gently before slowly walking toward the Elder. "Elder Raku."
The old Goblin’s body trembled.
"You’ve carried this tribe far longer than anyone ever asked you to." The Guardian Spirit gently patted Raku on the back. "Thank you."
The Elder Raku immediately lowered his head. "It was my honor."
The Guardian Spirit nodded before looking toward one of the hunters.
"Garn. You rebuilt the tribe’s eastern walls. Six times, even when you knew it might fall again."
The Hunter laughed through tears. "Someone had to."
The Guardian Spirit smiled. "Thank you."
He continued walking.
Calling names.
Thanking healers.
Hunters.
Teachers.
Even one elderly Goblin woman.
"You never stopped teaching the children our songs."
She covered her mouth. "I couldn’t let them forget."
The Guardian Spirit smiled. "I’m glad you didn’t."
By the time he finished...
Almost every Goblin was crying.
Arthur quietly smiled. "He remembered everyone."
Mithra nodded softly. "That’s another reason why they care about him."
The Elder Raku slowly stood. "Guardian Spirit. I have a question."
"Ask away."
"... May we ask your name?"
The Guardian froze, and his smile slowly faded. "...I..."
He quietly laughed. "...I can’t remember."
Silence.
All of the Goblins’ eyes widened in shock while Elder Raku trembled and quickly said. "I-I am sorry!"
The Guardian Spirit said nothing, but he had a dazed look on his face.
Arthur looked toward the Mu Tribe and then smiled. "Then why don’t you give him one?"
Everyone looked at Arthur.
"W-What?"
"B-But isn’t that disrespectful?"
"Says who?" Arthur tilted his head. "I gave your Chief his name, and he doesn’t regret it."
"I don’t," Vedas said softly.
He continued. "Giving the Guardian Spirit a name would be the final gift you can give to him for always being there for you all. And your final way of honoring him."
The Guardian Spirit’s eyes widened. "A name... from my own people..."
"Sounds exciting, doesn’t it?" Arthur asked with a grin.
The Guardian Spirit slowly smiled. "Yeah, it does... Then tell me. What name shall you all give me?"
The Mu Tribe looked toward one another.
Nobody spoke.
Until...
One small child quietly whispered, "Mu..."
Elder Raku looked at the child before trembling. And then he looked back toward the Guardian.
His eyes slowly filled with tears. "I agree... I should be King Mu."
The little Goblin looked around nervously. "...King Mu."
Silence.
One Hunter slowly lowered his head. "King Mu."
An elderly Goblin woman smiled through tears. "King Mu."
The teachers.
The builders.
The children.
One voice became five.
Five became twenty.
Twenty became the entire village.
"King Mu."
"King Mu."
"King Mu."
The chamber echoed with nothing else.
The Guardian’s shoulders trembled. "W-What... I can’t accept something like that. The name King shouldn’t be given to–"
"Why not?" Arthur smiled. "You protected them, carried them, and guided them for so many years. To them... you are no different than a King."
The Guardian Spirit’s eyes widened in shock before looking down.
Unable to answer.
Mithra stepped beside Arthur, and she smiled gently. "Besides... Do you really think your King would be upset?"
The Guardian looked toward her.
"What mattered more to him?" Mithra tilted her head. "The Goblin or his title?"
Silence.
The Guardian slowly answered. "The Goblins."
Elder Raku immediately nodded. "Then... please accept the name. To us, you are no different than a King. You are our King Mu."
Every Goblin bowed.
"Please."
"Please."
"Please."
The Guardian Spirit trembled before laughing. He Mu looked toward the Goblins of the Mu Tribe. "If it means so much to you all... Then I accept and will treasure it." A faint smile appeared on his face. "Thank you... my beloved people."
Golden light slowly rose from his body.
King Mu looked across every face.
The children.
The hunters.
The teachers.
And then the Elder.
He smiled. "You all survived so well; that’s what I am the most proud of."
Nobody could stop crying anymore.
Even Elder Raku wiped his eyes. "We only survived because you never gave up on us."
King Mu quietly laughed. "Then I hope you guys never give up on each other."
"Of course!"
Athena quietly closed her notebook, and Arthur looked over. "Finished writing?"
She slowly shook her head.
"Some moments... should be remembered. Not recorded."
Arthur smiled. "Yeah. I think so too."
King Mu then looked at Vedas. "Lead them well."
Then Arthur. "Continue walking beside him."
Arthur smiled. "I will." He looked toward Vedas. "That’s what partners do."
Vedas quietly nodded. "Yeah. It is... And thank you; we will keep them safe."
King Mu nodded.
Then...
He slowly dissolved into thousands of golden lights. The Mu Tribe watched until the final particle disappeared and went back into the King Mark.
Nobody spoke.
The silence itself was the farewell.
...
They emerged to a night sky with stars that were not fully visible from inside any city.
Elder Raku stood beside Vedas. "Chief," he said. "What should we do now?"
Every Goblin nearby looked at Vedas.
Vedas thought for a moment, and then he looked at Arthur.
Arthur smiled. "Let’s celebrate. The fact that you all survived, that you have a new chief, and all that King Mu has done for you all."
A small child raised both hands immediately.
"Celebrate!" the child said.
The village cheered.
Mithra held her chin. "What kind?"
Arthur answered immediately. "Let’s have a big Bonfire."
Athena smiled. "You really do love bonfires," she said.
Sun folded his arms. "He’s right, though," Sun said. "They’re objectively the best."
Kong crossed his arms and nodded once with complete seriousness.
Vedas laughed before looking at the Mu Tribe. "What do you think?"
One little Goblin raises his hand. "Is it fun?"
Vedas looks toward Arthur.
Mithra.
Sun.
Athena.
Kong.
Melo.
Athy.
Then smiles. "With these people, it’s unforgettable."
The children erupt with excitement.
Arthur claps once. "Then let’s get started!"
Everyone immediately scatters.
Some gathered tiny sticks.
Others proudly carried branches almost twice their height.
Arthur scratched his cheek. "I should probably figure out how to explain all of this in the letter to my mom," he said.
Sun thought for a moment. "Start with ’Hi Mom.’"
Arthur nodded seriously. "That’s actually a good opening."
Sun laughed. "The rest is your problem."
Arthur sighed. "Future Arthur can handle it."
Mithra smiled. "Poor Future Arthur."
Arthur nodded. "He’ll figure it out."
Everyone laughed as they walked toward the village.
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