I Am Not The Duke's Evil Son-Chapter 81: The Droblin Race

The next morning, deep in the forest, the Droblin girl named Maarit walked cautiously at the front, carefully watching her surroundings. Behind her, her companions dragged a primitive wooden stretcher on which Thorne was tied.

Although he was seriously injured, he was still able to move, but he could not break free of the restraints no matter how hard he tried.

He looked at the rope binding him with a complicated expression and thought, ’Is this rope the reason? It seems to be imbued with magic that suppresses my powers.’

He furrowed his brows and said firmly, "Release me. I appreciate your help and saving my life, but where are you taking me?"

One of the Droblin cautiously replied, "Just be quiet. You’ll attract monsters to our location. We’re taking you to our village so our chief can decide what to do with you."

’Tsk, I have to get out of here. Even though I’m bound by the Right of the Ancestors to Lord Arvan, if they claim me, I’ll be in big trouble. They also saved my life, and I can’t have two masters at the same time. I don’t want to be sent on a suicide mission for their sake.’

The Right of the Ancestors had many stipulations, but it guaranteed a reward for anyone who saved a werewolf’s life. If the werewolf already had a master, they were still obliged to perform one task for the second person who saved them.

He had heard them talk a few hours ago about a goblin nest troubling their village. He really didn’t want to deal with goblins again after last night’s battle.

’Damn, all I wanted was to return early to help my sister through her frenzy. Why was I so unlucky to encounter dozens of goblins on the way? Worse, many of them were D-Rank.’ He sighed in frustration and stared at the sky, barely visible through the thick branches. Then he thought, ’I hope my sister didn’t kill anyone. I don’t know what the Lord will do if she angered him.’

Without further dwelling on it, he scanned the surroundings, sniffed the air, and tried to memorize the path they had taken. After several hours of walking, the Droblin finally stopped.

They set up a simple camp and sat down to eat. Maarit, with a complex and no longer cheerful expression, hesitated and asked, "We’re almost there. Do you really think the village chief will scold me for what I did?"

A Droblin named Robert sighed in disappointment. "Most likely, yes. We were sent to gather medicinal herbs, not to save people. Worse, we didn’t even find all the herbs we needed despite venturing this far."

Maarit looked sad and sighed. "I’m starting to realize my mistake, but still, I think saving this person might be in our village’s best interest. Our people need an antidote for the poison the goblins dumped in our water supply. Maybe he knows something about it."

Feeling some hope, she turned and looked at the bound Thorne. "Sir, do you know anything about poisons?"

Thorne had been listening to their conversation intently. His reply was blunt. "Maybe." 𝗳𝚛𝚎𝚎𝘄𝕖𝕓𝕟𝕠𝚟𝚎𝕝.𝗰𝕠𝐦

He added sharply, "If you release me now, I’ll tell you what I know."

But his words didn’t tempt them. Robert replied coldly, "Don’t try anything. You’re dangerous to us, and we won’t release you."

Annoyed, Thorne snapped, "Damn you! If I get free, I’m kicking all your little asses and throwing you into the nearest pit I find."

The Droblin ignored his threats. One turned to Maarit and said, "We told you he’s dangerous. See how he threatens us? Like the village chief said, humans are evil creatures."

Maarit sighed but didn’t lose all hope. She thought, ’Maybe they’re right, but I don’t sense any evil intentions from this person. Maybe we’re just being overly cautious.’ She slowly shook her head. ’But it’s necessary. We can’t let him go.’

Thorne watched them with disappointment. He had tried to act tough with them even though he disliked the idea. He opened his mouth again to shout harsh words, but suddenly froze. He sniffed the air around him, and his expression changed.

He screamed in alarm, "Release me quickly! There’s a group of monsters nearby. Prepare for battle!"

His shout was so sudden that the Droblin thought he was trying to trick them. One scolded him hesitantly, "You won’t fool us."

But Thorne shouted again, "You green midgets, at least prepare to defend yourselves! I’m not joking! Release me!"

Doubt crept into their hearts as they saw the urgency in his eyes. They quickly stood and scanned the surroundings. But they saw and heard nothing. Their sense of smell was very weak, so they didn’t rely on it.

After a few tense seconds, nothing happened, and they sighed in relief. Robert shouted angrily, "You were trying to trick—"

Growl!

"Aaah!"

Before he could finish his sentence, several strange-looking monsters burst out from all sides and attacked simultaneously.

The Droblin panicked, but they were among the elite fighters of their village. Though all were only E-Rank, they drew their weapons and defended themselves.

Slash!

Short swords clashed with fangs and claws, turning the peaceful camp into a battlefield. Unlike human fighters, who typically relied on individual strength, the Droblin formed a strange formation. In the center was Thorne and the only mage among them. Surrounding them were three spearmen, with swordsmen and shield-bearers encircling them.

Despite fearing for his life, Thorne was amazed by what he saw and impressed by the coordination of their skills. He still didn’t know what race they belonged to but was certain it was a very weak one, given their combat style. Beastkin were known for their savagery, not their discipline.

Maarit charged a monster attacking her comrade and slashed its leg, forcing it to limp back. But it didn’t retreat. It glared at her and lunged again, only to be stabbed in the other leg by one of the spearmen, causing it to stumble. Before it could flee, the mage hit it with a fireball that burned its face. It writhed on the ground and died moments later.

Scenes like this filled the battlefield. The Droblin attacked in an organized way, killing the monsters around them steadily to conserve their strength. But more monsters appeared, doubling their enemies and increasing the pressure, making coordination difficult.

"Aaah!"

Suddenly, Maarit heard one of her comrades scream. Alarmed, she turned and saw a monster brutally mauling a Droblin, tearing his body apart.

"Get off him!"

Maarit attacked furiously and stabbed the monster in the eye. Her power pierced its skull, killing it instantly. She looked at her blood-covered comrade and wanted to help, but another monster blocked her. The mage immediately cast a fireball to distract it, giving Maarit a chance to stab its chest. The monster dodged slightly, receiving only a shallow wound.

"Aaah!"

Before she could plan her next move, another comrade screamed. Maarit began to lose her composure. She cursed, "Damn it!" then shouted, "Protect me!"

One of the spearmen took her place while she dragged the wounded Droblin inside the formation. Then she rushed to Thorne.

Seeing her, Thorne smiled. "Do you believe me now?"

She replied, "Yes." Then she touched the rope and said, "Release." The rope moved like a snake and untied Thorne.

He stood slowly, groaning. "My joints... I don’t think I’ll be much use in this condition." He shook his head, picked up his nearby sword and belongings, then took the lead position and joined the battle.

Having the help of a strong, large-built fighter eased the Droblin’s burden. Though injured, Thorne was still D-Rank, while the monsters were only E-Rank. Within minutes of fierce fighting, they pushed back and defeated the monsters.

The ground around them was covered with corpses, while some injured Droblin groaned and cried.

Maarit looked at Thorne and apologized. "Thank you. I hope you can forgive me for doubting you. Without you, we’d all be dead now."

Thorne collapsed onto his backside from exhaustion, breathing heavily. "You saved my life, and now I saved yours. There’s no more debt between us, so don’t expect anything else from me."

Maarit nodded without saying anything. She understood he was freeing himself from the obligation they had placed on him. Without lingering, she went to check on her injured comrades and asked with a heavy heart, "Will they live?"

Robert, who had been wounded in the arm, shook his head and sighed. "I don’t think so. Their injuries are too severe, and we have no healer. Then he pointed at Thorne. "What about him? What will we do with him?"

Maarit smiled bitterly. "I was truly naive, and now I’m facing the consequences of my decisions. If we hadn’t stopped to save him, we wouldn’t be in this deadly situation."

"So you’re letting him go? Are you ready to face the village chief’s punishment?" Robert replied knowingly.

"Yes." Calmly, she walked over to Thorne and told him with a sad expression, "Go. There’s no reason for you to stay here."

"Understood." Thorne nodded, stood up, stretched a little, and gathered his belongings. He looked around at the sad faces of the Droblin. Ever since they helped him, his only desire was to leave. But now his heart wouldn’t let him. He wanted to help them, but knew it would bring him a lot of trouble. He quietly decided, ’I should tell the Lord about them. Maybe he’ll pity them and help.’

Thinking about them, he froze for a brief moment.

Maarit noticed and looked at him in concern. "What’s wrong?"

"Nothing," Thorne said calmly. He took a step forward but suddenly stopped. A strange expression appeared on his face. ’The Lord’s scent?’

Before he could understand what was happening, he heard horses neighing and the sound of heavy hooves. The ground trembled slightly beneath him.

The Droblin felt it too and knew something was wrong. They gathered into a small formation and prepared to fight.

Moments later, dozens of heavily armored knights appeared, surrounding them in a tight circle. The Droblin’s expressions changed. They realized they were in deep trouble. They lowered their weapons and watched the knights fearfully, ready to beg for their lives if given the chance. Resistance was futile.

Suddenly, the knights stopped their horses, drew their weapons, and activated the Knight’s Aura skill against them.

The pressure was unlike anything they had felt before. Some dropped to their knees, others wet themselves. Maarit was the only one who kept a bit of composure. She examined the humans around her and then noticed a uniquely dressed man in luxurious black armor, watching them coldly. Beside him stood Thorne, showing complete submission.

That’s when guilt struck her, and she realized she had made a grave mistake.