—–
I looked into the night sky. It was clear and starry, with the moon shining brightly atop the sky.
After the goblin village people woke up, we explained to them all that had transpired and how they even fell asleep, which was due to exhaustion of mana.
They all had woken up rather tired and sleepy, so I brought them out of the shadow storage and then fed them until they were filled up with Mana.
“Thank you for everything you’ve done, Lady Maria. You don’t know how indebted we are… I can’t… I don’t know what to say other than thank you,” Cried the Goblin Chief.
“Haha… Don’t worry about it! You guys were my responsibility… D-Don’t prostrate yourselves! Agh! S-Stop! Don’t degrade yourselves like that….” I sighed.
The Goblins all kneeled to me, although the humans and other former slaves were not accustomed to these things. Still, some were very grateful that they did it anyway. It seems that an act of gratefulness in the goblin society and a custom is to prostrate themselves before the one they feel the most grateful.
“Please, you guys… Stand up. Everything is fine. We are all good friends here. You can be grateful later when you help me rebuild your village, alright?” I asked.
“A-Ah… Lady Maria…”
“You’re a saint!”
“Lady Maria is really a saint!”
“Thank you…”
“She has done so much for us….”
“We don’t deserve such kindness….”
“Please, Lady Maria, I know it is not so much, but feel free to take any young man of my tribe as your husband. They’re all youthful and energetic young men. I am sure they’ll be more than willing to become your lover!” Shouted the Goblin Chief.
Suddenly almost every young man that didn’t have a relationship looked at me with charming smiles, although they were all goblins in the end.
Apparently, they were totally fine with the idea…
“Huuuhh… I… Erm…”
“Lady Maria, you’re a charming beauty! Please, let me become your husband. I will please you in all your needs!”
“No, I believe I can do it better! I will make sure to please you at night!”
“No, me! I can cook very well, and I am an excellent hunter as well. I will bring you food and cook for you!”
“I will forever give you all my gratitude, Lady Maria!”
“You’ve stolen my heart ever since before you left our village!”
“E-Eeeeh?!”
Over a dozen of young goblin men began to kneel before me, asking for my hand in marriage. On the otherhand, Lucifer, Partner, and Emeraldine were looking at the scene in shock.
“Y-You can take more than one! In fact, why don’t you take them all?!” Asked the Goblin Chief.
“Uwah! No! Stop! I-I am not interested in any man… for now! I am, actually… Asexual! Sorry, but I cannot really feel any physical attraction! I am a ghost!” I said.
“N-no?”
“She doesn’t feel any attraction….”
“Well, we can also be romantic!”
“Not everything is about carnal desires after all!”
“Indeed! We can make sure to please all your needs, Lady Maria!”
“Guys, please stop… I… I am afraid I must reject you all….” I sighed.
*Crack…!*
I could hear all their hearts being broken. Although they remained strong, many goblins shed a few tears.
“At least we tried, friends,”
“Indeed…”
“Well, we can always admire her….”
“We were foolish. Lady Maria is someone way beyond our scope, like a brilliant moon in the night sky. We must admire her beauty but never be able to touch her.”
“Indeed…”
“Such wise words, brother….”
Phew… I am glad I rejected them quickly, and they gave up. Lucifer, Partner, and Emeraldine would have most likely created a fuss if I had continued letting them get away with this…
Ugh, am I that attractive?! Agh… I… I feel a bit bad now. No one in my previous life ever liked me… I was a loser and a loner…
This makes me feel bad… because I was also rejected many times when I was a high schooler…
I remember my past a little bit. Those times when I was a stupid girl wearing glasses and filled with acne…
“Jon… I always have fun with you….”
“I do too. You talk a lot about games and stuff that’s interesting. The other girls are so boring….”
“R-Really?”
“Yeah!”
“Jon… I have something to tell you!”
“Huh? What?”
“I-I like you… C-Can you go out with me?”
“Huh? W-What?”
“Eh? I… I like you, Jon….”
“Ugh… I am only with you because you talk about games, but… I-I never liked you… you got it wrong… We are just classmates….”
“Eh? O-Oh… T-That’s fine! S-Sorry! C-Can we keep being friends?”
“I don’t know. Now I feel creeped out… Imagining you looking at me with perverted eyes really makes me feel disgusted….”
“Oh… I-I am sorry….”
I was left in the backyard of the school alone. Some of the other girls were even looking at me while I made myself a fool and laughed at my back as if it were all a show.
It hurt…
Do these little goblins feel like that? Ugh, it makes me feel so horrendous now. I don’t want to be like that asshole.
“I am sorry, guys! I wish I could accept your feelings… Don’t feel bad, okay? We can keep being friends, and I will make sure to train you and protect you and cook yummy food for the tribe! So don’t feel bad, alright?” I said as I expanded my phantasmal body around them and gave them all a group hug.
“Ahh… M-Lady Maria…”
“Such benevolence…”
“We don’t deserve such kindness!”
“Uwaaahh!”
I think things escalated a bit too much. I shouldn’t have my memories of my past life rejects cross through me all the time.
Ugh, though I had such a bad history with them… Agh, remembering them makes me cringe.
“You’re done with the weird act already?” Sighed Lucifer.
“W-What weird act?! I was being serious!” I said.
“You’ve rejected me already several times! You didn’t act like that….” Said Lucifer.
“Eh? That’s because you’re an old and grumpy dragon. It’s different!” I refuted.
“Okay, okay, let’s forget this all… and just enjoy the dinner!” Said Emeraldine.
“I was about to butcher those goblins….” Said Partner.
“Y-You better not touch them, Partner!” I said.
“O-Okay! S-Sorry for saying that out loud…” Sighed Partner.
—–