Dungeon Core Academy: Books 1-7 (A LitRPG Series) by Alex Oakchest (book suggestions txt) 📕

praises while shrugging off any criticism. This was all your work. As it happens, you might have rid yourself of a group of opposing voices, but you have also done Reginal and I a good turn.”

“With the removal of Boothe Stramper, I take it?”

“The man was a thug. His reputation would put the scummiest outlaw to shame, but our mantra since our town’s naming day was that Yondersun would be open to all comers who can contribute in some way. Boothe paid the town levies, and thus he was allowed to stay. To force him out would have been to break our laws. You gave us a reason to get rid of a man who would certainly have become a problem. I mean, he was plotting to destroy the memorial and blame it in you. Can you imagine? Luckily, Gulliver’s leaflets, as well as some reports from the more astute of our citizens, alerted us to the menace.”

“I’m glad to be serving the community.”

“Good work does not go by without notice. Reginal has spoken to me about allowing you on the council. When he first told me of his proposal, I would have preferred to have a drunken rock troll attend our meetings. I have changed my mind. Henceforth, we would like you and Core Jahn on our council in an advisory capacity.”

“I look forward to it.”

“Good, good,” said Galatee.

It didn’t escape my notice that while Galatee usually ended meetings by either storming out of my dungeon or strongly hinting that my presence was no longer required, she wasn’t making any sign of our conversation being over.

“Is there something else?” I said.

“Can I speak to you about a sensitive subject?”

“I’m surprised that you’d trust me with one.”

“It seems that I have misjudged you, Beno. To my mind, you were a bloodthirsty piece of stone, brought back from death in an ungodly fashion and trained solely for the purpose of killing. An emotionless, demonic object that if we’re honest, has no place existing in a civilized world.”

“Stop, Galatee. If cores could blush, I’d be as red as a beetroot.”

“I also misjudged your intentions toward our town, and for that, I apologize. I can see that in your own way you usually act to protect the town, and you do in fact possess some selfless qualities.”

I thought about the No-Cores, the propaganda, framing Boothe for his plot to destroy the memorial. I thought about how, if the No-Cores were protesting something other than myself, I most likely wouldn’t have given them another thought.

“Well, I try to act in everyone’s interests from time to time. We’re neighbors, after all. We have to look out for one another.”

“Speaking of that, Beno. As I said, I need to talk to you about a delicate matter. I would normally bring such things up with Reginal, since I find that certain matters can only be spoken about chief to chief. But Reginal is the subject of my concerns, and you are the only other leader, of sorts, around…”

“You need to talk to me about Reginal? Is there trouble with the newly-weds?” I said.

“Newlyweds,…” said Galatee, her face paling. “How do you know?”

“I was joking about how close the pair of you seem. But it looks like I’ve touched on something.”

“It is true, Reginal and I have discussed marriage.”

“What??”

“Is there something wrong with that, Beno? There are plenty of gnome-goblin marriages.”

“That isn’t what bothers me. I’m just surprised, is all. I knew you were together, Galatee. Everyone with eyes and ears can tell, but most are too scared to speak about it plainly. But marriage…”

“It would make sense, no? Two clans merging under the banner of one town. Two chiefs forming a union. Of course, we are too young to produce heirs, but Devry is a smashing lad. A goblin I would be proud to call my son.”

I hadn’t expected this at all. The stronger the relationship between the chiefs was, the less I could play them off against each other. It meant that I couldn’t use one chief against the other. Evidently, Reginal hadn’t told Galatee of our deal with Devry’s orbs, but why? Was he perhaps ashamed to admit to anyone that he had to rely on a dungeon core to source the ingredients needed for Devry’s condition?

Questions, questions, questions. I liked to deal in facts, and where facts weren’t present, I had to use caution. Unless I knew otherwise, I would have to assume that from now on, everything I said to Galatee also found its way to Reginal’s ears.

And that meant something else.

I recalled conversations that I had a while ago with Reginal and Galatee, where each of them had asked something of me concerning the Silkers guild. I was being tested, I realized.

“There’s something we need to discuss,” I said.

“First, let me ask you something. Have you noticed anything strange about Reginal?” asked Galatee.

“Beyond the usual?”

“I’m serious. Does he seem stressed to you?”

“Leading people is hard. Even I get frustrated, and such emotions are supposed to be beyond me.”

Galatee stood up and began pacing, knocking over a pile of books. One of the books, I saw, was titled ‘Becoming a Stepmother: A Gnome’s Guide to Reluctant Parenthood.’

“It goes beyond frustration. This whole thing, the pressures of leadership, it is getting to poor Reginal. He is becoming ill with it. He tells me that he gets headaches. Sometimes, I can almost see the veins on his temple throbbing, like they are ready to explode. On certain days - and you must repeat this to nobody - the man can barely get out of bed. He has a bad heart, you know. His healer has told him that again and again that a warrior’s body can only fight so long. He tries to act strong, and he still is, but his