Chương 98: The Story of Ugly: Part III

Ugly's plan was magnificent on paper. Putting it into practice, however, proved far more difficult. Together with Gareth, he found a vast stretch of unclaimed land far from the great population centers. It was there that they decided to build their city, a place where every race could live without violence, hatred, or discrimination. The work began slowly. Thanks to Gareth's extraordinary skill with a sword, felling trees and preparing lumber was never a problem.

Ugly, on the other hand, proved remarkably gifted with his hands. He built sturdy wooden fences and simple yet practical structures, gradually giving shape to an idea that, until recently, had seemed nothing more than a dream. They worked day and night. And with every passing day, their already unbreakable friendship grew even stronger. During those long days, Gareth shared many stories from his life. One, in particular, came up again and again. He spoke of the time when he had been married.

Gareth had always been a straightforward, practical man, someone who spoke only when necessary. But whenever he talked about his wife, he seemed to become someone else entirely. It was as though an entirely different man were speaking. He described every little detail about her. Her black hair. Her green eyes. Her freckles. The small beauty mark near her chin. He spoke of her shy personality, but also of the strength and determination that surfaced whenever circumstances demanded it.

He could have talked about her for days without ever growing tired. Then, however, his tone would change. He would explain that his wife had died young after a long illness. Unable to remain within the Prinz Clan's temple, where every corner reminded him of the life they had shared together, he had chosen to leave. That was how he became the aspiring writer he was today. Ugly listened to every single word with genuine fascination. Love… He had never experienced it. More importantly, he had never received it.

Deep in his heart, he wondered whether he would ever have the chance to know such a feeling himself. Whether he would one day experience something as profound as what Gareth had described. As the days passed, curious travelers began wandering closer. At first, they were frightened by Ugly. But the presence of a human swordsman at his side reassured them. Help support creative writers by finding and reading their stories on the original site. Seeing Gareth treat a goblin so naturally put them at ease.

Their prejudice did not disappear. But their fear began to fade. And before they even realized it, they found themselves standing beside him without hatred or disgust. Once their initial distrust had faded, they decided to stay and help. At first, they avoided him. They didn't speak to him. But as the months passed, something slowly began to change. Their first conversations were about nothing but work. The lumber. The buildings. The organization of the city. Later, they began talking about themselves. Their lives.

Their dreams. Little by little, they learned to trust Ugly. To see him as a friend. Ugly was happier than he had ever been. People no longer saw him as a monster. For the first time, they looked at who he truly was, not at what he was. One particularly hot morning, during a break from work, Gareth wiped the sweat from his brow and looked at Ugly.

"You know… I've never actually asked you. Why is your name Ugly? There are far better names than that, you know. I could probably think of a thousand". Ugly smiled. He explained that he had heard that word throughout his entire childhood. Everyone he met called him "Ugly". So he had always believed it was his real name. Only after reaching adulthood had he discovered that it was actually an insult. But by then, the word had become a part of him. It was part of his story. That was why he had chosen to keep it.

Even though it had begun as an insult, it had become his identity. Gareth was deeply moved by his answer. If possible, his admiration and loyalty toward Ugly only grew stronger from that day forward. The months passed slowly, and little by little, the city finally began to take shape. Humans joined them. Mages. Gnomes. Giants. And, with great caution, even a handful of elves. The city was named Aixol. Loxia spelled backward. A symbol of what Loxia could have been but never managed to become.

Over the years, Aixol flourished. Its location beside a river, combined with its fair management of resources, transformed it into one of the most important trading centers in the rocky regions. Much of that success was thanks to Gareth. Belonging to a noble and prestigious clan such as the Prinz gave him an influence few could rival. The streets that had once stood empty gradually filled with life. Beside the river, an elf and a goblin sat side by side, quietly fishing together while exchanging jokes and laughter.

In the marketplace, a human calmly negotiated the price of a set of tools with a gnome before smiling and shaking his hand. Children of every race ran through the streets. They chased one another between the houses, laughing together without paying the slightest attention to the differences that, beyond those walls, divided the world. For the first time in his life, Ugly saw what he had always dreamed of. People of different races living together as one community.

It was during this time that Ugly met a female goblin who, just like him, had spent her entire life on the run. Their stories were different. Yet painfully alike. It wasn't long before the two fell in love. They married soon afterward. A goblin's life was far too short to waste waiting. Their love was soon blessed with a son. One evening, while returning from a hunt, Ugly heard a familiar sound echo across the sky. He looked up. He recognized it immediately. The green dragon. Again.

Until that moment, he had always believed their first encounter had been nothing more than an illusion. But now the dragon truly was flying overhead. It was real. Ugly followed it to a cave hidden in darkness. Inside, the dragon breathed slowly. Several enormous eggs rested beside it. It was colossal. Ugly was captivated. And terrified at the same time. He cautiously stepped closer. The dragon growled, baring its fangs and forcing him to take several steps back. Then something completely unexpected happened.

The dragon slowly approached him. It sniffed him. Looked into his eyes. Then quietly returned to the shadows without harming him. From that day on, Ugly returned to the cave again and again, bringing plenty of meat for the dragon and its future hatchlings. When the eggs finally hatched, the green dragon left the cave. Before departing, it gently brushed its head against Ugly. Then it spread its enormous wings and flew away alongside its young. Ugly told Gareth and his family about what had happened.

No one believed him. But he didn't care. He knew the dragon was real. And that was enough. Everything seemed to be going perfectly. Aixol continued to prosper. At last, Ugly's life had reached its happiest chapter. But one morning, while playing with his son, distant voices echoed across the fields. The people of Loxia had come to protest. They accused Aixol of stealing their resources and of being built on land that did not belong to them. Ugly tried to speak. To negotiate. To propose trade agreements.

But no one was willing to listen. They demanded that the city be destroyed. The peace Ugly had promised was beginning to crumble. The dream he had built through years of labor, sacrifice and hope… Was on the verge of collapsing.