(A/N : So, I made a discord server. I kind of (very much) dislike having to constantly post notices in order to tell you guys when I might be lagging behind in schedule, and that's why I left you guys in the dark for some time, so I figured this would be the best course of action. The link is in the description of this fanfic, but if you want it here, here it is : https://discord.gg/XesR4HXSW8)
(3rd Person Perspective)
Needless to say, but 'their' entrance caused the whole room to quake and crackle with intense emotions, such as anticipation, anxiety and fear
The red haired ogre had put his guard up as much as he could. But deep down, he felt it. Against 'those' beings, no matter how much cautiousness he engraves in his actions, it will all be for naught. Null and void
"I think it's time for explanations to take place"
Such a sound was heard, coming from the masked one of the two, seeing as the crimson eyed one's lips didn't move the slightest bit
The voice of a being that held power that was completely irrelevant when it comes to imagination. That's what the red haired ogre thought
This being was unreachable, incomprehensible
He felt sick of himself. A waterfall of guilt washed over his head
How could he not have noticed earlier?
When the being's voice held such volume; density
Insight
Omniscience
He wanted to punch his old self in the face
He was so fresh off of the rage caused by the illusion of the 'death' of his parents that he didn't notice the most obvious thing that existed
The hierarchy of monsters
The strong devour the weak
That's how it's always been
And yet his naivete and hot headedness put his friends and family in danger
He felt so so stupid
But the red haired ogre's inner turmoil seemed to be ignored by the being residing on top of the peak. Either that, or it wasn't noticed in the first place, as unthinkable as that is
"Ah, but before we start, let me just take this off" The profound being said, as their hand reached for the mask they were wearing
In an instant, the mask vanished, letting the air flow back into the space it was inhabiting
And the anxiousness and fear resounding through the room resonated even deeper
Looking at his father's expression, it seems that he hasn't met this personage yet as well. And on top of that, judging by the events that had happened prior, he only has a shallow piece of knowledge of the one who saved him, whose red eyes were looking at them with a cold mechanical stare; As if she was somewhat disappointed by them
A flash of gold filled the eyes of all observers, as a pair of gilded amethyst eyes peered through the fabric of paraconceptuality itself
"So, what you might be wondering is, why did we go out of our way to save you?" The being said, his slightly masculine but more dominant androgynous features blended in a seemingly impossible way
"The answer to that is..." He said, pausing in the middle of speaking "Not telling you"
At those words, the ogres in the room stared at the golden eyed being with a confused and slightly disappointed look
"On a more serious note, if you really want to know, then there is only one way to do so" He stated as he eyed the ogres with a mixture of anticipation, and...regret?
"Earn it"
Those words loomed over the ogres like a guillotine, causing them all to completely drop the thoughts they were having, looking at the golden eyed being in dismay
"To be completely honest, I wasn't aware of the situation of your village. Truthfully, if it was up to me, I'd have handled the situation in a different way" He noted as he shot a reassuring glance towards the crimson eyed one, who only threatened to drill a hole in the ground with her stare in response
"But this situation isn't bad either" He added while peering through each one of the ogres
"Well, you can always go wherever on your own, but for this current situation, I believe it would be smarter if you stayed here; At least until the orcs are dealt with" Noting as such, he started walking closer to the rest of the ogres, who were sitting around the table that was set up in the living room, passing next to the red haired ogre while whispering "You should come sit down too"
And as such, he sat at the head of the table, while the one with crimson eyes just stood behind the chair he sat at
"Now then, to make this an equal exchange, lets do this" He said as he clapped his hands together
Distancing his hands, he pointed himself, opening his mouth in order to speak
"You will ask me one question, which I will answer truthfully and..." He added, pointing to the chief of the ogres "I will request something of you that I deem enough to pay for the information I give you" He finished as a small smile crept up his face
"How is it? Not a bad deal, right?"
The beings voice rang out throughout the room as his gilded eyes peered straight at the group of ogres who were now standing behind the chief, who was sitting in the other side of the table
Silence resounded through their ears, as the ogre chief, contemplated what to do
He realized from the looks that the other ogres gave him that they would leave the choice to him and him alone, making him practically be the judge of his fellow villager's lives and deaths
It was a lot of burden to shoulder, but the ogre chief pushed through the anxiety
He had a lot of experience in the regard of carrying his clanmates' fate on his hands
Watching that display of mental fortitude unfold in front of him, the red haired ogre was waiting impatiently in front of this 'negotiation'
He was still unsure if he should trust these two impossible beings
Strength comes with a price, and for most, that price is sanity; In other words, being controlled by their power
That's why, even though he knew how useless it was, he still never dropped his guard when facing those two
Disrupting the red haired ogre from his thoughts, the chief's voice resounded through his ears
"Very well, I accept" The chief said, his the resolution in his voice clear to all
The being with gilded eyes smiled at the chief's acceptance. It was just a harmless little smile, yet it had the adverse effects to all who saw it
"Perfect. Then, go ask away" He said, while fixing his posture on the chair he was sitting on
"Then...Who are you two?" The chief asked as the curiosity in his voice reached it's peak
The chief still doesn't know
He doesn't know anything about the two in front of him
Not a single thing
Only that they are impossibly powerful
In order to trust an ally, you must be mostly aware of their intentions and strength
"Hmmm...If I were to answer that in full detail, even spending thousands of years serving under me wouldn't suffice for payment. Narrow it down" The being of gilded eyes responded immediately and unhesitantly
No one could have guessed that his thoughts were along the line of I'm glad I spent a ton of time with Ciel in the imaginary space. Learning how to handle negotiations and the like is way more useful than I thought it'd be
The chief stayed silent for a bit, sorting out his thoughts, before raising his voice yet again
"Then, what is this town?" He asked the gilded eyed being
"That's simple. This is my town. And my future nation. A name hasn't been decided yet, so for now, I'll just use my surname, Tempest. This future country is the foundation of my goal, hence the reason that more than a single race can live here in harmony" He said, seeming almost nostalgic, if not, a little sad
"Ah, this question wasn't costly at all, so I'll add it's price with the next question's" He added at the last moment
Rimuru in this life was determined and unhesitant. He would do the right thing at the right time even if it kills him. Hence why he didn't use Tempest's previous name. He had planned ahead. Way ahead. He knew that a federation type of government wouldn't fit correctly with him
That's where Ciel-sensei's lessons come in. If a federation isn't the perfect one, then just keep searching until you find it. Although, it's too early to proclaim ourselves a nation. Maybe after this whole ordeal it would be about the right time
Thinking to himself as such, Rimuru waited for the chief's response in anticipation
He was somewhat certain that he knew what the chief would ask, but it still kept him at the edge of his seat
Who could blame him? He can't help it, after all
"I see, as for my next question, do you happen to know what is going on with the orcs? Why would they suddenly attack an ogre village, and why were they stronger than us?" He asked
The chief had decided not to ask too vague or wide questions, in order to not risk his clanmen's fate
He had realized in the previous three minutes that had passed the fact that, the being standing in front of him right now was showing him mercy
That was undoubtable
If not, why would he inform him of the fact that his first question was too costly
It almost feels like the beings are trying to tell them information for free
But that can't be right. That wouldn't explain their behavior
A voice struck his eardrums, pulling him out of his thoughts
"The orcs huh? You want to ask about those...Alright, but I can't tell you everything, since you'll learn some of it later on" Rimuru said, ready to put his ability to bluff to it's extremities, which had been ravenously tempered and honed by Ciel
Raising his voice, he began speaking
"A formidable leader had appeared in the ranks of the orcs, due to the plans of a specific 'someone' who is best to leave unnamed for now. The majin who came to your village works under him. This whole orc thing isn't just a coincidence, don't let yourself forget that, since this vile scheme goes way deeper than you can imagine" He noted, eyeing the chief dead in the eyes
"By the way, this question's cost will go to the next one too, since I practically didn't reveal anything, and only gave you some advice to keep in mind" Adding that to the end of his sentence, Rimuru laid back in his chair, waiting for the ogre chief's response once again
A second passed
Then five
Then ten
Then thirty
The ogre chief was staying silent, but one could tell what he was thinking about just by looking at his face
The same went for the rest of the ogres
So it was a setup!?
That thought is letting itself go rampaging inside of their minds, and for good reason
Rimuru clapped his hands, snapping out all of the ogres from the trance-like state they had entered
"Feel free to be angry later, when you're actually dishing out revenge; Don't let it cloud your judgment" He hissed curtly, giving the ogres a refreshing reality check
"Y-Yes, I apologize" The ogre chief replied instantly, and Rimuru nodded in response
The ogre chief put a hand on his chin, closing his eyes, looking as if he was pondering about something
Suddenly, he snaps his eyes open while at the same time opening his mouth in order to speak
"...Are you truly an ally, or an enemy? I know you saved us, but that still isn't enough to blindly trust you. And if you truly are an ally, what do we have to gain from this 'alliance'?" He asked, focusing on the present situation rather than the big picture; Wanting to confirm their present safety and the possible benefits they could gain with this 'deal'
Rimuru stayed quiet for a moment in response to the chief's question, before readying himself to speak
"...I swear that I am not your enemy. I am anything but your enemy. I am your closest friend, your most trusted ally, and the most sturdy shield; the largest flag that you and your people can rally under. And as for what you are able to gain under that flag?" He paused as he took a deep breath "Strength. Powerful enough to allow you to soar ever closer to the peak on your own, and powerful enough to allow you to protect, or to destroy. In addition to that, I can grant you revenge. I can help you accomplish it"
Rimuru was utilizing the speech skills he learned from Ciel to their very utmost. He needed to clearly outline his purpose, and even more plainly state what the ogres can gain from serving under him
And so he did. And the reason why is simple
A smart and capable leader will not under any circumstances trust goodwill without seemingly any strings attached to it. On the contrary, that would make him even more suspicious, since the logic of helping out just because you want to, born out of pure goodness of the heart, was almost next to extinct in this Cardinal World
And he added the last part, in order to be able to entice the red haired ogre into letting his rage go
The simplest way to do that is to offer the ogre strength. And so he indirectly did
And by looking at his expression, he totally fell for it
The moment that thought passed through Rimuru's mind, all thoughts stopped at the same time
Darkness seeping through the cracks
Rimuru understood right at this moment
His hypocrisy
He claims to hate natural manipulators like 'that' asshole with a burning passion
Yet, why can he lie without batting an eye? Is this just how politics are like?
He didn't know, but he definitely understood the irony of it all
A white lie
He told himself such things, in order to rationalize his actions, partially succeeding, although not completely
Meanwhile, the ogre chief had seemingly settled on a decision
"Very well. That is all I wished to ask" He said as he stood up from the chair, and all the ogres excluding the princess were about to ask him if he had finally gone insane, but before they had too, he continued his sentence
"I feel that if I ask for additional information, I'll have racked up too large a debt" He added while scratching the back of his head
And Rimuru nodded, as if confirming the chief's suspicions
"That's correct. You made a good call" He said while gazing at the group of ogres
"Well then, with the debt we have racked up thus far, what do you request of us?" The chief said, wanting to waste no time
Rimuru put a hand on his chin while opening his mouth in order to speak
"Let's see...With just the questions you asked...Hmm...Okay, I have decided" He said as he turned his vision to the ogre chief
"I'll have you guys under my orders in order to assist us until the threat of the orcs is neutralized. Needless to say, but such a big horde of orcs is going to cause problems affecting the entire Forest of Jura, and our little town is going to get wrapped up along too" Rimuru added
"That should sound fine, since you get to enact your revenge, after all" He noted while peering through the ogres with his gilded golden eyes
"U-um, forgive me if I'm asking something stupid, but I thought that the horde of orcs that destroyed our village was killed. Are there even more orcs out there?" The chief asked in a curious voice
"I have a correction and an affirmation for you. A correction for the fact that you think that all the orcs that ambushed your village were killed. In reality, most of them survived. We let them live, for reasons that I cannot tell you. And an affirmation for the fact that there are even more orcs out there. Well, 'even more' doesn't even begin to describe it" Rimuru informed the chief of the ogres
"Wha-" The chief was about to say something, but he was cut off by Rimuru's voice
"200000" He said in an imposing tone "The army that is out and about the Great Forest of Jura consists of 200000 of 'those' orcs"
Rimuru's voice plagued the room in an absolute silence
The words that came out of his mouth took a while to be processed by the ogres
It was unbelievable
They shouldn't even try to believe such nonsense
Yet, it sounded so natural. As if it was an undeniable fact
"Well, we'll leave you alone for a while in order for you to set your thoughts straight. See you guys later" Rimuru said as he got up from the chair he was sitting at, making his way towards the door; A "Magnificently done, Rimuru-sama" fell deaf on their ears as the realization slowly but surely sunk in
To all but a few people, as they bust out in a run towards the doors of the guest house
They didn't know why they started acting like this, but the six ogres felt it instinctively
This was the right thing to do
It was as if feelings that weren't theirs' meekly surged within them
Reaching the double doors, all of them run at them head first
And
*Bam!*
The doors opened
Both physically and metaphorically
(A/N : Ended this one on a cliffhanger intentionally. The next chapter's sure going to be a hell of a ride to write!
Words : 2883)