(Attendance… plz…)
….
The Next Day, the meeting place was a clearing to the southwest of the battlefield, a patch of neutral ground that belonged to no specific tribe within the Jura Forest.
It was here that the representatives of the forest's major factions, Lizardmen, Ogres, Goblins, and Orcs, gathered, along with Rimuru, Reinhard, and the Dryad Treyni, to decide the fate of the defeated army.
It wasn't really a matter of forgiveness anymore.
That part, surprisingly, seemed to be settled. But the logistical nightmare of what to do with one hundred and fifty thousand starving orcs was a looming threat.
If they were simply released and told to go back to their barren lands, they would die of starvation, the very catastrophe that had started this war.
Or worse, out of sheer desperation, they would become bandits, raiding other settlements just to survive.
A parent watching their child starve would do anything, commit any atrocity, to keep them alive.
On one side sat the Lizardman Chieftain, flanked by his elite guards and his daughter. They sat stiffly, still reeling from the shock of being summoned by a Dryad, a being they revered as a guardian deity.
On another stood Reinhard, upright and calm. Behind him, two orc generals kept their heads bowed low, their faces hidden by hoods, the weight of their shame and their uncertain future heavy on their shoulders.
Benimaru stood with his fellow Kijin, Souei, Shion, Hakurou, Shuna, and Kurobe. The rest of the ogres had stayed behind, trusting their leader to speak for them.
Rimuru stood in his human form, Rigurd and a few other goblins behind him.
And in the center stood Treyni, the mediator.
"Thank you all for coming on such short notice," she began, her voice carrying clearly across the clearing.
"But as you know, this is not a small matter. It involves the fate of a very large number of one species and what to do with their situation. Lizardman Chieftain, I trust you have been informed of what happened and why this delegation is being held?"
The Chieftain, despite his rank, bowed his head respectfully. "Yes. I am very well informed by my people who returned with your message."
"Good," Treyni said with a serene smile. "Then we don't have to start from the very beginning. All the people here know what has transpired to bring us to this place. With this, we should start."
She raised a finger. "First of all. If anyone present here has anything they should say regarding what the orcs have done, now is your chance to bring that up."
The Lizardman Chieftain stiffened. This was exactly how he thought it would start. He could have voiced his grievances, his fears about the orcs' aggression.
But the reports he had received were clear: the Orc Lord and the vast majority of his army had been wiped out by the ogres and the red-haired human standing across from him.
His gaze drifted to Reinhard. Who could actually believe that this single human boy had wiped out tens of thousands of orcs and killed an Orc Lord by himself, without even struggling?
It sounded like a myth. But the Chieftain was a prudent leader. He didn't want to talk about it, lest he provoke the anger of this man. He didn't care if it made him appear weak or scared; survival was paramount.
He raised his hand.
"What is it that you want to talk about, Lizardman Chieftain?" Treyni asked.
The orcs braced themselves for condemnation, for the blame they knew they deserved.
"Me and my people do not have any problem with the orcs or anyone," the Chieftain stated clearly. "Their army didn't cross or come near our borders at all. We suffered no losses. Therefore, we have no complaints."
Treyni nodded, her smile unwavering. "Does anyone else have anything they want to bring up?"
Benimaru stepped forward. "As the leader of the ogre tribe, my people and I also have no issue regarding that. Even though the orcs were the ones who destroyed our village… the ones who did that are no longer in this world. They died that night. So no, we too don't have any grudge against the survivors."
"Well," Rimuru piped up, "they didn't come close to us or anything. So, me too."
The orcs were flabbergasted. No one was blaming them. Not even the ogres, whose home had been burned to the ground.
The generals looked up at the man standing in front of them, the one who had offered to take all the blame upon himself if anyone resented them.
Reinhard turned to look at them. He didn't look at them like they were pathetic beings or weaklings.
He looked at them with a smile, a reassuring expression that told them it was okay. Then he turned his attention back to the assembly.
"Thank you," Reinhard said, stepping forward slightly. "For all your people's generosity. For forgiving them… and looking past the hatred that would be so easy to hold onto.. I know it isn't easy to just forgive someone or not have concerns about those who would have destroyed your village. And I assure you… that it will not happen again. I won't let it come to that." He bowed slightly. "Thank you."
Then he straightened up, his expression serious. "But it is not an end. As you all may know, this whole thing started because the orcs were starving. Their land suffered desertification, unable to grow anything at all because of a magicule problem. And not only that, some majin then used the orcs as pawns for his petty plan, using their race's starvation as leverage."
"I understand that," the Lizardman Chieftain said. "Are you suggesting they live in the forest?"
"I am," Reinhard nodded. "I do not intend to just do that because I want to. I do not have any other solution other than that for now."
He turned to Treyni. "You are the overseer of the forest. So I want to ask regarding this. Of course, it would be okay if you refuse, as it is kind of a big request… and as I'm not really a part of the forest or one of the people living here, but an outsider. Would that be possible for them to be granted a chance to live in the Forest of Jura?"
Treyni smiled warmly. "Of course. With a plan, it is possible. And please, do not think of yourself as an outsider here. You are the one who saved it from a big disaster when it had nothing to do with you."
"I have an idea," Rimuru spoke up in between, drawing everyone's attention. "What if we form an alliance? An alliance between every different race and village in the forest."
"Alliance?" the Chieftain repeated, intrigued.
"Yup," Rimuru said. "We will split up the orcs into various areas first. With their size and strength, they will provide physical labor in their new home regions."
"And in exchange," Benimaru added, catching on, "the others can share food with them."
"Yes," Rimuru agreed. "Though of course, most of them wouldn't know about tools or construction. My town can provide them with the technical support for that. Of course, it won't be for free… as now Benimaru and others are living in our village and we are expanding, we too can use that labor in exchange for that as a fee. And when they are done learning about that, they can even build their own village if they want."
It was a solid plan. It solved the food crisis, the housing crisis, and integrated the orcs into the forest's society rather than leaving them as outcasts.
"If that is possible," Benimaru said, looking directly at Reinhard, "then I would like to propose Reinhard as the leader of that alliance."
….
A/N: i will finish this meeting in the next chapter. And king vs reinhard fight is coming. That means a reality check for someone. Next chaoter will come tomorrow or the day after tomorrow.
&
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