Quick AN: Made some edit in this chapter, someone points me that there were contradictory sentences present in it. Sorry for that, it was fix.
Chapter 9
The leader of the lizards' tribe was waiting, sitting on his throne. He wasn't just waiting, he was meditating, hiding the inner turmoil from his followers.
'It's been almost two days since Gabiru was sent away. I hope he found good allies like the Direwolves that came from the plains. But from the moment he received a name from this Gelmud, he changed. He became too prideful and too dependent on Gelmud. He can't become a good chief if he is ready to be a servant of another monster. Gabiru, please let me be wrong and brings those allies. We need them to survive,' he thought. But the other lizards knew their leader was under pressure from the tension he created in the room.
Fortunately, a lizard from Gabiru's group stumbled into the room after twenty minutes of waiting.
"My chief, I bring news from our scouting," he said in a panic, kneeling to him.
'Don't tell me,' thought the leader, fearing for the worst. But calm himself quickly to not make chaos in his room.
"Tell me," he ordered, and the scout obliged.
"We were scouting for allies as you requested. We first found only goblins as Gabiru-sama didn't try with the Dryads or the remaining Ogres if there were some," he said. The leader nodded, as it was obvious but still didn't know why the panic state. He let the scout continue. "But after some time, we found a village of a grouping of powerful monsters. There were Hobgoblins, Direwolves, Ogres, and unknown monsters who were the most powerful in the village." This was good news, if Gabiru managed to secure an alliance, they could live for another day. But he felt something wrong, making turned his stomach.
"Did you manage to secure an alliance with this village," asked his daughter? But he felt the answer will not please them.
"Negative. While Gabiru-sama tried to use his charisma to convince them, they rudely rejected us. But the worst is…" he couldn't finish his sentence as another lizard ran into the room before kneeling in front of his chief.
"Chief, we have an Ogre who wants to meet you," he said. The scout next to him broke into a cold sweat. The bad feeling increased. The leader could only prepare for the worst. He couldn't refuse the Ogre. If it was one this village, they will be more tension between them, and going to war with them was suicidal if what he heard was true. He decided to accept this Ogre.
"Let them enter," he said. The first moved to the side while the second one exited the room. He came back with a dark-skin ogre with black clothes and a single horn in the middle of the forehead. He has dark blue hair and piercing eyes. His standing screamed power.
"I thank you to have and greet you, Leader of the lizards. I'm Souei and I'm here to discuss important issues," he said. The leader opened his mouth to reply back but he was interrupted by the first scout.
"You're one of those rude monsters at the gathering," he exclaimed, pointing at Souei. Souei turned to the voice, recognized it, and release a bit of killer intent making the scout flinch.
"You're one of the delinquents following Gabiru. Let me tell you your case wasn't forgotten and will be talking here, as my god has said " he said coldly before turning back to the leader not seeing the scout breaking in a cold sweat. "But first, about the orcs' invasion." He got the attention of everyone. "My village will go to war with them. We will attack in the Marchlands as it is the best territory to stop them." The leader pondered for a moment before he agreed with the ogre. Their territory was indeed the best, as the terrain will slow down the orcs.
"I agree with you. I let you fight them on our territory. We're going to war against them too. As we have a common enemy, it will be best to unify our strength against this tremendous foe," the leader said, using the numerous years of wisdom he possessed to transform this meeting into a chance for an alliance. Souei nodded.
"Indeed, while Gabiru's character was undesirable and repulsive, my god is beyond mortal pettiness and will not punish all the tribe because of him. He and my master has accepted to create an alliance with you and make it permanent after the fight with the orc," he said. The leader cheered and danced internally but stayed calm outside, just revealing a smile. He almost missed his daughter's remark.
"You mentioned multiple times your god but we all know that monsters are godless. What is your game? Are you mocking us," she asked with suspicion? The leader stopped her quickly to continue her questioning. She is right, monsters are godless. But they need the strength of this mysterious village to win against the orcs.
"Are they," asked Souei with strength, releasing his power? It surrounded him with magicules but white could be seen mixed with it. The father-daughter duo blinked, not expecting this show of power. And the leader pondered on the white part.
'It looks like Holy magic but it is not. Yet, it is pure. What could it be? Don't tell me…' he thought with wide eyes, as a revelation entered his mind. But he couldn't ponder as Souei took the lead, a hand on his chest.
"Let me introduce myself correctly then. I am Souei, a blessed kijin, servant of master Rimuru-sama who is the champion of the Onikami and God Oame-no-genten-kami-sama," he said with conviction. At this moment, the leader's eyes widen, understanding what the white part was.
Divinity. An energy that a divine being like Onikami could wield. But there is a question remaining, making the rest suspicious.
"If there is really an Onikami, then why is your village destroyed? Why doesn't he remove the orcs then," the leader asked? It is true, he didn't make sense. If this Onikami existed, then all problems could be removed effortlessly.
Souei narrowed his eyes in anger, for reminded him of the destruction of his former village, and believed that his god will bend to every complaint of the people. He will explain thoroughly about that.
"Because my god wasn't a part of my former village until the incident. Only with the prayer of our princess have summoned him to protect us from the orcs. And do you believe he will bend to your every complaint," he asked? Sweat fell from the side of the leader's face as he made a mistake that could be his fall. Souei threw his hand to the side. "He is a being that evolved beyond the reach of everyone, even the Demon Lord. And he must abide by the rule of 'Not directly acting on mortal affairs' if he doesn't want to endanger his followers from his action. As he is a True God," he finished with power in the end. The lizards couldn't understand what they heard.
"A True God," asked the daughter? She never heard about a thing like that. Souei turned to her.
"Yes, like the True Demon Lord, who has killed a lot to achieve this evolution, one can evolve to a True God through their actions. If their actions have the power to connect and change a world, then the path to the evolution of a True God will open. It was explained to Rimuru-sama by my God when he evolved after being a human," Souei explained before sighing, ignoring the flabbergasted looks. "For the last subject, Gabiru's treason," he said with more seriousness. The first scout paled as he encouraged Gabiru-sama's action.
The father-daughter duo's eyes narrowed dangerously, as it was a heavy accusation they heard.
"And what do you mean by my son's 'treason'," the father asked? Souei smiled humorously.
"I mean that your son betrayed your orders and decided to use the other monsters as servants and meat shields. As he believes your methods are too soft and he should be the leader," he said before turning to the panic first scout. "And my proof is here. Look at his reaction, how he panics at the truth. It is because he encouraged Gabiru's actions." He turned back to the leader. "Gabiru is the second reason for my venue. He tried to subject my village, an action that almost anger my god." Now it was time for the leader to pale at that news. If they will not be destroyed by the orcs, they will be divinely punished because of Gabiru's selfish actions. His daughter wasn't better as she couldn't believe how her brother led them to their doom. "But do not fear, as I said, he is beyond mortal pettiness, he will not punish all the tribe, he has just a message to give." The leader was relieved as he thought his tribe was going to deal with a divine fist. "He said:"
'I, Oame-no-genten-no-kami, will not accept evil deeds before my eyes!'
The leader didn't know why, but those words contained a lot of weight, as if the world had listened to them and remembered this vow. Now, he really needed to punish Gabiru. He feared that day will come, and prayed his son will mature but it seems it was not the case.
"I see, I will recall my son Gabiru and give him proper discipline," he said before turning to one of his guards. "Guard, take a platoon of four lizards and retrieve my son. He needed to be punished for his acts." He received an 'Hai!' before the guard and four other lizards exited the room to do the task given by their chief.
"Now that it was taken care of, I will see you tomorrow on the battlefield. You will be able to see my master in person," Souei said, receiving a nod before quitting via [Shadow walk].
The leader pondered on this meeting. It was a catastrophe, all his fears were true.
"Father, is it alright to trust this kijin," asked her daughter? He turned to her.
"I know you want to deny it, but there was no lie in his words. We must face the facts. Your brother has derived from the right path and must be taught again to our discipline," he said. She nodded. If her father trusted him, then she will. She never wanted the day when her brother walked on this path. Now, he is a traitor in the eyes of the tribe.
Meanwhile…
Gabiru walked in the forest pondering the meeting with the village. If he was honest with himself, he was scared to death. He never thought that a monster could be this strong. Like he was a bug before this titan. But he was prideful, for his ambitions, he must not falter. He will make the lizards the strongest monsters with him as their leader. He just needs to be super cautious to not alert this… god. He felt a shiver in his spine, looking everywhere. But there was no one.
He heard a noise behind him, prompting him to turn around, and saw a clown with a black mask, having clown masquerade, red hairs, a white hat with rabbit ears, purple-strips vest and pants, black gloves, and black pointed boots. The clown was leaning against a tree.
"Oya, isn't it Prince Gabiru? How do you feel on this fine evening," the clown asked him? Gabiru blinked before his eyes narrowed.
"Who are you," he asked? The clown tilted his head like he was hit but instantly recovered.
"Oh, where are my manners? I'm Laplace the clown, a pleasure to meet you," he said, bowing like an artist on the scene. "You can call me a friend, one that heard about your problem." Gabiru had now an interrogation point above his head. What is he talking about?
"Heard my problem," he asked? Laplace stood up.
"Yes, of your father sending you to do those ridiculous tasks. Of how he doesn't want to give you the throne, thinking you're not ready," he said before putting a hand around Gabiru's shoulder. "But Papa is old and tired. His mind is not as strong as before. Shouldn't you rel-" he was interrupted by a platoon of lizards.
"Gabiru-sama, Your father has demanded your presence," said one lizard.
'What now,' thought Gabiru? Has his father come back to reality? Will he finally accept his deeds?
Laplace moved away from Gabiru.
"Well, all the cards are in your hands. It is your turn to play," he said before leaving the lizards. One narrowed his eyes, making a note to announce to his chief this meeting.
"This way, Gabiru-sama," another lizard said. Gabiru nodded, letting the platoon lead him. They don't realize Laplace was hidden behind a tree. He waited for them to quit before he quit his hidden place.
"It wasn't like I anticipated but it doesn't matter," he said shrugging, ready to leave. But he tensed feeling eyes on him. He turned around quickly but saw nothing.
'What was that,' he thought, trying to find the source of this feeling, yet couldn't see anything. He shrugged again, trying to ignore it. His goal was to make it follow him to his territory. But it doesn't react as he would. He shrugged internally.
'It just means I need to warn Clayman about a third party,' he thought. While he was leaving, Souei, hidden in the tree pondered too.
'I need to warn Rimuru-sama and Naruto-sama. It seems there is more behind the Orcs' invasion,' he thought before flickering out of view, disappearing without a sound.
With the lizard again…
The leader was waiting with a scowl, preparing for his meeting with his son. In his mind, he should have intervened before it comes to this moment. Now, one of his children was a traitor because they felt a sense of superiority and power. But this madness will only lead to the ruin of their tribe. A leader needed not only strength, but intelligence, wisdom, and empathy. He will teach his son those important aspects.
His thought was broken when the platoon came back with Gabiru.
"Chief, we came back with Gabiru-sama," said one of the group.
"Thank you. Now, guards! Arrest my son," he ordered, the guards didn't hesitate, pointing their spears to the son. Gabiru was flabbergasted and on his guard.
"Father, what is this meaning," he exclaimed?! The leader narrowed his eyes.
"I received the notice about your actions. How you disobey me and prefer to act as your leisure. How you subject other monsters instead of making them allies. How you almost put our tribe to ruin because of your foolishness. You will study and train again. Right now, you're not even a candidate for my succession," he said with power.
Gabiru was agape, not wanting to believe his father's words. But then he narrowed his eyes in anger. So this is it.
"You really become too soft. Only sitting on your throne and doing nothing," he mumbled to himself. But his father heard him, narrowing his eyes more.
Gabiru surprised the guard by jumping high before skydiving to the leader and doing a dropkick at the last second. But the leader anticipated, standing up and blocking with his trusting trident before knocking down Gabiru on the floor with his tail. Gabiru was stunned enough to not be able to move away from the trident pointing at his throat. He flinched, not moving to prevent his throat to be cut. He looked up, seeing the anger and regrets in his father's eyes.
"If you think I'm too soft, then there is a lot you need to learn," the leader said before rotating the trident in his hand, causing the tip to hit Gabiru's chin, and sending him directly into the guards' clutches. The guards, this time, didn't take any chances. Two locked Gabiru's arms behind his back.
"Now, guards, lead my son to jail. I will take care of him later," he ordered. The guards nodded, pushing Gabiru in a direction. When they exited the room, the leader sighed before falling on his throne.
"Are you alright, Father," asked a worried daughter. He turned to his daughter, a sad smile on his jaw.
"Yes, I'm alright. I just realized I became complacent. This moment could have been prevented if I acted before," he said. His daughter shook her head at him.
"You're not at fault Father. You had faith in him, but he betrayed us. Being named has climbed to his head," she said, trying to reassure him. He smiled softly, this time happily. His other child was more of a leader than people realized. Her empathy right now is proof of it.
"Sorry to interrupt in your moment, Chief. But I have news that I feel should be talked immediately," one of the previous platoons said, kneeling before the leader. The leader turned to him, his eyes showed his tiredness, but he didn't falter. For his tribe, he will continue to lead them.
"What is it? How important is it," he asked?
"Very important, my chief. When we retrieved Gabiru, he was talking to someone, a clown to be precise. From their conversation, this clown has the goal to encourage Gabiru to steal the throne. I feel like there is more behind the scene that we know," the kneeled lizard said. The leader's eyes widen for a moment before closing them, and he sighed in tiredness. He put a hand over his eyes.
"And this is the last drop," he said, confusing everyone. "Now, there is a possibility that a Demon Lord is behind this." Everyone in the room became shocked. A Demon Lord?! Will it be the end for them?!
"What a dim hope we have now," he said, chuckling humorously, removing his hand from his face.
"Father, what do we do?! If a Demon Lord is behind the orcs, then it means going a Demon Lord! How do we fight them then," asked in panic his daughter?! He turned to her, his eyes showing he aged instantly.
"I'm lost as you are, my daughter. But…" he began to say, contemplating an idea. It seems farfetched, but if there is truth in what this kijin said, then it didn't hurt to try. He sighed. "I know it will be strange and farfetched, but let me try it. I will pray to this Onikami." He took everyone by surprise. Will this work? Are they really this down that they require desperate measures?
"Will it work, Father," the daughter asked? It needed to work, fighting a Demon Lord was suicidal. If this was the case, then their only chance of survival was to be under the protection of another Demon Lord nice enough to not enslave them or be under this potential Onikami. Her father smiled at her.
"You already know the answer, being under a Demon Lord will only be the last solution. For now, let me focus. Prayer is only genuine if it comes from the heart," he said before closing his eyes, his hands holding each other. And now they waited, seconds felt like hours, and the tension of anticipation and hopes was heavy. And at the thirty seconds mark, his efforts rewarded him with something.
"Oh…" a voice said. Everyone flinched at the power emanating from the voice, except the leader who continued to pray, resisting the urge to flinch. This was mind-blowing, there is really an Onikami existing in this world. "Leader of the lizards' tribe, father of two children, proud warrior, and descendant of dragons, leading his people to peace. Yet now you bowed your head under the pressure of the existence of a Demon Lord. Sacrificing your pride for the survival of your people. Marvelous. You're indeed worthy of the title of leader." Then there was a flash, obliging everyone to shut their eyes unless they wanted to be blinded. After a moment, they opened them, noticing a new presence.
There was no real detail concerning the body, as it was white and was made of some unknown yet powerful energy. The only details they have was the presence was tall, at least seven feet, and the three eyes, two with white eigh-pointed star irises on the black sclera, and the last one like the two others, except the iris was surrounded by rings which contained three four-pointed stars each, all on an ever-changing color background. Four horns were on his head, with the two middle horns being the bigger one.
Everyone was stunned, they couldn't believe their eyes.
"I heard your prayer and your wish but this question remained: What will you do to make it real," the presence asked? What will he do? The question was already answered by the leader.
"Right now, I just desire the protection of my people. I will not delude myself, we aren't strong enough to fight against a Demon Lord. This was a gamble I took, knowing the risk you maybe don't exist," the leader said. The presence nodded.
"I see. But don't be fooled. One God's protection is not cost-free. As our own actions weigh too much on worlds and required medium," said the presence seriously. The lizards were sweating now. Is he serious? Will not protect them if they don't pay? What will they offer? The presence continued. "One Direwolf offered his servitude to repent for his action against me. The Conqueror of Flames offered her soul and servitude to save the child she taught and cherished. The Ogres offered their military strength and the princess accepted to become my miko. The goblins offered their absolute loyalty for the protection of their village. And my champion offered himself as my representative as I proposed to him and choose him to be mine. Now, what will you offer," he asked? In the leader, there is no heavy price to pay. Being a servant of divinity was thousands better than being under a Demon Lord's order. And from the story of old, divinities were more benevolent than they showed really. They were being that tests the inferior creature to judge them of their worth. All he needed was to show the worth of the lizards.
"We offer our devotion. As descendants of dragons, we always pursue strength and noblesse. We will be the one leading evil to ruin for you," the leader said chuckling softly. "How ironic, maybe it was our pride all along that was our fall to weakness. I was the boulder that plunge them into an abyss. I was complacent all along," he said, aging again. His daughter was taken back by her father and would not have it.
"Father, don't take all the fault. We are proud to follow you. You are all light, guiding us to strength. Our tribe has been without contestants thanks to you and we become more than just monsters. We become proud warriors. We are just too blind to not realize that we depend too much on you and demand too much, that we are the weak ones. So please, don't take all the fault," she said, on the verge of crying. She couldn't watch her father torturing himself, her heart ached. She wanted to be helpful to him, to help him as he guide them so he didn't fall from tiredness. She wanted to become his strength, so he could never this humiliation again.
"She is right," one lizard exclaimed!
"You're our proud leader, not a boulder," another exclaimed!
"We want to become your strength and continue to follow you," another said.
The leader continued to listen to his followers and was in awe at their encouragement. He now realizes something, they were unified and strong. If they really believe in him, he will not let them down. He will be stronger than ever to guide his tribe to victory. He stood up, turning to his daughter, cupping her cheeks. She was surprised by the touch and the thumb removing her tears. And she calmed down when she saw his genuine smile. The leader then turned to his people.
"Everyone, thank you," he said, with happiness in his heart. The lizards smiled at their leader, happy that he found his strength again. The presence nodded.
"You said you were weak, but I saw the strength to be honest with me, to be honest with your people, to be honest with yourself. The strength of your heart has touched theirs, and your inner beauty and charisma are their leading star in the night. Again, you're indeed worthy of the leader. Now stand before me," he said, ordering in the end. The leader nodded with determination, walking in front of the presence.
"Now, will you accept to lay down all evil," he asked?
"Hai," said the leader!
"Will you always be true to your ideal," the presence asked?
"Hai!"
"Will you always guide your people, work with your new and future brother-in-arms, and watch the next generation, even in your weakest moment?"
"HAI!" The presence nodded before the glow surrounding it intensified.
"Very well, I accept your offer. Accept your new life and become the celestial dragoon, Abirai," said the presence before disappearing in a flash, leaving behind particles of energy, shining before disappearing too. One particle shined a little brighter and didn't vanish. Instead, it flew inside Abirai.
Abirai knew what will happen, he already sensed it in his body. His evolution will begin.
He glowed white, covering his whole body. His body then bulged, growing to a height of six feet two inches. His muscles gained mass, his hands gained claws and his feet changed to dragon-style. A pair of horns grew on his head, and wings extended from his shoulder. When the wings appeared, the glow disappeared. It revealed a muscular youthful man possessing purple dragon scale on his arms and feet. The torso was nude, his cape not hiding the present abs and pecs. White tribal tattoos were drawn on his limbs and all converged to his chest and shoulder blades. His hair was waist-long and black with purple highlights, the horns were black ivory, the tail was bigger and the wings were wider and purple too but energies were flowing in the scale of the scale of the wings. Observing nearer, it is the same energy that the presence exuded.
Abirai looked down at his new appearance, clenching his hand to feel his new body.
"So, this… is the coveted evolution," he said. Looking around, he saw his people watching him in awe and noticed all the females, except his daughter, spotted blushes. He sweatdropped at that, already feeling a headache for the next event that will come.
"A new path opens to you, leading to an unknown road. Don't falter, your people follow you and your new comrades await you. I will be there at the next stop," the presence said before completely disappearing.
The lizards waited for a moment, but when nothing happened, they knew the Onikami left. The daughter rushed to Abirai.
"Father, are you alright," she asked, observing his new look? Abirai smiled at her and nodded.
"Yes, I'm feeling good. I understand now why evolution is so coveted. This is a good day for us," he said to her before turning to his people, becoming serious. "But while there are new hopes thanks to our new god, catastrophe is still coming to us. We can't rest on this win, preparation must be made for the incoming destroyers. Warriors! Arms yourself, we're going to war," he howled, his voice booming with power and determination. His people were in awe and aspiration at this moment but composed themselves.
"HAI," they exclaimed in a military stand, before running in different directions. They were now determined to win this war and help their leader put an end to this madness.
Abirai observed his warriors disappearing, waiting a moment before turning to his daughter. Looking at her, she already knew his answer.
"This way, Father," she said, leading him to another room, he followed without another word.
Meanwhile…
At the shrine, Naruto opened his eyes and contemplated his actions. Naming a monster was disallowed to him, as it was the same as blessing someone. But with the offering of devotion, it became possible. And he didn't regret it, Abirai was an honorable warrior and an exceptional leader. To be able to be proud while still maintaining humility was a quality that very few have. To always find new concepts to learn. To reflect on actions, causes, and consequences. This is the difference between one good leader and one bad leader.
No, what worried him was information displacement. For him, information never could be contained in this world. People here are not like the shinobi in his natal world. Shinobi were taught the vitality of information, but here where pride is high among humans, rumors were common, and misplacement and modification of information are high. If the human heard a being give blessings to monsters, they will first try to eliminate his followers before demanding to give his blessing to them. And if he refused, they will never stop sending warriors to clean a 'demon'.
He snorted at this thought. First only with offerings and faith can one receive blessings from a god. Second, humans were too self-centered, choosing which beings are gods or demons, angering the gods who forsaken them, or punished and cursed them in the worst case. And if this moment will come, he will make sure to teach them that while his is benevolent, he will not be afraid to use curses for their affronts. Direct actions could be taken when humans acted directly on the god, like scandalizing their name.
But humans are a determined specie. They were able to realize the greatest and kindest act while at the same time the worth act possible. Even if gods put those rules about mortal's affairs, they always have an eye on them, so foolishness could be countered by positive acts. This is why blessings were more common than people think. They observes even for the smallest faith humans give, and the faith creates blessings in turn. And he too will observe humanity, to guide them on the right path, and prevent his nemesis from getting them in his claws. He knew his foes have a claim on Falmuth. The nobles there were too corrupt. They are easy to be manipulated by them.
For now, he will let things display themselves. When the orcs' invasion will finish, people will inspect this area and this is where he will act. He will put wise words in a young ear from Falmuth. They will receive his blessing and will act on his belief that the nobles are a stain to be removed.
"Naruto-sama, are you alright," a voice said next to him. Turning to it, he saw his champion in his slime form. Was he this deep in thought? He will let his plates formulate plans for now.
"Yes, I'm alright. Just planning, as fate doesn't wait," he said. Rimuru nodded.
"Is it about the orcs? We are ready to fight them tomorrow. I'm preparing to welcome them to our side," he said, smiling as his god. Naruto smiled back, and some mischievousness entered his eyes.
"I see. I'm sure you will be happy to learn they accepted to be an ally to your village," he said. Rimuru was surprised before smiling wider.
"Really? This is really good news. We have more chance to win against the orcs," he said. Naruto nodded.
"Yes, and with Abirai's new power, Gabiru will be punished cordially and our side have a powerful warrior," he said. Rimuru was confused for a moment before a realization came to him. He smiled smugly.
"I thought gods couldn't act directly," he said. This made Naruto chuckle softly.
"We can't. But naming isn't against the rule as long we received something in return. Offering, sacrifices, or simply faith. Names are like blessings. And blessings are more common than you thought, the majority is just not noticeable, created from small quantity of faith" he said. Rimuru raised an invisible eyebrow.
"Really? I didn't know about that," he said. The duo watched the sun setting behind the horizon, contemplating future plans and sipping tea that Shuna brought, Rimuru transformed into his human form for that. It was relaxing for them, and a calm before the storm for the slime. Unknown to the two others, Naruto has a knowing smile, like he knew someone suffered from success.
Meanwhile…
"I promise you, daughter. Your mother was the only female and will be the only one I love forever," said Abirai. And the daughter nodded, seeing he holds his promise as he refused another marriage proposal. Since his evolution, many lizardwomen fell for his new young look and drown under marriage proposals. It was madness.
The daughter shook her head, wondering where this situation came from. She prayed that after the orcs' invasion, the meeting with their allied village will bring satisfaction to those females. And maybe she could find a lover too, she never found one to her liking in the tribe.
She shook her head again to remove those thoughts. She couldn't think like that now. She must be focused on the war.
….And help her father with this madness. But she knew anticipation was high, as tomorrow will be a turning point.
Quick AN: For those wondering why I change Abiru to Abirai, the reason is simple. It's Naruto who named him and he can create more elaborated names than Rimuru. And Abirai feels more like a warrior name for me. Second, the fight against the orcs will be next chapter. It will maybe take more to write. But it will be greater, as I want all characters except some (I let you guess who) took part in the fight and show their abilities.