Chapter 399 362 – Common Sense Regains the High Ground

Takumi looked at the three remaining Ogres.

The instant his gaze swept over them, the white-haired Ogre's entire body tensed, and he instinctively assumed a fighting stance but after seeing the miserable state of his young lord and companions, the elderly Ogre clenched his sweat-slick palms and did not attack immediately.

"Raaagh!!"

Meanwhile, the red-haired Ogre was frantically surging his demonic energy, using sorcery to ignite flames across his entire body. Yet those flames could not melt the frozen slash Takumi had left behind. No matter how wildly he struggled, he was as helpless as an insect trapped in someone's palm.

Realizing his own powerlessness, the red-haired Ogre's face twisted with indignation.

"Damn it! We're far weaker than you, but I'm still the future leader of the Ogre tribe, and I have my dignity. What kind of leader would I be if I couldn't avenge my clansmen who died filled with hatred? Even if I'm no match for you, I still have to repay this grudge!"

With a roar, he actually tried to tear his own torso apart to escape the frozen restraint.

Seeing this, the white-haired Ogre's eyes hardened with resolve.

"Young Lord, this old man will follow you!"

The elderly Ogre turned decisively toward Takumi and charged.

"What are you people getting all emotional and heroic about on your own? If that's how you want it… then die!"

The impatience in Takumi's eyes turned into an icy gleam. They were still being stubborn after all this, and he could no longer be bothered to hold back.

In an instant, the threat of death descended upon the Ogres like a mountain crashing down on their heads.

The white-haired Ogre's legs locked up mid-charge, and he pitched face-first onto the ground. Every cell in his body convulsed in terror, leaving him completely unable to move.

"Please, wait!"

At that moment, the pink-haired Ogre stopped the purple-haired Ogre beside her from attacking and pleaded with Takumi.

Takumi had already raised his hand. He frowned slightly, then lowered it again.

Breathing a sigh of relief, the pink-haired Ogre immediately called out to the red-haired Ogre.

"Brother, please calm down and think. This majin possesses such overwhelming power, so why would he avoid attacking us directly and instead send the Orcs to destroy our village? He could kill every one of us by himself. I'm certain there's something unusual about him, but he probably has nothing to do with the enemy that attacked our village…"

Her reasoning managed to persuade the red-haired Ogre, who had been prepared to fight to the death.

"I see. Now that you put it that way, it does seem strange."

"Oh~ So you won't listen to an outsider, but you will listen to your companion."

Takumi finally understood. It was not that they were incapable of understanding reason; they simply did not trust outsiders.

He did not particularly dislike people like that. After all, he had experienced parents who only listened to outsiders. They ignored everything he said, yet believed every word that came from someone else.

Just thinking about it was enough to make him angry.

Because of that, Takumi actually found the Ogres' foolish way of thinking rather admirable.

Now that the situation had calmed down, he dismissed the Frozen Demon Sword in his hand. The ice covering the Ogres rapidly receded.

Seeing that Takumi truly bore them no hostility, the red-haired Ogre immediately dropped to one knee before him.

"I deeply apologize for my offense. I was driven into a corner and misunderstood you. Please accept my apology."

"I understand your circumstances. Otherwise, I would've killed you from the start."

Takumi nodded slightly and accepted his sincere apology.

He had already reviewed his memories and Kagali's intelligence concerning the Ogres and the Orc tribe. The Orcs were expanding aggressively and had destroyed the Ogre village. As the last six survivors, it was perfectly normal for them to distrust outsiders.

Seeing that Takumi was fairly reasonable, the pink-haired Ogre took the lead and spoke with him as the representative of her people.

"I am the princess and shrine maiden of the Ogre tribe. Our people were exterminated, and our rage caused us to lose our reason and intrude upon your territory, my lord."

As she spoke, the six Ogres followed Takumi into the inner district of the Yuanlin Empire. The magnificent buildings and exquisite food completely dispelled their hostility.

Kagali soon arrived and explained what she had discovered about the Orc tribe.

"The Orcs that invaded the Ogre village were ultimately driven by the birth of an Orc Lord among them. He is currently leading two hundred thousand Orcs on an aggressive campaign of expansion and invasion. They're like locusts, devouring everything in their path."

Kagali frowned slightly as she finished speaking.

According to the information she had uncovered, the birth of the Orc Lord seemed to be connected to Clayman.

Clayman had become increasingly neurotic a long time ago, almost as though he had turned into a completely different person. Now he was somehow involved with an Orc Lord as well.

Feeling speechless, Kagali mentally reported this information to Takumi and shared several of her suspicions. She believed it was possible that someone had influenced Clayman's mind.

Takumi accepted all of the information and gave her a slight nod after reviewing it.

He then looked at the six Ogres sitting stiffly before him and said leisurely, "You should understand by now that I'm not some majin. I'm the ruler of this empire."

"We truly apologize. We lost control of ourselves."

After apologizing once again, the pink-haired Ogre explained what they knew.

The last thing they had seen was their tribal chief being killed by an Orc soldier in black armor. The Orc had been enormous and radiated an abnormal demonic aura.

With their current strength, they had no hope of defeating such an enemy.

After learning from Kagali that Takumi intended to incorporate the surrounding monster tribes, the six Ogres exchanged glances.

The red-haired Ogre took a deep breath, made his decision, and dropped to one knee.

"Those Orcs clearly intend to conquer this forest, and you have the same goal, my lord. We don't want to keep running anymore. We want to avenge our people and our master. Please take us in and allow us to serve you!"

The other Ogres immediately followed, kneeling to pledge their loyalty.

"Now that's much more sensible. Once you put down your weapons, your common sense finally regained the high ground."

Takumi was quite pleased by their surrender.

He had too few capable commanders under him. Setsuna and the others had all been dispatched merely to conquer two kingdoms.

As for the goblins and Direwolves, Takumi had no expectation that they would be particularly useful.

These six Ogres, however, could become excellent commanders with a little cultivation.

And the naming mechanism he had only recently mastered could now be put to immediate use.

Takumi raised a hand and told them to stand, then ordered all six to line up in a row.

Although they found the request strange, they obediently complied without asking many questions.

...

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