"Come on!"
In front of the queen, the leader and deputy leader of the resistance organization suddenly started arguing.
The beastmen stared in amazement, but Lutilis still smiled happily. However, she quickly regained her serious demeanor and asked:
"I heard Bart-sama talk about the 'Liberators', including their philosophy, how you and I are both mages of the Age of Gods, how you want to help us, and how there are 'enemies' that only you can resist."
Lutilis paused at this point, her gaze sweeping over the ministers who were once again filled with murderous intent. As if defending them, she continued in a cold tone:
"In a word, it's 'unbelievable'. To put it bluntly, no one here agrees."
The mist barrier was unbreakable, and in fact, the knights were also repelled.
"As a fellow 'Age of Gods Magician,' I'll be frank with you. My power is 'Sublimation,' a magic that can temporarily elevate all powers. Therefore, with the protection of this holy land, the warriors of our nation, and the bounty of the forest, I believe we will not be defeated."
Bart was the first to realize that the Republic was in danger of war, and he alone brought this information into the forest, a place equivalent to death for humans.
Then, in an atmosphere where he could be killed at any time, even though he was actually tied up and severely tortured on suspicion of being a member of the Church's conspiracy, he still informed the Republic of intelligence about the Knights and continued to provide assistance.
Therefore, based on Bart's awareness and dedication, the Republic temporarily gave him the position of Queen's Advisor and agreed to meet with the leader.
Even so, that wasn't enough to convince the orcs to trust Bart completely. In fact, a secret force was secretly following Bart to prevent his betrayal, and he was only allowed to join the battle when Shim and the others were in danger. This shows how deep the gap between the races was.
Meredith is also human. Although she claims to be an organization that is resisting the Church, there is no evidence to prove that she is not a spy. Moreover...
"Even if you go to war, you won't harm anyone not affiliated with the Church, and you can only deprive the federal army of its combat power, right?"
Meredi and others formed a resistance army with the idea of liberating people from the distorted world of the church, so they cannot harm the lives of people outside the church.
Because as long as they are not extremely evil people, they are also people that Miledi and others should protect.
That said, for a republic now under attack, that is nonsense that must be rejected.
On the surface, they sound noble, but in reality, they just don't want to hurt their own kind, right? Although they haven't been forcefully promoting values yet, when push comes to shove, they'll still side with humans, right?
How can we teach others to rely on those who have such doubts?
Then the next sentence is natural.
"We will protect our homeland. If you wish to assist us, how about striking the enemy from behind in the 'outside world'?"
A faint smile appeared on Lutilis's face, but it was very cold.
She seemed to represent all the orcs, expressing her distrust of humans to Miledi and others.
The Republic tentatively accepted Bart because, even if he were an enemy, he would be easily dealt with. However, accepting multiple Age of God magicians like the Queen was too risky.
Adding to this her distrust of humans, Lutilis's judgment became quite reasonable.
"I see. That does make sense."
Meredith spoke sternly, and Lutilis narrowed her eyes, urging her to continue.
"But I still have to say—you are so naive. You really don't understand the strength of the enemy."
This time, it was Meredith's turn to respond harshly. He clearly lived in a closed world, yet he was unreasonably overconfident in his own strength. The people of the Republic, upon hearing this, were naturally enraged.
"You bastard, are you insulting us?!"
"She's human after all, and she looks down on us!"
The loudest voices came from Balf of the werewolf tribe and the leopard man closest to Lutilis, who looked like a personal guard. However, the others also looked like they were about to pounce and attack.
In this situation, Mireidi said calmly:
"I can fight evenly against the leader of the White Light Knights, Ross Byrne, by myself."
"So what? To that extent—"
"But there was one opponent, myself—no, the three of us, the Age of Gods magicians, all at once, but we could only barely escape. That being was soulless, alive but not quite alive, a mere being with the appearance of a human."
Feeling an unknown pressure, Balfe and others fell silent.
"That's the Silver Nun, the Church's joker—the Apostle of God."
"God's...Apostle."
Lutilis murmured again. Meredith, looking into her eyes as if to see through them, said:
"I can assert that the moment that guy appears, the Republic will be destroyed, because he is the manifestation of divine power."
"Is it really that amazing?"
"Yes, that's an enemy that only the Age of Gods magicians can resist."
Meredith further mentioned the existence of the "divine realm" that possessed the demon king, and explained that such a disaster might also befall Lutilis.
Mireidi's eyes, temperament, and tone all conveyed her un-girlishness, so her sincere persuasion was enough to silence the scene.
The throne room was completely silent. Although there was still dissatisfaction and anger, there was also a thicker atmosphere of confusion.
"What about the reward? What do you ask for in exchange for risking your life?"
Lutilis broke the silence. Her tone was very gentle, completely devoid of the previous coldness.
Meredith had a vague feeling that perhaps Lutilis had intended to accept them from the very beginning. It was just that, as the king of the orcs, she was merely expressing her people's inner thoughts.
Although she didn't know the true circumstances, it was clear that Lutilis hadn't rejected the other person simply because they were human. She had spoken to them like this, and so, Meredith was honest with the queen, expressing her true feelings with sincerity.
"I don't want anything, as long as you remain the same from now on."
Although Meredith's honorifics were exposed, no one was surprised, because as long as they looked into her clear eyes, they could tell that her words were sincere and without any falsehood.
A wry smile crossed Meredith's face and she scratched her cheek with her fingers.
"Actually, I really hope you'll become our companion, because we've been searching for someone like you... But I can't persuade the orcs' important queen to join us, so as long as you're not taken away by the church and can live under your free will, that's enough."
So to protect her.
"Please let us protect you."
Even if you are not accepted, even if you are kicked out.
"We will risk everything to protect you."
Without asking for any reward.
"Ah, but..." Meredith glanced back at Natsu, Mel, and Bart, then gazed up at the distant sky. Her eyes were intense, and anyone could tell she was observing the people living in the outside world and her companions who were rebelling against the Church.
"If I may, I have a hope."
“…Please go ahead.”
Lutilis and Meredith's eyes met again.
After staring for a few seconds, Meredith calmly expressed her wish.
"We will change the world, creating one where everyone can identify with each other. You can doubt that world, or you can be wary of it, but when that future arrives, I simply hope you won't reject it out of the gate, but listen to the people who want to be with you."
Just like now, you are listening to me right in front of my eyes.
Looking at the girl's unwavering blue eyes and the words that sounded like an illusory dream, the orcs all showed indescribable painful expressions as if they had witnessed a wonderful creature, or as if they were given a difficult problem.
However, no one's face showed any contempt or anger. No, the original contempt and anger had faded.
Meredith resumed her honorifics, but concluded in a more relaxed tone than before.
"Of course, I know it's impossible for you to trust me right away, and I've judged the risk of leaving the 'Knight Hunter' and three Age of God Magicians with us is too high. So, if we can't be allowed to stay, then we'll leave. If that guy shows up, or if anything happens to Your Majesty, I want you to send a signal and notify us. We'll come right away! After all, we have Naruto-chan!"
As if it didn't matter what Lutilis decided, Meredith smiled and assured her.
Seeing her smile, Lutilis nodded and turned her gaze away.
Her gaze rested on a sturdy old woman of the Cat-folk tribe. She gave the impression of sternness, but upon catching the Queen's gaze, she nodded as well. After confirming the Cat-folk's opinion, Lutilith's gaze shifted to the Orc warrior—Chapter Master Shim.
After a moment of annoyance, Shim looked around at all the warriors present, finally looking at Meredith. Meredith looked at him softly, and finally nodded, speaking:
"Your Majesty, I don't understand the extent of the threat posed by the Liberator, but as the leader of the warriors, I can't dismiss her words as nonsense."
"So you have no objection to letting them stay?"
"No, Your Majesty, I believe it is necessary to confirm the premise."
"Premise...you want them to demonstrate their strength, right?"
"That's right."
Shim looked toward Meredith and took a step forward.
"I propose a competition before the Emperor, asking them to prove that their strength surpasses our warriors who protect our country is not empty talk."
"I see," Meredith nodded in agreement. The so-called threats from the apostles, or the promise to protect the Queen, were nothing but jokes if they came from someone without the necessary power.
"I accept."
Hearing Meredith's unhesitating agreement, Shim's lips curled up slightly, and he walked forward with full dominance.
"Wait a moment, Chapter Master, can you give me this mission?"
"Hmm? Why? Balfe."
Balfe interrupted Shim and stepped forward.
"I'm the strongest in melee combat, right? Besides—"
"What's more?"
"I don't like it."
Balfe said, "The person he was glaring at was—Mel." Mel's eyes widened, and she tilted her head in confusion.
"Hey, why are you hanging around with humans?! Why are you obeying a brat like that?! You were born with the same power as His Majesty, weren't you?! If that's the case, isn't it only natural that you serve your country?!"
It seems that Balfe is very dissatisfied with Mel's presence in the Liberator.
"Hmm~ I can't help it if you say that. Besides, my hometown is the West Sea, okay?"
"It doesn't matter where your hometown is! This forest is the home of all beastmen! And it's being invaded right now!? As a fellow beastman, wouldn't you want to do your bit?! You shouldn't be there, but here!"
While part of this was due to his strong sense of belonging to the Sea of Trees, the most important factor was undoubtedly Balfe's deep love for his people and his homeland. Therefore, the fact that Mel, a Seaman, joined and assisted a human organization must have been unbelievable and unbearable to him.
Meredith probably understood Balfe's feelings and felt embarrassed, so she asked:
"Uh~ So what do you want?"
"Fight me. If I win, I want that woman to leave the organization and live in the Republic. You must swear never to have anything to do with her again."
Of course, if Balfe wins, the weaker Meredith and the others will have to leave the forest, as their presence is useless. He also can't bear to let Mel go with them, so Mel must be happiest living in the forest with her compatriots.
After hearing what Balfe said, I realized that he was really thinking about Mel.
Having said that, such thinking is biased and wishful thinking.
A vein popped out on Meredith's forehead.
"Huh? You mean you want to snatch Mei'er away from Xiao Mi? Haha, this guy is really arrogant."
Mimi loved her sister Mel the most, and she was naturally angry that her important sister's future was being used as a condition. Meredith and Balfe glared at each other, like two men fighting for a woman.
At this moment, a "hehe" laugh was heard. It was Mei'er, who seemed to be enjoying herself very much. Mei looked at Meredith and seemed very happy.
"Hey, Natsu-chan, Mi-chan is trying so hard to keep me from getting snatched away. It's so cute, don't you think so too?"
"have no idea."
"Should I say 'Stop arguing! Stop arguing about me!' at this point?"
"Don't ask me... and don't complicate things."
"Oh, so cold, my Xiao Mi's feelings for me are so passionate."
Sister Mei'er stood up. Although she was joking, the smile on her face was somehow creepy.
"You dog over there, a big sister is your rival, aren't you crying tears of joy?"
Mel gave Balfe a good goad. She stood beside Meredith, stroking her head and extending her free hand, giving him a hook with her index finger.
"You bastard, do you think the Sea People can defeat the Werewolves in combat? Huh!?"
"Dogs really can bark. Don't just use your mouth. How about using your hands? Hey, dog?"
There was a sound of something snapping, and it was obvious that it was the sound of Balfe's sanity snapping. His eye twitched, and his canines were exposed.
"Alright, I'll crush your arrogance. But if I win, not only will I ask you to leave the organization, I'll make you my slave and teach you the etiquette of the Republic firsthand."
"Hehe, that's great. It's been a while since I've encountered something like this. Lately, I've been getting less disobedient, and onee-sama is feeling unsatisfied."
Meredy panicked, Natsu and Shim rubbed their brows in the same motion, and for some reason, Lutilis's eyes flickered with excitement.
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