"From this day forward, the Jura Forest shall be unified!"
"The lizardmen, under Souka's leadership, will become my subjects."
"As for the orcs..."
Damien paid no heed to the lizardmen's reactions. His gaze shifted toward the orcs, instantly locking onto the strongest among them. "You, step forward."
"Me?"
The son of the Orc Lord rose slowly, caught off guard by Damien's discerning eye.
Yet, in this moment, he had little room for hesitation.
"Unknown great one."
"I, the son of the Orc Lord, present myself before you."
He knelt solemnly, his expression devoid of flattery or servility.
Instead, it carried a deep sense of resignation and the last vestige of conviction in the face of his tribe's despair.
He desired to lead the orcs to survival.
No matter the cost, he sought to protect his people!
"Do you have anything to say?"
"None."
His voice was low and heavy. "The sins committed by the orc tribe leave me with no courage to beg for your mercy."
"No."
"Sins and the like are of no concern to me."
Damien continued, "I have no interest in the orcs' actions along their path."
"What?"
Damien's words stunned not only the orcs but also the lizardmen standing nearby.
Of no concern.
No interest.
How could this be?
'Silence!'
As some lizardmen began to murmur, Souka unleashed a wave of mental force, instantly quelling them into submission.
Souka understood Damien's perspective.
The orcs, driven by the Starved skill, had been unable to sate their ravenous appetites.
Under the compulsion of hunger, they had become monsters that devoured all in their path... humanoid calamities.
This, for the orcs, was itself a torment and a disaster.
Of nearly a million orcs, close to a third had perished from starvation.
The survivors had even resorted to consuming one another.
Yet, no matter how the orcs ravaged the southern lands, it bore no relevance to Damien.
The monsters under his command had not been devoured by the orcs.
It was akin to a war in a distant nation... whether one side triumphed or fell, in Damien's eyes, there was no distinction of good or evil, right or wrong.
"But that fellow Rimuru, when she devoured the Orc Disaster, made a promise to honor her request."
"As his master, I can hardly ignore a vow made by my familiar."
"Thus, the orcs, like the lizardmen, shall submit to me and become subjects of the monster kingdom."
Damien's tone was not one of offering a choice but issuing a command. "As for you, I permit you to inherit your father's name and lead your tribe as the new chieftain of the orcs."
"You!!"
The son of the Orc Lord raised his head, gazing at Damien with disbelief.
Those resolute eyes, unwavering even in the face of his tribe's dire straits...
Now rippled like a lake disturbed, stirred by waves of emotion.
"Is this truly permitted?"
"Why would you..."
Tears streamed down his face in heavy drops.
Undoubtedly, Damien's words had absolved the orcs of their enmity with other monsters.
This included the lizardmen, other monster races, and even themselves.
From this moment, the orcs would begin anew.
"Geld!"
"Henceforth, this shall be your name."
Damien christened Geld, and under the enveloping surge of immense magicules, he began to evolve.
[Individual Name 'Geld', Evolution Successful]
[Race: Orc - Evolved into Lycanthrope]
Indeed, a Lycanthrope!
The orc race, strictly speaking, was not a porcine Lycanthrope species.
Their proper designation was Lycanthrope.
It was only due to their pig-like noses that humans had dubbed them 'orcs.'
Now, with Damien's redefinition, their original racial name was restored, marking a severance from the survivors' past as orcs.
[Geld]
[Race: Lycanthrope]
[Magicules: 600,000 EP (Special A-Rank Demon Lord Seed)]
[Unique Skills: Corroder, Body Forger (Magicule Solidification Enhancement)]
Corroder was essentially a Starved skill stripped of its drawbacks.
Its effects mirrored Starved almost entirely.
It enabled the creation of a corrosive, all-devouring dragon, utilizing the extra skill Chaos Devour to seize others' strength and bolster oneself.
As for Body Forger, it was a unique skill Geld had awakened on his own.
Its function resembled Magicule Solidification but with a limited ceiling.
However, enhanced by the special skill Magicule Solidification...
Geld's Body Forger became a unique skill without an upper limit.
So long as he continually tempered himself with magical energy, Geld's physique could grow infinitely stronger.
Undoubtedly, Geld would become the pinnacle of physical prowess under Damien's command.
Everyone possessed Magicule Solidification...
But Geld would build upon it, forging his body to ascend to the summit!
"I thank you for your gift, Lord Damien!"
With Geld's evolution, the other orcs reaped corresponding benefits.
Thus, the 250,000 orcs knelt in unison, offering heartfelt obeisance to Damien.
"Your grace..."
Geld bowed his head, speaking with sincerity. "Please allow me and my tribe to repay it with eternal loyalty!"
"Very well."
Damien accepted Geld's pledge and the allegiance of the orc tribe.
Nearby, Souka observed the scene, inwardly cursing her own lizardmens.
"Fools, utter fools!"
"Hurry up and follow suit!!"
Had they not seen the orcs swear fealty while the lizardmen merely stood by, gawking?
Souka had no choice... who made her the chieftain of the lizardmen?
"My Lord."
"I, Souka, vow to lead the lizardman to join the monster kingdom!"
In the original story, not all lizardmen had joined Rimuru's banner.
They had merely sent a portion of their tribe.
Nominally, the lizardmen were part of the Jura Alliance, with no absolute hierarchical bond to Rimuru.
But now, things were different.
Souka chose to fully integrate the lizardmen into the monster kingdom, becoming Damien's subjects.
As for the lizardmen's opinions...
Those were irrelevant!
Had they not noticed that, after Souka spoke, the Dragonewt led by the Four Dragon Lords began pressuring the other tribes, wary of any reckless words?
"The lizardmen's temperament needs some adjustment."
"Indeed..."
Souka was startled, inwardly lamenting her tribe's lack of tact.
"Never mind."
Damien, however, was amenable. "Let it be for now."
Dragonewt, after all!
They were an inherently proud race.
Had it not been for Veldora thrashing the Dragon Lords in the original story, they would not have settled in the dungeon.
***
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