Two days passed since the duel, during which the village seemed to return to the status quo. Rimuru was the one that ended up being tasked with housing the kijin and oni of course after Mikaeru used the excuse that he had brought them along himself.
Meanwhile, Mikaeru got started on some more managerial tasks. Introducing Rito and his group to Shizue was the first. After all, he had meant to get them proper training from her. It was during this time that he also went ahead and fully introduced Sumire to them as well. Shizue took a liking to them, saying they reminded her of her old class and took them in.
Mikaeru watched from nearby as she huddled them together in the training ground and sat them down for some introductory lessons. Mikaeru remembered a bit of Tensura material covering her teachings to Yuuki and Hinata, as well as what the kids back in Ingracia said about her. It appeared her teaching style never changed much in that time.
"Not that it's a bad thing." Mikaeru stood up. He had watched enough of that. It was time to move elsewhere. He had ordered Rigurd to gather a few of the top goblin riders in the center of the village.
The kijin and Hakurou weren't yet tied down to Tempest. It was still a possibility that they would decide to move elsewhere after the Orc Lord.
Hence, he would sow the seeds for another known tie. Hakurou would meet his students.
When he arrived at the center of the village, he wasn't surprised with a few of the sights. Gobta was there, along with most of the major goblin riders. There were a few new faces amongst them. Gobzi in particular seemed to be one of the stronger ones.
He scanned them all with [Great Sage]. "Not bad." They weren't anywhere near the power of the kijin in the village but that could be fixed with time.
Rigurd ran over. "Lord Mikaeru! I have gathered all of the strongest in my command! I made sure to avoid any that had a political title as asked!"
"You did well, Rigurd." He had a good eye for power it seemed. The hobgoblins in front of him were generally the strongest. He had ordered Rigurd to avoid bringing the wolves they had been assigned to as well. Star wolves were stronger than hobgoblins. Training with them wouldn't prove beneficial.
He felt a presence appear behind him. It wasn't something he needed to confirm. "You're here."
Hakurou nodded and walked beside him. "So these are the students you were talking about?"
The hobgoblins all flinched at that. He had negotiated the terms with the elder oni not long after the battle with Shion and Benimaru. At least for the time that the prince and princess would stay in the village, the oni that he had learned shared the sword saint title with his grandfather would train a small group of hobgoblins. It turned out to be a rather simple talk. Benimaru had seen it as Mikaeru's reward for the win in the duel. Rimuru turned his reward down though when he was offered it.
Hakurou hummed as he looked at them. "I see. They do appear to have some potential."
Mikaeru nodded. "They'll live up to it, don't worry." He turned to them. "Alright, listen up. I have managed to secure a combat instructor from the visitors of the ogre territory that arrived recently. He has only agreed to train a limited few though, hence, I ordered Rigurd to prepare the best combatants we have at the moment. You are the selected."
They all looked among themselves. "Starting today, you will train with Hakurou as his latest group of students. The schedule I will leave up to him but if you have any complaints, feel free to ask Rimuru about it. I'm sure he'll figure out something. Do any of you have any questions as to what's going on?"
He saw a few hands go up but one of them caught his eyes first. "Yes, Gobta, you may speak."
"A-are you sure we're the best candidates?"
Mikaeru looked at him. Gobta was an inherently lazy person and could even seem like a fool at times, but he was someone with immense potential. That much Mikaeru knew. So, with certainty he said, "Yes. I see great potential in you all, as I see with every other person I have given a role to play in the future of this village. I hope that you can all live up to the brilliance I see within you, because I do not believe myself to be incompetent. Prove to me that the confidence in myself and you is not misplaced."
Everyone went silent for a second. That was the first time Mikaeru had given a vote of confidence comparable to what Rimuru showed. However, it didn't seem to feel the same. Rimuru was an inherently positive person that saw inherent value in everyone. It was a calming thing to get a speech from him. One that reassured people. Mikaeru on the other hand. While he looked almost identical to his twin, he was completely different. The manner in which he carried himself and looked at people.
They could tell from a glance. Mikaeru was the much more practical and realistic of the two. He wouldn't place trust in someone for nothing. If he said he believed someone, he meant it in the most cold and logical way possible. For Mikaeru to say that.
A few of the hobgoblins started tearing up and some even began crying. Mikaeru sighed. He knew how much these monsters cared about their lords' opinions. Rimuru was someone that repeatedly moved his subordinates to tears. Even if all he did was give some of them a stupid rock as a joke. It was for this reason that he chose to show them this level of confidence. This was the perfect action to ensure they would give it their all. A perfect motivator.
He smirked ever so slightly. To be honest, he could get used to this level of loyalty and trust. It wasn't something he had experienced much before.
He calmed them down and answered the few questions they had left. It was mostly just clarifications on what they could be expecting from this as well as a few questions for Hakurou himself. Simple, quick questions to answer. When they were finished, he turned back to the oni, "Alright then. If you don't have anything for me, you can take them."
Hakurou nodded, "Understood."
Hakurou gathered them into three lines and told them to follow along. They did as asked.
"Ah, Lord Mikaeru. I've been looking for you."
"Huh? Oh, hey Kaijin." The dwarven blacksmith turned the corner with a sigh. Kaijin returned the greeting. "Is there something you wanted?"
"Oh, not at the moment, no." He explained, "I'm just here to tell you that the equipment's done."
"Already?" After the duel he offered the kijin some new equipment. While a few turned it down, a few others did accept. One of which being Shion.
Her equipment had been damaged quite a bit in Mikaeru's final [Black Flame], after all. Hooking them up with Kaijin fixed that issue. Mikaeru smirked, "I guess you aren't among the best for no reason."
Kaijin chuckled. "Well, it helped that you gave me some pre-processed magisteel to work with."
"I assume they're still at your forge, right?" Kaijin confirmed. "Alright. In that case I think it would be best to just tell them to stop by, just in case they need some adjustments. I'll make sure to tell Benimaru next time I get the chance."
"I see. Tell them my door's always open."
"Noted." The two talked for a bit more before Kaijin finally figured it was time to get to work. When he did, Mikaeru decided it was time to get lunch.
A few hours passed until he felt something approaching from a distance. A lot of things are happening today. He focused his analysis on them. It was a kijin and a…spirit? Wait, is that a dryad?
He made his way to the village entrance where he saw Benimaru waiting with Rimuru. He remembered them telling him about Souei visiting Orbic. "Could it be that he's already back?" He made his presence known, turning their attention to him.
"Mikaeru, remember when we talked about the missing kijin?" Mikaeru nodded along.
"That's them, I'm guessing." Rimuru said yes.
Mikaeru turned his gaze to the entrance where before long a tall, blue haired kijin in a ninja outfit appeared with a glowing green lady in his arms.
The spectacle caught Mikaeru off guard for a second. That wasn't something you see every day.
Seemingly unbothered by the green lady in his arms, Souei put the girl down with a completely unbothered look on his face and bowed before Benimaru. "Lord Benimaru, I have returned."
"You need not call me that." He explained.
Shuna ran over, "You have come back safe."
Souei bowed to her too. "Apologies, but there was not much I was able to gather. It appears that whoever is responsible for the creation of the Orc Lord chose to deliberately mask their evidence."
Mikaeru knew that much. Gelmud wasn't exactly a genius but he wasn't stupid either. He masked anything that could link him to the Orc Lord's appearance officially and would keep it that way until he managed to fully tame him. Clayman's reputation was on the line, so he couldn't risk it yet.
"You need not worry. We have managed to put things together on our own end."
"I see." Souei said with a neutral face.
He turned to the slimes nearby. Benimaru took initiative. "These are Lord Rimuru and Mikaeru. You have already met one. They are the leaders of the village we are currently using as our base."
Souei nodded before making his way over. "Greetings. My name is Souei." He reached out his hand. Mikaeru looked at it and shook it. Rimuru did the same when he was offered it.
"Are you in need of rest, Souei?" Shuna asked.
"No need. I was able to get some sleep on the way back. Lady Trya made sure to guard us while I took my rest." Souei said calmly.
Mikaeru looked at Trya. "She's blushing." He put a hand to his chin. "This could prove troublesome."
"Eh? What do you mean?" Rimuru asked.
"Don't worry about it for now." Souka might end up with some competition if this goes somewhere.
After a bit of catching up, everyone moved into the village. Mikaeru and Rimuru took the liberty to introduce the new arrivals to the village. There was a bit of a freakout with the presence of a dryad in the village but they managed to calm down.
As this happened, Mikaeru explained to Benimaru that, "The armor and weapons you requested are ready. The kijin can pick them up as they need."
Benimaru looked a bit surprised. "It is done?" He seemed a bit perplexed. "That is rather fast."
"Well, Kaijin isn't one to slack off, you know."
"It appears so." He stopped for a second. "Kaijin."
"Is something wrong?" Mikaeru asked.
"No, but I do wonder." He turned to the slime. "Master Araki's student, Sir Alexander, used to visit Dwargon often from what I have been told. Kaijin's name sounds rather familiar, although not exact."
Mikaeru raised a brow. A connection between Benimaru and Kaijin wasn't something he expected. He didn't recognize the name but... He thought back to something the dwarf had told him in Dwargon. "Kaijin told us that his grandfather was friends with a hero back in his prime." Mikaeru turned to the kijin. "By any chance, do you recognize the name Kaitin?"
Benimaru's eyes widened. "Now I remember. Yes, we heard stories of that dwarf from Master Araki. I believe he was said to be the dwarf that forged his katana, as well as the twin blades carried by Sir Alexander today. I had always held an interest in them, although I doubted I would get to meet them."
Mikaeru was surprised. "Small world." That was the only thought that came to mind. This hadn't even been something predetermined by Tensura.
Benimaru could only hum in agreement. "Perhaps it would be beneficial to have a talk with him."
"Figure he might have some stories to tell?" He said with a grin. "Well, can't say it's a bad idea to forge a relationship with one of Dwargon's best."
Mikaeru looked up. Benimaru and Kaijin. Souei and Trya. Even the smaller relationships were shifting around. This world had turned into something that was anything but predictable. It was fun in a way, but also a bit concerning. Mikaeru wondered what would come about later. "Well, well~." He guessed he would have to figure that out as he learned more.
A few kilometers east, the sound of chanting echoed through the area as a group of conspicuous lizardmen marched on. "Gabiru! Gabiru! Gabiru!"
Basking in his own glory, the lizardman prince by the name of Gabiru loudly and proudly proclaimed into the air. "Yes, it is I, Gabiru that shall stop the menace coming for us from the north! That old man of mine! So foolish that he believes we can make a stance as we are now! What we need is more force! More reach! Something only I can provide!"
"You're amazing, Lord Gabiru!" Yelled out one of the hype men. "You are a visionary!"
The lizardmen had much better mobility when traveling the Great Ameld Rapids and thus, had long since detected the approaching threat of the Orc Lord. However, even with that, they knew they couldn't do much but hope it passed. The orc's numbers were many. Enough to completely overwhelm the lizardmen. Gabiru's father knew that much and thus still hadn't thought of a course of action. It was something that turned off Gabiru.
No, what they needed was action! Gathering a force of a few dozen lizardmen, they had marched into the forest in search of allies. Or rather, new subordinates for the Great Gabiru himself.
Surely they wouldn't refuse! Who would!?
"Gabiru! Gabiru! Gabiru!" With the chanting loudly echoing through the forest, they set their eyes upon the first group they would find in their adventure. A small settlement of kobolds they had stumbled upon mid migration. Gabiru puffed out his chest.
By the time he came back, he would return with a force beyond his father's expectations and triumph over the beasts. Lord Gelmud had seen potential in him. He would ensure he would live up to it. He was the hope of the lizardmen. And thus, he jumped out of the bushes, startling the small demi-humans. "I am Gabiru of the lizardmen!" He yelled out. "From now on you will serve under me! And consider it…"
"Huh?" He paused as he saw the kobolds yell out in fear and run away. That didn't go as planned.