We quickly made our way back to the village between the ogres strength despite the star speckled sky.
Despite reducing our presence, there were plenty of strong monsters that sought us out and became food for my sword. While normally I would be more than fine with this, there were still many things to deal with, such as the new residents, naming the ogres, and tending to Treyni.
She had done an excellent job handling the new goblins tenants as well as dealing with the trouble makers. As I understand it, she and the goblins I left in her care wiped out an entire tribe of trouble makers.
When our party returned to the village, Treyni was standing there waiting for us, even though aside from the patrol teams, she was the only one still awake.
Treyni hadn't been waiting there the entire time, but rather, she sensed his approach through the forest's flora. With that, she began heating up some food for the returning parties and arrived just in time to greet us.
"Hey, sorry I'm late." I apologized while hugging the beautiful dryad.
"Mmm. I reheated the dinner for you guys. It's in the pots by the caves." She smiled and spoke after kissing my cheek and nuzzling into my shoulder.
From behind, I could feel a series of envious gazes, both towards Treyni and myself. It wasn't difficult to understand. The men were jealous of my relationship with the dryad, and the women all had somewhat unclear relationships with me.
We all walked over to the only remaining campfire and enjoyed another of Treyni's meals. It was a delicious rice dish questionably called "Mother and Child Rice bowl."
According to Treyni, it was made with Chickatrice Legs, Birdbeast Eggs from the cockatrice, and some of the local growing rice. It was a recipe she learned from the cooking manual I shared with her, and she went out to gather the rice herself.
Hearing the name of the dish, a particular phrase came to mind. 'Does this count as an oyakodon?' (AN: The alternative name for this dish was originally: Fluffy Oyakodon. It isn't just me being a deviant here…) I quickly displaced those thoughts and finished eating my serving of the meal.
Regardless of its contents, the meal was delicious and quite filling after the day's work. I can't say it was a particularly taxing day, but we managed to gain control of several groups of monsters.
There were quite a few new tents set up a little ways from the caves that we passed on the way in.
Slowly but surely, my forces were increasing, and with a bit of training, they would become a force to be reckoned with.
•••The Next Day•••
Today, I woke up in my hammock like web-bed. It was quite comfortable, especially since I was cuddled up to my new waifu. We were once again spooning since she told me that it was her favorite position.
It made her feel comfortable and protected, she said, not that many things could threaten her within the forest. Still, you won't hear me complaining about having to hug such a beauty all night long.
It was still a bit odd for me, our sudden relationship, that is. With Áine, our relationship started mostly physical and progressed quickly over the month we spent together. It felt like she was trying to cement her place before I got too close to the other girls. I suppose it made sense, considering that Treyni imprinted on me less than a day later.
Was this the power of a woman's intuition?
Anyways, even now, Áine and I are both steadily building up a more intimate relationship. That was why she was so disturbed when Treyni suddenly gained the position of my wife.
I know she is also still struggling with the fact that her mother is my fiancée. It is an exciting and worrisome development, but I am going to try and give both women a fresh start here. Things may not work out with, what was it, Artoria? But, I certainly won't shelve Áine for a woman I've never even met.
With as greedy as I am, there's no way I'd let go of the bird in my hand for the two in the bush.
It still left me in a conundrum with how to treat Treyni. I suppose we will just have to work through the situation together. Sort of like a real husband and wife?
That thought made me smile, and I hugged Treyni a bit tighter before getting up to start the day. I quietly descended the tree. It was a bit brighter in the day when I awoke, but still early enough to be one of the only ones awake.
Outside the ogre tents, I could see Hakuro, the old ogre swordmaster. I suppose it isn't proper to call him an old man anymore, though.
Last night after naming the ogres, they all started their evolutions. The one with the most surprising change was Hakuro, who looks like he regained 30 or so years of his youth, looking like a wise, middle-aged man in his prime.
I was quite tired from naming them all along with Ranga earlier in the day. Still, I took cursory scans of each of them using [Appraisal]. To my surprise, each of them was evolving into a sub-species called Ogre Mages.
Perhaps it was due to the influence of my own magical power, but it was likely due to a combination of that and the fact that they each had their own magical skills, like the fireball that the ogre prince, Benimaru, used.
I sat across from Hakuro, who was meditating and began my own meditation. Of course, I was immediately dog-piled by both Lilith and Áine, both of who were bright and smiley this time. Liliths half grin was honestly one of the best parts of my day, and it was a struggle not to spend the whole time spoiling her.
By the way, Lilith's Shikai was 65% unlocked after defeating the pups and the monsters slain on the way home. Luckily, we can both gain parameters from even weak monsters, though they won't help me evolve, it seems. Even after fighting against all those direwolves, I only gained six levels overall.
We spent half the time relaxing together and then went outside to train(play). We played tag, pirates vs. ninjas, and finished it with a fun picnic I put together for us.
When I finally exited my inner world, I was covered in sweat, and had to use the cleansing spell, which probably seemed strange for Hakuro since I had partially activated [Hastened Thoughts]. With it, I condensed half a day into half an hour.
Indeed, after I opened my eyes, Hakuro was looking at me with a twitching brow. Apparently, he could feel the fluctuations in my spiritual and magical energy while I was training, and it kept disturbing his meditation.
I apologized and made a mental note to do my meditation away from others from now on. Hakuro nodded and asked curiously, "Just what sort of meditations were you doing? It felt like you were waging a lightning-paced war…"
"Haha, it was just me communicating with my sword. She's quite feisty." 'Especially when it comes to the food she likes.' I couldn't help but thinking, recalling how she reacted to the chocolate cake I made.
Hakuro looked me up and down once again before nodding and replying, "I see."
"Anyways, since you guys have decided to join me, I'll share with you the basic techniques that all of my people are learning," I said, pulling out the Zankensouki manual. "It may or may not be useful to you, but it also contains my sword meditation technique. It was designed specifically for a special type of sword that I use, but it may be insightful to someone with the prowess you have developed with the sword."
"Oh?" Hearing about the sword techniques it included, Hakuro curiously opened the manual. I forgot to warn him about how the manual worked, but he took it in strides. Apparently, grimoires worked similarly, except they were one-use items and only applied to magic.
After receiving the techniques, he returned the manual to me and took on a pensive expression as he processed the information he had learned. A few minutes later, he looked up at me questioningly. "This is what you have been teaching your forces?"
I was currently polishing my blade and about to oil it, but I was startled by Hakuro's question. "Hmm? I've only given them the basics of the sword techniques, the hand to hand combat techniques, and the movement techniques. Most of the goblins lack the experience and spiritual energy to make use of the other techniques."
"I see," he nodded. "Why did you share the whole manual with me then?"
I grinned, "Similar to Shuna, I have an appraisal type ability that allows me to understand other peoples parameters. You're an experienced and skilled warrior, and you have enough spiritual energy to at least train the additional abilities and increase the spirit parameter accordingly. That said, I recalled you telling me about how you trained the warriors of your tribe previously. I was hoping you would do the same here.
I am truthfully quite a novice with these techniques myself, and I also lack your experience, an essential aspect of using these techniques that were designed for fighting. I believe you would make an excellent instructor for us, myself included."
Hakuro nodded and faintly smiled. "I see, since you are now my lord, I shall endeavor to serve you. If you wish to put my experience to use, I will gladly train you and the others, but I won't go easy on you."
I smiled, "Thank you, Hakuro, I appreciate your support."
"Good, I understand you have a daily training regimen. We can begin right away then."
As he said that, the sky began to brighten, and the others were waking up. Treyni had all the newcomers welcome me, and I also introduced our newly named ogre mages to everyone.
I had used the true name function to name each of them. I've already mentioned Benimaru and Hakuro. Shuna is the ogre princess, and Shion is the name of her previous guard. The stealthy ogre was named Souei while the craftsman ogre was named Kurobe.
As it happened, Kurobe was responsible for crafting the Japanese like swords and armor for the ogres. It was an art passed down from an otherworlder their village had saved several generations ago. Now, Kurobe was the only one of the ogres that knew the process to craft them.
Before we began training, I gave him a few dozen of the magic iron ingots that I had previously collected. He happily accepted them and started building forge within the caves. I had warned him that we would be moving within a few days, but he was so eager to begin crafting that he went ahead and built one in the caverns.
Training began with Hakuro using his martial prowess to beat down each of the goblins in groups of four. This was partially to enforce his authority as the new instructor of the troops, and partly to test everyone's capabilities. Some individuals were foolish enough to doubt the capabilities of the demonic swordsman due to his appearance, but that quickly ended as they were summarily defeated.
Even when I fought him, I struggled when restricting myself to the same level as him and only using my martial techniques. He may not have the same level of strength as Áine, but the technique and skill he has spent hundreds of years refining was far different from her haphazard, instinctual fighting style in which she was willing to do everything and anything to accomplish victory.
'Now that I think about it, there was one time when Áine had slipped up, and in order to avoid being defeated, she wound up biting me...I'll definitely need to work with Hakuro to train her once she regains a human form.'
『Shi-shi-shi! You think it will be so easy, stinky big brother? Let's see you beat me in a fight first!』
'Ah, that's right. I forgot for a moment you can hear my thoughts. Well, just wait till I get you in the bedroom. The record is 50-50 there. Or perhaps you would prefer to go at it in the kitchen again? I haven't lost once there!'
『Y-you! What are you saying! Don't you know that Lili-chan can hear you too? We both are in your inner world and are bonded to your soul!』
My face instantly paled. 'Why didn't you ever say that before!?! Lilith, ignore what you've heard, daddy wuvs you bunches!'
『Pfft! Ha~hahaha! You should have seen your reaction just now! Don't worry big bro, although Lili-chan could tap into our conversation if she wanted, I've never seen her do so. She's watching that "Breast Dragon Emperor: Oppai Dragon" anime. I still don't understand her fascination with it.』
Hearing her, veins throbbed on my head. 'Y-you! Fine, no more special services for a month!'
『Huh? Hey, wait! Your joking right?!?』
'That includes head pats and massages too!'
『I-I...I'm sorry! Please forgive me, merciful brother of mine!』
'Hmph, keep this in mind the next time you try to use Lilith against me. I'll let you off easily and only take off sexual things for the next week.'
『T-that's... I understand big brother. We can still cuddle, though, right?』
'...Fine, I will allow it. Besides, I don't think that Lilith would like it if you were excluded from the cuddling. She really looks up to you. You know that, right?'
『I know... It's just new to me, having a family and stuff, you know? I'll try and be a better big sister for her.』
'You're doing good, Áine, and I am proud of you. I love you and our family, so keep trying your best, and I'll do the same, alright.'
『Mmm... I-I'm glad that you're the one that was sent with me, Orion. I feel like if you were there back then, things would have been different somehow...』
'...I don't know if I could have made a difference if I had been there back then, but I promise you things will be different now, Áine.'
『Thanks, big brother. Hey, get back to training, though, or else you'll never be able to beat me anywhere but in the kitchen. Shi-shi-shi!』
"Ha~ that girl has trouble written all over her, but I still love her..." I muttered.
"Hmm? What was that, Orion? Have you already fallen for another woman?" asked Treyni, looking out towards the sparring ring and the surroundings for her new rival.
"Ah, that's right, I should tell you-"
"One moment, Orion. As much as I'd love to hear about the thieving cat, the ones you have been waiting for just arrived." Treyni said, standing from her seat in my lap where she had been sitting when she heard my utterance.
It wasn't like I had been hiding the fact that I had two spirits living within me, I just hadn't found an opportune moment so far.
I stood and grabbed Treyni's hand as we walked towards the entrance of the village. "Hey, this will be important for both of us, so let's talk about it before bed, alright?"
She sighed and turned to face me, "Is it someone here, one of the girls you just met, or did something happen with Mia while you guys went to the village?"
"No, it's nothing like that, but it is... complicated. Two other people have a very close relationship with me. They are not anyone that you have met or seen yet, though, I do hope that you can meet soon and get along with one another."
Treyni stared at me intently, and I held her gaze as firmly as I held her hand. She seemed to be searching for something in my eyes, but whether or not she found it, I don't know. I could feel a slight sadness coming through our bond, but she still managed a weak smile and spoke with as much cheer as one could expect in this situation, "Tell me all about them tonight, I want to hear everything, got it?"
I pulled her towards me and hugged her while asking, "Do you regret it?"
Although it sounded vague, she understood what I meant. "Do I regret imprinting on you? No, of course not. I feel sad knowing that I can't keep you to myself, but I knew that beforehand. You even told me as much during the imprinting process. In truth, had it been Mia, I probably wouldn't mind at all since she feels like a cute little sister to me, and I at least know her. Rather, the fact that there are important people in your life that I've never met startled me and made me feel uncomfortable."
"Mmm. I suppose that makes sense. We had only just met a few days ago, and we haven't had a chance to get to know one another. Everything kind of feels like an arranged marriage to me..."
"D-Do you regret it, Orion?" Treyni trembled, asking the question. 'Because Orion was so open about his relationship with Mia and me, I never really stopped to consider how this may have impacted him...'
"Of course not!" I protested the thought. "Our relationship may be developing in a strange order, but I've already seen plenty to know what a wonderful woman you are, and I am enjoying learning more about you every day." I touched my forehead to hers and held her tightly as I continued.
"In my world, when people get married, they often share vows. One of the standard vows goes like this: I, Orion, take thee, Treyni, to be my wife, to have and to hold from this day forward, for better, for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health, to love and to cherish, till death do us part. While only about half of the people in my world kept those vows, I think—"
Treyni had stopped me, placing a finger on my lips as she smilingly stared at me. "Not now, but one of these days, I'm going to make you say those words and mean it. Right now, I'm only your wife in name, but one of these days, I'll make you my husband!"
I stared in amazement at her dazzlingly beautiful smile despite the small tears at the corner of her eyes. The moment would have been perfect were it not for the emotional crowd surrounding us cheering on Treyni and the men chewing me out for making their idol cry.
I really just wanted to carry Treyni away at this moment, but there were other matters that needed attending to first. A few feet away was a heavily armed group of goblins, hobgoblins, and notably, humans.
To be exact, there were five of them, and despite being intact, they looked gaunt, and a bit terrified being surrounded by so many monsters.
Of course, the older generation from our village looked equally confused, seeing so many monsters her and their jaws hap practically dropped seeing me with my human appearance and Treyni, a powerful and revered dryad flirting in the middle of the clearing.
What's more, there were five additional ogres visible behind me who had come to check on the commotion. They, too, were mildly curious hearing about the return of this villages older generation as well as the appearance of some humans.
Shion, the purple-haired, air-head ogre mage came and stood beside me as she examined the newcomers. She had just finished sparing with Hakuro along with her companions aside from Shuna, the princess.
Although not weak, Shuna also didn't have very much actual combat experience aside from the training she had done with Hakuro. It was a bit limited, too, since her combat abilities were more magic oriented.
Instead, she was still in the caves with others preparing lunch with the other goblinas whom she had already one over. Apparently, unlike the ogress beside me, Shuna was quite talented in the kitchen. I was curious about what she was capable of, but Treyni had set a high bar for her.
Naturally, I had also shared the cooking manual with her, and I was considering sharing the magic arrows manual with her. Even if she isn't a primary combatant, she could become another powerful home defense.
While the rest of us were examining the returnees, Gobu-Ji had stepped forward to smooth things over and welcome them. He was clearly trying to avoid a fight, which was fine with me as long as they understood who was in charge. Insubordination had to be appropriately dealt with after all.
Gobu-Ji smiled as he slowly stepped forward with his cane. It was a bit of a shame that he received a name from another person; it prevented me from giving him a name similar to the others.
"It's good that you've returned and that the women you've brought back are unharmed. Let me introduce you to the new guardian of our village, Lord Orion, and his wife, Lady Treyni!" Gobu-Ji spoke enthusiastically as he looked towards us, but it also meant he couldn't see when the bulky hobgoblin moved to kick him from behind.
I released Treyni's hand and instantly flash stepped between the hobgoblin and Gobu-Ji while grabbing the hobgoblin's leg mid-kick. Although pitiful in my eyes, the kick would have snapped the frail, elderly Gobu-Ji in half.
I furrowed my brows towards this blatant sign of disrespect while Treyni summoned barbed vines from the ground to immobilize the other returnees.
"What is the meaning of this?" I asked sternly. "Do you think you can cowardly attack my vassals in front of me and suffer no consequences?" I pressured him and gripped his shin so tightly that creaking sounds could be heard from his bones.
"Agh! Unhand me, human bastard! You think you can do whatever you want in MY villa—agh-guh-grr!" His tirade was cut off in the middle as Mia shot a weak, electric-type magic arrow into his crotch.
Sensing that, I wisely let go for a moment to avoid absorbing any excess voltage. After all, Mia didn't seem happy when Treyni and I were flirting earlier.
"Filth like you dares insult Lord Orion?" It seems that even the ogres were displeased by this hobgoblins words, since Benimaru had stepped forward and unsheathed his blade.
I almost felt pity for him, so I decided to warn him in a good-natured manner. "I am Orion, a Majinn Slime Lord. I suggest you apologize and peaceably submit. Ten of you wouldn't have stood a chance against a single one of these ogre mages even before they evolved"
"Ptui! You think we'll believe that these guys are the legendary Kijin, and that there are more than one here? I bet these are just more cowards that joined you because you are a self-proclaimed Majinn!"
He sneered along with several of his companions. Interestingly, two other hobgoblins also stepped forward, the only others in the group and also the only females.
Unlike the pathetic leader of the goblin band and their companions, both women kneeled and lowered their heads to me. "We submit, please don't lump us in with those assholes!"
Their forceful shout was surprising, but I could appreciate their earnestness. Shion, who was previously about to pounce on the group with her club, suddenly smiled and lifted the bowed female hobgoblins.
"Alright, if you guys are gonna join us, step over here to the side and don't interfere." She then turned towards me, looking for permission. I looked between her and Benimaru briefly and sighed.
"Don't harm the humans…"
With that, the terror ensued that would spread the name of the wicked oni that watched over this village and the rumors of their ruthless methods. Unfortunately, I hadn't acted myself, making me seem soft in the eyes of the goblins, so several goblins failed to heed my instructions during the night. They would no longer consider me weak after that.
With my command, a fight ensued that destroyed limbs, digits, joints, and various soft tissues. The brutality of it all was fascinating, though several goblins lost their stomachs, both literally and figuratively.
At the side, one of the just recruited female hobgoblins was excitedly watching the maelstrom while the other had withdrawn a book and seemed to be ignoring everything.
I was curious about them, but I figured I would have plenty of time to deal with them later. I turned to Treyni and thanked her for subduing the other returnees before asking her to go with me to retrieve the humans.
Treyni smiled and linked arms with me as we walked towards these women. Although something felt off about them, with everything else going on, I simply intended to keep them safe until we could escort them from the forest.
When we approached them, the women were stricken, seeing the massacre occurring before them. It was clear they felt like they exited the frying pan and entered the fire, when they looked towards us.
Luckily, both Treyni and I knew the common-language the language used by the humans and other trading races. In front of the other women was a slightly more hardy but younger woman with short red hair. Unlike the others, she was dressed like I'd imagine an adventurer would and seemed to have a bit more muscle built up.
I used Appraisal on each of them and was a bit surprised by their Job-Classes. All of them but the redhead adventurer had Job-Classes that would be useful to me. I would like to examine their work before they leave, if possible.
The gleam in my eyes as I examined them seemed to dishearten them, but a light jab from Treyni's elbow refocused me. "Kohun, kohun… Excuse me, ladies, this is just the first time I've met someone with your Job-Classes, and I got a bit excited. I apologize if I frightened you there. I would like to reintroduce ourselves more properly, but perhaps we should go somewhere a bit quieter?"
The girls still seemed hesitant, but this time Treyni stepped forward and spoke. "I'm sure you're scared and confused right now, especially with this big bad wolf here, but I promise on my pride as a dryad, I won't let my husband here harm you." Treyni didn't have her usual gentle smile on, but rather the concerned look of a mother or the like.
It seemed to work though, as the red-haired adventurer looked back towards her fellows and then reached out and took Treyni's outstretched hand. The other women carefully looked between Treyni and I still a bit weary, so I gave one final push.
"Why don't you take them to the kitchen and get them some food, Treyni. Once we wrap up things here, I am going to announce that these women are under our protection and are not to be touched or mistreated. Hopefully, after all this, the others won't give us any trouble."
Treyni put on a thoughtful look and then nodded. "That's a good idea, Orion. I'll help them get cleaned up and get them some food. Then we can all talk after lunch, alright?"
"Mmm, sounds like a plan. I'll see you in a bit then." We both agreed, and Treyni gave me a quick peck before leading the ladies away. The surrounding goblins parted around Treyni, making her look like Moses parting the Red Sea as they walked to the kitchens.
Hopefully, none of them have overactive imaginations, otherwise they may misunderstand why we're bringing them there...
I put the mischievous thoughts out of my mind as I turned to watch over the end of the ogre's slaughter. They had certainly made a spectacle of the event, leaving all but the original instigator of the incident in pieces all over the ground.
Shion dragged his mangled body over to me and dripped him at my feet, smiling towards me. She reminded me of a cat that brought its half-dead prey back to its owner to display what a mighty hunter it was, especially with the way that she puffed out her chest after dropping him.
I cast [Cleanse] on both Benimaru and Shion, and the patted the latter on her head due to my petting habit. Luckily, she seemed to quite enjoy it.
I then turned to look at the disheveled heap of flesh. "You know, I had high hopes for a group of skilled monsters capable of taking out an entire party of adventurers. Unfortunately, it seems it was not meant to be. Not only did you insult me, but you insulted them, a true-blue Kijins. Tsk, Tsk, Tsk. Well, I wouldn't kill you for simply insulting me, but insubordination is one thing I absolutely can't condone, and you don't seem like the cooperative type…"
"F-fuck off, c-coward! You sent th-these goons after me, bu-but couldn't fight me yo-yourself. Hu-human scum! I'm not sure how he tricked you, but is this the sort of—"
Before he could finish speaking, my swords separated his head from his body. Although it looks bad, it seems I had made a mistake in not handling this trash on my own. Judging by the whispers and murmurs, there are a small minority who think I'm merely using the strength of others to enforce my rule and still question my strength.
These were naturally people from the other villages as I had already tamed my people. This would make my next job marginally more difficult, but it also would give me more opportunities to assert my dominance and weed out the trouble makers.
Hopefully, tonight would be the last time I have to do this sort of thing. Standing before everyone, I released a portion of my magic aura, equivalent to that used by Benimaru and Shion during the fight just now. It was the only warning these people would get.
"Hear me now! These men were insubordinate traitors to my people. Everyone has been invited to be under our protection under the precondition that you follow the orders and rules we establish. If that makes you feel discontent, you are free to leave now. I will not stop you or punish you, but you will not receive the same offer later."
Seeing no one leaving, I proceeded. Even if they stayed due to group mentality, that was their choice, and now they'd have to stand by it.
"Since you're all still here, I will give you my first order. The human women who just arrived are off-limits. You are not allowed to attack them, rape them, or harass them. They are under my protection. Secondly, there will be no more hunts for humans for any purpose. You may defend yourselves when necessary, but unless they are acting as aggressors, we will not instigate trouble with the humans and near-human species.
The general rules will be posted tomorrow for how you are to interact and get along with one another. If there is discord that can't be solved through discussions, bring it to a squad Lieutenant. If it's something the lieutenants are unable to handle, they will bring it to the squad Captain. If even the squad Captain cannot handle it, then they can bring the issue to me. If you have any questions that require my immediate attention, raise your hand, otherwise save it for after lunch."
I looked around the crowd of almost 100 hobgoblins and goblins. They were all silent, waiting for me to dismiss them. Understanding that I shouted, "Dismissed!" And sent them all to get food.
Now it was time to deal with the humans…