As the Orc Lord was devoured by Rimuru, the effect of Starved also wore off. The frenzied Orcs regained their sanity. Rimuru, with his long sword at his hip, came before everyone and proclaimed loudly:
"Everyone! It's all over!"
"Oh, oh, oh!"
"It's finally over!"
"Is this Lord Rimuru? Thank you for saving the Lizardmen!!!"
Everyone present erupted in celebration, and little Gobuta even jumped three meters high.
The Orcs knelt on the ground, mourning their deceased king, while the Orc Lord's son, watching this scene, lowered his head, tears in his eyes, and whispered:
"Oh, King! You are finally free!"
Rimuru then approached Benimaru and the others, smiling as he said to them:
"We made a promise back then: once the Orc Lord was defeated, we would grant you your freedom. Thank you all for your hard work during this time!"
Benimaru looked at Rimuru, who was smiling at him, and his heart was filled with mixed emotions.
It was Rimuru who took them in when they were homeless, and to help them get their revenge, he even appointed Benimaru as the commander of the army.
He recalled the people he met in the town: the kind Mrs. Kamado who would always invite Shuna and the others over as guests.
Kochou Shinobu, who, despite the barbecue shop owner always being angry at Zhong Chen, would smile at others.
Kagaya Ubuyashiki, who always wore a gentle smile, and Gobuta and the others who were always getting into trouble and being lectured, and… thinking of these things, Benimaru's heart settled, and he spoke to Rimuru before him:
"Lord Rimuru, we have a request!"
Rimuru asked, puzzled:
"What is it?"
Benimaru suddenly knelt on one knee, and the others behind him followed suit:
"Please, you and Lord Zhong Chen, accept our fealty! We are willing to serve you both like dogs and horses from now on!"
Rimuru asked, very surprised:
"Are you truly willing?"
Hakurou said with a smile:
"This old man has no objections!"
Souei's usually stern face also showed a rare smile as he respectfully replied:
"To meet you and Lord Zhong Chen is our good fortune for three lifetimes!"
Shion stood up and immediately threw herself onto Rimuru, hugging Rimuru tightly and happily saying:
"I am Lord Rimuru's secretary and bodyguard, you know! There's no way I'll ever leave you!"
"Until the end of our lives!"
Rimuru listened to the four's vows of loyalty and slowly said:
"I don't have a problem with it, but I don't know A Chen's thoughts! I still need to go back and ask A Chen!"
"No need to ask, I agree!"
"Lord Zhong Chen!"
"Lord Zhong Chen, how did you get here!"
Everyone looked at Zhong Chen, who had suddenly appeared behind Rimuru, and shouted excitedly.
Rimuru turned around and saw Zhong Chen smiling at her, accompanied by Izayoi Sakuya:
"A Chen!"
Rimuru instantly broke free from Shion's embrace and rushed into Zhong Chen's arms.
"Alright, alright, Rimuru, you worked hard too. I saw everything!"
"Hehe!"
Watching Rimuru nuzzling in Zhong Chen's arms, Shion, standing to the side, pulled out a handkerchief from somewhere and bit down on it tightly, mumbling with tears in her eyes:
"So envious… Damn it! To be able to enjoy Lord Rimuru's pampering so much! Even if it's Lord Zhong Chen… Wuwuwu… o(╥﹏╥)o"
Ignoring Shion's frenzy, Benimaru and the others were overjoyed to hear Zhong Chen's reply and immediately said respectfully:
"Thank you very much! For accepting us! We swear to be loyal until death!"
Zhong Chen stroked Rimuru's little head and said to Benimaru and the others:
"Alright! Get up quickly, everyone. We're all family, there's no need for so much formality!"
"Yes!"
Hearing Zhong Chen's words, the few immediately stood up and responded.
"Hahaha, isn't this a happy ending for everyone!"
"The ending of a story should be this magnificent!"
"Big Brother Benimaru, this is great, I was worried you all were going to leave!"
Gobuta darted to Benimaru's side and excitedly said to Red Hair.
"Ouch! That hurts!"
Gobuta, whose head was hit by a sword hilt, immediately squatted on the ground, looking tearfully at the person who struck him.
"This old man hasn't finished teaching you, my unpromising disciple, how could I leave!"
"Master!"
Seeing Hakurou and Gobuta's master-disciple interaction, everyone present burst into laughter.
"Hahahaha!!!"
"Alright, everyone, we're going home!"
"Yes! Lord Rimuru, Lord Zhong Chen!"
...Great Jura Forest · The day after the Orc Lord subjugation battle ended
In a cave, representatives from various races gathered to discuss post-war issues.
"Then, Speaker, Rimuru Tempest, please begin!"
As Toreini's words fell, the meeting officially began, but Rimuru, sitting in the main seat, was constantly dripping cold sweat from his forehead.
He glanced at Zhong Chen, who was sitting to the side observing, hoping for help, but unfortunately, Zhong Chen had no intention of helping her.
Are you kidding?! Zhong Chen was currently planning to enjoy Rimuru's predicament; how could he help? It would be good if he didn't lead the laughter.
Seeing that he couldn't get help, Rimuru could only endure the gazes of the many racial representatives and nervously began to speak:
"Uh… well… this is my first time hosting such a meeting, and I'm not very skilled yet, so I'll start by sharing my thoughts, and then everyone can discuss it together!"
"Let me state one thing first: I do not intend to pursue the Orcs' crimes!"
"What!"
"How could…"
All the Orc representatives present looked at Rimuru with shocked expressions. Ignoring the shocked Orcs, Rimuru continued:
"The Lizardmen, who suffered heavy losses in this incident, might be dissatisfied. Please allow me to explain!"
Rimuru looked at the Lizardmen chief and others who had been rescued by Souei, and said with a serious expression.
"Wait a minute! Rimuru!"
"What is it, A Chen?"
Rimuru looked at Zhong Chen, who was sitting to the side, and asked curiously.
Zhong Chen did not answer Rimuru's question, but instead turned to look at the Lizardmen representatives, narrowing his eyes and slowly saying:
"Are you sure you need Rimuru to explain to you? Think carefully before answering!"
The Lizardmen representatives, who were initially somewhat dissatisfied with Rimuru's decision not to pursue the Orcs, felt cold sweat trickling down their foreheads as they looked at Zhong Chen, who was staring at them expressionlessly.
"This… we…"
Just as a high-ranking Lizardman was about to say something, he suddenly felt a blur before his eyes. When he opened them again, he saw Lizardmen corpses everywhere, blood already staining the entire swamp.
Just as he was about to say something, he suddenly felt a chill on his neck. He actually saw his own body, but this body was missing its crucial head.
"Hoo, hoo, hoo!!!"
The high-ranking Lizardman, having come back to his senses, gasped for breath, his eyes filled with fear as he looked at Zhong Chen.
Zhong Chen, with his legs crossed, spoke to him without a trace of emotion:
"What do you want to say? Speak, let me hear it!"
"No… nothing! Sir, you misunderstood! I don't want to say anything at all!"
The surrounding Lizardmen representatives also expressed their agreement.
"Exactly! We have no problems! We don't need Lord Rimuru to explain to us!"
"Yes… yes, yes, Lord Rimuru saved our Lizardmen, so we will listen to whatever you say!"
[You guys are smart!]
Watching the Lizardmen back down, Zhong Chen abandoned the idea of a massacre. Damn it, Rimuru saved them, yet they still dared to be dissatisfied.
Even if many Lizardmen were killed by the Orcs, Benimaru and the others, whose village was destroyed, could let go of their hatred for Rimuru.
Why couldn't they let go of their hatred for my cute Rimuru?
Although Zhong Chen knew this thought of his was a bit shameless, for him, he always sided with his own people, not with reason, and besides, he held absolute truth.
Looking at the numerous Lizardmen representatives who were all expressing their stance, Rimuru was full of questions:
"Huh… what's going on here! I haven't even explained yet!"
Rimuru, full of unanswered questions, didn't dwell on it further, only thinking that the Lizardmen were grateful, and she couldn't help but think that the Lizardmen were truly good people.
"Ultimately…"