(Attendance… plz…)
….
King Gazel blinked, the realization hitting him like a slap. He had momentarily forgotten.
Even though he was sitting in a village built by monsters, talking to its leader, Rimuru Tempest, who was a slime commanding high-born monsters, and all of them, every single one of them, even the citizens being named, Rimuru still was not the leader of the forest.
Treyni's voice from outside was a polite but firm reminder of that fact. The ultimate authority over the Great Jura Forest Alliance rested solely with Reinhard.
By skipping over Reinhard and proposing an alliance directly to the leader of a single settlement, Gazel was essentially trying to bypass the recognized authority of the entire territory. Even if it was an honest mistake born from excitement, it was a massive diplomatic faux pas. It was highly disrespectful, and Gazel knew it. He was a King, after all.
How would Gazel feel if the ruler of a neighboring nation walked into Dwargon, marched into one of his cities, and tried to forge a separate alliance with the local mayor without asking for the King's permission?
He would probably have them executed for treason, or at the very least, locked away in the deepest dungeon.
Reinhard looked between Rimuru and Gazel, his expression placid. "It is nothing that needs my direct permission or constant oversight," he said, easing the sudden tension in the room. "As long as it doesn't harm the living beings of the forest, I don't have any problem with it. I apologize, but I haven't been the Alliance Leader for very long. I am not well-versed in matters of statecraft, or the intricate details of managing the entire forest."
He gestured toward the open front of the house, toward where Treyni's voice had come from. "Treyni, being a spirit of the forest and having lived here for centuries, knows what is best for the woods and its inhabitants. Regarding an alliance between a whole nation and this village, or, I suppose it would be considered a nation after that... if it meets all of her requirements regarding the forest's safety, I don't mind."
Outside, a warm, almost proud smile appeared on Treyni's face. She was proud of herself in choosing Reinhard and then at Reinhard. He hadn't treated the proposal as something trivial, or just a simple trade agreement. He recognized that such an alliance could potentially endanger the forest and its people if not handled correctly, and he deferred to her wisdom. It was a clear sign of acknowledgement that she indeed hadn't chosen the wrong person to lead the forest.
Gazel's racing thoughts ground to a halt. It seemed his paranoid way of thinking, the mindset of a King constantly looking for slights and political traps, was completely wrong here. Reinhard genuinely didn't view the oversight as an insult.
Rimuru, swirling the liquid in his glass, nodded. "Hmm, he's right. I think we will have to go over it with Treyni to make sure it doesn't affect the forest in a bad way. Because if an alliance is made, we won't just need a treaty. We'll need a paved road, which means trees will have to be cut down in some areas. And soon there would be heavy trade, with people from Dwargon coming and going... but that is, of course, way in the future."
Gazel let out a booming laugh, his tension evaporating. "Indeed. It seems I was moving far too fast. Bringing up heavy political issues on a free night such as this... I apologize for ruining the mood. We will continue this discussion some other time. Please, forgive an old dwarf his eagerness, and let us just enjoy tonight."
Noticing that Gazel was purposefully shifting the mood away from politics, and likely wouldn't entertain any further serious talk, Rimuru just nodded.
"Well, you're right about that," Rimuru agreed. "Let's talk about the boring stuff later." He lifted his glass into the air. "To everyone."
The others in the room, those who were drinking and those who were just holding cups alike, lifted their drinks slightly and took a sip.
The rest of the evening went quietly. It was relaxed and incredibly comfortable, a stark contrast to the heavy, panic-filled atmosphere from earlier when the evacuation orders had first gone out. Anyone would prefer this warm camaraderie over the looming threat of invasion that they had experienced way earlier.
…
The Next Morning:-
Everything went smoothly. There wasn't much heavy negotiation at first. What they had concluded as their absolute priority was establishing a friendly connection. Knowing that Dwargon wasn't an enemy was the first step, and so came a formal non-aggression pact, sworn by the Dwarven King himself.
The more complex matters, the formal alliance, the trade routes, the technical support, would be decided and discussed at a later date.
However, King Gazel couldn't leave without acknowledging his initial intent. He admitted that he had come here in haste, fully prepared to wipe out this monster town, or subjugate it, if possible, with his elite Pegasus Knights, depending on the situation.
And instead, he had been utterly humbled by a kid who hadn't even lived two full decades.
The thing that still stung Gazel, just a bit, was that the kid hadn't even been trying. Gazel couldn't even begin to comprehend Reinhard's upper limits. In that single duel, Gazel hadn't been able to land or even deflect a single strike.
He didn't even know what he had been expecting when he challenged the boy. But he was sure he would get his answers soon enough.
He knew he couldn't force those answers out of Reinhard, or scheme his way into learning them. His only option was to wait. To watch. And, if possible, to hope that the boy continued to grow and realize his full potential, rather than getting stuck at what he already has achieved.
After finalizing the basic agreements, King Gazel and the knights who had remained through the night prepared to leave Rimuru's town and return to Dwargon.
After exchanging parting greetings at the village entrance, Gazel and his commanders mounted their winged Pegasus, ready to take to the skies.
Before giving the order to depart, Gazel turned his mount toward Reinhard. "Can I expect some more duels sometime soon? Friendly ones, I mean. I don't expect to win, but our last clash gave me so much insight... it has awakened some kind of growth within my swordsmanship. It is an enlightenment I haven't felt in centuries. I don't even know the last time I had such clarity."
"I don't mind," Reinhard said with a slight nod. "We can do that the next time we meet."
Gazel looked slightly confused for a second, but then, parsing Reinhard's exact wording, realization dawned on him. He smiled before turning his Pegasus around.
"Ah... I see," Gazel said, his voice carrying over the wind of the beating wings. "Well, next time it is, then."
It was already understood that Rimuru's town and Dwargon would be finalizing their alliance in the coming days. But Reinhard had explicitly said, 'the next time they meet.'
Gazel understood instantly.
Reinhard is leaving.
….
A/N: Yeah it is time. After this it is either meeting with yuuki somehow, or hinata.
And to mention this, he only named benimaru and no one else.
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