The hospitality of the Demi-Human alliance was surprisingly enthusiastic.
Not long ago, they had been locked in a bloody, catastrophic war with the Kingdom of Lugnica, losing countless lives to the overwhelming might of the human forces. Yet, at this very moment, their behavior was as warm and welcoming as if the war had never even occurred.
However, the pragmatic reason behind such behavior was entirely understandable. The only reason the various tribes had started the rebellion in the first place was for sheer survival against oppression. Now that His Majesty the King had made massive political concessions and guaranteed their livelihoods, they naturally had no desire to continue throwing their lives away. After all, with the sudden appearance of a white-haired monster who could casually slaughter armies, there was absolutely zero possibility of a demi-human victory. This peaceful outcome was already far better than they could have ever hoped for.
So, after a brief, necessary exchange of diplomatic pleasantries, Regulus proactively brought up the most critical matter: the future of trade between the demi-human race and the human kingdom.
He scanned the crowded pavilion, his gaze landing on the edge of the crowd. He waved his hand, beckoning Shion—who was still lingering at the back with her purple-haired friend—to step forward. The crowd parted, and she reluctantly walked until she stood right in front of the gathered leaders.
"To all the tribal chiefs present," Regulus announced smoothly, his voice easily carrying across the grand hall. "To prevent any future economic friction or predatory exploitation, Shion here will be entirely responsible for managing all trade routes between the various tribes and the human merchants from now on. If there are any insoluble problems or disputes, you can always bring them directly to me or Sphinx."
He paused, a lazy smirk playing on his lips. "Of course, if any of you find that Shion is doing something improper or unfair, you are also perfectly welcome to come and lodge a complaint with me."
As his words fell, the tribal leaders all exchanged startled glances. They hadn't expected the human representative to be so incredibly straightforward, bypassing the usual hours of tedious diplomatic posturing to get straight to the point.
"I have no objections," one of the elder chiefs spoke up, nodding sagely. "Miss Shion has successfully managed caravans in my tribe's territory before the war. There are absolutely no issues regarding her character, credibility, or fairness."
"I have no objections either," another added.
"But... is it truly alright for Miss Shion to be an official representative if she is a member of the demi-human race?" a burly chieftain asked, a look of genuine concern clouding his face. "Given the fresh scars of this war, humanity's attitude toward us will certainly be at an all-time low. Having an elf manage the kingdom's side of the trade might drastically increase the possibility of political backlash."
"You can rest entirely assured about that," Regulus waved his hand dismissively. "Shion will be returning to the Capital with me later, and I will personally secure an official, high-ranking royal status for her from the King himself. Moreover..."
Regulus stopped, turning his eyes directly onto the blushing Elf Maiden standing beside him. The entire room followed his gaze, and Shion tilted her head in utter confusion, a knot of nervousness tightening in her stomach.
'Is there still something else this shameless man wants to say?' she wondered frantically.
"Shion is my person," Regulus declared proudly, smiling warmly at the gathered chieftains. "If anyone has a problem with Shion, then they inherently have a problem with me. And I imagine absolutely no one in this room would want me to pay their tribe a personal, unannounced visit to resolve a dispute, right? After all, I am a rather unrefined man, and rather than wasting time reasoning, I profoundly prefer to solve all of my problems using my fists."
A collective shiver ran through the pavilion. The leaders were utterly stunned by the sheer arrogance of the answer, but they also recognized it as the ultimate, foolproof guarantee.
This terrifying threat applied equally to both sides. If any corrupt human merchant or short-sighted demi-human chieftain ever dared to cross Shion or intentionally make her life difficult, they would have to face the wrath of a god. Remembering the classified reports of this man single-handedly crushing the vanguard of the rebel army, it was highly unlikely that anyone in the world would be stupid enough to provoke him.
On the other hand, Shion's delicate face was already entirely flushed, burning a brilliant crimson.
Regulus's blatant statement was completely and utterly an early, public declaration of his absolute ownership over her! It was a roundabout way of telling the tribal leaders, and subsequently the entire country, that 'this is the woman I have claimed, so all of you had better treat her with the utmost respect from now on.'
Faced with this unilateral act of defining their relationship in front of high society, all Shion could do was shoot Regulus a fierce, embarrassed glare.
What else could she possibly do? Refusing his claim in public would not only make an invincible entity like Regulus lose face, but it would also plunge their private relationship into an incredibly awkward, hostile situation in the future.
"That... that is how it is," Shion cleared her throat, forcing a polite, elegant bow to mask her intense embarrassment. "Everyone, please take good care of me in the future."
No matter what her personal grievances were with the white-haired lord, she was a professional merchant. Among those present, besides the tribal leaders, there were many figures of immense prestige within the demi-human race. Securing their favor was vital.
"Miss Shion, you are far too kind."
"That's right, it should be us who receive your gracious care in the future."
"We will be heavily relying on your expertise from now on."
Just as the atmosphere began to settle into a harmonious rhythm, a voice broke through.
"Lord Regulus, I have another question," Setanta spoke up proactively, stepping forward from the ranks of the vanguard.
"What is it?" Regulus looked at the young warrior.
Although the fellow standing before him was a man, due to his meta-knowledge of the future characters Ram and Rem, Regulus naturally harbored a subconscious layer of goodwill toward the Oni Clan. Even though the twin maids were at least twenty years away from even being conceived in this timeline, seeing their ancestor made him relatively patient.
"I want to know... are our tribes permitted to independently trade with other external human merchants if they approach us?" Setanta asked carefully. "No, please do not misunderstand—I am absolutely not stating that I have any objections to your authority or Miss Shion's leadership. I merely want to firmly clarify the rules right now to avoid any tragic misunderstandings if similar situations occur down the line."
Noticing Regulus's eyebrow twitch slightly, Setanta had immediately offered the frantic explanation to avoid invoking the man's wrath.
"That is entirely your freedom," Regulus replied smoothly, his tone remarkably casual. "After all, when all is said and done, I am merely an intermediary—a absolute point of relief and deterrence between the demi-human race and the human race. I have no interest in micro-managing your day-to-day market stalls. However... if profit disputes or predatory scams arise because you chose to bypass Shion's protected routes, it might become quite... troublesome for you."
It was a clear, preemptive warning.
Setanta instantly understood the lethal meaning hidden behind Regulus's polite words. Profit and risk were always directly proportional. If a tribe grew greedy, worried that Shion was taking a standard mediator's cut, and decided to go solo with unverified human merchants, they had better be mentally prepared to face the consequences alone. The moment an unexpected scam or violent conflict happened, Regulus would not step in to clean up their self-inflicted mess.
"I fully understand," Setanta bowed respectfully, stepping back.
"If there are no further questions, Sphinx and I will be heading to the guest quarters to rest," Regulus said, stretching his arms. "To be entirely honest, this long journey in the carriage has been quite exhausting."
Although he delivered the excuse with a straight face, anyone who truly understood Regulus's inner thoughts would have known exactly what was going on.
He simply wanted to make a quick escape.
The gathered crowd of village chiefs and tribal elders were either strangely shaped, biologically avant-garde humanoids, or massive, burly men covered in scars. There were no cute, beautiful girls of an appropriate age anywhere in sight. To become a renowned figure or a chief in these harsh lands, one naturally needed both immense physical strength and decades of survival experience, resulting in a room full of rugged veterans.
"Everyone, disperse," Sphinx spoke for the very first time since their arrival, her tiny hand securely holding Regulus's palm the entire time. Her voice was flat, embodying her status as a character of few words.
"Ah, our deepest apologies! It was entirely our oversight," the elder chiefs panicked, bowing quickly. "Lady Sphinx and Lord Regulus must be thoroughly fatigued from the journey. We shall take our leave immediately to let you rest."
With that, the crowd began to pack up their documents and prepare to depart the pavilion.
"Wait a moment," Regulus called out casually.
"Lord Regulus, do you have any other vital instructions for us?"
"There is just one small detail I forgot to mention," Regulus smiled charitably. "In the future, if any of your tribes suffer unfair treatment from human nobles and wish for me to personally step in and preside over justice... it would be best if the messenger you send to my mansion is a girl. Preferably the exceptionally cute and pretty kind."
"Uh—"
For a long, agonizing moment, hearing Regulus's completely shameless, public demand, every single tribal leader and hardened warrior in the pavilion stood entirely speechless.
.....
.....
.....
Give me powerstones.
Support me and read advance chapters on patreon.com/ImmortalDaoWriter