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"Which is...?"
When the chieftain suddenly stopped talking, everyone leaned forward eagerly. Fia, meanwhile, was so anxious she looked ready to yank out his beard.
"The answer is: Fia and Riku should get married," the chieftain finally said, his grin widening. "If they become husband and wife, the odds of us getting discarded drop to almost zero. In fact, it could boost our standing even more."
"————!"Fia was completely stunned. Then, almost instantly, her delicate face turned bright red, and her crimson eyes locked onto the old chieftain like she wanted to strangle him.
"Whoa! That's actually a great idea!"
"Yeah! It makes perfect sense. Only question is, does that human even like Fia?"
"Quit calling him 'that human.' It's Lord Riku now. And come on—Fia's strong, talented, and super cute. What guy could resist that?"
"But... has there ever been a case of cross-race marriage like this? Couldn't it cause problems?"
"Now's not the time to worry about that. Just because it hasn't happened before doesn't mean it can't. And honestly, the two of them match pretty well in terms of strength and potential."
The meeting room instantly exploded with noise. These usually serious orc elders had all suddenly turned into a bunch of matchmakers, chattering away.
Meanwhile, the chieftain stroked his white beard with a satisfied grin. He was clearly proud of the plan he came up with.
Sure, it was basically a political marriage. But seeing how much Fia seemed to admire Riku, he didn't think it'd be a bad match.
"Grandpa! What the heck are you talking about?!"Fia shouted, marching over and grabbing the chieftain's beard in protest.
"Ow ow ow! Easy there, kiddo!" the chieftain winced, half-laughing and half-crying. "Okay, okay, maybe it's a bit over the top—but you've gotta admit, it's the best solution!"
"But still..."Fia's face was bright red, full of internal conflict. She really respected Riku, maybe even liked him a little. And she was insanely curious about him. But marriage? Just like that? It was way too embarrassing!
Not to mention—she was only twelve!! And now these old guys were basically selling her off?! That was the most infuriating part!
"You already like him, don't you? If things go well, it could really work out. There's not that much difference between orcs and humans anyway. No reason to stop it—especially if it helps the whole race," the chieftain said, trying to coax her.
"...Fine. I'll give it a shot," Fia finally muttered after a long silence. Her red eyes flickered with uncertainty, her face burning, and her tail swished wildly behind her. But in the end, she gave a small nod.
Her voice was so quiet a normal person wouldn't have heard it—but the orcs, with their super sharp senses, heard it loud and clear.
In an instant, the room lit up with joy. Since the one directly involved had agreed, what was there left to argue about?
"Hmph!"Seeing how happy all these old geezers were after basically selling her off, Fia huffed in annoyance and turned away.
Someday... I'm totally ripping out all their beards!
On the other side, Riku had finally finished his bath and stepped out, now wearing a proper kimono that one of the beastkin maids had prepared for him.
Sure, he could've just used the Thousand Forms technique to change clothes, but right now, going along with local customs seemed like the smarter move.
After a nice soak, the burden from using the Eight Gates technique had eased up quite a bit. And now that he'd successfully roped in the beastkin tribe, Riku was feeling pretty good.
"Mr. Riku, please follow me," the beastkin maid said politely, eyeing him curiously as he came out.
It was a rare sight—seeing a human being treated so carefully and respectfully by both the beastkin princess and the tribe elders. Even if he was powerful, this level of courtesy was unusual.
Naturally, many of the beastkin were now extremely curious about Riku.
"Mm." Riku gave a little smile and nodded as he followed her, noticing how respectful her attitude was.
Clearly, the discussion between Hatsu Fia and the tribe's elders had wrapped up. And the result didn't surprise Riku—everything was proceeding in a very orderly fashion. If things had gone badly, the maid definitely wouldn't be treating him like royalty.
"Still, I'm kinda curious how that girl Fia managed to convince all those stubborn old beastkin. That's no small feat. I honestly thought this would drag on for days. Guess she's better at this than I gave her credit for," he thought, glancing around as he walked through the area.
"Mr. Riku, the Princess and the elders are waiting for you inside. I'll take my leave now," the maid said, stopping in front of a rather lavish-looking set of doors.
Riku simply nodded and pushed the doors open.
And the moment he did, the scene inside came into view.
Around a long dining table sat over a dozen middle-aged and elderly beastkin—they were clearly the upper echelon of the tribe. At the head of the table were two large, ornate chairs. Sitting in the left one was Hatsu Fia, dressed in a formal kimono. The right-hand chair was empty.
"....."