Once the punishment for the [Orc]s of Dondu had been decided, the meeting quickly picked up speed.
The issue everyone had expected to be the most divisive had ended in unanimous agreement thanks to Adelio's proposal, and because of that, the other heavy matters were resolved with surprising ease.
He had cleanly used twenty thousand souls as an example, spared the living [Orc]s of Dondu from further punishment, and at the same time eased the resentment built up in the [Ogre]s and the [Lizardmen]. Since everyone had agreed to be satisfied with that outcome, they also chose to follow Adelio's lead on the remaining issues.
'...So this is the last one.'
Complete recovery from the war's damage, compensation for the races that had suffered, and even a place for the [Orc]s of Dondu to live from now on.
More or less, every problem had been settled.
Except for this final one.
"Adelio."
At that moment, the chief of the [Lizardmen], who had just given the final approval to the proposal of deciding where the [Orc]s of Dondu would live, turned his gaze toward Adelio.
"There is one thing I would like to ask you. I have no objection to providing the [Orc]s of Dondu with a place to live from here on, but what do you intend to do with them after that?"
With the seasoned eyes befitting the leader of a race, he probed Adelio's true intentions, then turned to look at the [Orc]s of Dondu as he waited for an answer.
Naturally, the ones most anxious about what would become of the [Orc]s of Dondu were the orcs themselves, and those under the chief's gaze stared at Adelio with cold sweat running down their faces.
"......"
Adelio looked thoughtful for a moment, then soon turned his eyes to Rimuru, who was sitting awkwardly in front of him, and opened his mouth with a small smile.
"You're right. If we simply relocate the [Orc]s of Dondu without taking any further measures, all that will do is deepen the other races' unease. So... this may sound a little idealistic, but... I want to create an alliance where all the races here can cooperate as one."
"......An alliance...?"
"By cooperation, you mean...?"
When the leadership of the [Orc]s of Dondu and the chief of the [Lizardmen] murmured as if they still did not quite understand, Adelio continued.
"The idea itself is simple. Gather all the races here together, build a grand alliance for mutual cooperation, and through that create a nation where many races can coexist. At first, it would be no more than a small city at best, but because so many races are involved, one day it could grow large enough to truly be called a nation."
"...Ho."
"W-would it really be all right for us to join that grand alliance...?"
In response to Adelio's words, the chief of the [Lizardmen] smiled with interest, while one of the leaders of the [Orc]s of Dondu, wearing a worried expression, quietly asked if that was truly acceptable.
It was a natural concern.
Among monsters, the law of the jungle always came first, and since they were the losers of this war, it would have been more normal for them to be placed beneath the alliance rather than allowed to participate in it directly.
'Of course, if it were up to me, it would be fairer to keep the [Orc]s of Dondu from joining the grand alliance for at least the next year... but Rimuru would never agree to that...'
If he wanted to create fairness and equality, then the [Orc]s of Dondu needed some kind of restraint so they could feel, even a little, the weight of the sins they had committed. Unfortunately, the one destined to become this place's ruler was a free-spirited slime who hated restraints like that.
'She probably wanted to object to handing over those twenty thousand souls to a demon earlier, too... so this time, I should give a little ground.'
Adelio knew he had to make cold-headed decisions, but he had no desire to clash with Rimuru over something like this. In his mind, she had already become someone very close to being called a friend.
Ever since the day she first gained a body and they shook hands, he had felt that, like Ria, she possessed something that moved him.
"The grand alliance will treat every race that joins it equally. Naturally, that includes the [Orc]s of Dondu as well. But there will still be some monsters who oppose that judgment. So you'll have to prove, through your achievements, just how much you can contribute to the alliance."
If they built up accomplishments that the other races could not help but acknowledge, then the [Orc]s of Dondu could earn an equal place with their own hands.
In other words, they could wash away the disgrace of having started a war and lost it, and rise again as one of the founding races of the grand alliance.
And once the [Orc]s of Dondu understood what Adelio meant, they clenched their fists so tightly they looked ready to break and bowed their heads deeply.
"Of course... of course! We will devote everything we have to repay the mercy you've shown us...!"
At last, when the [Orc]s of Dondu decided to accept Adelio's proposal, the chief of the [Lizardmen] and Treyni nodded as well.
"Mm. The [Lizardmen] would like to join that grand alliance as well."
"The same goes for me. On behalf of the [Dryad]s, I shall inform my sisters and the [Trent]s under my protection."
With those words, Treyni rose from her seat with a gentle smile, then spoke once more toward Adelio, who sat at the far end of the meeting hall.
"Then now that every race gathered here has agreed to join the grand alliance, I suppose it is time for a leader to guide it. Adelio?"
"Yes, I know."
Answering Treyni's call, Adelio rose from his seat as well and pointed at Rimuru, whom he had been looking at this whole time.
"As chairman of this meeting, I hereby declare it. The one who will lead this Grand Alliance of Jura from this day forward shall be Rimuru Tempest, and in time, under her name, a nation of coexistence shall be born."
...
......
.........
"......Whaaaat?!"
That day, the meeting, which had moved forward with remarkable speed, failed to reach unanimous agreement only on the final agenda item. But aside from one slime, no one seemed to care.
And as for opposing that slime becoming the new leader, there was not a single one.
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