Stepping into the house, Gundar led them through the hallway toward the room where his father would meet them. He knocked on the door twice, waited a few seconds, then pushed the wooden door open. It creaked as it swung inward.

A warm glow from the torches illuminated the room, aided by the windows that allowed light from outside to filter in. Several ogres were present inside.

At the center sat his father, the chief. He appeared advanced in age, his skin a darker gray compared to his son's. He sat upon a throne carved from black marble. Two horns rose from his head, and his eyes looked as though they had stared into the abyss long before this moment.

Beside him stood a female ogre with light purple skin and a single horn. She was dressed in tight, slightly revealing robes. Tall and striking, she carried an undeniable beauty.

On the other side sat an older ogre with the usual light pinkish skin. Unlike the others, he had three horns—two on the sides and one at the center of his head. His expression was stoic, emotionless. At his side rested a sword that closely resembled a katana from Raze's world. Raze found himself staring at the blade for a few seconds, but the ogre subtly shifted his body, blocking the sword as if he had noticed Raze's gaze.

In the corner of the room stood another figure. His skin was the same shade as the chief's, and he had purple hair with a single horn protruding from one side of his head. Draped in dark clothing, he gave off an immense sense of mystery. He looked directly at Raze, yet there was no light in his eyes.

Raze walked in with his head held high, his expression calm, followed closely by Fey and Ella. Seats had been prepared for them. Once inside, Gundar guided them to their places, and they sat facing the chief. Gundar then stepped forward and took his position beside his father.

The chief slowly opened his eyes and studied the group.

"Welcome," he said, his voice deep and steady. "Guests of Vermilion. It is good to see you here."

Despite his words, his eyes carefully scanned them, as if assessing whether they posed any danger. His tone was hospitable, but caution lingered in his gaze.

"It is an honor to meet you," Raze said, standing up. "I am Raze Grimhood, son of a baron of Vermilion, sent under the queen's command to speak with you and negotiate matters going forward."

He spoke fluently, intent on ensuring the discussion proceeded smoothly.

"I am Grimda," the chief replied, his voice carrying authority. "Chief of this ogre tribe. We are deeply indebted to your queen for all she has done for us. That is why we have opened our doors to you and agreed to this meeting."

"Thank you for welcoming us," Raze said. "And since we already know why we have come, how about we go straight to the point?" he offered.

The chief shook his head. "No, no, no. That would be… that would be wrong. You are our guest, and we are yet to properly welcome you into our home. Gundar will arrange rooms for you. Tonight, we'll throw a feast in the village in honor of the queen's messengers," the chief said, glancing at Gundar, who nodded.

Raze wanted to ask why they couldn't just get to it, but he knew he needed to be cautious. Forcing the issue could turn the situation sour and likely lead to bloodshed. He had thought about it, doing things the hard way, after all he was Raze, but he wasn't going to do anything reckless.

"I am grateful for that, Chief Grimda," Raze said, slightly bowing his head in respect.

"Good. Once again, welcome to our village. Gundar will lead you to your rooms now," the chief said.

Gundar stepped forward, looked at Raze, and nodded. The three of them got up and followed behind him as he left the room.

The moment the doors closed, the lady beside the chief spoke first. "I do not… I do not trust those humans," she said.

"They are not all humans," the older ogre standing behind the chief replied. "The little kid with white hair… it seems he is some sort of being, not entirely human. He possesses immense aura despite suppressing it greatly. We should be cautious about him," he warned.

"Even the kid that spoke on behalf of the queen… there's a sense of unease when I look at him, like trying to read a book you cannot understand, but you know it holds something very important," the old ogre added.

"But at the end of the day, there is no drop of malicious intent from either of them," the chief said. "We should treat them with care and not go against them rudely."

The lady was obviously displeased, but she could not contradict the chief. "Fine, but I and Mirage will surely watch them," she said.

Mirage, the other ogre standing at the side of the room, nodded. "I'll make sure to keep an eye on each and every one of them," he said, before sinking into the shadows and vanishing.

The lady too walked toward the door and left, leaving only the chief and the old ogre.

"The kid stared at my sword like he knew something about it," the chief remarked. "Your sword… the one that was given to you by the traveller," he asked.

"Indeed. Even I do not know the origin of this sword. Despite using it for over twenty years, it remains undamaged in any way," the old ogre said. "Could it be that this human knows something about the sword?"

"We cannot be sure, but you can ask him yourself," the chief replied.

"I'll do that, my lord," the old ogre said, heading for the door and leaving only the chief inside the room. The chief then rose and exited through another door in the corner.

[....]

Gundar took Fey and Aaron to one room, while Ella was given another since she was a lady. However, after Gundar left, they all gathered inside Aaron's room to talk.

The room was simple, with two beds, a washbowl, and little else.

"So, what are we going to do now?" Ella asked as she sat down on one of the beds.

Fey sat on the floor with his back against the wall, while Aaron and Raze sat on one of the beds.

"We talk to them," Raze replied. "The plan is simple. Regardless of the fact that they have this village, it doesn't change the fact that they're in decline. Their farms are failing. I observed the land. It's basically dying beneath them. Several wars and everything that's happened have taken a toll on it. And then there's the fact that they're still clashing amongst themselves, which is exactly what we want to stop."

"Now, there are two ways to go about this," he continued. "We either make one side leave and follow us, leaving the other behind, or we make both follow us."

"So which are you going for?" Ella asked.

"Both," Raze answered without hesitation. "There's no point staying here. They might fight for it. They might claw and battle over it. But honestly, the land isn't worth it. And despite being in a forest, it still doesn't give their crops proper growth."

"So it's pointless for them to keep fighting over land that can't sustain them."

"But they aren't willing to leave," Ella pointed out.

"Because they haven't been offered a better option," Raze replied. "I can already see how deep-rooted their attachment to this land is. But if something far greater presents itself, I'm sure they'll move."

"And if that fails?" Ella asked.

Raze paused for a moment. "It won't fail. And if it does, I already have several backup plans laid out."

He suddenly stopped speaking and turned his gaze in a certain direction.

"Someone is watching us," he said calmly.

Ella stiffened. "Someone is watching us?"

"Yes. They aren't sure who we are or what we're doing. They want certainty," Raze explained. "But we don't need to worry. They're just observing."

Fey clicked his tongue. "The ogres have grown more intelligent, but their pride has grown as well. To think they'd spy on us with such sloppy tactics," he said as he stood up.

He walked toward the door. "Either way, the best move is to offer them a draft proposal first. If that fails, we can use force and bring them under the Queen's command."

He opened the door, pausing briefly. "I'm going to walk around the forest. There's something I noticed."

With that, he left, leaving the two behind in the room.

Raze proceeded to lie down on the bed, facing the ceiling. "I want to rest a bit." He said.

"Alright then, I'll go find Fey and see what he is looking for" She said and left him. Immediately he was as gone, ge entered the library .

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