Chapter 107
'So the reason he came here was to make ally of them, huh. I understand' Sento nodded.
Master Korgan trusted Ren completely, but Sento was being a little over-protective.
Turns out it was exactly as Master Korgan stated.
'I do wish to protect him. But I also do not wish to stop him from achieving his dreams"
Just in case, Sento was sent to make sure Ren was ok, and if Ren was in danger, Sento would contact Master Korgan using telepathy magic, and Master Korgan would teleport to their location right away.
There were a few reasons Master Korgan did not come.
At least one Demon Lord needed to remain to maintain the barrier, lest another human or enemy demon invasion might occur while he is gone inside the Tengu clan territory.
Secondly, Master Korgan trusted Ren's judgment and firmly believed that his grandson had everything under control.
And lastly, even though Master Korgan is a Demon Lord, he still is an elderly demon. He did not have the strength or stamina of his younger days.
A younger Demon Lord like Sento was a better fit for scouting and search.
'At least now I can confirm that Korgan was right, his grandson truly has everything handled. Nothing to worry about. Though, I wonder, what exactly happened here? The arena looks like a tornado went through it. Oh well, I will ask him later'
Bukka clan gladiators, Land Kraken, Hydra, Robos, Doran, and Inner Ren, all did their part to cause so much havoc that the arena barely resembled its former shape.
Now Robos and Ren were casually talking.
"Still, many human prisoners managed to escape due to the wall of the arena being blasted open. Amidst all the commotion, they had the perfect chance to get away."
The reason the arena's wall was blasted open?
Fanghead's final attack, of course, after which he proceeded to feast upon many humans and demons in the arena, before suddenly disappearing.
"Speaking of which, where is that Hydra of yours?"
"Ah, you mean Fanghead. He is right here"
Suddenly, a gigantic beast materialized before their eyes.
Just a second ago, it seemed like there was nothing there, but then that empty s.p.a.ce had a gigantic monster in its place.
"Apparently Hydras possess natural ability to camouflage themselves, and the older they get the better they are at it."
Seeing that Fanghead was right behind Ren, Robos couldn't help but gulp.
'So all this time, that beast was right behind him? I was at his mercy all along!'
Had he made a wrong move or said something wrong, the invisible Hydra would have killed him before he even realized it.
'That was close one.'
"Tell me one thing though, Ren. What do you desire to accomplish? A man like you must have far bigger ambitions than simply becoming a king?"
As Robos's eye focused on Ren, the young crow demon momentarily discarded his silly smile.
Now, Ren was being dead serious.
"To answer that question, Robos, look around you" Ren patted Fanghead's head.
As Robos looked at the members of his own clan and the members of Tengu clan, he was not sure what Ren was referring to.
"The answer is right in front of you"
"I don't understand"
"Simply put, when two demon clans encounter each other, what does usually happen between them?"
"A battle for supremacy, often to the death" Robos replied in a matter of factly manner.
"Exactly. But have you ever though what happened to all the demons that have lost their clans, their families, and their entire ways of life? We already have humanity at our hinds, but we still continue to fight this pointless battle. So many demons have lost their lives."
"And what about survivors? They were stranded, turned stray, became rogues, and did unthinkable acts for the sake of survival, all the while the clans remaining in power kept clas.h.i.+ng against each other in meaningless conflicts that seem to never stop."
Ren continued.
"Those many refer to as 'Common Demons', have you ever thought why they were vagrants that would accept becoming servants to any clan that would open their door to them?"
Robos was not sure how to answer.
"It was because they are the remnants of the clans that have been wiped out of existence. Every time such groups of demons have tried to rebuild their ways of life, they would be caught up in
"Many members of my clan are those who had nowhere else to go. Their loved ones were taken away from them and even worse, they almost lost their purpose to keep living."
"You might disagree with me, but to me, all the members of my clan are a family to me. To me, nothing else is more precious."
"That is why; I wish to create a clan where my loved ones would never have to lose anyone they love ever again. I know it sounds silly, and it is idiotically idealistic. And I do admit, I am a bit of an idealist"
"I am not trying to play a hero, I know well enough that kind of att.i.tude is not going to get the job done and more than likely will get me killed."
"But to be completely frank with you, I am tired of every demon I meet trying to kill me or my family. I do not have a solution yet to how to solve it, but maybe one day I can find it. Until then, I simply wish to make my clan prosper. To give them not just a clan where they belong, but a family they can be a part of. If anything, that would be my dream."
"Ren…" Ren could hear Akjan's m.u.f.fled voice; she ended up saying his name without thinking.
"I already lost my family once. I am not letting that happen again. That is my answer" Ren's answer was strong and resolute.
"I see" Robos muttered in deep thought.
After a moment of silence pa.s.sed, Robos said.
"Then let me ask you another question, Ren. All my life I have pursued strength for the sake of being a leader of my clan. I believed strength is one thing that makes or breaks a ruler"
"Strength is one part of it" Ren admitted.
"But no matter how hard I try, I feel like I do not understand something. Almost like I am lacking in something. How can I be a better leader?"
"How about giving up?"
"What?!"
"Think about it. You seem to be well versed in pretty much everything strength and combat related. But being a powerful warrior and a good leader are two completely different things"
"But I wish to become the perfect leader!"
"And that pointless pursuit of perfection is going to be your downfall. Look, Robos, n.o.body is perfect. Everyone has something they are good and bad at. Trying to become the ideal version of yourself is as futile as hoping a fish can climb a mountain"
"Are you saying I should just quit?"
"Why not? I mean, none is forcing you to not to. But if you insist…then understand this. There is always going to be someone better than you. You can try to deny it, but that holds true for anyone. There is always someone higher than you are, no matter how high you climb. Accepting that you are lacking in something is the first step."
"What is the next step?" Robos asked.
"The next step is to surround yourself with those who can compensate for your flaw while you compensate for theirs. But for that to work, trust is essential. In other words, trust your clan members, instead of trying to take on everything alone."
As Robos kept listening to Ren's words, the crow demon's speech reminded Robos of the lecture his father used to give him before pa.s.sing away. Even their ways of looking at the world were strikingly similar.
'Old man, is this the wisdom you wanted to impart on me?'
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"But if I rely on everyone, how can I be strong enough to protect my clan?" Robos asked.
"Take a good look at the faces of your clan members. What do you see in them when they look at you?"
At that moment, Robos finally understood.
What his own clan felt for him was not admiration or love, it was just fear.
They only followed him because they were afraid of him.
The truth now downed upon Robos like an enormous boulder.
"I am well aware that I am a complete idiot who is mostly incompetent at everything that I do, but I know that I have my clan behind me. And that makes all the effort worth it." Ren admitted with a smile.
"But how can I know what is the right thing to do?"
"It's rather simple. Let go of revenge, justice, and perfectionism, those idiotic principles never did anyone any good. Just follow what your heart tells you and you will be allright"
With a happy smile on his face, Ren put his hand on Robos's shoulder.
"Just take it easy, man. I know that being a leader is a tough job, and I understand the sentiment completely. But you are still just a demon, like everyone else. Cut yourself some slack"
"Without my clan, I would never be where I am now. You do not become a leader for the sake of your clan; you become a leader because of your clan"
For the observers, it was obvious which one of the two clan leaders was in the dominant position.
'It looks like a teacher lecturing a student!' Aijasyl couldn't help but think.
'What the h.e.l.l did I just witness?' most of the clan members were struck speechless by Ren's speech.
'Amazing. My husband is amazing' Lotus thought.
Ren may be a goofball, but he did pay attention. And he did care.
For the doubters, it was rather rea.s.suring that their leader was not a complete fool or a heartless tyrant, but a demon that simply wanted the best for his family.
From treating Ren as his equal, now Robos saw him as his senior.
What followed was a feast, with lots of food and wine.
As Shaula listened with her six ears, drunken Ren was telling drunken Robos of a natural pesticide that is extremely effective on weed.
"…A bladder full of tea and the hose pointing downwards, and all is taken care of!"
Shaula covered her ears, not wanting to hear any more of it. Just after giving such a great speech, Ren reverted back to a hillbilly.
After the feast, the Tengu clan members proceeded to leave.
Due to overusing his body, Ren ended up falling asleep on Fanghead's back, who was carrying him back to Tengu clan territory.
Seeing the Tengu clan leaving, Robos bowed in respect in their direction.
"Master Robos, why did you ally yourself with that demon? If you become the king, isn't every problem solved?" one of his clan members, Rancor Bukka asked.
"If only it was that easy."
"But he is an ordinary demon…"
"Rancor" Robos finally addressed his subordinate by name.
"That is no ordinary demon. If I did not ally with him, we would all be dead"
A powerful leader who is strong enough to defeat Robos in a single combat and with wisdom to match.
What was there not to admire about that?
With his simplistic way of looking at the world, Ren's view of the world ended up convincing Robos that he indeed was the person his father said he would meet one day.
"In order to catch up to that man, we need to make big changes!"