"What can your tribe do to protect the other villages?" Fenna raises an eyebrow.

She's playing the heckler but she's too adorable and I can't get mad at her.

[Notice: You should be more serious about this.]

Fine. Party pooper.

When we visited Fenna's village to trade, our hunters only had the first batch of spears.

Her Beastmen could overwhelm us with numbers and weaponry back then. Not anymore.

And the funny part is that she gave us all the materials I needed to make it happen.

She was too busy reuniting with her father to notice the changes though.

The iron ore I bought from her became a massive weapon arsenal, and that's only the start.

The crossbows are the best part, this world has never seen advanced weapons like those.

[Notice: Anything you make pales in comparison to my Auto Battle function.]

True, but the goal isn't to be everywhere at once and fight for them until I die.

That's not what Alexandra wanted either. She tasked me to reinforce her Battalion.

Why would she ask that, if she want to handle everything alone?

Think, System, think. A good leader isn't a slave of her people, but as the name implies, leads them.

She's right though, it's about time to give them a demonstration.

"I'm glad you asked. I still have the Thirteenth Banner and my most loyal commanders." In truth, I haven't even seen that flag and don't know what's so big of a deal about it.

But the System said it's important, so it should mean something.

"Other than promising my power to defend the tribes who ally themselves with me, I can provide weapons." Let's start by pulling out a crossbow from my inventory.

The Orcs who saw them in action already know what it means. Fenna is still unconvinced.

"I don't know what that is, but can it protect us from the First Bride's powers?"

"It can deal with anything else. And I already fought that woman, forcing her to run."

It might be a stretch, but the System doesn't mind if I take credit for her actions.

[Querry: Are you sure about that?]

Let me rephrase it. You can't call me out on my bullshit in front of them.

[Notice: For now.]

And if they don't think the Goddess is strong enough to keep them out of harm's way, I have more arguments to throw in.

"Besides, a large formation under a unified command is always more effective. There is only so much small groups of individual fighters can achieve." Of course, it's too early to talk about that.

It would be better if she weren't the only one I'm trying to convince, but it's easier to talk to her than an army of strangers. Since she's not convinced, I need to improve my talking points.

It's better to practice before the real thing, right?

Shit, I'm already nervous, and I know all these people. I want to read their faces to get some early feedback. Apart from the Orcs, I get mixed signs.

This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience.

Cath doesn't believe that I defeated her Saint Whoever.

It's strange because I could shatter her huge falchion by touching it.

She should know how strong this body is.

The dogmas that Saint fed to these poor humans must have been strong.

I'll have to deal with that too in the distant future.

No. I have a much better idea: let Alexandra figure that out.

And looking at the Goblin's expression, Dioneras considers this a threat.

That will be a pain to balance. I could have waited with this offer until the Demon Lord's men left.

[Notice: And thinking first before talking could also help too.]

"So should I take this as an attempt to arm the nearby tribes, in preparation to fight against Omega?" The Thirteenth Champion asks, and I must be diplomatic with my answer.

"No. I propose a Neutral League. We don't want to fight your Demon Lord or the First Bride. But we need the numbers so we can defend against either of them. And other threats too."

How do I explain to them the classic armed Swiss neutrality? Or the Swedish one.

You must stay on top of the arms race if you want others to respect your neutrality.

Si vis pacem, para bellum. If you want peace, prepare for war.

I won't sit idle until those two behemoths clash over my head, especially now, that we had an agreement with Alex.

I swore to strengthen her Banner and keep his Orcs safe. What better way to do it than to create strong alliances and keep the warring parties at bay? Nobody respects the weak here.

"Let's do it this way. Send envoys to each nearby tribe, and invite them for a demonstration and trade tomorrow." That should be enough time to come up with something.

If they see what these crossbows can do and how my Orcs fight, it will be easier to convince them to join. And the Demon Lord's men will be gone by that point too.

[Notice: The cat is already out of the bag. They know what you are planning.]

Well, it is what it is. I asked if you could give me an Auto Negotiations function, but you pouted.

Besides, the whole point is deterrence. They should know about the alliance.

"We will prepare a feast and welcome everyone considering joining us." I propose, glancing at Charlotte and Vadász. My eyes ask if we can foot the bill for an event like that, and they nod.

"Then I'll hold a demonstration." I continue, aiming it for the only participant, Fenna for now.

It's already embarrassing, what will happen when dozens of chieftains gather tomorrow?

[Reminder: You did this to yourself.]

Yes, thank you. Very helpful. Think of a slogan instead.

"I'll show that these Orcs are the best warriors in this area." Let's keep on improvising until then. And stop me before I say something stupid.

"I made them the best weapons and am willing to share them with our closest allies."

That should convince the visitors that they're better off with us than without us.

[Notice: We will see.]