The meeting

"Alright, everyone's here!" Cliff announced, clapping his hands. "I call this meeting to order."

He cleared his throat, standing tall with a gleam of excitement in his eyes.

"Since I'm the one who called for this meeting, allow me to begin."

Everyone in the room nodded, fully focused on Cliff. In this gathering, and across the entire encampment, he was undeniably the strongest among them.

Cliff began by recapping recent events—the emissaries they had sent out, the battles fought, the arrival of the variant monsters, and their eventual defeat. He concluded by recounting his final confrontation with the mutant creature, which he had personally vanquished.

"To be honest, if I managed to survive, it's partly thanks to the push you all gave me," said a young lycanthrope sitting to Akumu's right. "And also thanks to the purified mana stone you brought. Even though I awakened at the last moment, I would've succumbed without enough mana."

"Your name is Renald, right? No need to thank me. It was Dahlia's idea," Cliff responded, pointing to her as she stood just behind his seat.

"All I did was purify the mana using one of my skills. I'm not very good at storing mana in stones yet."

"What an incredible idea!" exclaimed Cain, rubbing his chin thoughtfully. "If we could store more mana, we elves would be able to summon spirits with ease and without fear."

Cliff smirked and glanced at Dahlia, who then placed a heavy bag on the table.

Everyone's eyes widened—except, of course, those from the Orleth clan, who had anticipated this.

"There's enough mana here for an entire clan," Cliff declared, resting his head on his palm.

"That's quite a supply," Cain said, clearly impressed. "These 'purified mana stones'—or, rather, mana gems—could be used in countless ways. But Sir Cliff, what do you intend to do with all of this?"

Cliff's voice softened as he corrected, "Let's call them Mana Gems."

"Forgive me, Sir, but you still haven't answered my question," Cain pressed. "What do you plan to do with all these gems?"

"I'm offering them to you," Cliff replied firmly.

"W-What?!" Cain stammered in disbelief.

"Yes," Cliff continued. "All these gems are yours."

Cain was stunned. "This is incredibly generous. With this, we could empower the essence stones of all the elves in my clan. We wouldn't faint after spirit summoning anymore," he said with a wry smile. "But... I can't accept. It's too much."

Cliff nodded, as though he had expected that reaction. He gestured to Dahlia, who spread a map across the table.

"Even though the waves have stopped in our region, other clans are still under siege. We'll need to help them," Cliff said before turning his gaze toward Yadha, the young brunette woman with two sharp, onyx-colored horns.

Yadha, sensing his stare, turned her face away, a bit embarrassed.

"Surely, you haven't abandoned those captured by the ogres?" he teased.

"Sire, I know you're strong, and I'm grateful for your protection these past days. But ogres are classified as 'Demons'. It takes more than five 'variant monsters' to hold off a 'constant demon' for long," Cain explained, trying to keep his voice steady. "Yes, several members of my clan were captured, but even with these mana gems, our strength wouldn't be enough to face them."

"I'd rather protect the living than squander lives avenging the dead."

Cliff paused for a moment, then took a deep breath.

"I crossed a line, and I apologize," Cliff said, his tone now somber. "I didn't take your feelings into account."

He continued, "What I was trying to say is that you can't refuse. Even if the waves have stopped here, the battles ahead will be even more dangerous. If the Elven clan and the Ibara clan swear loyalty to me, I will grant you my protection."

The room buzzed with murmurs. Everyone had questions, but above all, they wondered what Cliff's true intentions were.

"Um... Sir? May I ask something?" Yadha raised her hand, her firm demeanor as a warrior of the Dhakat clan slowly returning.

"My dear Yadha, we're in a meeting. Speak your mind. If you're here, it's because you belong here."

Surprised, Yadha nodded slightly before asking her question.

"If I and my peers swear loyalty to you, will you save the hostages held by the ogres?"

"I would've done so regardless of your decision," Cliff answered in a raspy voice.

"May I ask why, Sir?"

Cliff paused again, then smiled.

"Because I want to."