Chapter 409 372 – Bestowing a Name

When everyone learned that Gabiru had died for a reason like that, every lizardman present was dumbfounded.

That was way too careless a reason to die!

The envoys he sent hadn't shown you enough respect, so you came all the way here and killed Gabiru too?

Wasn't that way too petty?!

Seeing that none of them said anything, Takumi raised an eyebrow.

"What? Do you have a problem with it?"

"N-No, no! Not at all!"

Every lizardman present—including the old chieftain seated at the head and the guard captain beside him—hurriedly shook their heads.

They had no idea just how powerful Takumi truly was, but what had happened moments ago had already given them a direct sense of the gap between them.

If Takumi wanted to crush them to death, it probably wouldn't be any harder than crushing a mosquito.

As the old chieftain of the lizardman tribe, he immediately adopted a reverent posture.

Perhaps his spirit really had grown "cowardly," just as his son Gabiru had claimed, but that was only because he understood how weak both he and his people truly were.

Knowing that, he lowered his head without hesitation.

"Great one, we absolutely had no intention of offending you.

"As for Gabiru… he brought this upon himself. Please forgive the rest of our lizardman tribe."

The elderly chieftain dropped to his knees without the slightest hesitation.

The sight deeply moved the lizardmen present, and tears welled up in the guard captain's eyes.

She stepped forward as well and knelt before Takumi.

"Everything was my brother's fault. If you still need to vent your anger, then as his younger sister, I am willing to repay his debt. Please spare my people and my father."

Seeing the two of them act even more respectful and humble than the other, Takumi looked genuinely surprised.

Gabiru had been so arrogant, yet his father and younger sister were both remarkably sensible and knew when to advance or retreat.

Sure enough, when it came to dealing with people and situations, the elderly usually had far more experience than hot-blooded youngsters.

"I don't like dragging innocent people into someone else's mistakes. I won't blame any of you for what Gabiru did."

The very first sentence out of Takumi's mouth made the old chieftain and guard captain visibly relax.

The surrounding lizardmen secretly rejoiced at having survived.

Then Takumi changed the subject.

"At the same time, I came here to offer all of you a choice."

"My nation should already have issued a declaration to the monster races nearby, calling for them to come under one banner."

"That is also my will. I only want there to be one voice on this land."

"So, lizardmen, what is your choice?"

At those words, every lizardman lowered their head.

Once he realized what kind of choice Takumi was offering, the old chieftain answered without hesitation.

"On behalf of the lizardman tribe, I am willing to place ourselves under your rule."

Seeing how readily the old chieftain agreed, the corners of Takumi's lips rose slightly.

He appreciated people who understood the situation. Better yet, this saved him from having to waste any more effort.

Seeing that Takumi looked pleased, the old chieftain immediately pressed the advantage.

"In that case, our lizardman tribe can depart at once and travel to your nation to serve you."

"Serve me? I don't need you to serve me, and you don't need to move either."

"My territory will expand here eventually. Just stay where you are and wait."

Takumi casually gave a few instructions, but his words left the lizardmen stunned.

He didn't need their service?

He only wanted their loyalty?

Just what exactly was this man seeking?

The old chieftain didn't understand.

None of the lizardmen present understood.

Only the guard captain stood up indignantly.

"Honored lord, why are we lizardmen unworthy of serving you?!"

"We are not weaklings who live by begging! We are willing to use our own strength and earn the rewards we deserve!"

The guard captain stared firmly at Takumi and openly voiced what was in her heart.

Her older brother had possessed the pride of wanting their father's recognition, and naturally, she had pride of her own as well.

But hers was tied directly to her self-respect.

Takumi's casual tone had deeply wounded that pride.

"You… Get back down!"

Seeing his daughter cause trouble, the old chieftain nearly blacked out.

He immediately tried to stop the guard captain from angering Takumi.

Takumi merely raised a hand, signaling for the old chieftain to remain silent, then looked at her with appreciation.

"I like that pride of yours. Since you refuse to be a weakling who survives by begging, then I'll give you that opportunity.

"Any lizardman who manages to distinguish themselves will receive a chance from me to become stronger.

"Like this…"

With that, Takumi looked toward the guard captain and said in a deep voice,

"I bestow upon you the name [Souka]."

The moment his words fell, the magicules stored within his gauntlet immediately surged forth.

Souka had never imagined that she would actually receive a name. In the next instant, magicules enveloped her, and her entire body began to glow.

Noticing that Souka's evolution was practically crossing species altogether, Takumi lightly snapped his fingers.

As her body transformed, a white robe appeared and covered her.

At the same time, the clothes she had originally been wearing were altered by Takumi's power, becoming more modest while still fitting closely around her body.

By the time Souka's evolution finished, the change could only be described as enormous.

Her figure had become slender and graceful like a human woman's, yet her curves were still strikingly perfect.

Fair skin had replaced her scales, while her charming, adorable face had become exquisitely beautiful.

Her long, shapely legs were especially eye-catching—the kind that could make a man obsessed with legs for years.

Seeing Souka's complete transformation, the surrounding lizardmen stared in shock.

They could clearly sense the suppression coming from the higher-level bloodline within her!

Takumi turned his attention to Souka's status panel.

[Name: Souka]

[Level: Highest Tier]

[Entries: Named One (Purple), Dragonewt Bloodline (Blue)…]

[Named One (Purple): You were named by an extraordinarily powerful existence and granted an enormous quantity of magicules.]

[Dragonewt Bloodline (Blue): A higher form of the lizardman bloodline, possessing greater potential and the ability to fly.]

"Just naming someone is enough to push them all the way to the highest tier now."

Takumi muttered inwardly and quickly stopped paying attention to the matter.

Souka, meanwhile, had already raised her head and looked at him.

Without another word, she dropped to one knee and pledged her loyalty.

"Thank you for bestowing a name upon me, my lord. Souka will never disappoint the care you have shown me!"

Souka could feel the power surging through her body—hundreds, even thousands of times greater than what she had possessed before.

That gift alone was enough for her to willingly offer up her life.

And after witnessing the tangible pressure radiating from Souka, every lizardman present became feverishly excited.

When a real, concrete benefit was placed right in front of them—and it was great enough to be worth sacrificing their lives for—they would naturally go mad for it.

Especially for monsters, death was not the most terrifying thing.

Weakness was far more frightening than death!

As long as there was even a chance to seize an opportunity to become stronger, no one would willingly let it slip away.

Watching Takumi win the lizardman tribe's absolute loyalty with such a simple move only made Treyni admire him even more.

What she didn't know was that Takumi hadn't actually been trying to win over the lizardman tribe.

He had simply felt like giving girls from other races a chance.

Souka was quite pretty, after all.

As long as she fit his aesthetic preferences, what race she belonged to hardly mattered.