Chapter 145: Trouble With The Newcomers

The argument began over a pile of timber.

"You can’t take those! They’re meant for our building!" The Orc stood in the way of the two Varkesh warriors. One of the newcomers frowned. "We were told to help with the construction. Our building needs repairs too, so we’re allowed to use some of the materials!" "Because they’ve already been assigned!" "Then give us something else!" "That’s not my job!" The Varkesh warrior stepped forward. "Then stop standing there and barking orders." The Orc’s look darkened. "What did you say?" "You heard me." The Orc shoved him.

The Varkesh warrior stumbled back before shoving him back with a lot more strength. "Don’t touch me!" The Orc swung, landing a punch on the warrior’s jaw and causing him to stumble back into the timber. The second Varkesh warrior rushed forward before an Orc grabbed his shoulder to pull him back. "Leave him alone!" "Get your hands off me!" Within seconds, four monsters were wrestling each other in the middle of the construction site. A pile of timber was knocked over and one of the fighters nearly knocked over a half completed wooden frame.

"Stop! Both of you!" Relia hurried over. She had been walking past when the argument started. At first she had thought the workers would soon stop arguing once one of them explained the situation. Seems like she was wrong. "Please, calm down," she said, hurrying to separate the groups.

"There’s no need to fight over this. Let’s talk about the problem." One of the Orcs ignored her completely. "We’re handling it, Princess." Then he turned to swing at the Varkesh warrior. Relia inhaled sharply. "Wait! You can’t just—" A fist whizzed past her. The Varkesh warrior swung at the Orc, knocking him across the face before Relia was nearly caught in the crossfire. She stumbled back. "Everyone, stop fighting!"

No one was listening. Sylva stood beside her, watching the fight unfold. "Are you going to help?" Relia asked. Sylva shook her head. "You’ve got this." "Great help you are!" "I know." Sylva smiled and took another step away from the fight. Relia gaped at her before looking back at the fighters. One had a wooden pole. The other had unsheathed claws. Relia’s expression changed. She had been trying to talk to them nicely and ask them to stop and explain the situation to them. They hadn’t listened. Her shoulders relaxed.

"Very well." The next second, her aura flared. The atmosphere shifted and the ground beneath her feet cracked. A few workers staggered back as the sheer intimidation of a Monster Lord pressed down on them. The four fighters halted. The Varkesh warrior with the pole dropped it. The Orc’s claws retracted. No one moved. Relia stood among them, her expression just as kind as it had been before she had flared her aura. "Now," she said, "would someone care to explain what happened?" No one spoke. Relia tilted her head. "I was asking a question." The Orc swallowed. "We... disagreed about the timber." "Yes. I heard that part." She glanced at the scattered planks and broken frame. "And this was your solution?"

The four of them lowered their heads. "No, Princess." "How unfortunate. I was about to think you had misunderstood the situation." Her smile was pleasant. Somehow, that didn’t help the silence. Relia folded her hands in front of her. "You will repair the frame, gather up every piece of timber you scattered and return the unused materials to their correct places. Then you will work together to complete the construction assigned to you." The Varkesh warrior hesitated. "Princess, we-" Relia looked at him. He promptly stopped talking. "Is there a problem?" "No, Princess!" "Wonderful." Her aura vanished. The four monsters immediately scrambled to pick up the scattered timber. Relia watched them for a moment before turning to the surrounding workers. "Please continue with your work. There’s no need for everyone to stop."

The workers went back to work. Sylva wandered over to Relia’s side. "See? Problem solved." Relia gave her a look. "You could have helped." "And miss that? No." Sylva grinned. Relia sighed. "You really are terrible." "I prefer to think of myself as considerate. You needed the experience." Relia stared at her. Sylva laughed and walked away before the princess could say anything else.

---

Tanaka happened to be walking past the construction site when Relia released her aura. He stopped. Her dark-blue body remained still as he watched the aftermath unfold. He had sensed her presence many times before. He knew she was a Monster Lord class existence. He had seen her fight in the war.

Her aura wasn’t something he’d be able to overpower. He was stronger than her and the power she had released held no threat to him. It wasn’t that which made him stop. It was her face. The princess stood amid the workers, smiling serenely as she explained why fighting with fellow workers over construction materials was unacceptable. The four offenders were already scrambling to do as she said. Tanaka stared.

The princess is scary.

He had seen her help the wounded, protect Sora and comfort the monsters after the war. She was usually considerate, patient and gentle with everyone around her. He almost forgot she was a Monster Lord. Almost. Relia finished talking to the workers and turned around. Her eyes landed on him.

"Lord Tanaka!" The princess walked over to him, her stern look gone. Tanaka twitched. "R-Relia." She stopped in front of him and smiled. "I’m glad you’re here. There was a small disagreement amongst the workers but it’s been resolved." Tanaka looked past her. One of the Varkesh warriors was using both hands to carry pieces of timber. The Orc beside him was already helping to repair the broken frame and neither of them dared complain.

"Right," he said. "It seems that way." Relia tilted her head. "Is something the matter, Lord Tanaka?" "No!" His response was too quick. Relia blinked. Tanaka tried to think of something else to say. "I mean, no. It all looks fine." "That’s good." She smiled. "I was worried the newcomers might have trouble adjusting but I’m sure they’ll get along with everyone." Tanaka looked at the workers again. He had no doubt they would. He glanced towards Sylva, who was watching from the side with an amusement etched into her features. She waved. Tanaka narrowed his eyes at her. You could have helped me out there. Sylva only smiled wider.

Relia watched them both. "Is there something between you two?" "Nothing," Tanaka and Sylva said at the same time. Relia stared at them for a moment before deciding not to question it. "Very well. Lord Tanaka, I’ll return to my duties. Please let me know if you require anything." She bowed slightly before walking away. Tanaka remained where he was until she had disappeared around the corner. Then he looked at Sylva. "You left her to handle that on her own." Sylva shrugged. "She was trying to solve the problem peaceably. They refused to listen to her. What was she supposed to do?" "That’s not what I asked."

"I know." Sylva giggled. Tanaka exhaled. Eldoris had gained new residents and its expansion rate was higher than ever. Disputes were bound to occur as monsters from different backgrounds adjusted to living together. Still, he hadn’t expected a disagreement over timber to be solved with the release of a Monster Lord’s aura. Tanaka looked at the construction site one last time.

The workers were back to their work and the Varkesh newcomers were already helping the Orcs without another word of complaint. The princess had resolved the problem. And Tanaka had learned a valuable lesson. Being gentle didn’t always mean being harmless. Sometimes, the kindest person in the room was also the one who everyone should be most afraid of.