Accepting the loyalty of Shuna, Shion, and Souei, Damien turned his gaze to Benimaru.
The red-haired young lord of the Ogre Tribe was visibly conflicted.
With his sister and two childhood friends choosing to follow Damien, Benimaru also felt the urge to become his retainer.
Especially after Damien declared his ambition to become a Demon Lord.
Personally, having been crushed by Ogerpon's overwhelming power, Benimaru already respected Damien.
Serving such a formidable figure brought him no shame.
But there was a problem.
Benimaru's reluctance was palpable, yet he made his choice. "I'm the young lord of the Ogre Tribe. I can't abandon the village."
"So, please forgive me, but I cannot follow you, Lord Damien!"
Far from being upset, Damien admired Benimaru's resolve, thinking he was indeed the man who, in the original story, became the Grand Marshal of the Jura Tempest Federation.
With such responsibility, Benimaru's presence would allow Damien to venture to other worlds with peace of mind, knowing the Cardinal World was secure.
"You've misunderstood."
Damien waved a hand. "I don't plan to leave the Ogre Tribe's village."
Benimaru was stunned, as were Shuna, Shion, and Souei.
"I want to take in the Ogre Tribe!"
Damien didn't hide his ambition. "I'll make this place my stronghold, the foundation for my path to Demon Lord!"
The four exchanged glances, momentarily at a loss.
Taking in the Ogre Tribe was, in essence, conquering it.
If anyone else had said this, Benimaru and the others would have fought to the death.
The Ogre Tribe would rather die than submit to force.
But Damien was different.
First, his life-saving grace... Damien and Ogerpon had preserved the village's younger generation, securing its future.
Then, Ogerpon had single-handedly defeated the entire tribe.
No fancy magic, just raw power.
With her vine club and fists, she dominated them in their own domain.
An upper-tier Majin of their kin, a savior of their village, combined with Damien's charisma and friendly attitude.
Rather than conquest, it felt like Damien and Ogerpon wanted to become part of them.
Shion blurted out, "It's more like Lord Damien wants to protect us and lead us further!"
Shuna tugged at her brother's sleeve, her meaning clear.
If they didn't seize this opportunity, they'd be fools.
"Please accept my loyalty, Lord Damien!"
Benimaru didn't hesitate, pressing his hands to the ground. "I can't decide for the village, but I'm willing to follow you!"
He was only the young lord; the true chief was his father.
On the matter of pledging to Damien, Benimaru chose his side.
Besides, he didn't believe his father was blind to the situation.
Gaining Damien and Ogerpon's protection for the mere cost of leadership?
Shuna and Benimaru locked eyes.
The siblings saw the same thought in each other: If Father doesn't get it, we don't mind staging a coup to show him what it means to adapt.
"Welcome as my companions."
Damien raised his hand, and four invisible oaths enveloped them. "I hereby grant you names."
Damien kept their names as in the original story.
The four, receiving his names, were filled with disbelief.
They'd thought Damien's call for followers was nominal, never expecting him to name them.
Shocked, they worried for him.
Naming monsters consumed vast magicules, harming the giver's strength.
"Feel the changes within you."
To Damien, magicules were like currency.
Using Capturer, he began binding the four as familiars.
Benimaru's base magicules were 7,500, Shion's 7,000, Souei's 7,200, and Shuna's 6,500.
With Leader, 50% of their magicules would bolster Damien.
That equated to gaining 14,100 magicules out of thin air.
Naming required two conditions.
First, a significant magicule gap between the namer and named.
Thus, Hakurou and the ogre leader, both under 10,000, couldn't name each other to reach A-rank.
In the original story, Rimuru named the Storm Dragon Veldora via a soul-level equal contract, not standard naming.
Second, naming required enough magicules to trigger evolution.
To name the four, their magicules needed to reach 10,000+.
Only then could they evolve from Ogres to Oni.
But since Damien would recover half via Leader, the actual cost was only 5,400.
"So, I'm gaining 9,000 magicules."
Not only did he avoid loss, but his magicules rose from 18,000 to around 27,000.
If 10,000+ was A-rank, then nearing 30,000 made Damien and Ogerpon mid-tier A-rank.
Recruiting hub-world monsters as familiars was advantageous since Damien knew their ranks and magicule counts upfront.
Unlike Ogerpon, who was a blind box until brought to the Cardinal World.
With potential travel to dangerous worlds ahead, Damien aimed to bolster his forces.
With Shuna, Shion, Benimaru, and Souei as familiars, he could take them to new worlds via his spatial storage, like Ogerpon.
Four low-tier A-ranks and one mid-tier A-rank as escorts boosted his security immensely.
The simultaneous evolution of four ogres caused a commotion greater than Damien's.
Without a barrier to conceal it, the uproar drew the attention of Hakurou and the other ogres.
Soon, countless ogres swarmed Damien's house, surrounding it.
100 Power Stones = 1 BC
300 Power Stones = 2 BC
500 Power Stones = 3 BC
700 Power Stones = 4 BC
1000 Power Stones = 5 BC
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