"So, yeah...while things are getting better, there’s still an undeniable tension in the air between the former citizens of Hematite and the Demi-Humans. And while there hasn’t been any openly directed animosity towards the Demons, definitely because the people are afraid of them, they’re undoubtedly opposed to having the Demons in the nation. A handful of people have grown more accepting of the drastic changes we’ve made to the nation, but there’s also a significant group of extremists who have been acting out against us. The rest are all in-between, they could sway either way," Remarked Argent with a frown.

"I guess that’s to be expected, it would’ve been way too optimistic to hope for all the former Hematite citizens to accept us. Honestly, I’m just surprised that the majority of them haven’t opposed us...I guess maybe being in the middle of a brutal, drawn out civil war gives you a new perspective on things, huh? The majority are probably just happy to finally have some peace.

That said, we can’t just leave the situation as it is now. We need to start taking some real action to quash all pockets of resistance. Hm...maybe entertainment could help. Thanks to Hematite’s civil war, stuff like movie theaters and whatnot shut down ages ago, so setting up those forms of entertainment up again could help.

We could also hold some events, like concerts or talent shows or friendly fighting tournaments, stuff like that. Ooh, yeah, a fighting tournament is a great idea...it’ll be a good opportunity to show these people exactly how powerful we are. And while I don’t want us to rule them through fear, if we’re subtle about it, it could work pretty well.

Yeah...first, we have the concerts and stuff, to get the former Hematite citizens and everyone we brought to the nation in a space where they can just shut off their brains and have fun together, foster a sense of comradery and whatnot. And then, we hold a fighting tournament to display that we could just wipe them all out with ease if we felt like it," I nodded with a smirk, the ideas flowing through my head like a river.

"Wow, uh...that’s pretty manipulative, though I can’t say it’s a bad plan," Chimed in Ilex wryly.

"Yes, that could definitely work...first we create the impression that we hold no animosity towards them and mean them no harm, and then we show them that it’s in their best interest to avoid changing that and making enemies of us. Between the Demons, Izzy, the Plasma Dragon King and you, Larrk, we’ve got plenty of insanely powerful individuals to show off," Added Rosary with a nod. 𝐟𝗿𝐞𝚎𝚠𝐞𝚋𝕟𝐨𝚟𝐞𝕝.𝕔𝕠𝚖

"The list isn’t restricted to the names you mentioned...most of the Demi-Human Elders are pretty damn powerful in their own right, and then there’s Argent, Ilex, Prysm and you too, Rosary. Granted, you may not be as powerful as the Demons and Dragon King, but you’re easily more powerful than the vast majority of humans in the world. Displaying that we have several highly powerful individuals rather than just a handful of heavy hitters is bound to be more effective in making them afraid of angering us," I chuckled in response.

"I must say, you really have changed a lot, Larrk. Or I guess, you’ve been forced to change, considering everything you’ve been through after that day the Knights attacked Juana Village. You deviousness is a little scary, but at least your heart is in the right place...I hope," Spoke up Rhyle.

I mean, yeah, I’m not just suggesting all this because I think it’d be fun, the main objective is to bridge the gap between the former residents of Hematite and everyone we brought to the nation. The fact that all the stuff I suggested would be fun is just a bonus.

A couple of weeks have passed since we freed the last two Demons, and things have been progressing steadily in the nation lately, but as we’ve been discussing, we’ve still got a lot of work to do before Arcadia becomes a truly united nation.

I was holding a small meeting with Argent, Rhyle, Ilex and Rosary, to try and figure out how to smooth things out and improve the situation.

This definitely isn’t something we can rush, trying too hard is bound to backfire on us. Plus, we wiped out the vast majority of the fighting forces among the former residents of Hematite, including every single Noble, except for the children.

We’ve set up orphanages and ensured that they’re kept clean and provided with a steady supply of healthy and tasty food, where we can slowly but surely brainw-...I mean, guide and teach...-the kids to be more open-minded and accepting.

Of course, there are plenty of spoiled Noble brats among the kids in the orphanages who’ve been lashing out against us, thanks to the prejudiced beliefs their parents would’ve instilled in them, but hey, they’re just kids, so what’s the worst they could do?

If any of them grow up to become problems, we can just kill them if and when that happens.

I’m also having the orphanages hold classes to educate the kids, and we plan to set up proper schools in the near future...people who are well-educated tend to be able to think with more logical and grounded mindsets, so that should help combat any ingrained prejudice they have inside them.

The peaceful isekai life I’ve craved since the day I reincarnated in this world is finally within my grasp, I’m so close to attaining that goal...so I’ll do everything I can to make sure it doesn’t slip out of my reach, even if I have to resort to a few dirty tricks to do so...

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