As Rimuru left for Ingracia, Asriel, was now officially in charge of everything going on in Tempest
"Lord Asriel" Benimaru called him in a respecting tone
"Yes?" Asriel responded
"Since you are temporarily our Leader, why not stay in Lord Rimuru's office? Simply staying out here in the center of town is.. not ideal" Benimaru suggested while looking around
"Oh- are you sure it's okay?" Asriel asked, trying to ensure he wouldn't get in trouble for it
"I'm sure, after all, Lord Rimuru did put all the responsibility on you" Benimaru replied
"Hmm.. I'll be calling out a speech to the townsfolk, gather everyone, I have something to say to them all" Asriel said before turning around and walking to Rimuru's office
"Yes, my Lord" Benimaru said before vanishing to spread the word
While Benimaru rounded up everyone in the town, Asriel took a glance at Rimuru's office chair and table as he reflected. Is he truly worthy of leading a country? What did Rimuru see in him that they were trusting him enough to lead Tempest? What if an attack happened while Rimuru was gone? Why would Rimuru put him at such a position? These questions circled Asriel's mind, but now isn't the time to reflect on all that, Benimaru gathered the townsfolk for Asriel's speech. And from there, Asriel shadow stepped towards the stage
"Is that everyone?" Asriel whispered to Benimaru, to which Benimaru nodded to
(Alright)
"People of Tempest, I am here to address something to all of you. As you are all aware, I have been appointed by Lord Rimuru to lead the country, so it only seems right to let all of you know of my true identity, that only Lord Rimuru is aware of. This will involve a little story telling
I am an Otherworlder, much like Lord Rimuru, I come from another World, and in that World, I failed, I failed my best friend, I failed our plan, all because I didn't have the courage to kill a few people. What makes it worse, is that I was a Prince in that World, and I failed to free my people who were all trapped underground for hundreds of years, and by killing those humans, I could have released them. And when the time came where I already am capable of setting them free, I did release them, however, I myself couldn't make it, as breaking the seal costed me my life, which is why I simply decided to stay behind, and selfishly pass on the responsibility of being the voice of my people to another person. And from there, I died, and ended up here
So this is why, I ask you, would all of you still accept me, despite being a failure, and a selfish royalty?" Asriel ranted to them everything, ending it with a question
Everyone was silent, until Rigur broke the silence by saying;
"Of course we would" Rigur said
"Yes, we will" A Goblin said
"Ensuring the freedom of your people, even at the cost of oneself, isn't a sign of being a failure" Rigurd added
"And we would be honored to have a Prince as our Leader" Geld said in response
"If you told Lord Rimuru all of that, and still trusted you with this country, then I will trust you as well" Gabiru said
"Yes! What Lord Gabiru said! If they trust you, then we do as well!" One of Gabiru's followers said
"That's right, what and who you were in the past does not define who you are" Benimaru said
"And, you being a Prince just makes you more than worthy of being our Leader, you have proven to us before then that you are someone who we can trust, defeating the Orc Lord, helping Lord Rimuru defeat the Charybdis, fighting Demon Lord Milim to ensure our safety. And we would gladly serve under someone who is willing to sacrifice himself for his people" Benimaru said again, before walking up to Asriel, and patting his back
And with the rest of Rimuru's subordinates, as well as the rest of Tempest showing their support, it nearly made him cry
"Thank you, everyone. I will do my best to make this country a beautiful place when Lord Rimuru comes back!" Asriel said, while wiping some tears off his face
Acceptance, that's what the conclusion of the speech was about. And finally managing to release his emotions, and share his story to the townspeople, Asriel now felt more ready than ever to lead a country. He also considers this as his Redemption Arc for failing his job to be a Prince back in his World. And that day, things would be revolutionary for Tempest
