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2
3Prologue - The Shining Hero
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5* * *
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7He—Honjou Masayuki—is a “Chosen Hero”.
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9Although Masayuki had never once proclaimed himself a Hero, for some odd reason, people he encountered just started referring to him as such. It hasn’t even been a year since he first appeared in this world, just out of the blue, yet the name Masayuki was now renowned throughout the Western Nations. He’s become a celebrity known to all.
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11How did this happen?
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13He felt puzzled from the bottom of his heart.
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15How did things end up like this?
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17In order to explain, we must go back one year in time.
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19………………
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21…………
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23……
24
25Masayuki was on his way home from school with several friends, when suddenly, he laid eyes on an unbelievable sight, a nordic maiden with lustrous blue hair and skin fairer than that of any model or celebrity. Even from afar, the vibrant hues of her hair still managed to catch his eye. Masayuki had never once laid his eyes on such a beauty, one who could make everyone she passed by do a double-take.
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27“Hey, check out that babe—”
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29Masayuki called out to his friends with the frankness of any male high schooler. But—there was no response. Hmm, Masayuki thought to himself as he turned around—only to find himself in front of the scenery of an unfamiliar street.
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31“—W-wha?”
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33His mind couldn’t help but go blank as he froze at the spot.
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35S-sensei—! I don't know what's going on!
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37Under normal circumstances, he wouldn’t care too much about the civic tutor that was his sensei, but in this situation, it was all his heart could ask for. But his prayers proved to be futile… Masayuki was at an impasse.
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39Masayuki sat by the water fountain at the town square, at a complete loss for what to do. As time trickled by, Masayuki finally began to regain some of his composure. After all, worrying about it wouldn’t fix the problem. He resolved to give his current situation some thought, retracing his steps to figure out where it all went wrong.
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41Now that he thought about it, that woman was quite suspicious too. For all her dazzle, strangely enough no one else noticed her. Although he had no rational basis for that conclusion, he had a gut feeling that that was the case. But now she was gone. No matter where Masayuki looked, he couldn't spot her again. She was nowhere to be found.
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43In times like these, isn't the beautiful girl who started the whole thing supposed to tag along? Speaking of which, ehh? Is this really not some kind of a prank? Have I really just been transported to something like an isekai?
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45In a normal Isekai plot he’d at least have someone who had some inkling of what was going on come with him as well. But Masayuki didn’t seem to be quite that fortunate.
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47The sun was about to set, and minus the school lunch that he had earlier, Masayuki was running on an empty stomach. It didn’t take a genius to figure out that he was starving.
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49Wait a minute—Masayuki thought to himself seriously. At least this is a town. He was lucky enough to have not spawned in some forest or in front of a monster. But given how things had developed, it was still too much for him to take in.
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51Normally under this type of circumstance, shouldn't there be a king or someone like that waiting for me in order to explain the whole ordeal, or at least help me start off?
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53But alas, those were simply web novel fantasies found in the stories that he and his friends used to passionately discuss, he complained to himself. Reality was cruel, and sitting there sighing wasn’t going to offer him any solutions, so Masayuki was once again forced to reevaluate his situation.
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55His name was Honjou Masayuki. Age 16. First year student at a renowned high school.
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57Although unrelated to the current topic, Masayuki had plans to make changes to his appearance after high school. In addition to tailoring his uniform, he had also dyed his hair.
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59He was quite the handsome lad, likely due to his Russian heritage. His mother was also a beauty, to which he guessed was the source of his good looks.
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61While it was nothing significant, dying his hair blonde had made him stand out. As a result, he was quite popular in school. While in truth he wasn’t remarkable in any way, people nonetheless treated him differently.
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63In addition, Masayuki had some secret hobbies—watching anime and reading manga. He never really showed it at school, but in reality, he was actually a closet otaku. And so he wasn’t really fazed in spite of the bizarre predicament he had found himself in… As Masayuki pondered, he checked the pockets of his uniform and rummaged through the contents in his backpack.
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65There was a wallet in his pocket. In it were one Yukichi-sama (A ten-thousand yen note), three Noguchi-san (Three one thousand yen notes), and some change.
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67As for his textbooks—he stowed them all away in the desk and locker at school. Given this to be the case, all he had in his backpack right now were the magazine he had just bought, a smart phone, and gum. In other words, his act of clearing items from his backpack for the convenience of transportation had inadvertently caused him more trouble.
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69Sigh. Had I known things would've turned out this way, I woulda prepared a bit more… Masayuki lamented.
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71He had an apocalypse-kit for emergency situations. If he had brought it with him, he could have lasted for at least three days.
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73At the very least, I shoulda brought a swiss army knife. Perhaps that thought could have reassured him a little. Although he had no clue what to do with a single knife anyway.
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75All in all, he had nothing useful at hand.
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77If anything, perhaps the gum counted as something. He picked up the gum and put it in his mouth. At the very least it could help ease the gnawing hunger in his stomach.
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79And now, the only useful item he had was gone. A truly sad predicament.
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83Although Masayuki was able to get by for a couple hours, one thing became very apparent: he couldn’t understand what anyone was saying, meaning that the language of this world was nothing like that of his original world. Even begging for food would be a difficult task in and of itself.
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85This is just way too much… I can’t continue like this. Worst-case scenario, I can use my phone and backpack as bargaining chips for food—
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87Steeling himself, Masayuki stood up from the fountain.
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89Although he did not quite understand the laws and customs of this world, he came to the conclusion that the best course of action would be to find a public institution to seek asylum.
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91Before that however, he had to figure out a way to sustain a living—in other words, to somehow obtain food.
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93Not being able to communicate with people sucks.
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95And at this rate, he was definitely going to starve to death.
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97He might still be able to get water, but getting food, on the other hand, would prove no easy feat. Although he didn’t wish to resort to such desperate measures, he had to see if there were any leftovers for him to salvage.
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99The best places to search, Masayuki deduced, would be areas with high food traffic, such as grocery stores and restaurants.
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101He had cast away any semblance of dignity that he once had over the course of just a mere couple hours. That’s the type of flexibility Masayuki has as a man.
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105After walking for a few minutes, Masayuki successfully made his way to the town’s banquet hall. He had no other reason to come here other than the enticement of food.
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107Now I just gotta negotiate with them. Ask them if they’d let me work here… Ah crap… That's not gonna happen. I don’t even know their language…
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109The language barrier was insurmountable.
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111As someone who has read plenty of Isekai fiction, for god knows what reason, the protagonists always seemed capable of communicating with the Otherworlders. Looking back on it now, he realized just how lucky having that ability would be.
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113I don’t expect to become some OP powerhouse, but ahhh, at least spare me on the language—
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115But regardless of how much he complained internally, no one would answer him.
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117Mustering his resolve, Masayuki made to push open the door.
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119Before he could do that, however, the door was suddenly pushed open from the inside. Masayuki’s ears were assaulted by the din of numerous chattering voices from the inside of the store.
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121“!”
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123Startled, he took a step back. He felt a soft sensation in his chest. The person coming out was a cute, petite lady, but her expression was a bit timid.
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125Eh? Don’t tell me I’ve got caught up in some trouble…?
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127No way, Masayuki thought. But his prediction unfortunately came true.
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129“○×△…!”
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131The woman in front of him blurted out a bunch of words that sounded like complete gibberish to him. However, despite his complete ignorance, Masayuki flashed a warm, caring smile and nodded in response. Upon seeing Masayuki's expression, the woman quickly regained her composure. Her cheeks were flushed bright red as she drunkenly stared at Masayuki.
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133It would’ve been wonderful if things had just ended there, but of course, once again Masayuki got handed the short end of the stick.
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135A fierce-looking man barreled his way out. His target: the woman asking for Masayuki’s help.
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137Agh, if I slip up I might just be a goner…
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139Masayuki had a very good reason to believe so.
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141Although Masayuki himself stood over 170cm tall, the huge man in front towered over him by at least one whole head. The man’s face was dyed a crimson red as if he were drunk. He was also armed, a longsword strapped about his waist.
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143Masayuki had no hope of winning in a fair fight in the first place, to say nothing of his chances with a weapons disadvantage. Even if he somehow managed to avoid screwing up, there was still a high probability that his opponent would end up killing him regardless.
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145Masayuki wanted to run away, but the woman clung onto his chest tightly.
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147Shit, looks like I'm done for now…
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149His smile was frozen on his face, and he couldn’t quite keep his feet from shaking. Masayuki wanted to praise himself for not pissing his pants on the spot.
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151However, it was at this point that an inconceivable voice rang in his ears.
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153<<Courageous act of heroism has been conducted… Unique Skill ‘Chosen One’ acquired. Would you like to activate it? YES/NO>>
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155Ummm, I guess?—Masayuki answered with a fair bit of skepticism. This became the turning point of his fate.
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157<<Confirmed. Under the effects of ‘Chosen One’, language mastery…successful. Subsequently, ‘Heroic Spirit’ and ‘Heroic Coercion’ have been activated.>>
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159Some strange words began to echo in Masayuki's mind.
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161—What? What happened…
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163While his head was swimming with doubts, given his current situation, he had no time to worry about any of that.
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165“Oi oi, what’cha doin’ buddy??? Yer’ ain’t tryin’ to get in my way, are ya?”
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167He could suddenly understand what the large man was saying thanks to the effects of the Unique Skill ‘Chosen One’ that had just awakened within him. However, that was no cause for celebration.
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169What was more important was figuring out a way to get out of the pickle he found himself in. One wrong move and it might be game over.
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171No, Little ol’ me doesn’t plan on that AT ALL—Masayuki had planned to drop on his knees and apologize. But before he could do that, the woman holding on to Masayuki made her plea.
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173“That’s right! This person here promised he’d save me!”
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175“—Ho ho?”
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177Veins popped on the large man’s temple. He bulged out his muscles, exuding an aura of pure strength.
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179Oh, he doesn't even need to use his sword. I’ll be done for if he just smacks me down…
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181Despite being overwhelmed with sheer terror, Masayuki was able to think calmly. But still, he could not think of a way out of his current predicament.
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183“Interesting!” the man yelled, “let’s see you try taking me down and protecting that girl.”
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185The commotion attracted a crowd as passersby, along with the people from the surrounding shops, came to check out the ruckus.
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187“Oi oi, that kid’s picking a fight with Jinrai, the “Crazed Wolf!”
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189“Shouldn’t we stop them? He’s gonna get himself killed.”
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191“That bastard Jinrai… After failing the B-rank exam, his temper’s been flaring up. Even Katya refused to serve him, knowing that.”
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193“Damn…so that’s how it is. He’s gone into a rage after she cold shouldered him. Ah man… Nothing anyone does is gonna stop him now…”
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195“Ah, there’s no time for chit chat now. If an adventurer ends up killing civilians in town, it's gonna be a huge problem. Quick, someone contact the guild!”
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197“Someone’s done that already. Moreover, rather than just talking, why don't you go stop him?”
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199“What nonsense are you on about? Jinrai might only be ranked C+ on paper, but his strength surpasses even B Rank! The only reason why he didn’t make it was due to inappropriate conduct during the test, but his strength is the real deal. That's not someone I can take on—!”
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201The people bantering were likely colleagues of Jinrai.
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203Overhearing their conversation, Masayuki's heart filled with a mixture of both hope and despair.
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205They seemed to have sent someone to inform some guild. Cavalry was on the way as long as he could stall for some time. However, without knowing when the rescue would arrive, and with the surrounding people not willing to help, Masayuki was left to fend for himself. That was the equivalent of a death sentence.
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207“Katya… How could she drag that innocent boy into this whole mess…” some bystander whispered.
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209That’s right! Why me? Masayuki thought to himself, though he did recall nodding and smiling to the girl despite not understanding anything she was saying or what he was getting himself into. Considering the outcome, he had only himself to blame.
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211“You made up your mind yet?”
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213Definitely not.
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215Masayuki was far from making up his mind, but the burly man was running out of patience.
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217At the very least, he was going to go out in style.
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219He didn’t mean to become an edgy delinquent when he changed his hairstyle during high school. He merely dyed his hair for the sake of it and had absolutely zero combat experience. Although he had learnt some basic kendo, it was of no help to an unarmed Masayuki at the moment.
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221With that being said, talk-no-jutsu was his best bet as of now.
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223“The weakest dog barks the loudest. Have YOU made up your mind? How dare you come bothering me!?”
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225Masayuki had already resigned himself to getting sent to the other side with just one punch from the guy. He threw out bluffs left and right in a desperate attempt to save his hide. Best case scenario, he got to stall for some time. Even if he couldn’t, he might still get lucky and escape with only getting beaten to a pulp. If he wasn’t quite so fortunate, he’d be dead meat.
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227He was frozen with fear just a moment ago. Now, however, his feet had stopped shaking…
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229“…We got a badass here. Sure, then I won’t hold back.”
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231Jinrai glared at Masayuki with a devious smile. Masayuki immediately regretted his decision upon seeing the bloodthirsty look on Jinrai's face.
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233I can try to slip away now—oh yeah, there's a girl called Katya behind me…
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235“Can I ask you to leave for a moment?”
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237“Alright!” Katya responded with enthusiasm. “That guy has been ogling at me like a pervert for quite some time. Please teach him a lesson, big bro!”
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239Masayuki only told Katya to stand aside so he could plan an escape. Katya probably thought that she would get in the way of Masayuki’s fight. She left him to his own devices just as she was told, slipping back into the crowd.
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241…Ugh. No matter what I do, I'm already surrounded by people. Now I'm definitely done for—that was an absolutely wrong call, thought Masayuki. The only reason Jinrai didn’t attack before, was because Katya was around. Masayuki thought she’d interfere with his escape plans and told her to go, but doing so only seemed to have hastened his death.
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243“Hehe!”
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245Jinrai's smile deepened.
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247With how things had developed, Masayuki had to utilize his last resort. He’d need to use the chewing gum in his mouth as a distraction and then find a way to turn tail and run.
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249<<Initiation of Heroism ‘Bravery Aura’ has been confirmed. Effects of Unique Skill ‘Chosen One’”—‘Heroic Charisma’ and ‘Heroic Action’ have been realized. As such, the Unique Skill ‘Chosen One’ of individual “Masayuki” has been fully unleashed.>>
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251No no no, I was just thinking about running away!—But Masayuki's wish was ignored.
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253Speaking of which, what’s up with that voice I’ve been hearing for a while now?
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255Masayuki was a bit perplexed despite hearing the phrase “fully unleashed”. Unique Skill sounded pretty strong, but there was no way a skill that could be so easily obtained would be any big deal, Masayuki concluded.
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257Seriously though, I don’t have any time to be worrying about all that.
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259Masayuki was not trying to fight Jinrai at all. As a matter of fact, his escape plan was quite despicable. He intended to spit out his gum to startle his opponent, which quite frankly didn’t sound anything close to being heroic at all.
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261Yet all those concerns were of the past. There had been a new development.
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263“—Woah, su-such an oppressive aura…who are you really…?!”
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265Jinrai, who was brimming with confidence just moments ago, was now covered in cold sweat.
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267Masayuki unconsciously chewed on his gum. He thought chewing gum would calm himself down, but all it did was further intimidate Jinrai.
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269“Ugh, what type of weird sorcery is this!? It doesn't matter who you are—! Just watch as I slaughter you—!”
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271After his declaration, Jinrai immediately set himself upon Masayuki.
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273As for Masayuki, he was caught completely off guard.
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275“?”
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277Confused, Jinrai froze on the spot. He then took a step forward with the intent of striking Masayuki down. Masayuki gawked dumbly at Jinrai’s giant fist slowly approaching him right in front of his eyes.
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279Shit, it's over—!
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281Whatever I do now is already too late, Masayuki thought to himself as he shut his eyes and ducked his head, attempting to dodge the fist and ease the pain.
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283Yet the worst-case scenario that Masayuki imagined did not happen. Pain began to set in, but it was only limited to a small part of his forehead. He opened his eyes, full of surprise and fear. Before him was a Jinrai, who, for some reason, was sprawled on the ground with his eyes rolled to the back of their sockets.
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285“Eh?” Masayuki mumbled in confusion.
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287Masayuki had no clue what had just happened.
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289The crowd erupted into cheers, drowning out his own voice, much to his surprise. Then—
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291“S-so strong! That guy didn't even move a finger and he defeated Jinrai the Crazed Wolf!”
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293“Unbelievable! Did you catch his movement just now?”
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295“Yeah… He avoided the punch by a hair's breadth and went on to deliver a headbutt to Jinrai. He’s no doubt a master of combat.”
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297“Just who the hell is this kid—?” the bystanders murmured amongst themselves.
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299In reality, this was the result of Masayuki’s Unique Skill ‘Chosen One’ being activated.
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301
302
303Hero's Haki: A Skill that Dwarf King Gazel also possesses. It's an aura that only heroes (eiyuu) are capable of exuding. Opponents who are weaker than them would be rendered motionless under the imposing aura. It is a Skill that responds to only the Skill holder, a special aura of sorts.
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305Hero’s Blessing: User experiences a great boost to his luck stat. Even a normal attack will become a critical strike. This effect is also applied to party members. In addition, onlookers will remember all actions committed by the user (Chosen One), in a positive light. Its power is astounding.
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307Hero's Charisma: Onlookers who witness the actions of the hero will be inspired. Any sense of fear will be replaced by courage. In the end they will be filled with confidence to fight alongside the user. Another effect is that anyone who the hero defeats will automatically become a follower, barring death of course. This effect also applies to sentient monsters.
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309Heroic Action: The first step to becoming a hero. The user will become a role model for his companions and will eventually earn the praise of everyone around him. Moreover…
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311—These are the abilities of the Unique Skill “Chosen One”.
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315As a matter of fact, this was an especially rare Skill even among the Unique Skills. It was comparable to ‘Absolute Severance’ and ‘Unlimited Imprisonment’, both previously used by other chosen heroes in the past. Although it was only a Unique Skill, its real power was akin to an Ultimate Skill. It possessed extraordinary capabilities.
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317Although Jinrai was considered to be among the strongest in the town, he was still no match for Masayuki’s Skill.
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319Unfortunately, Masayuki was not aware of any of this. He was completely oblivious to the fact that he unleashed an astonishing power.
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321But that wasn’t a big deal, since ‘Chosen One’ was a passive Skill.
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323‘Chosen One’ manifested itself from Masayuki’s wish to become a hero. However, it was now ignoring his personal will, ferociously pushing Masayuki down the path to a hero…
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325“So he is the blonde chosen hero…”
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327“Oh! Oh ho, I’ve heard of him—”
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329“Was that the chosen hero that was rather active in the past? I heard he went missing—”
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331“Could it be that he has been resurrected?”
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333The clamoring in the crowd gradually grew louder.
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335“The chosen hero?”
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337“He's the chosen hero?”
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339“There’s no way—”
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341“But look at those skills. He’s definitely the real deal!”
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343It didn’t take long for the crowd to come to the consensus that Masayuki was indeed the chosen hero.
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345Actually, my hair was only dyed…
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347By the time Masayuki noticed, however, it was already too late. The bystanders were all staring at him with sparkling eyes, as if their biggest idol was standing right there in front of them.
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349“Huh? A-about that, y-you’ve got the wrong guy—” Masayuki tried to deny in panic, yet his voice was suddenly drowned out by a booming voice erupting next to him: “Back down all of you! How dare you all try to befriend the mighty chosen hero who defeated me in one blow!”
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351It was Jinrai, who just moments ago was on the ground, now bellowing at the crowd gathered around them. He then turned to Masayuki and bowed with great respect.
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353“I am sorry to have offended you,” Jinrai apologized. “I didn't know that you were the chosen hero…”
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355“Hold up! I just said you got the wrong—”
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357“My name is Jinrai. People around here call me the ‘Crazed Wolf’, and I'm quite the well-known adventurer. But I was too full of myself and I sincerely apologize. Having experienced the truly wonderful techniques of the chosen hero, I realized that I still have much to learn. While I am far from being a master, I still wish that you may take me in as your subordinate.”
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359Jinrai bowed even more earnestly.
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361Masayuki was at a complete loss. He didn’t know what to do with this bulky man suddenly wishing to become his subordinate either.
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363“No, I'm telling you,” Masayuki pleaded, “I'm not a hero—”
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365“Oh ho, are you trying to hide your identity? Then how should I address you? And if you're ok with it, could you tell me your name?”
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367Ignoring Masayuki’s words of denial, Jinrai bombarded him with questions while putting on a big smile.
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369Masayuki had no way of shaking him off.
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371The onlookers, silenced by Jinrai’s scolding, were also watching with bated breath. Masayuki couldn’t help but think, whatever goes now, I guess.
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373“My name is Masayuki, and just calling me Masayuki is fine. I only recently arrived at this town—”
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375Since this man called Jinrai had put things this way, Masayuki figured that he would at the very least treat him to a meal. Masayuki planned on acting dumb in order to gather information. It wouldn’t be that bad of an idea.
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377But it was a lot smoother sailing than he had expected.
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379“I understand,” Jinrai nodded with clarity.
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381He squeezed his face next to Masayuki’s ear and whispered: “Hero-sama, you’ve only been revived recently, right?”
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383This made Masayuki go “Huh!?” internally at first, but he immediately turned around, realizing that he might be able to exploit Jinrai’s misunderstanding. The man looked as if he would take whatever Masayuki said as gospel.
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385Moreover—
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387If I stop pretending that he lost to a chosen hero, this guy will probably be dishonored for life. It's probably better to play along.
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389And so from that moment on Masayuki no longer denied the “Chosen Hero” claim.
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391This would become a painful miscalculation later. Because…
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393At this moment, the “Chosen Hero”—the legend of the Shining Hero Masayuki was about to unfold.
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396
397Later on, Masayuki was escorted to the capital of the Ingracia Kingdom by the staff of the Freedom Association.
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399There, he met Yuuki Kagurazaka.
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401“You've been through a lot too,” Yuuki said.
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403Hearing this, Masayuki couldn’t help but choke up a bit. However, after learning a bit more, he realized that this young man called Yuuki had been in this world for nearly ten years. His body’s age was frozen, causing his appearance to remain like a teen. From his actual age, Masayuki deduced he should have been here since secondary school.
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405He's been through a lot more than me…
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407Realizing this, he felt that he shouldn’t be the one tearing up right now. It gave him a sense of encouragement and inspired him to keep on fighting.
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409After his talk with Yuuki, Masayuki decided to become an adventurer. Fortunately, Jinrai was willing to be his companion, and Yuuki approved. Masayuki didn’t want to be dependent on Yuuki and instead wanted to earn his own living by being an adventurer.
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411“For some reason I can understand their language, so I’m probably a little bit luckier than Yuuki-san.”
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413“That's my line! You can’t imagine the hardships I had to go through at first… Although, fortunately, I got my mentor to take care of me, so it wasn't that bad for me, to be honest. There’s magic in this world, which makes communicating with others surprisingly simple.”
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415Learning to read and write seemed daunting to Masayuki, but Yuuki explained to him that pure oral dialogue could be resolved through magic. Yuuki then read through the document in his hand which contained potential candidates for being Masayuki’s adventuring companions.
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417“Oh yeah, Bonnie here also used magic to learn the language.”
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419It seemed that the young man named Bonnie also relied on magic to talk to people. He was a graduate of Ingracia Academy and an “Otherworlder” under Yuuki’s protection. Apparently he could only speak English, having been born in the United States, making communication with Yuuki completely impossible. That’s when magic came in handy, and ever since then, Bonnie became obsessed with magic, hoping to study at the academy. He became an adventurer rather recently, and he was looking for companions. It just so happened that Masayuki’s party came along at that time.
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421This was how the three-man squad was formed.
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425Masayuki and his crew progressed at an overwhelming rate. In only about half a year, his squad was already given the nickname “The Shining”.
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427Although Jinrai was ranked C+, his strength was comparable to that of a Rank B. With the additional aid of Bonnie’s magic, they were able to safely handle any quest they attempted.
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429Masayuki was only an amateur with a bare minimum knowledge of kendo, yet he possessed the ultra-rare Skill, the “Chosen One”. This Skill also applied to his teammates, causing all of their attacks to be deadly (critical strikes). Under the effects of this Skill, his companions were able to perform beyond their actual capabilities. Jinrai could display strength beyond even Rank A. With the additional buff that increased their dodge chance, they were practically invincible.
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431And so, the “Chosen one” was utilized to its fullest.
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433It was such an amazing Skill to him.
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435Even the good deeds of his companions were ultimately attributed to Masayuki.
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437With all the positive opinions of the team “Shining” directed towards Masayuki alone, his title “Masayuki the Shining” eventually became a household name.
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441Later, they happened to participate in the martial tournament held in the Ingracia Kingdom, causing Masayuki to accumulate even more fame.
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443They entered the tournament hoping to win the prize money given to the champion in order to purchase new gear for themselves, but it was a lot easier than expected. As soon as Masayuki unsheathed his sword, his opponents had already surrendered, declaring “I’ve lost”.
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445The audience was under the impression that Masayuki’s attacks were too fast to follow. But in reality, he didn't do anything at all.
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447However, the audience was unaware and proceeded to overhype Masayuki due to his title, the “Shining” (like a flash of light).
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449All in a day’s work for the Unique Skill ‘Chosen One’.
450
451Masayuki had become aware of it at this point, but he couldn’t stop, wouldn’t stop.
452
453In order to stand a chance against this Skill, his opponent needed to, at the bare minimum, possess a Unique Skill. Since Masayuki was unable to stop it with his own will, rumors began to spread. This gave Masayuki quite the headache, but it didn’t cause him any harm, so he gave up on resisting it. He decided to play along with the public’s expectations of the “Chosen Hero”.
454
455
456
457It was around that time that a fourth companion joined the party.
458
459It was a girl named Jiu (ジウ). She was a high-level Spirit Magic user. She came to see them for herself after hearing the rumors about Masayuki.
460
461At first, Jiu called Masayuki a scumbag that waved around the name of “Chosen Hero”. But for some reason, Jiu began to worship Masayuki over time.
462
463Although Jiu had a strange temperament, she turned out to be adept with healing magic, and soon became an integral part of the team.
464
465And so, Masayuki and his companions flew up the ranks, kicking ass during martial tournaments and achieving A rank with ease.
466
467With the Ingracia Kingdom as their base of operations, they joined the ranks of heroes in less than a year.
468
469………………
470
471…………
472
473……
474
475Under these circumstances, a year filled with fierce progress passed.
476
477Although Masayuki was quite dumbfounded himself, he had gotten used to being called a chosen hero by others. Humans are indeed creatures that possess strong adaptability, Masayuki casually thought to himself.
478
479Masayuki was always filled with doubt even though he was praised by tens of thousands of people every day.
480
481It was then that Masayuki ran into the opportunity that would forever change his life.
482
483
484
485
486
487Chapter 1 - Eve of the Opening Ceremony
488
489* * *
490
491Masayuki’s team got a request from Yuuki to move out.
492
493They had uncovered evidence of a massive slave trade market operating in Balakia, one of the small nations surrounding the Ingracia Kingdom. There was a lucky slave who managed to escape and subsequently called for help, which made it necessary to dispatch an investigation.
494
495There was a chance that the whole nation might be involved, however small the possibility. The estimated threat level was above rank B+, which would prove no easy feat even for the most seasoned of adventurers.
496
497“Personally, I wanted to refuse, but I couldn’t defy the sponsor’s request. I would like you guys to be the bait since you’re famous,” was the request Yuuki gave Masayuki.
498
499The task was too difficult for investigators to handle alone, so they wanted Masayuki’s party to accompany them. While the investigators gathered evidence of the slave trade, Masayuki’s team would act as bait to grab Balakia’s attention.
500
501That was the task given by Yuuki.
502
503Even a nation such as Balakia couldn’t underestimate an A rank adventurer like Masayuki. Since the investigation would be carried out by fellow travelers, one could even call it a relaxing work vacation.
504
505Masayuki didn’t think there would be any major issues.
506
507“Masayuki-san, let’s agree to help them with this request. Even if this leads to war, our strength alone would be enough to topple such a small nation!” Jinrai proclaimed with a strong sense of justice. Ever since his defeat against Masayuki, his personality had changed, becoming so heroic that he only vaguely resembled his past self.
508
509“He’s right. Slaves in this day and age, that is unforgivable. The opponent might think twice if someone as strong as Masayuki has been dispatched.”
510
511Bonnie was neither famous nor well known, despite being an “Otherworlder” and possessing a Unique Skill. The latter probably allowed him to resist ‘Heroic Act’, but he seemed to respect Masayuki regardless.
512
513From Masayuki’s perspective, he still couldn’t understand why he was respected. Instead of showing a respectable side, he often spouted nothing but complaints. Even so, Masayuki was trusted and was often given a lot of advice, something he always took to heart; especially coming from Bonnie, someone who constantly looked out for him.
514
515So naturally, his words became the deciding factor this time as well.
516
517“Yes, I’ll follow Masayuki-sama wherever he may lead us,” Jiu affirmed as always. Apparently holding blind faith in Masayuki, she seldom voiced objections.
518
519Just like that, Masayuki’s team accepted the request and headed for the kingdom of Balakia.
520
521
522
523Held in Balakia Kingdom’s Royal parlor house was a luxurious ball attended by royalty and nobility from the surrounding nations.
524
525Masayuki, who was invited to the ball, stumbled into a situation so sinister he wanted to escape reality: he was able to witness the slave trade in action.
526
527Please leave me out of this. Isn’t this the investigator’s job!?
528
529I can’t believe this is happening again, the thought alone made Masayuki want to cry.
530
531He had made his way to the restroom, and on the way back while walking past a room, purely by chance, he had heard people whispering. He didn’t really plan on eavesdropping, but he ended up doing it anyway. That’s when he saw the man who welcomed him to this country, Count Braver, and ended up locking eyes with him.
532
533“……”
534
535“……”
536
537It happened in an instant.
538
539“Uh, this is—”
540
541“This complicates things,” Count Braver said with an unwavering smile, “there’s not much I can do if you've already heard the story. Talented guards were set up so we wouldn’t be bothered, but who knew they would be beaten so easily. Should I say that it should be expected of Hero-sama?”
542
543No, No, there was no such person to begin with?!
544
545“Wait a momen—!!!”
546
547Masayuki was interrupted before he could make an attempt to refute it.
548
549“En garde! Hero-sama doesn’t seem to be in his right mind—we cannot let him get away. Go, men!!! Take him down!!”
550
551The person who was speaking with Count Braver grabbed a sword that was placed on the wall and suddenly stabbed the count. He then tossed away the sword and started frantically shouting for the guards, trying to frame Masayuki for this murder.
552
553What followed was all too familiar for Masayuki.
554
555Jinrai, who stood at his side, stared at the soldiers who came swarming together.
556
557“Ho ho, they're really coming out of the woodwork. However, you guys are not even close to being a match for Masayuki. Let me take care of you.”
558
559Jinrai sprang into action while laughing with a vicious face. Receiving Masayuki’s blessing, his movements were almost superhuman.
560
561“Tsk, monster. No, the hero who trained him is a bother to me too.”
562
563The man who stabbed Count Braver—Marquis Gossel—glared at Masayuki.
564
565“It seems like the game’s over? Put down your arms and surren—”
566
567Masayuki suggested, thinking that the winner had already been decided. Jinrai had already defeated all of the soldiers who seemed to have been on standby in the other room. But he had underestimated the situation.
568
569“Hehehe, Hero-sama has a reputation for being considerate. But look at this situation; anyone who lays eyes on this atrocity will be on my side!”
570
571Hearing this, Masayuki thought of Count Braver laying on the ground.
572
573The hurried footsteps of people coming to check out the commotion could be heard down the hallway.
574
575“Tch. This is bad, Masayuki-san…”
576
577This was the kingdom of Balakia. Even if the Hero’s fame was widely known, Masayuki wasn’t anything more than a guest. If you were to compare the credibility of Marquis Gossel, who was a prominent figure of the country, to Masayuki, then the former would be higher.
578
579That explained Marquis Gossel’s lax attitude, and why Jinrai was anxious.
580
581However, Masayuki wasn’t too worried. Although he had a ton of complaints about this whole ordeal, he realized that this flow of events was something he had become accustomed to.
582
583Unique Skill, ‘Chosen One’ was a terrifying Skill that always guided the situation towards Masayuki coming out as a hero.
584
585This time proved to be no different.
586
587Observers who came to see the commotion could see the faces of the Balakia Kingdom’s nobles and guests from other nations.
588
589At first Marquis Gossel glanced at them, brimming with confidence, but his face quickly distorted with dismay.
590
591“—Uh, um. What just happened to me…” Count Braver moaned, starting to regain consciousness.
592
593“Masayuki-sama, this person is an important witness, right? We’ll treat him since he’s still alive.”
594
595Jiu had suddenly come running and had cast a healing spell on Count Braver, and then turned to look at Masayuki, fishing for some praise.
596
597“Hey, brother, be glad that Masayuki is a nice guy. If we were to make an honest testimony it’ll end with you getting punished for the slave trade. However, if you decide to keep hiding it—you’ll probably just end up getting eliminated by that guy there. So, how do you wanna do this?”
598
599The reality of the situation struck Marquis Gossel as he heard those words come out of Jinrai’s mouth, who had a cunning smile on his face.
600
601Apparently taking in the whole situation and realizing that there was no escape, he decided to give up. Count Braver confessed everything right on the spot with his head hung low.
602
603“What happened? What is all this for?”
604
605And as if right on cue, the King of Balakia appeared.
606
607Even the clamoring of the nobles was silenced in the presence of the king, and the situation settled. It was as Masayuki had expected. After that, the situation rapidly developed.
608
609
610
611The dispatched military police secured evidence of the slave trade by searching Count Braver and Marquis Gossel’s residences. With that evidence, they were able to uncover the surprising fact that Marquis Gossel was one of the chiefs of an illegal organization. But it didn’t end there, it was also discovered that the main base of the illegal organization was within Balakia.
612
613The nation took this situation seriously. The illegal organization ‘Orthus (Slave Trade Union)’, that had been a thorn in the side of the Western Nations, had its headquarters in Balakia. This was a problem that the kingdom just couldn’t sweep aside.
614
615Slaves weren’t the only product that Orthus had either. Their offerings of weapons, shields, suspicious potions, drugs, monsters, and trinkets from magic items to artifacts were widely spread.
616
617It was something to be expected from this kind of organization, but it wasn’t something a small country could handle. So that was why the Balakia Kingdom had decided to bring the Freedom Association into it.
618
619Needless to say, that was Masayuki’s party.
620
621Being used to something happening was a scary mindset to have, but Masayuki still expected things to play out like this.
622
623Ah, so it really did end up like this again… Yet he had still accepted Balakia Kingdom’s request.
624
625
626
627Following that—
628
629After Masayuki’s party, which was A rank, got involved, a large number of lesser ranked adventurers decided to help with the subjugation of Orthus (Slave Trade Union).
630
631Combined with Balakia’s royal army, it was over 2,000 men, and with Masayuki heading the group, everyone in it went under the effects of ‘Heroic Act’ and were able to obtain skills beyond their previous abilities.
632
633Orthus’s headquarters had hundreds of members as well, among them were bruisers who could be considered equal to A rank, and the captured monsters were no less dangerous.
634
635A power worthy of being a nation. Even so, the illegal organization ‘Orthus’ was purged by the subjugation army lead by Masayuki. In truth, Masayuki didn’t get a chance to do anything. All he needed to do for them to win was to be there, yet he wasn’t aware of it.
636
637The subjugation plan that Masayuki’s party lead had ended in success. And so this was how the infamous Orthus collapsed.
638
639This time as well, as expected, even if Masayuki didn’t do anything himself it could be said that the situation was still improved due to his involvement. And Masayuki’s title of ‘hero’ was spread far and wide, not only in Ingracia but to the surrounding kingdoms as well.
640
641As always everything was well.
642
643
644
645It would have been nice if the story ended there, however, this time there was one more problem.
646
647It turned out that among the monsters that Orthus was keeping there weren’t just vicious beasts, who were killed on the spot, but also some who they couldn't just kill like that
648
649Those were elves. And the problem was how they would handle these elves, who, for their part, were hoping to return to the Jura Great Forest, but they couldn’t just free them. The reason for this was due to the current situation of the world. It hadn’t been long since the Jura Great Forest was taken over by Demon Lord Rimuru, and they couldn’t predict how said demon lord would react if the elves were to report the cruelty of getting enslaved by humans.
650
651He might retaliate to show off his power.
652
653The misery of the Farmus Kingdom was widely known. If even a massive nation the likes of Farmus was annihilated, there was no chance that such a small kingdom like Balakia could hope to resist.
654
655“Ma-Masayuki-dono. Please, please help us solve this problem!!”
656
657The King, who was usually full of majesty, had escaped the eyes of others to plead to Masayuki while crying in a private room. Receiving the request, Masayuki felt too sorry for him to decline and ended up accepting it.
658
659We’re only bringing them to Tempest so there probably won’t be any problems, right?
660
661That naive thought was the beginning of his problems.
662
663Hero Masayuki was heading to Tempest—the people who heard this news assumed Masayuki was going there to defeat the monsters. This rumor spread like wildfire.
664
665However, Masayuki didn’t think much of this. He assumed that this problem would just solve itself like it always had, and he consequently adopted a mindset that had grown accustomed to this process.
666
667Unique Skill ‘Heroic Act’ was a terrifyingly effective skill. And while that was an undoubted fact, it also had its pitfalls. That was equally true.
668
669Masayuki had become so confident in himself that he had forgotten this fact…
670
671
672
673Alright, then we’ll go with that and let’s meet on-site.
674
675After confirming his plans, the magic communication with Yuuki ended.
676
677Masayuki reported what had happened this time and discussed their future plans. Because the Ingracia Kingdom was being protected by multiple ‘Barriers’, ‘Magic Communications’ were only connected through encrypted transmissions on specific wavelengths. It was somewhat complicated to set up, which was why they had to arrange a date in advance to make it happen.
678
679After the communication was cut, Masayuki shook his head and let out a sigh.
680
681“Yuuki sure worries a lot.”
682
683“Yeah, you’re right. If Masayuki-san were to fully make use of his skills even demon lords wouldn’t be something to be afraid of.”
684
685“What he said was right. You must be the sword of justice.”
686
687Masayuki touched on these topics in a conversation with his party members. In such an atmosphere, only Bonnie remained level-headed.
688
689“However, Masayuki-kun, even that woman ended in a draw against Demon Lord Rimuru. It’s probably better to stay cautious.”
690
691Upon hearing that, Masayuki reluctantly nodded. And then he thought, up until now, everything had gone well without any problems, and I never actually had to do anything myself. Masayuki didn’t know Hinata and never met her either, but Yuuki, who he respected, seemed to think very highly of her. If this Hinata person wasn’t able to defeat him, Demon Lord Rimuru may be more dangerous than he imagined.
692
693Having such doubts, he felt like he needed to be more prudent.
694
695“Yeah, he’s right. It’s said that Demon Lord Rimuru wishes to be friends with humans so we should probably refrain from attacking first.”
696
697“Hah! So the demon lord begged for his life.”
698
699“Demon lords are evil—this is an irrefutable fact!”
700
701“Well, we have no choice but to see how he will respond before we act. Whatever the case right now, since Saint Hinata reconciled with the demon lord, there is no one else who fits the title “hero” but Masayuki-kun. We must proceed with care.”
702
703After hearing that, Masayuki nodded as well.
704
705“Yeah, that’s right. If everyone lends me their strength, I believe we can beat the demon lord, but right now we have to act with caution,” saying that, Masayuki placed his option to fight against Demon Lord Rimuru on hold.
706
707They had decided to first see how things turned out.
708
709Jinrai, Bonnie and also Jiu—these three colleagues were strong like beasts in Masayuki’s eyes. Masayuki himself wasn’t amazing but the three of them losing was unthinkable.
710
711Well, I think we can win if we end up fighting, but it’s not like we have any grudges against Demon Lord Rimuru… Nothing good would probably come from it if we were to deliberately pick a fight, he pondered idly.
712
713And so Masayuki’s party triumphantly began their trip to Tempest.
714
715***
716
717Even after the Reception Ceremony, my schedule was fully booked.
718
719This time we had to greet these distinguished guests. The representatives of each country were currently arriving one after another.
720
721I heard that the early arrivals had already stayed here all week. Not only the people who received my invitations were showing up, but also merchants who merely heard rumors of the festival, making the town quite lively. It seemed like the people who had been here before were guiding the newcomers throughout the town with a proud expression. The prominent figures and royalty of other nations seemed intrigued by the unfamiliar novelties and sights on display in our country.
722
723Seeing all that, our plan of making this land into a tourist destination appeared to be going well.
724
725That being said, the maximum number of nobles we could accommodate in this city was around 3,000. In regard to the common folk, we had enough facilities to take in up to 10,000, but we only had a few for the upper class.
726
727The cost of providing meals, lodging and entertainment for the nobility was significantly different than the cost of providing for the common people. Considering the fact that these facilities were used by aristocrats, there had been a thorough investment in security as well. Therefore, an ample amount of living space was reserved.
728
729We were exclusively accepting royalty and nobility this time, meaning we declined normal customers even when they offered a large sum of money. It seemed that there were also several business tycoons visiting, so I was worried that there would be complaints concerning that policy when receiving them.
730
731However, these worries were unfounded. Myourmiles had already prepared for those cases in advance, going so far as to set aside rooms for the wealthy.
732
733
734
735“Amazing. As expected from Myourmiles-kun.”
736
737“Hehehe, Rimuru-sama. This is nothing. It’s thanks to Rigurd’s achievements and everyone in the city who handled things with a polite attitude!”
738
739Myourmiles really was a trustworthy guy.
740
741Those that worked under Rigurd and Rigur did well enough to be worthy of praise. But the ability to receive guests without any significant complaints was probably only possible thanks to Myourmiles’s efforts.
742
743Everyone’s hard work and Myourmiles’s resourcefulness in harmony was what had started this event off on the right foot.
744
745“I hope you can keep up with this.”
746
747“You can leave it to me!”
748
749I left the rest of the work to Myourmiles and focused my attention on receiving more of the important guests.
750
751***
752
753The location was the conference room.
754
755Shuna and Shion were busy getting various things ready, as they had to prepare a lot in advance to arrange meals for so many people.
756
757Gabil and Kurobee were busy as well, making their final rounds and checking on their exhibitions.
758
759We were not receiving monsters this time, so we didn’t have to be so overbearing with our presence. Therefore, not all of the executive officers had to come out for the greetings. There was no distinct relationship showing who was superior and inferior, similar to the reception ceremony, so the atmosphere was far less dangerous in comparison.
760
761Of course, I would be greeting the guests in my human form, as my intention was to dress up and show off my wealth and power.
762
763And frankly, it was a real pain in the ass.
764
765Although it was more comfortable to be in slime form, for this specific occasion I gave up on it, thinking that there was really nothing I could do about it.
766
767And as such, I was able to greet the royals and nobles from the Western Nations without a hitch.
768
769
770
771While this was going on, the King of Blumund had come looking for me. As always, he looked like a pleasant man, like someone straight from a fairytale. A young-looking queen stood at his side. Although I didn’t know her actual age, it was said that it had been 20 years since their marriage. They might not have looked like a good match at first glance, but in truth, it was said that they were adored by the people of Blumund for being love birds.
772
773“I apologize for taking so long to show my gratitude. Appeasing the Farmus nobles Marquis Müller and Earl Hermann, as well as prompting the Freedom Association and the Western Saints Church to make a move, was highly beneficial to our country.”
774
775It was thanks to this man’s consent that Fuze was able to act freely. My plans were able to succeed because he followed the contract. Their efforts in spreading beneficial news about us is the cause of my current reputation not being a poor one. Seeing the steady increase in the number of merchants coming to our country, it outlined to me just how significant Blumund Kingdom’s influence really was.
776
777As I was showing my gratitude, the King of Blumund shook my hand with a smile.
778
779“You’re welcome, Rimuru-dono,” he said with a hint of reluctance, “this isn’t something to be thanked for. All I did was abide by an agreement with another nation. And you also heard from Fuze, right? I put all my bets on you. Our luck, I placed it in this country. And of course, there are also reasons for profit in those bets, so you don’t have to thank me.”
780
781Although he had the smile of a good man, he was someone not to be careless against—that was the King of Blumund.
782
783He had straight up claimed that the reasons for helping our country were because of profit and that we didn’t need to thank him, with a smile.
784
785“But still, I’m happy that you trusted us.”
786
787It is important to express gratitude.
788
789I didn’t plan to continue pestering him, but I expressed my gratitude, nonetheless.
790
791After hearing that, the King let out a bitter smile while saying: “I can’t help but wonder whether you really are a demon lord.”
792
793After that, his expression changed, looking me straight in the eyes, and he told me: “I heard this time that Kazak from our county has caused you trouble. It’s a relief that your people were rescued.”
794
795He was talking about the case of Viscount Kazak. Myourmiles bore the brunt of that incident, and about the nasty things they did in the Great Forest of Jura, that happened before I rose to power as a demon lord.
796
797However, a sliver of responsibility could possibly still be pinned on the kingdom of Blumund. Even when all the fault squarely fell on Viscount Kazak.
798
799Ultimately, he was just playing a small role in the whole debacle; even if his personality was the worst, he never personally did anything.
800
801Be that as it may, a crime was a crime. Moreover, Kazak allegedly said something along the lines of ‘Do whatever you want with those lowly monsters, but there is no reason for me to be punished!!’
802
803Innocence would be an absurdity.
804
805“As long as the problem has been taken care of safely, we have no plans to make it an issue.”
806
807“That, I’m thankful for.”
808
809“By the way, what will happen to Viscount Kazak?”
810
811As long as he remained a noble of Blumund Kingdom, we couldn’t punish him under the rules of our country. Even then, not being punished at all would be unacceptable. I didn’t want to cause further problems, but this depended on how the King of Blumund would handle it. And the King, who seemed to have understood that well enough, replied in a voice that abandoned all mercy.
812
813“Kazak is a Viscount. That man has done things tantamount to abandonment of his duties as a nobleman, such as helping local criminal organizations, to say the least. We cannot allow such a person to be a noble of Blumund. We deprived him of his title and wealth and exiled him from the country. In truth, we concluded this case with the ruination of his entire family.”
814
815If that was the case, then we had no problems with it.
816
817This might seem like a draconian punishment, but slave trade is an international criminal act. It would be deeply disparaging to Blumund if they were to give any lighter punishment.
818
819Thinking of it that way, the Viscount’s punishment wouldn’t seem like a harsh one anymore. As someone who had lived their whole life as a nobleman, it would be hard for Kazak to adapt his lifestyle. After losing his title and wealth, and being exiled from the country he lived in, it would probably be difficult enough for him to barely live through it.
820
821However, as long as he was alive, he could turn over a new leaf.
822
823I had no further opinion on the matter because I deemed it a punishment befitting of his crimes.
824
825“I understand, I shall see it as a punishment fit for him.”
826
827“It’s a relief to hear those words. Then, can I take this as us maintaining the agreement between our countries?”
828
829“That is something I would want as well. Then I’ll be in your care from now on.”
830
831The King of Blumund and I held our hands tightly and shook.
832
833And with this, the case came to a close.
834
835
836
837After that, we went on to the main topic.
838
839The King of Blumund put on a pleasant smile and asked, cutting to the chase, “By the way, Rimuru-dono, I heard back from Fuze. I believe he had told me that you had a grand plan in play?”
840
841He seemed to have heard about it in detail from Fuze.
842
843“This isn’t something that would end with just my country and your country. I think we should gather representatives for all countries involved and hold a meeting. I have considered stepping forward and explaining it to other nations, but…”
844
845“Hohoho, you’re quite reserved about it. I have heard a brief explanation from Fuze, but this could put our country in an awkward position. We cannot just leave this to the civil servants.
846
847“Then, maybe a little bit—”
848
849I planned to open a formal meeting later on. Therefore, I ended my explanation stating that my plan was to make Blumund Kingdom the logistics hub.
850
851That’s what I did, but…
852
853“—Indeed. So that's it.”
854
855“Sire, I believe we must carry out this plan regardless of its difficulties.”
856
857I only explained things loosely but the look in the King’s eyes had changed; they revealed his true nature full of burning ambitions. And even the Queen, who had been holding back from saying anything, couldn’t hide her excitement. It seemed like the Queen could keep up quite well too. It looked like they were able to calculate just how much profit they stood to gain from merely hearing my story.
858
859Maybe there are more people to watch out for than just the King of Blumund.
860
861The King of Blumund with a gambler’s instinct, able to make rational snap decisions, and the composed and calculative queen. It’s because these two combined their strength that Blumund was able to maintain its influence despite being a small country.
862
863“We would have to discuss that after we conclude the Opening Festival, without issues, in three days.”
864
865“If that’s so then I don’t think we need to worry. It’s already this prosperous when we haven’t even started. Without a doubt, this plan will require us to reach a consensus with the other countries involved. In preparation for that, we’ll be sure to solidify the public opinion in our country.
866
867“Hmm, my Queen is right. Rimuru-dono, I’m glad to hear such good news. Then, we’ll excuse ourselves.”
868
869“We wish you the best for the Opening Festival,” the two of them said in unison, standing up.
870
871The nobles were just going around talking with each other, not wanting to waste our time. After hearing everything they needed from me, it probably meant that they had nothing else to see me for.
872
873In fact, they were easy to understand, and so I felt like they were good people.
874
875“Please do enjoy your stay in our kingdom.”
876
877“I will do so.”
878
879“Yes, I have great expectations.”
880
881The two left, leaving those words.
882
883***
884
885It was the next day after meeting the royal couple of Blumund.
886
887The person who came looking for me was the Dwarf King Gazel.
888
889“I have come, Rimuru. Having not ridden the carriage in a long time seems to have tired me out.”
890
891
892
893
894
895He sat down opposite to me, acting as dignified and confident as always, and reached out for the snacks placed on the table like it was normal.
896
897“Wait, leave some for me too.”
898
899Turns out that I was too late in stopping him. Every last donut I had saved for later had disappeared into Gazel’s mouth in the blink of an eye.
900
901So he indulges in alcohol but curiously enough has a sweet tooth as well… It seems I can’t underestimate this man known as Gazel, either.
902
903“What a small-minded guy. Seeing how you sweat the small details; you still have a lot to learn.”
904
905What do you mean “I have a lot to learn.” You’re the one who inhaled someone else’s entire plate of donuts.
906
907I narrowed my eyes and stared at him. However, Gazel didn’t flinch in the slightest and accepted the stare.
908
909“The elders spontaneously requested to come along, increasing the number of carriages dramatically. This is all your fault, Rimuru!” Gazel said.
910
911If they were to use the pegasi they could arrive within a day from Dwargon. But since this was a formal visit, they couldn’t use the pegasus knights.
912
913This wasn’t just for the escorts. There was a need for a large and powerful country like Dwargon to show its majesty to the nobles of other countries that would be visiting the festival. And for that reason, not only did they prepare multiple outfits to change into, but they also had to bring aides to manage all the clothes and servants to help change into them. Because there was a need to bring them all they had to plan a large-scale visit.
914
915“To act like a king, there needs to be a preparation to its scale. It was a relief that at least the roads were properly maintained but the last few days still made for a very tiring trip.”
916
917So that’s why Gazel often snuck away to visit here with a small number of people.
918
919
920
921Speaking of which, I received a report from Souei that the road to Blumund had been jam-packed. It was so crowded that they needed traffic enforcement and all the inns were full.
922
923This was a report gleefully calling for a larger scale of transportation.
924
925Modern Japan didn’t have problems with cars breaking down often. And even when it happened, there would be insurance agencies that would respond. However, it was always a big problem when carriages broke down in this world. Just clearing the carriage off of the road to not obstruct traffic took a lot of effort.
926
927You also had to take care of the horse’s condition, meaning you couldn’t use it however you wish.
928
929We had constructed the roads with extra width in preparation, but as expected, problems still arose. Though I did instruct them to collect information on how we could handle these problems in the future.
930
931Just now, after hearing what Gazel said, it dawned on me how big of a deal it was for nobles to travel.
932
933The current problem with congestion seemed to come down to there being a higher number of aristocrats participating than expected. So, next time it would be better to take more things into consideration.
934
935Though it would be better if we could invent the train and transport them using that… Well, putting that aside.
936
937
938
939“I didn’t know you would come in person. I had thought that you would send an emissary instead.”
940
941It was true that I didn’t expect Gazel to come. In hopes that he wouldn’t get angry, I responded honestly. But Gazel was not convinced.
942
943“Hmph! How could I not come! You seemed to be plotting something again, so I couldn’t have peace of mind until I saw it with my own eyes to judge it myself! And… I have something to ask.”
944
945“What is it?”
946
947“You seem to have fought with Hinata Sakaguchi…the rumor that you ended in a draw is a lie, right?”
948
949I did expect to be exposed but, as expected, Gazel seemed to know everything about my fight with Hinata already. Not only that, but he seemed to be completely convinced that the official statement was false.
950
951“Well, that is true. Although I did win the match, I feel like I lost the game, I guess a win is a win.”
952
953After firmly stating that this was a secret, I told Gazel the full story of the fight between Hinata and me.
954
955“Unbelievable. That woman…in honesty is stronger than me. It would be another story if we were to talk just about swordsmanship, but in overall strength, I’d be pushed back. Yet you really still won?”
956
957Taking my lead, Gazel spoke honestly as well. There was no way the Hero King Gazel would actually fight with Hinata. Therefore, he probably had a covert agent gather information and analyze her strength and concluded that he would be at a disadvantage.
958
959He must have been genuinely shocked that I had beaten someone of that caliber.
960
961“Luck also played a role in it. Truthfully, Hinata was even stronger than Demon Lord Clayman, who I had beaten. I believe the reason I was able to win was mostly because of my Skills.”
962
963Honestly, if it wasn’t for Raphael-sensei I would have lost.
964
965Although Raphael-sensei was also one of my Skills, it was really the one that was managing all my strength. If Raphael had not utilized the strength even I didn't know I had, my loss to Hinata would’ve been inevitable.
966
967“Hmph, luck is still part of your skill. Although I’m happy for your progress it feels bitter that you accepted your defeat so easily.
968
969“Even if you say that… My real skills still can’t beat Hakurou.”
970
971“You sure are a weird guy. Whatever your real abilities are, aren’t your Skills still part of your skillset?” King Gazel uttered with a dumbfounded look, but I was being honest. If it wasn’t for Raphael-sensei I would probably just be at Gobta’s level.
972
973Of course, I would never actually tell this to anyone.
974
975“Alright, fine. That’s that, but what are you planning this time?” he started to ask while changing his dumbfounded expression to a more serious one.
976
977This was probably the main topic. Nevertheless, even if he asked what I was thinking, I couldn’t…
978
979“What do you mean?”
980
981I couldn’t understand at all what Gazel was trying to say.
982
983“What do you mean…that’s not it! The Western Saints Church is trying to formally open a window for future negotiations with our Dwargon. Why did the Western Saints Church, who viewed us as something akin to monsters, change their doctrines now? This sudden change reeks of your doing!!”
984
985Ah!
986
987Hearing Gazel getting angry at me, I remembered my talk with Hinata and her crew. Looking back, I remembered advising them that bringing King Gazel into this would probably be a good idea.
988
989The Dwarven Kingdom was a nation that had stayed neutral for over a thousand years. Because of its remarkably high credibility, even the Western Saints Church’s most devout believers probably didn’t regard dwarves as monsters. And even if some did, it was probably a really small minority.
990
991The reason I suggested it to Hinata was that I believed this, but I seemed to have forgotten to get King Gazel’s approval of it. It's probably more accurate to say that I didn’t seek his approval because I didn’t think I needed to.
992
993I didn’t reckon Gazel would get this mad.
994
995Hinata probably won’t say that it was my idea, so I’ll just feign ignorance.
996
997“Hey, hey. I have no idea what you are saying. W-well, I think we had a spark of friendship with Hinata after fighting for real with her. And because of that, we made up, and we decided to get along. So, maybe they wanted to get along with not only us but also wished to formally establish a friendly relationship with Gazel’s side too?
998
999“—Ho?”
1000
1001Gazel looked at me suspiciously. I honestly thought that I should be in slime form for situations like this. I could feel cold sweat dripping everywhere, despite being unable to.
1002
1003
1004
1005<<Notice. Individual Gazel Dwargo is reading your mental state with ‘Dictator’. It was left alone because there was no hostility or harm, but do you want to interrupt it? YES/NO>>
1006
1007YES! Of course YES!!
1008
1009Please tell me something as important as that right away Raphael-sensei—!!
1010
1011I understood now. I had thought about it a few times before, but Gazel could really read people’s minds. No wonder I felt like he was looking through me since the first time we met. Like the way he seemed to have expected my speech, and the time he accurately predicted my attacks during our battle; it all made sense if he could read minds.
1012
1013It must have realized ‘Mind Read’ being invoked ever since Great Sage’s evolution to Raphael. I was glad that it didn’t seem like an ability that’s always active, but I wonder how much of my mind he read in that short moment just now…
1014
1015
1016
1017I snuck a glance at Gazel; he smirked as veins throbbed on his forehead.
1018
1019“Ha, haha, so you figured out my ‘Mind Read’, huh. I will praise you for that, but interrupting that means you have something to hide, now doesn’t it?”
1020
1021“N-no no. I don’t think that’s it.
1022
1023“You dummy! I caught a quick peek of you thinking that it would be a good idea to bring me into this!”
1024
1025Bad deeds are not easy to commit.
1026
1027Because of how furious Gazel was, I had no choice but to spill the beans on every detail of my conversation with Hinata. And then—
1028
1029“So that’s it. The ones to claim to support Human supremacy were the ‘Seven Celestial Sages’…”
1030
1031“Right. So Hinata’s side is considering purging everyone who was under the influence of the ‘Seven Celestial Sages’. With them gone, they would probably think that all power is under Hinata’s authority.”
1032
1033I hid Luminus’s identity and only explained the internal situation of the Western Saints Church and Holy Empire Ruberios to Gazel.
1034
1035He nodded and took a while to contemplate.
1036
1037“—That does make sense. Then it would be foolish to turn down the offer.”
1038
1039And so, his decision, in the end, was to accept Hinata’s—the Western Saints Church’s—proposal.
1040
1041“I knew you would say that.”
1042
1043“Shut up, you even acted on your own without permission… Well, fine. Since we’re at a festival and all, we shall end our boring discussion here. You did prepare the best seat for me, right? You should do your best to entertain me.”
1044
1045King Gazel who, after venting all of his anger before me, was now saying we should stop the boring talk. You’re only saying that because you’re satisfied—is what I thought, but I was not stupid enough to actually say that. I was informed that Hinata’s side had also participated in the Opening Festival, so we determined to discuss this in detail after meeting each other in person.
1046
1047Gazel similarly indicated a need to discuss things among his subordinates that followed along.
1048
1049I sent Gazel off after promising him that I would arrange a meeting after the festival.
1050
1051***
1052
1053It was the morning three days after Diablo’s return.
1054
1055Youmu’s party arrived.
1056
1057He happened to come at a good time, seeing as tonight was the eve of the celebration and starting tomorrow, after the long wait, would be the start of the Opening Festival.
1058
1059We were in the usual conference room, in front of me were Youmu and several of his subordinates lined up.
1060
1061“Your Honor, it’s been a while! As promised, I have become a king.”
1062
1063Although his outfit had changed to something fancy, his personality had not. With a brusque attitude and a grin, he looked straight at me.
1064
1065I returned his gaze with a smile.
1066
1067“Clothes truly do make the man, Youmu-kun. I will be in your care from now on as well.”
1068
1069“Haha! That’s my line. Making a person such as me a king, I will serve you well until the end. We are all prepared to join in on your ambitions. I’m not the type to half-ass things,” Youmu said with a smile.
1070
1071
1072
1073As promised, Youmu had become a great king. Thanks to Diablo putting in the hard work behind the scenes, the groundwork seemed to have been firmly established.
1074
1075And so Farmus Kingdom’s long history had come to an end. Now giving rise to a new nation with Hero Youmu as the king. They decided to call the new kingdom “Farmenas”, with the meaning being a country that was born while experiencing danger. At the same time, Youmu, who was the founding king, decided to call himself Youmu Famenas.
1076
1077The two majins beside Youmu—Myuran and Grucius—were also with him. As long as these two guardian escorts were with Youmu, he would be safe.
1078
1079Although Myuran wasn’t a mere guardian escort.
1080
1081“Your Majesty Rimuru, I apologize for the late greeting. I am the wife of the King of Famenas, Youmu, Myuran Famenas. I will be in your care.”
1082
1083Seeming to have noticed my attention switching to her, Myuran gave a curtsy and offered me a polite greeting. Her beauty could outshine any other noble lady.
1084
1085“Myuran displays the striking presence of a queen.”
1086
1087“Right? That’s because unlike me, Myuran has refinement.”
1088
1089As I was complimenting Myuran, Youmu joined in with a proud expression.
1090
1091“I may look like this, but I do have experience. Because Clayman was at least a man of manners—”
1092
1093Thanks to what you may call his interest in aristocracy, Clayman had developed a sophisticated taste for the finer things. He would decorate his castle with high-quality furniture and artworks, so he was probably just as meticulous with the education of his subordinates.
1094
1095And like that, help came from a place we least expected it.
1096
1097“So, it’s good to have experience in anything. I’m also having difficulty learning proper mannerisms. Not long ago I was having a hard time being set up as a decoration while greeting the different monsters of Jura Great Forest.”
1098
1099“Ah, I can understand. The noble's never-ending requests for an audience give me a headache, not to mention the idiots stirring up fights in an attempt to gain some power. Although those problems are often solved by that old man—Chief Sorcerer Razen.”
1100
1101Speaking of which, it didn’t seem like he would be coming. They said he was busy since things within the country weren’t stable yet. I thought maybe he would betray us—but thinking about it, he was under the effect of Diablo’s ‘Tempter’. So my worries were unfounded.
1102
1103Even the retired king decided to hide his identity and become an advisor. While helping Youmu, who lacked knowledge and finesse, he had been a lot of help on the political side of things.
1104
1105Then there was the other majin, that being Grucius.
1106
1107“And I heard you became the chief of knights?”
1108
1109“That is right, Rimuru-sama. I declined, but this guy just won't quit once he makes up his mind…”
1110
1111It seemed that Youmu forced the position onto Grucius. Looking at his skills alone, he didn’t lack the talent to fit in this position, so the others didn’t complain. They couldn’t let a talent like that go to waste by just letting him play around, so they requested him to be the chief of knights of the newly founded Famenas Kingdom.
1112
1113However, Grucius had a bitter expression. I advised him that following his heart would be the right thing to do. Although Grucius thought that too, he couldn’t decline Myuran’s request.
1114
1115After receiving her personal request he couldn’t refuse, Grucius was formally appointed as chief of knights.
1116
1117Are you okay with that, Grucius? I thought, but he didn’t seem to hate it, so I wasn’t in the position to make it an issue.
1118
1119“I still believe I’m a subject of Karion-sama, but I plan to look after this idiot for a while.”
1120
1121“Shut up—, you’re the stupid one!”
1122
1123Nothing seemed to have changed between these two.
1124
1125Myuran just looked at them dumbfounded.
1126
1127Seeing this scene made me feel nostalgic. Until now it was a pattern that I had experienced over and over, but this time we had an unexpected intruder.
1128
1129“Really! His majesty Youmu and Chief Grucius…this is an act that is of discourtesy to Demon Lord Rimuru!” shouted a boy who looked like he was still in elementary school. He was a handsome, nerdy looking boy.
1130
1131“Edgar! You’re so stiff.”
1132
1133“Haha, what of it. If the people see how quick-witted I am, everyone will realize that I'm most qualified to be the next successor to the throne.”
1134
1135“Chief Grucius! Things will get complicated if you make such jokes. Since I’m working hard as an attendant for his Majesty to be a great king!”
1136
1137Edgar spoke with his face flushing red with anger. Surprisingly, I was told that he was the son of the former king, Edmalis. Although Edgar was only ten, he seemed very trustworthy. Seeing him already accustomed to pointing things out like that, he was probably going through a lot, despite being a wee lad. Dealing with a sloppy adult must be a strenuous job.
1138
1139Youmu and Grucius may complain a lot, but they seemed to actually adore Edgar all the while.
1140
1141Although I would have liked to continue this heartwarming conversation, we had to move on. Youmu’s party must’ve been exhausted from the long travels and other high-status people were coming here for the eve of the festival.
1142
1143After agreeing to have a drink with Youmu at our leisure later, I ended our conversation.
1144
1145“Putting that aside, I have a gift for Youmu-kun for keeping your promise. Diablo—”
1146
1147“Yes, Rimuru-sama. Were you looking for this?”
1148
1149Diablo apparently noticed even without me finishing. He brought up a certificate that he had prepared in advance. I handed it over to Youmu.
1150
1151“Your Honor, this is…?”
1152
1153Youmu wasn’t used to reading yet, so he handed it over to his attendant, Edgar.
1154
1155The look in his eyes changed after examining it.
1156
1157“I-I shall void the remaining balance for the reparations. Is that what you’re saying?!”
1158
1159“That’s right, now with Youmu as king, they serve no further need.”
1160
1161Actually, we already got 1,500 star gold coins. 10,000 star gold coins was an excessive amount, and since I had already achieved my goal, I did not need it anymore.
1162
1163“Haha, I don’t quite get it but that’s what he says, Edgar,” Youmu beamed at the wide-eyed Edgar.
1164
1165Although Youmu didn’t seem to understand, it looks like Edgar grasped the ramifications.
1166
1167I hoped Youmu’s reputation would improve with this.
1168
1169Thus, Youmu was heralded as a successful man due to getting the reparations forgiven by me—a demon lord.
1170
1171
1172
1173My greetings with Youmu’s party wrapped up.
1174
1175Taking the baffled Edgar, Youmu left the scene.
1176
1177***
1178
1179As the afternoon rolled around, my busy schedule became a bit more relaxed.
1180
1181The stream of visitors kept pouring in, but in order to prepare for the evening’s Opening Festival, we didn’t have time for talks. There were a lot of people requesting an audience, but I decided to schedule them for a meeting after the festival.
1182
1183And so, after barely getting any time off, I went to Ingracia Kingdom to meet Yuuki as promised. On the way there I was going to visit the academy and bring the kids too. Since it was a festival, I thought that it would be nice for them to have some fun as well.
1184
1185
1186
1187The nostalgic scenery of Ingracia’s streets.
1188
1189It had only been a few months, but a smile crept across my face as I remembered my time living here.
1190
1191I headed for the headquarters of the Freedom Association without running into any trouble. Through modern-looking automatic glass doors, I stepped into a temperature-controlled room. At that moment, several sharp looks focused on me.
1192
1193This was a place that only people who were rank B or above could enter, so naturally, only skilled people were around. Satisfied with the place not looking any different from before, I slowly strolled around.
1194
1195I noticed that some people were trying to size me up. Seeing that they were gathered at the headquarters this early in the morning, there might’ve been a big job they were preparing for.
1196
1197“—Who is that?”
1198
1199“It’s not a face I know. A newcomer? Do you know?”
1200
1201“No, I don’t know anyone that beautiful.”
1202
1203Hearing whispers like that made me feel a little uncomfortable.
1204
1205To forget me in less than a year—at first, I was a little peeved, but then it hit me. I had forgotten that I wasn’t wearing a mask. Now being able to completely control my aura, I confidently went in with a bare face thinking that I didn’t need to wear it anymore.
1206
1207I had considered disguising myself, but it was already too late. Luckily, my clothes were those that I often wore as an adventurer, so if I acted confidently, no one would realize that I was a demon lord.
1208
1209After all, the demon lord attire for the audience was masterfully handcrafted by Shuna. It was impossibly luxurious. The decorations were fancy, and it was a beautiful product of the highest quality. The headdress was also exquisitely decorated, making me look like a completely different person.
1210
1211In this world, the ability to take pictures has yet to become commonplace, so my face shouldn’t be widely known yet… it’ll probably be okay not to worry about it. I decided to just roll with this look.
1212
1213Someone blocked my way as I was confidently striding towards the reception desk.
1214
1215I felt like something like this had happened before.
1216
1217“Wait, I don’t know from which countryside you earned that B rank, but walking by without greeting your seniors is something unacceptable—hey, you. Don’t you know it’s the etiquette for a junior to reveal his name first?”
1218
1219Déjà vu—that was it, I remembered now.
1220
1221This guy was an acquaintance of Kabal. Seeing as how they complained about greeting seniors last time as well, he looked like the type who put great emphasis on and valued the relationship between juniors and seniors in a sportsman kind of way.
1222
1223“You, if I remember correctly, your name is Grasse? You seem to always be in the headquarters, do you have a lot of free time?”
1224
1225“Huh? You know my name? That means—”
1226
1227“I’m Rimuru. I was with Kabal’s party, remember?” I cut Grasse off and introduced myself.
1228
1229Putting that aside, what was up with Grasse? I did take off my mask, but my voice stayed the same, didn’t it? Why don’t you recognize me…
1230
1231“What!? Ri-Rimuru-san?”
1232
1233“Yes. You, although it’s my first time showing you my face, you should be able to recognize me from my voice.”
1234
1235“Uh, um, I mean…huh? I think I remember you being a bit shorter back then?
1236
1237As I revealed that my name was Rimuru, Grasse quickly became confused. My rank was way higher than Grasse’s, so if we were to base it on his standard, I was his superior.
1238
1239Fundamentally, adventurers are all about strength, making the relationships between seniors and juniors not nearly as important to most. When I first started out, I did occasionally show my respect to those I owed a favor, but I didn’t even owe any favors to this guy, so no reason to act as such. It would be another story if we took a job together, but among adventurers your rank was everything.
1240
1241“I grew.”
1242
1243Actually, I evolved, not grew, but I didn’t really have to be honest about that. I laced my tone with a hint of irritation, thankfully Grasse took the hint.
1244
1245“S-so that’s it. Putting that aside, Rimuru-san, you’re gorgeous! Now that you’ve grown you must be invincible! I’m touched to actually see a face this gorgeous in person!”
1246
1247Grasse straightened his posture like Kabal’s party did and started dumping vapid flattery on me. Although he was weaselly, he was someone you just couldn’t hate.
1248
1249“Alright, alright. More importantly, you seem to always be here, is it okay for you to slack off?”
1250
1251“Hehe, please don’t say that. Actually, this is one of the jobs I took; I train newcomers here. As you might know, there are different levels of strength within the B rank, so it’s my job to teach those newcomers that act up. Those guys are in the same position, but since we don’t have anything to do right now, we were just resting while on standby at the headquarters,” Grasse said while pointing at the men who were looking at me, to which they promptly stood up and greeted me.
1252
1253“I can’t believe it was actually Rimuru, someone of B+ rank, I apologize for not recognizing you,” the man, who seems to be the representative, said with everyone nodding in agreement.
1254
1255“I don’t believe I changed much…”
1256
1257“No, No, No, No, please don’t say that, the only thing that we could recognize are your clothes.”
1258
1259“Yes, he’s right. That face is almost like a cheat. It goes well beyond merely catching someone’s eye…”
1260
1261Hmm, is that so?
1262
1263“Alright, will wearing the mask suffice?”
1264
1265It was a hassle to go over this every time, so even if it was a bit of a bother, I didn’t think I had a choice. After I secretly made a mask within my ‘Stomach’, I put it on my face. The adventurers’ moods deflated, their eyes filled with disappointment.
1266
1267I don’t know if that’s really something to make a fuss about, but it was over.
1268
1269“Then I’ll excuse myself. Don’t be too hard on the newcomers.”
1270
1271After leaving those words, I headed for the reception desk.
1272
1273
1274
1275I gave my name at the reception desk and requested to meet Yuuki. Word apparently got through and the man at the reception desk directed me to Yuuki immediately.
1276
1277“Oh, Rimuru-san. Long time no see! You seem to have gone through a lot of difficult experiences since the last time?”
1278
1279“It’s not something you can just sum up as being difficult. Getting a surprise attack from Hinata, Farmus’s army marching down on us, I even got summoned by the demon lords… It’s been a never-ending barrage of torment for me. Just saying ‘that it was difficult’ doesn’t even begin to describe the misery, wouldn’t you agree?”
1280
1281“Haha, even after all that, coming out unscathed feels just like you, Rimuru-san,” Yuuki responded playfully, but it was true that those things were actually awfully grueling to deal with. Yuuki probably understood this too. Although he was smiling cheerfully his voice did contain a touch of compassion.
1282
1283“In short, since I have made up with Hinata, I can say that it all turned out well in the end.”
1284
1285“That seems to be the case. Occasionally meeting with Hinata to exchange information gave me the chance to speak well about you from time to time. Regrettably, Hinata does seem like the type who is loyal to a fault.”
1286
1287“Ah, I know what you mean. She doesn’t listen at all to what others say.”
1288
1289“You’re right. She’s the type that only believes what she has seen and heard with her own eyes and ears. That personality of hers has put me through quite a lot over the years…”
1290
1291That we could agree on, launching into a delightful conversation.
1292
1293Yeah. There were moments when I had no clue what Hinata was thinking. I could only imagine the hard times Yuuki must’ve had.
1294
1295“Well, but you’re the only one I can talk about this with, Rimuru-san.”
1296
1297Hinata’s circle of believers was vast, allowing even the slightest, casual slander to trickle back into her ears, or so they say. In the first place, disparaging people wasn’t something you should often do. Therefore, I thought that I should be careful as well.
1298
1299“Well that’s that, so what do you think? You don’t have to push it if you’re busy, but if two or three days is okay, wouldn’t you like to participate in the festival?”
1300
1301“Heh, I should go, of course. I’ve been desperately finishing my work just to attend, you know? And, not to worry, I have a trustworthy subordinate to take care of my work while I’m absent. Wait a moment.”
1302
1303After I brought up the real purpose of my visit today, asking if he’s attending the Opening Festival, Yuuki left those words and stood up, then seemingly calling someone, he left the room.
1304
1305I took a sip of the tea he had left me, and not much time had passed before Yuuki returned with a woman in tow.
1306
1307“I’ll introduce her to you. Her name is Kagali and she has taken the job of the Freedom Association’s deputy grandmaster,” he said, introducing me to that woman—Kagali-san. Her appearance was one of beauty and elegance, clothed in what resembled a suit with ornate designs unique to this world. It suited her perfectly. She had navy-blue eyes and blonde hair tied in a bun, but most remarkable were her long, pointed ears. Her species was undoubtedly elven in nature.
1308
1309“Nice to meet you, Rimuru Tempest. No, Demon Lord Rimuru-sama. My name is Kagali. It’s an honor to meet you.”
1310
1311“Happy to meet you. This is my second time here, but it seems we weren’t able to meet the last time?”
1312
1313I had seen the woman who served the tea, but it was my first time seeing someone called Kagali. If it’s someone great enough to be the deputy, I wish he would have introduced me to her earlier—but there was a reason for that.
1314
1315
1316
1317
1318
1319“Haha, there wasn’t much I could do about that; I just recently returned. My lifelong passion has been the exploration of ruins, and a few days ago we discovered the world’s largest ancient ruins, ‘Soma’.”
1320
1321
1322
1323Kagali-san was at the top of her field in the exploration sector. Before Yuuki established the Freedom Association, she was said to have been captivated by ruins, exploring them day and night. Yet because she didn’t participate in an adventurer’s group, which was the core feature of the Freedom Association, her name was not well known. Regardless, her skills were undoubtedly exceptional, catching Yuuki’s attention, who then recruited her.
1324
1325Fighting wasn’t the only purpose of the Freedom Association—a sentiment Yuuki believed in as well, hence the appointment of Kagali-san, an expert archeologist, to the honorable position of deputy. And with Yuuki’s support, it was said that Kagali-san had made a breakthrough achievement this time. That was the surprising discovery of the ancient ruins called “Soma”.
1326
1327With this outstanding feat under her belt, Kagali-san’s reputation was revised in the public eye. Even those who were convinced that she had been afforded a high position solely through her personal connections with Yuuki now acknowledged and revered her as the deputy grandmaster.
1328
1329
1330
1331“We discovered the ruins, but we still have a lot left to explore. We were only able to make a full map of the top floor; many of its riddles remain yet to be solved.”
1332
1333“But that’s the job of the exploration adventurers. If they have Kagali’s map, even they could explore without problems.”
1334
1335Instead of leaving it all to one accomplished exploration adventurer, it seemed like they were mobilizing people to start excavating. Since it would also help nurture young rookies, I think it would be killing two birds with one stone.
1336
1337And so Kagali-san took up the job of training exploration adventurers of at least rank B at the Ingracia Freedom Association headquarters.
1338
1339The pay was quite high, and apparently, some of the income earned from selling the things found in the ancient ruins went straight into her pockets. Considering that the transactions were all made through the guild, the profits they reaped couldn’t be underestimated.
1340
1341“I see. Ruins seem to be quite profitable.”
1342
1343“That’s right. Although in my case I’m not in it for the money, it’s more of a hobby. Although, occasionally, I put the things I found up for auction to top off the activity funds.”
1344
1345As expected, exploring ruins was expensive, she seemed to have had a hard time.
1346
1347Yes, yes, talking about ruins…
1348
1349“I have something I want to ask, who owns the ruins? Does the country they are in manage it?”
1350
1351“Uh-um, that’s a bit complicated. Take, for instance, the topic of our conversation, the ancient ruins of ‘Soma’; they are under the administration of the Freedom Association. That’s because its location is a bit of a gray area, found in the region far west of the Western Nations in the desert known as ‘Barren Lands’.”
1352
1353“Strictly speaking, the ‘Barren Lands’ is close to Demon Lord Dagruel’s territory, causing everyone to fear it and dissuading any attempts to rule it. So, no one currently claims ownership of the ruins found there.”
1354
1355“Is that so… Then, as expected, it is necessary to carefully consider how to manage such a place…”
1356
1357“Huh? Is there something that’s bothering you, Rimuru-san?” Yuuki asked, seemingly bothered by my reaction.
1358
1359
1360
1361The thing on my mind was, of course, the ruins under Clayman’s castle. Likely magical items and other things were sleeping in that place, so exploring it would, by my estimation, earn us some hefty profits.
1362
1363But there was something that bothered me. It was the question of rightful ownership surrounding the findings from the ruins. Another thing that bothered me was the potential of attracting unsavory adventurers in it only for the money or even distasteful outlaws.
1364
1365Although the proposal of digging up treasure in ancient ruins was enticing, we ought to consider their historical value as well. Investigating them can tell us a lot about how the ancient people lived back then. The world of ancient civilizations captures a certain sense of fascination. If we act too hastily, we will run the risk of destroying valuable information. That was my biggest concern.
1366
1367The ruins weren’t something I intended to hide from them, so I decided to discuss the matter with Yuuki and Kagali-san. It seems like I came at just the right time to meet an exploration specialist.
1368
1369
1370
1371“The truth is, I found ruins in Clayman’s base.”
1372
1373“What? Is that true?!”
1374
1375The moment I said that, Kagali-san shot a sharp stare at me, radiating an incredibly intense force that made my skin crawl. I was somewhat taken aback but decided to continue my explanation.
1376
1377“Clayman had accumulated an immense fortune, and he also handed weapons and shields with magic effects to his subordinates. So I was wondering if he was making use of the things he found in those ruins, but—”
1378
1379“—But?”
1380
1381After hesitating a bit, I let out my thoughts.
1382
1383“It may be rude to say this to people who make a living with ruin exploration, but I refuse to tear apart the ruins merely for a chance of treasure. What kind of life and culture did the residents have and what ultimately lead to their downfall—these are the things I want to find out. Even if it’s just to make meaningful use of the past, I think we should show our respect to the ancient people.”
1384
1385Well, those were probably just my overly emotional thoughts. It’s not that I didn’t have an interest in treasures, but I believed there to be something more important. And that’s why I ordered for the ruins to be sealed for now.
1386
1387“Hmm, surprisingly, you’re quite the romanticist, Rimuru-san…”
1388
1389“‘Surprisingly’, what do you mean? I’m a romanticist through and through.”
1390
1391“Haha. hearing that, I guess you’re right. If it weren’t for your romantic spirit, you wouldn’t have thought of making a country of monsters,” Yuuki said with a smile of agreement.
1392
1393As for Kagali, she was nodding while deep in thought. The murderous look in her eyes had long subsided, now shining with the light of reason.
1394
1395“I wonder… It’s something I haven’t thought of, but I can understand. I would also like to prevent wanton destruction of the ruins. Therefore, I’m planning to properly educate the research group before dispatching them to Soma.”
1396
1397My sentiment—romanticism for the ancient times—didn’t get across, but I think she at least understood that the ruins needed to be protected.
1398
1399She’s a well-qualified person, so maybe I should ask her to explore the ruins.
1400
1401Then that still leaves me with the question…
1402
1403“In regard to Clayman’s territory, it is currently under my sole authority. Later on, it will be merged with Milim’s territory, but right now we’re the ones who are managing it, after all, we're the ones who defeated Clayman. I think even that guy took good care of the ruins, we wouldn’t want to be the ones to ruin it, right? That’s why I thought we should get Milim on board with this and have her take good care of the ruins.”
1404
1405“Huh-hmm, so Rimuru-san won’t be the one to continue managing it?”
1406
1407“I think that would be difficult. It’s adjacent to the Eastern Empire, making considerations for the perimeter defense a hassle—something needlessly tedious. We can’t spare the military forces to fortify that area in the first place.”
1408
1409
1410
1411Clayman’s territory was the buffer zone with the Eastern Empire. There you could find a road called “Death’s Valley” winding through jagged mountains. It was a rough, unfastened road that, if you managed to pass, would allow you to travel between Clayman’s territory and the Empire. Despite this treacherous road being laden with monsters, traces of Clayman’s subordinates using the road had been found. Therefore, the Empire was possibly in collaboration with Clayman and might mobilize their forces. We would have to remain vigilant.
1412
1413Even if we wanted to dispatch an army there, we were too short on numbers. Managing the Jura Great Forest on its own was already an arduous task, and so if I could leave Clayman’s territory in Milim’s hands, it would be up to her alone, if or when the Empire decided to make a move.
1414
1415
1416
1417“Then, does it mean that we need Demon Lord Milim’s permission to explore the ruins?”
1418
1419“That would be the case.”
1420
1421“Is that so… You’ve intrigued me with those ruins, can’t we somehow take a look?”
1422
1423“I doubt she would turn us down if we asked, but she would, in all likelihood, ask to come along.”
1424
1425“That would be…”
1426
1427She seemed hesitant to go exploring together with Milim, which came as no surprise, considering that that demon lord was infamous for causing disasters. Kagali already looked dejected—but it’s too early to give up. Milim is gonna tag along, that’s for sure, but if I were to accompany them, it might be okay.
1428
1429“I intended to investigate them sooner or later anyway, and I’d feel reassured if a pro like Kagali were to come along. This too might be fate, so I would like to formally request an investigation from the Freedom Association, with remuneration, what do you think?”
1430
1431“In other words, the rights to the things found in the ruins will belong to Rimuru-san?”
1432
1433“No, that needs to be discussed. I have my own museum, leading me to be more interested in displaying things there than digging. First, it’s part of Milim’s territory, we have to discuss it with her. I think it would be difficult to decide now.”
1434
1435“I see. Regardless, you'll still be doing your own investigations, correct?”
1436
1437“That’s it!”
1438
1439“So, I'd be happy to accept your offer if I didn't have to worry about the funding. If you could handle negotiations with Demon Lord Milim on our behalf, I’d be more than willing to accept the offer.”
1440
1441Kagali-san struck me as the type that is interested in scientific research, rather than someone who’s just in it for the money. If that was so, then there was no problem. I would take on the job of convincing Milim and leave the organization of the investigation team to Kagali-san.
1442
1443“Can I entrust this to you?”
1444
1445“Yes! Please leave that request to our Freedom Association!”
1446
1447“I’m looking forward to it. Then along with taking care of things while Yuuki-sama is out, I will finish up the preparation for the exploration.”
1448
1449That was the situation. The conversation had completely derailed at this point. The whole point of me being there in the first place was to invite Yuuki.
1450
1451“Then I’ll let you handle everything, Kagali. I’m sorry that you can’t enjoy the festival with us.”
1452
1453“Hahaha, it’s alright. Then, Yuuki-sama, please have a great time.
1454
1455“Yup, I’ll leave the rest to you!”
1456
1457After our little greeting, Yuuki and I left the Association headquarters.
1458
1459Things were on the up-and-up for the exploration of the ruins, as we received a helping hand from a place we never expected it. Previously, I was having a hard time deciding who to take along, but I felt reassured now that a pro was taking part. I was eagerly looking forward to checking out the ruins after we wrapped up the Opening Festival and took a short break. Who knows, maybe it could be reference material for the underground labyrinth. There'll be a lot for me to study.
1460
1461I thought about these things while taking Yuuki to our next destination.
1462
1463***
1464
1465I removed my mask as I was leaving the Association’s headquarters. Since its ability to hide my youki had become meaningless now, I didn’t have to wear it unless I was in a place where someone was likely to bother me.
1466
1467Yuuki came over to speak to me, with a giant bag in tow. He must have prepared in advance, like I told him to in the letter I had sent. The ridiculous size of that bag suggested that he intended to stay for a couple of days.
1468
1469“You’re bringing those kids to the festival too, right?”
1470
1471“Yep. Since I reconciled with Hinata, there’s no one openly hostile to us. There might be some small incidents here and there, but when it comes to security, I’m well prepared.”
1472
1473Since we’re inviting prominent figures from each country, we’re especially focused on that part. Therefore, inviting those five kids to our country’s festival won’t be an issue.
1474
1475“Okay, then I will allow it,” Yuuki nodded, then continued with a smile, “they’ve been studying and behaving well lately, so I think it’s okay to give them a breather.”
1476
1477We didn’t send a letter to let the kids know in advance, meaning this would be a total surprise to them. I kept quiet about it until I could be sure that it was okay. I hoped they would understand that part. Normally with things like this, you would need to get the person’s consent first, but, depending on the situation, inviting the kids could be postponed. I believed that it would be better than getting them all excited only to let them down.
1478
1479
1480
1481A short walk later, the familiar school building came into view. The imposing structure was the pride of Ingracia, a training institution for association members—the Freedom Academy.
1482
1483After a brief exchange with the guard, he immediately conveyed the message inside. Yuuki’s presence expedited the process immensely, he was the chairman after all, and the person to guide us soon arrived.
1484
1485After greeting the principal, we headed for the classroom.
1486
1487“Hey. Have you kids been well—” Before I could finish, Alice came charging like a bullet, ramming me squarely in the stomach.
1488
1489“You’re late, sensei!”
1490
1491How could it be? It didn’t really feel like it had been that long, so maybe it’s because I’m an adult? Kids have a different sense of time; they must’ve felt lonely.
1492
1493“Yeah! You promised to come to play often!”
1494
1495“Yes, Gale is right. I was worried that you had forgotten all about us.”
1496
1497“But now you’re here, we’re so happy, sensei!”
1498
1499Gale, Kenya, Ryota, these three gathered around me had big smiles on their faces, in spite of their complaints.
1500
1501And lastly, Chloe as well, “Welcome, sensei!”
1502
1503She came running and hugged me with a smile.
1504
1505“You’re still as popular as ever, I’m envious,” Yuuki observed while looking at the children.
1506
1507“Ah, big bro Yuuki is here too!”
1508
1509“Big bro Yuuki, you’re going to battle me today too, right?”
1510
1511“Me too!”
1512
1513“That’s a good idea. I’ve been able to get a good grip of the spirit’s power recently.”
1514
1515As the kids recognized Yuuki, their happiness shot through the roof. Kenya challenged him, while Gale and Ryota seemed to have the same in mind. Now that they could properly control their powers, they seemed to really want to try out their skills.
1516
1517However, that’s not what today was going to be about.
1518
1519“Ah-haha, it’ll take another hundred years before you get a shot at beating me!” Yuuki teased. “I can be your opponent, but not today.”
1520
1521“Awwww, why?” Kenya grumbled, at which point I decided to jump into the conversation, “It’s a shame, but we don’t have time today.”
1522
1523“What are you saying?” Chloe asked as her eyes widened in excitement.
1524
1525I looked her straight in the eyes and answered, “I’m inviting the five of you to my country. There is a festival tomorrow. But if you don’t really want to go—”
1526
1527“Hurry up, let’s get ready!”
1528
1529“Alright, Ken-chan!”
1530
1531“Wooow! Tell us important stuff like that sooner—!!”
1532
1533“That’s right, Rimuru-sensei! You’re telling us too suddenly!!”
1534
1535“Ah, but I’m still excited!!”
1536
1537The kids darted off without letting me finish. They had all agreed to go in a heartbeat.
1538
1539“Just pack up a change of clothes!” I shouted after them, but there was no response.
1540
1541They disappeared in a gust of excitement.
1542
1543The teacher left standing in the classroom had observed our interaction with a surprised expression. And once the kids disappeared, he let out a sigh of defeat.
1544
1545“Ah, how amazing. They never treated me with such affection…”
1546
1547“Ahaha, you’re doing well. It’s gotten a little bit better now, but there are no other teachers who can handle those kids.”
1548
1549“No, it’s nothing. If you don’t show your skill, they won’t take your lead. It’s, admittedly, a pretty reasonable demand. Embarrassingly enough to say, even I could lose if I were careless. The strength of those kids is the real deal. Anyway—” told me a teacher I was unfamiliar with, someone they likely hired as my replacement back then.
1550
1551“Ah, I’ve yet to introduce myself. I am the kids’ former advisor, Rimuru. I apologize for interrupting the class.”
1552
1553“Ah, you really are Rimuru-sensei. I heard a lot about you from the kids, so I guessed it was you. My name is Clouse. I was employed at this academy as your replacement. Don’t worry about the class; I was informed in advance by the chairman that the class could be on break for a while,” Clouse-sensei said with a defeated smile.
1554
1555According to Yuuki, Clouse-san was an A-rank adventurer of the subjugation division. At his ripe old age of 50 he was slowly preparing for retirement.
1556
1557“Wait a minute? If they’ve gotten so far as rivaling you, then just how much stronger have those little rascals gotten?”
1558
1559“What are you saying? They are going around, proudly proclaiming that they were taught by none other than you.”
1560
1561“Yeah, that’s right. Honestly, if I were ever to get foolishly careless, even I would lose to them,” came the admission from Yuuki.
1562
1563If he said so too, it’s gotta be true.
1564
1565No, no, it’s really amazing that they were able to grow this much in such a short amount of time, I marveled, deeply impressed, when Clouse set his gaze on Yuuki and me with a determined look.
1566
1567“Yuuki-sama, I have a request.”
1568
1569“Yes? What is it?”
1570
1571“I would like to ask Rimuru-sama to listen as well, as this is about the kids—before long, they will surpass me in strength if this carries on. We’ve seen this happen time and again; If the kids become complacent, it’ll be to their detriment. We need an adult that can be a mountain for them to climb.”
1572
1573“What do you mean?”
1574
1575“Elementary, Yuuki-sama. Those kids have much room to improve. We need someone who would teach them how to fight, so that they won’t be satisfied with merely beating me.”
1576
1577I wonder.
1578
1579Clouse-san was worrying for them like they were his own kids. Each of them housed a greater spirit of their own, allowing them to borrow that power to neutralize the energy they were imbued with on their travel through worlds as an “Otherworlder”. As they grow older, they would eventually gain the ability to control it on their own, opening the path for them to use the excess energy in fights, allowing even things like ‘Spirit Magic’ to be wielded with ease. That way, they could become powerful spirit-wielder like Shizu-san.
1580
1581Moreover, a Spirit of Light deemed Kenya to be in possession of the qualifications to become a ‘True Hero’, so under the guidance of a great teacher, acquiring tremendous strength could be within his grasp.
1582
1583Like Clouse-san said, we needed to find a great teacher. But that raised the question—
1584
1585“That’s it. We need to find someone to be a good teacher for those kids, right? But if it’s someone stronger than Clouse, he would need to be an active A rank. Having a first-class adventurer like that take on the role of a teacher is a bit of a stretch…”
1586
1587That’s the problem.
1588
1589Once you retire from the adventurer lifestyle, then accepting a stable job in education makes sense. But if you’re an active adventurer, it would be in your best financial interests to prioritize doing more high ranked jobs, rather than looking after kids. And even from the Freedom Association’s perspective, it would only be right for them to have the great and talented people prioritize protecting the public.
1590
1591“Precisely. Assuming at least Rank A, I can’t think of anyone who would accept the job of a teacher. If it’s academic studies or various adventuring skills I could teach them, but alas…” Clouse let out a sigh.
1592
1593In spite of him being the one who suggested it, he fully understood that it was a difficult task. That must be the case. Asking adventurers to be teachers would be difficult. Then… Thinking along those lines I gave a suggestion, “Then how about we do this? I am planning to build a school in our country. We have plenty of B ranks and our ‘Sword Master’ Hakurou is the instructor. Based purely on swordsmanship, he still outpaces me comfortably, he could teach them—”
1594
1595If we were to focus solely on swordsmanship, it’d be okay to leave it to Hakurou. But I wanted to teach lots of other stuff besides that.
1596
1597“That’s amazing! Then can we entrust the kids to Rimuru-san’s country?”
1598
1599“That’s one option. But if we were to do that, it would be hard for the kids to learn about human society.”
1600
1601Living among humans teaches one the common sense required to get along in their society. If we were to deprive them of this opportunity, I was afraid that they might grow up with a lack of communication skills.
1602
1603Over the course of time, the number of adventurers would increase, and their kids would probably go to schools. But that was still a future awaiting us several years from now. Until then, they would be learning in an environment without any other human children, and I thought that that could pose a bit of a problem.
1604
1605“Ahh, because there are only monsters and no human children.”
1606
1607“I see. That could be a problem…”
1608
1609Yuuki and Clouse-san ostensibly shared my apprehension and nodded in agreement.
1610
1611I was glad to be on the same page with them.
1612
1613But it was too early to relax. There was one last thing weighing on me.
1614
1615“Well, there is the option of leaving only the skill training to us. We can utilize teleportation magic after all, conveniently making it possible to take care of them a few times a week. But more importantly, I think the kids need to deepen their understanding of the spirits.”
1616
1617At this point it wasn’t an issue yet, but this also wasn’t a matter we could just accept and forget. To protect the lives of the children, each of them had a spirit in their bodies. To use that power properly, I thought it necessary to know more about the spirits.
1618
1619And that was something I could not teach. Saying this might be too obvious, but my knowledge is something I learned through experiencing it myself. Like trying to explain how to breathe, my disposition would make it prohibitively difficult to explain. You could easily expound the nature of spirits, yet doing so will never capture the essence.
1620
1621That’s when Hinata and the Holy Knight’s combat tactics came to mind—one of them the technique of fusing spiritual magic with a sword. Reaching those depths requires a similarly deep understanding of spirits.
1622
1623If we could teach that to the children…
1624
1625“If we’re talking about spirits, then the Holy Knights are unmatched. Should I ask Hinata?”
1626
1627“Uh-um, I thought about that as well, but isn’t Hinata too scary?”
1628
1629“Ah, yes. That is true…”
1630
1631“The kids probably won’t underestimate her, though I worry that she might be too strict with them…”
1632
1633“I cannot deny what you said,” Yuuki admitted, as both of us looked at each other and sighed. We decided to put this on hold for now.
1634
1635
1636
1637I could see the kids running towards us with their luggage.
1638
1639Shifting gears, attending a festival was a rare occasion. Moving forward, we would have a fun time, it’d be a shame to spoil it with these tiresome matters. For now we’d leave it to Hakurou and think about what would follow later on.
1640
1641We’re really just sweeping our problems under the rug, but I’m sure it’ll probably work itself out somehow.
1642
1643As usual, I decided to take it lightly and stopped worrying about it then and there.
1644
1645***
1646
1647After we headed out through the kingdom of Ingracia’s gates, I opened a ‘Teleportation Gate’ in a secluded place, away from prying eyes. Since this wasn’t magic, it could be cast without the use of a magic circle. Yuuki looked at me surprised, but the kids were already used to it.
1648
1649“That’s so easy for you, sensei, you should come visit us more often!” was the complaint I ended up hearing from Kenya. He had a point, so I ended up apologizing. I struggled to find the time among the many things vying for my attention, I couldn’t guarantee their safety either, but that didn’t need to be mentioned. There’s no reason to bring up trivialities that just make the kids feel uncomfortable. So I just brushed it off and promised to visit more often.
1650
1651After that, I guided Yuuki and the children to the inn that I was very proud of.
1652
1653Separate from the section housing the kings and nobles of each country, this was a private sector for the executives to stay in.
1654
1655After seeing Yuuki off to his room, I turned to look at the kids.
1656
1657“I’m sorry but I have things left to do. I think I can only meet you at night.”
1658
1659“ “ “Huuuh—?!” ” ” the kids cried out in dissatisfaction.
1660
1661“Hush!” I took out a pendant and showed it to the sulking kids to quiet them down.
1662
1663“I considered using this to play a game—?”
1664
1665Before the words could leave my lips, the kids’ eyes lit up, gone was their bellyaching as they were captivated with what I was about to say.
1666
1667Once I confirmed that I had captured their attention, I continued to explain.
1668
1669“Check it out, this is a free pass to all of the street stalls that will be installed for the festival starting tomorrow. With this, you can eat and drink at any store, all you want, and you can freely enter any event venues as well. However, the budget has an upper limit, it’s 100 silver coins—use them all up, and it’s game over. If that happens, you must go back to your room, where homework will be waiting for you as punishment. If you have kept up with your studies until now, you’ll be able to have a blast for all three days. So, do you want to play my game?”
1670
1671I knew from the start that I would be saddled with taking care of the kids, so I concocted a way to compensate in advance. To get the most out of a festival, having money to spend on snacks and trinkets is indispensable. Allowing them to roam freely was the main idea. I felt sorry that I couldn’t be with them, but I thought that the kids would be able to enjoy going around by themselves.
1672
1673Souei and his subordinates were on duty for surveillance inside the city. Even if they were to go their separate ways, I already had it set up for them to be monitored in secret.
1674
1675And so I had prepared for the kids to be able to enjoy themselves without worry. The amount of allowance was an unconventional 100 silver coins. Most of the things they’d sell at the street stalls wouldn’t even be worth 1 silver coin, so it would be hard for them to spend it all in three days. It was a game in name only, a simple excuse.
1676
1677“I wanna play!”
1678
1679“There seem to be a lot of weird things, you’re excited, right, Ken?”
1680
1681“Yup. It seems like fun!”
1682
1683“Thank you, sensei.”
1684
1685“Oh, we’ll also buy you a present, sensei!”
1686
1687The kids fell for my scheme, hook, line, and sinker. They were overcome with excitement in anticipation of the festival that started tomorrow.
1688
1689I gave out a pendant to each of the kids, then looked them up-and-down before nodding. I thought to myself, it’s only natural for there to be a lot of excitement on the eve of a festival.
1690
1691I had considered telling them that Ramiris was in town, but I decided against it. I had planned for them to meet at the end of the festival anyway, there was no need to rush. Additionally, the kids, with Kenya and Alice in the lead, seemed like they were busy making plans for the next three days starting tomorrow.
1692
1693For the remaining time, the hotel’s waitresses would be taking care of the kids.
1694
1695“Then, you guys, if something happens, tell it to the waitresses in the inns. I don’t imagine this would become necessary, but if you really want to contact me, hold the pendant and pray in your mind. It will activate magic that sends messages.”
1696
1697“ “ “Okay!” ” ”
1698
1699It sparked joy in me, seeing the kids answer so energetically. I didn’t think the kids would be raising a ruckus anymore, so I slipped out of the room.
1700
1701
1702
1703And with this, I could mark the end of today’s checklist.
1704
1705There was still a little time before the eve of the festival and I thought of resting for a bit in preparation for tonight, but… It didn't seem like it would go the way I wanted it to.
1706
1707“—Rimuru sama, it seems that ‘hero’ Masayuki’s party has arrived outside the city,” Souei quietly appeared to report and whispered into my ear.
1708
1709A hero, huh.
1710
1711Let’s see what kind of guy he is.
1712
1713With that mindset, I went to meet him right away.
1714
1715A wagon with several elves who I suspected had been caught as slaves came into view. The story of them being saved from a criminal organization called ‘Orthus(Slave Trade Union)’ was, apparently, true. The wagon looked fairly high-class and they seemed to have been treated well.
1716
1717A blond boy was riding on a small sized carriage, separate from that wagon. He was in the driver’s seat, but there was another man who was holding the reins.
1718
1719Is that boy the ‘hero’ Masayuki?
1720
1721He appeared to be Japanese, but his face also looked kinda like a foreigner.
1722
1723Should I say he looks like an idol?
1724
1725Smooth blond hair and deep double eyelids in his long narrow eyes—he had a bit of a baby face, but on the whole he looked cool. He was a considerably handsome young lad.
1726
1727Frankly, he didn't look strong at all. But I must not be fooled by his appearance.
1728
1729Masayuki was definitely an “Otherworlder”. Because, although it was weak, he was exuding ‘Heroic Act’. It was a coercive force, but it didn't work on me. I didn’t dare to get careless and tense up. While acting composed, I turned my gaze towards Masayuki. And his party seemed to have recognized me too, as I came to meet them. They slowly proceeded and came to a stop in front of me, then approached on foot.
1730
1731“Hey, are you that demon lord called Rimuru? To think that you would come to meet us.”
1732
1733“Masayuki-sama is a great hero. Obviously he cannot be ignored, even by a demon lord.”
1734
1735“Hehehe. Masayuki-kun, what should we do? Should we declare a winner right now?”
1736
1737They seem to be babbling whatever nonsense they pleased, these humans. I’m thankful for them saving the elves, but I don’t see a reason to listen to this.
1738
1739But I held back, it would’ve been foolish to get angry here.
1740
1741I was promoting myself as a benevolent, not harmful demon lord, who made up with even Hinata. It was out of the question to make all those efforts go to waste.
1742
1743“Wow, you’re pushing it a little too far, hero and company. As thanks for saving the elves, who became my subjects, I will permit you to stay in this town. If you really need it, I will prepare a place for your stay as well, so feel free to stick around as long as you want. However, I do not plan to fight here, keep that in mind.”
1744
1745There were many merchants around, and I decided to lower myself by showing a friendly attitude for now. However, the response wasn’t favorable.
1746
1747“Haha, as expected, the demon lord fears Masayuki,” bellowed the guy who acted as a coachman, a man with a big body dressed in armor that still left him half-naked, and leered down at me with a fierce sneer.
1748
1749“You wanna get along with us humans, but I wonder how much of that we can believe. Rumor has it that the one who plotted the downfall of Farmus was you, demon lord. You might have deceived Hinata the Saint, but if you think you can do the same with Masayuki-kun, it’ll get ugly.”
1750
1751Is this what they describe as being “slow to catch on”? It felt like he was trying to paint me as the villain. But what puzzled me was how the hero himself remained silent until the end. Every time he seemed to be about to say something, his party members cut him off.
1752
1753The lengths to which they were going suggested they were Masayuki’s attendants, rather than his teammates.
1754
1755“Hmph! We need to punish the evil beings. Masayuki-sama, let’s defeat this demon lord right now and bring peace to this land—”
1756
1757No, you see, this land is already peaceful.
1758
1759The merchants nearby were left out of the loop and I saw them making bewildered expressions, this was one pot I couldn’t let them keep stirring. That said, I couldn’t just fight them then and there, either…
1760
1761I was brewing over this conundrum when someone stepped in with a helping hand.
1762
1763“What are you guys doing here?”
1764
1765Yuuki had changed his clothes when he heard the commotion and made his way over.
1766
1767“Ah, Yuuki-san!” Masayuki called out, speaking for the first time.
1768
1769Just like me, he sounded like he had found a light in the darkness.
1770
1771But his attendant’s reaction was cold.
1772
1773“Huh, well, if it isn’t Yuuki-san. Did the head of the association purposely come to inspect the demon lord?”
1774
1775“No, Jinrai. You guys, Rimuru-san really wants to establish a friendly relationship with us. As evidence, you are still alive.”
1776
1777It seems like the big guy’s name is Jinrai.
1778
1779Yuuki told him that I was strong enough to end in a draw with Hinata. Additionally, he explained to Masayuki’s party that I was not a bad demon lord. Yet despite that there was someone who couldn’t accept it.
1780
1781“What do you mean? Listening to your explanation, it sounds like you’re saying that Masayuki-sama is weaker than Hinata the Saint?”
1782
1783“I would be grateful if you didn’t look down on us. Something like a demon lord is no match for Masayuki-sama. Even if you are the head of the freedom association, we cannot forgive you for insulting Masayuki-sama!!”
1784
1785Masayuki had yet to say anything, but his attendants were raving zealots.
1786
1787“That’s right, Yuuki-san. Like Bonnie and Jiu said, you know we cannot forgive you belittling Masayuki-san? I have no clue how strong Hinata is, but you’re saying that at best she’s tied with that demon lord there. Then don’t you think it’s time to lay down the trump card? Masayuki-sama will make light of that demon lord and flatten him to the ground!”
1788
1789But Masayuki seemed to be at a loss, hearing the reaction of his entourage.
1790
1791Maybe Masayuki himself doesn’t want to fight with me?
1792
1793Perhaps Yuuki noticed that as well, he started to calm down Jinrai and his other colleagues.
1794
1795“I told you to calm down. I’ve said this multiple times already, but Rimuru-san isn’t hostile against us. There is no point in fighting.”
1796
1797“But that guy is a demon lord. We don’t know when he’ll do bad things. Right now, when even the Western Saints Church moved out, don’t you think it’s an important time for Masayuki-san to show his strength as a hero?”
1798
1799“No, you see—”
1800
1801Uh—um, that seems to be the case.
1802
1803It’s not like I didn’t understand this guy, Jinrai’s claims. In short, he was saying that I, as a demon lord, had no credibility. For sure he’s right. Considering the fact that many didn’t know I was formerly human, it was a given that there would be people who thought like Jinrai. I didn’t know what the man known as the hero, Masayuki, thought, but if we kept this going, this conversation would’ve gone nowhere, which is why I decided to accept the challenge. But—
1804
1805“Alright. Then under one condition. In the festival that will start tomorrow, we plan to hold a tournament. If you go out there and win handsomely, then I will accept your challenge! You can prove your strength there, so I assume you have no problems with that?”
1806
1807I would accept the challenge. But before that, I offered it in exchange for Masayuki’s party to participate in the tournament. Doing that, I would be able to learn their skills and possibly not have to fight them at all.
1808
1809Huhu, I think this is an awesome idea.
1810
1811Although deciding who to put in the tournament would prove to be difficult. And there was one more issue.
1812
1813I had planned for people below A rank to participate, so the structural integrity of the arena had me a bit worried. It could endure magic of high ranked spiritual level—in other words, A rank magic, but… Oh well, if it breaks, we can just fix it. As long as there were no injuries among the spectators, it probably wouldn’t be a big problem.
1814
1815“Oh ho? Do you want to be embarrassed in front of countless people?”
1816
1817“Masayuki-kun, how should we do this?”
1818
1819“You have to accept this proposal. For us to spread Masayuki-sama’s name in one fell swoop, let's demonstrate justice in front of the people we should protect!”
1820
1821“Ah, yes. That’s right…”
1822
1823Attendants with burning desires. In contrast, Masayuki’s eyes kept darting left and right like a lamb at sea.
1824
1825
1826
1827
1828
1829Is that guy alright? Is he perhaps a novice who likes to brag a lot… No, that can’t be.
1830
1831According to Souei’s reports, ‘Orthus’ was a considerably dangerous organization. Masayuki and his comrades crushed an illegal organization like that, that’s not something a novice who just likes to brag could do.
1832
1833If what I was thinking was right, then he would decline my offer.
1834
1835“—I guess I have no choice. I will accept your offer.”
1836
1837Sure enough, I was overthinking things. Masayuki had thought for a moment and then accepted my offer.
1838
1839“Wait, Masayuki-kun. Will it be alright?” Yuuki asked in a worried voice, Masayuki replied with a bitter smile, “Well, even the darkest night will end and the sun will rise. Things will definitely turn out alright, like they usually do,” Masayuki declared.
1840
1841He’s got a lot of guts for saying that with me standing in front of him. As far as my observation went, it didn’t seem like I needed to worry about it too much.
1842
1843“Well, I wonder if the tournament will stay free of casualties? I hope you’ll be careful.”
1844
1845“Hmph, who do you think you’re talking to? Let’s go, Masayuki-san. Let’s rest a lot in preparation for tomorrow.”
1846
1847“Since there are a lot of eyes on us, the demon lord won't do anything cowardly, Masayuki-kun.”
1848
1849“Don’t worry. I’m always on guard against poisoning or assassination.”
1850
1851“Th-then we shall go. Let’s check the time for tomorrow’s match.”
1852
1853With that, Masayuki’s party went on their way.
1854
1855“Rimuru-san, will you actually fight in earnest with Masayuki-kun?”
1856
1857“Uh-um, I guess? First of all, that guy, do you think he’ll win?”
1858
1859“Ah, I want to know that as well. In the tournaments held in Ingracia Kingdom, Masayuki-kun remains undefeated. I never actually heard of him losing in a fight with monsters, and his skills are still unknown…” Yuuki answered with a sigh.
1860
1861His face looked pained, as if saying that an annoying problem had reared its head.
1862
1863“Well, let it go for now. Instead, it’s pretty fortunate that a hero joined the tournament lineup, raising the bar; I’ll think of it as a good thing.”
1864
1865Having the right mindset can change everything.
1866
1867Things definitely became tiresome, but compared to the Walpurgis banquet and the fight with Hinata, this wasn’t something to worry about too much. I probably had to think of a solution later, but I decided to put it on the back burner for now.
1868
1869***
1870
1871Later that night, in the lobby of the extravagantly decorated parlor house, the important figures of each country were gathered in once place. There was a large number of nobles attending, each garbed in luxurious and flashy clothing.
1872
1873Looking at the ratio between men and women, I felt like there were a couple more men. It seemed like we were afforded a considerable amount of trust, considering how many brought their wife and kids as well. Among them I saw a cute blonde-haired girl, who looked like a doll. There were attendees of all different ages, it seemed.
1874
1875This time people could participate freely, leading me to put a lot of effort into this being a fun party. It was arranged so that the people can enjoy meals while standing, with various dishes placed on buffet tables for guests to enjoy as they strolled around.
1876
1877Additionally, we had set up curiosities that were unheard of in any other country. Among them was a “tatami room”, which covered half of the wide space, and where it was prohibited to wear your shoes. In many countries it wasn’t customary to take off your shoes, therefore I only saw people enter from time to time. But it wasn’t like it remained deserted, I could occasionally witness people sitting down and getting flustered by the unfamiliar sitting cushions—King Gazel was one of them. It wasn’t his first time experiencing this, so he seemed quite at home, and we chatted for a brief moment.
1878
1879I was told that he inspected the city’s developmental situation this morning, and things like the sewage system, as well as the work-in-progress rails, caught his eye. Not only that, but I heard he was also staring at the facilities and recreational equipment that I came up with on a whim, like he would gobble them all up.
1880
1881“That thing called a ‘rail’, with what purpose did you make it?”
1882
1883“I have something to consult you about, regarding it. I plan to develop a thing called a ‘train’. I hope that I can count on your assistance.”
1884
1885“Oh-ho? Since it’s a request from my adorable junior, gladly—how could I ever refuse?” King Gazel announced his decision on the spot.
1886
1887He probably weighed the benefits after laying eyes on the rails and saw the potential. If he was this enthusiastic about it, he would likely have disregarded a “no” and vehemently insisted on joining the project, leaving me little choice, other than bringing him on board straight away.
1888
1889
1890
1891During my discussion about it with Gazel, a man came up, saying, “Excuse me,” and sat down at the seat facing me. A familiar face—it was Youmu. He confidently plopped down in front of King Gazel, who received him with a grin and liberally poured Youmu a glass of wine.
1892
1893A king of a developing nation confidently speaking with Gazel, king of a mighty nation. Those who saw this, would, no doubt, reevaluate their stance on Youmu.
1894
1895After Youmu cut in, we started shooting the breeze and eventually ended our conversation. Gazel’s goal was to show that we had a friendly relationship, and as a result, profiteers would have no choice but to gauge me and Youmu as high value. Those who carefully observe the Dwarf King Gazel—that assessment will raise my worth in future dealings with them. This was, in a sense, King Gazel’s way of supporting us.
1896
1897In all likelihood, it came down to him running the numbers on what I had told him before, and ultimately concluding that Dwargon stood to gain a great deal, but I was eminently thankful regardless.
1898
1899Gazel sure is trustworthy. I saw a new side of him.
1900
1901
1902
1903There were those who went ahead and experienced the large bathhouse before the eve of the festival. Most deemed it favorable and had asked many questions to the one in charge of the bathhouse. I heard there were large bathhouses in other big countries, though many found the hot spring itself to be breathtaking. The ingredients providing the medicinal effects were a tightly guarded secret, severely hampering attempts to reproduce it.
1904
1905I had received copious requests, asking us to introduce them to their countries as well, but I decided to gather and file those guests’ requests for later review.
1906
1907That said, all I could tell them was to please visit us often.
1908
1909Among the people who were satisfied after soaking in the bath, several were now sitting in the tatami room with a Yukata we provided them. It painted a dignified image, with them throwing glances at each other in admiration of the outfits.
1910
1911In the midst of this, there were people who wanted to speak to me one-on-one, though talking with everyone would’ve stretched me too thinly, so I only met those I encountered at a fortunate time, and proceeded to make my way across to sit in the seat of honor.
1912
1913Many people were seeing me for the first time, so, understandably, I could feel a lot of curious looks being thrown at me. From those who turned pale, knowing I was a demon lord, and on the other hand, those who observed me attentively, it was a mixed bag. Their prickling gazes were unnerving, so I greeted them lightly and immediately announced the start of the banquet.
1914
1915“Ah, it is a pleasure for me to welcome you here today. I am Demon Lord Rimuru. I would prefer for this night to be free of serious topics, and instead would like to direct you towards our nation’s dishes that I hope you will enjoy. Long speeches are not my strength, so please excuse me for cutting it short. I wish you all a grand time; let the party begin!”
1916
1917The preparation was perfect. The way we served the dishes was the cherry on top. I hoped our sincerity could be conveyed fully.
1918
1919Each table had a waitress assigned and Vester strictly educated them to bring dishes with every request. Everything was laid out to serve the guests—the results of intense education and training were now on full display.
1920
1921I called for a toast after I finished my greeting.
1922
1923
1924
1925The eve of the festival had been set in motion.
1926
1927Gasps swept through the crowds as they all drank a glass of cold beer. Tempest’s beer must have been surprising to those who had only tried poorly carbonated drinks before. After all, they were kept freezing cold.
1928
1929The method of preparing a cold glass cup, was something taught by the meticulous style of Japanese service. Even for my own sake, it wasn’t something I could compromise on.
1930
1931Not only that, but elven ladies were pouring alcohol. It wasn’t forced, you know? I only accepted those who voluntarily offered to help.
1932
1933This was another huge success. Beautiful elven ladies were roaming around the banquet hall carrying various kinds of alcoholic beverages. Those who were accustomed to wearing formal dress seemed to be enraptured by the Yukata adorned elves’ voluptuous figures. In addition, the way the elves greeted the guests by putting 3 fingers on the floor, shook the hearts of men equally among all nations. I could see their faces turn red even when they weren’t drunk. The view of the elves’ chests, laid bare behind the Yukata, must’ve been an alluring sight.
1934
1935Hehehe. Like I intended.
1936
1937I would say that this was the pinnacle of merging western and Japanese traditional culture. The heterogenous mixture of those clad in Yukatas among the nobles wearing formal attire made for quite the scene—it was something you could only see here.
1938
1939That was what we planned, but, nonetheless, it ended up being a wildly chaotic party. From a commonsense standpoint, this really looked like a mess. But if this bothered you, then you had already lost.
1940
1941I acted as if this was the norm and observed the condition of the guests.
1942
1943The extravagant dishes on the tables were made by Shuna and Yoshida, who went through a lot of effort to create delectable meals, and I could confidently say that the guests would all be satisfied with them. Smoked chicken-duck meat and sandwiches filled with vegetables, cow-deer steak, fried vegetables marinated in sauce, karaage fried chicken, roast beef salad.
1944
1945We also prepared a sherbet made with an assortment of fruits as refreshments, and going so far as to recreate dishes like the black tiger meat stew and grilled fairy-leather bird from the Walpurgis banquet. Although we had quite a hard time looking for the monsters we could use as ingredients, we were somehow able to track them down within three days, using the information we had gathered before.
1946
1947We were able to satisfy the aristocrats, who were accustomed to luxury, with the dishes made from precious ingredients that were the pride of our country.
1948
1949That wasn’t all. In the banquet hall, at the dividing line between the Japanese traditional space and the western space, a large fish was being carted in. It was a fish with an extremely hard exoskeleton and a sharp, spear-like horn. This abominable ocean monster was called a “spear tuna”, and, excluding the horn, had grown to four meters in length of heinous-looking fish.
1950
1951Now, the reason why we brought this fish. It had, in fact, a delicious, savory taste to all of that blubber, which was unthinkable, based solely on its appearance. Under the armor-like exoskeleton, red meat that looked similar to tuna was hidden.
1952
1953I actually caught the fish by coincidence during the course of a competitive fishing match, which Gobta and I had placed bets on, and, fortunately, I thought to use ‘Analysis’ before tossing it away. It was found to have non-toxic and highly nutritious meat. I dipped it in our commercially available soy sauce before giving it a try, and…it was exceptionally delicious.
1954
1955I remembered this savory treat and decided to unveil it before everyone at the banquet, so I went out by myself and caught one. I was used to traveling under water so it was a great experience. But we'd have someone else catch it next time.
1956
1957So anyway, the fish was a recent catch and still fresh.
1958
1959Hakurou was responsible for cutting the fish, and using the long kitchen knife Kurobee had forged, he made us sashimi previously. But this time, as a performance to entertain the guests, the process of preparing the dish was slowly shown in front of everyone.
1960
1961Hakurou’s kitchen knife was flying to and fro, avoiding the hard exoskeleton armor. The spear tuna was dismembered in a beautiful display of artistic skill. It was something even Shuna would be astonished with. Holding that kitchen knife, he made the impression of a dignified master.
1962
1963Behind me, Shion was holding the kitchen knife I had gifted her, looking like she wanted to help out, but I calmed her down, telling her to bear it this time.
1964
1965We had invited numerous prominent figures from foreign countries, so naturally, we absolutely could not present a dish prepared by unskilled hands. This wasn’t something we could play off as a joke. I just hoped Shion could properly fulfill her role as my secretary and guard.
1966
1967As for the reactions coming from the guests, at first, they were frightened and scared by the grotesque sight, but, as Hakurou’s excellent performance of carving up the fish progressed, their faces started to shine with admiration.
1968
1969The head was discarded, and the body was divided into four pieces, then sliced up as the plates were loaded with sashimi. In the middle laid the marbled belly meat, enveloped by red meat. The mouthwatering sight alone had me drooling, but the majority of people present hadn’t tried it before and remained hesitant, waiting for someone to make the first move.
1970
1971Hakurou looked at those crowds and made sushi as well.
1972
1973
1974
1975
1976
1977It was a specialty that I had not expected him to have.
1978
1979White rice, alcohol, vinegar, cooking wine, and soy sauce—these alone opened the door to a vast assortment of sophisticated dishes. That said, I had never seriously expected that I would be able to eat authentic sushi in this world. As it turned out, back when Hakurou was young, he often heard his grandfather mention…he had fond memories of sushi, its taste forever eluding him since his arrival in this world. He must’ve been deeply embittered by that.
1980
1981Thinking of it this way, I sure was a lucky guy. Hinata said this as well, claiming that reproducing Japanese dishes in this world would normally be a highly ambitious endeavor.
1982
1983Well, that’s that, but getting back to Hakurou’s grandfather.
1984
1985I clearly heard that he was an “Otherworlder” named “Byakuya Araki”; perhaps he could’ve been someone from the Edo era? I don’t think he was a chef; I wonder just what era he was from.
1986
1987Well, alright. It doesn’t really matter. For now, let’s just enjoy the night.
1988
1989
1990
1991There were a lot of people gathered around the buffet tables of the standing party section. The dishes were well received, and people were singing their praises. After all, Shuna and Yoshida pulled out all of the stops, so I just nodded, thinking that kind of reception was to be expected. In stark contrast, no one seemed to want to even touch the fish sashimi and sushi Hakurou had prepared. They might have been intimidated after laying eyes upon the horrid sight of the spear tuna. But It seems like anywhere you go, there will always be those who want to appear knowledgeable, despite not knowing anything. You could hear people saying “Ah, could that fish be the Rank A…”
1992
1993There’s no way that raw fish being served right after getting sliced would taste any good—I would like it if they stopped saying things they didn’t know and tried a bite instead.
1994
1995It was possible to check for poison in this world, so it surely didn’t come down to a fear of getting poisoned. They had jumped to the conclusion that it would be a lousy dish, due to the appearance.
1996
1997No one was willing to take the first step, leading me to seize the initiative.
1998
1999“I shall try it.”
2000
2001“Ohh, then please try this.”
2002
2003Hakurou made the effort to make me a new piece of sushi with the belly meat. I dipped it in soy sauce and took a bite. The strong scent of the wasabi and the buttery belly meat that melts in your mouth complemented each other spectacularly, exploding in a heavenly taste.
2004
2005Delicious—!!
2006
2007It’s so delicious. I doubt the places in Ginza could even keep up with this!?
2008
2009“It’s the best, Hakurou!!”
2010
2011“Of course. The fish that came in was so delightful, it had me worried that we wouldn’t have any left, however, it’s a pity that it hasn’t been well received. But I’m looking forward to the post-dinner drinks.”
2012
2013Hakurou’s colleagues would have their meal after the guests left, so it seemed like they planned on saving some sashimi to go along with sake. It was unfortunate that the guests didn’t take too well to it, but if they were going to be picky about their food, that would be fine as well. Rather, it might’ve actually been what Hakurou and co. wanted and couldn’t be thankful enough for.
2014
2015However, Hakurou’s plan went up in smoke.
2016
2017“Could you make sushi with that belly meat and without the wasabi?”
2018
2019Someone turned up, making a comment that left me dumbfounded. Not only did she ask for the belly meat from the start, but she even asked to remove the wasabi?
2020
2021“What are you, a kid?”
2022
2023“Shut up, I don’t like the burning sensation in my nose,” Was the arrogant retort coming from none other than Hinata.
2024
2025Hinata, wearing a simple evening dress meant to be worn outside, ordered the sushi like it was natural.
2026
2027“I would also like it if there was a wider variety of fish.”
2028
2029As if that wasn’t enough, she stepped it up with such a cocky request. Not only did she want the wasabi to be removed, but also more kinds of fish? Surely, the wasabi part could be a difference in preference, granted, it could be hard to handle for people trying it for the first time. I, too, asked to remove the wasabi when ordering, that is, until I was in middle school. But now as an adult, I believed that you could only say that you were eating it properly, if you knew how to relish the taste of wasabi.
2030
2031“What nonsense. That’s neither here nor there, all that matters is that it’s delicious,” she smirked at me.
2032
2033…But she did have a point. That damn Hinata, she fired back a logical response without a flinch.
2034
2035Although Hinata was like that, she received the plate Hakurou was handing her with a broad smile on her face. She closed her eyes as she slowly placed the sushi in her mouth.
2036
2037“It’s really great. The sashimi, and the sushi as well… I’m a tad angry, but I respect you, Rimuru.”
2038
2039She seemed satisfied, savoring the belly meat to her heart’s content.
2040
2041“Then I would like one as well. Ah, I’m not a child, so you can include the wasabi.”
2042
2043Yuuki came by, following Hinata. Seeing how he was dropping light, sarcastic remarks, he had likely been watching us from the start. Despite already having loaded up in the buffet area, his appetite remained unwavering. As he was receiving the plate from Hakurou, he immediately shoved the sushi into his mouth and started chewing, as if he had been waiting for it.
2044
2045“Wow, it melts on your tongue! To think that I would be able to have sushi this delicious in this world, I’m slightly moved,” he said as he moved his hand towards the sashimi as well, beaming with glee.
2046
2047Seeing Yuuki like that, Hinata also shot a sarcastic remark, “It sure tastes differently from freshwater fish. I had made a request to the Freedom Association, but they denied it and even said that it cannot be sent through magic, so I had given up, but it seems like my joy in life will increase a bit from now on.”
2048
2049Hinata had said that she wanted to eat seafood dishes and had previously requested Yuuki to transport it. But it proved to be too difficult, and facing far too many problems, so in the end, the request went unfulfilled.
2050
2051To get him back for the wasabi incident, Hinata brought up that topic.
2052
2053“There was nothing I could do? The sea to the north is inhabited by large beasts, so it’s too dangerous, and the south is unviable because of the distance. And transporting the fish from the inland sea is prohibitively expensive,” Yuuki bitterly replied, with a troubled face and a wry smile.
2054
2055
2056
2057Yes. The market of this world was still fragile. Sure enough, as I expected, people who lived inland usually didn’t get the chance to eat freshly caught fish. It was because of the innate hurdles that made the transportation of seafood a laborious task. You could only transport small amounts with carriages and keeping them frozen was tricky. The only options were hiring a mage exclusively for this task or preparing large quantities of ice in each city. Even with all of that, it remained uncertain whether or not the freshness of the fish could be preserved throughout the journey from the coast to the inland cities.
2058
2059If you weren’t among the fairly rich, the luxury of eating fresh fish would remain beyond your grasp. It was something entirely unthinkable to most.
2060
2061Taking into account that dishes with steamed fish could be had, you could say that the problem came down to distribution. That issue was being improved upon like I had hoped. Seizing this opportunity, we could make the existence of luxury dishes exclusive to our country’s public knowledge. When the time would come, we planned to organize a logistics network, but until then, our country would monopolize it.
2062
2063Perhaps it was the appearance of the spear tuna that made the guests reluctant, or maybe they were hesitating because of the disparity in food culture, but either way, there was still no one daring to touch the sushi and fish sashimi.
2064
2065However, Yuuki and Hinata were doing their part in flipping the public sentiment by showering the sushi with praise.
2066
2067
2068
2069“Rimuru-sama, may we try that as well?” asked the man sitting to the side of Gazel, as he stood up and came towards me. This person was the head of the Pegasus Knights Dolf.
2070
2071“Yes, alright. I shall bring it to you.”
2072
2073In reaction to my words, Hakurou’s hands sprang into rapid action. Freshly made sushi, sashimi, and soups were lined up and served by the elven ladies. The dishes were placed one by one in front of Gazel and Youmu’s party, who were sitting in the tatami room.
2074
2075Now, let’s see how they react?
2076
2077“—Hmm, this definitely is outstanding.”
2078
2079“Kua, this is delicious!!”
2080
2081Gazel ate sashimi while enjoying the cold, Japanese alcohol. And the feelings they expressed were those of amazement.
2082
2083Youmu did as Youmu does, dropping all semblance of royalty as he was enraptured by his first time eating sushi. And the reaction of everyone at the table was the same.
2084
2085“To think that that infernal fish could be this delicious!”
2086
2087“Speaking of fish, I thought that frying it was the way to go…”
2088
2089“Well, what does it matter as long as it’s scrumptious.”
2090
2091“Every dish Rimuru-sama provides is spectacular, without fail!”
2092
2093That’s a relief. I was elated to find that everyone seemed satisfied.
2094
2095And then—a lot of heads had turned to watch Gazel’s company and saw their reactions.
2096
2097“I, I too want to try that!” one person shouted, followed by a stampede of others, scrambling to order from Hakurou in a frenzy.
2098
2099It became all the rage. Hakurou made a very slight happy expression, at the same time it was tainted with wistfulness.
2100
2101I got where he was coming from. In this situation, he wouldn’t have any left to eat with sake later. Actually, I have another spear tuna that I caught, so I should hand it to him later in secret.
2102
2103After Hinata and Yuuki had a light quarrel, they voiced their opinions on things and argued while having a drink.
2104
2105I’m not sure whether they get along or not.
2106
2107But at the end of the day, you could thank their quarrel for acting as a successful promotion. I didn’t want to bother them now and decided it would be better to thank them later.
2108
2109
2110
2111The banquet proceeded with minor incidents here and there. So far, it was a great success. Western and Japanese dishes, both were very popular.
2112
2113Attendance of tonight’s party was voluntary, but, despite this, many people had participated.
2114
2115I didn’t forget to imply that the food’s ingredients were in store for those willing to trade with us in the future.
2116
2117In short, that was also part of the plan. My job was to subtly promote things this way. The purpose wasn’t merely to wallow in luxury. I wasn’t burning money to satiate my greed; it was just a thorough preparation for times like this!
2118
2119—That was my excuse at least.
2120
2121Anyway, that's that. Even if I was to think of it that way, the banquet was proceeding as smoothly as planned, except…
2122
2123“Bi-big trouble!!” a soldier rushed into the parlor house, shouting.
2124
2125It seemed like a problem was afoot.
2126
2127***
2128
2129Naturally, we had soldiers stationed around the parlor house. There were even the escorts of the prominent figures that came, all together it was very crowded outside the building.
2130
2131Under those circumstances, the likelihood of the problem being a massive headache to solve was high.
2132
2133“Why, what’s wrong?” I slowly asked to calm the soldier down.
2134
2135I wanted to run out and check the situation, but I couldn’t show myself panicking as well—I spoke with that thought in mind. But before the soldier could even reply, the escorts from each of the countries came running in a panic.
2136
2137What is happening here?! The security should have been airtight; if something were to happen, it would be very disgraceful.
2138
2139I didn’t feel a big aura approaching us, and it wasn’t like a monster had appeared either. If something like that had happened, we would’ve noticed it sooner. Milim and Karion’s group seemed to be a bit late, but even if they did arrive, the soldiers wouldn’t have panicked. Then what exactly…
2140
2141“A large flying object came flying outside the city!!” the soldier looking at me reported, soon to be drowned out by the escorts from other countries informing each of their masters.
2142
2143“Reporting! The Sorcerer’s Dynasty’s Guardian Dragon King has appeared!!”
2144
2145“B-big problem here! E-Elmesia Elaure Sarion, the Emperor herself is coming down here right now!!”
2146
2147“Her Imperial Majesty Elmesia and her entourage are approaching this location right now—!!”
2148
2149They all shouted in disarray, so I was stunned for a bit, but without having to put together all of the pieces I heard, it seemed like Sarion’s empress was just arriving late.
2150
2151“Ah, don’t scare me like that. I was wondering what happened.”
2152
2153I mumbled absentmindedly, which prompted Gazel to rise from his seat and move beside me, with a dumbfounded expression.
2154
2155“You’re the same as ever, carefree and without a clue how the world works. If the Divine Emperor Elmesia came out of her country, then it’s natural for this commotion to happen. The humans from each country and even I have to be careful and watch her complexion, if that divine empress is the opponent, then it would be hard to handle. Even the people who aren't here right now must be panicking and sending messengers to their countries.”
2156
2157“What do you mean?”
2158
2159
2160
2161As I asked for a more detailed explanation, Gazel dove into it as if he had been waiting for the opportunity. This guy, even if he talks a lot, I get the impression that he just wants to show off to me by expounding his proud knowledge. Either way, it was honestly a big help nonetheless, so I don’t really have any complaints, I thought while listening to the breakdown.
2162
2163According to Gazel, the Sorcerer's Dynasty Sarion was a superpower. It was one that held national power on the order of magnitude comparable to the Armored Nation Dwargon, without even participating in the Western States Council. And just like the name “Dynasty” implied, it was a federation formed by 13 royal families.
2164
2165If you were to compare the levels of influence, the Western States Council was undoubtedly the most powerful. However, as long as they upheld the council system they adopted, they lacked the efficacy to take immediate action. Leveraging that flaw, Dwargon was, in contrast, an absolute monarchy under the rule of Gazel, allowing it to exert more influence than the Western States Council, despite falling behind in total strength. Likewise, the same was true for Sarion.
2166
2167“The empress of the Sorcerer’s Dynasty Sarion, Elmesia, holds absolute power. She calls herself a descendant of god and declared herself the divine empress. I don’t know the truth, but it is an undisputed fact that the high elf with the name Elmesia revived the country. So, that girl lived longer than Sarion’s history.”
2168
2169They were on fundamentally different levels. The Armored Nation Dwargon spanned 1000 years of history. Compared to that, the history of Sorcerer’s Dynasty Sarion was known to go back at least 2000 years.
2170
2171
2172
2173“And so, Rimuru, before Elmesia, even I can’t raise my head. Much more, to humans with their short lifespans, it’s impossible to even think of meeting her.”
2174
2175Seeing how Gazel made a bitter expression, the person called Empress Elmesia must’ve been a very troublesome person to deal with.
2176
2177Uh-um, I was planning to invite only Duke Elalude… I ended up calling the absurd bigwig as well.
2178
2179“Ah, I see. I should have written proper names in the invitation.”
2180
2181“…I don’t think that’s the problem here.”
2182
2183Gazel stared at me through narrow eyes; she had already arrived, it would be a fool’s errand to make her leave. I had no choice but to do my best to receive her.
2184
2185
2186
2187During our conversation, a commotion had been brewing at the entrance.
2188
2189“Looks like they arrived.”
2190
2191“Do not get careless, Rimuru. Just think of her as a beast who’s been through all sorts of hardships.”
2192
2193I took Gazel’s insistent words to heart and prepared myself for an abnormal encounter. I looked at Gazel and nodded firmly to show that I understood.
2194
2195A great commotion broke loose inside the parlor house. Someone who you normally could never meet, no, not only that, the empress of a superpower, who had not shown herself for tens of years, appeared. I should say it was natural for others to be causing a ruckus.
2196
2197Empress Elmesia Elaure Sarion. Someone who called herself a divine empress, was confidently walking into the venue. An incarnation of beauty, was the thought passing through everyone’s head as they gawked, bereft of words, at Empress Elmesia.
2198
2199I thought that as well. Because that appearance, no matter from which angle you looked, she was a beautiful girl. She had skin as white as freshly fallen snow, and soft, silver hair. Sharp, pointy ears and jade green eyes that seemed to see through everything.
2200
2201Gazel said she was a girl, so she definitely had to be female.
2202
2203If she was a high elf, then did that mean she was a pure-blooded fairy? Or she might’ve had blood that was infinitely close to pure. Calling her a fairy addresses too broad of a category, but they were said to be a race that evolved from great spirits, so this Elmesia standing before me seemed to be one of those ancient beasts from a time long gone. She was a big enough deal to warrant a warning from Gazel.
2204
2205I also needed to remain vigilant of the guardians protecting the Empress. From each and every one, I felt extreme power, despite them wearing formal garments. It must’ve been magic armor, and this was just my guess, but they were legendary-grade. The power I felt emanating from those formal clothes was equivalent to the feeling I got from the Moonlight rapier Hinata wielded. Their skills would, naturally, be on equal footing with Arno and the Holy Knights. No, thinking about the quality of their weapons and armor, the Empress’s guards might’ve been superior.
2206
2207The world sure is big—that thought passed through my mind.
2208
2209Holding back one of her guardians from stepping forward, the Empress herself approached.
2210
2211“I am thankful for the invitation. I am happy about it.”
2212
2213A mellow voice—I almost mistook it for charm magic, but it wasn’t magic at all. It was simply her voice being that charming.
2214
2215“I, too, am honored to meet you,” I answered in front of her, at which point I could see my own reflection in Elmesia’s jade green eyes.
2216
2217<<Notice. ‘Mind Interference’ detected—Interrupted. This doesn’t seem like an attack, just an effect of ‘Heroic Spirit’ that seeped out.>>
2218
2219This was dangerous. This person seemed to have a higher level of ‘Heroic Spirit’ than even Gazel. In other words, her strength was not only equal to Gazel, but there was a chance that she was able to top it.
2220
2221Maybe she’s a demon lord class? It would be good not to be hostile towards this person. This was a peaceful invitation; I would try my best to appease her in the hopes of friendly relations in the future.
2222
2223“Then, though it may not be up to standard, we have prepared meals as well. I hope you will enjoy yourself tonight.”
2224
2225“Hmm, I am happy to receive such consideration from Rimuru-sama. I expect a lot from the festival that will take place tomorrow, so please make me happy. And—” she said with a leisurely smile, then brought her face near mine, and whispered in a hushed voice only I could hear, “It doesn't have to be today, but I hope you can make time for me. There’s something I’d like to discuss with an open heart, in a less formal setting.”
2226
2227That informal way of speaking must’ve been Elmesia’s true self. As someone who was still not used to being a stern and dangerous demon lord, but had to play the part nonetheless, this made me feel a bit more intimate with her. And so I answered: “Alright. I’ll contact you when the date is decided.”
2228
2229Elmesia nodded with a look of satisfaction, then retreated to her guards’ protective circle.
2230
2231And just like that, Elmesia gave a cute, entertaining smile to the people who were preparing to meet her for the first time, while walking towards the table laden with food.
2232
2233On a side note, I was wondering why Duke Elalude, the person I initially invited, was nowhere to be seen, when I landed eye-contact with one of the Empress’s escorts. No, wait a minute. That person is Duke Elalude?! He had such a gallant expression that I almost went past him, but anyway, he apparently had come along. We only caught a passing greeting by sight, but I thought that I should say hello to him later.
2234
2235***
2236
2237It was a short conversation, yet a very tiring one. I was so exhausted that, while all eyes were on Elmesia, I snagged the opportunity to go and sit down in the tatami room. I thought tonight would be easy-going, because participation was optional, but a bigwig just had to show up.
2238
2239“Yeah, I’m really tired.”
2240
2241“I felt like I was gonna fall over the moment I met her. If I don’t keep my mind straight, that grand—”
2242
2243Gazel swallowed his words and shut his mouth. Then he mumbled a bit and ended up just drinking the cold alcohol.
2244
2245Seeing as how I could feel a terrible chill coming from Elmesia, that was probably the reason. I wonder what Gazel was about to say? If it’s something that starts with “grand”—then it must be that. They say elven ears are sharp, so I’m glad I didn’t say it out loud. Loose lips sink ships; I should be careful as well.
2246
2247Ah, whatever, I’ll just drink for now.
2248
2249I talked with Gazel and Youmu about how the world goes around, and this and that, over some drinks.
2250
2251
2252
2253But our leisure time didn’t last long. Noticing how the entrance was starting to get noisy again, I could sense that another bigshot had showed up.
2254
2255“Our guests have finally arrived.”
2256
2257“Yes, it seems like they’re here. I was worried because they were running late,” I answered Shion with a nod, then tried to stand up after excusing myself from Gazel. Maybe it was because Youmu was familiar with all of this, that he figured out who it was.
2258
2259“Ah, it’s Milim-san. Seems like she’ll spruce up the evening.”
2260
2261After having experienced it once before, Youmu seemed to be a little in over his head when it came to Milim. On the other hand, since it was only by a bit, then maybe that meant Youmu really was that much stronger now? To use “san” with a demon lord was something normal people would never imagine doing, even in their wildest dreams. I thought to myself that Youmu really was an awesome guy.
2262
2263“—I see, the demon lords have arrived.”
2264
2265Gazel was also observing Milim and her group with a sharp eye, but Youmu’s words seemed to have tipped him off. Well, many others had also recognized them.
2266
2267No wonder, since Benimaru, Diablo, Geld, and even Gabil, four of our country’s executives were there as guides.
2268
2269Even Gazel was tense when seeing the group, because the ones who stepped into the parlor house, with the executives guiding them, were ten powerful people, including Milim.
2270
2271She was in the lead, flanked by two subordinates.
2272
2273A bald man wearing a priest’s gown—a warrior called Midley who was strong enough to be acknowledged by Benimaru. There was another man wearing a priest’s gown, but with a less serious demeanor—this was the guy known as Hermes, who fought with Gabil.
2274
2275The ones following the three of them were two former demon lords. ‘Beast Master’ Karion and ‘Sky Queen’ Frey. Karion had a solemn appearance as always, and Frey-san wore a lascivious dress and radiated extreme sexiness. I could feel great dignity from both of them.
2276
2277My, my, I saw Phobio-kun, who I hadn’t seen for a long time. He seemed a bit thinner, but I am glad he looked healthy.
2278
2279Looking at the people following Frey, there were two beautiful twin girls. One had silver hair while the other had gold hair, which fit well together. I heard that they were attendants of Frey, called the Twin Wings. I didn’t know they were twins, but they seemed like strong ladies as well. These were rulers of extreme power who accepted Milim as their new queen.
2280
2281It was hard for people to hide their nervousness, and I honestly couldn’t blame them.
2282
2283“Sorry. I’ll have to excuse myself for a minute,” I said before leaving to meet Milim’s group.
2284
2285Milim’s face lit up with a big smile as soon as she saw me.
2286
2287“Huhuhu, this day finally came! I’ll expect dishes good enough to make Midley shout from the rooftops today!” she announced for everyone to hear.
2288
2289
2290
2291
2292
2293“Ah, leave that to me,” I answered, then in a subdued voice: “But first of all, didn’t you get scolded?”
2294
2295Milim often snuck into the dungeon whenever she managed to slip out of Frey’s sight. She was here until yesterday, so her arrival today was also later than planned. I was a little worried about whether she’d been found out and was being scolded by Frey.
2296
2297“It, it’s okay. I became self-aware that I am a ruler, so I made Frey believe me by emphasizing that I was protecting my borders,” Milim replied in a small voice, claiming she had made Frey accept it.
2298
2299Seeing how she was sweating bullets and her eyes kept darting back and forth, it didn’t seem like she fully convinced her… Frey had a keen intuition.
2300
2301What Milim was protecting wasn’t her territory, but the floors of the labyrinth I assigned to her. If that was found out, I, who was wholly unrelated, might get scolded as well. I had no choice but to believe in Milim for now. But—
2302
2303Even if Milim ended up folding, I could just cling to saying that I had nothing to do with it.
2304
2305“Thank you for inviting us today. I sincerely apologize for being later than the scheduled time,” Frey came towards me with a greeting, after waiting for my conversation with Milim to end. Then she looked me in the eyes and asked as if it were an interrogation: “Our Lord, Milim, had gone missing until this morning. So it took time to get her changed into formal dress—”
2306
2307“Ah, hahaha, so that’s it. Ah, I don’t mind, so please enjoy the next few days free of hassle.”
2308
2309I got the feeling that she could see right through me, so I looked away and politely brushed it aside. Had I been in my slime form, there would be no signs of agitation. But right now I was in my human form, causing me concern over my line of sight betraying my real intentions.
2310
2311I must not meet eyes with an opponent that had such sharp senses.
2312
2313“—I will do so. To be invited, despite being indebted to Rimuru-sama for building our new city. I am very grateful,” she answered with a smile, which melted my anxiety away. Then, naturally, I ended up saying something potentially inflammatory.
2314
2315“No, No. I would hope that the dishes are to your liking. Right, are there any ingredients that you don’t eat? There is a dish made with a bird, if that is a problem—” Those words slipped past my tongue, before their meaning had caught up to me.
2316
2317“A, bird…”
2318
2319A freezing tension suddenly paralyzed me.
2320
2321I’m in big trouble—but it was already too late.
2322
2323“Ah—”
2324
2325“Did Rimuru-sama want to say that I am on the same level as a bird?”
2326
2327“That, wasn’t my intention—”
2328
2329Frey was still smiling, and the Twin Wings were seething with bloodlust.
2330
2331I screwed up big time. The saying, “The mouth is the source of trouble,” fits me perfectly right now.
2332
2333This was unbearable. That moment of suspense filled with worry.
2334
2335“Pfft. Hahahaha! Amazing, truly amazing, Rimuru. You really are an amazing guy. To actually treat Frey like a bird, this is a masterpiece,” Karion had burst out in laughter, looking like he couldn’t read the atmosphere.
2336
2337“Hmm, it’s something even I can’t copy,” Milim said in admiration.
2338
2339Don't do that, please don’t look at me with those sparkling eyes.
2340
2341“What’s so funny, Karion? And Milim,” Frey huffed angrily.
2342
2343No matter how you look at it, this was my fault.
2344
2345“No, it was just my bad manners. What I just said was a slip of the tongue. I brought up a pointless concern, worrying that you might dislike bird dishes.”
2346
2347It’s best to apologize truthfully in these situations. Stubbornly insisting on some irrelevant point could lead to a bigger argument. Based on this notion, I bowed my head and apologized in order to appease Frey, despite being in front of everyone. And I was met with surprise from Frey.
2348
2349“Huhu, how befitting for Rimuru-sama. You’re just as I expected. I knew that you didn’t mean to insult me, though I wanted to test, for a moment, how you would react. But this was very telling. That Milim will grow by your example,” Frey finished, this time showing a gentle smile from the heart.
2350
2351Milim being a tyrant was a thing of the past. In spite of her current appearance, her tendency to listen to others had markedly increased. Thinking that the reason for that was me, she used my slip of the tongue to test me. And probably intended to let Milim learn from my attitude. Bowing immediately was the correct answer. As long as Milim followed my example, then from Frey’s perspective, of course she’d want to test me. If I had been a bad influence on Milim, then she would no doubt be limiting playtime with me.
2352
2353This really made me see Frey in a new light. I thought she was just a scary lady, but she seemed to be looking after Milim well.
2354
2355Then, if we were to talk about bad examples…
2356
2357“Well, what about you, Ka-ri-on? What’s so funny? Could you explain it clearly for me to understand?”
2358
2359An incredible pressure seized Karion’s head, strong enough to make cracking sounds. Frey turned to Karion in a flash and grabbed his head with her soft hands. In brute force alone, Karion was far stronger, but looking at grip strength on its own, Frey had the upper hand.
2360
2361“Wa-wait! Ow, ow-ow-ow, that hurts, really!!”
2362
2363Frey hardened her arm from the fingertips to her elbows. Her fingernails started to transform into knife blades that were stronger than steel, then continued to grow bigger and embedded themselves in Karion’s head. It looked awfully painful.
2364
2365“Dangerous, if this gets any worse, it will really be dangerous! I was wrong, I’m sorry, so please forgive me, Frey!!”
2366
2367Their master was screaming, but the three Beastketeers did not try to move. Only Phobio was worried and didn’t know what to do, and the other two just stared at them looking baffled. Well, Karion still had the strength left to scream. And unlike me, he didn't seem to be reflecting, so it was a natural consequence of his actions.
2368
2369“Did you see, Milim? You need to apologize when you make a mistake. That is the right choice, alright?”
2370
2371“Hmm, okay. Before that, I will try to avoid doing things that will make Frey angry.”
2372
2373Milim seemed to understand what I was saying. Playing in the dungeon was fun, but you must do it in moderation. First you finish the things you need to do, after that, leisurely playing around could be more fun. If you did that, you won't have any trouble, so if you didn’t want to get punished like Karion, you needed to be careful.
2374
2375“Wait, hey! Wait! Stop the idle talk and help me!!”
2376
2377Seeing Karion desperately struggling to break free from the claws as an example to learn from, Milim and I looked at each other and nodded.
2378
2379“Hey, don't ignore me. Ouch, ow-ow-ow-ow—” Karion’s voice was slowly fading away.
2380
2381Pledging not to forget his sacrifice, Milim and I waited for Frey’s anger to subside.
2382
2383***
2384
2385Next, making use of the extra time afforded by the commotion, Shuna was still finishing her work at hand.
2386
2387“There, the extra orders are complete!” She said with a smile, and brought various dishes, all the while met with cheers from the guests.
2388
2389Ignoring Karion’s sacrifice, we moved places.
2390
2391“That was too mean, Milim and Rimuru. Even though I pleaded for dear life,” came the immediate complaints from Karion, who was just released by Frey.
2392
2393“You’re fine, so stop complaining!”
2394
2395“Yeah, Frey wasn’t super serious about it. That much was nothing, right?”
2396
2397Because Karion was still so lively, I didn’t worry too much and told him that. But it was more dangerous than I thought.
2398
2399“That’s not true? From the moment my head was caught in Frey’s claws, I lost access to my Skills. It’s probably her special Skill. To think that she would use that on me, this is no doubt an expression of her love.”
2400
2401You’ve got it all wrong—But I kept that to myself.
2402
2403That aside, right now Shuna’s cooking was more important. Countless dishes were stacked on top of a round table. The people who were waiting to serve, handed out the dishes according to the number of people in Milim’s group.
2404
2405“I'm counting on you today. Midley is really stubborn, he expects dishes straight out of heaven.”
2406
2407“Fufufu, I understand, Milim-sama. Please enjoy the meal,” Shuna assuaged Milim with a smile. Maybe it was because Milim was good with Shuna, but she seemed more relieved than when I told her. But—
2408
2409“—That’s highly disagreeable, Demon Lord Rimuru-sama. To teach our Milim-sama such blasphemy…”
2410
2411The thing that came out of Midley’s mouth, who followed as Milim’s attendant, as soon as the dishes were placed in front of him, was criticism. According to this Midley, he was the representative of “the people who want to follow Milim,” in the letter Milim sent.
2412
2413Hermes, who was sitting off to the side, was making either apologetic or prayer gestures directed at me. Maybe he was doing it because he was worried that I might get angry at what Midley said. He seemed like the type that didn’t neglect to worry about the small things, a pleasant guy.
2414
2415The nobles were watching us from afar, they had already filled their bellies and were enthusiastically talking about the ways of the world. Even if they were talking about the current affairs, their sphere was the world of aristocrats, and the goal was information collection. Right now, they seemed to be more interested in our conversation, than their own stories. In other words, Demon Lord Milim and her associate’s reactions, and the dishes they felt were good, that was what they were curious about. Especially since there were people like Midley, who didn’t understand the luxurious life of humans in the first place…
2416
2417There was nothing to talk about when traditional values were vastly different, but if we gave up that easily, then getting humans and monsters closer together would be hard—there were likely people coming to that conclusion. There was nothing we could do about that, but it would probably be okay this time.
2418
2419Hermes, another one of Milim’s attendants, said that he wanted to spread the concept of cooking to the Worshippers of Dragon, therefore, I responded to Midley with confidence.
2420
2421“Blasphemy, you say?”
2422
2423First, I countered with another question to figure out what Midley was thinking.
2424
2425“Hmph! To be thankful and enjoy the taste of nature at its purest, that is the proper way, the rule we had set in stone long ago. To do this to them…”
2426
2427There was dressing on the salad. The potato salad was mashed and devoid of round shapes.
2428
2429“And what exactly are you doing? Cooking the meat, that’s fine. But to then tarnish the meat by pouring an unknown liquid on it? Pathetic. This deed is truly pathetic!!” he bellowed while glaring at me with throbbing veins on his forehead, he must’ve been furious.
2430
2431Seemingly irritated after hearing that, Shuna, who had prepared the meal, stared at Midley with an eerie smile. Hermes, noticing the intimidating atmosphere, went pale as a sheet and bowed to Shuna in apology without end. But Midley paid him no mind and kept ranting.
2432
2433“To show such insolence to the gifts of nature! It doesn’t matter if you do as you like in your territory, but it is nonsense to rope our Milim-sama into this as well!”
2434
2435While jabbing a finger at the soup filled with ingredients and the bite size cream croquette, among others, Midley was persisting on his views of it being an insult to the natural ingredients. This was ridiculous, it’s no wonder Milim asked me for help.
2436
2437These kinds of people were always tiresome to deal with, talking sense into him would be hard. He seemed like the type of guy that thought himself to be infallible and disregarded anything other people said. However, that would come to an end today.
2438
2439It would be a problem if their tongue structure was different, but this was solely a conflict with Midley’s values. And he simply believed it to be true, there was no legitimacy behind his ideas. In the first place, Milim herself, who Midley served, wanted to eat delicious dishes. Even now, she looked like a dog that had been told “wait,” while there was food in front of her, so let’s settle this quickly.
2440
2441This time it would be an easy victory. If the word “delicious” came out of Midley, then it would be our victory. If he even has a bite of Shuna’s food, then our victory will be assured—I had that kind of an optimistic outlook. But I was being too simplistic.
2442
2443“I can never accept something like this!!”
2444
2445Midley was furious and didn't want to touch the meal. Victory’s prerequisite was making him eat at least one bite, but if Midley didn’t even want to lay his hand on it, then we lost the battle before the fight even began.
2446
2447Milim was eyeing me anxiously.
2448
2449Hermes looked to the skies with a crestfallen expression.
2450
2451The dispute had gotten slightly out of hand and seemed to have drawn a lot of eyes. Even the low-ranked people who were too lowly to deal with Elmesia, started to watch how things were turning out. Were I to falter before Midley’s opinion, in front of so many people, then this wouldn't just end with me losing face.
2452
2453“Rimuru, I didn’t know Midley would be this stubborn. Do you think it would be better to tell him to stand by in a separate room?” Milim proposed, worrying about me.
2454
2455“My apologies. Our High Priest has been rude. He does have a bit of a temper on the regular, but he isn’t a bad person… I didn’t expect him to get this bent out of shape over food.”
2456
2457“Uh-um. I naively thought that he would understand once he tried the food. It’s not good to force it either, so there's nothing we can do…”
2458
2459Well, it wasn’t like today was our only shot at this. The festival started in full swing tomorrow, so there was no need to rush.
2460
2461Let's rethink and finalize our plan of attack against Midley by using today’s failure as an example; right now we have to prioritize taking care of the current situation—I decided to put this problem off for later.
2462
2463But there was someone who could not accept that in this situation.
2464
2465BAAANG!!
2466
2467A loud noise echoed throughout the parlor house. Shuna had suddenly slammed the table hard in front of Midley, with a smile quite unlike the one from a while ago.
2468
2469Midley’s eyes went wide. The expression he made was not because it hurt, but because he could not understand what was going on.
2470
2471That’s how it happened. Shuna was surprisingly fast, so much so, that, even though he was caught off-guard, not many could’ve reacted to it.
2472
2473“What, what are you doing?”
2474
2475“Shut your mouth!!” Shuna shouted loudly, without losing her smile as she glared at Midley. Then she grabbed the bowl with the soup and handed it to him.
2476
2477“Look at this soup. There are a lot of ingredients in it, right? This is Rimuru-sama’s ideal.”
2478
2479Huh? What does that mean?
2480
2481Disregarding my confusion, Shuna continued, “Under Milim-sama, beastmen, harpies, the monsters who served Clayman, and your dragonites are gathered. You could say that any one of them possesses tremendous power. But if you combine your strength—you’ll be able to act with far greater strength in unity. Please try this.”
2482
2483Showing unexpected power, Shuna handed Midley the spoon, and likely cowed by her demeanor, he tried the soup as he was told. I had almost given up, but Shuna pulled it off this easily…
2484
2485Since we got this far, it would follow as planned.
2486
2487“—!!”
2488
2489Midley’s face was overcome with astonishment.
2490
2491“Thi-this is—?!”
2492
2493“How is it? It’s delicious, right? This is what we call ‘harmony’. Just like each and every one of the ingredients in the soup limiting their self-assertiveness can bring an overall complete taste, this soup contains that desire.”
2494
2495Aha, so that’s it. Heck, I only thought of it as a tasty soup…
2496
2497“It…it’s delicious. More than any vegetable I have eaten… This one spoon of soup has a deeper taste…”
2498
2499No, that’s obvious. Compared to totally raw vegetables, Shuna’s cooking being far better was obvious. But to Midley it seemed to be a groundbreaking discovery.
2500
2501“Hey, if you could stop looking at us with those pitiful eyes, that would be great…” Hermes said with a bright red face. His attitude clearly portrayed that he was asking not to be treated at the same level.
2502
2503Certainly, I understood why he wanted to say that. After all, there are superiors who refuse to listen to their subordinates, even when they make a good point. Nevertheless, when something happens, then they have joint responsibility, making things tricky.
2504
2505He looked rather pitiful, so I gave him a nod to show that I understood. That was that, during my time with Hermes, Midley had eaten all of the soup, down to the final drop.
2506
2507Shuna told Midley after finishing the soup: “As long as you understood, that’s all I ask of you. But please remember the following at the very least. Cooking goes beyond just one dish.”
2508
2509With a calmer expression, Shuna was teaching Midley. With the wonderful taste of the soup in mind, Midley now seemed to be willing to take in those words.
2510
2511“What do you mean?” he asked Shuna in an earnest fashion.
2512
2513“If this soup is the new country that Milim-sama rules,” she replied, “then this bread here is the Blumund Kingdom, and this steak is the rising nation Famenas. If this Terrine made with Foie gras is the Dwarf Kingdom, you could say this seafood dish is Sorcerer’s Dynasty Sarion. The variety of combinations is diverse. Cooking isn’t something that could be complete with just one style. It’s the same with nations. Forming wide and deep relations and being entangled can give you a more plentiful satisfaction. That is the world Rimuru-sama wishes for.”
2514
2515Shuna smiled from the heart. Midley seemed to be moved by those words, lowering his eyes to take in the spread out dishes, he silently descended into deep thought. It wasn’t just him, but the people stealing glances from afar reacted similarly.
2516
2517“Is, is that so…”
2518
2519“The relationship between countries, that’s definitely important.”
2520
2521“That’s correct. However, to think that his Majesty Demon Lord Rimuru had thought that far ahead…”
2522
2523“It’s really an amazing idea! Even if we were to talk about just one dish, it’s true. If you don’t get the right amount of salt, it won’t taste good. On this basis, you’re saying you made various dishes that harmonize with each other and complete a full course. Truly, I could truly say that this is a fascinating idea!!”
2524
2525We reached a situation where people started to talk about it with excitement.
2526
2527Uh-um, you see, I hadn't thought of it to that extent. Shuna’s powerful persuasion seemed to have beautifully touched the hearts of others. They were apparently spinning glorious narratives about the haphazard selection of dishes that were available during the party as well.
2528
2529I admired Shuna, with an honest heart, I thought that she was amazing. Transcending the strength of words alone, the spectacular taste of her dishes made it all the more convincing—
2530
2531The difference in values—even the people who were afraid of that, after listening to the word “harmony” derived from the cooking metaphor, probably saw a future where humans and monsters could join hands.
2532
2533“Also, not everything that mixes is good, so please keep that point in mind,” Shuna mentioned that caveat, and for a split second, she shot a glance at Shion standing behind me, but I’d just ignore that.
2534
2535“Well then, I think you understood. Shall we move on then, food is best eaten warm. Milim-sama, Karion-sama, Frey-sama, and accompanying people, please eat before it gets cold.”
2536
2537On Shuna’s mark, Milim dug into her food like a starving dog.
2538
2539“It’s so delicious!!”
2540
2541A face full of smiles.
2542
2543A reply like that was obvious. You didn’t need fancy words, her face said it all.
2544
2545“I see… I had the wrong idea… Does that mean Milim-sama had waited for me to realize my mistake all this time…”
2546
2547Midley became aware of it as well. After a long period of time, he was finally able to realize his mistake.
2548
2549“Now, now, Midley-sama, being disheartened will only make the people around you uncomfortable. Let’s eat before it gets cold!”
2550
2551He was not able to read the mood—no, because Hermes said that, purposely acting oblivious, veins started to show again on Midley’s forehead.
2552
2553“You, you fool…”
2554
2555“Wha-what’s wrong? Making your head stripy like a melon—”
2556
2557“Wahahahaha! You don’t have to get angry like that, Midley. Let’s eat like Hermes said, or I might end up eating it all.”
2558
2559“Tch, you escaped death, Hermes. I will forgive your disrespect today in consideration of Milim-sama and this excellent dish!”
2560
2561And the place was filled with laughter. Regardless of human or monster, it was like all became one in heart.
2562
2563“Your little sister is really amazing.”
2564
2565“Right? She’s my proud little sis.”
2566
2567As I complimented Shuna while meeting eyes with Benimaru, he nodded saying that it’s only natural. Maybe because she heard our conversation, Shuna dashed to the corner of the parlor house with a bright red face.
2568
2569After that, the eve that was planned to go from six to nine in the evening, was extended for two more hours. One of the reasons being that key figures who were hesitating to participate, attended with the news of Elmesia turning up. Midley’s and Karion’s group were quite the heavy eaters, so satiating their hunger took a while, that being another reason.
2570
2571Well, whatever the reason was, it didn’t matter. Judging by the unprecedented results, it was a huge success.
2572
2573And with this, the eve together with multiple promotional efforts aimed at prominent figures from other countries, despite some diversion that brought us off course a few times, but, nonetheless, had exceeded expectations, finally came to an end.
2574
2575
2576
2577
2578
2579Intermission 1 - Midnight Meeting
2580
2581* * *
2582
2583After the pre-party ended, the time was twelve at midnight. We held an emergency meeting.
2584
2585“Sorry to have to summon you all this late. Surely you are all very tired by now, but I hope you all can hold up for just a while,” saying so, I glanced around the people gathered. First, I wished to commemorate the biggest hero of today’s event, Shuna.
2586
2587“Shuna, it’s all thanks to you today. The food was truly delicious, and you also helped convince that Midley who has been troubling Milim as well. You have my sincere thanks.”
2588
2589After expressing my gratitude towards her, Shuna gave off a sweet smile.
2590
2591“That was too kind of you, it’s all thanks to Yoshida-san’s help that the meals turned out to be such a success. Moreover, Rimuru-sama couldn’t stop complimenting Hakurou’s fresh sashimi. I was quite troubled and felt that my culinary skills weren't as good.”
2592
2593Whether it be fillet, fancy-looking sashimi, and even hand-made sushi, Hakurou’s culinary skill far surpassed Shuna’s. It’s not that Shuna wasn’t trying hard enough, it was just his unique craftsmanship… Though Shuna still seemed rather troubled by it. With that being said, she candidly accepted my thanks, nonetheless.
2594
2595
2596
2597Next, I turned to Myourmiles, who was quietly working behind the scenes.
2598
2599“Myourmiles-kun, what’s the situation with the merchants? Were there any issues?”
2600
2601In order to sell things during the event, we imported a variety of goods from different countries. It was being managed by Rigurd and Lilina-san. We entrusted Myourmiles with receiving visiting merchants to our kingdom.
2602
2603“The merchants gave very positive feedback. They were all astounded by the majesty of our nation. The food provided by our residents tonight also made a great impression on them. Many farmers from neighboring countries also visited us. It was an unprecedented sight to behold. The goods provided by the merchants were mostly of high quality, so hopefully we can stay on good terms with them in the future—”
2604
2605At this time, Myourmiles turned his eyes slightly to Rigurd. He nodded in response and continued the explanation.
2606
2607“Indeed, as Myourmiles-san mentioned, there have been many goods, such as fresh vegetables, fruit, dried meat, dried fish as well as precious artifacts gathered here. Not to mention, some have even brought livestock, so the preparation for the celebration is water-proof at this point.”
2608
2609Rigurd guaranteed that there was no need to worry about the adequacy of the products.
2610
2611“We’re planning to start using these imported goods as food ingredients for the nightly gala from tomorrow onwards,” Lilina-san added, after nodding to Rigurd’s words.
2612
2613“Right, so there doesn’t seem to be any problem.”
2614
2615“Yes, there shouldn’t be any problem. It’s just that—no, there shouldn’t be a problem.”
2616
2617Hmm? Myourmiles wanted to say something. This actually just made me more curious, hopefully he will explain clearly.
2618
2619“Oi oi oi, don’t hold back and say it already! It’s really bugging me that you stopped mid-sentence.”
2620
2621I tried to get Myourmiles to come clean. Benimaru and Souei seemed to approve of my view as well and nodded in agreement. Unable to withstand this pressure, Myourmiles scratched his head and opened up once more.
2622
2623“Perhaps I’m just worrying too much, but the vendors that came with the well-known merchants were all unfamiliar faces. Despite the impression I may give to others, memorizing people’s faces is my specialty. So that really caught my attention. That’s why I had it look into—”
2624
2625Even though he was concerned, there shouldn’t be an issue. That’s how Myourmiles put it. From shop-owners he was acquainted with, he learnt that they were indeed only trading with these people recently. But they hadn’t heard anything negative about them. These people were offering quality goods at low prices, and the shop-owners all jokingly commented that Myourmiles was worrying too much. Myourmiles tried talking to these people to probe their intentions and they also responded rather kindly.
2626
2627“I’ve been too excited having taken this important responsibility that even I am a bit on the edge,” he finished with a wry smile.
2628
2629Recently, Myourmiles’s workload had reached jaw-dropping levels. I was a bit worried and asked whether he could hold up.
2630
2631“Oi oi oi, are you sure you’re gonna be able to hold yourself together? You’re not going to force yourself too much and fall into illness…?”
2632
2633Yet this time Myourmiles did indeed dismiss my worries with a smile.
2634
2635“Hahaha, please don’t worry. As opposed to this, there’s more important things to attend to! The Chosen Hero, Masayuki-sama himself, is going to partake in the martial tournament tomorrow! The news has hit the town like wildfire, I heard a betting pool was immediately set up in the bar.”
2636
2637He was full of passion towards this job, so this was no time for him to quit. Myourmiles declared himself. He also pointed out the more important business, which was Masayuki’s decision to join the tournament tonight.
2638
2639“Right, that’s why I’ve gathered everyone here.”
2640
2641The people who went to receive Milim and the others weren’t aware of this ordeal yet. Benimaru even eyed Souei, asking “What is going on here?” hoping to hear an explanation from him. Yet Shion was a step ahead of Souei and took the chance to explain.
2642
2643“That guy was a pain in the ass! All talks and no cider, he went on about dealing with Rimuru-sama. I wish I could teach him a lesson myself…”
2644
2645“It was me who intervened. Since there was an audience, we couldn’t have Shion be that reckless. It may affect the ceremony tomorrow.”
2646
2647I see, no wonder Shion was behaving that well. And I thought she had become more restrained lately, it seems it was too early for me to be relieved of that. Thankfully Souei was there.
2648
2649“It was fortunate that you stopped her. My friend Yuuki was there at the time, if the news that she’s been looking to brawl with the chosen hero at the town gate started spreading, people would definitely be needlessly wary of us,” I said with a sigh, and saw Benimaru nodding.
2650
2651“Well said. Shion, you need to keep your head cool.”
2652
2653“Hmph, there’s no need for you to lecture me so. I was just a bit triggered, not that I actually wanted to crash the scene. That being said—”
2654
2655“Kufufufufu, I can understand Shion-san. You meant that you couldn’t sit still as your master was being looked down on, didn’t you? Had Benimaru-san been there to witness the scene, surely you would have had a similar response?”
2656
2657“—No way. I’m always very calm,” Benimaru responded with a slight pause, while shifting his eyes.
2658
2659Uhh—that doesn’t sound all that convincing.
2660
2661“By the way, Rimuru-sama. You mentioned that you have something to discuss, could it be that you intend to eliminate that hero? If you leave it to me, I’ll make sure to take care of him tonight without a single trace.”
2662
2663Diablo gave this horrifying proposal without a flinch of an eye. This guy was one-hundred percent serious. He would really do it without hesitation, how terrifying.
2664
2665“Not at all; don’t you act reckless now,” I repeatedly warned him.
2666
2667Then I proceeded to discuss what I was actually planning.
2668
2669
2670
2671“The thing I wanted to discuss is the martial tournament tomorrow. Which ones of my lieutenants would like to participate in it?
2672
2673My words riled up the crowd—
2674
2675“Ho?” Benimaru’s eyes lit up.
2676
2677“I see how it is.”
2678
2679Shion was smiling maniacally. I thought she secretly prepared something behind my back. Is she just going to abandon it now? Perhaps she has forgotten about it now that her mind was focused on the combat.
2680
2681“Kufufufufu, intriguing, that’s truly intriguing.”
2682
2683Even Diablo was giving off an unusually bright smile.
2684
2685“Then please allow me to demonstrate my martial prowess for the people to see,” Geld was very motivated as well.
2686
2687“Heh,” Souei followed and gave off a thin laugh. He looked ready to participate. There was also Hakurou. He didn’t say anything, yet he started to look distressed. Gabil said that he had some activities to attend to, and now regrets were written all over his face.
2688
2689—And so on, these reactions were as I expected.
2690
2691The only one who did not respond was Ranga, who had been slumbering in my shadow. I won’t allow him to participate anyway, so there shouldn’t be an issue.
2692
2693Seeing that my lieutenants were about to start arguing about who were to attend the tournament, I brought them to my attention with a dry cough.
2694
2695“Hold up, there will be many foreign spies at the scene, surely you guys wouldn’t need to show your true strength?”
2696
2697“Kufufufufu, even if I don’t fight seriously, I will absolutely crush—”
2698
2699“STOP! Let me make one thing clear. Benimaru, Shion, Diablo and Souei, you guys are banned from participating.”
2700
2701“WHAT!”
2702
2703“What do you mean—”
2704
2705I held up my hand to quiet the shocked crowd as I explained to them the rationale.
2706
2707“First of all, Souei, aren’t you the “Covert Spy”? How can you attend a tournament in front of an audience?”
2708
2709Souei was brought back to his senses with my words. He seemed to agree and said no more. He no longer insisted on participating. Thankfully he wasn’t stubborn and asked to participate in disguise. But just to be safe, I had another bit of leverage.
2710
2711“As a result, I want to give you a new role title.”
2712
2713“A role title?”
2714
2715“Indeed. Since you have been in charge of the espionage activities of the nation, I now officially appoint you as the leader of the royal spies. I also give your troops the title “Shadow Squad”. People such as Souka under your command are eligible to join, but not those who still can’t handle themselves!”
2716
2717“Understood! Thank you for the title, Rimuru-sama!”
2718
2719Souei’s gratitude exceeded my expectations a bit. That was really just an excuse for him to not participate, although it was good that he also felt so happy about it. Nowadays his troops had reached around a hundred members. He only needed to pick out the elites to form the “Shadow Squad”. Souei was able to accept that kind of arrangement. The problem now lay with the other three.
2720
2721Among my subordinates, these three were the strongest. If I allowed these folks to participate, there would no doubt be problems everywhere. I was aware of the consequences, so I’d already come up with a solution.
2722
2723“Heed me now. In order to match the political needs of the Western Nations, I will be adding the roles of the ‘Four Heavenly Kings’.”
2724
2725“The Four Heavenly Kings…”
2726
2727“So that’s—”
2728
2729“I see how it is now.”
2730
2731The expressions of the three changed drastically. Obviously they all fell for it.
2732
2733“You three are especially strong among my subordinates. Benimaru will be appointed as the leader of the ‘Four Heavenly Kings’. Another two seats will be taken by Shion and Diablo.”
2734
2735Among the three, Benimaru was most suited to lead. Since he was my representative after all, the man to fill in the role of commanding general. That was why Benimaru was the most suitable for the secretive role of the “Four Heavenly Kings”. I made it sound all mysterious to mask the fact that it was just the title of a made-up role. It was mainly an excuse to prevent them from participating in the tournament.
2736
2737“Appointing me as the leader… I shall obey your divine command!”
2738
2739Alright, Benimaru had accepted it.
2740
2741“Although I can’t agree to the point that Benimaru took charge as the leader, I hope you may reconsider it after seeing my performance in the future. I am most glad to be among the ‘Four Heavenly Kings’, Rimuru-sama!”
2742
2743Shion also accepted it. Not sure where she got her confidence though, but since she had accepted it, this’ll do.
2744
2745“‘The Four Heavenly Kings’, I see? Although I would like to be Rimuru-sama’s choice of top subordinate, I’m still just a green-horn for now. I can’t be too greedy. Right now my goal is to try my best to draw my strength closer to Rimuru-sama’s!”
2746
2747Hmm—does that mean he accepted it too? Diablo’s personality was really troublesome, seriously.
2748
2749Anyhow, from now on these three would be the “Four Heavenly Kings”.
2750
2751“Thank you for your frank approval. Next, as for why I’ve barred you from participating, it has to do with this ‘Four Heavenly Kings’.”
2752
2753“What do you mean?”
2754
2755“Yes, it is because the last Heavenly King is difficult to choose. I meant to appoint Souei, but since he is a “Secret Spy” and cannot show up in public easily, he wasn’t suited for the role.”
2756
2757I quietly observed everyone’s reaction as I finished. They seemed to nod in agreement.
2758
2759“That’s why I will have the remaining folks join the tournament. I think whoever wins will deserve the title of the ‘Four Heavenly Kings’, what do you guys think?”
2760
2761I fired my words in quick succession. In the conference room, folks began to look at each other to see their reactions. A most unexpected voice was suddenly raised.
2762
2763“Uh, hmm… I would like to attend, but from tomorrow onwards, I’ll be having dates with Momiji—I mean, I promised her to show her around the town… But, since Rimuru-sama has given the order—”
2764
2765Hakurou, who I’d put most expectations in, wanted to decline the request. Someone as skillful as Hakurou was most suitable for such an important role, but the timing seemed off. Although I could indeed order him to attend, it just didn’t seem appropriate. Hakurou was the best man to test out Masayuki’s true strength, or so I thought—but since he had the rare opportunity to have some memory with his daughter, he’d hold a grudge against me if I intervened.
2766
2767“That’s quite a big deal, Hakurou. If you back out, Momiji may not talk to you again, EVER.”
2768
2769“T-that’s…”
2770
2771My senior from my last life didn’t go through with his promise to his daughter. He later came to work and lamented about having been ignored over a week or so. These two just got reunited, if he were to break his promise so soon…
2772
2773“Besides, as opposed to appointing Hakurou as “The Four Heavenly Kings”, he is more suitable as Benimaru’s military consultant. You seem to be quite satisfied being an adjutant already, so you don’t have to join.”
2774
2775Hakurou nodded gratefully in response. For his sake, I decided not to have Hakurou participate. In that case, the available participants would be—
2776
2777“I still have my technology conference to attend… Geld-san is stronger than me, so I’ll give him the opportunity!”
2778
2779It seemed that Geld was the only one left. Due to his own scheduled activity, Gabil would not be able to participate. He had placed his hope in someone else and decided to cheer for Geld instead.
2780
2781“I see. I’ll do my best to defeat that brat called Masayuki!”
2782
2783Geld nodded his head firmly in response to Gabil’s expectations. Geld was an incredible talent in terms of strength, but to be frank, “The Four Heavenly Kings” were set just for show; it’d be somewhat inappropriate to have Geld join…
2784
2785I only appointed Benimaru so he would restrain the other two troubled kiddos, so it doesn’t really seem fair to Geld. Never mind, I’ll think about this later. First I’ll have Geld test out the strength of Masayuki.
2786
2787And just as I was about to make up my mind—
2788
2789“I would like to recommend a man that is suitable as a Heavenly King!” Rigur suddenly stood up and said to me. There may be some complications due to issues with the grouping during the tournament. In order to prevent such a thing, it was best not to send just one participant. Since the person in question was someone worthy of Rigur’s, who is Rank A, recommendation, I was pretty reassured.
2790
2791“O-okay. Although I figure it’d be fine with Geld alone participating, who would that be?” as I thought to myself, I hurried Rigur to explain.
2792
2793“Unfortunately I am unable to participate due to security duty, but there’s a man whose strength is only next to me, that is—”
2794
2795Someone strong enough to stand next to Rigur—could it be!
2796
2797“Gobta!”
2798
2799Oh… Saw it coming. As I expected, Rigur had given his highest approval.
2800
2801“Gobta would be most suited to join in representing us,” he said.
2802
2803“Hehe, that guy is among the best of my disciples. He’s got a quick mind as well as good techniques. Although he hasn’t evolved in terms of raw power, it’d be interesting to have him grow with this tournament.”
2804
2805Even Hakurou was saying so. None of the lieutenants seemed to object. I would like to confirm his willingness in person, however…
2806
2807“Zzz—Zzz—”
2808
2809Uhh. It seemed that the participant was eager to fight as well. No problemo. So it shall be, I decided to send Gobta into the tournament.
2810
2811
2812
2813And just as I was about to end the meeting, someone had a word to say.
2814
2815“Master, I would like to join in the martial tournament!”
2816
2817Ranga woke up at some point without my notice and stretched his neck out of my shadow. He had commented while wagging his tail.
2818
2819“No no no, Ranga, surely you're not suitable. The theme this time is martial combat, after all…”
2820
2821“Y-you have a point, the Summoner is joining the battle, so there should also be summoned beasts… But it would be pretty odd to have Ranga-san join the tournament…”
2822
2823The tournament was a battle of strength and technique. Ranga was indeed strong, but he didn’t fit in accordance with the rules of the tournament. Based on these views, I rejected his proposal. Myourmiles also expressed approval.
2824
2825Ranga looked at Gobta hatefully. He seemed upset, but that was a point I couldn’t compromise on. I steeled my heart and refused Ranga from participating.
2826
2827“Then we should arrange Geld-san and Gobta-san as the seeded participants. The number of participants has exceeded two hundred, we will have them group in six teams to partake in elimination matches. Then we will decide on the official participant.”
2828
2829Over two hundred! There were quite a lot of people participating. The preliminary rounds tomorrow were originally supposed to select eight final official participants of the tournament. But we couldn’t spend too much time in the preliminary matches, so we planned to split them into eight teams to fight in elimination rounds. Now that we considered the two joining the tournament, it became a match of six.
2830
2831“I’ll be receiving guests from other nations tomorrow, so I’ll leave the commanding post to Myourmiles-kun, sorry for the trouble!
2832
2833“Just count on me!”
2834
2835Hearing Myourmiles’s reliable voice, I nodded reassured. And next in line is—
2836
2837“Diablo, are you acquainted with all the foreign journalists?”
2838
2839“Yes, I’ve invited them to participate in the founding festival. I have made preparations for them to promote us positively.”
2840
2841Diablo sure was comprehensive in preparing things. Now that we had been covered by the media, there was no need to hide our strength. In other words, perhaps having a fearsome demon as referee—such contrast may more or less change people’s impression of him.
2842
2843“Sorry about it, I didn’t want to trouble you with the referee role. But since the Chosen Hero Masayuki, Geld and Gobta are joining, it doesn’t feel safe to have a hobgoblin as referee.”
2844
2845“Kufufufufu, please leave it to me!”
2846
2847And so it was done. If anything happened, Diablo would definitely help.
2848
2849“That’s it for now, sorry for taking up your time. It’s a bit late, but everyone can relax for the day!”
2850
2851“ “ “Yes Sir!” ” ”
2852
2853Now the meeting was finally over. And so, we went to bed before the official start of the actual ceremony tomorrow.
2854
2855
2856
2857
2858
2859
2860Chapter 2 - Opening Festival
2861
2862* * *
2863
2864After meeting the representatives of the monsters living in the Great Jura Forest, the talk with the representing group from the Western Nations went smoothly as well. There were many more details to discuss in the future, but the ideas brought up in our discussion were a good start.
2865
2866Last night we held a rare founding eve celebration. The event concluded peacefully with the various attendances from guests all over the continent.
2867
2868I was very satisfied. I seemed to only have to talk to people I’d been acquainted with in the past yesterday. In terms of actual agreements and demands, I ordered Rigurd and Myourmiles to document all of them. They even stopped guests in secret to prevent them from chatting with me.
2869
2870Very impressive. They’re truly men I can count on.
2871
2872To be honest, had someone directly negotiated with me, there was a good chance that I’d screw up and end up getting myself lumped into something I shouldn’t have. If that were the case, we could have been held accountable for something in the future. Their buffer-zone really helped me out.
2873
2874That being said, if I am able to establish good relationships with other nations in the future, I wouldn’t really mind helping ‘em out a bit… But for now, it’s best we act with caution until we can ascertain their true nature.
2875
2876I couldn’t just roll over and simply acquiesce to their requests.
2877
2878Regardless, right now we were still lacking in manpower. We still had tons of work left to do even after we concluded the festivities. There were a lot of pending issues to attend to.
2879
2880Practicality aside, even if we were to moderate and establish relevant departments, we still wouldn’t have had enough people to fit in administrative roles. And I couldn’t just pile on more work for the existing people either, or else they truly would be busy forever.
2881
2882Rigurd and Myourmiles far exceeded my expectations. Their due diligence on all the work I assigned them had at times caused me to be a bit over-reliant on them. I also invited them over last night, despite things being hectic as they were, causing them to lose some sleep. I need to avoid becoming dependent on them—this was my conclusion I reached following the emergency meeting we had last night.
2883
2884As such, I had decided to take on some responsibility as the ruler of this nation and do my best to receive the guests.
2885
2886
2887
2888The Founding Festival of Tempest would be held today, under a sky as clear as crystal.
2889
2890Even if it rains, I’ll just blow the clouds away, I thought to myself.
2891
2892This was the capital of the Monster Kingdom, Rimuru, a city crowned with my own name. The location was the meeting hall in the center of the northern district, where most political institutions resided.
2893
2894I glanced down upon the people gathered below. The streets leading to the meeting hall were packed to the brim. They were once unruly monsters, but they were now my citizens and regarded as demi-humans.
2895
2896The majins from all over the Jura Great Forest had congregated here before me. With them were also merchants from neighboring nations as well as adventurers bodyguarding them.
2897
2898Moreover, there were also peasants that came for the festival. From what I saw below, the total population here numbered over one hundred thousand, and we had become a huge melting pot of races. A sense of fulfillment gradually filled my heart as I realized that we had finally achieved a kingdom where humans and monsters could peacefully coexist—feels good man.
2899
2900
2901
2902Next, it was about time. I stood up and held the microphone in my hand.
2903
2904“Everyone, I… I mean, I royal sounding…I am the Demon Lord Rimuru…”
2905
2906Umm, whatever goes. This is too troublesome.
2907
2908To me, delivering a serious speech was not only just a difficult task, but also a burdensome responsibility. That’s why I decided to just put forth my honest emotions.
2909
2910“I am Demon Lord Rimuru, and it’s nice to meet you all. Well—thank you all for coming to my kingdom upon invitation. I am very pleased. Although for some of you guys it might be your first time visiting, please rest at ease. While it is indeed a fact that I have become the new demon lord, I have no intention of antagonizing humans. I simply wish to build a kingdom where everyone can live in harmony. As opposed to fighting each other, I believe humans and monsters should cooperate. I believe only in this way can we build a better future.”
2911
2912I observed everyone’s reaction as I continued my speech. It seemed that everyone was intently hanging onto my every word. This not only applied to citizens of our kingdom, but also to the peasants that came for the celebration. I continued:
2913
2914”Some may be wary of the fact that I am a demon lord. While this sense of caution is understandable, I hope everyone would put trust into your genuine feelings. I won’t force you to accept my views. It would certainly be pleasant if you were to find me trust-worthy, but even if you are not willing to trust me, it is something that cannot be helped. Trust is not built overnight, but rather through persistent communication in the future, which is a conclusion that I shall not rush towards—”
2915
2916As the saying goes, “Rome wasn't built in a day.” Things like trust need to be nurtured over time. However, how the people interpreted my message was entirely up to them. Next, I addressed the royal ruling classes:
2917
2918“Fellow nobles gathered today, I hope that you will relay what you see and hear here today honestly when you return to your respective nations. Some kingdoms have already established diplomatic ties with us. Even if you can’t put your faith in us, will you not find those nations trust-worthy? I hope that you will not be prejudiced simply for the fact that I am a monster and a demon lord.”
2919
2920With that being said, this wasn’t something they could determine by themselves. It had to be a decision made by the nation as a whole. What everyone thought here wasn’t that big of a deal, but… I still wanted to believe that there was some use to say these things.
2921
2922But I’ll need to give them a fair warning so we don’t end up with a Farmus 2.0.
2923
2924“I won’t wage war against you simply for the fact that you did not cooperate with us, but if you treat us unfairly due to our monster status, or attack us with the intention of invading: that is something we absolutely will not tolerate. I figure that everyone here has an idea about what I’m talking about after seeing what happened to the Farmus Kingdom.”
2925
2926These were my genuine thoughts as well. Perhaps some would consider me as a threat for doing so, but those were just my honest opinions. I disliked war, but if anyone dared to invade our kingdom, I would retaliate without hesitation. An indecisive ruler will only bring about harm, especially for innocent civilians.
2927
2928After all, ensuring the lives and properties of our citizens was the responsibility of the state. It was my primary objective to protect, and that included friendly monsters as well as future immigrants. A world without military conflict was nothing but an idealistic dream. A citizen had every freedom and right to dream about peace and prosperity, but that wasn’t a luxury rulers could afford. They needed to always be on their feet, ready to handle any situation that may arise. This was the bare minimum for a nation to function. That was my justification for the speech I just delivered to the higher class guests.
2929
2930And to wrap it all up—
2931
2932“Whether you’re a merchant, adventurer, or peasant, I swear not to lay my hands on common civilians. But that does not apply to criminals. Our country is lacking in manpower. As such, there are plenty of jobs available, so anyone who wishes to fill an empty role can consider immigrating. Naturally, with more people come more opportunities. Here, you will have freedom of speech and the ability to choose the occupation that you desire. But even so, please speak and act responsibly. If you are still interested in our nation after my speech, please consider my proposition. There are all sorts of events planned for our nation in the future as well. Today’s Tempest Founding Festival is but the first debut project. With that being said, I hope everyone will have fun!”
2933
2934After that promotional message to the commoners, my speech concluded.
2935
2936
2937
2938Was that a bit too on the nose?
2939
2940Oh well, I didn’t really mind. I was just a clerk working nine-to-five in my previous life, which is why my speech was nowhere near as eloquent as those delivered by kings and nobles despite my quick rise to fame.
2941
2942But, even with that being the case—
2943
2944The crowd exploded into deafening cheers. My citizens aside, even the visitors were in an uproar. Although there must also be people who still had their suspicions, most people were willing to trust me and put their faith in this nation. That would do for now. It would be odd to have complete trust from the get-go. Our heartfelt thoughts had been delivered to everyone. All that’s left was to see their reactions.
2945
2946And so, with my speech, the Tempest Nation Founding Festival was officially commenced.
2947
2948***
2949
2950After the speech, I made my way to the main hall on the ground floor. The children had finished dressing up and gathered there.
2951
2952“Sensei turns out to be the king of this country?”
2953
2954Hmm? Did I not mention it?
2955
2956“So you didn’t know, Kenya? Since you are now aware of my greatness, it’s never too late to show me a tad bit more respect.”
2957
2958“What did I—”
2959
2960“Yes—! I respect sensei a great deal!”
2961
2962As I was teasing Kenya, Alice interrupted and hugged me. Chloe followed up with a “Me too—!” and similarly sprung on me.
2963
2964I smiled, patting both their heads before gently pushing them away. The two seemed rather displeased since, after all, I only had one body. They’d just have to suck it up for now before they started arguing amongst themselves.
2965
2966“Speaking of which, this is quite a surprising turn of events. Just yesterday I was guessing whether sensei was a king or not…” Gale said as Ryota nodded in agreement.
2967
2968“Ahh, this whole king thing was after I parted ways with you all. By the way, I have been really busy lately.”
2969
2970“R-right… Of course you’d be really busy after becoming a king…”
2971
2972Kenya still looked very pissed, but at least it seemed he was willing to forgive me a little.
2973
2974“Then, sensei, will we not have any more chances to see you again in the future?”
2975
2976“Hmm—I’ll check on you guys when I have the time. Don’t be fooled by my appearance! My king status is only in name.”
2977
2978“Tsk, what’s that supposed to mean? Are you great or not?? Make up your mind!! Seriously…”
2979
2980I attempted to comfort the complaining Kenya before giving all of them a couple words of caution.
2981
2982“Listen well now, you guys will undoubtedly be very excited to join in on the festivities, and as a result you may easily go out of control. Don’t get over your heads and stay out of trouble!”
2983
2984“ “ “Alright!” ” ”
2985
2986They’re quite the lively bunch today.
2987
2988“Did you bring your handkerchief, napkin, and that necklace?”
2989
2990“ “ “Of course we did!” ” ”
2991
2992These brats sure answer fast. It’s probably better to find someone to accompany them, but all my subordinates had their hands full. Diablo was busy refereeing at the Colosseum. Hakurou had a date with Momiji, and Benimaru was my bodyguard.
2993
2994“Are you sure you want to give the chance to date Momiji to Hakurou?”
2995
2996“Please give me a break, it’s all too soon for me…”
2997
2998Benimaru seemed to be dodging the question. Fine then. I guess only time can tell.
2999
3000
3001
3002Shuna should be running the cafe, Shion also seemed to be occupied with something as well and has been missing all morning. While this fact alone brings me great unease, I want to cling to the faint hope that everything will be fine. Souei will be covertly keeping watch over the town. He’ll inform me if something happens. Souei’s men will be keeping an eye on the kids, so I guess there’s no need to worry too much—
3003
3004“What’s the matter? Something troubling you?”
3005
3006As I was in the midst of contemplating how it was never good to overthink things, someone suddenly interrupted my train of thought.
3007
3008It was Hinata. Hinata was standing there in casual attire with a saber sheathed on her belt. She was wearing a navy blue sleeveless dress which occasionally allowed for glimpses of her armpits and chest, giving off an indescribably erotic allure. Moreover, the saber strapped on her belt accentuated her slim waist
3009
3010Ahhh, what a pleasant sight.
3011
3012While I wanted to appreciate her body a little bit more, Hinata’s icy gold glare shut down my hopes. I gave a dry cough to get through with it.
3013
3014“Eh, sensei!”
3015
3016“Who is this?”
3017
3018Alice and Chloe warily asked after seeing my expression.
3019
3020“Her name is Hinata. She’s the powerhouse that fought me to a draw.”
3021
3022“Huh—? This old hag managed to—”
3023
3024Kenya was only halfway through his sentence before Hinata cut him off by pressing her saber to his throat. It was only one centimeter away from his neck. Any move and his throat would have been slit open.
3025
3026“Now, what were you saying?”
3027
3028“I-I was going to say… T-the beautiful big sister…”
3029
3030Kenya’s eyes were filled with tears as he squeaked out his words.
3031
3032“K-Ken-chan…”
3033
3034Ryota had tried to save Kenya but was now frozen in place. It seemed that Hinata’s glare had made him stiff with fear. Gale, who had been mesmerized by Hinata, was also standing stock still. So shocked was he by Hinata’s sudden appearance, that his body was straight and rigid as a board.
3035
3036I can’t really blame them. Even I find Hinata a little bit frightening, so I guess it’s only natural for Ryota and Gale to have that type of reaction.
3037
3038“Kenya, watch your manners! This person was also the disciple of Shizu-san just like Yuuki. In other words, she’s basically your senior.”
3039
3040Kenya looked at me with sad puppy eyes that seemed to say: Geez, couldn’t you have said that earlier! While I could definitely sympathize, it didn’t change the fact that it was Kenya’s own fault this time. I warned them not to get in over their heads just moments ago. Kenya ignored my warnings and had his just desserts served to him.
3041
3042“Shizu-sensei’s disciple… Could it be?!”
3043
3044“Could it be the person that allegedly surpassed Shizu-sensei in a month…”
3045
3046“The Holy Knight commander of Ruberios, Hinata Sakaguchi-sama?”
3047
3048“That’s rad! But, is it really her…?”
3049
3050“Hey… Shouldn’t you mention something as important as that first…”
3051
3052Hinata smacked her lips and then sheathed her sword at incredible speed. Kenya slumped to the ground, exhausted. He probably lost all strength in his legs. I’d wager he won’t be getting back up anytime soon.
3053
3054“I almost pissed my pants—” Kenya said, his face pale. Alice sneered at him, calling him “Disgusting.”
3055
3056“You can’t blame me! That was really horrifying.”
3057
3058“But it was Kenya’s fault as well.”
3059
3060Kenya was silenced under the pressure of Chloe's facts and logic.
3061
3062“By the way, Rimuru-sensei, did you really fight to a tie with Hinata-nee?”
3063
3064Since Gale asked, I at the very least had to give him an honest answer.
3065
3066“I guess. There was no decisive winner or loser since the losing one ran off before the end of the fight. ”
3067
3068“And the ‘losing one who ran off’ is referring to you, right sensei?”
3069
3070And after all that trouble of avoiding specifying who… That roast was on point.
3071
3072“Whatever you say.”
3073
3074But that was just me trying to play cool. I wasn’t lying; I just wasn’t revealing the whole truth. Something which, by the way, shall just be kept as a lil’ secret between you and me.
3075
3076The children wanted to ask more but Hinata interrupted them.
3077
3078“So what was it that was troubling you just now?”
3079
3080Having been asked, I recalled worrying about who to entrust to accompany the children.
3081
3082“It’s nothing really. It’s just that these kids are gonna be going to town soon. Even though there are safety patrols and such on duty, it’s still gonna be really crowded, and I’m a bit worried for their safety. Preferably I’d want someone to accompany them…”
3083
3084“Oh—In that case, I can take care of them.”
3085
3086“So I was thinking about whether there are any suitable candidates… Eh?”
3087
3088What did she just say? Hinata’s gonna take care of the children? Wait wait wait, that joke’s not funny at all!
3089
3090“What, do you think I’m not qualified?”
3091
3092“No way, what are you talking about—”
3093
3094She glared at me again. What a terrifying woman. Kenya managed to not pee his pants. Good work on his part; I’ll need to praise him a little.
3095
3096“You guys won’t turn me down now, will you?”
3097
3098“No, of course not!”
3099
3100“Ken-chan…”
3101
3102“Please help us!”
3103
3104“Even Gale has… Fine then, so be it.”
3105
3106The two boys—Gale and Kenya—had fallen. Seeing their reactions, Ryota caved in as well.
3107
3108“I can’t believe I get to see Hinata-nee that I’ve always looked up to! I’m so happy!”
3109
3110Alice was practically an idol-chasing stan. I used to think she looked up to Masayuki, but it seems that she looked up to Hinata like some idol. Unlike the two boys who were complaining, she was more than happy to be close to her. And there was also Chloe.
3111
3112“Big sis is such a nice person! I feel like you are so similar to Shizu-sensei!”
3113
3114She went on to hug Hinata with a smile. I guess Hinata really was a good person if even Chloe was tagging alongside here. Even though her eyes were scary as hell, Chloe didn’t seem to mind.
3115
3116Speaking of Hinata, if I wasn’t mistaken, she had a small smile on her lips. Hinata seemed to have grabbed the children’s hearts in an instant.
3117
3118
3119
3120
3121
3122“Let’s go then!” Hinata announced. “They seem to be selling chow mein and corn on the cob there, so let’s go eat at the vendor stand.”
3123
3124“ “ “Okay!” ” ”
3125
3126What amazing leadership. Impressive was the only thing I could say about her. Now I could rest assured with the children entrusted to Hinata.
3127
3128Having been relieved of a heavy burden, Hinata suddenly snuck next to me and whispered.
3129
3130“Now that I am helping to take care of the children, I’ll leave Luminus-sama to you!”
3131
3132Huh? I didn’t see her last night, but could it be that Luminus is here as well?
3133
3134“Is Luminus willing to join the ceremony?”
3135
3136“Weren’t you the one that invited her? She was overjoyed and even prepared her maid outfit!”
3137
3138I didn’t expect Luminus to disguise herself as a servant of the Holy Knights Arno and Bacchus when coming to attend the event. She seemed to be operating alongside the nobles on the first day under the guise of her maid outfit. Holy Knights were, after all, of noble status. That being the case, it would be fine for her to accompany the people that I’d be receiving today.
3139
3140Should I call her astute or…
3141
3142Apparently she spent the night over at our newly constructed church. I didn’t realize it at all, meaning that she had hidden her real identity perfectly.
3143
3144“I’ll leave the rest to you.”
3145
3146And with that, Hinata left with the children. By the looks of it, I’ll be the one putting in the work now, won’t I… Hinata seemed to be pretty smug about it. I felt like she had checkmated me yet again.
3147
3148
3149
3150Just as Hinata left, someone came up to pat me on the shoulder.
3151
3152“Ah, how surprising, Rimuru-san. That’s the first time I’ve seen Hinata smiling.”
3153
3154It was Yuuki. He wasn’t wearing his usual suit this time, but rather a formal outfit that was modeled after his old school uniform. He was standing there with a welcoming smile on his face. It seemed that he’d been looking for me to go to the gathering location. Since that’s the case, guess I’ll have to lead the way.
3155
3156“Right, I didn’t expect Hinata to offer to take care of the children. I was thinking that she would say something along the lines of ‘How annoying’ while looking disgusted.”
3157
3158“She’s not like that at all. Hinata is actually a great caretaker. That being said, I’m still surprised. By the way, her casual clothes suit her super well, don’t they? It gave me quite a shock indeed! That piece seems to have been purchased in this town, and now she’s like a charming, fashionable university student. Ain’t that right?”
3159
3160I see, so they were indeed our domestically produced clothes. And I had thought that I was mistaken, but I guess not.
3161
3162“That girl turns out to be pretty wealthy. Perhaps it’s rather impolite for me to say, but that dress is pretty expensive.
3163
3164That dress was made from hell-moth silk, which not only provided comfort, but also had the effect of ‘Thermal Fluctuation Nullification’. It even had defensive capabilities that exceeded your run-of-the-mill leather armor.
3165
3166With all those features, it was no wonder why the dress would be pricey. Even with the production of silk stabilized, the supply was still scarce. And of that scarce supply, even fewer were finished products. Given that to be the case, we could only sell them at an incredibly high price. It was a product tailored for nobles and not meant for the commoners.
3167
3168I heard that Hinata bought it without hesitation upon seeing it yesterday. She even had someone custom tailor it. I figured that she must have spent a good load of money on it. Well, if that was the case, I couldn't complain about such a good customer.
3169
3170“I guess it’s possible that her spending mood is related to the festivity? She was also quite eager to explore things around here yesterday as well.”
3171
3172Are you serious!? And I thought that I was just seeing things… It seemed that peoples’ expectations towards the nation founding festival of Tempest had gone beyond my imagination.
3173
3174Ah, I guess that’s why she said those things. Based on these considerations, Hinata decided to take a break herself and pushed the duty to receive Luminus to me.
3175
3176“What was she investigating yesterday by the way?”
3177
3178“The food stands. Wasn’t she just animatedly talking about chow mein and corn on the cob?”
3179
3180“Oh, so she did…”
3181
3182That means Hinata has indeed done her thorough research.
3183
3184She seemed to take enjoying the festival very seriously. Any wariness she may have had was gone with the wind, fully immersing herself in the festivities.
3185
3186
3187
3188Indeed, we had lots of fast food stands on display outside the Colosseum, and among them was one that I had personally planned. Everything went very smoothly with the help of Myourmiles’s arrangements.
3189
3190We offered hamburgers, hot dogs, french fries, and a panoply of juices. There were many other shops as well. We had stands that offered chow mein, corn on the cob, cow-deer BBQ, and snacks. Even though it might have been off season, we even had shaved ice for sale. It would definitely become a best seller during the summer. Shaved ice was thin, delicate, and it melted in your mouth. Now just add some sweet syrup on top of that… I had tried it before, and I could definitely vouch for its fantastic taste. The aromatic smell of soy sauce combined with the sweetness of fruit sugar was mouthwatering.
3191
3192This was all possible thanks to everyone’s careful preparations for this day. I communicated my memories of the dishes through “Telepathy Net”, and as a result, Shuna and the others were able to successfully recreate them. With Myourmiles doing the planning, my projects were able to come to fruition. Even more surprising was the fact that we made it so that Veldora could open a teppanyaki shop.
3193
3194Hinata seemed to have checked out stores beforehand and had made her plan to tour around the town.
3195
3196“By the way, she seems pretty different compared to how she normally interacts with people. Does she really like eating junk food that much?”
3197
3198“I mean, who doesn’t? It tastes good. I’m a fan of junk food too, so you can’t really just judge her like that…” Yuuki agreed as I was mumbling to myself.
3199
3200I had stumbled upon a rather surprising side of Hinata, and I wasn’t sure whether I could call that a blessing or a curse. At least she wasn’t stingy with her money, so she should be a good client.
3201
3202Although I feel like she may be a negative influence on the children…
3203
3204***
3205
3206Accompanied by Benimaru and Yuuki, I arrived at the guest hotel. Rigurd was already explaining the planned schedule to the large group of nobles gathered there.
3207
3208“Oh, Rimuru-sama! Your speech just now was truly wonderful!”
3209
3210Eh, really?
3211
3212Rigurd’s joyful expression was contagious. He provided me reassurance that my speech just now was perfectly fine. I exchanged smiles with Rigurd all the while thinking to myself, nice, nice!
3213
3214“Then, we will be leading everyone to attend the first event of the day!”
3215
3216Rigurd began walking as he finished. He moved towards a building near the hotel. It was the opera house. We managed to redecorate the interior on a crunch, and the end result was more majestic than what we had hoped for. We only arranged these high-quality chairs in this particular manner after considering the acoustic effect in the theatre.
3217
3218The guests were seated properly.
3219
3220
3221
3222The standard of culture in this world was a bit lower when compared to Japan. This was…umm, a genuine observation even from other people’s point of view. While there was a relatively high artistic and musical achievement, that was limited to royalty and nobility. They were entertainment for the upper echelon that had both an abundance of money and time. The angels would assault any city that developed past a certain threshold. As a result, most aspects of advanced culture were tucked away in the realms of the privileged. To the nobles, these forms of culture were merely considered as minor entertainment. But to me, culture was something that required a collective effort to build together.
3223
3224Geniuses had been buried in this world. It was not only difficult to discover the genius in these fields in a world with such a narrow view, but they may also even be buried and eventually not be developed for their entire lives. Art is the product of entertainment spawned from extra vitality of life, and the same goes for any innovation.
3225
3226In this world, the search for such things is a luxury, but I’m not giving up because of it. I will, however, search the world to discover the geniuses that were overshadowed by the average people. In order to achieve this, first I need to foster a culture appreciation trend within my nation.
3227
3228And the first step is—today's appreciation concert. There were plenty of musical instruments in this world that were similar to my original world. To my surprise, there was even something like a piano.
3229
3230And these were all discovered at Clayman’s base. He seemed to have been living life no worse than court royals. In one of the countless luxuriously decorated rooms of his, he had stored a large number of instruments. Some monsters already understood music. They seemed to play beats to the performance of flute and taigo. They also had a culture of holding festivals every year. I loaned instruments to these people and, with time, their talents here and there blossomed.
3231
3232We prepared instruments for those conscious of learning, and gave them basic instructions such as teaching them how to read music notes.
3233
3234My knowledge alone was hardly enough, and it was a time like this that Wisdom King Raphael would shine. With the music schoolbook from Japan combined with the knowledge related to instruments within the library of this world, we produced a paper book. How amazing(-ly terrifying) it was for Raphael to recreate such long-forgotten knowledge of mine.
3235
3236The personal effort of the monsters came next. As the saying goes, “Interest is the best teacher,” soon enough, the monsters started to master their favorite instruments.
3237
3238By the way, I also had someone faithfully recreate the music notes. I wasn’t someone qualified with traits such as “masterly music sense,” but it was no problem for Raphael-san. Not only did it recreate the sheet music, it even re-composed the songs. Although I was worried about copyright issues, there was no JASRAC in this world. Moreover, the rights holders were not here either. So please give me some leeway for wanting to further foster the culture.
3239
3240Our powerhouse was comprised of violinists, but there were also instruments such as the trumpet and kettledrum. While it was surprising to see that there were pianos, how easily the monsters played them moved me quite a bit.
3241
3242The opinion on whether to add a piano into the orchestra was split. But this alone was not enough to concern me too much. If we wanted to further dramatize the performance with the addition of a piano, we should just add it in. I wasn’t musically talented, so the decision was handed to the monsters. The result of the performance was guaranteed by Myourmiles.
3243
3244
3245
3246Today was also the first day I would be hearing their performance. With mounted expectations, I nervously awaited the moment.
3247
3248After confirming that the guests had been seated, the lights were gradually turned down. The curtain on the stage was pulled up. Members of the orchestra in uniforms emerged. The ensemble was made up of people from different races as they held their preferred instruments. Some looked like humans, others looked like beasts. There was a lot of variety. Everyone’s face was filled with confidence and pride in their instruments.
3249
3250A halfling came to the front, likely the conductor, and bowed deeply to the audience—I recalled this young man sighing that he couldn’t do anything. I told him as comfort that “There’s no such thing.” Even though he wasn’t good at accounting, his weak physique made him unsuited for construction work and he wasn’t cut out for farming either. When out of options, he went to be enlisted, but he couldn’t win in a fight either.
3251
3252While this was the case, he was good at raising morale. His singing voice was most beautiful and united the people. That’s when I recommended him to the army band. I had even given him the name “Taktstock”—
3253
3254Taktstock then raised his face. Unlike his expression from before, his face was now filled with enthusiasm. As he graciously subjected himself to the judging eyes of the high nobles, he turned his little back to everyone. A small and fragile body, but his back was full of strength.
3255
3256Everything happened so quickly. These people were lucky that their talents were developed.
3257
3258He raised his taktstock (conductor baton), and the next second—they began to perform. A steady tone started, and soon was followed by a change into a solemn reprise.
3259
3260Under the conduction of Taktstock, the performers were acting in unison. They had also found things to be proud of. The music they were performing seemed to be announcing: “This is the best moment of my life.” It was mesmerizing.
3261
3262Classical music, these are famous songs that can be recognized in any era no matter where. There are songs that heal, that inspire joy and determination. These are songs crafted by many geniuses.
3263
3264These people, who could barely read, studied these notes day and night—and today at this hall, their effort blossomed and they performed music with their heart and soul. Nowadays, they would no longer be mocked and called useless trash. If someone actually does that, I’ll beat the shit out of them. That’s how good their performance is. I had been to classical concerts a couple of times when I was in Japan, and you guys are not doing bad at all.
3265
3266I didn’t expect to hear such high-quality music here.
3267
3268
3269
3270Yuuki closed his eyes and listened while reminiscent about the past, he seemed mesmerized by it. How about that, aren’t they amazing—I couldn’t help but feel smug.
3271
3272But just as I thought so, the music stopped abruptly. They then continued to play some very familiar anime songs.
3273
3274No way, hold up… That was an almost natural transition from classical music to an anime song! And then it somehow transitioned to pop music.
3275
3276Yuuki opened his eyes and stared at me with a deadpan look. Quit it already, I’m not the one responsible here.
3277
3278And the culprit that used my memory to compose songs—
3279
3280<<Answer. These are songs I’ve selected from master’s memory bank that evoked relatively high satisfaction.>>
3281
3282—This answer filled with confidence came from Wisdom King Raphael-san.
3283
3284Now I’m gonna carry this for the rest of my life. The good atmosphere we just managed to create had been destroyed completely.
3285
3286I did like these songs, but it was too drastic of a contrast when it was played right after some serious music.
3287
3288Yuuki seemed to agree. A small, wry smile emerged on his face.
3289
3290With that being said… It seemed only Yuuki and I felt that way. I guess this was to be expected. The audience were all hearing these songs for the first time. They had no clue where they were from. Moreover, with the clever tweak of Raphael-san, the songs were composed perfectly. Naturally, people wouldn’t suspect a thing.
3291
3292Whether it was people who were used to listening to famous songs or not, they all probably heard these songs for the first time, and some were really into them.
3293
3294The orchestra’s music surrounded and dominated the music theatre, the people in the audience didn’t even risk making a sound by blinking; they were fully concentrated. Beethoven, Mozart, Chopin, Tchaikovsky, Wagner, as well as music composed by unknown geniuses had mesmerized the nobles and royalty alike in this world.
3295
3296
3297
3298The concert today was quite the success. The monsters were able to perform beautiful music—today, anyone who listened to the concert, would have to acknowledge that.
3299
3300That included the anime songs. After hearing the version they performed, they were just as great as the famous historical pieces. Even the pop songs did too, they were truly mind-blowing, and the rock songs were morale boosting.
3301
3302The enthusiasm in the theatre was still very high—and soon, the performance ended.
3303
3304***
3305
3306It was over now. The past hour sure was something else. It was almost like the moment had been immortalized.
3307
3308As planned, the performance would come to an end. According to Myourmiles’s explanation, there would be one hour of public performance each day in the morning and afternoon. Some people who were not familiar with music may find listening for too long to be insufferable. Based on these considerations, we shortened the duration.
3309
3310There was no intermission. This was our first attempt at it, in order to proceed things quickly, we simplified some steps. And the concert just now was the result of it.
3311
3312I only needed to listen to the reports. The people in front of me were the ones that figured out all of this. I felt honored as I stood up, hoping to give them my congratulations to their success.
3313
3314As I was about to clap—
3315
3316Taktstock bowed to us and swung his baton. All the lights suddenly went off. The theatre hall became dim, some people seemed to be panicking. But that was only for a second. Someone was standing on the stage, as a slim film of light shone down.
3317
3318She was a petite young girl with light pink hair—Shuna. She had an unusual charm today as she was dressed in a white open shoulder dress. I had only seen her in her kimono, which even made me doubt “Is this really her?”
3319
3320Surprisingly, under the thin light stood a purple-haired beauty as well.
3321
3322Is that Shion? She wasn’t in her usual suit, but an off-shoulder dress. As if she were bathed under the moonlight, Shion’s silhouette was dream-like. The lighting change made her dress, looming in the dark, give off a rare sensation of sexiness. Without speaking up, she was a beauty with an incredible body. Such a presentation had made Shion especially seductive.
3323
3324Under the light, the two stood at the front of the stage as they bowed deeply. This alone was like a painting, drawing the eyes of the audience—but, speaking of which, what were Shuna and Shion going to do?
3325
3326Could it be…
3327
3328The light started moving as Shuna walked along to the piano that no one had played until now. Shion, on the other hand, picked up a violin. There was no doubt that they were planning to perform. I could see Shuna playing the piano, but Shion playing violin? Is it really okay for Shion to play in front of so many guests?
3329
3330I suddenly recalled the travesty that was Shion’s cooking. What if Shion’s performance is so horrible that it makes things difficult for us later—no, it shouldn’t come to that. If it was that bad, there was no way Shuna would bring her up. Moreover, Myourmiles was very confident about it. That man seemed to have bet his life on this project, there’s no way he would let Shion do whatever she wanted.
3331
3332I needed this confidence. Upon thinking so, I closed my eyes. Although there were still worries within me, I awaited the performance to begin.
3333
3334
3335
3336The sound of the piano was calm and smooth. It was accompanied by the passionate play of the violin like flame. The nature of the song suddenly changed. Rather than a duet, it was more like a duel.
3337
3338—But, beautiful nonetheless.
3339
3340It’s as if the tone reflecting the bad temper of Shion was being surrounded gently by the piano notes that reflect Shuna’s temperament. Tender yet exciting, the two characters intertwine and support each other. Their incorporation was just right.
3341
3342Ah ah, this was amazing. It’s as if my soul was being shaken as I was overwhelmed by the rich music. That was something else. There’s no way they could have reached that level of mastery by practicing on the spot. It must’ve been skills practiced since childhood.
3343
3344Speaking of which, Shuna was a miko-hime (witch princess)—I heard that Shion was responsible for protecting her. During religious celebrations, music was a necessary component. It must have been for this reason that the music Shion and Shuna performed was so strikingly impactful—
3345
3346
3347
3348There was silence. As if a momentary stay in a fantasy land had just finished. I felt as though I’d been there for an eternity, yet it had barely been five minutes. Upon coming back to my senses, I wanted to clap amidst panic, but I was overtaken.
3349
3350There was a sprinkle of soft applause that broke the silence. Someone did it before me. I was gonna clap first but someone got ahead of me. I clapped alongside to confirm who it was—I didn’t expect it to be Luminus. That gave me a spook. She had disguised herself as the maid of the two Holy Knights and was clapping with utmost satisfaction.
3351
3352I followed up with some intense applause, joined by many others. There was applause like thunder. Emperor Elmesia of the Sorcerers' Dynasty Sarion, Dwarf King Gazel and the aristocrats of the Western Nations joined along. Even Frey and Hermes, as well as Midley, who seemed remotely unconcerned with any culture. Everyone stood up and gave them their applause.
3353
3354For some reason, the habit of applauding seemed to be the same as my original world. Is it that there are so many “Otherworlders” from the start, or is it that this is just how this world is? I’m not really sure about it, but I’m sure there’s no culture of “Encore” in this world. After all, cultural activities were a rare occurrence in this world, and the reason was very obvious.
3355
3356And so I thought that everything was over, but it didn’t seem this way. The stage turned dark once more before the light shone again. The last song was performed by Shuna on the piano, Shion with her violin, as well as the rest of the orchestra. This concluded the public performance.
3357
3358
3359
3360Music—and art—can break through any barrier.
3361
3362After witnessing it all, I would like to believe that there were indeed good things in this world, their beauty being something anybody could appreciate.
3363
3364***
3365
3366The performance was a great success. At noon, we dined at the hall of the guest hotel. As the guests were eating snacks prepared by us, they were passionately discussing the performance from before.
3367
3368“That was amazing.”
3369
3370“Aye, you’re right about that—”
3371
3372“I was even mesmerized with my eyes closed—”
3373
3374“Me too. There’s still an echo of the music around. It didn’t matter if it were humans or monsters that performed, there’s no difference between the two at all!”
3375
3376“Indeed. Good things are intrinsically good, nothing else really matters.”
3377
3378And so on, as I eavesdropped nearby, hearing everyone’s praise.
3379
3380“E-excuse me…Lord Rimuru, I wanted to attend that music concert again, how could I have the chance to do that?” someone decided to just ask me directly.
3381
3382“Throughout the three days of celebration, it will be held at fixed times every day.”
3383
3384That’s the answer I gave at least, but I may consider arranging regular concerts after the celebration. There still weren’t many songs that they could play, but we would add on to the list in the future.
3385
3386“They did a wonderful performance. I had a lot more fun than I had imagined,” when I crossed paths with Luminus, she said so in a volume that only I could hear. I felt that Luminus seldom gave praise, so her praising them directly this time could probably be interpreted as praise of the highest order.
3387
3388Seeing the reactions of the crowd, Benimaru also looked very proud.
3389
3390“Speaking of which, Shion was really surprising.”
3391
3392“That’s right. But—despite her look—she has always been good with rhythms. That instrument called violin was a great fit for Shion. Even though Shuna gave me a surprise with that instrument as well, she already enjoys singing, so it’s not that big a surprise after all.”
3393
3394In Benimaru’s view, these seemed to be facts that could easily be accepted. He knew that the two had good singing voices. Having been reminded by him, I did recall hearing them singing joyfully. Although I seemed to have understood, I wasn’t actually sure about what everyone was truly capable of.
3395
3396
3397
3398The lunch gathering concluded, followed by the tech presentation in the afternoon. I followed Rigurd to guide the guests who had yet to calm themselves from the exciting experience in the morning.
3399
3400Just passing by the opera house, we moved towards the museum this time. It felt as if we had gotten to the wrong place, but the historical records room was our destination this time.
3401
3402Gabil and Vesta were welcoming us at the entrance of the building. Some of the guests seemed to be aware that Vesta used to be a subject of the Dwarven Kingdom. A wave of noise came through, sounded like a commotion of surprise. But Vesta didn’t seem to mind as he laughed alongside the crowd. Under the two’s guidance, we entered the building.
3403
3404
3405
3406“What’s in the box here are the healing potions first produced by Rimuru-sama. It was a liquid refined from Hippocout grass. The refinement rate was up to 99%. It is not as good as a resurrection potion, though it is almost as authentic as one—”
3407
3408Vesta explained as we walked further into the building. It was at this point that I discovered a misstep. While Vesta’s explanation was in detail, it was probably pretty boring to the people without the relevant knowledge. It was possibly for this reason that some had begun to feel bored.
3409
3410The arrangement of the event was not ideal either. Had the tech presentation been arranged in the morning, the crowd would probably still attend out of curiosity. And it would appear less tedious. But arranging it right after the amazing concert in the morning, the presentation in comparison would, therefore, be dull. Moreover, considering that most of the guests are aristocrats, they may have been interested in the outcomes, but the production process would appear less significant. This must’ve been on their minds. Vesta seemed to have noticed this as well, as a wry smile emerged on his face.
3411
3412“My, my, it must be tedious for everyone to listen to these abstruse topics. Let us switch things up and take a look at our experiments.”
3413
3414He turned to signal Gabil.
3415
3416Gabil nodded in response.
3417
3418“This experiment is—to ask the rudimentary question of ‘What exactly is the healing potion’. When we dilute the full healing potion to one-fifth of its concentration, we will have the higher healing potion for treating severe wounds. A little more dilution and we will be able to produce twenty bottles of lower healing potion. In other words, that’s just how incredible the full healing potion is.”
3419
3420As Vesta was explaining, Gabil laid out all three types of healing potions in a line.
3421
3422“If there’s any wounded person, we can invite him to test the effect of the potion. But deliberate self-harm would be too barbaric. So we’ve come up with an interesting experiment as an alternative.”
3423
3424Accompanying Gabil’s presentation, Vesta took something out—a broken sword.
3425
3426“Next, will the healing potion be able to fix this sword, can anyone answer this question?”
3427
3428As soon as Gabil asked, someone snickered at his question.
3429
3430“Impossible! Hippocout grass only works on creatures!”
3431
3432The respondent seemed to be a sorcerer, likely a court mage of some kingdom. He seemed to be well acquainted with relevant knowledge to determine that a healing potion had no effect on a broken sword.
3433
3434“Kukuku, indeed you are right. That is at least the case for the higher and lower healing potions—on the sword, they would have no effect,” Gabil nodded in response.
3435
3436That was only natural. You didn’t need an experiment to know the answer. I can see Gabil asking it, but why did Vesta continue with the question—?
3437
3438“Then, what is the range of its effective targets? What would be the answer to this question?”
3439
3440To this question, the audience started arguing along the lines of “Do you think we are stupid?” and started making a fuss to Gabil and Vesta. While such a reaction was expected, they were really being noisy.
3441
3442But I could understand their sentiments. However, regarding the application range of the healing potion… Of course it was not limited to humans, it was effective for animals, plants and monsters.
3443
3444Then, what really is the difference? Upon thinking so, that did make me ponder. Is it a difference between being organic and inorganic? No, my guess was that it had to do with having will or not.
3445
3446<<Answer. Plants have wills as well, it stems from its “Soul”. Speculation is that the difference has to do with the spirit particle that makes up for magicule, i.e. the presence of “Soul” or not.>>
3447
3448Yeah, that. Plants have wills as well. Although they have no clear concept of self, they still desire to live. But a sword does not have “Soul”, in other words, possesses no will. A sword is purely just an object, and of course—uh, hold up?
3449
3450Something strange just crossed my mind. I recalled that Kaijin mentioned that a sword had its own will—
3451
3452Could it be!
3453
3454“Kukuku, that’s the question I hope to explore as well. We’ve come to discover something new out of curiosity on the matter.”
3455
3456“Indeed. I was laughing to mself at how stupid Gabil-san was and told him not to do such a silly experiment, trying to stop him. But I was the ignorant one. I was too accustomed to common sense that I forgot my purpose as a researcher.”
3457
3458Vesta, with a smile, poured the full healing potion on the broken sword. And soon, while only just a bit, the sword was reacting.
3459
3460“ “ “—!” ” ”
3461
3462“This is the answer. While it is not complete regeneration, the broken sword does show signs of restoration.”
3463
3464“H-how could this be…”
3465
3466“Unbelievable. So healing potion can be applied in this way—”
3467
3468The guests couldn’t hide their shock, as was to be expected. Their common sense had just been devastated. It was hard not to feel surprised—I was shocked as well.
3469
3470I didn’t expect them to conduct such an experiment. Neither of the two persons responsible reported it to me, leading to my unexpected and unnecessary shock right now.
3471
3472“However, this only applies to gear that has grown to a certain extent. The basic requirement for the weapon is that it is made of ‘Magisteel’. In addition, if the owner has not used the weapon for a long time, there will be no reaction.”
3473
3474I see, in other words, it does not work if it does not possess will.
3475
3476“—What prompted your interest in the matter?”
3477
3478Gazel opened up quite seriously and asked Gabil.
3479
3480“It’s not anything special, to be honest. I used to think that wild plants and grass had no will, but after experimentation, I discovered that healing potion works on them as well.”
3481
3482Since full healing potions were already being mass-produced, there was a surplus in terms of production. That’s why they were able to spray plenty of it on different materials as an experiment.
3483
3484Indeed, curiosity is the first step to new discoveries. I recalled a similar experiment done at a science lab when I was in primary school. I also wanted to challenge myself a bit due to boredom. Gabil was the same, anything would come after the action.
3485
3486The potion was effective towards plants. It was said that it could revive an almost dead tree and grow new branches over the broken ones.
3487
3488“This reminds me of the dryads in this world. Could the seemingly weak plants before us not grow to powerful monsters in the future? On second thought, I believe there must be some other conditions.”
3489
3490As the explanation reached this point, at least half of the crowd became intrigued. Normally speaking, such research results should have been kept secret. That fact must’ve been in the back of everyone’s mind.
3491
3492Should I let Gabil and Vesta continue the presentation? This thought quickly went through my mind before I dismissed it and continued to listen to the explanation with the rest.
3493
3494“Any entity that reacts to healing potion possesses magicule. And items without magicule do not react at all… This means that will is something that exists in magicule—or the two are closely connected.”
3495
3496“Yes. I’ve changed my mind since Gabil-san showed me the files. It was then that a question came to mind—‘What is magicule?’”
3497
3498Magicule—one of the unique substances of this world that, like oxygen, existed in every corner of this world. It was the source of all amazing powers in this world, and to some extent it could control free will…
3499
3500“Here’s a sample of a certain plant. Let’s switch to a different location and have a close-up image.”
3501
3502After being hurried by Vesta, we moved on to a different venue.
3503
3504
3505
3506This was a large room with lines of chairs set up. This seemed more like a multimedia room. An experimental projector was set up there in front of a wall with a white cloth as a screen.
3507
3508Gazel was observing the projector excitedly, but he seemed to know that it wasn’t the focus at hand, so he kept his mouth shut. As expected of Gazel, a mature adult that read the room.
3509
3510After confirming that all guests had been seated, Gabil began operating the projector. The device possessed light-magic engravings. It was a treasure that could project colored images. The room turned dim as images emerged on the white cloth.
3511
3512Some people were very surprised to see this, but Vesta ignored them and continued the explanation.
3513
3514“Then, please take a look at this image. This is the dissection of the aforementioned plant, and there is another dissection graph of a random grass—”
3515
3516The two enlarged dissection graphs were displayed next to each other.
3517
3518He didn’t mention what type of plant it is on purpose, what is Vesta’s goal here?
3519
3520“—Aren’t these two the same thing? I couldn’t tell the difference…”
3521
3522“Uh—same here, I can’t tell the difference.”
3523
3524Many people agreed.
3525
3526While some pointed out that “Here’s something different,” “No, over there,” but I guessed none of them were right.
3527
3528“Alright, so what’s the correct answer?”
3529
3530“Then let us enhance the image further.”
3531
3532“How about now, does it still look the same?”
3533
3534Vesta and Gabil gave off a rather devious smile.
3535
3536It was then that they began to reveal their ace in the hole.
3537
3538“The first image is the plant known as Hippocout herb. The second is a random grass we picked by the road. How about it then, do they look the same?”
3539
3540As Vesta finished, people with pertinent knowledge began to disagree with him.
3541
3542“They do look different. You can see the difference if you pay attention!”
3543
3544“How devious of you Vesta-san. It’s so hard to see the difference between the images like this!”
3545
3546The audience began to express their views.
3547
3548The Hippocout herb was rare. It was the grass that I ate inside the sealed cave of Veldora. It was also the famous ingredient that produced healing potion.
3549
3550The dissection graph looked very similar to that of the grass. How could that be possible—that’s probably the average persons’ reaction. Including me, some had become shaken by the words of Vesta. Gazel was among them, his face looked quite shocked.
3551
3552The dissection graphs of the Hippocout herb and grass were the same—this suggested that both were the same thing. Then, what even was a rare herb? The common sense of this world had been completely subverted…
3553
3554While the devious smile still hung on Vesta’s face, he spread his arms to have everyone’s attention.
3555
3556“Please, everyone, calm down, calm down.”
3557
3558Vesta and Gabil comforted the guests and quieted them down. As the room was back to silent, they continued to play the images.
3559
3560“The liquid extracted from Hippocout herb mixed with magicule will become healing potion. The nature of the refined liquid determines the rate of the fusion, that is a fact that everyone knows. Regarding the point, while I can’t give you the details, we’ve managed to extract liquid with purity up to 99%. The medicine made from it is the full healing potion.”
3561
3562They were displaying a series of images while hiding the key technology. Vesta also explained the production process of healing potions.
3563
3564“Then there’s the leaves of the Hippocout herbs. When you grind them up and mix in magicule, you can produce ointment that can be applied on wounds. However, its effect is not as obvious. Because it is considered the remains of the refined extraction. You will obviously get such a conclusion from a certain point of view.”
3565
3566A picture of the leaf was projected on the screen.
3567
3568When you ground up these leaves and mixed them with the refined extract, you could make ointment. When he showed the steps of production, there wasn’t anything odd, I wasn’t sure what Vesta was up to now.
3569
3570“Next, I’ll direct everyone to look at this image.”
3571
3572The screen showed some ordinary grass that looked like the Hippocout herb grown in the cave. Its appearance looked completely different, so how come the picture of its dissection was the same…
3573
3574But after switching to a few different pictures, the image of Hippocout herb began to change.
3575
3576“Has anyone noticed yet? I found it purely by accident. While I was growing Hippocout herbs under Rimuru-sama’s order, I came by some leftovers of the herb’s refinement waste. Even if we make them into herbs, as soon as our preservation method is not good enough, its effect would disappear. Moreover, compared to the juice of the healing potion, its effect is very low. Since these leftovers have always been prepared in one way, I’ve not paid any attention to it in the past. But back then, I thought carefully and realized that there’s really no need to specifically make it into ointment. I kept on pondering as I observed the leftovers—”
3577
3578It was then that Gabil discovered something.
3579
3580That was the shape of the leftovers’ leaves. They were different from the Hippocout herb they grew. Gabil was shocked and decided to keep a detailed record of it, which were the images he showcased.
3581
3582“—First, in terms of theory, technically speaking, there is no such plant as Hippocout herb. It was the high concentration of ‘magicule’ near its surrounding that caused this particular plant to mutate—”
3583
3584“Indeed! It was not that Hippocout herb grows in areas with high magicule concentration, but that only in areas with high enough magicule concentration can its mutation take place. That is the true identity of the Hippocout herb!”
3585
3586As Gabil concluded his explanation, Vesta continued excitedly. No wonder he was so thrilled. The audience was riled up as well after hearing their speech.
3587
3588“T-this is a major discovery!”
3589
3590“Something like that, how can you publish that in a p-place like this, Vesta! Y-you need to find a more appropriate venue… You need to contact the universities and publish something like this by formal procedure!”
3591
3592Noises abrupted at the scene and the situation was almost chaotic. Even those who were lacking in interest could not keep silent. As for the people who were intrigued from the start, the impact on them was even greater. The content of this showcase was beyond their imagination. From their exclamation that “You shouldn’t have published it in a place like this—” alone could you deduce just how shocked they felt. Even Gazel’s eyes were popping out in awe. Emperor Elmesia was also whispering with Duke Elalude.
3593
3594
3595
3596I was scared as well. I hadn’t paid much attention to it until now, and was immediately brought to speed by their presentation. Now that I thought about it, this made a lot of sense. I didn’t think that there was all that Hippocout herb in Veldora’s sealed cave from the start. If it was mutation—the plant itself evolved—then it would have made sense.
3597
3598These plants returned to their original state as ordinary grass when all of its magicule was extracted through the refinement process. When it is completely depleted of magicule, its dissection graph naturally looks just like your garden variety grass.
3599
3600I see, that’s why Gabil thought of using a healing potion to fix the sword. Just as any ordinary grass could be turned into Hippocout herb, minerals could be turned into magisteel ore. These ores could then be refined into “magisteel” and could be used to craft weapons. Therefore, he would naturally question whether healing potions could be effective on swords or not.
3601
3602The result of which was the demonstration at the start of the presentation.
3603
3604“As for my question ‘What is magicule?’, there has not been any clear answer. Monsters and majins are also affected by magicule. That is a known fact. But what about demi-humans? Is it possible to make them human by extracting all the magicule from their body? Questions similar to these started pouring into our heads, but proving any of these would prove to be extremely difficult.”
3605
3606“With that said, we will carry on with our research. There are many researchers gathered on this land, we promise to continue our search for the answer. And with that, our tech presentation today is concluded.”
3607
3608“Thank you—”
3609
3610“ “—for listening, everyone.” ”
3611
3612Gabil and Vesta concluded the presentation together. It seemed that they had prepared the presentation very discreetly. They acted very natural as if they’d done this many times.
3613
3614
3615
3616
3617
3618Moreover, the content of their presentation was fascinating.
3619
3620Even though there was no clear conclusion, the content was worth pondering over. They managed to announce something so important without revealing any of the core information on the matter.
3621
3622The most important point was that through a presentation, you couldn’t really steal any of our technology.
3623
3624Magicule could cause changes to plants—that was some wonderful information, but other nations may not have been easily able to research the matter. Perhaps they could run experiments, but even with the knowledge at hand, they couldn’t produce Hippocout herbs in mass. Our nation would still take the lead.
3625
3626Moreover, experiments conducted in our nation would be continued. There would be many researchers and intellectuals gathered on this land—just as Gabil said, we will have many scholars gathered here to study. Because of our abundance of magicule, we could do however many experiments as we pleased.
3627
3628This tech presentation had landed quite the impact on our audience. In the morning they were enjoying amusing sensations through music, and in the afternoon, the tech presentation excited their desire for exploration. As for which of the two was more memorable, that would be up to each person’s own judgement. But with both events stirring up such attention, it meant that we were very successful in holding them both.
3629
3630And I was thinking that people may find it boring and the arrangement was all wrong… Looks like it was for nothing.
3631
3632This was the way to keep our guests’ attention on our nation—this goal was successfully reached.
3633
3634I really wanted to praise those two without reservation.
3635
3636***
3637
3638After the presentation, it was free-roaming time. Some went to the salon for a rest, some snuck out to the market district. Some went to enjoy the hot spring or visit one of our entertainment facilities. We did send receptionists alongside guests so they could move at will.
3639
3640As for what the guests were discussing, it was all about the concert and the tech presentation. Their praise was spreading around the town.
3641
3642I went around and checked on the nobles for fun. It was then that Arno and Bacchus caught up to me nervously. They whispered to me “We have something to discuss with you.” I suspected it was something urgent, so I returned to the guest hotel alongside Benimaru, Shion and them to one of the rooms.
3643
3644The one waiting there was Luminus.
3645
3646I had half guessed that it was her, having seen how nervous Arno and the others looked. Looks like my guess was right. She was crossing her leg while sitting on a chair in her maid suit. The black stockings on her pale legs looked very sexy. Arno and Bacchus stood up straight behind Luminus without a flinch. This scene of master and servants looked very strange, but I suppose it was acceptable. It probably had to do with how majestic Luminus looked.
3647
3648“Well, though I did make a nonaggression pact with you…that was far from sufficient,” Luminus immediately said as she saw me.
3649
3650I didn’t even get the chance to respond—or rather, I didn’t get the chance to even sit down. I knew that she was an acute person, I didn’t know just how acute she was. While somewhat dumbfounded, I sat down without asking. And I immediately questioned Luminus back.
3651
3652“Far from sufficient of what exactly?”
3653
3654“Do I really have to spell it out? Exchange! Don’t you see that we can’t have much exchange at all now with the nonaggression pact?”
3655
3656“No, I don’t think that’s really a problem…?”
3657
3658
3659
3660I tried to figure out what Luminus was actually trying to say while trying to clear the situation. Holy Nation Ruberios and Tempest Federation had indeed signed a nonaggression pact just as Luminus pointed out. The Western Saints Church that served under Ruberios would also help with our status among the Western Nations. This had given us much convenience, but in terms of exchanges, we were indeed not in any alliance. Since the two nations were too distant from each other anyway, there was no trade between our nations. The flow of goods was left to the opportunities in the market, determined by the merchants and the strength of the nations. However, it’s not that we were not making any deals at all. I had actually requested Myourmiles to send travelling merchants to them.
3661
3662Not to wait for their attempt, instead, we were going to strike first.
3663
3664Basically we had to do some investigation of the market there. Right now I had gotten the investigation report for the specialties of Holy Nation Ruberios. I learnt that Ruberios was a huge agricultural nation. They mainly produced wheat-based crops. They seemed to also be exported to the Western Nations. I also ran investigations of the products themselves, the quality was good and the taste was delicious.
3665
3666That was our current situation.
3667
3668I hoped to have some deeper exchange with them, but if you asked me what to do now, I really couldn’t come up with anything.
3669
3670
3671
3672“Are you seriously that stupid or are you trying to bait me?”
3673
3674“No no no, that’s not what I meant.”
3675
3676I immediately denied it. Luminus sighed rather anxiously.
3677
3678“Speaking of exchange, how about we try culture first? Seriously, I have really underestimated you guys. The people under the protection in Ruberios lacked artistic talent, so I didn’t have much expectation at first, but the concert just now was truly wonderful. With the whole day’s tour, I’ve changed my view on you guys.”
3679
3680Haha, and she gave us a five-star review. She did also praise us when passing by me just now, it looked like she really liked the things we had. Moreover, I had gotten an idea of what Luminus was going for. She recognized our ability after hearing the concert today. There also seemed to be a band under Luminus’s rule, perhaps she wanted the two bands to have some exchange to encourage each other.
3681
3682“Some vampires also possess artistic values. They’ve inherited music from ancient times and have been working to innovate on new songs. Lately they’ve been stagnant in that regard, so I think it would give them some good stimuli in the form of an exchange with your people.”
3683
3684As expected, her proposal was actually hugely beneficial to us as well. Experience can fulfill one’s mind. If we wanted to host even better cultural events, the best way for us to grow and learn was through exchange with others with the same profession.
3685
3686“That sounds good! Exactly what we want in fact.”
3687
3688I had no reason to refuse and agreed without hesitation. Considering the future relations between our nations, there was more boon than bane.
3689
3690“Um, let’s discuss more in that direction.”
3691
3692Luminus nodded with satisfaction.
3693
3694It so happened that an old butler came forth to serve Luminus and me some red tea. His name seemed to be Gunther. He was just as strong as Louis, but also an experienced butler. Although our Diablo certainly wasn’t any inferior, I did have to say that the butlers in this world seriously couldn’t be underestimated.
3695
3696Servants also began to prepare drinks for Benimaru and Shion behind me. But they were moving too slowly, and Luminus anxiously opened on the topic before they could serve anything.
3697
3698Luminus’s eyes turned coldly at the servants; and just when I thought to myself “Talk about an absolute master-servant relationship”—
3699
3700“How wonderful, now you guys can have some fun too,” She told her servants arrogantly.
3701
3702The servants responded with “All thanks to your grace”, “I am looking forward to it!” They seemed genuinely joyful about the fact. I sensed that they were not afraid of Luminus, but holding great respect towards her.
3703
3704Confused, I checked more carefully and discovered that these were all vampires. Every one of them suppressed their strength and youki to appear no different than humans. They were no doubt highly evolved vampires, almost at Luminus’s level. Surely by the few people at the scene now alone, they could take down a nation with ease. And to think that these people were her servants, this was enough proof as to how unfair power came into play in this world.
3705
3706“Then Gunther, help me with the procedure back at Night Garden.”
3707
3708“Yes ma’am.”
3709
3710Luminus nodded as she sipped on her red tea.
3711
3712She elegantly did so without making any sound, her beauty and elegance could be a model for royalty.
3713
3714“By the way, that tech presentation was very interesting as well. What an intriguing thought to analyze the effects of magicule on things. I’ve got some weirdos who enjoy researching as well, is it okay to send them your way?”
3715
3716As I was mesmerized by her elegance, Luminus suddenly said so pleasantly.
3717
3718I further inquired about the matter.
3719
3720According to Luminus, the civilizations dwelling on the surface had a relatively low level of technology, while their nation dwelling underground seemed to have some high tech.
3721
3722“How surprising, I thought you guys would have a higher profile with those…”
3723
3724“I want to stay away from trouble. We may be found by that annoying lizard if we were too eye-catching. Moreover, I didn’t want the angels to interfere with us. Before we can exterminate those things, all important research would be conducted underground,” she said proudly.
3725
3726I didn’t expect that the strongest nation ruled by a demon lord would be Luminus’s.
3727
3728
3729
3730Vampires were different from humans, and they possessed undead characteristics that allow them to live even longer the elves. The more highly evolved individuals didn’t even need to feed, instead, they could maintain their life force by taking small doses of human spiritual vitality… Vampires were no doubt at the top of the ecosystem. However, they also had weaknesses. The reason why vampires were called the rulers of the nights was not only due to their immense power wielded during night time. It also was due to the fact that they could be eliminated by sunlight.
3731
3732This was the type of race that the vampires were, to have such a huge weakness while still maintaining high levels of lethality.
3733
3734And among the highly evolved, individuals with great power, these vampires were subjects of Luminus and were considered noble within their nation. Some of these seemed to have overcome their weakness against sunlight. These people were called the “Surmounters”. It seemed that they were able to operate wherever they went. Although they were few in number, vampires without weakness were still nightmares to humans. Even though these people were not as strong as Louis and Gunther, they were already at the gates of Calamity-class.
3735
3736By the way, all these servants next to us were “Surmounters”. Apparently, they only became Luminus’s servants out of personal interest. But you could easily figure out that there was more to their intention than just ensuring Luminus’s safety. “Surmounters” were a bunch of idlers without any weaknesses. And given how idle they were, they developed interests in designing all kinds of things. Some of them even started designing some out of fashion a.k.a. hipster objects in an attempt to earn Luminus’s favor.
3737
3738“Seriously, they are really annoying. I ordered them to develop something more presentable, but they may be too tightly bound by established ideas. These people have no clue what progress is. I hope that you will at least educate them a bit when they come here.”
3739
3740That was Luminus’s request.
3741
3742“Um—well, we can do that…”
3743
3744But I was worried as to whether they would cause any trouble or not.
3745
3746These so-called “Surmounters” were the ruling elites. To have them do research in our nation, who knew what type of problem may emerge.
3747
3748Noticing my hesitation, Luminus further suggested:
3749
3750“But of course, I’ll give you a reward! I’ll grant you a Skill for your troubles.”
3751
3752“A Skill?”
3753
3754“Yes. I shall grant you the “Ultimate Secret of faith and grace”.”
3755
3756What is that, it sounds super strong! As opposed to a technique for getting drunk, this actually sounded very powerful. She seemed to be for real.
3757
3758“What would that be then?”
3759
3760“To put it simply, it’s a Skill that allows your believers to carry part of your strength,” Luminus said so to me with an evil smile.
3761
3762Oi oi oi, are you seriously announcing a Skill so powerful in front of everyone’s faces—
3763
3764<<Answer. Individual “Luminus” has applied “Dimension Severance”.>>
3765
3766Raphael-sensei’s instruction reassured me. With it pointed out, I finally realized that except me, no one else seemed able to hear Luminus’s voice. As expected from one of the strongest demon lords, her execution of such a Skill was so natural.
3767
3768“You’ll teach me that Skill, and we are supposed to take in researchers from your nation to return the favor. Is that so?”
3769
3770“Yep. Even with only the musical exchange alone, I would already be satisfied. If I have to be honest, consider this my appreciation gift for you.”
3771
3772Luminus seemed to be genuine.
3773
3774“Fine, I’ll accept your proposal.”
3775
3776“Heh heh, then we have a deal.”
3777
3778
3779
3780And so, I accepted Luminus’s proposal, followed by her teaching me the “Ultimate Secret of faith and grace”.
3781
3782This Skill, to put it simply, was the principle of “Holy Magic”. This secret technique allowed me to use my “name” as a medium to help people cast magic. Hinata and the Holy Knight therefore could cast “Holy Magic” in the name of Luminus. In other words, they were using part of Luminus’s power.
3783
3784Now that she had taught me the principle of it, the people under me who would be able to use “Holy Magic” would, surely, increase. This was a reward greater than I had expected. I couldn’t help but feel shocked.
3785
3786But then again, Luminus was not born yesterday either. She had planned things very carefully before negotiating with me.
3787
3788“I’m grateful for this opportunity, but is it really okay?”
3789
3790“No worries. You probably would figure out the truth of the Skill with your own strength in a couple years or so. One should always utilize information like that more when it still retains some value.”
3791
3792<<……>>
3793
3794—I see.
3795
3796Based on the upset look of Raphael-sensei, I could probably learn the Skill myself within a few years’ time. Indeed, with research to discover the true nature of magicule as well as the information I learned about “Spirit-particles” during my battle with Hinata, if I was to put this information together to dig to the root, the truth of the matter would have been revealed in no time. While I personally was unable to do it, Raphael-sensei was still capable of it.
3797
3798Luminus merely realized this and gave me the information as a favor.
3799
3800“I still need to thank you regardless, Luminus.”
3801
3802“Well, as long as you do what you promised.”
3803
3804I am still too naive to strike deals with Luminus. Although the content of our deal this time posed no big issue, I needed to be more cautious.
3805
3806As I thought so to myself, I shook hands with Luminus.
3807
3808
3809
3810And with that, our orchestra was invited to the Night Garden. On the other hand, the “Surmounters” under Luminus’s rule—in other words, high-ranking noble—would be doing research in our nation.
3811
3812As Luminus disabled “Dimensional Severance”, it was as if nothing had happened. Peace fell again at the scene.
3813
3814I tasted the red tea casually while I listened to Luminus accounting for her experience during the concert. As opposed to the exchange of technology, the musical exchange amused Luminus more. She had mostly talked about when our nation’s orchestra should set off.
3815
3816
3817
3818Near the end of our conversation—
3819
3820“By the way, Rimuru. Among the guests that were invited, someone was giving off an unpleasant aura, did you notice it?” Luminus asked casually, without the slightest change in tone. I wasn’t able to respond for a second before I realized that this was a warning from her.
3821
3822This would mean that I wasn’t just overthinking things…
3823
3824“Hmm, you mean ‘those two’?”
3825
3826“Indeed. I’m glad you didn’t lower your guard. Be very cautious. Do not disgrace the reputation of the Eight Star Demon Lords.”
3827
3828With these words spoken, the meeting concluded.
3829
3830I nodded towards Luminus before leaving the place.
3831
3832***
3833
3834Something interesting took place later on—after my talk with Luminus, it was dinner time.
3835
3836For some reason, circling around a round table, it was Yuuki and Hinata who dined with me. Those two were very friendly to each other as they were eating the set meal and chatting about the interesting things they’d been through in the day.
3837
3838I also listened to their thoughts during the meal.
3839
3840The set meal was divided into two kinds, Japanese and western. You could eat either one. Yuuki and I were eating the western meal while Hinata chose the Japanese.
3841
3842“Ahh, that concert was really amazing. If Hinata hadn’t gone shopping then we could have enjoyed it together.”
3843
3844“Shut up already, I’m always free-spirited, so what if I didn’t go?”
3845
3846Moreover, that takoyaki place was surprisingly delicious—Hinata muttered as she tried to find excuses. But when Hinata mentioned someone was using an alias—I couldn’t help but turn my eyes away.
3847
3848“With that being said, the music concert was really worth a shot. I knew the songs they played, but the composition was really top-notch.”
3849
3850Nice job, Yuuki. Thanks to him praising Taktstock and the band’s performance, Hinata’s attention was drawn elsewhere.
3851
3852“Fine, since you’ve put it that way, I guess I’ll bring the kids to watch it tomorrow,” she replied half-heartedly.
3853
3854Hinata seemed to have had plenty of fun during the festival, also spending a lot of money. I heard that she bought a ton of exclusive clothes, gear and magic items sold at the festival. She was also eating the whole time as she went to the shops. I was starting to suspect that her taking care of the children was just an excuse.
3855
3856But they did seem to get along fine and had a lot of fun. I couldn’t be happier about that outcome. She also seemed to be continuing her babysitting tomorrow as well, so I shouldn’t complain.
3857
3858“As opposed to that, I’m more interested in the research to discover the truth about magicule. Because healing potion doesn’t work on me, my body would instantly dissolve any magicule substances. As a matter of fact, the effectiveness of ‘healing magic’ also depends on the user…” Hinata said, while lowering her volume.
3859
3860I heard that she’d done much research to see whether there was a healing potion that could help heal her.
3861
3862Magic Nullification sounded useful in name, but if you gave it any closer thought, it would reveal its many inconveniences.
3863
3864“To my recollection, I’ve not really thought carefully about those things until now, after all, I do get affected by magicule as well—”
3865
3866“When we travelled to this world, we absorbed a huge amount of magicule. This will be reflected in terms of Skill on some people immediately, but to someone like you, you may also not have any Skills. But you must have been affected to some extent. Like seriously, you didn’t seem to have aged one day—”
3867
3868“Uh, can you not make comments about me like that? My body did stop growing, but I’ve done plenty of work by myself nonetheless!”
3869
3870“I know, I know. You’re still the same, so easy to get pissed. I was just joking around.”
3871
3872Ehh, perhaps Hinata thought she was joking…but her look wasn’t joking around at all. It was all because of how serious Hinata looked when she spoke. There was no trace of a smile on her face. And her tone didn’t sound like a joke either.
3873
3874“Never mind, I won’t quarrel further with you. By the way, I heard that Rimuru-san has had someone to research the matter, what an interesting focus.”
3875
3876Even though Yuuki praised me like this, he had overestimated my ability.
3877
3878“There’s no such thing! They did that research by themselves. Even I only heard about the matter today.”
3879
3880“Eh?”
3881
3882“Weren’t you who ordered them to conduct the research? So you just let them publish information like that in front of all the nations’ figureheads without even knowing the content of their presentation?”
3883
3884Yuuki and Hinata looked at me, dumbfounded.
3885
3886AH, this soup tastes so nice—apart from escaping from reality, I could only try to find an excuse.
3887
3888“You can’t blame me for that! I always encourage independence!”
3889
3890Since I couldn’t find anything more suitable, I decided to just make up an argument.
3891
3892But neither were fooled by me, and both were giving me the eyes.
3893
3894“—I have reflected a bit now. Even though I was busy, I should have learnt what the content was…”
3895
3896But, these were afterthoughts.
3897
3898“Rimuru-san, why are you so good at your job?”
3899
3900“Truly, you really have the impressive attitude of a great man at times.”
3901
3902They were definitely not praising me, yet I couldn’t do anything about it. I did, in fact, also feel that I was acting too casually.
3903
3904The content of the presentation was indeed nice, but halfway through it did kind of make me worry. Gazel also had things to say about it, so it was best that I be careful about it. I didn’t expect to get nitpicked by Yuuki and Hinata…
3905
3906
3907
3908The night gathering proceeded with us finally changing the topic and beginning some random chatter.
3909
3910As such, the first day of the nation founding festival concluded with much praise. It was so good that I had garnered a lot of confidence that this festival would turn out to be very successful.
3911
3912However—
3913
3914I would quickly be proven to be too naive to have such a thought.
3915
3916
3917
3918
3919
3920
3921
3922Intermission 2 - Problems Emerging
3923
3924* * *
3925
3926In order to do our routine report, everyone gathered at the conference room.
3927
3928Was Myourmiles the only one yet to arrive?
3929
3930It was nine in the evening and the night feast had just ended…
3931
3932You could still hear the sound of flutes and taiko from the on-going celebration. I permitted people to party until ten in the evening, so it was totally legitimate to continue their celebration now.
3933
3934The building provided for the guests to stay overnight could be completely sound-proofed with the windows shut. There had been preparations done so that, no matter how noisy the townsfolk were to get, no one would complain.
3935
3936Although I wanted to visit the night market as well, I recalled keeping everyone until late last night. So instead, I decided to hear the reports early today.
3937
3938“Shuna, Shion, thank you both for the effort. The performance was fantastic, it really surprised me.”
3939
3940“Heh heh, that’s because we have been practicing in secret. I’m already good at singing, and the instrument called piano also suited me. But in reality, I only knew how to play those two songs,” Shuna said happily.
3941
3942I figured that if she could play that well having just learnt it, surely she must have some talent in music. But she was busy all the time and could only practice during break times during work. So it wasn’t surprising that there were limits to the songs she could perform. And given that to be the case, Shion was probably the same.
3943
3944“I have also been practicing in secret with Shuna-sama to give Rimuru-sama a surprise. Looks like it worked!”
3945
3946Shion’s face was full of joy. She looked really beautiful while playing the violin, giving off the aura of a cold beauty. She deserved genuine praise.
3947
3948“You were super cool. Will you be performing in the future as well?”
3949
3950“Of course! I will practice more diligently and recreate all the songs memorized by Rimuru-sama!” exclaimed Shion.
3951
3952“Um, um. I have a lot of songs that I want to hear, I’ll be looking forward to your performance!”
3953
3954I had never realized just how competent Shion could be until today. She always had some faults that made people second guess her achievements, but today, Shion looked particularly dazzling.
3955
3956
3957
3958Next, I spoke with Gabil.
3959
3960“Gabil, your presentation was really well received—even Yuuki was amazed by it. King Gazel was also very impressed by you. Although he mentioned that we’ve given too much information, I felt it was just fine.”
3961
3962“Yes Sir! Thank you for the compliment! Even though Vesta-san helped out a lot, I worked really hard too. When I was experimenting, I fulfilled my desire to learn, so I wanted to relay the sentiment to everyone in the audience… But I may have overdone it a little.”
3963
3964“No no no, I wasn’t blaming you. I was very surprised that you were doing that kind of experiment. The content was very intriguing, and also sparked the interest of the guests. It was a very successful event.”
3965
3966Hearing my words, Gabil sighed with relief, erasing his previous nervousness.
3967
3968“Send my regards to Vesta as well.”
3969
3970“Yes Sir!”
3971
3972Vesta was out drinking with Gazel at this moment. Perhaps he could even be getting scolded, but that was probably a form of praise for Vesta. Since to Vesta, Gazel had always been his idol.
3973
3974After all, this was a celebration, it was fine to have fun no matter your status.
3975
3976
3977
3978I also asked Diablo about the martial tournament.
3979
3980“There have been six formal participants elected. If I were to participate, none of them would be qualified enough. I’ve seen that chosen hero as well, kukuku, an interesting talent indeed, should I take care of him first?”
3981
3982“Didn’t I strictly forbid that!?”
3983
3984“Your wish is my command. I’ll probably ruin Rimuru-sama’s mood if I am to continue the report.”
3985
3986From Diablo’s point of view, none of them would raise a problem. With the inclusion of Gobta and Geld, there were eight contestants in total.
3987
3988Since there was no problem, I didn’t want to hear the rest of it.
3989
3990With the right pairing, I should be able to see some interesting battles. So I did as Diablo said, to keep the fun for tomorrow.
3991
3992
3993
3994Souei also reported something to me. I heard that the children were having fun at the ceremony. They’d gone to the selection match of the martial tournament as well to cheer for Masayuki. They also seemed to have eaten a lot of food.
3995
3996Hinata-san… What kind of a guardian were you?
3997
3998I was worried that the children would get a bad stomach. Would the same problem occur tomorrow? I couldn’t help but worry. And so, I chatted with everyone as we waited for Myourmiles. If there were no problems, we would be done in thirty minutes.
3999
4000As if jinxed, I saw Myourmiles entering the room shaking, his face looking blue. I couldn’t help but think “We have a problem.”
4001
4002“S-sorry to have kept you waiting.”
4003
4004By the looks of him, we may have run into some serious trouble. Normally he always looked thick-skinned and fearless, yet today he couldn’t help himself from shaking.
4005
4006“Did something happen?”
4007
4008Shuna served some cool tea to Myourmiles. After Myourmiles had the time to catch a breath, I asked him.
4009
4010“I’m truly sorry, there has been a huge problem. Here’s the deal—”
4011
4012Myourmiles said that we didn’t have enough money. The retailers had all come to ask for payment for their goods and he’d been desperately trying to solve the issue.
4013
4014No no no, how can that be? There were a lot of decorative pieces of art at Clayman’s base. We had also recovered his treasury. Moreover, Diablo also claimed 1500 star gold coins as part of the reparations paid by the Farmus Kingdom. Even if we held this type of celebration one hundred times, there would still be surplus.
4015
4016Upon thinking so, I turned to ask Myourmiles with doubts over my face.
4017
4018“Regarding that, it is not a matter of budget, but that Demon Lord Clayman’s legacy cannot be used as currency. That’s because they are not universal currencies used by the world. The gold coins of the ancient kingdom may be highly valuable from an artistic view and some even used as currency in the Eastern Empire, however…”
4019
4020Even though some countries may still have used them directly as currency, they were not approved by the rest of the world, and thus not a universal currency. It should have been resolved through exchanging the coins, but the merchants seemed unable to accept them. They were demanding us to pay them with the official currency—the gold coins issued by the Dwarven Kingdom.
4021
4022“At first I even made a promise to pay them with gold coins, but halfway through I realised that something was odd. But it was already too late.”
4023
4024When the coins in the treasury had been exhausted, Myourmiles had started paying the merchants from his own pocket. Yet there was a limit to his ability to pay; that was why he had to explain the situation to the merchant that he had been acquainted with. Myourmiles then discovered a shocking fact. He didn’t know that these shop owners had actually been doing business with these new retailers and the retailers only took universal currencies.
4025
4026If it were trade between nations, they could always use goods to afford the debts. Or when cash was not used in a transaction, merchants instead utilized certificate documents. Eventually the debt would be paid, but it would not be done for the time being. There was no concept of interest in this world, so under these circumstances, neither side would endure any losses. This was a common way of trading in this world.
4027
4028However, our nation had no credibility at our disposal.
4029
4030Right now, we had no choice but to agree to others’ demands of payment in cash. Myourmiles was well aware of this too, which was why he’d managed the budget discreetly and selected trading partners carefully. According to his calculations, there should have been many large-scale transactions. In that way, there would be change when using the star gold coin. The gold coins returned could then be used to pay off everyone.
4031
4032Even if that was not the case, he and the owners of the major shops had developed deep ties over the years. And it wasn’t a stretch for Myourmiles to think that they would give him a pass one way or another. He thought that they might acknowledge a certificate of proof, or even accept payment through the gold coins of the ancient kingdom. Yet those retailers refused to accept, and even the merchants with a good relationship with Myourmiles were troubled by it.
4033
4034“I see. No matter how you look at it, it seems that someone has been pulling the strings behind this.”
4035
4036Diablo, standing behind me, concluded without hesitation upon hearing Myourmiles’s words. Myourmiles nodded in agreement.
4037
4038“I thought so as well, I just didn’t expect them to draw us back in this way…”
4039
4040So Myourmiles also believed that someone was trying to drag us down?
4041
4042But, who could it be…?
4043
4044“I’m really sorry, Myourmiles-san. This is all because I didn’t notice your concern earlier—” Rigurd sighed.
4045
4046He was too busy receiving guests before, yet he still wanted to hold himself responsible, believing that it was not just Myourmiles’s problem. Indeed, Myourmiles shouldn’t be the only one to be held accountable.
4047
4048“In other words, someone trying to cause us to lose credits?”
4049
4050“That’s more or less the case. According to the international charter settled by the Western Nation Council, we must use gold coins produced by the Dwarven Kingdom to pay for the goods. Even though each kingdom has their own regulations, the retailers’ demands stand in accordance with just the Western Nations…”
4051
4052If it were merchants from the Freedom Association, they’d probably take our circumstances into consideration and reach an agreement with us due to the discounts we’d given them in terms of tariffs among other things. We’d already built a level of trust. But the people that were causing problems were formal merchants under the Council State Allies. They were all citizens of these nations and therefore could argue that they were acting according to international laws.
4053
4054Even if we told them that it was the special regulation of our nation, surely they would not yield so easily. That aside—
4055
4056These people possibly just all conspired to create problems on purpose. If so, applying an uncompromising attitude could lead to adverse consequences. In that sense, we had reasonable suspicion that this was exactly the outcome that our adversary wanted.
4057
4058“If we insist on them obeying the regulations of our nation, perhaps the council will also oppose us.”
4059
4060“It would have been different if we were already part of the council, but since we intend to join in the future, this may cause the situation to be tense.”
4061
4062Normally there wouldn’t be any issue, paying with the ancient kingdom’s gold coins. But if their intention was to destroy our nation’s integrity… Perhaps they wanted to see if our kingdom would be willing to obey international regulations or not.
4063
4064“Could the council members be behind this?”
4065
4066“The merchants came from all over the world. They must have done it by arranging retailers into the mass of merchants in secret. Although I don’t know who our enemy is, this is not as simple as we thought. By plotting this way, it shows that they were not afraid to take on some losses and have put their own cost and benefits out of the picture. I believe that they only have one goal, that is to destroy our nation’s reputation.”
4067
4068Despite Myourmiles’s appearance and the size of his past country of residence, he was a respected individual in the underworld. If even Myourmiles believed that our opponent was problematic, not to mention that we were unable to find any details about them, this enemy must indeed be hard to deal with.
4069
4070“Can’t we just force them to comply with our kingdom’s rules?”
4071
4072I approved of Shion’s words.
4073
4074“Indeed we can; you’ve become smart, Shion. But if we force people to obey our country’s regulation, the Western Nations may no longer wish to welcome us. We want to be on friendly terms with humans, so we have to avoid such a thing at all cost.”
4075
4076“But, according to Rimuru-sama’s plan, there are already Sarion, Blumund, Dwargon, Farmus—I meant Farmenas—as well as Demon Lord Milim-sama’s territory. Shouldn’t these nations already coexist in prosperity? If we are to focus on developing Tempest Federation, shouldn’t our loss at hand be greater?”
4077
4078Was this girl really Shion? Honestly, she surprised me.
4079
4080She very accurately interpreted my thoughts. I almost suspected that she was an imposter. The point she made was on the spot with our problem.
4081
4082
4083
4084
4085
4086“Kufufufu, as expected from the first secretary, Shion-san. You are right.”
4087
4088“Right? Then why are they bothering us? If they can’t ignore us, shouldn’t they just cooperate and work with us to promote our image anyway??” Shion continued.
4089
4090How surprising, Shion’s words were not just any lucky guess, but she seemed to have genuinely understood to give the response. And the point she gave was also the point of my doubt, to which Diablo then gave the answer.
4091
4092“Creatures such as human beings are truly incredible. They cannot survive without cooperation, yet they caste among themselves to determine each person’s status. Moreover, when two or more groups encounter each other, they also start arguing again to see which one is more powerful. The weak and pathetic are always afraid that their own rights and properties are damaged, and as for this time—”
4093
4094“Hmm, perhaps our opponents are worried that Rimuru-sama will threaten the circle of co-existence within the council?”
4095
4096“Indeed.”
4097
4098Diablo’s explanation was very straightforward. I also felt the same after hearing Benimaru’s comment. The lieutenants all began to realize the issue, some even began to feel anger. Diablo, on the other hand, was smirking joyfully while making some radical speech:
4099
4100“How laughable. These ignorant rulers have no clue of restraints and do not wish to accept the compassionate love of Rimuru-sama. It is best to kill them all.”
4101
4102And of course, Shion was the one to agree. The two seemed to be on the same page on this.
4103
4104“Hehe, I see that the second secretary shares the same view.”
4105
4106There went all my praise for her. Looks like Shion’s nature was not altered that much after all.
4107
4108“I’m not permitting any of this.”
4109
4110The two seemed very regretful. You guys sure were tacit at the wrong time.
4111
4112“Anyhow, we cannot leave this unattended. Shall I run an investigation on the previous employers of these merchants in detail?” Souei asked for my order.
4113
4114Perhaps we could get some dirt on them. This appeared necessary. But that would have to wait until after the founding festival finished. As of yet, we were unable to make a move without caution, just to deal with any emergency. After resolving the problem at hand, we would expose the enemies in time.
4115
4116“That’s also important, but we should sit on it for now. By the way, Myourmiles, what’s the deadline of the payment? Have you come up with any good ideas?”
4117
4118First, we needed to show everyone that we are willing to follow the regulations of the Council. If we were still unable to break the stalemate, we would have to see about it then. After all, I refused to let it come to war or affect people’s lives. I doubted the situation was that dire.
4119
4120“Indeed. They seemed to also enjoy the celebration and said that they were willing to wait until the next day after the end of the founding festival. My friends also tried to help persuade them, but they said that it is as much time as they can spare—”
4121
4122The next day after the end of the celebration—it was the first day today, so there were two more days at our disposal. We would have to pay up after three days.
4123
4124“Right now my friends are gathering money for us. Although we will take more or less some loss, they are taking the ancient kingdom’s gold coins in exchange for dwarven gold coins. But, whether we can mobilize the cash in time is unknown…”
4125
4126That was rough… But that was to be expected. Essentially, transportation alone would be difficult.
4127
4128The lieutenants could use “Dimension Transportation” to reduce time, but to run around looking for gold coins that may not even be settled would be far too inefficient. While unlikely, it was possible that the enemies might try to distract and transfer my lieutenants out of town. It was best not to make a hasty move.
4129
4130I got it! I recalled that the Beast Kingdom had given us some gold bars—so why not just create some counterfeit coins with that? Through the replication ability of my “Analysis”, I would be able to make counterfeit coins. It was impossible for dwarven technologies to see the difference, right?
4131
4132<<Answer: The viability of said solution is zero. Each dwarven gold coin is enchanted with Engravement Magic. They are rigorously regulated with serial numbers, and the merchants would be able to instantly detect real coins from counterfeits.>>
4133
4134Ah, so that’s how it is…
4135
4136I took out a coin from my “Stomach” to observe. There really were numbers engraved on them. It definitely wasn’t hard to create coins that looked like the real deal. But if there were two gold coins that looked exactly the same, it would be proof that one of them was fake.
4137
4138Surely there was no need for them to use such precise technology. To me, it felt like in the past, no matter which country it was, counterfeiting currencies would always result in punishment with the equivalent to death. In this world, people had even combined magic and technology to apply absolute regulation. Since if they wanted to unify the currency used, they naturally would not want people to be able to make counterfeits easily.
4139
4140“If we can’t counterfeit, there’s probably no way we can buy back…”
4141
4142The crowd agreed.
4143
4144“Then, even though we will be taking some losses, can’t we use the massive amount of gold bars we have already to start off with?”
4145
4146Surely the merchants would accept these as payment?
4147
4148“Any smart merchant will likely agree to the proposal, but I’m totally against it!”
4149
4150While I thought it was a good idea, Myourmiles protested it fiercely. He then gave me the reason.
4151
4152“It will become our weakness. In future trading with other nations, they will use this as an example. They will think that ‘Even if we intentionally make things difficult for this country, they are still willing to take losses just to keep a clean record’. By that point, they will just continuously trade unfairly and will never treat us as equal trade partners. Although they will probably cover it up on paper…”
4153
4154Myourmiles gave a wry smile and explained it in a way that we could understand. If the merchants were able to find any weakness in our nation, we would be devoured clean. Myourmiles, being the same kind of merchant, would totally do that himself, and so his conclusion was very likely to happen.
4155
4156At this point, I had no choice but to accept.
4157
4158“There are still two days left. We will use this time to gather the coins. The people who joined the celebration are not the type to be conservative with spending, let’s all work hard to get their cash!”
4159
4160“Thanks for the effort.”
4161
4162
4163
4164In conclusion, we couldn’t find a solution.
4165
4166But I had decided to go all out: If we couldn’t reach a compromise, we might as well just force them into obeying our nation’s regulation. We didn’t always have to obey others’ rules. This is the Tempest Federation. We have our own rules.
4167
4168But of course, while it was best to stay in their lane, we insisted on making equal and just demands for both sides. Regardless of the outcome, they wouldn’t be the only ones to suffer losses. Even if they were not happy with the ancient kingdom’s gold coins, nor accept proof certificates or complain about using goods to trade goods, they didn’t have enough to badmouth us.
4169
4170“Anyway, let’s not worry about them too much. This is our kingdom, if we really are at a loss of way, we will just tell them to obey our kingdom’s rule. Let’s not worry too much and just do our best!”
4171
4172“Understood.”
4173
4174Myourmiles seemed to have gotten a huge burden off his back, as his expression became much more joyful.
4175
4176The Council may have an impression on us, but we would be able to know who the foes were at least. I had to look at things optimistically. Perhaps they weren’t even foes to begin with, just people trying to test us. It was too early to make that assumption.
4177
4178
4179
4180“That’ll be all, let the meeting end today! Good work everyone!”
4181
4182After my exclamation, the routine report session of the night concluded. The issue had been put aside, though I expected that, “Things may turn out to be challenging...”
4183
4184But worrying too much was not good for your health. Myourmiles-kun seemed to have put down a lot of work for it, so now I decided to share it with him.
4185
4186“Let’s go then, Myourmiles-kun. You are coming with us too.”
4187
4188The male members did not object. Benimaru had already changed into his yukata, ready to party all night.
4189
4190“Eh, I thought I’m supposed to be gathering money now—”
4191
4192“There’s no use worrying about that now! You can’t come up with things that don’t exist. If you fall ill from worrying too much, that will be a bigger problem.”
4193
4194Myourmiles gave a wry smile hearing my words.
4195
4196“I’m totally defeated, young master. Then allow your humble servant Myourmiles to accompany you!”
4197
4198And so, I successfully invited (forced) Myourmiles to join the night celebration. This way he could turn his mood around. I vaguely heard something along the lines of “Rimuru-sama, don’t play too hard now, that goes for you too, big brother—”
4199
4200We threw these words behind us and marched towards the vibrant city.
4201
4202
4203
4204—Something off-topic:
4205
4206Earlier today, when I mentioned to Hinata about the problematic Takoyaki stand, I saw a silver-haired girl arguing with the owner.
4207
4208“An intelligent man won't stand beside a collapsing wall”—It was not the first time I’ve said this, but by following such a principle, you wouldn’t ever run into any fatal crisis. You instead get to avoid problems entirely.
4209
4210And as you can imagine, I fled from the meeting elegantly and had a fun night out with the boys.