Tensei Shitara Slime Datta Ken (LN)

THE OCTAGRAM

The moment I consumed Clayman, the red-haired demon lord Guy stood up.

An impressive feat, he solemnly intoned. I hereby recognize your right, from this day forward, to call yourself a demon lord. Does anyone disagree?

Nobody appeared to. I had passed the exam. Thats a relief, becauseto be frankgoading the other demon lords into combat with me felt like suicide. I guess I never had much to worry about.

I undid the Barrier, allowing Ramiris to fly right up to my face, like she always did. Ha-ha! I always knew you delivered the goods when the time came for it, Rimuru! In fact, Id be happy to hire you as my apprentice!

Uh, Im good, thanks. Find yourself another one.

Why?! she grumped. Whats the big deal? Why wontcha just say yes like a good kid?

Hmph! Milim proudly sniffed. Rimurus my friend. I heard he doesnt even want to get along with you!

What? No way! Hey! Thats a lie, right, Rimuru?

Wah-ha-ha-ha-ha! Sorry, Ramiris, you arent part of our team!

Whaaaat? Hyah!

Taking the bait, Ramiris launched a flying kick at Milims face. She leaned to the side to dodge it and laughed even harder at her. Huh. These guys are better friends than I thought.

Meanwhile, I noticed Veldora engrossed in friendly-looking conversation with the demon lord Daggrull, bragging about how he was training to keep his aura hidden. You see him, Daggrull? he said, pointing at me. Thats how you do it.

Indeed, the giant replied, nodding. It was just for a moment, but I felt an explosive amount of magicules from him. Amazing he can hide it so well.

Veldora had apparently been providing color commentary for my battle against Clayman. I really wish hed knock that stuff off. That was exactly why I told him to keep watch in town for me.

Deeno, meanwhile, yawned at me, his attention span already waning now that the action was over. Well, he moaned, its fine by me. Weirdo. And a hard one to pin, too. Im never sure what hes thinking about.

To Leon, however, none of this mattered. Heh. I dont care who becomes a demon lord. Do whatever you want. Talk about cold.

Frey and Carillon had no objections to my new title. Which left one person.

Valentine, who had remained silent until now, lumbered up to his feet.

Mmmm. Personally, I would never want to allow a low-born slime to ever become a demon lord, but

Dressed as gaudily as a mighty emperor, Valentine sneered down at me. Guess he was a no, even if I was guaranteed to win by majority vote. No worries, then, I thought as I was about to turn my attention elsewhere, when:

Kwaaaaah-ha-ha-ha! Are you insulting my friend, you lackey?

Veldora turned his casual attention on the maid next to Valentine.

Come on, Milus, you really need to train your servants better. Want me to provide a little education?

Whoa! Hey! What the hell, man?!

What are you talking about? Milus returned Veldoras gaze, her voice frigid and her expression icy. I am simply a faithful attendant of Sir Valentines.

Heyyyy, dont do that! Valentines hiding the truth, Veldora. You cant say that!

Um, Milim? Did you just kind of blow the door open on that, or what?!

I had a suspicion something fishy was going on with him, but I suppose I was right. This fetching young maid Milus was the actual demon lord, and now she glared at Milim, attempting to stab her in the chest with her eyes.

Ah!

Finally realizing her error, Milim began whistling a tune to divert everyones attention away from her.

Maybe it wouldve worked better if she could actually whistle, but no sound was coming out, and I doubted itd make much difference. Milus didnt seem the type to take a joke, and these antics werent about to calm her down.

She looked around the chamber, thoroughly annoyed, her eyes making her look like she planned to kill us all and hide the evidence. She looked hostile and dangerous, but luckily, she decided not to take on the entire rest of the room.

Tch. Such a bothersome, villainous dragon. How long will he insist upon meddling with me? And youve forgotten my very name, no less. How can anyone have such a gift for aggravating me?

Now the atmosphere was very different as Miluswell, the demon lord Valentine, that isspoke. It seems that Veldora was dunderheaded enough to misremember her name entirely, which did a lot to push her buttons.

Enough of this, she huffed. You may call me Valentine. Then, with a massive outburst of magical force, her appearance transformed, her maid outfit turning into a fancy Gothic-style dress. It was Change Dress in action, a neat trick Milim was adept at as well.

Yep. This was the real thing. The stand-in Valentine was a remarkable specimen himself, but his maid was on another dimension. Now we were greeted by a demon lord among demon lords, the ultimate personification of strength and beauty.

You can leave ahead of me, Roy, she ordered the kingly ex-Valentine.

But Lady Valentine

If Ive been unmasked in front of this many people, theres no point keeping up the charade.

She glared at Veldora yet again. Itits not my faultI didnt know, he stammered, feeling out of sorts and trying to avoid her gaze. To Milim, meanwhile, it was already someone elses problem. The topic was over in her mind. Selfish as always, I could see.

Perhaps understanding that more than most, Valentine seemed ready to drop the subject, as peeved as she was about all this. Shaking off her anger, she stood before Roy, now comfortably back in the servant role.

Anyway, she intoned, there is something that concerns me. When Clayman looked at you, his eyes stopped for a moment, did they not? He might be involved with those cockroaches that invaded my domain earlier. I want you to return home and inform my people to step up our security.

Guess Carillon and I werent the only guys Clayman picked a fight with. No wonder everybody hated him. Maybe he was just trying to discover where Valentines domain wasit was still a secretbut even for a data-gathering fiend like him, sometimes it was all too easy to step over the line.

Yes, my lady.

Roy left the chamber alone, not questioning Valentines order for a moment. No, he had no business being on the throne at all. He really was just a political stand-in. It was, I suppose, a sign of Valentines power and influence.

Time to switch gears. I plucked the round table out from my Stomach and set it back in place. Good thing I thought about storing it before I smashed it up. If battle had broken out before the barrier was in place, Im sure it wouldve been a mess. The thing looked far too fancy for restitution to be cheap.

All the demon lords sat back down at the table, while Guys two maids prepared some tea for us.

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Ah, Leon suddenly said next to me, I just remembered. I thought I had heard the name Kazalim somewhere before, but thats the demon lord I killed, isnt it?

I thought I was gonna spit the tea out right there. How could he be so nonchalant with that?

You know him, Leon?

And how could Milim not know that? The other demon lords seemed similarly unfazed, many apparently clueless about the guy. Even Ramiris had completely forgotten. I thought she kept her memories whenever she was reborn? I wanted to poke fun at her about it, but thatd just be mean.

So whats Kazalim got to do with this?

Understood. The word Kazalim was uttered by Clayman as he called for help.

Oh, right, right! Now I remember. He did scream something like that. I totally remember that, so hopefully nobodys putting me on the same boat with Milim and Ramiris.

So how is this Kazalim related to Clayman? I asked.

Kazalim is the Curse Lord, Carillon explained. You and he recommended me to this post, didnt you, Milim?

Ohhhh, him! The Curse Lord, I remember. Huh. So thats the demon lord Leon killed?

So she knew him by his nickname? That made a little sense. But really, its not like Leon killed any other demon lords. If I had to guess, she probably almost forgot since it was just all too boring to her.

Right. Kazalim was a walking dead like Clayman, said Carillon, his voice a tad nostalgic. A unique monster, he said, evolved by himself from an elf. I was kinda friendly with him, so thats what he told me. The two of them mustve been connected behind the scenes. Clayman took over Kazalims old seat, besides.

Unlike Clayman, Carillon didnt seem to have any bad blood for this guy. But hang on a minute. I almost let it pass, but if Kazalims a walking dead, too

Is Kazalim still alive? Maybe he just pretended Leon killed him, and hes hiding out somewhere?

Yeah, agreed Carillon, that might be the case. He was a really sharp guy, you know? You had to be even more careful with him than Clayman.

So maybe I was right.

Well, Leon naturally objected, I dont much like you phrasing it like I let him get away. He invited me to join his force, claiming he would help me become a demon lord. Turning him down would have led to assorted annoyances, so I decided to defeat him and seize his position. Whether hes alive or dead, it doesnt matter to me.

Certainly, I could see it if Leon just wanted to stage a display of power without actually wanting to kill him.

Whoa there, Leon. Thats exactly why Clayman hated you, you realize.

Hmph. Do you think I care?

Yeah, to Leon, the whole subject was just an annoyance, no doubt. I didnt realize Clayman was trying to put the screws to Leon, too, though. He was just trying to hit everyone up, wasnt he? I was starting to wonder just how smart he really was.

Still, I was starting to gain a picture of what Kazalim and Clayman were up to. Leon had taken his seat here around two centuries ago, so maybe Kazalim got Carillon and Clayman into the club, then tried to earn a few more friends for himself. Claymans earlier scheme to turn an orc lord into a demon lord seemed like kind of a rehash of thathe wanted more people friendly to him, so he could wield more power at Walpurgis. Trying to build blocs of voters, like in an Earth government, was a surprisingly sneaky and non-demon-lord-like move, I thought. A pretty powerful one, too.

Among Claymans allies were a group called the Moderate Jesters, I said. Those Jesters hinted that they had connections among the human world, so perhaps the resurrected Kazalim has taken human form, you know?

According to Leon, Kazalims body disappeared after he was defeated. If he was alive again, itd be in his spiritual-body form at first. It made sense that hed then install himself into the physical body of something else. Reviving himself within the realm of a demon lord would lead to being instantly discovered, and considering nobody had found him yet, that theory could be safely discounted.

You might be correct, Guy unexpectedly stated. Leons attacks have the power to destroy your spirit. If anything, I would mightily praise Kazalim for surviving. Plus, even for demons like ourselves, a full resurrection from our souls alone takes hundreds of years. I doubt a walking dead could ever perform it alone. Not without assistance.

Walking dead, unlike demons, were dependent on their physical bodies. Full resurrection from the astral body took time, and if anything, Kazalim being alive would be a small miracle. So did Guy mean to imply that Kazalim had help? It all seemed connected, but for now, we had no further evidence to go on.

Well, either way, Ill just assume hes alive and stay on my guard for him. If I just killed Clayman, he might be out for revenge.

Wah-ha-ha-ha-ha! Why worry, Rimuru? Youre a lot stronger than him now!

Milim, I shouted, thats the exact kind of cockiness that leads to getting killed!

Thanks to my victory today, Claymans forces were out of the picture. I didnt think our foes would make any moves for a while, but we still had to keep a sharp watch out. Me alone was one thing, but I now had legions of friends to keep safe. Wed have to devote more resources to our defense and think up ways to handle the threats ahead.

After some more chatting, the Council continued. With the one who called it out of the meeting, Guy took over in his place.

The main subject of this Council was Carillons betrayal and the rise of Rimuru over there, but those issues have been settled. Carillon has betrayed no one, and Rimuru has demonstrated ample power to join our ranks. Personally, Id be happy to adjourn this session here, but an opportunity like this doesnt come along every day. Does anyone have something theyd like to say to the other demon lords?

Could I, perhaps? Since were in the middle of this Council, I have a suggestion to give, or really, more a request, Frey said.

Certainly. Go ahead.

Frey nodded at Guy. Starting today, Ive decided to serve Milim. As a result, I want to abdicate from my seat as a demon lord.

Well. That was a bombshell.

Whoa, thats kind of sudden, isnt it?

Wait, Frey! I didnt hear anything about that!

No, because I didnt say anything about it. But Ive been thinking about it for a while, do you see?

She squinted, as if looking at some faraway point. Then she laughed, like she was recalling something amusing.

Frey recalled a conversation she had with Milim, the one that made her decide to place her trust in the girl.

Hey, Frey, you wanna be friends with me?

Why are you asking me that?

Well, Rimuru and I just made friends! Friends are really great. If you ever have any trouble, you both help out each other!

Oh, really? Well, Milimif youre willing to help me out, then all right, I can be your friend.

Really?! Oh, I totally promise, of course!

You do? Im glad to hear that. But Im a pretty wary woman, so Ill trust you only if you keep that promise.

All right! Hooray, were friends now!

Frey had no trust in Clayman. That was why she believed in Milim, putting her own safety in the balance as she pretended to accept his terms.

What if Milim broke that promise? What if Milims mind really was under his control? The questions worried her, but Frey still placed her chips on Milimand they paid off, big time.

That was the reason. The reason why Frey put all her trust in Milim, volunteering to become her servant. At that moment, a lofty queen who had never trusted anyone before in her life finally found it in her to believe.

Well, she resolutely stated, I have my reasons. But the most important one is that I think Im too weak to be a demon lord. I realized that for sure watching that battle just now; if I fought against Clayman, Id be lucky to even match him. As for an awakened Clayman, I dont see how I could win

But, Frey, Daggrull interrupted, you specialize in high-speed aerial combat, do you not? I see no reason to depreciate yourself like this.

Youre right. If it was in the air, I would have the advantage. But demon lords dont have the right to make excuses. Besides, I know quite well how having an advantage doesnt mean anything, at times.

She paused to give me a look, her voice resolute.

So Ive decided to become one of Milims followers instead. Plus, Milim cant afford to be as selfish as she is forever, can she? She needs to think about managing her domain, sooner or later.

In other words, Frey wasnt just thinking for herself. Milim was a wild child, and you couldnt just let her off the leash. Someone to both support and keep an eye on her was definitely needed.

Despite Freys own admission, I really couldnt see her as being that weak. If anything, she was a strategist in a different way from Clayman, a strange, eerie leader who never let you see what she thought about you. The type that reminded you just how formidable her sex could be.

What would happen, though, if this actually happened? Thinking of Frey in terms of a servant, not as a demon lord, she definitely had enough power to be an aid to Milim. She didnt really have a nation of her own, but if Frey joined her, theyd no doubt have a formal territory in place before long. Wed have to think about building political relations soon after, and with Frey handling them, I bet the negotiations would get pretty thorny. Thorny, but still fun.

Frey turned toward Milim. What do you think? Will you accept my suggestion?

Ooh, I dont really like to keep a citizenry to rule over

Wait a second, Carillon said. I got something to say about that, too. Yknow, Ive already lost to Milim in a one-on-one match. Im honestly startin to think nows a pretty good time to hang up my cap as a military leader. On paper, all us demon lords are equal. If were all facin a Hero, thats one thing, but if I lost to another demon lord, I really oughtta do away with the title, yknow? So, I dunno, it just felt absurd for me to keep calling myself a demon lord. So I think Ill join Milims faction starting today. Great to be on the team, boss!

He wasnt asking for feedback.

I could understand the logic. With these guys, might always makes right. Still, though I mean, Milim didnt have anyone under her, no advisers or officers to go out against this, but was it really okay for two demon lords to step down and join her side?

Wait a minute, Carillon! That one-on-one was all Claymans fault! I was under mind control. I dont know anything about it!

Eesh. I really dont think that excuse is gonna work, Milim. I could see the other demon lords rolling their eyes at her.

Dont play dumb with me, you. You just declared a minute ago that Oooh, nobody can take over my mind, no!

It was a remarkably good impression on Carillons part. He had quite a talent for acting.

Mgh?! I, um, that

Well, that muscle-bound idiot can wait. What about me, Milim?

Youyou arent all saying this to trick me, are you? If you start serving me, that means we cant talk all casually any longer, yeah? You wont play with me, and we wont come up with any more fun schemes, yeah?!

Frey shook her head. No. Ill get to be together with you all the time. Well get to have more fun than ever.

I could see the brainwashing Er, the temptation take hold. See? This is why you gotta watch out for her.

Carillon, meanwhile, was taking the fastball-down-the-middle approach. Besides, he complained, youre the one who blew my entire damn country away! Rimuru said hell help me out with that, but youve got a duty to support us, too!

I didnt think she did, really, but Milim was always weak with complicated concepts like this. Man, he was smarter than I thought. Milims eyes were bouncing to and fro; he almost had herand then, growing weary of thinking at all, she exploded.

Daaahhhh! All right! Just do whatever you guys feel like!

Smoke flew from her head like an erupting volcano as she abandoned all sentient thought. Thats Milim for you. She acted all smart, but she really sucked at critical thinking.

Are you really sure about this, Carillon? Guy asked.

I am. Ive been thinking, too. Not about abdicating the throne of the Beast Kingdom, but about maybe building some kind of new structure with Milim at the top of it.

Guy scoffed at this, looking disappointed. I liked you, though. In another hundred years, I was expecting you to awaken, too. Then he grinned at him. But very well! From this moment, Frey and Carillon are no longer demon lords. You are free to serve Milim in any manner you please.

Now the abdication was official, and nobody voiced any further complaint. Myself included, of course.

So now I was officially deemed a demon lord, one had dropped out due to brutal death, and two had stepped down to become vassals answering directly to Milim. The Ten Great Demon Lords were now eight.

I thought this would mark the end of the Council, but there was one problem left.

Huh, so we arent the Ten Great Demon Lords any longer?

It was just a sidelong observation on my part, but it generated a much greater reaction than expected.

That is a concern, Daggrull rumbled. In terms of our dignity, we will need to consider a new name.

Huh? Its really that important?

Fortunately, Walpurgis is still under way. We have all our demon lords here. Now would be a wonderful time to brainstorm.

Even Valentine, the demon lord who definitely couldnt take a joke, was unironically up for it. Does this really matter, guys? I think the humans are gonna come up with one for us either way, right?

Oooh yes, it was a real mess the last go-round. Our numbers kept going up and down, and we had to hold so many darn Councils to settle on a new name each time!

Wha?! They trigger Walpurgises on something that unimportant?! Ramiris described them as this grand, stately event, a special meeting of the minds Oh, but didnt she call it a chat over tea at first? I was really starting not to care.

Youre right, said Daggrull. The Ten Great Demon Lords thing stuck after the humans came up with that, didnt it? After we wasted all that time thinking something up. Well, Im through with it. I dont have the wherewithal to think about it.

You just wanted to stop using your brain for a while, didnt you? Dont act like you were such a helpful participant up to now.

Silence, you! All you did was complain. I dont remember a single constructive suggestion from your end! Valentine knew exactly what I was thinking.

Whatre you talking about, Valentine? You left that whole process to Roy, did you not?! Deeno shot her down.

Unlike Milim and Ramiris, their erudition was mainly utilized to avoid work as much as possible. Why were they spending all this time thinking up names anyway? Like, they appeared dead serious about this. Did all demon lords have this much free time to work with?

Upon further query, I learned that the name Ten Great Demon Lords from the human realms stuck because they had spent years trying to devise something themselves. That was due to fluctuations in the number of demon lordsjust when they thought they had something nailed down, theyd go up or down a head. So they wound up just going with the Ten Great Demon Lords, even though some were less than happy with it. It was all some of the most useless trivia I ever heard.

All right. People. Calm down. We need to show some cooperation for a change. We can overcome this! Guy had just admitted that his fellow demon lords were usually pretty damn uncooperative.

Um, but Should we, um? The Eight Great

Ramiriss suggestion was met with such deafening silence that she couldnt even get it fully out.

R-right, she stammered, trying to deflect it. Guys got a good point! Lets work on this together!

Enthusiasm for the Eight Great Demon Lords was at an all-time low. Everyone was in agreement on that, but it didnt mean we were being any more cooperative with one another.

Wah-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha! Ill let you guys take care of that stuff!

Im tired. Im gonna go to sleep.

It took less than a minute for us all to fall apart. I expected it from these guys, and I sure got it. I wasnt expecting one big happy family, but it was exactly as I predicted.

But one among us was able to cut through the awkward atmospheresomeone behind me who wasnt picking up on our impasse at all.

Oh? If thats the problem, then my Rimurus a real professional!

It was Veldora, no doubt growing bored and pining to go home already. Ugh. Now all their eyes were on me. I really wish he had some manga to read instead. Wait. Did he already finish reading the last volume?

And now I could see Milims eyes fixated upon himor actually, that manga volume in his hand, like a hawk sizing up its prey. I had a bad feeling about that, but there were more pressing issues at hand.

You know, Ramiris said with a nod, when he named Beretta, he came up with that name in no time flat, too!

Great. They were delegating everything to me. That bum Shes treating me with less and less respect over time, I swear. I could tell she was gradually going to push more and more on my plate. Looking around, I could see expectant expressions all around the table. Crap. Theyve already fully surrounded me?!

The demon lords looked at one another, then Guy stood up. Rimuru, today you stand as a new demon lord. I wish to grant you a wonderful new privilege

Oh, um, I dont need it, thanks.

I tried cutting him off before he could finish. He wasnt gonna let it happen. With a heavy wham, the shiny, obsidian-like, horribly valuable table was chopped right in half.

Yes, he said as he gracefully walked right up to me, running a hand past my cheek, I will grant you the right to provide us with a new name. A very honorable position, I should say. You will accept it, yes?

He was totally wheedling me. The gesture might have made it look like kindness at first, but his voice made it clear that no insubordination would be allowed. I looked at him, neither nodding nor shaking my head, attempting to plead the fifth.

And you know, he whispered, half biting at my ears. His fingernails were practically screeching as they dug into my cheek. This all happened because you culled our numbers, did it not? Youll be kind enough to take responsibility and come up with a name, yes?

An impartial observer might wonder if we were lovers sharing a special moment. We werent. He was threatening mebut if things had gone this far, I had nothing to refute him with. Its really that much of a pain?

Well, whatever.

All right! Sheesh. You dont have to whine so much just because you dont like it.

Resigning myself to my fate, I grudgingly took up the post. The looks of relief on my colleagues faces spoke volumes. Some were even kicking back and accepting refills on their tea, like this was already over. Well, screw them.

Really, I didnt mind the Eight Great Demon Lords muchbut yeah, maybe its a little too obvious. I figured that was what Ramiris was about to suggest, so lets just trash that right off. The pressure to drop the idea immediately was palpable in the air. No way I wanted to have those frowning faces upon me.

Which left Hmm. Come to think of it, its a new moon tonight, isnt it? A night sky, full of beautiful twinkling stars

Hey, how about the Octagram? You know, like an eight-pointed star?

It was greeted by silence, the demon lords closing their eyes and scrutinizing the word. Then they all reopened them in unison.

Settled, then. Quite lovely.

See? I toldja! I just knew Rimuru would pull it off for us!

Impressive. I can see Veldoras recommendation was an apt one.

Hmph. Well, so be it. Perhaps you are slightly talented.

Dang! Just like that! Wow. Like, what was with all the trouble we had last time anyway?

Mm.

No negative feedback. Well, great. If anyone did voice a complaint, I was thinking Id throw the job over to them instead. I dont know why Milims acting like she engineered all this, thoughand thats the question Id want to ask you, Deeno. What were you talking about all those times before?

I had a lot of questions, but as a mature adult, I had the composure to just pretend my problems didnt exist. From this point forward, we would be feared and revered under a new name.

We were called the Octagram:

Lord of Darkness Guy Crimson (demon)

Destroyer Milim Nava (dragonoid)

Labyrinth Master Ramiris (pixie)

Earthquake Daggrull (giant)

Queen of Nightmares Valentine (vampire)

Sleeping Ruler Deeno (Fallen)

Platinum Saber Leon Cromwell (demonoid)

and me:

Newbie Rimuru Tempest (slime)

We numbered eight in all, and with those eight, we had just opened the curtain on a new era of demon lords.

The first order of business was how we distributed our domains.

I was granted the entirety of the Great Forest of Jura, which was a hell of a bargain, but Milim got an even better dealthe unified domains of Frey, Carillon, and Clayman under her rule. Rule, of course, in name only. Carillon and Frey would be handling the day-to-day management, alongside the Dragon Faithful directly serving Milim.

Claymans old domain was also something of a buffer zone bordering the Eastern Empire. Wed have to investigate how he administrated it and build defense lines as needed. Kind of a pain in the ass; someone would need to devote a lot of detail-oriented work to it. But that was something for Milim and her new government to think about. I had my own priorities to manage.

The rest of the demon lords saw no change in territorial land. Some simply wandered around with no home to call their own; some kept their exact location hidden; some set up fortresses on far-flung continents. It was rare for any of them to have precisely defined borders, so even if there was any change, itd be hard to decipher.

These demon lords tended not to sweat the details, no, but they did have ways of keeping in touch. That was the function of the ring granted to each one, as a symbol of their post. Not only did they identify the wearer; they also provided for interdimensional calls between demon lords, either secret ones between two people or party lines with multiple participants.

A pretty useful bit of magic jewelry, this so-called Demons Ring. With it, I could get into contact with them even if I was stuck inside an Unlimited Imprisonment. Id have to consider running Analyze and Assess on it for mass-manufacturing purposes, not that I was about tell these guys about that.

Claymans schemes, and the chaos he spread around the forest, were a thing of the past. I had been accepted as a new demon lord. Kazalim, Claymans apparent master, was a worry to me, but the demon lord drama I dealt with was now all taken care of.

Now, I was a full-fledged vertex on the Octagram.