Tensei Shitara Slime Datta Ken (LN)

THE EVE OF THE FESTIVAL

This time, it was Yuuki himself giving orders to Team Lightspeed.

Recently, an enormous slave market had been uncovered in Ballachia, one of the smaller kingdoms that ringed Englesia. Fortunately, a runaway slave had contacted the relevant authorities for help, and now they needed to form an expedition to investigate. But while Ballachia was small, there was a chance this market was backed by the kingdom itself. The assignment was ranked a B-plus or greater in difficulty, not the sort of thing your average brawling adventurer could tackle.

I wanted to turn this down, Yuuki admitted to Masayuki, but I cant say no to one of my sponsors. As famous as you guys are, Id like you to act as a lure.

Sending the investigation team in without support was likely not going to be successful. So, Yuuki explained, he wanted Team Lightspeed to join them on the expeditionand while the team collected evidence about the slave market, Masayuki and company could stay active in public, ensuring the Ballachian governments attention stayed on them. An A-ranked team like Masayukis couldnt be refused entry by the kingdom, and with the investigation team doing the nitty-gritty detective work, the party would strike a nice balance between brains and brawn. It didnt seem too tricky to the Heros ears.

Masayuki, lets give these people a hand. Why, a nation that small could declare war against us and wed still win!

Jinrai was alight with the burning flame of vengeful justice. Ever since Masayuki had beaten him, he had become more refined, gentlemanly, a far cry from when theyd first met.

Yeah, Bernie added. Theres no way we can let slavery happen in this day and age. With Masayukis strength, we can put things right fast.

As an otherworlder, Bernie had some kind of unique skill as well, making him resistant to Masayukis Chosen One. That didnt stop the man from respecting him nonetheless. Masayuki couldnt guess whyespecially given how much he liked complaining to Bernie about the issues in his life. But despite that, Bernie trusted and helped him in innumerable ways. His impartial impression of Masayuki felt like a cherished dose of reality, one he referred to often. And if Bernie felt that way about this, the decision was clear.

Jiwu, meanwhile, was more curt.

Right. If Sir Masayuki says yes, I will join him.

She had a blind, incontrovertible faith in him, it seemed, almost never voicing a contrary opinionand she had just made it unanimous. It wasnt much longer before they set foot in Ballachia.

They were in an ornate reception hall, the site of a ball attended by nobility not just from Ballachia but other nearby kingdoms. And Masayuki, an invitee, was being faced with a situation so terrifying, he would do just about anything to escape it. The slave market did exist hereand hed just gotten to witness it for himself.

Give me a break. Isnt that the investigators job?! It almost made him want to cry. Not again

He was on his way back from a small journey to find a restroom when he heard a soft voice from a room he happened to pass by. He didnt intend to peek inside, but he took a glance anywayand Braeber, the earl serving as Masayukis tour guide, was there.

They locked eyes.

It happened in an instant.

Um, are you?

Well, this certainly isnt helpful, Braeber said, still smiling. If you heard me, I suppose there is little I can do. I had a muscular soldier standing guard at the door, but I certainly didnt expect you to defeat him. I should have expected as much from the Hero, shouldnt I?

Soldier? What soldier?!

Whoa, wait a?!

He was about to lodge a complaint but got cut off.

Ahhh! The Hero has gone mad! He must be stopped! Everybody, after him! We must subdue him!

Much to Masayukis shock, the man Earl Braeber was talking to grabbed the sword he was leaning againstand slashed the earl down with it. Then the man tossed it away and began screaming, attempting to frame Masayuki for the attack. What ensued next was predictable. A dozen or so soldiers flocked to the scene, carefully eyeing Masayuki and his companion Jinrai.

Well, Jinrai said, his fiendish face twisting into a smile, look what the cat dragged in. Masayuki doesnt need to waste his time with you lot. Let me dispatch you all!

Jinrai went on the move. And with the Chosen One support Masayuki provided, his performance in battle ventured into the realm of superhuman.

Tch! Monster! But my enemy is the Hero who tamed that beast, for getting in my way!

Gohsel, the marquis who had just struck down Braeber, gave Masayuki a loathsome scowl.

You see the tide of this battle. Give it up and surrender

Considering how Jinrai was systematically destroying the gaggle of soldiers who poured in from the adjacent room, Masayuki figured the fighting was done. He was wrong.

Heh-heh-heh How kind of you to offer, Hero. But if anyone was witness to this scenethis travestyall of them would side with me!

Then Masayuki recalled Earl Braeber, still on the ground. He could hear footsteps; more people were coming toward the commotion.

Blast! This is bad news, Masayuki

They were in the Kingdom of Ballachia, and while the Heros name was known worldwide, Masayuki was still just a guest. Marquis Gohsel was a figure of power and authority here; between him and Masayuki, he would be the more trusted of the two. Thats why Gohsel was acting so confident right nowand why Jinrai was biting his nails. But Masayuki didnt fret for a moment. Internally, he was annoyed, but already, his instincts told him things were going just like they always did. His skill, Chosen One, always had a knack for bending situations in ways that made him the hero of the day.

And it happened again.

Soon, the room was awash in curious rubberneckers, including a few Ballachian noblemen and foreign dignitaries. The marquis had been standing triumphantly in one cornerbut now shock was racing across his face.

Ahahhhh. What, what has become of me?

With a groan, Earl Braeber regained consciousness.

Sir Masayuki, this is a valuable witness, is he not? He was still alive, so I healed his wounds.

Jiwu, who had slipped in at some point, had cast healing magic on Braeberand now she was looking right at Masayuki, fishing for compliments.

Hey there, old man, Jinrai thundered, turning toward Braeber. Lucky for you, Masayukis such a forgiving lad, huh? If you tell the truth to everyone right now, Ill make sure slave tradings the only crime you get charged with. But if you try to keep anything secretI imagine that man over theres just gonna slash you down again, wont he? So whatll it be?

The vicious smile on his face told Braeber everything he needed to know. He thought for a moment, calculating, then resigned himself to his fate. Hanging his head, he began his confession.

What the devil is happening in here?

And the king of Ballachia chose that exact moment to step in. As the nobility fell silent, things resolved themselves quickly. It all happened exactly how Masayuki had predicted it would.

Things got even more heated.

Military police quickly stormed the residences of Earl Braeber and Marquis Gohsel, uncovering evidence of their slave trade. It revealed a scandalGohsel was one of the leaders of an organized crime ring. And not only that: Their headquarters was right here in Ballachia.

The news weighed heavily upon the king. Orthrus, the slave-trading group whose sphere of influence was largely in the Western Nations, was using this small nation of Ballachia as a front. It was a sad state of affairs, one the king refused to ignore.

Orthrus dealt in much more than just slaves, however. They ran a diverse business, handling weapons, armor, mysterious potions, drugs, monsters, magic items, even arcane Artifacts. They were too powerful for a small kingdom to toppleand so Ballachias king had enlisted the Free Guild for help. And if the Free Guild was involved, Team Lightspeed no doubt would be as well.

A person can grow used to extraordinary events all too quicklybut really, Masayuki could predict all of it. Ahhh, I figured this would happen, he thought as he accepted the kings request.

Before long, a large number of adventurersincluding Masayukis A-rank partygathered together for an operation to sweep up Orthrus. Counting the support troops from Ballachia, they numbered over two thousand in alland once Chosen One had sunk its teeth into all of them, they exhibited astonishing force.

Orthruss base of operation had several hundred members on standby, including multiple A-grade fighting forces and a few captured magical beasts. This made them as powerful as a country themselvesbut with Masayuki and the assault team he led, Orthrus was thoroughly and completely cleansed from the nation. Masayuki himself hardly had to do anythingor, to put it another way, his mere presence helped everyone shine, whether he knew it or not.

Thus, without a lot of work, the operation was a success, and the notorious Orthrus was smashed for good. Once again, things turned out well without Masayuki lifting a finger, and this latest feat meant he was famous not only in Englesia but all the way to the far edges of the Western Nations.

As usual, things went off without a hitch. It mightve been nice if the story ended therebut this particular mission left a certain problem behind.

Among the slaves released and put into Guild custody were mixed in monstersincluding some ferocious magical beasts, which were killed on the spot. However, some of the slaves couldnt be dealt with so swiftlynamely, the elves.

The issue of what to do with them soon arose. The elves wanted to return home to the Forest of Jura, but the Guild couldnt just drop them off and send them on their merry way. Certain geopolitical issues were involved. Jura had only just come under the jurisdiction of the demon lord Rimuru, and if the enslaved elves sought Rimurus help, there was no guessing how he would respond. Perhaps hed retaliate against Ballachia somehow. The Western Nations knew about the disastrous scene over in Farmusand if a nation that big could fall, there was no way one as tiny as Ballachia could defend itself.

S-Sir Masayuki, please, please do something!

Their king, a dignified man usually, was all but pleading for help in his private chambers, away from prying eyes. Masayuki, feeling too guilty to turn him down, agreed. It cant be that big a deal, he casually thought. All Im doing is taking the elves to Tempest.

That was the start of his mistake. For everyone who heard that the Masayuki was traveling to Tempest took that to mean the Hero was finally sallying off to slay a demon lord.

The rumors spread like wildfirebut Masayuki didnt take them too seriously. His mind was used to the routine, and it told him that, like always, itd turn out just fine in the end. Certainly, Chosen One was a unique skill to be feared when set off; there was no doubting that. But no matter how strong you are, theres always someone stronger aheada fact Masayuki was too proud of himself to remember.

Right, Masayuki said through his magic link. In that case, well meet over there.

He was submitting his report and discussing future plans with Yuuki. Due to the multiple layers of barriers protecting Englesia, completing a magical link like this required sending your thoughts encrypted through certain wavelengths. It wasnt something you could pull off on short notice, so they had agreed to reach out to each other only at certain times.

So Masayuki shut it off and sighed.

Yuuki worries far too much.

You said it. Jinrai nodded. If you wanted to beat a demon lord, Masayuki, that couldnt possibly be a problem for you.

Bernie was less optimistic. Ill remind you that even Hinata the Saint could only fight this Rimuru to a draw. Itd be wise not to let your guard down.

Masayuki gave this a vague nod. It made him think a bit. Things had gone swimmingly up to now, but really, he hadnt done much at all. He didnt know Hinata; they had never met, but Yuuki had nothing but praise for her, and Masayuki respected him. If she couldnt beat this guy, maybe he was a lot tougher than Masayuki thought at the moment. It gave him pause.

Yeah, youre right. Everyone says Rimuru wants to make nice with people. We probably shouldnt go in raring for a fight.

Ha-ha! Sounds to me like this demon lord knows his days are numbered!

Demon lords are evil, plain and simple! said Jiwu.

Well, Bernie added, well have to see how he acts and decide based on that. But if the Saint and the demon lord have reached an agreement on matters, then only you, Masayuki, are qualified to be a true Hero. You had best act carefully along those lines.

Masayuki nodded. Yeah. With all your help, I bet I could beat him, but lets take things slow and steady, okay?

The question of whether to fight Rimuru would be left for later. For now, they would wait and see.

In the eyes of Masayuki, all three of his companionsJinrai, Bernie, and Jiwuwere utter beasts. He himself was nothing to write home about, but he couldnt imagine anyone from this trio actually losing a battle. I mean, he reasoned, if I actually got in a fight, I guess Id win somehow, but its not like I got a grudge against this Rimuru guy or anything No point trying to start trouble.

So as they packed up and set off for Tempest, he was pretty optimistic about how this trip would go.

Even after all those royal audiences I gave, my schedule was just absolutely packed. Now I was entertaining human guests.

At the moment, our nation was receiving delegations from all around the world, one after the other. Some of the earlier parties arrived a good week ago, I heard. And not all of them received formal invitesthere were also merchants, picking up on the rumors and bringing even more energy to town. Previous visitors were showing them and other new guys around, acting all proud of themselves, and even the nobler dignitaries and royal families stopping in looked around in wonder at the unfamiliar sights. It seemed, at first glance, that my expectations had paid off and our plan to make this a tourist hub was working.

Still, our town was only large enough to lodge maybe three thousand nobles at best. For commoners, that number was more around ten thousand, but in terms of higher-end accommodation, there wasnt quite that much. The service and the dining we had to offer were completely different, and considering we had people in royal lines of succession showing up, we had to consider security as well. Thus we made sure each noble was given ample space to work with.

Given all the dignitaries we invited, we had banned the general public from our luxury inns, whether they could afford a suite or not. Some of the richer merchants in town could, but I was worried about offending them if we were too busy with nobility to offer good service. But apparently, I didnt need to worry. Mjllmile was on it, making sure all the more powerful of the merchant class were set up to their satisfaction.

Great job, Mollie.

Heh-heh-heh! Ah, Sir Rimuru, this much is simple to provide. You have Sir Rigurd and everyone else in town to thank for making a habit of being so thorough with their work!

Mjllmile was a really reliable guy. It went without saying that Rigurd, Rigur, and everybody working under them deserved great praise, but when it came to good customer service and satisfied lodgers, Mjllmile was my go-to man. All things considered, I figured we were off to a pretty good start.

Okay. Keep it up!

That I will!

Leaving the rest to Mjllmile, I resolved to devote myself to our most important of visitors.

We were in our meeting hall.

Shuna and Shion were busy with all sorts of prep work. Catering for such a large crowd, after all, meant careful advance preparation. And Gabil and Kurobe were just as busy, performing final checks on the exhibits they had going. Since I wasnt dealing with monsters right now, I didnt need to put on such an overpowering I am stronger than you actthus I figured we didnt need my entire staff on hand. And given the lack of a strict species-based hierarchy, things didnt have to be nearly as solemn and pretentious.

I was, obviously, in human form, dressed to the nines in order to express my force and financial wealth. That part, frankly, I didnt care about. Being a slime wouldve been a lot easier, but Id given up on pushing that. On that note, none of my advisers was willing to budge.

The nobility from the Western Nations were inoffensive enough in their greetings to me. The king of Blumund arrived in the midst of our hellos, looking like the same nice, approachable middle-aged man as everthe kind of king youd expect in an illustration from a book of fairy tales.

Next to him was his queen, beautiful and still looking young. I didnt know her age, but apparently they had been married over twenty years. At first glance, they didnt look like the best of matches, but they were a loving one, and the people of Blumund were great fans of them both.

I must apologize for not thanking you sooner, he told me. You winning over Marquis Muller and Earl Hellman, as well as applying pressure to the Western Holy Church, helped us all a great deal.

It was this mans consent that had allowed Fuze to move so freely. I could have pulled off that plan only because of the promises he kept. And thanks to his singing my praises far and wide, my reputation actually didnt seem that bad. Judging by the increasing number of merchants coming to my nation, the Kingdom of Blumund certainly proved influential to me.

I gave the king thanks, but he laughed and waved it off. No, no, Sir Rimuru! Theres hardly any need to thank me. All we did was live up to the terms of the treaty we ratified. And did Fuze tell you, by the way? I had staked quite a bit on you. Our nations fate, in fact, is now tied in with yours. And I did this because we do stand to profit, of course, so theres no need for further thanks!

He gave me a gregarious smilebut I could tell the king of Blumund could not be taken lightly. He just said, to my face, that he had his own interests in mind. The idea of requiring further thanks made him laugh.

Still, I said, I am happy to see that you trusted in us.

Showing gratitude is always important. I didnt mean to keep banging on this point, but I wanted to bring it across.

I truly wonder if you really are a demon lord sometimes, the king replied with a snicker. Then he recomposed himself and looked me in the eye. And I do understand that our Viscount Cazac caused you quite a bit of trouble. Im quite glad you were able to rescue your countrymen from him.

Ah, Viscount Cazac. It was mostly Mjllmile hed caused trouble for, though. And if I had to guess, that Orthrus gang had been operating in the Forest of Jura well before I became demon lord. But it was a stain on the reputation of Blumund, I suppose, although it really all came down to the viscount himself.

He was just a patsy, really. A horrible man. It wasnt like hed personally cracked the whip or anything, but a crime is a crime, as much as Cazac apparently crowed about how the nobility can treat low-born monsters any way they want without penalty. Expecting to get off scot-free was far too selfish.

Well, with everything fully settled now, I have no interest in dragging that case any further, I replied.

I appreciate that!

So what will you be doing with him?

As part of Blumunds nobility, I couldnt prosecute him under my own rulesbut no punishment at all was unacceptable. I didnt want to make this a huge incident, but whether or not I did anything depended on the king of Blumund. He, fortunately, understood this.

Cazac no longer holds a noble title, he said, voice turning low and ominous. Given his ties with international criminal gangs, its fair to say hes forgotten his duties as a nobleman. I would hardly abide the likes of him referring to himself as Blumundian nobility. Thus, he has been stripped of his titles and exiled from our lands. The House of Cazac is no more, and thus I consider the case to be closed.

No problems there. It almost seemed too harsh a penalty, but then, slave trading violates international law. Treating him with kid gloves could even make Blumunds king look like a pushover. Thinking of it that way, the punishment felt almost merciful to me. Cazac had been a noble his whole life; finding another life for himself would doubtlessly pose difficulties. Without his name, fortune, or even a familiar homeland, I didnt envy the path this man had ahead of him. But if he could stay alive, maybe he could turn over a new leaf. The punishment fit the crime, certainly, and I had no objection to it.

Very well. I am willing to accept that punishment.

A relief to hear! Is it safe to say that our treaty remains in effect, then?

Id hope for nothing else. May we remain partners for years to come.

We exchanged a firm handshake. The incident was behind us.

Now it was on to the main subject. The kings face brightened as he immediately got down to the business on his mind.

Sir Rimuru, I heard the news from Fuze. He spoke of some grand operation you had in the planning stages?

Apparently, he wanted to hear more about the outlook on the future Id given Fuze.

Well, thats something involving much more than just your kingdom and mine. Im hoping we can assemble representatives from all the nations involved for further discussion. I intended to travel to you to discuss it in detail, but

Oh-ho-ho! No need to be so secretive. Fuze gave me a short rundown, but it sounds like something that could very well affect our position in the world. I could hardly leave the matter to my bureaucracy.

In that case, I could go into some detail

The official discussion was planned for another day. For now, I gave the king my basic plans for turning Blumund into a distribution hub for the world at large. But:

I see. Hmm, hmm

My lord, this sounds like a proposal we should move every mountain to make a reality, doesnt it?

I had given only a quick rundown, but the king had a different look about him by this point. The real him was now on the surface, revealing a man burning with ambitionand his queen, who hadnt spoken until now, had just as much trouble hiding her excitement. It seemed this woman was as equally astute as her husband. No doubt my pitch was all shed needed to accurately calculate how much profit was on the table.

Blumunds king wasnt their only leader I should watch out for. Here we had a king with a gamblers penchant for snap decisions, along with a calm, collected, and calculating queen. Their powers combined mustve been what had made this small kingdom so continuously influential.

Of course, I cautioned, this only happens after the Founders Festival is a resounding success. Its still three days before it begins.

Oh-ho-ho! Im sure there is little to worry about. Why, it hasnt started yet, and just look at how lively things are! And I can only imagine how many nobles worldwide are making the journey over here.

I can only imagine, echoed the queen. But as you said, Sir Rimuru, there is no need for us to hurry matters. A plan like the one you proposed will require an agreement from all the nations involved. In the meantime, we will work with our own government to ensure a consensus on this matter.

My lady is right. It was simply delightful to hear such a fine proposal from you, Sir Rimuru. Now, shall we be on our way?

I hope the Tempest Founders Festival is a resounding success, the queen closed as she and her husband got to their feet. They had no intention of acting all pompous and wasting my time talking in pointless prose. They had what they came for, and now they were done with me. I liked them for that. It was much easier to deal with.

Thank you, I replied. Please enjoy our nation to the fullest.

We certainly intend to! the king shouted as they walked away, to which the queen added, Yes, I can hardly wait.

The day after I spoke with Blumunds royal couple, I was greeted by another big nameGazel, the dwarven king.

Well, Rimuru, here I am! he said as he sat across from me with an audible whump. My first journey by carriage in far too long! Im exhausted!

Imposing as always, to be sure. He was already reaching out for the tea and snacks on the table, like they were his God-given right.

Whoa there. Dont take mine, too, all right?

I was a little slow on the trigger. In an instant, the last doughnut on the table was up and into his mouth. I had been looking forward to that. Who knew he had a sweet tooth to go with his tremendous drinking habit? Theres just never any underestimating him.

Ahhh, no need to sweat the details. If such trifles still bother you, you have much left to learn, mm?

Much left to learn how? Youre the one stealing my doughnuts. I stared at the self-serving Gazel, but he gave me no quarter, returning the gaze.

And thanks to the chiefs raising a hue and cry, we had a whole caravan of carriages. The length of it was ridiculous. And its all your fault, Rimuru!

As he explainedin great detailthe journey here from Dwargon normally took a day on winged horse. Since this was an official state visit, however, he wasnt allowed to go with the Pegasus Knights alone. It wasnt just because of security concerns, either. Gazel would be seeing nobility from around the world, and as king of the mighty nation of Dwargon, he needed to show he was a military power. This meant having to pack multiple changes of clothes and such, along with administrators and attendants to help dress him properly. It made his entourage a more than decently sized crowd.

If you travel as a king, you need a royal amount of preparation. Having a paved highway to travel on was certainly a boon, but the past few days of travel were just murder on me.

That must have been why Gazel kept skipping out on his kingdom to travel as light as possible. And come to think of it, Soei had reported that the highway from Blumund was jam-packed with carriages and the like, enough so that the watch needed to play traffic cops for a while, and all the inns along the way were booked solid. Which was great, in a way, but it also reminded me of the need for a larger-scale transport system. Cars in Japan these days, after all, break down very rarelyand if they do, you can call for roadside service and get it handled in no time flat. In this world, though, if you break a wagon axle or something, youre in trouble. Simply carting the vehicle out of the way of traffic is a painstaking ordeal. You also had horses to take care of, and overall, the whole thing was rife with pitfalls. I deliberately planned for wide highways in anticipation of this, but it still didnt solve the problem. I was gathering info on these incidents so we could tackle them in the future, but judging by Gazels tale, long-distance travel as a noble was an extremely arduous undertaking.

It seemed the traffic jam had mainly been caused by far more nobles deciding to participate than Id planned for. Ill need to consider things like that more next time. Itd be nice if we could develop trains and make all of this a lot more comfortable, fast.

But regardless.

You know, I didnt expect to see you here at all. I figured youd send an envoy instead.

It was true. I really hadnt. So I was honest with him, hoping hed take the hint to stop griping at me. It didnt work.

Pffft! You think I would do that? When I know youre up to some kind of scheme again? I cant sleep at night until I see what it is with my own two eyes! And alsoI have a question for you.

What?

So you fought Hinata Sakaguchi? The whole draw thing Thats a lie, isnt it?

I figured he knew that, and he did. He was aware Id fought her, and he didnt believe the official results one bit. By the looks of things, he assumed I beat her.

Well, you could call it winning the battle and losing the war, but yeah, I won.

I explained to Gazel how it had all worked out in the end, warning him to keep it under his hat for now.

Unbelievable. That woman, of all people Frankly, shes stronger than I am. Her swordsmanship, for onebut even in overall strength, Id lose. You really beat her?

This was some real talk from Gazel. I guess Id impressed him. As a Hero King, Gazel would never get a chance to spar with Hinata, so he used his network of spies to analyze her strength instead. The conclusion he made from their findings: Hed be on the ropes. Hearing Id won mustve sincerely surprised him.

Luck had a lot to do with it. I mean, she really was a lot stronger than Clayman, and he was a demon lord. I think the skills Im blessed with had a lot to do with it.

Lets be straight: If I didnt have Raphael, Id have lost. And Raphael is a skill of mine, but hes also managing all my other skills. If he hadnt harnessed some powers I wasnt even aware I had, theres no way I couldve beaten Hinata.

Ha! Luck is as important a strength as any other. Im glad to see my old sparring partner succeed, but I hate to admit how inferior I am that readily

Well, what do you want me to say? With my own real powers, I cant even beat Hakuro yet.

Ahhh, youre as strange to me as always, arent you? Real or not, those skills are part and parcel of your battle strength, arent they?

He looked a bit exasperated, but I really meant it. Without Raphael, I think my best match for a sparring partner would be Gobta, actually. Not that Id tell anyone.

Well, whatever. So, he said, erasing his scowl and giving me a serious look, what are you up to this time?

This was his way of switching to his main subject, apparently. I had no idea what it was.

What do you mean?

What do I mean?! The Western Holy Church sent us a missive asking to open a channel for future negotiations! They used to classify us as a nose away from monsters! Whyd they overturn their doctrine like that? It was so sudden, I just know you have to be behind it!

Ah!

Gazels shouting reminded me of my conversation with Hinata and her people. Yes, I had suggested that she could get King Gazel involved. The Dwarven Kingdom had retained its neutrality for a thousand years. You could place boundless trust in them, and even the most orthodox adherents of the Church couldnt seriously think dwarves were the same thing as monsters. Some, maybe, but it had to be a tiny minority.

That was my motivation behind the suggestion to Hinata, but I forgot to, um, actually ask King Gazel for permission to do that. Or, really, I didnt think I needed his approvalI wasnt expecting him to get this riled up over it. Best to play dumb for now. I doubt Hinata explicitly said it was my idea.

Ohhh? Well, um, I have to say, its the first time Ive heard about this. But you know, I think duking it out with Hinata has helped us develop a sort of friendship. Thats how we reconciled things, besides, and we agreed that well try to stay on good terms in the future. So maybe that got them in the spirit, huh? Like, it inspired them to make some official overtures with you, too?

Hohh?

Gazel raised a doubtful eyebrow. Its times like these that I seriously wished I was in slime form. I thought I could feel a cold sweat running down my back, even though I dont actually sweat.

Caution. The subject Gazel Dwargo is applying Read Thought to your surface mentality. This is being permitted due to a lack of perceived hostile or malicious intent. Block this skill?

Yes

No

Yes! Yes, yes, a thousand times yes!! If its something that important, then just tell me, Raphael!!

But that explained things. I had thought it was a little strange before, but Gazel can read peoples minds, huh? No wonder Ive always felt a bit odd around him, like he was probing my brain for answers. Between his accurate reading of my actions during battle and how he always seemed a step ahead of me in our conversations, it only made sense he was doing that.

The Great Sage evolving into Raphael mustve helped me recognize the Read Thought when Gazel pulled the trigger on it. It didnt seem to be active all the time, thank heavens, but who knows how much info he took from me just now

I gave Gazel a glance. He grinned back at me, a blue vein visible on his forehead.

Hehheh-heh. You saw my Read Thought, did you? Well, I applaud you for it, but if you blocked it, that must mean youre thinking something evil, I presume?

N-no, no, I, uh, dont think so?

You fool! I caught a glimpse of you there! It told me you thought it best to get me wrapped up in this!

Crime never pays, I suppose. He then more or less forced me to confess exactly how my conversation with Hinata had gone. And then:

I see. So the Seven Days Clergy was behind their humans-first policy

Yeah. And I think Hinatas people are thinking about purging the Church of anyone poisoned by the Seven Days thinking. Given how theyre all dead, Im sure she can sniff out their sympathizers well enough.

I went over the internal dealings I had seen in the Western Holy Church and Lubelius, carefully leaving out Luminuss real identity. Gazel nodded and pondered for a minute.

I imagine you are right. In which case, it would be foolish to turn this down, then?

He had decided to accept Hinatasor the Churchsrequest.

I thought you would say that.

Enough from you. Doing my diplomacy for me, without permission But oh well. No need to be a stick in the mud during this festive occasion. Youve given me only the best seats, I am sure? I might as well enjoy what youve got for me.

After that fit he threw, he was willing to give up the subject for now. I figured he was happy enough with how things turned out, but I wasnt stupid enough to let him know that. I had word that Hinata and her paladins would be at the Tempest Founders Festival as well, so I figured it best for them to meet directly and work matters out. Gazel no doubt had some of his own advisers to deliberate with, too.

So I promised him wed set up discussions after the festival. He was soon on his way.

It was now morning, three days since Diablos return. Yohms band was here, and he picked the exact right moment to show upwe were actually holding a preopening feast this evening, the festival itself finally starting up tomorrow. Before then, however, we were at the usual meeting hall, Yohm and a few of his closer advisers seated across from me.

Hey, pal! Its been forever and a day, aint it? Well, guess what? Im royalty!

His clothing certainly had a few more bells and whistles on it, but the person inside hadnt changed. He was just as brazen as always, greeting me with a defiant grin.

I smiled back. And clothes certainly make the king, dont they, Yohm? Thanks for all your hard work.

Ha! Hell, thank you! Youre the one who took some grubby bum off the street and elevated im up to king, he said with a smile, so I hope youre gonna see this to the end, yeah? Im all in on what youre aiming for, so dont leave me hangin halfway.

Just as he promised, Yohm had become a fine king for meand with Diablos behind-the-scenes work, he now had a firm grip on the throne.

Farmus, a nation with a long, illustrious history, had fallen. In its place was born a new kingdom, with the champion Yohm as its accepted leader. It was a nation reborn from the threat it once was, so Diablo thought fit to change its name to Farminus. To cement this, he also had Yohm style himself as Yohm Farminus.

Next to him in the meeting hall were two magic-bornMjurran and Gruecith. They were his constant bodyguards, and I had no doubt theyd keep Yohm safealthough Mjurran wasnt really a bodyguard at all, of course.

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Lord Rimuru, let me reintroduce myself. I am Mjur Farminus, wife of the king. It is good to see you again.

Perhaps noticing my eyes on her, Mjurran lifted up her dress a little and curtsied. It was beautiful, enough to make your garden-variety rich heiress blanch.

You fit into the role of queen like a puzzle piece, Mjurran.

Yeah, doesnt she? Yohm said, beaming with pride. Shes educated and all, unlike me.

I do have some experience in this, shall we say. Clayman was such a stickler for etiquette and manners

There was no doubting that Clayman held himself well, or at least had a thing for noble trappings. Hed festooned his castle with ornate furniture and artwork, and Im sure he was just as fastidious with his own staff. Looks like that helped us out in the most surprising way with her.

Yeah, well, its an experience for all of us. I mean, ruling a nations been hard for me, too. A little bit ago, I had to formally greet every species in the Forest of Jura, and it nearly killed me. I felt like some kinda sacred idol.

Oh, I hear ya! I have all these nobles requesting audiences with me, and some of those idiots are already forming factions and trying to start something. What a headache, I tell ya! At least that old man Razen, our magic expert, is handling all that pretty well.

Razen himself was not here. Things were still less than stable around their nation, and he was busy darting to and fro, attending to postcivil war matters. I feared for a moment hed betray usbut looking back, he was only under the effects of Diablos Tempter spell, so no worries there. The retired Edmaris, meanwhile, had disguised his identity and was now serving as an adviser, making up for Yohms lack of experience and education and helping out in assorted areas of politics.

And as for Gruecith the magic-born:

So youre head of the Knight Corps now?

I sure am, Sir Rimuru. I turned the job down, but he never listens to me

Yohm had all but forced Gruecith to take a role in government. He certainly had the muscle for it, and none of the remaining knights voiced any complaint, so the fledgling nation of Farminus wanted to appoint him head knight, hoping to keep such talent from straying off. Hed balked at first, enjoying the new freedom in his life, but after Mjurran begged him as well, he found it impossible to refuse. Was Gruecith gonna be all right doing that? I didnt bring it up. He didnt seem that reluctant.

I still consider myself part of Lord Carillons Warrior Alliancebut for now, I dont mind babysitting this idiot.

Shut up! Youre the idiot!

No, those two hadnt changed much. And the sight of Mjurran wincing at them took me back as well. It was a familiar act, but this time, someone interrupted it.

King Yohm! Captain Gruecith! Youre being terribly rude to the demon lord!

The loud voice came from what looked like a grade-school boy, a very handsome and intelligent one.

Ahhh, Edgar, youre always so serious

Ha-ha-ha! And why not? Hes far better put together than you. What more could we ask for in a crown prince?

Captain Gruecith! This is not the time for joking. I am trying my best to serve as King Yohms attendant, making sure he becomes a good, just king!

Edgar, son of the previous king Edmaris, glowed red with embarrassment. He was still just ten years old, but well put together was an understatement. By the looks of things, he was already used to being the butt of their jokeshaving to deal with such mean grown-ups at his age had to be difficult. At least Yohm and Gruecith seemed to care for him, as much as they carried on.

I wouldnt have minded more of this pleasant small talk, but it had to end sometime. They were all tired from the voyage, and Id have other VIPs coming for the preopening tonight. I suggested we could continue this conversation with some drinks later, and Yohm readily agreed.

So, Yohm, as thanks for keeping your promise, I have a present for you. Diablo

You mean this, Sir Rimuru?

Before I could finish, Diablo realized what I meant and picked up a certificate we had prepared in advance, kindly providing it to me. I handed it to Yohm.

Hey, whats this, pal?

Yohm wasnt particularly great at the whole literacy thing, either, so he quickly tossed it over to his assistant, Edgar. With a nod, the boy read itand then his eyes bulged out of their sockets.

You, youre forgiving the rest of the reparations?!

Yep. Dont really need any, now that Yohms king.

They had already paid us 1,500 stellar gold coins in reparations. The total sum of 10,000 stellars was laughably astronomical, and now that our mission was accomplished, there was no need for that money anyway.

Yohm looked at the shocked child with a smile. Heh-heh! Well, I dont really get what that means, but there ya go, Edgar.

He didnt know, but Edgar sure did. No doubt itd be another gold star for Yohms reputation.

Thus I became known as a personor a demon lord, I supposewho was willing to bargain a bit when it came to reparations.

My talks with Yohms group were over. They all left the meeting hall, dragging a still-petrified Edgar with them.

It was afternoon now, and I was no longer quite so busy. Visitors were still swarming in, but they werent eager to talk right now, eithernot when there was this evening to prepare for. A lot of them certainly wanted to see me, and I agreed to, as long as they were willing to wait until after the festival.

I finally had some free time as a result, so (as I promised) I decided to travel to Englesia and pick up Yuuki. I could stop by the school there and take the kids as wella festival like this, I didnt want them to miss out on the fun.

The streets of Englesia were a nostalgia trip for me. It had been only several months since I left, but recalling life here naturally dissolved any tension from my face.

I couldnt help but travel to the Free Guild headquarters in the middle of the city. Through the modern automatic glass door, I entered an air-conditioned chamberand the moment I did, I was greeted with sharp-eyed stares. Only adventurers ranked B or higher were allowed in here, and this crowd looked the parttough, seasoned, and not to be messed with. Looking around the chamber, it was clear nothing had changed. It made me happy.

A few of the men were openly appraising my appearance. Given they were here in the middle of the day, they mightve been preparing for some big job or another.

Whos that?

Havent seen im around before. Is he new? Hey, you know him?

Uh-uh. You think I know anyone that pretty?

These whisperings werent exactly welcome news. Less than a years time, and theyd already forgotten about me? But then I noticedI didnt have that mask on now, did I? I could fully control my own aura, so I went barefaced, since there was no longer any need for it. I had considered a disguise, but it was too late now.

Fortunately, I was dressed in my old adventurers garb, so as long as I acted the part, nobody would realize Im a demon lord. Besides, Shuna had expended untold efforts sewing the demon-lord outfit Id wear for official audiences. It was incredibly gaudy, decorated up and down with nothing but the finest accoutrements, and she even knitted a full-on coiffure to top it off, so itd look nothing like what Im sporting right now.

There were still relatively few ways to record things around you in this world anyway. Its not like people far and wide would know what I look like as a demon lord. Maybe I shouldnt bother worrying about it. For now, lets go with this.

So I strode up to the reception desk. A man walked in front of me, blocking my way. I was struck by the weirdest sense of dj vu.

Hold on. I dunno what kinda backwater you earned your B rank in, but you think you can just come in without a word to the vets around here? Dont ya know its the polite thing for a new adventurer to give his name first?

Actually, it wasnt just dj vu. I pretty vividly remembered him. This guy was Grass, friends with Kabal and his crew, and he had whined at me about proper greetings last time, too. He mustve lived his whole life like he was captain of the football team.

Ummm, youre Grass, right? Youre always hanging out here at HQ, arent you? Dont you have any work to do?

Huh? You know my name? So

Mines Rimuru, I said, cutting him off. I was with Kabals party, remember?

I mean, come on, Grass. I know that mask is gone, but my voice is exactly the same, okay? Why isnt he picking up on that?

Huuuh?! Uh, RRimuru?

Mm-hmm. And this is the first time youre seeing my face, but at least recognize my voice, man.

N-no, um, but Huh? Is it me, or were you kinda smaller last time?

My name instantly threw Grass into flustered confusion. I beat him rank-wise, so in his football-captain mind, I was above him. Adventuring was largely a meritocracy anyway, so acting superior based on age or years of experience wasnt really a mainstream trend. If a new guy helps you out, youll naturally respect that and help him back in kindbut a lot of adventurers didnt see the need to be friendly to total strangers, either. Things changed if you were in a party, but in terms of social cliques? That was nearly all based on rank.

Yeah, I grew, I said in a huff. More evolved instead of grew, but I didnt need to be that honest. It seemed to convince him.

Oh. I get it. But, man, Rimuru, you sure got pretty hot! You must be well near invincible by now, huh? Getting to see that sweet face of yours Im so moved!

He was standing at attention now, like he did with Kabal, as he bowed to me. He always was a snake that way, but I couldnt hate him for it.

Yeah, yeah. But whyre you always here? Arent you employed?

Heh-heh! Aw, dont give me that. This is kinda part of my workIm educating the new adventurers. Theres a lot of barriers you encounter in the B rank, as you know, and my jobs to approach any brash new guys and take em down a notch, that sort of thing. See those guys over there? He pointed to the group looking at me earlier. Theyre doing the same thing. We all hang here at the HQ in our downtime.

The group stood up straight and nodded at me.

Forgive meI didnt realize you were Rimuru, a B-rank adventurer, one of them, the apparent leader, said.

I nodded back at him. I didnt think I changed that much

Oh, no, you have! Now that I know, I just realized you got the same outfit on, but otherwise

Yeah, totally. That face is just Wow. What a standout

Is it really? That much?

All right, all right. Should I put on the mask?

Doing that was kind of a pain, but I didnt want to go through this every visit. I created the mask from my Stomach and applied it to my face, the adventurers looking a little disappointed for reasons I couldnt fathom.

So, yeah. Keep up the good work, guys. Dont torment the newbies too much.

With that, I headed for the front desk.

Giving my name to the clerk, I had her take me to Yuuki. He was expecting me, apparently, so it didnt take long.

Hey, Rimuru! Long time no see! Sounds like youve been through a lot, huh?

That doesnt begin to describe it. I got attacked by Hinata, the Farmus Army invaded us, and then the demon lords summoned me Just one thing after the other, you know? A lot is the understatement of the year.

Ha-ha-ha! I figured youd sum it up like that, Rimuru.

Yuuki laughed it off, but it definitely was a lot. He understood that, Im sure; he was all smiles, but there was a touch of gratitude to his voice.

But, hey, at least Im good with Hinata now. Alls well that ends well, right?

Sounds like it. I met her a few times to exchange information, and I told her a lot about you as a person. You know how, like, suspicious she is of people.

Oh, believe me, I do. She barely listened to a word I said.

Right? Shes the kind of person who only believes what she sees and hears for herself. Its always been that way with her, and let me tell you, its not been easy.

We chatted along these lines for a while. Im sure it wasnt easy for Yuuki. Hinatas thought process can be a total mystery sometimes.

Not that I can really talk about that with anyone but you, Rimuru

Hinata had a lot of followers. If Yuuki started complaining about her to the wrong person, shed know almost immediately. Not that gossip is a good thing. Ill want to be careful about that.

But it was time to cut to the chase.

So what do you think? If youre busy, I wont force you, but would you like to check out the festival for two or three days?

Ha! Of course Im going. Why do you think I tried so hard to get ahead on my work? And Ive got people here I feel fine leaving this place to while Im gone. Give me one moment.

Yuuki stood up and went out of the room, calling for someone. I relaxed with my tea for a moment, and he was back shortly with a woman.

Let me introduce you guys. This is Kagali, the vice master of the Free Guild. Shell be running it while Im gone.

She was a beautiful woman, very graceful on the outside, and the business suitlike attire she had on fit her to a T. Her eyes were blue, her blond hair tied in a chignon, but her ears were the real standoutlong and pointed. She had to be an elf.

Hello, Rimuru Tempest. Or should I call you Demon Lord Rimuru? My name is Kagali. It is an honor to meet you.

Thank you. This is my second time here, but I dont think we met the first time, did we?

I recalled the secretary who had given us tea, but not this girl. If she was the number two official in the Free Guild, I wouldve expected an introduction soonerbut there was a reason for that.

Hee-hee! No, you wouldnt have been able to. Ive only returned here recently. My passion is exploring old ruins, and Ive just come back from mapping out the complex at Soma, one of the largest in the west.

It turned out Kagali was one of the worlds greatest active explorers, lurking around this ruin and that since before Yuuki had founded the Free Guild. Her name was not that well-knownshe hadnt taken part in the Society of Adventurers, the precursor to the Guildbut Yuuki had scouted her for her clear talent nonetheless. The Guild, after all, wasnt just about fighting. That was Yuukis philosophy, which was why he had given an exploration expert like Kagali such a high position on the org chart.

Thanks to that support, Kagali had just pulled off a monumental featthe complete mapping of the ancient ruins at Soma. This put her name up in lights for much of the world, quelling any dark murmurings of her being Yuukis hanger-on. Now she was a vice master anyone could respect.

Just because its mapped, of course, doesnt mean all its mysteries are unraveled, she explained. It just means theres a visual guide to follow to the bottom. Theres still so much left to unravel.

Yep. We can leave that job to the exploration-oriented adventurers. And with the map Kagali left for them, I think theyll make some serious progress.

Theres the Guild philosophy at work againinstead of leaving everything to a single exceptional talent, they can bring on teams of people for the excavation work. Itd help younger members gain experience, too, killing two birds with one stone in a way.

So Kagali was now working here at the headquarters, helping educate the B-rank and higher adventurers. Given that she got a cut of the proceeds whenever the Guild sold the relics found by explorers, her take-home pay mustve been astronomical.

Huh. You can make a lot of money from ruins, cant you?

I have to admit, she replied, you can. Although money isnt my main motivation; this is more my lifes passion. I have auctioned off things I excavated in the past, however, to pay for my expenses.

Yep. Sounds like lucrative, if backbreaking, work. And speaking of ruins

I wanted to askwhos got the rights to these ruins? Is it whatever nation theyre located in?

Mm Yuuki paused. Thats a hard question to answer. In the case of the Soma complex, thats managed by the Free Guild. It was discovered in a somewhat tricky locationa desert region called the Barren Lands, farther west from Western Nations territory.

Yes. To be more exact, the Barren Lands are located right up against the domain of the demon lord Daggrull. Thus, the area is not under governmental jurisdiction at alleveryones too afraid to come near it. Ruins in unaffiliated lands like these dont have anyone who can lay claim to them.

Oh Well have to be careful with those, then

Hmm? Something bothering you about that, Rimuru?

Yuuki must have picked up on my reaction. I needed no reminding of what that something was. It was the assorted unknown ruins near Claymans castle, no doubt packed with magic items. I was sure exploring it would reap a huge harvest for us, but there was one snag: Who would the items we dug up really belong to? And what if those ruins invited unscrupulous, profit-seeking adventurersor worse, out-and-out criminals? The potential for discovering untold treasure was tempting, but even more important to consider was that treasures historical value. They provided leads we could follow to learn about the ancients and what they did.

Its only natural, I suppose, to romanticize about ancient times. If we let just anyone go in the ruins and vandalize them all they wanted, we ran the risk of losing irreplaceable artifactsthat was my main fear.

There was no need to hide this fear, so I decided to bring up the topic with Yuuki. We had an expert explorer on hand, besides.

Well, actually, theres another complex of ruins in Claymans old domain.

There is? Youre sure of that?!

Kagalis eyes instantly fixed upon me, like a predator aiming for the kill. It was quite the onrush, and it honestly surprised me a bit.

Yeah. Clayman had this vast fortune and collection and stuff. He handed out magical weapons and armor to his forces like candy. Im thinking he harnessed the things he found in that ruin to finance it. The thing is

Yes?

I paused for a bit, unsure, before continuing. This might be rude to say to someone who makes exploration their profession, but Im not really interested in plundering ruins just for the treasure. I want to know how the people there used to live, what kind of culture they had, and why their cities fell. I think ancient people deserve at least that much respect, so we dont let the past go to waste.

This was just me being sentimental, I knew. It wasnt that I didnt care at all about treasure; there were just more important things. That was why I ordered that ruin closed to outside visitors for now.

Youre more of a romanticist than I thought, Rimuru.

What do you mean, more than I thought? Ive always been this way, Yuuki.

Ha-ha-ha! Yeah, youre right. He smiled at me, convinced. Youd have to be, to come up with an idea like building a nation of monsters.

Kagali, for her part, mulled this over for a bit before nodding. The predatorial drive in her eyes was gone, the intellectual spark now firmly back.

I see Certainly, thats a perspective I did not have. But I understand it. I am not a fan of seeing ruins get vandalized myself. We need to build the right sort of expedition team before we send them to Soma, of course.

Maybe the romantic part of my thoughts didnt come across, but at least she saw the need to keep the ruins protected. Hopefully she could lead that effort. She certainly seemed like the right fit.

So that just left one problem.

Right. Well, the problem is, Im the sole person responsible for caretaking Claymans territory. The demon lord Milim will eventually annex that land, but for now, its being run by us, the people who defeated Clayman. I think its fair to say he kept those ruins in pretty good shape, so I dont want to be the one who messes them all up. I think Ill have to bring this up with Milimwe need to make sure were thorough with handling them.

Oh, you arent going to rule that territory yourself?

It might be too much for me. It borders the Eastern Empire, and I dont really feel likeum, I mean, having to run a border defense line against them is a pretty tall order. We cant devote that many forces to it.

Claymans domain was a buffer zone with the Empire. It contained a road known as the Valley of Death that wound its way through rugged mountainsa dirt path, not paved at all, but it still provided passage between Claymans lands and the Empire. The area was packed with undead creatures, but there was also evidence that Claymans forces made regular use of the trailsuggesting that the Empire was carrying out some kind of plan of action through his domain. It wouldnt hurt to be on our guard about that.

We could deploy the army over there, but were running short on personnel right now. Managing the whole of the Forest of Jura took a vast amount of work. I was thinking I could leave Claymans land to Milim, and if the Empire ever made any moves, Id just let Milim handle everything.

So if we wanted to explore those ruins, wed need the demon lord Milims permission? Yuuki asked.

I suppose so, yeah.

Ah I have a keen interest in them, but do you think wed be able to avoid interference? inquired Kagali.

Oh, Im sure shed say yes if we askedbut knowing her, I guarantee shell want to go in, too.

That

I was sure that condition would make any would-be explorer hesitate. The general public, after all, feared Milim deeply. Kagali seemed disappointed, but she shouldnt give up yet. Milim would definitely come along, no doubt about thatbut if Im there, too, whats the problem?

But, you know, I was planning to explore those ruins anyway, so having an expert like you along would certainly put my mind at ease, Kagali. And since weve introduced ourselves to each other, maybe I could pay you through the Free Guild to help with that effort? What do you think?

Meaning that youd have the right to whatever we found, Rimuru?

Well, we can talk about that. I have a museum in my capital, so Id prefer to put it on display there rather than sell it off. But its still gonna be Milims land, so well have to discuss matters with her, too. Its hard to make a decision either way right now.

I see. But youre definitely gonna stage an expedition sometime?

Yep!

Indeed, Kagali chimed in, if I dont have to worry about expenses, Id be delighted to take that offer. And if you can handle negotiations with Milim for me, Id have no reason to say no.

It looked like Kagalis interests werent strictly about profit, either. She had an intellectual bent as well, and if she did, there were no issues between us. So it was decided: Shed organize the team, and Id talk to Milim and convince her this was a good idea.

Does all that sound good to you, Yuuki?

Sure! The Free Guild would be happy to help!

Now Im looking forward to this. Ill begin making arrangements for this while I run operations in Master Yuukis absence.

Ah, right. Wed gotten a little sidetracked, but I was here to invite Yuuki over.

Thanks very much, Kagali. Sorry youre staying here while we get to have all the fun, I guess.

Hee-hee-hee! Oh, I dont mind. Enjoy yourselves to your hearts content.

Thanks. The Guilds in your hands!

After saying our good-byes, Yuuki and I left the Guild headquarters. I hadnt expected this, but now we had the ball rolling on exploring those ruins. I really wasnt sure who to enlist for that effort, so having an expert oversee operations was reassuring. It wouldnt be until things calmed down after the Founders Festival, but I really couldnt wait to see what we found in there. We could all stand to learn a lotmaybe itd even give me some hints for the underground Dungeon wed built back in town.

Such were my thoughts as I took Yuuki along to my next stop.

I removed my mask outside of the HQ. Given that I no longer needed to hide my aura with it, I only really required it in places where revealing my face would cause trouble.

Yuuki, carrying a large knapsack, was eager to talk to me. Receiving that written invite, he mustve had time to prepare in advanceand given the size of his bag, he mustve been planning to stay at least a few nights.

So are you gonna bring the kids along, too?

Yeah. Now that Hinata and I are even, none of em has any reason to be against me. There might be an issue or two with them being over there, but we got some pretty serious security, so

We had to, given all the dignitaries we invited. And if we could keep all of them safe, there was no reason we couldnt protect those five children, either.

Okay. In that case, go right ahead. Yuuki smiled. Theyre a lot more devoted to studying these days, so maybe theyre due for a break and a reward.

I didnt send any advance notice to the kids. It would be a complete surprise to them. I kept quiet until I was sure itd be okay to invite them, and hopefully theyd forgive me for that. I knew they really needed some more advance notice, but depending on how things went, I mightve had to say no to them. No point in revving them up and disappointing them later if things went awry.

After walking for a while, we came to a familiar schoolhousethe imposing home of Englesias Free Academy. A word with the gate guard, and we were taken insideI was with Yuuki, the schools honorary chairman, so it took no time at all.

We were soon greeted by the vice principal, who guided us into a classroom.

Hey, guys! You all doing well?

Before I could finish saying hello, Alice tackled me like a lineman.

Ugh! Mr. Tempest! Youve been gone for so long!!

I didnt think I had been, but maybe that was just my grown-ups perspective? Children have a different sense of time than we do. I guess this mustve been hard for them.

Shes right. You promised me youd come in regularly to visit!

Yeah! Gails telling the truth! I thought you forgot all about us!

But Im glad youre here now, Mr. Tempest!

Gail, Kenya, and Ryota all gathered around me, expressing their joy even as they complained to me. Chloe wasnt far behind them, grabbing on to me and smiling.

Welcome back, Mr. Tempest!

Youre as popular as ever. Yuuki laughed as he watched. Im a little jealous.

Oh, Yuukis here, too!

Are you gonna fight me today like you promised, Yuuki?

Me too!

Right. Our spirit force handlings improved a lot lately.

Noticing Yuuki made the childrens smiles grow wider. Kenya was even challenging him to a fight, and Ryota and Gail werent far behind him. If they had their powers more under control now, I was sure they wanted someone to test them out on. But we were here for different reasons.

Ah-ha-ha! Youd need to train another hundred years to beat me. Ill fight if ya want, but not today, all right?

Awww, why not? Kenya protested.

Sorry, I said, but theres no time for that today.

What do you mean? a confused Chloe asked.

I looked right back at her. Well, I wanted to invite all five of you to my homeland. Were holding a big festival starting tomorrow. If you dont want to go, thats fine, but

Hurry! We gotta get ready!

All right, Ken!

Whaaaaa?! Why didnt you tell us sooner?! This is huge!

Yeah, Mr. Tempest! How can you just say this out of nowhere?!

Um, um, I cant wait!!

The children immediately sprang into action, not waiting for the rest of my speech. They didnt waste a moment of time. The decision was unanimous.

All you need to bring is a change of clothes, guys! I shouted as they scurried off. There was no response, all of them departing like a storm and shouting the whole way.

The teacher presiding over class at the time was understandably a little confused as he watched us. Thats quite a surprise to see. He sighed once they were gone. Theyve never been quite that friendly to me

Ah-ha-ha! Youre doing a great job with them. Theyre a little better now, but it takes a rare teacher to wrangle the likes of these kids.

No, no, I suppose its only natural that you need to prove your strength for them to listen to you. I hate to say it, but I think I might actually lose to them if I dont pay attention. Theres no doubting the power they pack, no. By the way

The teacher didnt look familiar. He mustve been hired on to replace me.

Oh, Im sorry. My names Rimuru, and I was teaching them before you. Sorry to interfere with class.

Ah, you are Rimuru! I surmised as much when the children called you Mr. Tempest. My name is Klaus, and I was hired by the academy as your replacement. He gave me a bitter smile. And dont worry about the classthe vice principal warned me in advance that we may be canceling it for a bit starting today.

As Yuuki explained, Klaus was once an adventurer, a hunting specialist with a rank of A-minus. He was now approaching fifty and considering retirement before very long.

Wait, you said you might even lose to them? Theyve gotten that strong?

Well, what did you expect? They take pride in the fact that you trained them, sir.

Yeah, Yuuki said, if they snuck up on me, maybe Id even lose.

They mustve grown a lot. That was impressive, especially in such a short time. It gave me something to think about, as a resolved-looking Klaus turned toward us.

Sir Yuuki, I have a request.

Mm? Whats that?

Its something Id like to ask Sir Rimuru as wellbut at this rate, I can see myself as no longer able to win against them before long. Its an advantage that goes beyond any technical skill they have. But letting them slide by with just this much wouldnt be good for them. I think they need an adult who can serve as a kind of wall for them.

How do you mean?

Its simple, Sir Yuuki. These children still have the potential to grow. I dont want them defeating me to make them arrogant, and thus, I was hoping we could provide someone who can train them in fighting technique.

I get it. Klaus really seemed to be looking out for these kids. Each one was housing a high-level spirit inside themspirits that neutralized the magicule energy granted to them in the crossing from their world to this one. As they grew, however, they became able to control and harness these spirits powersand unleashing this extra energy would make it simple to cast spirit-magic spells, for example.

They really could become talented elementalists, the way Shizu had. Kenya even had the potential to go Hero-level, just like the light elemental we met said. With the right instructor, fabulous powers would be far more than just a dream to him. Like Klaus suggested, he needed a gifted teacher to guide him along. But:

All right. So well want a good teacher along those lines, huh? But if were talking someone stronger than you, Klaus, itd have to be a current A-ranker. Hiring someone that far up as a teacher might not be possible

Yuuki was right. That was a problem. A retired adventurer would be glad to accept a steady job like that, but an active one could earn a lot more money taking challenging jobs than watching a classroom of kids. The Guild, too, had a mission to keep people safe; theyd naturally prefer their top talent to be working in the field for them.

I imagine not, Klaus said with a sigh. If were looking for someone ranked A or higher willing to work as a teacher, well, I sure cant think of anyone. I can certainly teach classwork and adventuring skills well enough, but

He understood full well that this was a big ask. And, yeah, recruiting adventurers to teach mustve been a pretty tall order. So I made another suggestion.

In that case, you know, Im planning to start a school of my own back home. We got a lot of B-ranked dudes over there, and I could probably have Old Man Hakuro, my own teacher, serve as an instructor. When it comes to swordsmanship, at least, hes better than I am, so Im sure he could teach them that much.

Hakuro would be just finewhen it came to sword skills. The children needed more instruction than that, of course, but

Whoa, Yuuki marveled, that actually sounds great! Would you mind taking over custody of them for a while, then?

Yeah, thats another idea. But theyre still gonna need to learn life skills for human society from somewhere.

Children learn a lot of these skills interacting with one another. Robbing them of that chance, I worried, could stunt their communication skills as they grew up. Wed be seeing more and more adventurers in Tempest over time, and their own children would probably be attending this school I picturedbut that wasnt likely to gain major momentum for another few years. Until then, theyd have to live in an environment with no other human children, and that struck me as problematic.

Oh, because its nothing but other monsters instead of human kids?

Yes, that could be an issue

Yuuki and Klaus had the same misgivings, nodding their agreement. I was glad we were on the same page with thisbut I couldnt rest easy yet. There was something else on my mind.

Which, I mean, they could just travel to Tempest for instruction in battle. We have the teleportation magic for it; they could come over a few times a week if you like. But given their background, I think they better get some instruction in elemental spirits as well.

This wasnt a problem, exactly, but still not something I wanted to compromise on. The elemental spirits within them helped protect their lives, to a large extent. If they wanted to harness their powers correctly, theyd need more core knowledge about themknowledge I simply didnt have. Not to put too fine a point on it, but everything I knew about this world was gained strictly off my own experience. Me trying to explain elementals would be like you or I explaining how to breathe through words alone. I could go over logical facts and stuff, but I couldnt impart the real essence.

I was reminded of the way Hinata and her paladins fought, a fusion of sorts between spirit magic and swordsmanship. It was a unique approach, and mastering it must require a deep understanding of spirits. If they could impart that to our kids here

And, you know, when I think about spirits, I think of the paladins. Should we ask Hinata?

Hmm I was thinking the same thing, but Hinata can be kinda scary, you know?

Welltrue.

Shed never allow the kids to take advantage of her, thats for damn sure. But Im worried shell be a little too harsh on them.

Thats hard to deny, yes.

Yuuki and I looked at each other and sighed. But wed need to save this discussion for later. I could already see the children running back to us, luggage in tow. It was festival season. No point in pondering these thorny issues when theres so much fun to be had. For now, I could ask Hakuro about instructor work and worry about other matters later. It was procrastinating, I know, but wed figure something out.

So, following the same thought process I usually turned to for issues like these, I mentally switched gears and quit my worrying.

Leaving the main gate into Englesia, I set up a transport gate in a secluded location. This wasnt magic, technically, so I could deploy one without any magic circle required. Yuuki looked at me rather coldly about that, but the kids were used to it.

Mr. Tempest, if its that easy for you to use these gates, then come visit us more often!

It was Kenya complaining, and he was absolutely right. I apologized profusely to him. With all the stuff thatd happened, itd been hard to find free time and I couldnt really guarantee anyones safety, but no point telling him about that. Itd just make the kid all anxious. So, while dancing around the subject a little, I promised to go back to see them more often.

On the other side of the gate, I took Yuuki and the kids straight over to my favorite lodging in towna private area, separate from the four-star nobles accommodations and reserved for our top officials. Yuuki went off to his room, and as he did, I turned toward the children.

Im sorry, guys, but I still have some work left. Youll have to wait until tonight to see me, okay?

Awwwww!

None of them was too excited to hear this.

Quiet! I took a pendant out from my pocket, silencing them. I thought we could use this to play a game, but?

That lifted their spirits. They were eager to hear more, and once I was sure they were, I began to explain.

You see this pendant here? Its kind of a free-pass ticket to all the booths and stuff in the festival, starting tomorrow. Carry this around, and you can eat and drink all you want in the stalls, and youre free to come and go through any of the event halls you like. But just remember, theres an upper limit of one hundred silver coinsuse that up, and its game over. Youll have to go back to your rooms then, and Ill give you homework as punishment. But if youve been doing your work up to now, Im sure youll be smart enough to stretch this out for three days. Sound like fun to you?

I knew from the start that I couldnt watch these kids all day, so I thought up this tactic for them. Thats what you normally did with kids at a fair, right? Give them an allowance and let em run free. I felt bad about not taking them around, but I figured the kids would have more fun alone anyway. And with Soeis agents deployed across town, theyd have no trouble keeping tabs on them.

This way, at least, I could let them loose on the festival without major concern. And, really, one hundred silvers was a crazy-generous budget. Most of the stalls and attractions didnt even charge you one silver; youd have to make a concerted effort to spend that much in three days. I called it a game, but really it was just a premise Id invented to set them on their way.

Lets do it!

I bet theres all this rare stuff to see Cant wait, huh, Ken?

Yeah, I cant!

Thank you, Mr. Tempest.

Um, Ill buy something for you, Mr. Tempest!

They were up for it, all bursting with anticipation. I gave them the pendant, returning each of their excited nods. Its always fun, I think: that anticipation before a big event. I also thought about telling them Ramiris was in town but decided against it. I planned to introduce them after the fest anyway, so no need to hurry things. Besides, all the kidsKenya and Alice in particularwere already busy planning out the next three days of fun. The servants at our lodging would take care of the rest of their needs, I figured.

Okay, guys, if you need anything, just ask the hostess in charge here, all right? And I doubt youll need to, but if you have to contact me about something, just hold that pendant tight and think hard about me. Itll trigger a messaging magic.

Okay! they all shouted back. Good to see them so eager. And with that, figuring I would be in their way beyond this point, I left their room.

Now I had wrapped up all the necessities.

I had a little time before the preopening, so I thought I would take a quick break in my room before it beganbut the world had other plans for me.

Sir Rimuru, the Hero Masayukis party has arrived outside of town.

Soei quietly appeared to whisper the news into my ear. A Hero, huh? What kinda dude could this be? I thought over the possibilities as I came by to greet him.

As I did, I could see several elves getting jostled around on a large wagon. I had heard they were freed from that Orthrus ring, and I guess the news was true. It was a pretty fancy wagon, toothey mustve been treated well post-rescue.

On another, smaller covered wagon was a boy with blond hair, sitting in the cabmans seat with another man holding the reins. Was that Masayuki the Hero? He looked Japanese to me, but with the rounded lines to his face, there mightve been something in his blood from elsewhere. That sort of pop-idol look, you know? Silky blond hair, almondlike eyes with double-fold eyelids His face was childish, but he just projected this aura of coolness.

The girls mustve loved himbut frankly, he didnt look very powerful to me. You cant judge a book by its cover, though. He was definitely an otherworlderI could see it in the faint Heroic Aura he emitted. It was meant to be intimidating, but it didnt work on me.

Bracing myself, I retained my cool as I turned my eyes toward Masayuki. The party mustve noticed me just then, slowing down and coming to a stop in front of me.

Youre the demon lord Rimuru? Funny to see you personally greeting us at the door!

Well, Sir Masayuki is a renowned Hero. Not even a demon lord could afford to ignore him.

Hee-hee-hee! What dyou think, Masayuki? Wanna settle things right here n now?

Sheesh, that was sure friendly of them. I was glad theyd rescued those elves, but what did I do to deserve getting dissed like that? Well, gotta bottle it up. Anger right now would be ill-advised. I was trying to frame myself as a helpful, harmless demon lord, on good terms with Hinata and everything, and no way I could let that effort go to waste.

Ha-ha! Harsh words from the Heros friends! Well, out of appreciation for you rescuing our countrymen the elves, you are free to enter and stay in this town. I could even prepare a house for you, if you want, and feel free to stay as long as you like. But just so were clear, Im not interested in settling anything right now, all right?

There were merchants around us. I decided to take a friendly, humble route. It didnt exactly provide the results I wanted.

Ha-ha! Look! The demon lords afraid of you, Masayuki!

The large, seminude man who took the reins roared in laughter as he looked down at me.

I understand you are seeking friendship with us humans. But Im unsure how much I can trust this. The rumors say that youre the one who schemed to topple the government of Farmus. Perhaps youve managed to trick Hinata the Saint well enough, but dont expect to be so lucky with Masayuki here.

Talk about turning a deaf ear. They were hell-bent on making me out to be the villain, it looked like. But oddly enough, the Hero himself still hadnt said a word. He had tried to, but every time, one of his companions would speak up first. To be honest, they were acting more like groupies.

Hmph! The evil must be dispelled, if you ask me. Sir Masayuki, defeat this demon lord at once and bring peace to

Guys, Im telling you, weve already got peace.

The nearby merchants were giving me confused looks, no doubt totally lost. If I didnt put my foot down, I felt like there might be repercussions. But I couldnt really stage a fight here Before I could get too worried, however, someone tossed me a life ring.

Whatre you guys doing?

Yuuki, in a fresh set of clothes, had already heard the commotion.

Oh! Yuuki!

For the first time, Masayuki spoke upand from the sound of it, he had been hoping for divine intervention as well. But his companions werent having any of it.

Well, hello there, Yuuki! Whys the master of the Guild himself keeping tabs on a demon lord?

Im not, Jinrai. Guys, Rimuru seriously wants us all to get along, okay? And as proof of that, Ill point out the fact that youre all still alive.

So the larger guy was named Jinrai. Yuuki explained to him about how Id fought Hinata to a draw and that Im not a bad demon lord. It didnt convince all of them.

What do you mean by that? The way you describe it, are you implying that Masayuki is weaker than Hinata the Saint?

Dont be that harsh with him. A mere demon lord could never stop Sir Masayuki. And even the guild master could never be forgiven for insulting him this way!

Masayuki himself was still silent. He sure had some extreme fans.

Yeah, Yuuki. Like Bernie and Jiwu said, dont treat Masayuki like a fool, all right? I dunno how strong Hinatas supposed to be, but a draws the best she could do against this guy? In that case, its time for the headliner to make his debut, aint it? Masayuki could whip this demon lord easy!

The lauded Hero looked like he wanted to be somewhere else right now. Maybe he didnt seek conflict with me at all, then? Yuuki, realizing this himself, stepped up to assuage his friends.

Guys, guys, calm down. Like I told you, Rimuru isnt hostile against us. Theres no point fighting him.

But hes a demon lord, aint he? Who knows when he might hatch some nefarious scheme! And with the Western Holy Church sitting on the fence, aint it about time Masayuki shows everyone just what kinda Hero he is?

No, Im telling you

Hmm. I see. I could understand where this guy Jinrai was coming from, actually. I was a demon lord, and he didnt trust me. And sure, if you werent familiar with me yet, maybe youd feel the same way as Jinrai did about me. I still didnt know what the so-called Hero thought of all this, but at this rate, wed never come to terms.

So I decided to accept the challenge. But:

All right. In that case, Ive got a suggestion. Were planning to hold a battle tournament at the festival starting tomorrow. If you enter it and emerge as champion, Ill gladly accept your challenge! That, and youll be able to prove your strength to everyone there. Not a bad offer, right?

Ill take the challenge, but before that, I wanted Masayuki and his team to enter the tournament. Itd help me learn how they fought, and for that matter, it might show that I shouldnt bother with them in the first place. A pretty shrewd idea, I thought, although I wasnt sure which of them would get to fight in the arena yet. I had planned to restrict the competition to fighters ranked below A, as I was still a little anxious about the arenas structural integrity. It did just fine against magic from high-level elementals, which was special-A stuffbut hey, if it crumbled, wed just build it again. As long as we made sure no onlookers got hurt, us duking it out there shouldnt be a problem.

Oh? Youre in that much of a hurry to embarrass yourself in public?

What do you think, Masayuki?

You should accept the offer. Itll help spread your name far and wide! Yes, lets prove youre on the side of justice, in front of the very people you must keep safe!

Um, yeaaah

Masayukis attendants were all gung-ho about it. Masayuki was not. His eyes darted around, seeking an escape. Was this dude really all right? This wasnt, like, just a huge bluff or something, was it? Nah, it couldnt be. This gang apparently crushed Orthrus, which Soei described to me as one seriously dangerous organization. Thats not the kind of feat you could bluff your way through. Even if he was a big faker I mean, hell, he could say no anytime.

Well, all right. I accept your invitation.

Ah. Guess I really was overthinking it. After a few moments spent in thought, he said yes.

Whoa, you sure about that, Masayuki? a worried Yuuki asked.

The Hero smiled slightly. Oh, Ill figure something out. It ought to be just fine. It always is.

Thats a lot of confidence! Especially considering Im right in front of him.

Very good, I replied. And this being a tournament, theres not gonna be any killing, all right? Keep that in mind for me.

Hmph! Who do you think youre talking to? Lets go, Masayuki. Wed better rest up for the big day tomorrow!

Yes, Masayuki. Considering all the onlookers here, no way this demon lords going to chicken out now!

And dont worry. Well keep a close eye out for anyone trying to poison or assassinate you.

A-anyway, we ought to get going. Better find out when the tournament begins.

Rimuru, Yuuki said as they left, you arent really going to fight Masayuki, are you?

Ummm I dont know yet. I mean, do you think he could win the tournament?

Thats what Id like to know. Yuuki sighed. Hes won a couple Englesia battle tournaments in a row, and honestly, Ive never heard of him losing against a monster before. A lot of his strength is still an unknown to me.

I could read it on his face. This was something he did not want to deal with.

Well, whatever happens happens. But lets give this a positive spin, huh? Having a bona fide Hero in my tournaments a mark of prestige.

Its all about perspective. Yes, this was a thorn in my side, but compared to conferring with demon lords or fighting Hinata, it didnt strike me as that depressing. Wed need to think of some measures later, but I saw no reason to dwell on it any further.

And then evening cameand with it, an ornate reception hall packed with dignitaries from all over.

We had tons of nobility in there, all dressed to the nines in their flashiest formal gear. There were more men than women, by the looks of it, but I guess I had earned the trust of quite a few nobles, because I saw some with their spouses and children. There was even a young doll-like girl with blond hair among them, making for quite a spread of ages.

Tonights plan called for a pretty loose invitee list. Anyone could come if they liked, and wed be serving them buffet-style, with a variety of food spread out on the table and invitees free to pick and choose. Plus, there was something you wouldnt see in any other countrya section of the chamber decorated Japanese-style, with tatami mats on the floor. This took up about half the room, with invitees obliged to remove their shoes before stepping on it.

This wasnt a tradition many guests were used to, so the tatami section was still sparsely populated. But it wasnt empty. I saw a few people trying the space out, relaxing on new and unfamiliar zabuton floor pillows. King Gazel was one of them, and this wasnt his first time, so he was well used to it. We spoke for a bit. Apparently, hed gone around town this afternoon, seeing how it was developingthe sewage treatment facilities, the rails we were constructing, and so on. He spent a while gazing at all the buildings and entertainment we had built, much of it based on my own whims.

What will you be doing with those rails, if I may ask?

Well, on that topic, I actually had some things to discuss with you. Im thinking about developing these new vehicles called trains, and Id really like you to join in.

Hohh? Well, if its my beloved sparring partner asking, Ill gladly accept.

That was fast. I guess seeing those rails convinced him it was worth signing on for. If anything, I bet he wouldve insisted on joining, even if I told him he couldnt. No need for that, though.

Scuse me, I heard someone say as he sat nearby. This was Yohm, another familiar face, and he just whumped himself down right in front of King Gazel, who greeted him with a grin and deftly poured some wine into his cup. It was surreal to watch the king of a brand-new nation chatting with someone like Gazelno doubt the sight would make some people rethink their opinions of Yohm.

The three of us chatted about this and that awhile. Gazels main purpose here was to show people that we were friends. The more intelligent people watching us would have to raise their opinions of Yohm and me. Here, theyd think, were two people the Dwarven King obviously respectedand that, in turn, would give us more leverage at the bargaining table. In effect, Gazel was providing support fire for us.

Of course, I was sure hed scrutinized what we talked about before, making calculations to ensure the Dwarven Kingdom stood to profit from it. But I still definitely appreciated it. It reminded me all over again that in Gazel, I had a trusted confidant.

Some of the attendees had a chance to try out our large public bathhouse before the party. It was generally warmly received, the bath attendant fielding all sorts of questions.

Bathhouses already existed in the larger nations of the worldthe novelty here was the hot-spring water itself, I assumed. We kept careful tabs on the healing properties of the minerals and such it contained, so now it could be easily replicated. A number of nations asked if we could bring a bath like this to their homeland, and I planned to reply to this customer commentary at a later date. My answer was always going to be sorry, come visit us again, but regardless.

A few of our bath customers were in the tatami space now, relaxing in the light yukata kimono wed provided. They were quite muscular folks, discussing with one another what they had seen and experienced. One of them wanted to speak one-on-one with me, but I just didnt have the time to get to everybody in the chamber. I thus reached out and greeted those I was able to timing-wise as I made my way to the seat of honor.

Many of the people here were seeing me for the first time. I felt a lot of curious gazes upon mepeople who turned pale upon learning I was a demon lord and people all the more curious and observant upon hearing the news. I was still not used to so much attention at once, so I gave them all quick hellos before reaching my seat. It was time to officially get this party started.

Ummm, first off, thank you for coming here today. My name is Rimuru, and as you all know, I have recently been appointed a demon lord. However, tonight isnt the night for intense political discussion. I hope that all of you here will enjoy the food of our nation that well present to you tonight. I was never one for long speeches, so lets begin!

Everything was set to go. Food is an integral part of good hospitality. Hopefully the sincerity behind it came across to everyone.

Each table had a waiter attending to it; Vester had drilled them on how to divvy up the available food upon request. What he taught themabout how everything came down to providing the best possible experience for our guestswas about to be unleashed on the public.

My speech over, I lifted my cup in a toast. The eve of the festivities was underway.

The cold beer, for one thing, led to loud cheers and applause. I figured it would. If your alcohol consumption involved not much carbonation, Tempests beer mustve been a huge surprise. I mean, its ice cold. I instructed everyone thoroughly on Japanese-style service here, chilling the glasses and everything. I couldnt compromise on that, for my own sake.

Even better, I had lovely elven girls pouring for me. No one was forcing them to, okay? Theyd personally volunteered to help out, and we were letting them. And they were a big hit, too. Having such beautiful elves going around the hall with drinks, wearing yukata, was no doubt quite attractive to people only familiar with women in dresses. And the way they greeted youwith a polite seated bow on the tatami mats, three fingers of each hand on the floorhad a kind of universal attraction among men, no matter where they came from. A lot of them were blushing, and not because of the booze.

I mean, you know how breasts can look under a yukata. Hee-hee-hee. Just as I calculated.

But, ah, the ultimate blending of Japanese and Western styles! Seeing people in yukata dotted among all the nobles in formal wear was something different, definitely. Something you could see only here. Things were getting a little hectic at this party, though wed expected as much. Really, the party itself was a crazy idea from a common-sense perspectivebut why let it bother me? I treated it as perfectly normal as I watched the other guests.

The tables were lined with the latest and greatest work from Shuna and Mr. Yoshida. It was all excellent; I could guarantee to everyone attending that they would enjoy it. You had smoked chiducken and vegetable sandwiches, cowdeer steaks, sauted veggies with red bean paste, karaage fried chicken, and roast-beef salad. For palate cleansers, we offered assorted fruit sorbets, and there were even a few dishes from the Walpurgis I attended, like black-tiger stew and grilled sage rooster. Tracking down those monsters wasnt easy, but with the leads I had beforehand, we managed to procure them over the course of three days.

This food, made with the finest and rarest of ingredients our nation had to offer, seemed to fully satisfy the palates of our noble attendeesall of whom were dyed-in-the-wool gourmets, no doubt.

And that wasnt all.

A large fish was brought into a corner of the hall, on the border between the Western and Japanese sections. The monster was called a spear tuna, bearing a solid-looking exoskeleton and a sharp, spear-like head. Even without the horns, it was over thirteen feet in length and looked viciously mean from nose to rear fin.

Why did we bring in such a behemoth? Because despite its appearance, this fish had the nicest, most well-rounded taste to it. The armor-like exoskeleton hid lean red meat, similar to tuna. I happened to catch one during a fishing competition with Gobta, and all I can say is, good thing I bothered to run Analyze and Assess on it before tossing it back. It told me that the fish was both nonpoisonous and packed with nutrients. Pour a little of our soy sauce on it (now ready for practical use), try it out, and Well, it was good. Really good. The experience drove me to show it off to the crowd at this party.

Id actually caught this guy myself. I had grown pretty adept at moving in the water by now, and it was a good experience for me. Id have someone else handle that next time, of course, but either way, this was a freshly caught spear tuna. Meanwhile, Hakuro cut and trimmed it for me. The first time, he used a well-honed long knife from Kurobe to dice it up and present it in pieces, arranged all lifelike on the table. This time, however, hed be performing for a crowd, so he took his time, slowly slicing up the body. Deftly avoiding the spear tunas solid exoskeleton, Hakuros knife ran through it like butter. It was the most artistically beautiful dissection I had ever seen; even Shuna was surprised at his dexterity. Put a knife in his hand, and he truly had the air of a craftsman.

Shion, behind me, really wanted to help out with the knife I had gifted her, but I dissuaded her from the idea. The reason should be obvious. I couldnt feed inferior goods to a group of world dignitaries. This wasnt something I could joke around with. Shion was my secretary-slash-bodyguard, and I wanted her to stick to that.

How did the crowd respond? Well, more than a few were surprisedeven scaredof the vicious-looking sea creature when it was first brought in. But as Hakuros trimming unfolded, looks of joy started to creep over their faces. Then the head came off, the body was cut into four sections, and the dishes slowly filled up with the resulting sashimi pieces. In the center were the fattier cuts of white sashimi, the red pieces fanned out around it. The mere sight of that made me salivate, but the crowdmost of whom had never had anything like this beforewas a little more nervous.

As they continued to watch, Hakuro began to make sushi out of some of the pieces. This feat, I wasnt expecting.

White rice, cooking sake, vinegar, mirin, and soy sauce. We had all of those now, and they added incalculable depth to our cuisine, as was clearly being demonstrated here. But, man, I never thought Id get to eat real sushi in this world. Apparently, Hakuros grandfather had told him about it when he was young, butwhew. I sure felt for that guy. Coming to a world like this, and all he could think about was sushi, this thing hed never enjoy again in his lifetime. He mustve had so many regrets.

Compared to him, I had it damn lucky. Like Hinata told me as well, trying to replicate Japanese cuisine in this world was, to say the least, a challenge.

Hakuros granddad, though, huh? I remember him described as an otherworlder named Byakuya Araki. Did he live back in, like, the Edo era, maybe? Samurai and shoguns and so on? I doubted he was a sushi chef himself, but when could he have been born?

But, ah, it doesnt matter. Gotta live life in the now.

The buffet table was alive with chatting guests. The food was a hit, everyone raving about it. Shuna and Yoshida had given everything they had to their team-up, so Id say they deserved all the praise they got.

On the other hand, the sashimi and nigiri sushi Hakuro made for the crowd was still being wholeheartedly ignored. Maybe the terrifying sight of that spear tuna was a little too stomach-churning to whet their appetites. I spotted at least one show-off telling his friend, Good heavens, thats an A rank, and so on. Theres one trivia whiz in every crowd, isnt there?

Butcmon. It was freshly cut sashimi; there was no way it could taste bad. I wished they wouldnt act so boorish and give it a try, at least. In this world, you could detect poison in food without eating it first, so everybody here knew that wasnt a concern. The visuals mustve convinced them this was some kind of low-grade garbage food.

Well, if nobody was willing to step up to the plate, it was time for me to lead off.

Ill take one.

By all means!

Hakuro was kind enough to whip up a new piece of toro fatty tuna for me. I placed some soy sauce on it and popped it in my mouth. The combination of fragrant wasabi and the tunas melt-in-your-mouth umami came together, forming an explosion of supreme taste.

It was so gooooooood!! So good. I mean, Id been to crazy-fancy places in Ginza before, and Id never had anything at this level.

This is amazing, Hakuro!!

That it is, Im sure. I was concerned such fine fish may not last long tonight, but I fear the audience reaction is a tad disappointing. It will be something to look forward to over drinks tonight, though, no doubt!

Hakuro and the rest of the staff would eat after the guests left. He mustve been hoping for some spear tuna to enjoy with his sake later. And he was rightthe snub from the guests was a pity, but if hed made this for himself anyway, then no harm, no foul. In fact, he almost seemed to want them to hate it.

Unfortunately, it was Hakuro who had to be disappointed.

Would you make me a piece of tuna underbelly without the wasabi, please?

Well, well, whos this? Someone with a lot of guts, asking for the ootoro, arguably the best part of the whole tuna. And no wasabi?!

What are you, a child?

Oh, shut it. I dont like that sting in my nose.

It was Hinata, dressed in a simple night dress and acting a little too big for her britches for my taste. Ordering sushi like it was her divine right!

Too bad there isnt a little more variety.

And now she was complaining about that? First no wasabi, then a larger menu? Okay, Ill grant you that not everybodys on the wasabi bandwagonit can be tough if youve never had it before. I asked for no wasabi up until around middle school age myself. But as a grown-up, a real connoisseur knows how to enjoy the flavor of the wasabi as part of the package.

What do you mean a real connoisseur? Whats that even matter? If it tastes good, it tastes good.

She was chortling at me nowbut she was right. Goddamn it. Why does Hinata have to be so rational about everything?

So she picked up the plate from Hakuro, beaming. Slowly, she placed a piece inside her mouth, closing her eyes.

Thisreally is excellent. First sashimi and then sushi It rankles me, but I have to respect you, Rimuru.

Sounds like a satisfied customer. She savored the tuna, a look of joy on her face.

Right, said Yuuki, coming up from behind, Ill have one, too. Oh, and with wasabi, because Im not a kid.

Given the jab at Hinata, he must have been observing us for a while. I knew he had sampled quite a bit from the buffet, but he mustve still been just as hungry. Taking a plate from Hakuro, he finished off the contents fast, no doubt waiting for this moment.

Whoa. Its just melt-in-your-mouth! Man, getting to eat sushi this good, over here Its honestly kind of moving.

He was already reaching for the sushi as he spoke, a smile on his face.

It certainly is different from freshwater fish, countered Hinata, is it not? You know, I asked the Free Guild for fish like this, but they turned me down, and I cant magically transport them to me. I had given up on it. But this definitely brings a little more joy to my life.

Apparently, Hinata had missed seafood so much that shed asked Yuuki to bring some over to her. That, however, was logistically difficultthere were so many issues to deal with, they couldnt find anyone to tackle the job. Hinata mustve brought that up to get back at Yuuki for his wasabi jab.

Well, I couldnt do much about that, Yuuki replied with a pained grin. The northern seas are too full of giant fish to be safe, and the south is too far away to make transport very efficient. And you cant make a profit off seafood if youre shipping it in just from inland waters.

He was right. Logistics in this world were still pretty weak. As I expected, inlanders had almost no chance to sample fresh fish. Getting seafood to them was just too difficult. Wagons could carry only a little at a time, and temperature control was a major hassle. Youd have to either bring along a sorcerer or have vast quantities of ice available in each townand even then, there was no telling if you could maintain freshness from the shores all the way to inland cities. Youd have to be pretty rich to have a chance at a fresh fillet, and in fact, the idea probably wouldnt even occur to you in the first place. The concept of fish in stews and such existed, but again, the problem was supply.

This, too, was just what I pictured. Thus, I wanted to take this opportunity to tell the world about the delicacies they could enjoy only in my nation. Id build more of a distribution network later, but until then, I wanted Tempest to have a monopoly.

Whether they were put off by the spear tunas appearance or hesitant about exotic food cultures, nobody had touched the sushi or sashimi. But now, with both Hinata and Yuuki singing its praises, the tides were about to turn. A man stood up from the corner King Gazel was occupying and came over.

Sir Rimuru, can we have some as well? he asked.

If I recalled correctly, this was Dolph, captain of the Pegasus Knights.

Certainly, go ahead. Ill have it brought over.

As if on command, Hakuros hands began moving at astonishing speed. The plates were quickly lined with fresh-made sushi, sashimi, and osuimono, a light seafood broth. These were brought over by our elf-girl waitstaff, all arranged in a neat row in front of Gazel, Yohm, and the others seated on their pillows.

Now, for the big moment. How would they react?

Mm. Excellent as always.

Kahhh! This is good!!

With a swig of chilled sake, Gazel grabbed a piece of sashimiand it certainly didnt seem to disappoint him. Yohm, meanwhile, was enrapt at his first bite, expressing himself in his usual honest (and very un-noble) way.

The rest of their friends had similar praise for it.

I had no idea that monster fish could be so delicious!

I thought fish wasnt good for much of anything apart from grilling

Hey, if it tastes good, it tastes good, you know?

Yes, and certainly Sir Rimuru has never brought us anything short of excellent!

Good, good. Glad I had everyone satisfied. And even better: A large number of people were observing their reactions.

Me too! Id like to have some!

The moment one noble shouted that, a mad dash of orders for Hakuro ensued. Now it was a big hitone that made Hakuro happy, if a little regretful. Yeah, I wasnt so sure hed have something to enjoy with his sake tonight after all. I actually have another spear tuna on handlets surprise him with it afterward.

After Hinata and Yuuki kicked off with their light banter, they were exchanging heated opinions about every other topic in the world with each other, drinks in hand. It was hard to tell if they liked or hated each otherbut their little debate over wasabi had turned this offering into a success story. It wouldnt be nice to interrupt them now, so I resolved to thank them later.

So the party continued. So far, Id call it a big success. All the food, Western- and Eastern-style, was earning raves. This was a come if you like thing; nobodys attendance was required, but a lot of people showed up anyway. If we kept up relations with them all, Id have to be sure to dangle these foodstuffs in front of their eyes and tell them we could get a regular supply going.

This much, too, was as Id planned it. This kind of on-the-ground PR was my job. Im not just here to live it up and dine on the hog, no. Im not extravagant and selfishthat was all prep work for a chance like this!

But enough excuses.

In that way as well, the event was proceeding as planned. But then:

U-urgent news, sir!!

A soldier burst into the room. I guess we had a problem.

As one would expect, there were guards posted all around this reception hall, including the personal bodyguards of the political figures inside. The area around the building was thus full of people, and if there was an issue out there, it was likely to be a serious one.

Whats up? What happened? I spoke slowly to the soldier to calm him down. Id love to run out and see things for myself, but I couldnt act agitated right now. But before the soldier could answer, a large contingent of bodyguards from all manner of nations tore into the room at great haste.

Seriously, what was going on here?! Our security program was supposed to be perfect. If we had an incident on our hands, something seriously went wrong. I didnt sense any particularly large aura approaching; this wasnt a monster attack. If it was, it wouldve been detected sooner. Milim and Carillon were a bit late, but their arrival wouldnt trigger a panic like this.

So what could it be?

The soldier turned toward me. A large flying object has flown in! Its outside of town!

As he spoke, the other bodyguards were giving their own reports to their respective bosses, shouting in loud voices.

Reporting, sir! The emperor of the Sorcerous Dynasty of Thalion has appeared!!

Its an emergency! The Heavenly Emperor, Elmesia El-Ru Thalion herself, has set foot upon this land!!

Her Excellency the Emperor and her entourage are walking toward this reception hall!!

I was freaking out for a moment, but to sum it up, this was just the emperor of Thalion arriving a little late.

Whew. Thats a relief. I was wondering what was up.

I breathed a sigh of relief. But Gazel, who deigned to get up from his seat to approach me, was sighing for other reasons.

Just as thoughtless and ignorant as ever, eh? What else would happen if Emperor Elmesia left her borders? I know were all trying to gauge one another at this eventeven mebut the emperor herself is simply too much to handle. I am sure even those not in attendance tonight are hurriedly sending missives back to their homelands.

What do you mean?

I wanted more details, and Gazel was just waiting for the chance to give me some. He just loves to go on about all his knowledge in front of me, like some kind of geniusbut it did help me, I realized, so I resolved not to complain too loudly.

As he put it, the Sorcerous Dynasty of Thalion was a large country, one as strong as the Armed Nation of Dwargon, despite being fully independent with no involvement in the Council of the West. Plus, as the term Dynasty suggested, it was a federation of thirteen distinct kingdoms. In terms of power, the Council of the West was definitely the biggest force out therebut given its parliamentarian system, it couldnt immediately carry out policy at a moments notice. Dwargon, on the other hand, was a monarchy under Gazel, so while it fell behind in overall power, its statements still held sway with the Western Nations. The same was true of Thalion.

Elmesia holds immense power in Thalion. Shes hailed as a descendant of divinity, and shes the one who declared herself Heavenly Emperor in the first place. I dont know how divine she is, exactly, but its absolutely true that Thalion was founded by a high elf named Elmesia. That womans been around for longer than Thalion itself.

It wasnt even remotely on the same scale. Dwargons history extended back for a thousand years. Compared to that, it was said Thalion could trace its roots back over two millennia.

Do you see what I mean now, Rimuru? Even I have to be respectful to Elmesia. And imagine if you were a human, with your short life span. Why, you would never have a chance to meet her in your life, even if you wanted to!

Given Gazels obvious distaste for her, Elmesia must have been one tough cookie to deal with. Hmm. I meant to invite only Archduke Erald, I thinkbut I guess wed landed someone even bigger.

Yeah, you know, I guess its important to write a name down on your invitations, isnt it?

I dont think thats the problem, a peeved-looking Gazel replied. But she was here, and I had nothing to counter him with. Wed just have to give her the best service we possibly could.

As we spoke, a commotion erupted near the entrance.

Looks like shes arrived.

Stay on your guard, Rimuru. Think of her as the slyest old fox youll ever see.

If thats how Gazel put it, I suppose Id have to resign myself to some serious competition. I gave him a powerful nod, showing him I was ready to accept this.

The hall was in a furor. As I suppose it would be. Here, after all, was an emperor of a vastly powerful nationone who apparently hadnt even made a public appearance in decades. Most everyone in the room would normally never get a chance to see her their whole lives.

Elmesia El-Ru Thalion, the leader who declared herself Heavenly Emperor, solemnly strode inside. Everyone there no doubt thought of her as the personification of beauty. They all watched her silently, captured by her presence. Even me, I thinkespecially since, externally, she looked like such a beautiful young girl. Her skin was like fresh snowfall, her hair a shiny silver. Her ears were long and pointed at the ends, her penetrating eyes the color of jade.

She was female, judging by what Gazel saidno denying that. Are high elves purebred from the fairy races, then? If not, then they must be closely related. Fairies came in all sorts of types, I suppose, but some were descended from the high-ranking spirit classes, and maybe this Elmesia was an example of that, a menace from ancient times. No wonder Gazel was wary of her.

And we had to watch out for her entourage as well. Each guard practically oozed power. They were dressed in ceremonial gear, but even that stuff was all magically charged. All Legend-class, Im sure. It was strength on the level of Hinatas sword, Moonlightand it was coming from their clothing. They had to be at least as strong as Arnaud and the paladinsor maybe, judging by the quality of their gear, the emperors guard was even better.

Its a big world out there, I thought.

Then, waving a hand to keep the guard at bay, the emperor stood before me.

I have accepted your kind invitation, she said in her clear voice. It gladdened me.

That voice was enough to make all the invitees here melt, it looked like. One might confuse it with a charming magic, but it wasnt. Her voice really was just that mesmerizing.

Its an honor to meet you as well, I said, returning the favor before her.

Then Elmesias jade-colored eyes looked at me.

Warning. Spiritual Interference detected Blocked. This was likely not an attack but a natural side effect of Heroic Aura.

Oh man. This ladys Heroic Aura on a level that even beat Gazels. That means she was at least as powerful as him and quite likely even more so. Demon lordlevel, perhaps? It seemed like a keen idea not to get on her wrong side. This was a peaceful invitation, and I wanted to appeal to her with everything I had so we could build a friendly relationship.

Now, we have some food prepared for all of us, so I hope you will enjoy the remainder of the evening.

Yes, I am most pleased to see so much careful attention paid to these proceedings. I do look forward to the festivities beginning tomorrow, and I hope they prove to be eminently enjoyable. Also

Elmesia had a calm, composed smile on her face as she spoke. Then she brought her face closer to mine. Doesnt have to be today, she whispered so only I could hear, but I want you to make some time for me, yknow. Theres something I wanna discuss frankly, in a more relaxed environment.

It was a markedly more casual way of speakingElmesias true colors showing, I imagined. As someone still getting used to playing the role of a stern, dignified demon lord, it made me feel an affinity for her.

All right, I replied. Ill let you know when I work out a time.

She nodded, smiling, then returned to her ring of guards. She kept the smile up, as people clamored around for a chance at winning favor with her while she headed for the buffet table.

By the way, I was surprised to see that Erald, the archduke I did invite, was nowhere to be seen. But then I matched eyes with one of her guards.

Whoa, its him?!

He looked so imposing that I totally ignored him at first, but I guess he was here. We exchanged glances and nods, but I definitely wanted to give more formal hellos later.

It was only a short exchange, but it still exhausted me. Fortunately, Elmesia was now distracting peoples attention away from me, so I decided to kick back in the tatami-mat section. I had assumed this would be a chill little open-invite event, but now I had some real power brokers in here.

Man, Im beat.

About to get swallowed up, arent you? Better keep yourself sharp, or else that old f

Gazel stopped himself, taking a swig from his chilled sake to change the subject. Im guessing the even chillier stare from Elmesia was the reason. Im sure I wanted to know what he almost said there, although I could venture a guess. Good thing he didnt finish the sentence. Elves have pretty good hearing, and loose lips sink ships, as they say. Ill need to be careful, too.

But regardless, time to unwind. I toasted with Gazel and Yohm, opening things up with some chitchat. Unfortunately, I couldnt relax for long. There was further commotion at the entranceanother celebrity appearance, by the sound of it.

Looks like shes finally showed up.

She sure has, I replied to Shion with a nod. I was worried shed be too late before long.

I prepared to give my good-byes and stand back up.

Oh, Milims here? Yohm said, recognizing her. Man, shes painted up all pretty tonight, huh?

Ever since they had a bit of a tussle, Yohm had kindled something of a dislike for Milim. The fact he managed to keep it just to dislike probably spoke volumes about his personality. No way any normal person could speak of a demon lord as painted up like that, I dont think. I really had to hand it to him.

I see. Bring in the demon lords, eh?

Gazels eyes were sharpened on Milim as well, but it took Yohm to tell him who she was. But Im sure a few other faces by the door were more familiar to him. After all, she was being led in by members of my own staffBenimaru, Diablo, Geld, and Gabil.

Now the dwarf king looked nervous. And why not? This quartet was guiding ten people inside, Milim included. She was taking the lead, with two attendants on either sidea bald man named Middray, the head priest of the Dragon Faithful and a fighter worthy enough to earn praise from Benimaru. The other robed attendant was more easygoing. That mustve been Hermes, the guy Gabil had fought against.

Behind this trio were two former demon lordsCarillon the Beast Master and Frey the Sky Queen. Carillon looked just as majestic as always, and Frey was in a dress I could describe only as provocative, turning heads all across the hall. Both of them, to be sure, struck an almighty presence.

Trailing Carillon were the Three Lycanthropeers. Say, this was the first time Id seen Phobio in a while! He looked a bit thinner than before, but I was glad he was well. Frey, meanwhile, was attended to by a pair of beautiful identical twins, their blond-and-silver hair suiting them well. I had heard of themthey were the Twin Wings, her closest servants. I hadnt realized they were actual twins, but I was sure they were two powerhouses in a fight.

In this group, we had a set of massively powerful rulers, all declaring Milim to be their new queen. Nobody could hide their nerves around them, and I could see why.

Yep, I told Gazel as I stood up to greet them. Im gonna go say hello.

The moment Milim saw me, she burst into a broad smile.

Hee-hee-hee! The days finally here! she shouted. Cant wait to see the kind of food thatll make Middray moan with excitement!

Not a problem, I replied, voice low. But isnt anyone angry with you?

Milim had spent much of the lead-up to this festival poking around my Dungeon and generally avoiding Frey as much as possible. She had been here in town until yesterday, in fact, and they were all late arriving today. This suggested Frey was livid with her, and I was concerned about that.

Oh, um, no worries there, she whispered back. I emphasized to Frey that Ive built up my self-awareness as a ruler, so I was out protecting my territory the whole timeand she believed me!

Judging by the sweat running down her face and the way her eyes darted around, I had trouble believing her. Frey was an intuitive woman. Milim had been busy protecting the labyrinth floors I assigned to her, not any of her own lands. If Frey finds out, then I could be dragged in through no fault of my ownbut for now, Id just have to believe in her. Id have to, but no matter what, I wasnt involved, okay? Even if it means ditching Milim at the side of the road.

Thank you for inviting me today, Frey said after I was done with Milim. I apologize for our tardiness. Then she looked into my eyes. Lady Milim, she furtively continued, our new master, was absent from my sight until this morning. It took some time to fit her for her ceremonial wear

Ah, ah-ha-ha, yes, I see! Well, I certainly dont mind it at all, so please enjoy yourselves for the next few days.

I turned my eyes away from her penetrating gaze, talking my way out of my imagined predicament. As a slime, if I ever got nervous, itd never be discernible on the outside. Now, I feared my eye movements made my inner intentions bleedingly obvious. Whenever I dealt with anyone as intuitive as she was, I could never afford to look them in the eye.

Oh, of course! Here I am, leaning on you to build an entire new city for us, and now youve even invited me to this grand event I have so much to thank you for.

Frey smiled. The thanks helped me loosen up a bit. That was all it took to create new problems for myself.

Well, I hope our food here is to your liking. And ah yesare there any ingredients you cant have? We do have chicken on the menu, but if thats a problem

It was only at that point that I realized the mistake I was making.

Chicken?

Tension cut across the air like an icicle. Oh no, I thought, but it was too late.

Ah

Sir Rimuru, are you equivocating myself with livestock?

Ummm, no, I didnt mean to

Frey was still smiling. The Twin Wings around her all but snarled at me. What a mistake. What did I just say? Loose lips do sink ships. They had just sunk mine.

But as I agonized over how to react:

Pffft! Bwah-ha-ha-ha! Oh man, Rimuru, that was great! Youre just the most incredible man ever. You, calling Frey a bird Thats just brilliant!

Carillon, failing to read the room one bit, burst out in laughter.

Yeah, Milim respectfully added, I could never do that.

Stop it, guys. Quit giving me those sparkling, wonder-laden eyes of yours.

May I ask whats so funny, Carillon? And you too, Milim?

Now Frey was annoyed. I was clearly at fault.

No, no, Im sorry. That was a mistake on my part. I just thought you may not like poultry, but I see I was overthinking matters.

At a time like this, a humble apology is your best bet. Trying to cop an attitude could lead to even worse disagreements later. So I tried to calm Frey down as best I could, bowing my head despite everyone around me.

She reacted to this with a look of surprise. Hee-hee! Ah, Sir Rimuru, youre exactly the sort of person I hoped you might be. I realized you didnt intend to insult me, but I just wanted to test your reaction. Now I know. Seeing how you hold yourself has doubtlessly helped Lady Milim grow and mature as well.

The composed smile returned to her face. Milim was no longer a tyrant. She wasnt exactly a benevolent ruler, no, but at least she was willing to listen to people a little moreand Frey mustve thought I was the reason, so she used my mistake to test me a little. She mustve hoped I was an example for her to follow.

Bowing to her, then, was the correct answer. If Milim was imitating me, after all, I shouldve expected Frey to test me. If I was a bad example for her, after all, she might have kept Milim from visiting me. I had to hand it to FreyI thought she was a scary big-sister type, but she really was looking out for Milim.

As for bad examples

By the way, Caaaaaarillon? What exactly was so funny again? Would you mind explaining in a way I would understand?

A wave of pressure crashed on Carillons head. I could almost hear the sound of twisted metal when it hit home. Frey descended upon him with lightning speed, her graceful hand palming his entire head. In terms of muscle, Carillon could win out, but this eagle-like grip was definitely something Frey had over him.

W-wait a sec! Ow, ahhh, seriously, ow!

Freys arm was stiffened from her elbow to her fingertips. Her fingers grew into talons harder than steel, expanding in size as they dug into Carillons head. Yeah, I bet that hurt.

No, that Really, I cant take any more! Im sorry, Im sorry! Please forgive me!!

Despite their masters shouting, the Three Lycanthropeers didnt move a muscle. Phobio fidgeted a bit, clearly worried for Carillon, but the other two just gave the exdemon lord exasperated stares. Yeah, Carillon could no doubt hold out a little longerand given his obvious lack of regret, he probably had it coming, too.

Are you watching, Milim? I asked. If you do something bad, you apologize. Thats the correct choice, isnt it?

Yes, I agree! And for that matter, Ill try not to get you angry in the first place, Frey!

Milim understood what I was trying to tell her. She could play till she was pooped in the Dungeon, but moderation was key. Take care of everything that needed to get done first, and that made your subsequent recreation all the more fun. If you could accomplish that, then greatjust watch you dont cause offense like Carillon.

Whoa! Come on! Hey! Stop chatting over there and help me!!

Milim and I nodded, the struggling Carillon serving as a fine example of what not to do.

Dont just ignore me! Owwwwww

His voice was fading from my ears. Thanks, Carillon, I thought as Milim and I waited for Frey to cool down. Well never forget your sacrifice.

Even as this little fracas was taking place, Shuna was fully carrying out her duties for me.

All right, here comes more food! she said with a smile as she brought out all sorts of dishes, the crowd cheering her on.

Putting Carillons sacrifice behind us, we all moved on. Hey! he protested as Frey finally released him. Milim! Rimuru! I was screaming at you to help me!

Oh, stop complaining! Youre totally fine!

Yeah, I agreed. Frey wasnt really serious, so it wasnt that big of a deal, was it?

Carillon was clearly unharmed, so I felt safe saying that. Apparently, I was wrong.

No, it was! From the moment she put her claws around my head, that knocked out all my skills. I think thats Freys unique skill or something. If she used that on the likes of me, then it must seriously be love!

I really didnt think so, but I didnt tell him. Shunas cuisine takes precedence right now. The dishes were all placed on a single round table. Our attendants had reserved this set for Milims party.

Thanks in advance for this, Milim said to Shuna. Middrays a pretty stubborn guy, so I want something that knocks him on his butt on the first taste!

Hee-hee-hee! I understand, Lady Milim. Enjoy!

Shuna smiled, putting Milims mind at ease. They had taken a liking to each other, so Milim looked even more reassured than when Id spoken to her.

However:

I have to say, Lady Milim, I am not impressed by you being taught all these blasphemous ways

The moment dinner was served to Milims servant Middray, he immediately started chiding me. This was exactly who Milim was talking about in the letter she sent. Hermes, meanwhile, was looking at me, hands clasped together in a prayerful apologyhe mustve been worried Middrays words would anger me. The long-suffering type, I guess. I liked that.

Watching us from afar, meanwhile, were the now-well-fed nobility, busily chatting with themselves. It was chitchat, yes, but it was noble chitchat. Info gathering was the name of the game, and right now, they were more interested in our exchanges than their own conversation. The question on their minds: How would the demon lord Milim and her people react to the food they considered so tasty? Especially given how one of them, Middray, already demonstrated so little understanding of our efforts? Some would no doubt conclude that, while having different values wasnt necessarily a bad thing, humans dealing with magic-born would remain an uphill battle.

If that happened, then so be it, but I figured we were fine. Hermes, Milims other attendant, apparently wanted to spread the general concept of cuisine among the Dragon Faithful, besides.

So I decided to engage Middray. Blasphemous? I asked.

Hmph! Since ancient times, we have deemed it proper to praise the blessings of our foodstuffsand to enjoy them as is, in their natural form. And now I am presented with this

It was a salad with dressing. That was no good. Neither, it seemed, was potato salad, since it meant mashing the potatoes and defiling their original form.

And what manner of behavior is this? Grilling meatall right, fair enough. But why do you then stain it with this mysterious liquid? It is deplorabletruly deplorable!

Middray mustve been angry, because I saw a throbbing vein on his forehead as he glared at me. This offended Shuna enough to wipe the smile from her face, and she glared right back at him. Hermes, noticing this, grew pale and started bowing profusely to Shuna and mebut Middray, not bothered by this, kept right on going.

What sheer disrespect for our natural blessings! I was prepared to accept whatever you choose to do within your own territory, but now you are getting Lady Milim involved? Outrageous!

He pointed out the hearty soup and bite-size cream croquettes on the table as he lectured me on his food theories. The sheer force he put behind each word certainly made it clear why Milim asked me for help. Trying to reason with him was exhaustingor, really, stultifying. He was the type who believed he, and only he, was correct, refusing to lend an ear to anyone else.

But that would end today. Itd be one thing if their palates evolved differently from ours, but the only issue here was Middrays way of thinking. And it wasnt just a wrong assumption of his or anythingthere was just nothing correct about his theory at all. I mean, Milimthe figure he worshippedcouldnt wait to chow down on this. She was pouting, like a dog ordered to wait for a treat.

It was time to finish this. I knew I had it in the bag. If I got Middray to say, This is good, I won. Just one spoonful of anything from Shuna would seal the deal once it crossed his lips. Thus I was optimistic about thisbut then reality came along.

I absolutely refuse to recognize anything even close to this!!

Middray was still enraged, uninterested in a single morsel. My victory rode on the assumption that hed at least try something, but if he wasnt up for that, it meant Id lose without a fight.

Milim gave me a concerned look. Hermess gaze was skyward, wondering where everything went wrong. With all the yelling from Middray, we were starting to draw a large audience. Even the lower-ranked invitees, the kind who failed to get an audience with Elmesia, started gathering to see how this would turn out. If I lost this verbal sparring match in front of this crowd, the fallout might affect a lot more than my street cred.

Rimuru, a worried Milim said, I didnt expect Middray to be so stubborn about this. Should I maybe ask him to go to another room for now?

Yes, added Hermes, Im sorry about our head priest. Hes always a little hot under the collar, but hes really not a bad man I didnt expect the topic of food to enrage him so much.

Hmm I thought a taste would change his tune, but I underestimated him. I dont want to force the issue, so I dont know

I mean, we didnt have to work this out today. The festival only truly began tomorrow, so there was no need to rush things. So I decided to learn from my mistake, think of a better way to deal with Middray, and move on.

But someone wasnt willing to let this slide. The hall echoed with a loud wham as Shunaa smile of a very different sort on her faceslammed her hands against the table in front of Middray. The head priests eyes shot openout of surprise, not pain. I could see why. Shuna had reacted incredibly fast. Even if you were prepared for it, not many people couldve reacted in time.

Wh-what are you doing?!

Silence!! a glassy-eyed Shuna shouted, taking a bowl of stew and thrusting it in his face. See all the ingredients in this stew? This is what Sir Rimuru sees as their ideal state!

Um What? Whats that mean?

Under Sir Rimuru, she continued as I sat there stupefied, there are gathered lycanthropes, there are harpies, there are the magic-born who once served Clayman There are even dragonewts like yourself. Any one of those races alone would be powerful, I am sure. But bring them all togetherand they will enjoy even more power than ever before. Please try this.

With unexpected force, Shuna made Middray grasp the spoon. Swallowed up by the momentum, Middray meekly brought it to his lips. And here I had given up. Shuna made it look so easyand once we reached this point, the results were just what we expected.

!!

Abject surprise crossed Middrays face.

Wh-what is this?!

Well? Its good, isnt it? said Shuna. This is called harmony. Each individual ingredient tones itself down in order to form a complete overall taste. Thats the fervent hope contained in this stew.

Oh. And here I thought it was just a nice bowl of soup.

It Its good. Better than any kind of vegetable Ive eaten before This single spoonful has so much depth to it

Yeah, I could imagine. Compared to raw veggies, Shunas cuisine is always gonna take the prize. To Middray, it mustve been an unprecedented, revolutionary discovery.

Um, a red-faced Hermes said, I would appreciate it if you could stop looking at me like a poor beggar on the road Very clearly, he didnt want people to think he was like his boss. Id probably say the same thing. I knew all about people trying to do the right thing and their bosses shutting them downand those very peons being held responsible anyway when things went south. I felt bad for him, so I gave him a reassuring nod for his troubles.

Even as Hermes and I exchanged glances, Middray was finishing off the bowl of stew. If you understand now, a much sunnier Shuna told him, then very well. But please remember this: Cuisine is about far more than this single bowl.

After that stew, Middray seemed much more receptive to her words. What do you mean? he asked back, face serious and thoughtful.

If this stew, she replied, is like the land Lady Milim rules over, then this loaf of bread is the Kingdom of Blumund. This steak is the new land of Farminus. If this foie gras terrine is the Dwarven Kingdom, I suppose that makes the seafood here Thalion. You can combine them in many waysbut no cuisine can survive on a single plate. And nations are the same way. Its the broad, deep connections among them that make them more bountiful and satisfying. That is the world Sir Rimuru seeks.

The smile on Shunas face came from the heart. Middray must have felt something from it, because now his eyes turned to the other dishes on the table. He thought for a moment in silencenot just him but everyone watching from afar.

It It is?

Sure, diplomatic relations certainly are important, I replied.

Indeed. But I did not know that His Majesty, the Demon Lord Rimuru, had such thoughts

How wonderful! And even the best of cuisine can be ruined with the wrong amount of salt. Instead hes bringing different dishes together to form a complete full course, then? A truly fascinating concept!

Now the crowd excitedly talked among themselves. I, um, couldnt say I thought about it that way, nobut Shunas forceful persuasion must have spoken to their hearts in grand fashion. Considering the total lack of theme to the buffet food, it was really a stretch, but it worked.

Honestly, Shuna had impressed me just now. Not only her speech but the glorious food that did so much of the talking for her. People like Middray, afraid of values different from their own, now found it in themselves to dream of a future where humans and monsters worked togetherall thanks to the example of harmony within cuisine.

Also, Shuna added, note that it takes more than simply tossing everything into a bowl and mixing it up. Her eyes turned on Shion behind me for just a moment, and Ill just pretend I didnt notice that, thanks. So now that weve convinced you, bear in mind that most foods best while its warm. Lady Milim, Lord Carillon, Lady Frey, and all their attendantsplease enjoy it before it gets cold.

Her words were like a starter pistol to Milims ears. She immediately dove in.

Yes! This is great!!

That, plus her wide grin, was the answer she had for us, loud and clear. No need for grandiose vocabulary with her. One look at that face, and it was easy to understand.

Isee. I have been mistakenand Lady Milim waited so patiently for me to realize it

The message came across to Middray, too. After far too long, he had finally seen the light.

Now, Sir Middray, no need to feel depressed. Youll just make things gloomy for the whole table. Lets enjoy it while its hot!

Hermess advicenot advised for the current situation, although he likely knew that full well and said it anywaymade a vein throb on Middrays head once more.

Youuuu

Um, what? Why is your head looking like a melon?

Wah-ha-ha-ha-ha! Why be angry, Middray? Hermes is right. Besides, if you dont chow down soon, Im gonna eat it all instead!

Pffft. Count yourself lucky today, Hermes. On behalf of Lady Milim and this fine food before me, I will forgive this affront!

Smiles and laughter filled the scene, as if everyoneman and monster alikeshared in the same heart.

Youve got some little sister, I remarked to Benimaru when we happened to make eye contact.

Dont I, though? Im so proud of her. He nodded back, like this was a given. Shuna, who mustve overheard us, blushed a little and headed to the back room.

The feast was set to run from six to nine p.m. that evening, but we wound up extending it another two hours. One reason was all the latecomersthe VIPs and such who had snubbed the event at first but ran over once news of Elmesias appearance spread. The other was the, shall we say, excessively healthy appetites of Middray and Carillons band. It was a long time before they finally said no more, for sure.

But the reasons dont matter. In the end, it was a huge success. And so the preopening feast, despite a few unexpected bumps along the way, came to a close after providing results beyond what even I expected.