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Table of Contents

Illustrations
Prologue
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Intermission
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Epilogue
Side Story
Side Story
Afterword

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 Ten Great Saints
Three Martial Sages
“Boulder” Grigori
“Turbulent Sea” Glenda
“Vault of Heaven” Sare
Holy Knight Order
“Commander of the Holy Knights” Sakaguchi Hinata
“Fire” Gerald
“Water” Ritase
“Air” Arno Bauman
“Earth” Bacchus
“Wind” Fritz
“Childe of Light” Reynald Jesta

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Translator's note
There are some major changes for this volume, best to check this
out first before getting confused.
● Term “Mamono” is changed appropriately to English words.
Mostly “Monster”. Although I still have some reservations on the
issue, I think we’ll settle on it for now.
● Kingdom name “Farmus” (Yenpress) is now aligned with the official
translation; However there are still several different names for
figures from Farmus kingdom compared to Yenpress release: Farmus
King “Edmalis” and “Majin Larzen”
● Some name changes (from Vol 6):
➢ Name of the Farmus Court Mage “Larsen” (ラーゼン) (Yenpress
Translation “Razen”) has been changed to “Larzen”. (Due to ゼ
having “Ze” instead of “Se” in pronunciation) More explanation on
not aligning in translator’s corner.
➢ Name of the Beastketeer “Anubis” (Yenpress Translation “Alvis”)
has been changed to “Alvis”.
Choice of words to be noted:
“Champion and Hero” or “Hero and Chosen Hero”?This volume
involves a lot of terms related to the word “Hero”, either it is Eiyuu (
英雄) or Yuusha (勇者). I don’t particularly find the term “Champion”
(by Yenpress) to be a good replacement for “Eiyuu”, which is a
general expression for people with heroic deeds in slime world. I
previously used “Yuusha” directly to distinct the terms, but after
considering the need of English readers, I’ve decided to settle for
“Hero” as a general term (Eiyuu) and “Chosen Hero” as the specific,
more prominent class (Yuusha). I may also be referring to “Chosen
Hero” as “Chosen One” to reduce some repetitions. Hopefully this is
a welcoming change

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 “Demon Lord Seed” or “Demon Lord Breed”?Another change you
might notice that deviates from what apparently is a norm in both
Yenpress LN translation and the manga translation is the term
“Demon Lord Seed”.
I want to clarify here that this is a mistranslation of the original
term “魔王種”, which should translate to “The species of Demon
Lord”. The use of the terms is directly linked to the evolution of
monsters (or power evolution) in the world of slime. In vol 7 and
future iteration I have settled on the term “Demon Lord Breed” to
best represent what the term means.
Keep in mind this evolution is a general principle, meaning
applicable to all monsters (except for the four true dragons):
Monster (Beings that are not humans and hostiles) -> Majin (Or
magic-born) -> Demon Lord Breed (魔王種) -> True Demon Lord
A “Demon Lord Breed” is already a Demon Lord by species and can
be awakened to become a True Demon Lord under the correct
condition (e.g. harvesting human souls). In order to be officially
recognized as a Demon Lord, a monster have to prove that his power
is at least at Demon Lord Breed Level (e.g. Karion, Frey, Clayman).
“Skill” / “Technique” / “Arts”According to the data booklet, innate
power/acquired power is called “Skill”, e.g. Abilities acquired due to
monster evolution; Abilities acquired through training is called
“Arts”, which in this volume is often mentioned due to the many
human characters of this volume.
You will see the words “Technique”, “Arts” used interchangeably as
a result of that, it should be quite easily understood but just stating
here to clarify.
Some of the notations in this volume have also been changed more
so to align with the Japanese source, and interjection by
editor/translator is now using a different fonts to be differentiated
from original texts.

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 Also readers would see that we’ve changed our formatting to make
actual paragraphs. Although the sentences are still somewhat
disjointed like the Japanese source. Tell us whether you like this new
format or not through the feedback form or leave a comment on
platform where I can be reached.
Hope you all have a fun time reading this volume!
Cheers,
DasRay

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Prologue
Majins' Tributes
Clayman is dead.
Laplace delivers the horrible news, and in front of him, everyone
falls into silence.
「Impossible! That’s not true!」
Footman shouts vehemently.
But no one else is making a sound along with him.
Laplace may seem casual and carefree most of the time; he won’t
really express his true feelings. Right now he has yet to show his
usual attitude, but instead looks quite frustrated. Knowing this,
everyone starts to recognize the fact that Clayman has actually died.
「——Last night during the Walpurgis Banquet, Clayman’s
connection with me was suddenly cut. He was like my own blood, yet
I couldn’t reach him. That means he has really died…… How can I
accept this? Laplace, even with your report, I still can’t believe that
child is really dead, it’s just inconceivable……」
Kazaream says with a heavy heart.
Tear begins to sob.
「It was my fault. I underestimated the Demon Lords. I should
have been more cautious collecting information before taking any
action.」
Another person says with regret. It’s the black-haired young man.
The Ten Great Demon Lords——They are at the top of this world.
But even though they share the same title, one must still distinguish
between the strong and the weak.
Clayman ignored this principle after successfully dominating Milim
with his spell. No, not only so——Even believing he could dominate
other Demon Lords in the first place was naive.

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 「If we are being honest, it happened because of my proposal. I
had no idea how things would develop, but it’s too late to say this
anyway.」
Suddenly, as if to sweep away the heavy atmosphere, Laplace says
teasingly:
「By the way, this happened all because Clayman was too stupid. I
warned him to be careful. It’s all because he got cocky and messed
everything up.」
As Laplace continues to verbally insult Clayman, Footman interjects
to scold him.
「Laplace! You don’t have to phrase it like that!」
「But that’s just the truth. He felt so good about himself even
though he was so weak, that’s why he’s toast now.」
「Laplace——!」
Footman, filled with anger, strikes and begins to beat Laplace.
Laplace wasn’t planning to dodge. Footman’s fist hits his cheek.
But, that’s all it is. Laplace stops the fist and remains balanced while
staring back at Footman menacingly.
「What, do you want a fight, Footman? Alright, I’ll fight you then!
」
He says arrogantly with a disdainful smirk on his face to provoke
Footman. Laplace hopes Footman will pour all his fury onto him.
But Kazaream has already seen through him.
「Stop it, you two! Everyone is sad here.」
He shouts to stop the two.
「Indeed, Laplace, it’s not like you to play a villain like this! If
anyone, it should be me. I was the one who hired you guys in the
first place.」

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 The youth says. Footman then finally realizes that Laplace had said
those things on purpose.
「So that’s why——Sorry, Laplace.」
「......It’s alright. But president and boss are so mean. I went
through all the trouble to be the villain; you don’t have to expose me
like that.」
Laplace mumbles while rubbing his cheek. He looks rather comical,
somewhat easing the tension in the room.
The Majins are motivated once more to discuss future plans.
They can’t comfort Clayman’s spirit in heaven by sighing——
Kazaream was able to help everyone focus and conduct their
meeting under more tension than they’ve ever experienced.
「——There is no way of knowing what happened there. But
according to Demon Lord Valentine, Clayman is indeed dead. As for
who killed that kid, we have no idea——」
「If only had I got an answer from him……」
「No. It’s already worth celebrating that you were able to return
safely.」
「I was just very lucky. It happened to be the night of new moon,
and since Demon Lord Valentine is of the Vampire race, his strength
was greatly reduced. And with the location being the Saints Church,
where the holy aura overflows, my attack was therefore more
effective…….」
No one doubts Laplace’s words.
They all believe Laplace is capable of winning against the Ancient
Demon Lord Valentine, who might even rival Demon Lord Kazaream
in terms of strength——There are many reasons behind that belief.
Moreover, Laplace is the strongest lieutenant in the troupe. His
strength is second to none other than Kazaream himself. His role as
the vice-president of the Moderate Clown Troupe is not just for
show. He is also highly capable.

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That’s why no one is doubting him, and all have accepted Laplace’s
report of his vanquishing a Demon Lord.
No one realizes the lies in his report, so the meeting continues.
「With that being said, things are getting more difficult.」
「I suppose. The base, army and treasure that we gave to Clayman
are all gone. We’ve suffered a heavy loss.」
The black-haired youth nods in response to Kazaream’s words.
The content of the conversation is concerning, and Tear throws out
a question.
「Eh, what does that mean? Wouldn’t his base be fine regardless
of whether Clayman got killed by the Demon Lords or not?」
「Even with Clayman’s army destroyed, can’t they still roll back
and rise again? Their base still has that crazy saint Adalman. That
Undead King is quite strong, even rivaling us. And while that Undead
Dragon wasn’t at the same level as the Charybdis, it still would pose
a significant threat. Are the curse spells cast by president still in
effect?」
First Tear, then Footman inquires in surprise. Upon hearing so, the
young man and Kazaream look at each other awkwardly and make
their bitter response.
「That’s what we want to discuss with you today.」
「I handed over the base to Clayman, and it was taken last night.
The unbelievable thing is, that slime only sent a few subordinates to
do so.」
「What did you say?」
「No way!」
「How is it possible?! Does that mean that the Majins we saw
during the war are the only Majins under Rimuru——no, wait, hold
on for a second, then that crystal ball was——」

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 After hearing Kazaream’s explanation, Laplace and Tear exclaims.
Footman raises his face, seeming to have recalled something.
Seeing his reaction, the young man nods and responds.
「Indeed. Didn’t the footage recorded by Laplace include those
Majins? It’ll be best if we face facts and recognize that every one of
them has the combat ability of Special Rank A.」
Hearing this, even Footman became speechless.
「——Seriously?」
Tear mumbles. But no one responds.
「At least that slime named Rimuru did not take part in that battle.
If I have to deduce, he may have used the battle as a bait for him to
take down Clayman’s base in person. If it’s that slime, it won’t be
strange for him to have broken through my proud defense system.」
With Kazaream’s explanation, everyone finally realizes the severity
of the situation.
Then the young man opens up:
「That’s why we have to redraft our plans for the future.」
He declares that, having lost most of their combat forces, they
should halt all on-going operations. Moreover, the death of Clayman
has left them all with keenly-felt anguish…...
Fortunately, they haven’t lost everything.
They’ve kept part of their assets as insurance, as well as their
organization based in the Western Nations——With these two
resources to back them up, they still have some level of political
influence over the nations.
They also sent out fine subordinates, not skilled in direct combat, but
excellent in intelligence gathering, to ascertain the movement of all
nations.
The youth started this organization from nothing, so there is always
room to come back, even from such dire straits.

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 It is for this reason——
「We will need to lay low for a while. It’s truly a shame what
happened to Clayman, but we will have to stand against the Demon
Lords in order to avenge him. Yet our power is still too weak for that
as of this moment. In order to realize our ambition of world
domination, we will have to bear this burden for now.」
This sentiment is unanimous.
「Yes. Our organization has grown a lot in the past ten years. And
we have been most fruitful when working bit-by-bit.」
「That’s right. It’s because Clayman got in over his head.…..」
「Hmm, although I don’t intend to give up (on revenge), it seems
like I’d lose everything if I act too hastily now.」
「I don’t want to admit it either, but patience is the right course
now…...」
Not everyone agrees, but the Majins eventually accept the his
suggestion as the most reasonable course of action.
「Hahaha, you should try to accept it, Footman. I still have all of
you as my trump cards. But I don’t want to lose you too because we
acted rashly at this point of time.」
The young man gives a wry smile while giving Footman a
comforting pat on the shoulder. These are truthful words from the
young man and the reason behind his decision.
After all, if he hadn’t given them this talk here and now, some of
them may be have thrown their life away in rage and grief .
Footman then decides to endure after learning where the young
man is coming from.
「I understand, boss. I’ll hold on to this anger, and let it all out
some other day.」

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 Footman knows in his heart, if he goes after the Demon Lords in a
fit of rage, he would only end up getting beaten.
Therefore he decides to take the young man’s advice.
The young man is satisfied with Footman’s resolve, and glances
around the Majins.
「With that being said, aren’t you guys roweled by being defeated
by others all the time? While we may not be able to work with our
hands, can’t we at least use our words? That slime has taken
everything from Clayman, so we should give him a taste of the same
medicine.」
The young man says with a twisted grin.
「What are you planning?」
Kazaream asks, but the young man does not give a direct response.
He answers with a smile:
「That is no simple slime. He was able to accumulate a great
amount of power in only a few years. Honestly, it is astonishing, and
normally we shouldn’t antagonize him. Instead, we should determine
how strong they really are. To do so, I have arranged a trap.」
The young man pauses after saying so delightfully.
「Seriously, are you being devious again? Right, anything would be
better than my mission impossible. I’ll go observe their fight from the
side this time.」
Laplace shrugs after saying so. The group is then dismissed.
As such, the Majins exit the stage temporarily.
They now quietly maneuver in the shadows …… And hone their
claws for the inevitable day of retribution.

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Chapter 1
A Deal with the Devil
Eight-Star Demon Lord (Octagram), will be our official title in the
future——
Guy’s subordinates, namely his maids, the green-haired Misery and
blue-haired Rain, are preparing delicate meals for everyone. Their
dark maid outfits are of very good taste, and the same can be said
about the dishes produced under their phenomenal culinary skills.
Just as Ramiris had said, the Walpurgis Banquet was meant for the
Demon Lords to communicate and also to exchange intelligence.
Perhaps it is for such a reason that they’ve prepared an additional
venue for the sole purpose of leisure.
However, there doesn’t seem to be a rule stating that everyone has
to be there for refreshment activities.
Some left as soon as the meeting ended, while others stayed
behind to enjoy the delicious food prepared by the staff. The
remainder split into small groups to discuss topics of their own. The
Demon Lords are all attending to their own interests.
I personally find this opportunity to be rare and decided to taste the
food. To be honest, I’m quite interested in Guy’s diet considering his
ruler status among the Demon Lords.
As it turns out, the food is delicious beyond belief.
I enjoyed the world-renowned cuisines to my heart’s content——
《Report. Ingredient analysis completed. Cuisine name: Black Tiger
Meat Stew, Grilled Fairy-Leather Bird, Golden Peach Sorbet, Earth-
dwelling Dragon Steak. These dishes are currently recreatable.》
And at the same time, I am also secretly learning the recipes.
What? Me? Despicable? Cunning?
What do you mean by that? I don’t get it.
It’s too harsh to call my actions “corporate espionage.” It is, after all,

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an important part of intelligence gathering!
The ingredients are all from monsters above Rank A, so it would be
difficult to collect them all. But I have already recorded the recipes,
so we can take care of that one way or another.
Lastly, they served a mixed fruit platter.
There are a total of six Demon Lords who remained to attend the
feast itself - Guy, Milim, Ramiris, Dino, Dagruel and myself. Valentine
and Leon left long ago.
While Milim was devouring the assorted dishes, I went to complain
to her about deceiving me. She tried to play dumb but I wasn’t
having any of it.
As for Karion and Frey, we decided to discuss our future plans on
another occasion. Once the post-war settlements have been
resolved, I am also willing to advise them on the reconstruction of
their cities and any other issues that may come up. Their respective
kingdoms’ structure has been renewed with Milim as their new
leader. Hopefully, this works out well for us too.
Ramiris is still being stubborn about wanting to live in my kingdom
despite my firm denial, but……. I can tell from her eyes that she is
willing fight my decision to the bitter end. She also seems to think
Treyni-san will come to her aid, since she seems to really adore
Ramiris.
Treyni-san has been spoiling Ramiris with everything she has, so I
probably can’t expect much from her. I will have to keep note of this
in the future.
Dagruel and Veldora are having a good chat, and so are Guy and
Dino, who are having a cheerful discussion about their daily lives.
Before the feast, I offered them a special product from the
Tempest Federation——Brandy distilled from grape wine.
It’s one of my tactics to improve our image, which is to spread the
words of our unique product and have an upper hand in diplomacy.

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This strategy appears to be very effective--even against Demon
Lords.
「Delicious.」
「Oh, this is great——」
「Cough cough, t-this stuff is way too strong…….」
Dino coughs painfully on the side while Guy and Dagruel sang their
praises. On another note…. Veldora-kun, could you please refrain
from drinking all of our products in one go?
Even though I still have a bunch of them stored in my 「Stomach」,
those aren’t for you.
As for Milim, let’s just say I won’t be letting her drink anytime soon.
The situation would undoubtedly spiral out of control if I let her
drink. And considering the fact that she tricked me before, I’m not
particularly keen on allowing Milim to drink.
「Then I shall take the drink!」
Within the blink of an eye Ramiris plastered herself onto the wine
glass (being so smol) and became dead drunk in an instant.
Beretta and Treyni-san came forth wearing panicked expressions,
so I decided to leave Ramiris in their care. She’s been pestering me
to return to Tempest with her, so it may even be good for me if she
falls asleep.
With that being said, the feast concludes, and we decide to leave
before Ramiris wakes up.
I was worried about the type of situation I might run into, but as it
turns out, I was able to make it through the Walpurgis Banquet safe
and sound.
What a busy day.
The Walpurgis Banquet started at midnight and ended at noon of the
next day.
I left the meeting and returned to Tempest.

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I was able to ignore traveling and instantly teleport with「Dimension
Domination」.
Upon returning, I was reassured that the country was still intact
and that everyone was obeying my orders to increase security.
Everyone was making an effort to tighten the security on the streets.
There isn’t a single flaw. The guard force built using the blueprint of a
police force has been pretty successful.
A thought suddenly crosses my mind——Could our country’s
military be already strong enough that any normal country is
incapable of standing a chance against us? (Sierra Note: That's an
interesting thought there, Slime Boy. Don’t get conceited)
After all, even our reserved personnel for defense alone have all
reached Rank B.
Normal beasts and demons wouldn’t even dare to approach us.
Our nation’s security is relatively good. But I am worried about
whether the monsters who we’ve now staved off will go on to cause
harm in other regions.
Perhaps I should run an investigation regarding the issue——I think
as I travel alongside Veldora and Shion, entering the city upon
Ranga’s back.
As soon as I enter the town, the residents and the patrolling
soldiers begin to kneel down on the side of the streets gradually
opening up a path.
Their movements are all well coordinated, most likely from training
that I was not aware of.
What are they doing? As I observe skeptically, Diablo saunters
towards us from the end of the road.
His expression is overflowing with joy as he flashes a bright smile.
Diablo then exchanges looks with Rigurd——
「Welcome back, Rimuru-sama!」
「Congratulations on becoming an Eight-Star Demon Lord! We are
most thankful for your safe return!」

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 Rigurd, acting as the representative, greets me respectfully,
followed by Diablo’s congratulatory words.
Wait a minute, what is going on here?! How do you know about
me officially becoming a Demon Lord!?
And about that title, it should only have been revealed at that
meeting with its debut. Because it was me who came up with the….
I wondered while my head filled with doubts.
Shouldn’t Diablo be taking down Farmus Kingdom right now? How
would he have the time to plan out such a specific activity?
I feel quite embarrassed, so I decide to ask him directly.
「Very simple, Rimuru-sama. I asked a favour of Veldora-sama.」
Diablo replies cheerfully.
I glance towards Veldora only to realize he was desperately
averting my gaze.
Oi, excuse me! Mister?!
From his reaction alone, I could tell he did something against his
conscience.
I got Veldora to confess after some interrogation. He seems to have
made a deal with Diablo. Diablo, in return, offered meals and three
servings of dessert. If he did, Veldora promised to tell him what
happened during the Banquet in detail……
So that’s how it was.
That’s how he got wind of how I’ve been approved to become a
Demon Lord in the meeting and also passed on the new title of 「
Eight-Star Demon Lord」.
Should I praise Diablo for his skillfulness in intelligence gathering?
Normally, one wouldn’t even dare to come up with the idea, let
alone put it into practice. One must then have sufficient mobility and
capacity to bribe someone as strong as Veldora. Although Veldora,
who agreed to the deal, is pretty dumb, Diablo’s resolve in carrying it
out shows he is no ordinary man.

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And since the two are willing to give the bait and take the bait
respectively, I’ll cut myself short on the subject.
With that being said——
「Veldora, do you even need to eat?」
「W-What nonsense is that, Rimuru!? Eating or not is not the
point, the point is that I want to eat things. And if that’s really the
case, you don’t need to eat either!」
Ouch! I got retorted.
But he does have a point.
I can’t exactly criticize without being called hypocritical on the
matter. Lately, Shuna’s culinary skill has grown a lot, and she has also
produced a large variety of desserts.
Now she can even recreate pastry puffs that have just been
introduced at the cafe in Ingracia Kingdom. Not even pudding poses
a challenge to her.
Moreover, with the addition of a variety of alcoholic beverages, we
can now develop even more new desserts. The cafe manager Mister
Yoshida would also aid us in the process of developing new dishes.
To gain his assistance, I prepared a variety of wines to send regularly,
as that was his demand.
Mister Yoshida also said 「Now I can recreate previously impossible
cuisines!」 with a delightful expression. With all these efforts, we
were able to develop several new dishes and incorporate them into
daily meals. Veldora is probably also shocked having tasted the food
after his resurrection at the festival.
Veldora, you were tempted by the food, weren’t you?
With that being said, Milim was also tempted by honey…...
An idea suddenly crosses my mind——we may be able to take over
the world with culinary supremacy.
My musings were suddenly interrupted by the sounds of Shion and
Diablo quarrelling.

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 「Have you fulfilled your duty as Rimuru-sama’s bodyguard?」
「Most certainly! It has been proven that as long as I’m around,
you are simply unnecessary. I should be the one to question you
about the progress of the mission assigned to you by Rimuru-sama.
」
「Kufufufufufu, it has proceeded without a flaw. In fact, I was just
about to report back to Rimuru-sama myself.」
The two flashed each other bright smiles that did not quite seem to
reach the eyes.
They simply wouldn’t let up on each other and continue to bicker.
「You two, behave yourselves!」
「That’s right. Rimuru-sama is tired as well. Haruna and the rest
have been preparing food. Let’s relax for now and come back to this
conversation later. 」
Rigurdo agrees to my view and scolds the two on my behalf.
As expected of Rigurdo. Lately, he’s been acting more and more
prestigious. Now he seems very dependable.
We were moved to another spot at Rigurdo’s urging.
The town folk all have joyful expressions. I was hoping to start a feast
as soon as possible to have some fun with everyone, but Benimaru
and the rest have yet to return from their expedition.
That’s why we’ve decided to delay our celebration feast. Right now,
we’ll wind things down and have just a bit of fun for resolving our
trouble.
We went to take a bath in the hot spring and enjoyed the food
Haruna prepared.
We listened to Diablo’s report after everyone settled down and got
in the proper frame of mind.
With our victory against Clayman, our only issues left to tackle were
building a new kingdom on Youmu’s side and what to do with the
Western Saints Church.

27
Apart from that, there’s also the issue of our future relations with
Beast Kingdom Yuurazania, Harpy Kingdom Fulbrosia and the
Worshipers of Dragon who worships Milim…… we could resolve
these diplomatic issues peacefully, so there isn’t too much to worry
about there.
I ask Diablo in a rather casual mood while sipping my postprandial
red tea:
「So what is it that you are doing now? Eliminating Farmus
Kingdom and crowning Youmu as the new king——You dropped the
mission and returned, do you need any reinforcement?」
I casually turn back to my slime form, which I’ve been looking
forward to doing. Relaxed, I am hugged by Shion on her lap. I probed
Diablo with a question as I felt two soft mounds pressed against the
back of my head.
If Diablo is in need of back-up, I plan to send Souei’s party to aid
him.
Right now they are very much available for order, so there is no need
to force Diablo to fend for himself.
However, Shion suddenly interjects and says rather disdainfully: 「
A Cheap-shot nobody like him only deserves to make tea for Rimuru-
sama. I should have been the one to attend to such matter! 」 But I
ignore her since that type of job is clearly not suitable for Shion.
I spoke with the intention of aiding Diablo——But as it turns out, I
was worried over nothing
「No no no, Rimuru-sama. There is no such need. Everything has
been going well according to plan.」
Diablo refills my second cup of red tea and begins his report.
Drinking tea in slime form is a pain, so I decide to just appreciate
the fragrance of it while listening to his report.
But the previously relaxed atmosphere quickly vanished the
moment Diablo began to speak.

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 「First of all, I had to restore the captives into their original states.
After all, it is quite the inconvenience to keep them as meatloaf——
」
MEATLOAF!??
Eh? Does he mean what I think it is?
Shion’s body suddenly shivers as she seems to have sensed the
source of my disbelief
That’s right……. It was indeed the case. Things really won’t work out
if my people keep acting like this.
I visited the interrogation room once, once! I was just planning to
have a peek. But now I regret it greatly. It would probably have been
best if I had avoided visiting at all.
I left the captives to Shion’s care after seeing them and reminded her
to 「Don’t overdo things」........
My logic then was——there was nothing to worry about as long as
Shion doesn’t kill them.
Now it is too late for me to regret my actions.
While I feel unease inside, but expressing my regret now would not
solve anything.
Displaying no traces of my inner turmoil, I ask for Diablo to continue
his report.

◇◇◇

Regarding Diablo’s first step, it was just as what he has described

to Rimuru: to restore Archbishop Rayhim and Head of Court Mage
Larzen to their original form.
There were in total two carriages travelling alongside several
cavalries as they set out for Farmus Kingdom.
One of the carriages carried Diablo and the three captives.

29
Well, since Diablo is the only person visible in the six-seated carriage,
it would be rather inaccurate to call the other occupants as
‘passengers’. That is because the other three people have been
squeezed into the luggage on the floor of the carriage.
——Indeed, they were squeezed in the form of living meatloaf.
Shion has turned them into inhuman abominations.
She skinned them one thin layer of skin at a time, but not so much as
to kill them; their peeled away layers of flesh exposed the muscle
underneath she then decided to slice off their meat piece by
piece…… Shion has been practicing fish skinning with living people,
and she even ensured that the ones getting skinned won’t feel any
physical pain during the process…….
Using her unique skill 「Cook」, she was able to push the captives to
the point of psychological breakdown. Once they reached their
(physical) limits, she would treat them with healing potion and
reverse the process to start over.
To witness their own bodies having been dismembered by another
while feeling no pain at all——having suffered such repeated
torments, the sanity of the three have been completely obliterated.
Their expressions are devoid of life as they lay submerged in the pool
of their own exposed intestines.
There is no way they could return to their country in this state.
Bearing such thoughts, Diablo, although unwillingly, decided to work
on reversing their curse.
「How troublesome…… Their senses have been completely
twisted, so healing magic won’t work directly ……. 」
Despite his complaints, Diablo was amazed with how useful non-
magical skills could be.
He has mastered the art of magic and learnt all about the laws of this
world, yet even so, there still exist so many fascinating things out
there (that he has yet to know).
This does cheer Diablo up substantially.

30
 With his mood lifted, he expelled the remaining magic housed
within the three left behind by Shion.
First one is Rayhim;
Then Larzen.
This was not done in any specific order. Diablo dispelled the magic
with ease. But he stopped at Edmalis, the King of Farmus.
「Blessings, thank you!」
Rayhim rejoiced as he expresses his gratitude towards Diablo.
「I am not important here, please, the king…... restore the king—
—」
Larzen begs Diablo out of loyalty for his King.
Diablo slants his eyes coldly at Larzen.
「Kufufufufu, are you begging me? Then you should understand
that such a request does not come cheap.」 Diablo grins disdainfully.
A delightfully devilish smile emerges on Diablo’s face.
However, there is not the slightest passion in his eyes.
「....Ah…..No…...I…...」
Larzen goes pale with fear surged from his heart. He is regretting—
—
Larzen recalls now.
This Diablo, who has been sitting casually in front of him, is a
terrifying demon.
An Archdemon——No, he said he isn’t kind (cheap) like that
On top of that, even an Archdemon alone would be quite a threat. If
he was to appear in some smaller country, he would have caused a
crisis that could bring the whole nation to its demise.
That’s why they are categorized as Calamity——Threat level up to
Special Rank A.
Basic magic barriers would not stand effective. He could easily
destroy a nation’s defense by unleashing a bit more of his Youki

31
(demonic aura). He may even be capable of crushing his enemies
one-sidedly using magic alone.
Adventurers below Rank A wouldn’t stand a chance against him. His
presence alone would be the declaration of a death penalty. That is
how terrifying the existence of an Archdemon. It is a type of demon
that even Larzen wouldn’t want to antagonize or deal with alone.
However, Diablo’s presence is rather different.
He seems all too human in appearance without a trace of his
demonic aura.
Except his eyes are arresting.
They are akin to a golden moon hanging in the darkness of midnight
with a dash of ominous red in the middle.
The most appropriate term to describe them would be
“Unforgettable” to whoever looks upon them.
Their appearances are especially unsettling.
Apart from his eyes, the rest of his body all looks very similar to
that of a human’s——In other words, even though most nations
would install defense mechanisms to block out monsters up to
certain level (magicule storage), he could easily infiltrate these cities
without batting an eye.
The only difference, and perhaps the only advantage humans have
over monsters is their intelligence.
Some monsters are intelligent, but these monsters would often want
to show off their strength one way or another. For instance,
generously having their aura on display to demonstrate how large
their magicule storage is.
That is why magic barriers which react to high magicule presence
would work against them.
But, what would happen if these types of monster decide to
conceal their aura?
A Calamity Rank monster suddenly shows up and strolls around on
the streets of human cities——Larzen shuddered at the thought.

32
 In other words, things would go like this——
A nation couldn’t help it if its barrier is being destroyed via brute
force, but as the enemies tear down the barrier, the nation could
reorganize its defensive force. It can then send out this defensive
force to face the enemies.
However... if the enemies can completely ignore the barrier——
The result is probably anyone’s guess.
These types of monsters would already be at a higher level than Arc
Demons,
Diablo is one of them.
Moreover, his real identity is one of the Primordial Demons——
Although in comparison…...
There is something even more terrifying that he hasn’t considered.
This demon called Diablo is already serving a master.
That person is the master of all these monsters, the fearsome yet
beautiful man with golden eyes and silver-blue hair.
Its body gives off a feeling of transparency and it glitters like shining
glass.
It may appear to be small and fragile, yet its power is beyond one’s
imagination.
Demon Lord.
He is undoubtedly worthy of the title.
The scene of him massacring the army of twenty-thousand men still
sends shivers down Larzen’s spine. But Larzen was occupied by
another sensation after meeting him in person.
When he was taken captive by others to that place——
The way he looked at Larzen was as if he was a stone by the road.
The stares from those golden eyes only make Larzen abandon the
fear of death as his body was being tormented, mesmerizing him.
Soon he came to realize something.
There are things in this world that one may only observe from afar.

33
 「Don’t overdo things.」
These were the euphonious words he heard.
It must have been a warning to Larzen.
Telling him to not get ahead of himself.
There is no wonder that his country had been destroyed when they
are up against such an opponent, who even a Primordial Demon
would pledge loyalty to.
——if it’s that Demon Lord, he could single-handedly destroy the
entire Farmus Kingdom.
Such thoughts keeps crossing Larzen’s mind.
He ignores the bumping of the carriage and stands up from his seat
to kneel before Diablo.
「Of course I understand. Please allow me——No, please grant me
the privilege to be your servant! My humble life would be pledged
towards you. Please be magnanimous and spare the life of King
Edmalis.」
Larzen offers his heartened loyalty to Diablo in hope of saving the
king.
Hearing Larzen’s wish, Diablo nods rather casually.
「Very well then, Although you are still insignificant (to us), you
are still considered quite powerful in the human world. If that’s the
case, you will be of use someday. Moreover, I wasn’t planning to kill
him without Rimuru-sama’s order anyway. Then I should spare his
life, however——」
Before he restores the king, Larzen needs to do him a favour.
Diablo wants the heads of this nation to witness the repulsive state
of the king to demonstrate to them the stupidity of antagonizing his
beloved Rimuru.
Larzen gulps nervously while waiting for Diablo to speak.
As for Rayhim, he has already been petrified due to fear.

34
 「I shall be generous this one time. Your performances in the
future shall not only determine the fate of the king, but whether the
whole of Farmus will become a ghost town or not.」
He means exactly what he just implied.
As long as they follow Diablo’s—or rather Rimuru’s—will, then
everything should be fine, if not…….
Whether it is Larzen, Rayhim, or even King Edmalis who’s currently
stuck in his abominable state——
They all understand loud and clear what Diablo meant by that.
The three may be slow, but they are no fools. At this point, even if
they don’t want to admit, they all know Diablo would put such an
idea into action without hesitation.
Their only chances of survival are to cooperate obediently with
Diablo.
「That is without saying! I shall attend to whatever duty you
demand!」
Rayhim begins to grovel and kneel down. He seems to be even
willing to lick Diablo’s shoes.
「I am willing to pledge my loyalty to your grace!」
Larzen also made up his mind.
It won’t help even if the king is spared. But his pride of being the
guardian of Farmus Kingdom prompted him to keep the bloodline of
the king flowing.
The now desperate King Edmalis also comes to the same
realization.
Larzen has given up on King Edmalis, as well as the Farmus Kingdom.
But it is the right choice, King Edmalis thinks to himself.
Countries that disobey a Demon Lord will only drift down the path of
destruction.
There are only two options left for King Edmalis——comply, or resist
and be eliminated.

35
The king isn’t foolish enough to make the wrong choice at this point.
As the ruler of a nation, he has to carry out his last duty of selecting
the correct choice.
「I declare, in the name of the last king of Farmus, to be
submissive of whatever demands are requested by Diablo-dono——
」
He gives up struggling and proclaims so.
Diablo has obtained the three’s verbal assurances. In that instant, he
has secretly activated his unique skill 「Tempter」
As a result, the three become Diablo’s slaves…….
「Rest assured my friends. I won’t let you down as long as you
obey my commands.」
The demon Diablo says so gently with a smile on his face.

◇◇◇

An unprecedented commotion dawned in the Farmus Kingdom on

this day.
Their ruler King Edmalis has returned, only in a miserable state.
The location is the hall (Throne room) of the king’s castle.
The top ministers of the nation all are witnessing the scene with
looks of horror on their faces.
A box was carefully placed on the throne.
There were meatloafs in it.
With their king’s face buried in the center.
Whatever inside it is still alive. The eyes of the head may seem
empty, but they are still conscious.
「Shougo, what in the world happened! How did our king end up
this way!?」

36
 「R-Right, what happened to the other two? Where is our nation’s
army?」
「What has Knight Commander Folgen been up to!? How could
this happen with Larzen-sama’s company! 」
The ministers shrieked, barely able to contain the fear and panic in
their voices.
You can’t exactly blame them for being this way. Larzen, who is now
playing the role of Shougo (Shougo Taguchi), thinks to himself——
………………
…………
……
During the days after the regular magic communication was cut,
the people remaining in the kingdom have been on their feet the
whole time.
Although they believe their army of twenty-thousand men wouldn’t
be defeated due to its overwhelming numbers, everything may have
an exception. Right now there is more than enough ground to plant
the seed of doubt when they couldn’t even confirm the life or death
of the king.
Then Larzen returned to the nation alongside Archbishop Rayhim.
They showed up in the teleportation room within the castle through
the Elemental-based Magic 「Waypoint Transportation」.
The patrolling soldiers were alerted to the situation as they
discovered the two lying unconscious at the location, which led to
the event that took place this morning.
The two soldiers hurried to confirm their identities.
One of whom is the 「Otherworlder」 Shougo Taguchi.
The other one is the king’s close acquaintance, Archbishop Rayhim.
The soldiers, while shocked, went on to take Rayhim into care, as
he has collapsed due to fatigue. They then discover that the young
man has been hugging onto a box as if it’s a priceless treasure.

37
Without much mental preparation, one of the soldiers peeked in to
examine the content of the box.
This soldier belongs to the high ranking Imperial Guards that serve
within the palace, and normally he would never make such a
horrified scream.
But he did just that, and the reason being the content within the
box…….
There were slimey gravy leaking out the box accompanied by a
disgusting odor——The box contained distorted meatloaf made up
of chopped up intestines.
This is the abominable sight of what was previously the ruler of this
kingdom.
Seeing this, the guard began to scream out of fear, which is
considered great disrespect, but no one is condemning him. The
people who joined after hearing his scream were also scared to
death seeing the same sight.
The servants, the ministers were all in panic upon seeing what their
master had become.
Some were screaming, crying, and shouting.
Some began to vomit.
And some even fainted out of fear.
No one wanted to believe this is the king.
But, this was the reality.
At first, some tried to confirm whether it is the real king or not.
And, as it turned out, it was indeed the real king.
「What are you all doing! Go and save the king!」
Some minister calls out in panic, finally spurring the crowd into
mobilization.
All the mages remaining in the palace have been gathered to try out
every available spell.
They even summoned high priests from the Western Saints Church
to see if they can heal the king.

38
 The sight alone was enough to invoke the deepest primal fear in
people’s heart. Confronted with such horrific sight, people still made
up their mind to try to restore their king to normal. Even though
everyone’s face has been distorted due to fear, they still kept on
working steadfastly. Yet none of them have been effective.
There is no way they could save the king.
………………
…………
……
——The time fast forwards to the present.
Having been informed that Shougo has awakened, the crowds bring
their questions to him.
Larzen is rather sympathetic seeing his former colleagues.
But nowadays Larzen is Diablo’s subordinate, so he needs to betray
his companions without hesitation. Their own choices will decide
their fates. But just for a bit, for a tiny bit, Larzen feels sorry for
them.
Everything has been according to Diablo’s plan.
Faking his coma was also part of the plan.
As Diablo’s servant, Larzen was told what would happen to this
nation and what they should do accordingly. Larzen has already
come to a realization.
This nation is about to become a toy of the Demon Lord.
If Farmus Kingdom becomes a stage for them to toy around with
human puppets, it would be the end of this kingdom.
But this doesn’t seem to be such an unfortunate fate for the
citizens.
As Diablo explains the Demon Lord’s plan to Larzen, a sense of hope
sparked within his heart. An image of the land of Farmus stepping
towards a future of prosperity began to emerge in his head.
The ancient institution must be dismantled in order for that future to

39
come true, Larzen couldn’t help but to think so.
That’s why he is acting according to the plan.
「Calm down. I am Larzen. I have been protecting the king and was
able to escape back to our kingdom with the help of Hero-sama.」
「What? You——No, aren’t you Shougo?」
「Shougo, that brat…… I see, so that’s the case.」
「But even with that being said, it is still quite confusing. We
couldn’t believe that Larzen-sama has become that arrogant Shougo.
」
At first, no one was in the proper state to believe this, but upon
recalling that Larzen is a powerful mage, they begin to make sense of
the situation. But then they start to question Larzen.
「You mentioned that you managed to escape, does that mean the
Farmus army…….. that our nation’s great army has lost to those
monsters?」
「What really happened? How dare you all come back after your
disgraceful defeat?」
The nobles begin to question out loud.
They are the pillars of this nation, but in reality, many cunning
foxes among the nobles only wish to obtain personal gains through
the banner of war. To these people, they didn’t even consider the
possibility of sustaining financial loss as a result of defeat.
「Everyone, please calm down. Let’s hear what Larzen-sama has to
say.」
Someone came out at that moment to bring silence to the crowd—
—It’s Marquis Miola.
This, of course, is also part of the plan. Last night Diablo had taken
action to establish contact with him through Fuse, the branch head
of the Freedom Association in Brumund Kingdom.
Everything has been going according to Diablo’s plan…...

40
 First, to have Larzen explain that 「The Hero Youmu has gone to
negotiate the exchange of a cure (healing potion) with the leader of
the monsters.」. This will cause an order to be passed on to the
gatekeeper to make preparations to welcome Youmu’s party back
into the city without the need of identification.
Next, he will explain the situation with the Farmus Army…… The
crowds are shocked as soon as he begins to explain.
Indeed——because of the line 「Storm Dragon Veldora has been
revived」.
「H-how could this be…....」
「Why was that evil dragon revived at that place?」
「I-impossible……. Hasn’t Veldora been defeated already!?」
「Then we must hurry and report to the Western Saints Church to
request the aid of the Holy Knight Order!」
「We are done for now! If what Larzen-sama just said is true, we
won’t be able to do anything about it. All our reserve combat forces
in the nation wouldn’t at all be sufficient to face such enemy.」
「That’s right! We have to get the (Farmus) Knight Order back as
soon as possible!」
「Indeed. If 『Magic Communication』 won’t work, we will have
General Folgen to relay the message.」
「There is no time for that! We should all bail now before the
people catch wind of this, or else we won’t even have time to
escape!」
Some have been struck in panic by fear.
Some are pressing to strike first.
Some even suggest to evacuate without the citizens.
Everyone has a different reaction. Then, Marquis Miola gave the
crowd a shout to shut everyone up.

41
 「Silence! Even if the Knight Order is fine, the result would be the
same. By the way, Sita-sama, would it really help if we panic like
you? Where would we escape to? That 『Storm Dragon』 is a real
Rank-Catastrophe monster.」
The ministers begin to regain their composure.
Larzen continues his explanation after this momentary silence. He
then begins to explain what happened on the battlefield.
He retells the complete defeat of the Farmus Army——The tragedy
(made-up lie) that led to the disappearance of the entire army as a
result of the resurrection of 「Storm Dragon」 Veldora.
The crowds fall into silence after Larzen’s explanation.
Everyone is speechless.
The entire thing seems too ridiculous to be true. Everyone thinks
that it would be obvious.
It is under such circumstances that some begin to raise doubts about
the situation while Larzen answers them one by one.
「L-Larzen-sama, is this all true? Is it true that our army has
disappeared without a trace?」
「Yes. Our army was fighting those monsters when the dragon of
that land was awakened.」
「What nonsense is this, how strange would that be! Even the
Western Saints Church has told us that they’ve eliminated all the
dragons, are you suggesting that they’ve been lying to us?」
「No, that’s not the case. Veldora would disappear for a period of
time. However, a 『True Dragon』 cannot be eliminated. It will
eventually be reborn in some corner of the world. But we simply
couldn’t have anticipated that the interval was so short, and that it
was revived so nearby——」
「Larzen-sama, what happened to the other survivors?」

42
 「Y-yeah, what about General Folgen? You mentioned that all of
the army has gone missing, but shouldn’t there at least be a few
persons left?」
Upon being asked so, Larzen responds with his head shaked.
In reality, they’ve all been killed by the fury of Rimuru. But Diablo
has discussed this with Larzen and ordered him to cover up the
matter with the lie that the army has gone missing.
「What do you mean by that?」
「I’ve already told you, they’ve gone missing. With Veldora’s
revival, both the knights and monsters at the scene vanished. We
were the only ones who remained——」
「No way——!」
「I’ll ask this one more time, there is no survivor who escaped at
all……. and have they really all gone missing?」
「There were supply corps behind the frontline….. Are they okay?
」
Larzen falls silent.
His eyes fell to the ground quietly.
Seeing this, everyone has to take his words for it.
——The Knight Order has truly been annihilated.
A minister suddenly breaks into tears.
He was the one that asked about the well-being of the supply corps.
Because he had sent his son to fight his first war.
He even pulled some strings to move his son to the rear to distance
him from the dangerous frontline. Yet all of his efforts were for
nothing.
At the end of the day, he only allowed his son to join this war
because he believed there was a fortune to rob from the monsters,
and that victory was ensured. In the face of this twisted turn of fate,
he broke down in tears.

43
 But in overview of this tragic event, he is just one of the victims.
The total number of people missing in action amount to an
astounding twenty thousand.
That is an unprecedented loss of life.
Even though they are labeled as “missing in action,” the hope of
them returning is zero.
They are as good as dead.
Everyone now can’t help but think that this has to do with
Veldora’s revival. To be more specific, they think the vanished army
was used as a live sacrifice.
Veldora is thus under this false accusation, which works in Rimuru’s
favour.
Diablo’s wise plan has successfully manipulated the beliefs of the
top ministers of Farmus Kingdom through Larzen.

◇◇◇

It is during this time, almost as if it is perfectly timed, sounds of

footstep begin to echo in the throne room.
It is Youmu’s party.
The ones accompanying him are his advisor Myuran, bodyguard
Grucius, and secretary Rommel the mage.
Diablo, dressed in a neat butler outfit, is the last one to enter.
However, his attitude is quite arrogant in juxtaposition of his role as
a butler.
The throne room of this castle is normally not accessible to people
low in the social hierarchy, such as adventurers. However, with
Larzen’s intervention, their guides were ordered beforehand to lead
Youmu to this location.

44
 「Sorry to keep you guys waiting. I’ve finally managed to convince
that guy.」
Youmu speaks to Larzen while representing his party.
He still couldn’t quite change his rude tone and straight-forward
attitude. After all, the noble style isn’t bred in one day, so you can’t
really blame him.
But in the eyes of the nobles, his attitude can only be described as
brusque. This led to some vocal discontent.
「Who on earth are you! How rude of you to speak in such
plebeian tone!」
Although Youmu has arrived with the medicine to cure the king—
—a matter that was brought up before, one of the ministers still
reprimanded him.
Of course, he has heard the name of Hero Youmu. He has also seen
Youmu’s portraits everywhere he goes. He knows too that it is
Youmu who is coming. Moreover, given how special Youmu’s full-
body armor is, he won’t mistaken him for another even if he had only
heard of him.
Yet to this minister, none of these matter. This is the royal palace,
and how things work here is different from that of the public
sphere——To him it is common sense.
That’s why he couldn’t stand how rude Youmu’s tone was.
However, this caused Larzen to panic.
He looks towards Diablo to see whether the minister’s words have
provoked him. After all, he never revealed his plans to the ministers,
so the outcome, whatever it may be, will fall on Larzen’s shoulders.
He understands why the minister shouted out those words. There is
nothing wrong with such action if it’s any other day. But right now, it
is simply inappropriate given the gravity of the situation. Larzen
regrets having not explained the details of some matters and decides
to steps in as the mediator.

45
 「Please hold on a second, Carlos-dono. These people are our
saviours. We are relying on them to save our King!」
「What? These are the people who saved you?」
「I can’t believe Larzen, guardian of this kingdom, would say
something like this. What really happened out there?」
Even though some of them are still not convinced, Larzen remains,
after all, the best mage in Farmus Kingdom. His power as a magic
caster is unquestionable, in addition to his hundreds of years’ feat of
guarding the kingdom. Larzen’s words are no comments to pass by
their head, the nobles then decide to take it down a notch for the
time being.
With that being said, they are only reacting so violently due to the
imminent destruction of their nation and the revival of Veldora.
That’s why they were bluffing. Because of that, they were able to get
the details of how Larzen was saved. They’ve now learnt whether
their personal safety can be ensured or not.
Just as Larzen is about to answer their doubts, someone interjects
from the side.
「Allow me to answer that question for you.」
It’s Archbishop Rayhim.
He is pretending that his body has just recovered, and he came to
fill in the gaps of Larzen’s story.
Larzen celebrates internally and exchanges a look with Rayhim, then
surreptitiously glances at Diablo to see him smiling at how things are
progressing.
Reassured, Larzen allows Rayhim to do the explanation.
「Then, could you enlighten us about how Larzen-sama’s party has
been saved?」
「With regards to the revival of 『Storm Dragon』, Larzen-sama
has informed you of the matter. The two armies clashed on the

46
warfield and engaged in an intense fight. We were advantageous in
terms of number, but those monsters had a better fortified position.
The battle was harder fought than we imagined. 」
The hall falls silent with only Rayhim’s voice.
He eyes Diablo as he continues his explanation.
According to him, the chaotic aura of the warfield was key to
Veldora’s revival. And as Veldora suddenly emerges on the
battlefield, he attacked indiscriminately and both sides suffered the
consequences.
Larzen nods in agreement and adds.
「I was there alongside Rayhim-sama. We really went all out trying
to protect our king. 」
He emphasizes on his inability.
Rayhim continues on top of that:
「Indeed, it was just like that. I was staying in the base behind the
frontline alongside Larzen-sama. We were truly desperate at the
sights before us as the tragedy unfolds. We witnessed Death himself
before our eyes as the majestic 『Storm Dragon』 devastated
everything. We were both prepared to die before someone showed
up between us and the 『Storm Dragon』. 」
Larzen peeks at Diablo.
He nods in satisfaction. Seeing this, Larzen and Rayhim nods to
each other.
「——He was the leader of the Monsters, Rimuru-sama.」
「Indeed. Both Rayhim-sama and I thought our death was at our
doorstep. But, Rimuru-sama, ruler of the Monsters showed up to
persuade Veldora-sama.」
Larzen’s words bewildered and shocked the crowds.
「Persuaded? Could they communicate with each other?」

47
 「Speaking of that, it is no different from suicide to get in the way
of that evil dragon Veldora like that. Most creatures would be killed
instantly if bathed in that concentrated amount of magicule.」
「About that, how did he——?」
A commotion breaks out among the nobles.
If they could communicate perhaps he could truly calm Veldora
down. The nobles thought so with much hope and expectation as
they looked to Larzen and Rayhim.
Veldora may not invade Farmus Kingdom after all, but it would still
be a huge mistake if they just sat here without taking any
precautions. But, no one present has a solution to what they need to
do next.
Now that they got wind of the disappearance of the twenty-
thousand elite soldiers, including that of King’s Knight Order, no one
dares to come out with a half-baked plan to battle Veldora. The best
solution they have at the moment is to eliminate the threat of
Veldora through negotiation, or so does everyone thinks.
「As you all know, this Rimuru-sama is the ruler of Monsters and
the leader of the Great Jura Forest.」
「Didn’t he give himself that title?」
As one of the minister speaks, Diablo frowns in displeasure.
Larzen quickly interrupts the minister upon seeing this by replying:
「That’s not the case at all. I’ve seen the Monster Town with my
own eyes, it is more than qualified to be called a capital of a
kingdom. Moreover, even the Dryads who oversee the Great Jura
Forest follows this Rimuru-sama.」
Larzen explains that Rimuru was able to communicate with Veldora
through the aid of the Dryads.
These words added some convincing elements to his claims.

48
 The overseers of the forest are rather famous and are known to be
powerful monsters that guard the location where Veldora slumbers.
According to the ranking of Freedom Association, they are creatures
above Rank A, presumed to be Special Rank A, a dangerous species
indeed.
If even the Dryads decided to follow him, the power of this monster
known as Rimuru is clearly not be underestimated. Since every noble
here is of a high echelon, they are all skilled intelligence collectors;
hence, they all started to realize this fact.
「I see…...」
「It would seem we have made a mistake in making him our
enemy——」
Upon recalling the fact that they were the ones who initiated the
attack on the monster Kingdom, the ministers are all troubled by
this, although none of them wants to admit.
「This is bad, even if we can negotiate with the evil dragon, we are
still enemy with that Rimuru, not good at all…….」
One of the minister mentions this only to resonate the same
sentiments across the board. But they aren’t thinking about making
peace with Rimuru. They are worrying about whether he could talk
Veldora out of his tantrum.
It is at this moment Youmu, who has previously been completely
ignored, steps to the center of the hall. He begins to speak in a heavy
tone as everyone’s eyes fall on him:
「I see how it is. Everyone, you need not worry about that point.
When I marched against the Orc Lord, I once worked alongside
Rimuru-san. He is a very kind person who wishes to co-exist with
humans in peace——」
However, Youmu was cut short as he was half way through his
speech.

49
 「Oh oh! If that’s the case, we shall have Youmu-sama as our
mediator to pass on our demands. We shall discuss that matter later.
You may await orders in another room.」
The noble Carlos, who has just scolded Youmu, interrupts his
explanation and gives him the order arrogantly.
The difference in social status is truly troubling. Even as a warrior,
Youmu is still a civilian in his blood without even a knighthood. Most
of noble descent still look down on him.
Carlos is a highly-ranked Count and is perhaps the best example of
nobles who are too conscious of differences in status. It may be
tolerated if he displays this attitude on any other day, but at this
instant, given several examples of this poor behavior already, it is
most inappropriate to act in this manner.
A few nobles begin to stare at Carlos with discontent, incredulous at
his lack of self-awareness.
(Youmu)「Oi oi oi, don’t get ahead of yourself now. About that,
the man is normally quite nice, but right now the circumstance is
different. Surely you all understand the reason behind it.」
「What do you mean?」
「Didn’t you send an army to invade Rimuru-san’s kingdom? Bad
idea. Rimuru’s companions were also injured and killed during the
incident. He was furious about it.」
「How dare a mere plebeian spit out such nonsense! Who
permitted you to judge national matters! You happen to be on good
terms with that Rimuru Whatshisface, and as a hero, you should also
do your duty to act as a mediator, so go think of something already!
」
Ignoring Youmu’s words, the arrogant Carlos says so without
feeling a shred of shame.
Youmu resents being talked down to..
Tsk, that’s why I hate nobles…….

50
 Youmu complains to himself internally, while still maintaining a
calm facade, and continues his explanation:
「Anyway, please hear me out first. You didn’t seem to have sent
any envoy or declaration of war prior to the invasion. Instead, didn’t
you send the 『Otherworlders』 to cause a riot there? I was
dumbfounded after hearing this when I went to mediate in regards
to the war. But Farmus is nonetheless my hometown. I couldn’t allow
it to be destroyed. That’s why I tried to appease him in order to calm
him down and negotiate. Besides, Larzen-san there has also asked of
me the same favour.」
Youmu suppresses his anger and finishes his explanation.
If the arrogant nobles decided to cause a scene just now during his
explanation, the fall of Farmus Kingdom would have been assured,
Youmu thinks to himself having sensed the aura emitted by Diablo
behind his back.
Youmu only truly realized the meaning of 「Evil」 after meeting
Diablo.
He knows this crowd in front of him are mere scoundrels.
True evil would not play to anyone’s tune.
They are true egoists who only act out of their own will.
Right now the only thing keeping Diablo from lashing out is his
loyalty towards Rimuru’s command. But if he is to lose his temper at
this point, it would be bad for Youmu’s coming kingship.
If he handles the nobles too kindly, it would lead to future nuisances.
But if he is to kill them off, it will most certainly lead to a bad name
among the pubic.
The most ideal situation is to have the opposing nobles start a
conflict by themselves.
That’s why Diablo has kept silent and has only been observing
quietly.

51
 But there are still rooms for doubts.
If the nobles are to seriously piss off Diablo, the situation may
escalate very quickly. If he thinks 「There is no need to keep these
lots alive」, then the nobles would probably be killed on the spot.
Youmu has discussed about this scenario with Myuran and Grucius,
they also agree about the possibility.
People who can manipulate someone as strong as Larzen in their
palms are powerful minorities even among Greater Majins. And if
such person as Diablo decides to get serious, the Farmus Kingdom,
which has now lost all of its military force, couldn’t at all set up a
resistance.
Therefore, Youmu’s party feels much more nervous as compared to
the nobles.
Larzen shares the same sentiment as Youmu.
Diablo clearly doesn’t care about human lives, whether those of
nobles or civilians.
They are of no value to him.
It is obvious from how he treated King Edmalis.
It is hard to imagine what Diablo would do if someone dares insult
the Monster Ruler Rimuru.
It will be fine if the noble Carlos is the only one he inflicts his rage on.
But if they don’t handle this well, every single citizen may be wiped
out.
Knowing this very clearly, Larzen tries his hardest to hide how
daunted he felt and agrees with Youmu’s words.
「Carlos-sama, please behave yourself now!」
「What! Larzen-sama, are you siding with this damn peasant!?」
「Shut your mouth! Cease your prattle if you aren’t even informed
on the matter!」
Larzen rebukes Carlos harshly.

52
 Surprised to see someone as composed and calculated as Larzen
break down like this, even the other nobles decided to remain quiet
and observe the situation.
「Listen up, everyone. What Youmu-sama just spoke of is all true.
We were doomed to fail when Shougo and the other two were
defeated by the Monster lieutenants and the 『Storm Dragon』
intervened in our frontal assault. The only survivors were me,
Rayhim-sama, and King Edmalis. We were captured and were only
released thanks to Youmu-sama’s kind intervention.」
Larzen begins to recite the prepared materials.
No one is doubting him and things moves on smoothly.
Larzen, Rayhim and Youmu take turns speaking while Marquis
Miola and Count Hermes frequently intervene to keep things well in
hand. Their play to cover each other up is able to convince the
ministers gathered at the location.
「——if that’s the case, the king was cursed on the battlefield and
ended up like this, right?」
「The Monster king only agreed to assist us with the King’s
promise of peaceful co-existence……..」
「How could the great Farmus Kingdom bow to the monsters?」
「But, this can’t be helped. Or else do you wish to wage war
against them? If we are to fight against them, 『Storm Dragon』
would become our enemy!」
「No, about that…...」
Even the trump cards 「Otherworlders」 couldn’t win against the
Monster Generals. On top of that, they would also need to deal with
a revived Veldora.
They look down on the Monster Kingdom of 「Jura Tempest
Federation」, but right now their military might alone has
outmatched the Farmus Kingdom. It would be absolutely foolish

53
trying to confront them head-on now.
The king must have been forced to admit defeat too——That’s what
the crowds believe.
And then, a conclusion is reached.
「Let’s accept this proposal for now. Does anyone object?」
Most people begin to nod in agreement after hearing Marquis
Miola’s words. Some may hold an opposing view, but none of them
dare to raise their opinion. There is a consensus among the ministers
to halt the war.
Just like that, Farmus Kingdom is able to reach a peaceful
agreement with Tempest Federation.
With the dust settled, Diablo decides to take action.
「Kufufufufu, wise choice. Then I shall release the king as
promised.」
With that being said, he casually steps forward.
「Who are you——!」
「My apologies. My 『name』 is Diablo. I am subject to the great
ruler Rimuru-sama. I am his loyal butler.」
Diablo announces proudly.
Most ministers look confused upon hearing his name, not knowing
how to respond. Diablo’s attitude seems all too natural for them to
interject at all.
His self-introduction however has rendered someone in fear, that
being Larzen.
Only Larzen realizes the implication of his words.
He understands what it means for a demon to have a “name”.
There are many things in this world that proves the idiom
“Ignorance is bliss”——Larzen secretly envies the ignorant ones and
sighs behind everyone’s back.

54
 Some people remained vigilant towards Diablo and plan to strike
when the opportunity reveals.
These are the imperial knights, who have been observing everyone’s
action in the dark.
Diablo walks straight towards the king’s throne. The knights move to
block him.
However——
Diablo doesn’t even care one bit as he approaches the box on the
throne.
Some of the imperial knights were shocked as their bodies becomes
numb, rendering them unable to move. They couldn’t even make a
sound.
The imperial knights of the royal family are considered Rank A by the
standard of the Freedom Association. Even the ones not up to Rank A
are considered elites of elites among Rank Bs. They remained in the
royal palace to guard the members of the royal family as well as the
head ministers. They can be considered as the strongest combat
force in Farmus Kingdom.
There are around a hundred knights in the room, yet all are unable to
move an inch before Diablo.
But Diablo hasn’t done anything yet.
It is out of fear.
It is out of their sharp survival instincts that they’ve realized how
dangerous Diablo is.
「Be a doll, will you? Or do you all wish to die in vain as well?」
Diablo sounds clearly satisfied as he says so. He then continues to
move forward in front of the box where King Edmalis, who has been
turned into meatloaf, resides.
Diablo takes out the full recovery potion from his pocket and pours
on the meatloaf that is King Edmalis. And without anyone’s notice,
he removes the spell on the king casted by Shion.

55
 A dramatic change takes place.
With the potion poured onto him, the king’s body is instantly
restored to its healthy form.
And so does Diablo’s plan come to fruition.
The doctors and mages are all amazed and begin to cheer after
witnessing the king being transformed back to human form after
they’ve exhausted all available options.
「W-What is this medicine……?」
「This is the Full Recovery Potion TM. This is our nation’s special
product, top-notch healing potion imported only to ally nations. 」
Diablo answers gently to the question of one of the ministers. After
all, this potion will become the main commodity of the Tempest
Federation.
Full Recovery Potion——An item that could allegedly to be dug up
from ruins of ancient magic kingdoms. It is a legendary healing
potion that would even heal amputated limbs after consumption,
whose fame is only rivaled by that of the resurrection potion.
The recipe for the potion has been long lost, but it is rumored that
the dwarves have been trying to recreate it……. If it can be mass-
produced, there would be countless people coming after the potion.
Gabil has revealed the specifics of it to Diablo prior, and he caught
wind of Rimuru’s intent of promoting the potion. Unlike Shion, he
was able to complete the intelligence collection within a very short
period of time.
It is because of Diablo’s wit that he was able to put on this
dramatic and effective play under such circumstances by exploiting
the King of Farmus.
His dedication can only be described as perfect.
One can see how Diablo never compromises in terms of his
personality.
That’s why it is terrifying to make an enemy like him…...

56
 As for Larzen and Rayhim, who both feared that Diablo would
massacre everyone in the castle, Diablo has long sensed their
thoughts, but he wasn’t planning to do such thing at all.
If he did such things, Rimuru would no longer trust him. And since
the plan of crowning Youmu as the new king has fallen on his
shoulders, Diablo would not make such a simple blunder.
He calculates with cunningness and uses both fear and compassion
as his tools.
The two tactics cycled in practice, he is able to puppeteer the beliefs
of these highly ranked nobles——the heads of this nation.
He believes it would be wiser to make them obedient rather than
pitting them against us. Next, he would single out fools who picked
the wrong side and eliminate them. That is the general direction of
Diablo’s plan.
The crowds hold their breath as the king was restored back to his
human form under everyone’s eyes.
The onlookers must have thought it was entirely the effect of the Full
Recovery Potion.
「Are you alright?」
Diablo asks, while King Edmalis nods with a nervous expression.
「Y-yes……..thank you…….for saving me.」
The king replies in a weakened tone, partly out of genuine
exhaustion.
He is dancing to Diablo’s score.
Diablo’s unique skill 「Tempter」 is under the same system of law as
Rimuru’s unique skill 「Heartless One」. He is able to use his skill to
achieve complete dominance over whomever pledges loyalty to
Diablo.
Now that King Edmalis has already been affected by 「Tempter」, if
he is to have any thought of betrayal, Diablo would immediately be
aware of it.

57
 Seeing that the king has been restored, the servants quickly fetch
his clothes.
The king got a moment to rest with his clothes on as Diablo signals
him with his eyes.
The king nods in response.
「Well then, King of Farmus. My liege Rimuru-sama has a message
for you.」
「Speak then, envoy of the Tempest Federation.」
At this instant, the King of Farmus has acknowledged the Tempest
Federation to be a nation.
This is undoubtedly a gesture to everyone at the scene.
It is King Edmalis’ proclamation to them that any future affair with
Tempest Federation would be that between nations and
acknowledging Tempest Federation to be a negotiable subject with a
functioning society.
As such, Diablo has been officially received as the messenger sent
by a hostile nation Farmus is at war with.
King Edmalis has welcomed him with the highest honor, but
personally he did so to avoid provoking Diablo.
Thanks to the King’s announcement, the opposing nobles are no
longer voicing their opinions.
Regardless, they don’t intend to continue the conflict further. So
perhaps the king’s announcement was more to protect his own
subjects rather than announcing for the sake of Diablo.
「Very well, allow me to deliver the message. A week from now,
his grace hopes both kingdoms would send out representatives to
sign a peace treaty here. But before we reach a peaceful agreement,
here are the demands we propose to your nation——」
Diablo takes out a piece of parchment from his pocket.
——I shall grant you the chance to choose——

58
 With this being the header, the parchment contains the written
conditions for a truce demanded by yours truly Rimuru——But only
in name, the actual content of the conditions are in reality, Diablo’s
demands.
The content is quite excessive.
Option one, the king is to abdicate and compensate for the war.
Option two, Farmus is to surrender and be vassalized by Tempest
Federation.
Option three, which is barely an option at all, both option one and
two are rejected and the war would continue to burn Farmus to the
ground.
What would appear to be the maintenance of their current status
quo is, in fact, an illusion. Now that they’ve acknowledged the
Tempest Federation as a legitimate nation, their action of waging
war against Tempest Federation without a declaration of war
wouldn’t stand justified.
At least not by the surrounding nations.
The Western Saints Church would probably be busy fighting Veldora,
that’s why the crowd think they won’t bother to save the Farmus
Kingdom.
The demands are more like threats.
It is telling them to either agree or die. They have to make room for
agreement to prevent the destruction of their nation.
Diablo intentionally raises the parchment high and recites its content
dramatically. With a delighted expression, he joyfully awaits the
nobles’ reactions.
As soon as he finishes reading the treaty, some minister begins to
mumble to themself 「This is just coercion…...」
However, that doesn’t much concern Diablo as he bows towards King
Edmalis.

59
 「——These are our demands. You have one week from today. Do
give us your response by that time.」
「W-wait! That’s quite rush with the timing! We’ll need at least a
month—— 」
「Hush. I don’t have such patience.」
「No, you can’t leave it like this! This is no small feat that we can
decide with a palace meeting alone. We will have to gather nobles
from around the region and decide through the national council of
Farmus Kingdom——」
「Did I not tell you to hush? I care not in the slightest of any
difficulty you may have in doing so. But heed this well: don’t try
anything funny. I’ll not accept any excuse to delay the matter. If we
don’t hear from you in seven days, we will consider that your nation
has chosen option three: 『War』. Consider this before giving your
answer.」
Diablo finishes what he has to say and leaves the Farmus King and
the nobles without even turning his head.
How stubborn! Someone shouts, but Diablo won’t change his mind
for such a petty thing. He leaves Youmu’s party as soon as he finishes
his business here.

◇◇◇

After Diablo’s departure, King Edmalis issues orders to summon all

of the nobles to an Imperial Conference.
The meeting was planned to be three days later.
Even with the use of magic, the available time is still quite limited for
all of the nobles to be gathered.
But that really can’t be helped since Diablo has only given them a
week. A solution must be drafted before that time.

60
The timing is indeed pressing.
That’s why the king has put out the order in such a rush to summon
all the nobles within three days.
The king’s servants begin to hasten their movements. The scene
becomes rather busy as everyone prepares for the meeting.
King Edmalis looks exhausted as he glances around the crowd.
「I believe my fellow ministers have realized the magnitude of the
issue too. We shall draft a plan for the future before all the nobles
are gathered. Tomorrow, we will alter the location, so I may share
my thoughts with you all. I shall listen to your opinions then.」
He says so rather powerlessly while looking at his trusted
subordinates.
What he is certain of at the moment is that the Farmus Kingdom is
stepping towards its demise. Because of the high stakes, there
shouldn’t be any bickering among his inner circle.
But there would undoubtedly be endless conflicts when the
conference is held.
That’s why the king is trying to get everyone on the same page
before the Imperial Conference is held.
——in addition, he needs to prevent unnecessary sacrifices.
King Edmalis has secretly made up his mind as he plans these things
out.
The next day,
The location is switched to the conference room where the crowd
convenes once more.
The ones being summoned are all the most trusted subordinates of
the king. Apart from them, for unknown reasons Marquis Miola, the
leading figure of the centrists, and his follower, Count Hermes, are
also present.
In order to clear up the situation, King Edmalis begins to explain
the ins and outs of the whole event.

61
Everyone listens to the king in silence.
Even though both Larzen and Rayhim have spoken on the issue, the
ministers are now finally plunged into silence having recognized the
frightening reality.
Marquis Miola suddenly opens up to ask the king:
「Your Majesty…… Is it true? Did you say that Veldora has been
revived?」
「Just as Larzen and Rayhim have said. In my opinion, the only
issue is which one of the three options are appropriate for us.
Moreover, we need to discuss our future plans past this event.」
King Edmalis gives his confirmation and urges the crowd to give
their opinions on the matter.
They’ve been waiting for the king’s permission, so the crowd begin
to express their views.
「Jura Great Forest is a forbidden land guarded by Veldora. Even
the Eastern Empire doesn’t dare to march on it unprepared. It would
be utmost foolishness for us to challenge it alone.」
「T-that’s most true! We don’t stand a chance to win. Our country
would be destroyed if we continue fighting them!」
「Right. With that being said, it leaves us with option one and
two…...」
「No way can we be vassalized! We may change our stance on the
matter, but we can not become servants to monsters…….」
「Don’t hammer it down so quickly. We don’t want any more
conflicts.」
「How could this be! No landed nobility would agree to such
madness.」
「There will be civil unrest!」
「Could this be the true intent of those monsters!」

62
 「Perhaps we should have Your Majesty step down first and pay
the reparation. But are you all aware of the details of the reparation?
The nation would collapse.」
「Ten thousand Star Gold Coins. That exchanges to around a
million gold coins. That would be twenty percent of our total
national tax.」
「Impossible…...」
「But consider our options. Isn’t it at least better than having our
kingdom destroyed?」
「Indeed. At least they aren’t trying to drain our wallet. That
means they still have some decency.」
「In the end, we still have to accept those conditions——」
「Hmm, I think so too.」
King Edmalis remained silent throughout the period and listened
carefully to what the ministers and nobles have to say.
He thinks to himself as he listens.
How beautiful——That person possesses both a petit appearance of
a young girl and a menacing aura that affirms his presence.
He is the Monster ruler called Rimuru.
The fearsome Demon Lord.
Simply recalling those experiences renews the fear deep down in his
heart.
Dignity and what-not are all overruled by fear. The king doesn’t even
dare to raise an opposition to his enemy again.
Because it reminds him of the days he was turned into meatloaf and
force-fed his own hands and feet.
The king does not want to experience that suffering again at any
cost, that’s why he has made up his mind to convince the ministers.
After the defeat, there are still countless things under question.
The monsters, surprisingly, have principles.

63
With the birth of a new Demon Lord, the 「Storm Dragon」 was also
revived.
King Edmalis realizes his utter defeat as he begins to accept these
realities.
He was blinded by his desire and made the wrong judgement. Had he
begun their relationship peacefully, there may be a different future
they could paint.
But it is all too late at this point.
——There can’t be any missteps from now on.
Diablo mentioned that they can choose whichever out of the three if
they so desire. In other words, whichever option selected would all
help Diablo to reach his goal. With that being the case, it would be
the right call to choose the option with the least potential harm.
King Edmalis begins to ponder on it by himself, which option would
cause the least damage.
Option three is obviously a no go.
Not only the citizens, everyone would be killed.
Option two should be further evaluated.
It is an option that can ensure both the well-beings and prosperity of
the citizens.
He has had a glance of the beautiful streets of Tempest Federation.
In that kingdom, some adventurers are even having a good time
hanging out with monsters.
Perhaps they are not bad in nature after all…...
It’s a beautiful thought that’s crossed Edmalis’ head, but he still
decides to not settle on that option.
It probably won’t work. Without witnessing those sights by
themselves, people won’t place their trust in monsters. Even I would
consider these to be tales of a madman had I only heard them in
words——

64
 Besides, the nobles have a duty to protect their subjects. Even if
the nobles surrender unconditionally, it would be impossible to have
them all willingly vassalized. You simply can’t force them into
obeying, even with hell breaking loose.
It would most likely invoke protests from the neighbouring nations as
well, nor would the Monster Kingdom be recognized by the Western
State Council. He would most likely ended up being assassinated if he
is to ignore these hindrances by using his authority as a king.
As for option one, it seems to be their safest choice.
Abdication of king means exactly what it says, King Edmalis must step
down. A new heir would swear not to wage war again and would be
given the throne.
It is rather coercive considering the amount of reparation they are
demanding, but it can’t be helped. The cost of peace is much lower
than resuming this war.
But that would only be the case if the monsters cease to demand
more from his kingdom.
There is also a hidden agenda behind the two demands.
Diablo has also discussed in length with King Edmalis about it. He
wants to crown Youmu as the new king, and on this basis, he will
build a new kingdom.
Edmalis has three children, his eldest daughter, youngest daughter,
and eldest son.
Both daughters of his have been married to other kingdoms leaving
the crown available only to his eldest son, the prince. But he has yet
to even reach the age of ten and is far from mature. If King Edmalis is
to step down now, there will likely be a struggle for the throne.
King Edmalis is well aware of the people who desire the throne. The
head of the optimates is his own little brother, Duke Edward.
He can easily tell Diablo’s true intent as he analyzes things this way.
Diablo intends to have the royalist and the optimates fight to the
death over the inheritance of the crown.

65
Now that he thinks about it, whichever option of the three would
eventually lead to conflict. And their evaluation of which one to
choose is all just a part of Diablo’s plan.
——In other words, it doesn’t matter which option we choose…...
King Edmalis sighs internally.
The outcome would be the same. And if that’s the case——
「Settle down, everyone. Please heed my thought.」
King Edmalis proposes so after everyone has expressed their
opinions.
「I’ve heard that their kingdom is called 『Jura Tempest
Federation』. Many different races residing in the Great Jura Forest
now follow the ruler called Rimuru. I think we could join this big
family as well…...」
「Are you suggesting we should be vassalized by them?」
「No, that is not the case. I am simply surprised by how well
managed that kingdom is.」
Edmalis pauses upon saying so and glances looks around the crowd
with determination on his face.
「This war is all my fault. I did it not for our people, but out of my
own desire. Because of that, even god has given up on me. My
arrogance has led to the awakening of Veldora to bring disaster to
my kingdom Farmus. Had I listened to the advice of Marquis Miola
and Count Hermes, this could all have been prevented——」
「Sire, that is too kind of you…….」
「I am most grateful for your highness’ praise.」
Edmalis replies to the two with a 「hmm」 sound.
Then he begins to spill his gut feelings:
「There won’t be a second chance, nor will there be a second time.
It is because of him, Rimuru-dono, the leader of Monsters, that I was

66
able to survive. So this will not happen again. If I am to make the
same mistake twice, it will not only be me who is doomed, but all of
our people. At this point, my reputation and dignity are all irrelevant
now. We should prevent our people from being affected by this. As
for what we should do to turn things around, and what would be
good for the people, we should all aim now to come up with such
solution!」
The ministers are all shocked as to freeze at the scene.
That’s because the king, the devious and selfish king has confessed
his wrongdoing. Not only so, he has reached out to everyone present
for an ideal solution.
No wonder why everyone is surprised.
These ministers also begin to reflect upon their past actions having
seen the regrets on the King’s face. In the end they’ve really only
used their honor as an excuse to protect their own selfish interests.
Now they’ve finally come to realize that deeply.
The ministers rise up from their seats and kneel before the king.
Then——
「Apologies, sire. We’ve also been foolish in the past. We shall find
out the best solution, for…….. For the people of this nation!」
Marquis Miola speaks out for everyone at the scene. The ministers
all begin to kowtow without a word of complaint.
After which, they would invite Youmu’s party as advisors to
continue the meeting, without knowing when it will end……

◇◇◇

「——Just like that, I gave them some shock education.」

Diablo reports to me with a smile.

67
 Eh, hold on, hold on! There is too much going on that I don’t even
know where to start asking.
But, there’s something that has been on my mind the most——
「Did you really show it to them?」
「Yes. I think it is most effective to invoke fear.」
So you did……. You really showed them that…...
「That」 being the meatloaf.
I don’t intend to praise Shion even though she looks quite happy
about it.
No wonder they wet their pants seeing this. I would undoubtedly
vomit seeing it if it was me from before (reincarnating).
It is truly that disturbing.
By the way, this is totally what a Demon Lord would do.
My image as an upstanding man with principle has now been turned
into that of a blood-lusting monster. Never mind, you can’t rewind
time to undo it. But in terms of methods, it does seem quite effective
in winning their trust by giving them the stick before carrot……. Eh,
this sounds like how a yakuza (mafia) group would function.
I jump down from Shion’s laps.
I decide to turn back to human form and drink some red tea to
restore some tranquility in my mind.
「Oh, and about the condition of a peace treaty, I proposed a
reparation of ten thousand Star Gold Coins.」
I spit out my red tea.
TEN THOUSAND STAR GOLD COINS, you……..
I did order him to demand reparations to alienate the king and the
nobles…… but this amount is just ridiculously large.
It is so large in fact that the neighboring nations would probably not
forgive such action.

68
 In this world, barter economy is still the mainstream.
There may be transactions with currency in large cities, such as the
capital of Brumund and Ingracia, but there are far more population in
rural areas who have never seen denomination greater than silver
coin.
In simpler terms, the value of currency is surprisingly high.
A copper coin is around ten yens in Japan, a silver coin to a thousand
yens and gold coin to around hundred thousand. Even though this is
how one would generally feel, such beliefs would only hold true in
urban areas.
The reality is far different.
To be more specific, the average income of an urban labourer is
around six silver coins a day. In terms of monthly income, it is around
one-hundred-fifty silver coins, roughly fifteen hundred thousand
yens.
Whereas in comparison, a countryfolk may make less than a hundred
silver coins in a year. The wage gap between the rich and the poor is
quite significant with the latter earning less than a hundred thousand
yen a year.
However, there aren’t that many diversions in this world, so there
are fewer places to spend the money, which renders currency to be
less necessary. That’s why there is no fundamental difference in
lifestyle between the two classes even with such a huge wage gap.
In other words, right now this world’s economy is still somewhat
healthy without the impact of globalization and inflow of financial
capital.
Now is the time to build a greater economic body.
Diablo’s intelligence is really something else.
When I revealed my plan of coexistence and growth, he seemed to
have understood thoroughly the structure of economic dominance.
In order make commodities with different value flow in the market,
currency is definitely warranted.

69
If one can control the flow of currency, one would hold the world
economy in his grip.
There are many nations in this world that use national currency
produced by the state, but right now only the general currency
produced by Dwargon are mainstream in all markets.
In other words, it isn’t that difficult to build a global economic
network by introducing a special currency to this world.
Diablo would probably do so and may have already planned this out.
But we are getting off track.
Let’s talk about the exchange rate of currency that has been settled
in this country (Farmus).
A copper coin exchanges to around one hundred yens, a silver coin
to ten thousand and a gold coin to approximately one million.
A reparation of ten thousand Star Gold Coins would be demanding
around one trillion yens of war compensation. This world is not as
materially abundant as Japan from my last life, so there is no need
for any nation to ever prepare such an enormous national budget. It
is then only natural that such reparation would be considered a
ridiculous price.
「Aren’t you demanding a bit too much?」
「Kufufufufu, no need to worry. I’ve already given them three
choices, but in the end they can only choose one. Option three is
naturally outside of their consideration while option two is
impossible to choose. At the end of the day they will only choose the
first and negotiate with us.」
But it would save some time for us if they choose option three,
Diablo says so laughing.
Of course they have to choose the first option.
They may try to negotiate a discount——no, they aren’t that stupid.
They are probably unable to pay up in one go, so they may negotiate
an installment.

70
 Diablo seems to have seen through me and says:
「A discount is not gonna happen, Farmus Kingdom will have to
pay in full. But it is hard to achieve in practice. Their economy would
probably stagger with all those coins withdrawn from the market.」
That’s true as well.
It’s clear that Diablo has some other intent.
「All they can do in response is to——find a scapegoat.」
So that’s the why.
Diablo’s rationale is as follows:
They will first vouch for a down payment and then pay up the
remaining debt with other things than coins. Whoever pays up the
remaining debt does not matter, they can go on to cut ties with such
individuals from Farmus Kingdom.
In this way, they can argue that the Farmus Kingdom has paid up
their reparations. They then get to claim they’ve done their part
even at the cost of provoking us.
Although this strategy would only work if the people they deal with
remain reasonable afterward, but it would be truly problematic if
they use it against us.
「What would we do if this becomes true?」
「We will proceed as planned. We can at least collect a thousand
Star Gold Coin, and it would conclude the first phase of our plan.」
Eh, hold on a second?
「On what ground do you conclude we would be able to collect at
least a thousand Star Gold Coins by then?」
「Oh, so that’s what you are asking.」
Diablo says, as if implying 「That’s easy,」 and goes on to explain
regarding my question.
In simpler terms, the reason seems to be that the Star Gold Coins
cannot be directly used in transactions.

71
So that’s how it is, I finally understood.
I quickly come to realize with his explanation.
The value of one Star Gold Coin would be around ten million to a
hundred million yens, so exchanging it to gold coins would be quite
troublesome. That’s why normally no one would think handing out
these coins would cause much of any impact since they have no use
unless in large scale transactions. Has Diablo noticed this point?
Gold coins are the primary currency stored for national budget
expenditures whereas the Star Gold Coins are stored like securities
and cannot be casually exchanged.
There is no bank in this world, so saving them wouldn’t generate any
interest. That’s why they would probably be more willing to
compromise.
Diablo is one hell of a character.
I was just wondering whether we could at least get a hundred to
three hundred Star Gold Coins through negotiation.
The reparations for each casualty would be one hundred million
yens.
On top of that, there are also expenses of destroyed buildings and
other things.
I thought this is the bottom line that we won’t compromise on. But if
we can really get one thousand Star Gold Coins like what Diablo said,
we won’t mind going into a negotiation with them afterward.
One hundred billion yens, that’s an amount far beyond my
expectation.
But this seems hardly enough for Diablo as he also plans to invoke a
civil war.
What a horrifying fella.
「What do you intend to do other than having them compensate
our loss?」
「Kufufufufu, King Edmalis may have been released, but he has
already become my pawn. To be more specific, under the influence

72
of my unique skill 『Tempter』, he would in a sense, act entirely
according to my will. 」
King Edmalis is now under the domination of unique skill 「
Tempter」. Diablo thus has control over his life and death. Although
he wouldn’t be able to force his own will onto the king, Diablo can
still take his life if he so wishes.
As long as he remains loyal to Diablo, there naturally wouldn’t be any
issue. But the moment he bears the thought of betrayal, Diablo
would be instantly notified.
In other words, he may be killed at this very moment by Diablo…….
Having learned of this relationship, he would probably refrain from
betraying.
What a terrifying skill that utilizes fear to manipulate others! Be a
good dog and live life safe and sound, that’s what the skill is all
about.
Later, Diablo mentions that he has been observing King Edmalis’
actions.
He seems to have satisfied all the conditions prepared by Diablo for
him to step down. Right now there isn’t even a need for Marquis
Miola and Count Hermes to step in and hold people accountable as
originally planned.
In other words, these people are all now royalists in aid of King
Edmalis…… This initially seems to be deviating from our original plan,
but as soon as one gets to the detail, one would realize that the
situation now is far more ideal for the plan to proceed.
King Edmalis would step down and lead to the collapse of his
authority. For this reason, the criticism would no doubt be directed
to him and he will eventually be held accountable by the others.
「The Royal Knight Order was massacred by Rimuru-sama, leaving
the royal family unguarded. Right now, it is suicide for King Edmalis
to stand against the nobles. He is left to his own devices. That is what
seems to be happening, but in reality——」

73
 The Knight Order that protects the royal family is gone. The nobles
wouldn’t let go such a chance to make the King the 「scapegoat」 as
Diablo describes, that seems to be the case.
A conflict is inevitable.
The optimates may be planning to sacrifice King Edmais, but it seems
that the King has realized this and has been fighting hard to avoid
such fate.
About this, what could happen next?
How would the royalists without any military to back themselves up
avoid their defeat against the optimates?
《Answer. Their solution would be to absorb Youmu’s party and
stand together against the tide. In this way——》
Oh yeah, Youmu is with us.
King Edmalis also knows that I wish to make Youmu the new king,
that’s why he is assisting his crowning…...
It would be too out of place to suddenly give away his throne to
Youmu. But if they could build him into a figure of their saviour, they
could perform the fall of royal family, and their will to be carried
forward by Youmu.
「King Edmalis is planning to get Youmu on their side, that means
we would be on the same boat then.」
「I’m afraid it is just as you predict.」
Diablo delightfully smiles upon hearing my answer.
Did I guess it right?
With us as their reinforcement, they would gain the military might
greater than that of the Royal Knight Order. The nobles may boss
around believing the king to be powerless, but they wouldn’t stand a
chance against the hero Youmu.
「If that’s the case, all we need to do is to send reinforcement for
Youmu. Am I correct?」

74
 「Indeed. My servant Larzen will contact us, I shall trouble you
then.」
As expected of Diablo, now we even have eyes on the matter since
he’s arranged his own underling to attend to these concerns. He is
the perfect example of someone upholding the belief 「Perfection is
eighty percent planning and twenty percent working」 as this man
elegantly conducts his mission.
By the way, he even recruited Larzen.
I heard that he was a really strong person known as the Guardian of
Farmus, but it seems he is a nobody in Diablo’s eyes.
Since he has already recruited him, I shouldn’t concern myself
thinking about it.
「Would we be able to win in this way? What if, say, someone
desiring the throne decides to conspire with some other country and
form an alliance?」
「Fuze-san and King Gazel are pressuring the surrounding nations
and keeping an eye on them. Although the likelihood of such an
event is low……. If it truly happens, I would participate in the fight as
well, so please be reassured.」
Sensing the confidence in his words, I decide to let him do his
thing.
Speaking of Diablo, he really has hidden himself behind the curtain
on the issue. It is quite frightening for me to think that he has left the
important duty of 「Taking over a nation」 completely to someone
else to take care of.
The probability of opposition forming an alliance is extremely small.
But it aligns with the prediction of 「Wisdom King Raphael」, so it
should be fine for him to hand it over to other people.
「Alright, I’ll leave the rest to you. Report to me if anything
important happens.」
「Understood! I shall resolve the matter properly, my liege!」

75
 I give Diablo, who’s kneeling on the ground, a couple of shoulder
pats and tell him to continue and complete his mission.

◇◇◇

With Diablo’s explanation, the details of the plan has been

confirmed.
It happens so that Haruna is serving us some freshly made dessert to
enjoy with our tea.
「Oh, isn’t this Matcha Pudding?」
「Yes, Rimuru-sama. It is not as good as ones made by Shuna-
sama, but my skill has improved nonetheless.」
Haruna-san serves the pudding onto our table with a gentle smile.
Immediately after, Veldora, who has been reading manga without
saying a word to us this whole time, suddenly bumped into me
looking like it is only natural.
「Oh? Is there a serving for me?」
「Of course, Veldora-sama.」
Mr. Swagger here hums in response and reaches his hand out for
the pudding on the plate.
「Veldora-sama, here’s my end of the bargain as promised.」
Says Diablo, while giving his pudding to Veldora.
「GA————HAHAHA! Diablo, you are a man of your words.」
Veldora nods in satisfaction as he takes over the pudding from
Diablo’s hand.
Speaking of that, that’s quite the cheap bribe.
「Diablo, are you okay without eating?」
I ask, thinking Haruna could prepare an extra one, but was turned
down with a bow from Diablo.

76
 「I am simply paying in exchange of information, you don’t have to
concern yourself with my humble ordeal.」
It would seem he is quite the gentleman having kept every end of
his bargain.
Wait a second, is there really a need to be so dramatic for one
pudding? I think to myself. But I suppose I should stay quiet since
Diablo has already accepted it.
「Is it now? Very well then. By the way, are you back in Tempest
because you finished your work in Farmus while I was at the
Walpurgis Banquet?」
I mention this to Diablo casually.
When I left at midnight, he was not present. So my guess is that I
didn’t catch him returning.
However——
「Ah, not quite. After issuing my threat to the King and the
ministers, I went to different locations within Farmus to examine
their financial status. I was trying to investigate whether there was
any flaw in my plan. That is when Veldora-sama contacted me and
summoned me back.」
He just nonchalantly spilt out Veldora’s secret.
With a “Ga~Dong” sound, Veldora rises up nervously from his seat.
「I-I’ve suddenly recalled something to attend to.」
He is clearly trying to play dumb here, but you aren’t getting away
now.
「Ara ara, don’t act so hastily now, Veldora-kun.」
I lock my hand tightly on his shoulder with incredible speed.

77
78
 「W-wait! We have to be civil now!」
「Civil my ass! What the hell do you think you are doing meddling
with important business of others——!」
Veldora tries his hardest to escape, but I take his pudding from him
and order Haruna-san to not give any dessert to him for now.
Veldora is crying, but I won’t forgive him.
How incredibly reckless.
In terms of result, Veldora did help by breaking into the Walpurgis
Banquet, but that doesn’t excuse what he did. If I forgive him today,
he may end up causing some other trouble in the future.
Thankfully it was Diablo who responded to him, I can’t even imagine
how the other lieutenants would’ve handled it. They would probably
panic with Veldora’s casual order to switch duty. That’s exactly why I
told Veldora to ask for my permission first before doing something
like this again.
At the same time, there is only one more thing left for Diablo to
attend to in person, that being the peace conference held in five
days. He would be handling most of the details regarding the
meeting, but he personally plans to continue the role as my butler.
This is what Diablo has to say——「I am Rimuru-sama’s butler after
all, so I must accompany you at all times.」
Shion is very sour over the fact, proving this to be Diablo’s victory.
And about the peace conference.
「Eh, should I attend as well?」
「No, I alone will be sufficient.」
He rejected my proposal.
It would probably be more reassuring to have your boss with you
when dealing with such important business. But perhaps such worry
is unnecessary for someone as capable as Diablo.
Or rather, my presence would probably reduce the war-mongering

79
sentiments among the nobles.
Although I’m somewhat confused about this implication, things will
be fine as long as Diablo is handling it.
Upon thinking so, I can now safely take the great conquest of Farmus
Kingdom off my mind.

◇◇◇

——Sometime later, things have gone just according to Diablo’s

prediction.
The nobles have gathered for the imperial conference.
Unlike the last meeting, the king and the ministers all look very
serious as the tension overflows from their expression.
The nobles also sense the difference in atmosphere. Their expression
also gradually becomes more tense without them noticing.
The king starts the discussion:
「Our troops marched on to destroy the Tempest Federation, yet
they were decimated by the revived 『Storm Dragon』 Veldora.
There are only three survivors, myself, Larzen and Rayhim. We’ve
been defeated.」
It is an impactful line that incited commotion throughout the room.
King Edmalis begins to recount the horrific fate of the Farmus
Army.
The content sounded unbelievable to the crowds, yet what the king
said immediately after the account diverted their disbelief to
criticism of the king.
It is hardly unexpected.
Because the king announces that he has accepted the terms of the
monsters to pay reparations for the war.
The amount of reparation is——Ten thousand Star Gold Coins.

80
 「Impossible! A Star Gold Coin exchanges to a hundred gold coins.
Are we really paying one million gold coins!?」
「How can we pay so much money to monsters. We can’t even
trust those things!」
「We won’t even be able to gather that sum even if we bankrupt
the country!」
By the way, Star Gold Coins are commonly used in bilateral trade
between nations. Its existence is similar to a form of 「Certificates
for preservation」(Security). A normal nation would probably own
less than a hundred of them. No matter how strong Farmus Kingdom
is, they could only collect around a thousand coins maximum, in
addition to the more commonly used general coins (dwarven coins).
Just as the nobles complained, it is an incredibly large amount for
them to collect.
If the victors were their trade partners, Farmus could probably
replace currency with commodities, but as a new kingdom run by
monsters, they didn’t have this option with tempest. Their economy
would inevitably be affected.
Diablo’s intent was to make life difficult for them by demanding
ten thousand coins, so it is no wonder that the nobles would
complain about it.
Besides, these nobles have not personally been on the battlefield
themselves, so they lack a sense of urgency. They are not sharp
enough to realize the crisis their nation is facing right now.
That’s why many nobles begin to step out in opposition and argue
for the continuation of the war against their enemy.
「That’s right. How dare they demand our compliance, it simply
cannot happen. There is no way we could know if they would follow
through with the deal and not attack our people.」

81
 「Then we can only fight them to the end. It’s just an evil dragon
awakened from slumber, I shall bet on my honor and march on them
」
「The enemy here is Veldora. The Western Saints Church won’t
just sit on that. That beautiful valkyrie Hinata would also take a
move.」
「Oh oh, commander of the Holy Knight Order, Hinata? That vixen
may be cunning, but this is the perfect time to send her out.」
「It is common knowledge that the Western Saints Church
consider Veldora an enemy.」
「Isn’t there any Chosen Hero19 out there?」
「Oh oh, there’s 『Shining』 Masayuki from Ingracia Kingdom!」
「That’s it. The enemies are always beaten without even reacting,
he’s known as the strongest hero of this land. His title 『The Shining
』 is not for show, we have to invite him to demonstrate his skill by
defeating Veldora.」
The nobles are enjoying their chit chat.
But none of them realized their suggestions are all relying on
others.
「Hmm, that’s the spirit! Let’s go fend off those monsters!」
Some even begin to spill such ridiculous claims shamelessly.
The royalists feel somewhat shameful seeing how the nobles are
acting. They begin to recall how themselves were acting when the
king first informed them of the matter.
Some start to fluster while sighing while others even begin their self-
reflection upon imagining how the king must have felt at the time.
King Edmalis is also well aware of what is really on the minds of the
nobles gathered here.
Right now, all the nobles advocating for war are simply trying to
protect their fortune. It is neither for the protection of Farmus

82
Kingdom nor for the life and properties of the citizens.
They are simply putting out the words as if they are justified, while
not harboring a real determination to fight the enemy.
King Edmalis has suspected this is how things will turn out. These are
all landed nobles who have yet to recognize the reality of the
situation.
These people have never experienced the taste of fear and don’t
have any intention of joining the frontline.
They just want to remain in safety while others fight their war.
They probably won’t take responsibility either when they are
defeated.
It may have worked in the past.
Because the Farmus Kingdom is a powerful nation that has
oppressed surrounding nations in the past.
But that is not viable anymore. Such an old trick of issuing threats to
neighbouring nations would no longer work.
Besides, their opponent is the Catastrophe-Ranked monster who is
capable of decimating an entire army on its own…….
Furious, the nobles start to loudly accuse the king for being
responsible.
And claim that the reparations should be paid by the royal family.
And that the monsters’ demands must be rejected.
And that they should unite the Farmus military to take a last stand.
The nobles’ view, in a sense, is correct.
But they are forgetting an important factor.
That is the military force within Farmus Kingdom has been
significantly reduced.
Or perhaps, they are simply unwilling to accept this reality…….
With this reminded to them, some begin to quiet down with a tense
look while some continue their unreasonable protest.
King Edmalis’ worries have come true, the nobles can’t reach an
agreement and the meeting has been plunged into chaos.

83
 At this moment, the head of the optimates——the King’s brother
Edward speaks up with much preparation:
「Brother, no, Your Highness! Even with you stepping down, you
can’t evade responsibility! How could a dignified king just surrender
like this?」

「.......Heed this, Edward. Our enemy is 『Storm Dragon』 Veldora.

My dignity and glory are like trash to that tyrant! I don’t want to be
tormented by that horror anymore. Or perhaps, you wish to fight for
this glory! I won’t stop you! But, you would be sending the soldiers
to die for a lost cause. 」
「No, about that…… But sire, if what you said is true, are you
planning to run away on your own?」
「You fool, where could I run to!? That’s why I want to step down
and pay the reparations.」
Edward believed that this is his best move to hold the king
responsible, but he was confronted by King Edmalis’ rare display of
verve and fell silent.
Seeing this, King Edmalis lowers his volume and continues:
「If I do not step down, we can only choose to be vassalized or
continue the war. Is this really what we want? Our kingdom would
be destroyed——」
「Ehh…… but, you are asking us to surrender to the monsters
without a fight…...」
Still unconvinced, Edward mumbles so rather unwillingly.
At this point, the meeting is quiet once more. Count Hermes
carefully opens up:
「Could you hear me out? This morning, I received a letter
containing very important information. I would like to deliver the
message to you all.」

84
 Count Hermes finishes and begins to announce the open letter sent
by the Brumund Kingdom.
The content of the letter is as follows, Brumund Kingdom officially
supports Tempest Federation and would be sending military force to
hold Farmus Kingdom accountable.
This is a real open letter in condemnation of Farmus Kingdom.
「How dare a small nation like that be so arrogant!」
「They must have been so arrogant because of our defeat, surely
they would have remained silent if we had achieved victory.」
Yet the anger of these nobles are quickly extinguished as they learn
that Dwargon has made the same statement——The Foreign Trade
Minister adds on Hermes’ report. Now the nobles started to panic,
their arrogant tones are also now toned down.
「Brumund alone is enough, but if the Armed Nation Dwargon
moves out, things will get difficult. Will the Dwarven King Gazel still
remain neutral?」
「No, the problem is his influence and authority. Dwargon is also
an important trade partner of ours, so nothing will end well with us
angering King Gazel.」
The report of Count Hermes started the turn of atmosphere in the
meeting room for the worse. But at that moment, someone dropped
a bigger bomb.
「M-message for his majesty! Urgent news just arrived from the
Freedom Association!」
A soldier looking rather pale intruded into the room without the
care of the important meeting ongoing. But the guards don’t seem to
be stopping him. The reason being the 「Highest Urgency Report」
on his hand.
The nobles would want to complain, but the word 「Highest」
have forced their words back to their mouth. This report is only

85
issued for events with the threat level of Special Rank S, whoever
impedes its delivery would be given the penalty of treason as by the
combined law issued by Farmus Kingdom and Freedom Association.
「Speak.」
With King Edmalis’ permission, the soldier raises the report with his
hands nervously shaking and begins to announce its content:
「Monster Rimuru has proclaimed himself the ruler of Great Jura
Forest. Report states that he publicly announced that he has become
a Demon Lord!」
「What in the world!」
「That’s——」
「This crisis may be our opportunity. Our country may still have a
chance after all!」
「That’s right. Those Demon Lords won’t sit this one out. That
arrogant Rimuru would soon learn the horror of the real Demon
Lords.」
「If things go well, the Demon Lords may even take out the revived
Veldora along the way too!」
The nobles follow up the report as the herald is halfway through,
but what he is about to say would vanquish their hopes.
「——Demon Lord Clayman was discontented and challenged
Rimuru——Demon Lord Rimuru, has allegedly eliminated him
instead.」
With the herald’s words out, the shock experienced by everyone in
the meeting room is unanimous.
「——What!」
「How can this be…….」

86
 「What about 『Lion King』 Karion? And 『Sky Queen』 Frey?
What the hell are they up to? Are they seriously going to give away
the rights to Great Jura Forest to a new-comer?」
It is only natural for them to be surprised learning their enemy has
become a Demon Lord.
One of the nobles followed up with a question about the responses
of the other Demon Lords around Great Jura Forest. In response, the
soldier finishes the last sentence.
「The Karion and Frey you mentioned, they’ve given up their seat
as Demon Lord to join the reign of Demon Lord Milim. The
constituent of Demon Lords is thus altered as well, the now eight
Demon Lords in total are called 『Eight-Star Demon Lords』! 」
This line completely silenced all of the optimates.
They’ve probably learnt that their arch nemesis Rimuru is also one
of the Eight-Star Demon Lords.
The royalists have already caught wind of the news prior to the
meeting, but this doesn’t mean they’ve accepted it willingly simply
for knowing earlier. They again fell silent given how unbelievable it
sounds no matter how many times they hear the news.
This information was sent out by the Demon Lords’ side alone.
Since there is no point in doubting the authenticity. Each Demon
Lord possesses enormous strength to exempt them from the need to
deceive the humans with such matters.
The meeting room is clouded by silence before King Edmalis
decides to open up after hardened consideration:
「As you’ve heard, everyone. Veldora may be a great threat, but
this monster called Rimuru is equally a dangerous character. He is a
monster beyond our imagination to have beaten Demon Lord
Clayman so easily. Is there still a need to continue this meeting? My
will to step down has been determined. It is simply too foolish to talk
all high and mighty of how we are for the nation without even

87
considering the capabilities of our enemy. I’ve been blinded by
profits; it was my mistake. Had we chosen another approach to
interact with them, they might have been a good neighbour of ours.
」
King Edmalis implies that his abdication would likely lead to a new
relationship between the two nations. The nobles realize there isn’t a
point opposing the proposal at this point as they carefully follow the
king’s words.
Everyone finally decides to accept reality and follows through with
King Edmalis’ proposal, the only viable way.
「I’m stepping down. In addition, I’m recommending Edward to
inherit the throne.」
「Brother…….」
「What did you say!」
「Aren’t you passing the throne to Prince Edgar?」
The king’s unexpected words have caused a commotion in the
room again.
Everyone thinks that as soon as King Edmalis steps down, the
throne would be naturally passed onto the prince. That’s why
Edward has been trying hard in highlighting himself.
His brother Edmalis would have to step down. Facing such rare
opportunity, Edward dreams to take the throne for his own.
Even if Prince Edgar inherits the crown this time, there is still a
chance as long as he affirms his authority.
The prince is only ten years old. But with his father still alive and
well, Edward wouldn’t be able to take control behind the scenes yet.
If that is the case, he plans to spark discontent among the nobles
so they think in the direction of——「Lord Edward is the proper
candidate for the throne.」
But now, the throne is Edward’s to take.

88
 「There are still many challenges ahead of us. Edgar is still too
young to conquer them properly.」
King Edmalis says so rather bitterly.
The ministers all hold different views, whereas some nods in
agreement with this decision.
「My liege, I think this is a great idea.」
It is Marquis Miola.
Hearing this, Edward laughs internally. Now this decision is likely
hammered down since he has even got the approval from Marquis
Miola, who is the head of the centrists. He is confident in his ability
to overcome the challenges as soon as he has the throne.
They would make excuses to delay the reparation payment while
roping the neighbouring countries into battle against the monster
kingdom. Just as the nobles from his faction claimed, the human
alliance with Chosen Hero and Holy Knights as back-up would
nonetheless be an effective deterrence.
Besides, they may even be unnecessary……..
With the exchange of kingship, it would also mean the exchange of
political power.
The demands accepted by the previous government is not required
to be fulfilled up by the new government. This would mean there is
no need to pay for the ridiculously high reparation.
If anyone is getting punished for it, he would push all the blames to
the previous king——his own brother Edmalis.
Edward’s thoughts are rather shallow.
Hehehe, I will definitely make the nation more prosperous as soon
as I become the king.
Unaware of the his orchestrated role in this grander play, Edward is
overjoyed by the prospect of inheriting the throne.
The meeting proceeded smoothly afterwards.
Many questions were addressed with detailed solutions.

89
 They were able to outline a general plan and come to a unanimous
agreement on engaging in peace conference with the monsters.
——The scene moves on to the location of the peace conference.
The great and ancient kingdom of Farmus agrees and signs the treaty
of truce with Jura Tempest Federation.
The two reach a common ground.
In effect, The Kingdom of Farmus is recognizing the legitimacy of the
Tempest Federation as a country, even though they can’t bypass
international law nor having not established diplomatic tie.
But with that being said, the Tempest Federation has yet to join the
council formed by the Western Nations——the Western State
Council. So even if Farmus were to commence another invasive
attack, there will be no judicial intervention.
It is only from a humanitarian point of view that Farmus has
recognized the status of Tempest Federation among different
nations.
But, it has been proven that Tempest Federation possesses military
strength.
The ruler of that nation is the new Demon Lord Rimuru.
An ally of 「Storm Dragon」 Veldora, and a monster beyond their
comprehension to have dominated the Great Jura Forest in less than
two years’ time.
The facts are all listed right in front of them, so no nation would dare
to start a war against Tempest Federation. Rather than profits, they
think the losses alone would be too much. Moreover, acting too
rashly may even lead to the destruction of their nations.
From that day onward——Rimuru has become an existence that no
one dares to obstruct.
He has become a Demon Lord of this world, a Catastrophe-Ranked
threat.
And phase one concludes without any major issue.
Everything is unfolding according to Diablo’s plan——

90
91
Chapter 2
Each's Duty
The day after Diablo’s report, Shuna and Souei returned early in
the morning.
「We’ve made it back safely!」
Shuna said so while rubbing me against her cheek. Her battle had
depleted her mana, so she needed some time to recover enough
mana to cast 「Dimensional Transportation」.
While I could cast a large-scale 「Teleportation」 using 「
Dimensional Domination」, Shuna has limited magicule storage and
can only cast it a few times per day. Souei could have used 「
Shadow Teleportation」 to get back, but as a bodyguard, he couldn’t
abandon his charge, so he waited for Shuna to recover. Right now,
several 「Clones」 of his are securing the perimeter of Clayman’s
base. It seems he’s having an easier time with this work than I
imagined.
「Right, what about Hakurou?」
「Yes, I’ve asked him to take care of some business.」
Shuna replies with a smile.
Shion quietly averts her eyes from me. It would seem they
returned early and left the cleaning up to Hakurou.
Hakurou can’t use 「Dimensional Transportation」, so it’s
sometimes unavoidable that he gets left behind. However, Hakurou
treats Shuna as preciously as he would to a granddaughter, so he
probably wouldn’t mind if she’s the one asking for a favor.
It seems that he’s been assisting Geld in coordinating the
investigation of Clayman’s castle, the recovery of trophies, and the
management of captives.
That’s a lot on Hakurou’s shoulders——I feel deeply grateful to him.

92
His work is piling up, but a layman like myself would just get in the
way. I should stay quiet until he makes a request (for assistance).
The following night, Benimaru’s party also returned.
「Eh? Is it okay for the Generalissimo to return like this?」
As I ask, Benimaru cracks a smile.
「Hehe, since the battle is already over, staying there would just
be a nuisance to the others. So we swiftly withdrew after leaving the
command to our outstanding lieutenants.」
Benimaru says delightedly, as a man with no responsibilities.
In other words, he left the aftermath for the Beastketeers to deal
with. I could almost see the frustration on Alvis' and the rest’s faces.
He and Shuna are similar in this respect, but I suppose it is only
expected from siblings.
At least try to learn from my strong sense of responsibility——
《Answer. It is concluded that they’ve learned this from their
master.》
Conclusion based on what?!
You must have been mistaken.
Speaking of which, has your analysis ability degraded since your
evolution from 「Great Sage」 to 「Wisdom King Raphael」?
《Negative. No such effect is detected.》
And you dare to deny it.
It must have been the case with its evolution.
But I don’t stand a chance trying to argue with it, so I shall be the
bigger man here and let it slide.
Not being able to win against Raphael, I decide to ask Benimaru
how the aftermath was being handled.
「By the way, is Gabil still on the battlefield?」
「Yes. That guy got along quite well with Milim-sama’s subordinate
Midley, so he decided to help with the wrap-up.」

93
 「I see. So Geld is at Clayman’s base, while Gabil remains on the
battlefield.」
I see that Gabil has also stayed to deal with the aftermath.
Whether it is Geld or Gabil, both seem very reliable when tackling
real situations.
The war is not over although the battle is won.
The aftermath is more problematic to deal with. Especially since
we’ve wiped out all of Clayman’s underlings…….
We have profited from the hard labor of the many captives taken
from the battlefield and his base. Since we’ve promised to spare
their lives, we need to take responsibility in taking care of them.
They are all Majins, so unlike humans, they could probably put up
with harsher treatment. But they would still hold a grudge if they
aren’t provided basic welfare.
Resentment due to their defeat in war on the other hand, couldn’t
be helped. But the aftermath would have to be handled by the
victorious side…...
It would be quite tiresome to teleport all of the captives on the
battlefield at once, so we have to be careful not to let any of them
start an insurgency when we are not looking.
These Majins are concerning even when disarmed.
When one considers the magic and skills in this world, it’s no wonder
no one dares to take captives.
We’ve got to come up with a way to prevent insurgency——
「Oh, don’t worry about that. I've gathered all the captives and
explained the matter with all of them.」
「O-okay.」
I found myself subconsciously lowering my head upon seeing
Benimaru’s delightful smile
I intentionally avoided asking what he said to them.
Some captives have probably already seen how Benimaru

94
incinerated Charybdis. No one would dare to rebel so long as the
message is spread.
Besides, there are the Beastketeers. So I’ll leave the matter of
managing captives to the Beastmen.
「I presume then Gabil won’t be back for now?」
「Unlikely. He can’t use 『Dimensional Transportation』, so he
would probably return with the Beastketeers.」
I was just thinking that Gabil’s party would fly back promptly after
everything was settled. Putting that aside for now——
「Eh? Are the Beastketeers coming as well?」
Why would the Beastketeers come?
Are they returning with the rescued civilians, disarmed captives,
and everyone else altogether?
「Please consider this, hasn’t the capital of Yuurazania been wiped
out by Milim-sama? So they decided in the end to join our reign for
the time being.」
Benimaru told me that the Beastmen are an energetic species, so it
won’t be a problem for them to travel long distances by marching.
But that is not what I intended to ask…….
「But can we even accommodate all those people?」
Last time we took in twenty-thousand people it took quite a while
to clear out an area for camping alone. Moreover, both Geld (who is
a highly reliable man) and the orc tribe construction team are on a
business trip. Even if there is additional space in the area we have
explored, it will still be challenging to provide everyone with a place
to reside.
「About that, I’ve discussed with Geld and Alvis. We’ve organized
the captives into several major brigades to seek residence in
different locations.」
Benimaru explains, telling me to not worry.

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 They seem to have filtered the members to shelter. (beastmen)
Those who have a village to return to will take care of themselves.
As for those coming to Tempest Federation, they all seem to be
Beastmen wishing to learn about our technologies.
Beastmen who have stamina remaining will stay at the battlefield,
along with the Majins, to follow the orders of Geld’s troops. Under
their command, they will construct on the ruins of the now wiped
out Yuurazania.
Karion has renounced his title of Demon Lord and become Milim’s
subordinate, meaning Yuurazania has also become Milim’s territory.
There is a field of fertile land south of the Great Jura Forest, in the
middle of Yuurazania. It is likely going to be the construction ground
for Milim’s new city.
Shouldn’t you just move your city altogether if you will have to
rebuild it? I suggested to Milim after the idea sparked in my mind,
and she agreed without hesitation.
And I thought we needed more time to discuss……. Well, it’s Milim
we are talking about after all.
She’s very quick to make such decisions.
Come to think about it, Milim doesn’t have any actual
subordinates.
The Worshipers of Dragons may seem to be her subordinates, but in
reality, they only worship Milim; they are not under her command.
Considering that, moving the capital would be needless.
Still, there’s no problem with it——Karion and Frey don’t seem to
object either, so we can build up new cities without any hindrance,
financed by Clayman’s treasure troves we collected.
In addition, we have the captives (who are getting split into groups
at the moment) to supply the labor force.
There is no need for me to worry since Benimaru and Geld seem to
have personally visited the sites to oversee the operation.
Their growth has been astonishing.

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I recall my junior Tamura who never seemed to be able to follow my
guidance despite repeated instruction——now even monsters are
doing a better job than you!
According to Benimaru, Tempest Federation will be receiving less
people this time around.
「If that’s the case, does it mean we don’t need to provide new
temporary residences for them?」
「Yes, there shouldn't be a need. But there are more than just
Beastmen due to the Majin captives. We’d better clarify this to
everyone else, and just in case I’ll inform everyone to tighten up
security.」
「Alright. I understand, I’ll explain it to everyone.」
Rigurdo nods in response to Benimaru’s words.
These two have become really capable.
They are able to carry out their own decisions even without my
guidance.
Eh? Does that mean they would be fine even without me? That
makes me feel somewhat lonely. :(

◇◇◇

It’s been several days since Benimaru’s party returned. At

midnight, Diablo enters the office holding a dark box.
「Rimuru-sama, I’ve negotiated with them as planned. This box
contains the peace treaty document as well as fifteen-hundred Star
Gold Coins of reparations.」
Diablo finishes his sentence and presents the box to me.
I almost forgot that today is the day we were to sign the peace
treaty with Farmus Kingdom.

97
Since he said that I don’t need to attend it, it wouldn’t matter even if
I did completely forget……. But I’m still feeling somewhat diffident
about it.
It feels as though my subordinate is working hard while I am
slacking.
No, I am definitely not slacking.
Besides, my goal is 「Power to the people while upholding the title
of king」, so it won’t matter.
I try to give myself excuses in order to mask my fear, then I turn
and nod to Diablo.
「Oh, that’s great. Speaking of which, there seem to be more Star
Gold Coins than I imagined.」
After all, our demand of ten thousand Star Gold Coins was
unreasonable in the first place. After some inquiry, I also learnt that
it is still a mystery whether the total Star Gold Coins in circulation in
this world even adds up to ten thousands.
Here’s what their producer, King Gazel has to say: 「The Star Gold
Coin can only be produced once a month. I’ve heard that since the
creation of our nation, there has been some periods when no Star
Gold Coin at all is produced. That’s why its rarity makes for its value.
」 It is rumored that the amount of gold coins circulating is hundreds
of times more than the Star Gold Coins, so it is undoubtedly rare
indeed.
And here before my eyes are fifteen hundred pieces of said rare Star
Gold Coins. I can only be amazed at the thought that more than ten
percent of all the Star Gold Coins in circulation are all gathered here.
「As expected from a powerful nation such as Farmus, they were
actually able to gather so many of them.」
You can have a peek into their national reserve from the enormous
amount of coins they are able to prepare.

98
 「It is certainly impressive, however most of them came from King
Edmalis. He has made up this amount from his own treasury.」
According to Diablo, most of these Star Gold Coins belong to the
royal treasury and have lost their luster without much use. They have
the Dwarven Kingdom to back them up economically by providing a
means to convert the royal treasures with much artistic values to
monetary funds.
「Now that the Knight Order who is supposed to protect the royal
family is gone, it would undoubtedly be robbed clean by the
nobles—— King Edmalis naturally understood as much.」
Is that why he decided to hand over all his assets to clear the
national reserves?
「I see…... Eh, won’t they be fighting each other then as planned?
」
「Yes, that would definitely be the case. I doubt the new king
would accept having the rest of the debts be kept in forms of ledger.
」
Diablo-kun laughs in response.
He has set his eyes on the long run by considering the mind of the
new king. That’s probably why he chose the King’s brother Edward to
inherit the throne instead of prince Edgar.
King Edmalis has also accepted that this is the only solution available
to them now. Normally, Edmalis would receive the treatment of a
Duke, but he has refused it.
He gave away his crown and became a viscount. He has now moved
to the small rural land near the territory of Earl Nedler McMunn.
From everyone else’s viewpoint, Edmalis has completely given up his
ambition for power.
With that being the case——

99
 《Answer. The other factions who don’t wish to take on the
responsibility of repaying the remaining reparations would likely try
to pin the rest of the responsibility on Edmalis.》
Of course. It seems that everything is going according to Diablo’s
plan.
「Youmu must have used Nedler’s territory as his base so you can
travel there with ease as soon as anything occurs.」
「Indeed, just as you have deduced.」
Diablo nods with a smile on his face.
Shion looked pissed listening to our conversation.
No, it’s probably going in one ear and out the other. She must have
given up thinking halfway through our conversation.
Eh, I’ll worry about Shion later.
Hmm hmm.
Nedler's territory directly borders the Great Jura Forest. It is a
middle-scale land near the border with a branch of the Freedom
Association. Riots often break out, owing to the sheer number of
people residing there.
That’s where Youmu is staying. His heroic deeds are known by many,
and as such, he is very popular among the people.
「Would Youmu stop the him even if the new king tries to sacrifice
Edmalis?」
「Yes. We will have Youmu-san accuse the new king for being
dishonest in the deal. There would definitely be a riot by that time.」
Is he trying to create a spontaneous confrontation by having
Youmu protect Edmalis and his acquaintances?
What a perfect plan.
If the new king is willing to pay the rest of the reparations, we
won’t hold them further accountable, but we’d better have our eyes
set on the long run and plan out the slow disintegration of the

100
Farmus Kingdom. However, even I can’t fully fathom Diablo’s
strategy. His skillful manipulation will lead to ideal results.
Change is coming, and soon.
The new king would most likely take actions to eliminate Edmalis.
Our plan would fall apart if the new king managed to take control of
Edmalis. But of course, we can always ignore whatever they bring up,
even if it would be at the cost of our international reputation
Whatever you do needs to be justified—— That’s the rule of
human society.
「You must remain vigilant! Could the people manipulating the
new king minimize the damage to the people?」
「If you wish so, I, Diablo, shall deliver to your expectations.」
You are truly talented.
He is a bit too smart, so much so that it is almost intimidating. But
it seems Diablo can accomplish anything handed to him.
「I’ll leave the rest to you. If the military funds ever run low, you
can always use these Star Gold Coins.」
I store a thousand of the Star Gold Coins in my 「Stomach」 and
hand over the remaining five hundred to Diablo.
Luckily, everyone was revived, so we only need to compensate
them individually. Considering all the reparations, we have to use
them to the fullest even with only a thousand coins claimed. We’ve
gained plenty of treasure from Clayman’s base to fill in a wealthy
treasury. Although city development may cost a lot of money in the
future, we still have enough of a budget to support Youmu.
Based on all this, I gave Diablo the suggestion of supporting him.
However, he turned me down with a smile.
「Rimuru-sama, knowing your heart is there alone is delightful to
me. But there is no such need. Our forces will be sufficient with how

101
everything is set up. Or perhaps you would grant me the honor of
joining the battle——」
「Ah, no can do. I’ll prepare some extra forces, but you have to lay
low yourself.」
I said, cutting Diablo off midway.
I know best how strong Diablo truly is so I won’t be stupid enough
to misuse such power. Unless they encounter enemies at the level of
Holy Knights, his power is simply too excessive (wasteful) to be used
on an average human nation.
Doing so will only alienate the humans due to fear, and thus
achieving mutual understanding will more difficult. We are walking
on thin ice towards my goal of peaceful coexistence with the human
societies.
Other than that, there is no issue with troop deployment.
Right now, no one would dare to go toe-to-toe against us publicly.
Geld’s troops may have been sent to deal with construction work,
but the military might of Benimaru’s troops alone would be more
than enough. Besides, Farmus these days has lost more than half of
its military reserves and would not pose any threat against us.
Knowing that, I just need to prepare some reinforcement troops first.
The money can be invested in building Youmu’s new kingdom in the
future.
「Understood. I shall stay low and completely veil myself behind
the scene.」
Diablo immediately responds upon hearing my explanation.
「Shion, you should learn more from Diablo.」
「But why! I’ve always stayed calm and followed through with
your orders!」
While I often remind her of her shortcomings, Shion seems to lack
self-awareness.

102
 Seriously.
I could only hope that she begins to realize things for herself and
be more composed.
Sigh. There’s still a long way to go before I can send Shion off on a
solo mission.
After the report, Diablo suddenly recalled something and decided
to ask me a question.
「Rimuru-sama, the Western Saints Church is trying to establish
contact with my subordinate Rayhim. They seem to be summoning
him in hope of uncovering the details of our battle against the
Farmus Kingdom……. What’s your view on the matter?」
This Mister Rayhim is the archbishop of Farmus Kingdom.
Right now he seems to have become Diablo’s loyal lackey, but it
would also pose an issue if he ignores his summoning.
「Hmm——It would also be problematic if we just leave things as
is.」
「Indeed, I suggest we send him to do some explaining, just to
investigate what the Church is planning.」
「Right…… There were only three survivors, it is natural that the
church would want to hear his story.」
Of the survivors: previous King of Farmus Edmalis, Head of Court
Mages Larzen, and Archbishop Rayhim, it is obvious they would pick
their own Archbishop for questioning. Or perhaps, Rayhim is their
only candidate.
「It may be a fact that Veldora has indeed been revived, but the
timing does not align with our narrative. The Western Saints Church
seem to be surveilling Veldora all these times, our story may be
exposed if that’s the case…….」
「Is that so…. Then, should we let him tell the truth?」
I begin to ponder.

103
 It may pose a hindrance to our plan depending on how the
Western Saints Church acts. It would be best if we could steer clear
from them, but their hostile doctrine in regard to monsters is truly
troublesome.
I want our relationship to be like that between the Church and the
Kingdom of Dwargon. The two are not on good terms since the
dwarves treat monsters equally, which conflicts with the doctrine of
the church. But they didn’t become become hostile, instead both
simply ignore each other.
We must aim for this relationship as well.
I have no intention to deny such religious doctrines that have existed
over thousands of years, but with that being said, we can’t simply
just accept their demands. Surely when they proclaim 「All monsters
deserve to die」, you can’t just simply comply by saying 「You’re
right」. We must respect and understand each other. War would be
inevitable if one side could not accept the other’s views. For this
reason, it is essential that we compromise and try to stay away from
potential sources of conflict.
Although even with that being said, it will still require their
cooperation. If they don’t have the same idea in mind, it would be
just us trying this out alone.
If the Western Saints Church consider us as the 「Nemesis of God」,
then unfortunately we will have to put up a fight. If things turn out
that way, then it leaves us no choice but the destroy them without
mercy.
But right now——
「Alright, then we’ll try to send out a message first. Didn’t we
acquire some video recording magic items from Clayman? Let’s put
some of my messages in and see how they would react when Rayhim
brings it to probe the reaction of the Saints Church.」
「Understood.」

104
 「Yes sir! I’ll go prepare now.」
Diablo nods as he receives my order while Shion runs off to find the
crystal ball.
Diablo reported to me later that he had sent Rayhim out. A few
more days have passed since then.
Although the man has been sent, there hasn’t been any response
from the Western Saints Church.
There seems to be a commotion on their end.
But it can’t really be helped.
After all, both Veldora was revived and a new Demon Lord was
born——AKA me. They probably won’t be able to decide how to deal
with us so fast.
It won’t matter either if they continue to ignore us.
I’ll put it on hold and observe for now before they reply.

◇◇◇

The Beastketeers arrived. Including the captives, the group

consisting of tens of thousands of people arrived earlier than I
expected.
Beastmen and Majins are indeed impressive. Going by stamina
alone, they are already far superior to humans. Moreover, since
magic is real in this world, they can rely on magic when they run out
of stamina and get back on their feet when their mana is depleted.
Due to this, they are able to march much more efficiently and
quickly. What impressed me more is that even the civilians are able
to apply such a method. As expected from the defiant Beastmen. But
I haven’t yet seen Gabil; he must be somewhere at the rear of all
those troops

105
 My thoughts were interrupted by the greetings of the Beastketeers
Alvis and Sophia. I greet them back only to realize that one of them is
missing.
「Eh? Didn’t Phobio come as well?」
「About that, Phobio stayed back to keep an eye on the Majin
captives.」
Sophia answers.
While Geld was staying at Clayman’s base, he asked Phobio to keep
an eye on the Majins in case of an insurgency. In other words, he’s
been stuck with the chore work.
Phobio-kun, RIP.
But in all honesty, surveillance is still necessary even with
Benimaru’s warning. I appreciate Phobio’s self-sacrifice in taking on
the tasks from the bottom of my heart On another note, the
arrangements for their residence are complete due to Rigurdo’s
leadership.
Additionally, the allocation of work has been prepared as well.
Rigurdo has been talking to the managers of the production
department, namely Kaijin and Kurobei to see how many spots are
available for each department. Those who came here are people
with a passion to learn technology, but sadly we can only accept
limited members. That’s why we would be rotating the position
within these departments for the people joining.
If that’s the case, we should try open up classrooms for cultivating
professional personnel. Perhaps it would be a good idea to build a
school to pass on these techniques.
Our shelter operation slowly unfolds as these ideas cross my mind.
As Alvis’ party enters the town, I see Gabil at the rear of the troops.
「Rimuru-sama, I’m back!」
He exclaims without a hint of fatigue as he descends from the sky.

106
 「Oh, good job out there! I heard you were quite active on the
battlefield.」
「That’s not the case, I was far from being good. Milim-sama’s
subordinate Midley-san blasted me hard with lightning.」
Oh, Benimaru did mention to me that those people are extremely
powerful dragonoids.
「Right, since they worship Milim, it is no wonder that they are
war-mongers as well. Is your recent evolution the reason why you
haven’t been able to achieve your full potential? You still have a long
way to go.」
I’m not sure whether my words are comforting him or not, but I
said them nonetheless. He doesn’t seem quite upset by it. I’m sure
Gabil must also be thinking the same thing.
「Yes! I shall continue to improve to meet Rimuru-sama’s
expectations!」
My reason for believing so is the fact that Gabil responded so with
a smile.
Afterward I took some time to comfort Gabil’s underlings.
Suddenly, Gabil takes out a letter and presents it to me.
「What is this?」
「It’s a letter from Milim-sama. She told me to deliver it to Rimuru-
sama——」
What is this? There seems to be an ominous aura around it.
She did mention she will drop by to play with me after I parted
ways with her at the Walpurgis Banquet…….
As I open the letter, I lay my eyes on the exotic and charming
writings (horribly written non-sensible symbols)——
「This is Milim! Next time I visit to play with you, I’ll bring a couple
of guys who like taking care of me along! I hope you teach them the

107
true meaning of gourmet food. This is my request of a lifetime for my
bestie. Please help me, pleeeeease!」

108
109
 Those are the words written on the letter, though one can tell the
effort she put into it due to the sincerity of her writing.
If anyone likes taking care of Milim, it would be the Worshippers of
Dragon, right?
「What’s this is supposed to mean, have you heard anything about
it?」
「Yes, a little bit. I became quite the close acquaintance with
Hermes-san from the Worshippers of Dragon and was able to get
some inside news from him…….」
According to Gabil, this Hermes seems to be a rather reasonable
man unlike the warmongering Midley. He is a free-spirited fellow
who has even travelled to Dwargon and the Western Nations.
Hermes told Gabil that the Worshippers of Dragons have a very
simple lifestyle.
「That’s why they believe that there is no need to pay too much
attention in moderating Milim-sama’s diet. Perhaps they are like our
tribe who consider food such as raw fish as the best type of
cuisine…….」
Gabil claims so, but I think the two may be different.
The Lizardmen tribe are more suited to consuming raw fish due to
their taste buds. They also utilize methods such as smoking to flavor
the food, so they are not completely ignorant of culinary techniques.
They are also capable of other basic culinary skills and can produce
some simple, non-fish foods. In contrast, the Worshippers of Dragon
seem to lack the common sense of diet moderation. Although they
wouldn’t go as far as eating raw meat, I feel that they only refrain
from it in order to avoid food poisoning.
「........ I see. Are the taste buds of dragonewts the same as
humans’?」

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 「Yes. Thanks to my evolution, I’ve gained a variety of new taste
sensations. Now dining has become a great joy for me considering
how tasteless most food was in the past!」
「Right? That’s how one gets addicted to good food. Tasty food
gives you the urge to eat more.」
Gabil nods dramatically upon hearing and agreeing with my views.
「I see, so that’s how it is! Perhaps Hermes-san meant that he
wishes that such customs would enter their life as well!」
Gabil may have a point.
Whether what we do can be considered as custom is to be
determined, but I have an idea about what Milim’s request is. It is
rather contradictory to worship Milim as a god while ignoring said
god’s will. Why Milim did not complain about these things is beyond
me……
Perhaps Milim is pretty conscientious after all. Maybe she knew that
they are doing everything for her sake out of good will. That’s why
she didn’t complain and kept playing along.
「If that’s the case, we shall treat her to a feast during her next
visit.」
「Yes! What a great idea!」
We must get the point across with subtlety without outright
rejecting the worshippers’ way of life by creating a scenario for them
to realize by themselves how to make Milim happier. This task seems
to be harder than I imagined. Perhaps I should seek others’ opinions
on the matter during a meeting on another day.
I tell Gabil to return to the cave and continue his research.
Nowadays even with Vesta’s aid, there are still too few researchers.
Their work would be even harder without Gabil’s party.
「Then, I shall depart first.」

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 「Right. Our next meeting would discuss rewards as well, you
should join too.」
「Yes sir!」
Gabil looks proud, perhaps having recalled the fact that he has
become an official (executive/lieutenant).
Then he delightfully leaves for his cave.

◇◇◇

It’s been a month since the end of the Walpurgis Banquet.

The town has become more and more active with more people
arriving.
It is at this point that Geld returned using 「Dimensional
Transportation」.
Geld, who I’ve not seen for a long time, looks rather exhausted.
「G-Geld-kun. Good job out there.」
I greet him out of reflex. Geld glances at me and opens up after
taking a deep breath:
「I’ve once again experienced the greatness of Rimuru-sama.」(C:
Sasuga Rimuru Sama!)
「What do you mean by that all of a sudden?」
I couldn’t help but ask after he blurted out those words with a
serious expression. Those tired eyes of his seemed to gleam with a
genuine sense of respect.
I haven’t been doing anything lately, so I don’t quite recall doing
anything worthy of someone else’s respect.
I wonder what he has gone through the past few weeks.
「Ah, it’s really nothing, but here’s the story…….」

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 Geld begins to vividly recount the past events, although most of
them were just filled with complaints about the new recruits. He
allocated the captives into different groups and arranged them into
different regiments. So far, nothing seemed off yet.
But when Geld commanded them to conduct site measurements
and preparations……. That’s when the questions started popping up.
Since the orcs are able to communicate through 「Telepathy Net」
with their tribesman, they can carry out work easily without verbal
communication. However, this method is not applicable to the
groups of Majins newly mixed into the regiments.
Even with verbal explanations, the Majins don’t seem to understand.
But it is fundamentally due to the fact that most of Geld’s
subordinates, including himself as the worst offender, are horrible at
communication. These orcs are more like craftsmen who don’t know
how to explain things in a clear and orderly manner. Having the Orcs
give instructions resulted in a nightmare of low efficiency when the
construction actually started. Everyone was overworked and filled
with anger and resentment at the situation.
Those Majins also seem to be rather uncooperative in regards to
taking orders. Even when Geld’s men gave physical demonstrations
of how to do the work, many of the Majins still refused to comply.
Besides, even those who are willing to work have yet to master the
techniques, leading to disappointing results...
I suppose that’s true.
Things are hardly easier with more people. The surplus of workers
would mean nothing if none of them knew what they were doing.
That’s why professional training is really important.
——Let me demonstrate it for you, let me teach it to you; I will let
you try it and I will compliment you for your effort. Tis how I will
move your heart——
These are words from a great man——Ex-Commander of the
Imperial Japanese Navy Yamamoto Isoroku. I believe every leader

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should keep this quote dear to heart.
The hardship of the education and upbringing of subordinates are all
in this quote. Moreover, one would only feel proud for their work if
they realize the purpose of their work.
Hearing Geld’s complaints brings back memories of my salaryman
days.
Operators who ignored my instructions;
Juniors who tried to hide their failure;
Bosses who tried to push their responsibilities to other people.
My last life was not easy either. Although there were indeed happy
memories, it would take until the end of the time for me to finish
spitting out all my complaints.
Whenever I feel this way, I always——
「Right, let’s go grab a drink! Let’s not leave before getting drunk
today, Geld!」
I said so while patting Geld on the shoulder, inviting him out for a
drink. Drinking and having someone to chat with is the best solution
to this type of situation.
Helping subordinates destress is also part of my duty as a leader, and
improving their mood after they complain is another part of it.
I should definitely spend more time on people like Geld who have a
great sense of responsibility.
We drank for the whole night while Geld showered me with his
complaints.
Early on next morning, I gathered all the lieutenants to have a
meeting. But before that, I went to visit Hakurou. Since I only
reached Hakurou through 「Telepathy Net」 last night, I decided to
give him a personal welcome back first thing in the morning.
「I can’t believe Rimuru-sama would come receive me in person—
—」
He seems very grateful having received such a privilege

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 Hakurou doesn’t seem as tired as Geld.
「Good job out there.」
「You are too kind, I have hardly done anything worthy of such
praise.. There wasn’t really much I could do since all the captives
have already been accounted for. Compared to me, Geld is the one
that truly worked hard. There is no longer a need for me to return
since I’ve transferred all my work to the others last night ……」
「Geld…… He really did work hard. I’ve been drinking with him
ever since I contacted you last night. He seems really troubled. In the
past, he could always put his heart to work without being distracted,
but it seems that commanding the captives has really taken a toll on
him.」
「Indeed. Perhaps he would benefit from from some relaxation
and an open mind, but Geld is simply too serious.」
Hakurou has a point. The easiest way to discipline the Majins, who
all have different interpretation of the situation, is through violent
oppression. Granted, violent oppression would probably not bring
about the best results since the end result is likely the product of
some form of forced compromise.
Geld, as a professional craftsman, probably would not tolerate such
unimpressive results.
「Speaking of which, Rimuru-sama, there is something I wish to
report.」
I’ll leave Geld’s problem to his own concerns—— Perhaps that was
the conclusion Hakurous reached as he opened up to me with
something unrelated.
「What is it?」
「Well, regarding Clayman’s territory of the Puppet State Jistav,
most of the denizens there seem to be slaves. There are no other
races besides Dark Elves residing there. Most of them have roles

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related to the management of the castle, with a total of more than
one thousand of them expressing a desire to serve us. 」
「Hmm, and?」
「About that….... I’ve heard rumors that there was once an elven
kingdom in Jistav——」
The elves……
I recall that Sorcerer’s Dynasty Sarion also seems to consist of
elven descendants. Could it be that the two share a common
ancestry?
The two locations are quite far apart from each other, so that
shouldn’t be the case.
「——I couldn’t believe it when the captives there told me that
they were the gravekeepers of an ancient ruin.」
「Eh?」
The long-lived dark elves are guarding a tomb—— and an ancient
ruin?
「In other words, the ruins of an ancient kingdom are located
there and untouched…….」
This new information is quite surprising.
There are many ancient ruins across the world, and some people
would make a living out of treasure hunting at these locations——
Professional treasure hunters often go on journeys to challenge
these ruins for hidden treasures. However, these expeditions rarely
bring back any good news. Moreover, the amount of ruins that have
been uncovered is fairly low, so it is quite unlikely to discover
treasures immediately.
And right now we have a ruin site unknown to the public.
「Hakurou, keep this information confidential. We’ll make the call
once we check out the site ourselves.」
「Understood.」

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 Hakurou also seems to realize the importance of the matter as he
nods quietly to my response. The reason being that we may be able
to extract Clayman’s treasures from that ruin.
Geld also mentioned that he’s already salvaged all sorts of magic
items and treasure.
However, with that being said…....
For the time being, we need to sit still and observe the situation.
Information disclosed to the public about dark elves is extremely
limited, so no one would bat an eye if we keep our mouths shut.
And after all, it is a Demon Lord’s domain. Average adventurers
wouldn’t dare to step foot in such forbidden lands. It’s no good to
rush things in one go.
For that reason, I decided it was best to approach the matter of the
ancient ruins cautiously.

◇◇◇

Everyone has now gathered at the large meeting room.

Taking the initiative, I open up to speak to commence the meeting.
「Ahem—— Everyone. Some of you may already be aware, but I
am now officially a Demon Lord!」
I announce so while sitting in my special slime chair and taking a
glance around.
「「「Congratulations!」」」
Everyone floods me with their best wishes with smiles on their
faces, even the ones who already knew.
Hmm, hmm, the sensation of overcoming a huge challenge truly is
delightful.
「You’ve finally gained your rightful position after so long!」

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 「Amazing. I’m so moved that you’ve really become a real Demon
Lord.」
「Would this be the start of Rimuru-sama’s reign!?」(C: Overlord
flashbacks)
Rigurdo…. You say you’ve been waiting for so long, yet you and I
haven’t even known each other for more than two years.
How much has this guy overestimated my abilities……..?
Rigurdo seems to be moved to tears unlike Shion who looks very
proud instead.
Even I feel quite moved by it.
And if there is any problem remaining, it would be the reaction
from the Western Saints Church. It would create the most ideal
environment for our nation if this problem could be resolved.
Jovially, I continue with the agenda of the meeting. I have to inform
everyone of the decisions made during the Walpurgis Banquet as
well.
「Right, I haven’t brought this up before, but it’s been decided that
my territory would include the entirety of the Great Jura Forest.
Right now, I’ve been officially titled as the ruler. Any objections? But
anyhow, I don’t think there would be a problem anyways. But we
need to defend ourselves should anyone invade. Moreover, how
should we inform the outside world which territories are my
domain? Is it okay for us to just leave it like this?」
My lieutenants seemed to become increasingly nervous the more I
spoke. Some of their faces even sprouting looks of tension.
Eh? Is something amiss?
「About that…… do you mean the entire forest? Is it true?」
Rigurdo ventures.
「Y-yeah.」
I give the confirmation.

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 「Oi oi, is this for real. Does this include the entire forest including
the banks across the river?」
Benimaru asks, to which my response was 「Probably.」
With regards to the aforementioned river, he must be referring to
the Great River of Amedo.
The other side of the river bank is territory under the control of the
Eastern Empire, so unfortunately we are not very familiar with it.
「Is there a problem?」
「It won’t be a huge problem for us, but I recall that the opposite
bank of the river is not under the administration of the Dryads. And
since only the residents within the Dryads’ territory consider Rimuru-
sama as their leader, the residents opposite to the bank must be
having headaches over the emergence of the new Demon Lord.」
Benimaru answers thoughtfully.
It doesn’t sound that bad. He seems to be implying (with a smirk)
that 「If they dare to protest, we will just annihilate them.」
Hold on a sec this is actually a HUGE problem!
「Ehh, that’s really something. Does this mean that all the Demon
Lords recognize that all of the resources in this forest now belong to
Rimuru-sama? In other words, the collection of resources would all
be under Rimuru-sama’s control. That’s an impressive scale of
operation!」
Kaijin exclaims excitingly, seeming to speak what was on my mind.
That’s exactly the case. Although, I seem to have the nagging
suspicion that things may get out of hand big time.
According to Kaijin, all of our mining operations have been
underground (illegal) and everyone is in on it. The Dryad Overseers
of the forest for the most part kept their eyes closed, rendering the
entire area essentially lawless. It’s a common sight to see people in
and out of Dwargon collect and exploit the forest resources for

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profit.
This has been the norm since there wasn’t a need to ask for
permission from anyone. But from now on, they would need my
permission for entering and residing within the forest……
Right now all the denizens of the forest would need to be granted my
permission to reside.
「Eh? If that’s the case, would there be more people coming as
time moves on?」
「Yes. Since Rimuru-sama has officially become a Demon Lord,
those who aren’t coming to greet you would practically be sending
an open declaration of war.」
Shuna explains with a gentle smile on her face.
It can’t be wrong if even Shuna says so. But upon considering so,
those residents who were previously living a carefree life in the
forest suddenly need to get my permission. It is troublesome no
matter how you put it.
「But, isn’t it too late to bring it up now? They’ve already been
living in——」
Rigurdo and Gabil respond upon hearing my mutterings.
「You shouldn’t put it that way. The Demon Lords possess
immense power. As for Goblins, even the power of a Greater Majin is
already beyond our imagination.」
「Indeed, that’s exactly the case. Although the choice to decide
whether to submit to Demon Lords and live under their protection or
live a carefree life denying their authority is up to each individual,
even us Lizard-men have to choose the former. No one would stand
opposing Demon Lords. Only fools would ignore their presence.
That’s why we normally send our greetings first in order to prevent
antagonizing them.」
As Shuna mentioned before, those who aren’t willing to greet the
Demon Lords would likely be labeled as rebels. It is said that Demon

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Lords will send their subordinates to annihilate said rebels if they
deem their actions severe enough.
Eh, I’m not the type to rain destruction on others over such trivial
matters. But the monsters who haven’t personally met me would
probably not get the same impression…….
「But hey, at least the Lizard-men would be present to send their
regards. I’ve already informed my father of Rimuru-sama’s great
deeds in becoming a Demon Lord!」
Gabil confidently announces.
Eh, when did you decide on that?
「Is Abil-san visiting?」
「Yes! I’ve told Shion-san as well, my dad said he would definitely
come greet Rimuru-sama in person.」
Things seem to be getting wilder.
The Lizardmen are considered a major tribe within the Great Jura
Forest. Such a major tribe’s decision to greet me would inevitably
pressure the weaker ones to greet me as well. Those who know me
would probably be delighted to visit, while those who don’t know me
would most likely shit their pants at the notion alone.
They would probably only be thinking about how screwed they
would be if they offended their new overlord. Perhaps, I should
come up with a way for everyone to conduct the greeting ceremony
in a more relaxed manner to avoid scaring them too much.
But those are just my thoughts …….
I turn to Shion, who for some reason looks quite proud.
Why didn’t she report to me that Gabil’s father is coming? Stop
acting all smug over there.
Shion completely fails to notice my reaction. She is the opposite of
her diligent secretary appearance. This girl is the picture opposite of
reliable.

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 What a shame.
「Huh huh! It is only natural when the one you are greeting is
Rimuru-sama himself!」
Shion spills such nonsense all delighted by herself. I guess I’ll just
ignore her for now.
It is quite comforting however that she seems to be happier when
I’m the one being praised over herself. But telling her so would only
fuel her arrogance, so it would be better to just keep my mouth shut.
To summarize, the news of my ascension to Demon Lord has spread
across the lands and I’ll be having a lot of visitors from all over the
forest soon. Perhaps they all think it is better to be protected under
the Demon Lords than to stand against them.
If that’s the case, a lot of monsters are going to visit this town. We
would be busy attending to them all. And next, we will need to
investigate the Great Jura Forest and reach out to sentient species.
While it won’t be a problem for them if they acknowledge my
authority as the ruler of the region, that doesn’t mean we don’t have
other things to worry about as well.
But regardless, we would be busy no matter what, so we should——
「I’m thinking, aren’t we going to inform the outside world about
the news of my ascension to Demon Lord anyways?? If that’s the
case, how about we take advantage of it and use the news to
advertise our town? Rather than having everyone visiting one at a
time, it would be much more convenient to invite them here
altogether at once.」
「.......What do you mean?」
Rigurdo looks at me with doubts. So I decide to explain the idea
that I just decided on in layman’s terms.
We don’t have to make the matter too complicated.
This town is the capital of the Tempest Federation, and more and
more monsters in the Great Jura Forest are becoming aware of this

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place. For instance, the Kobold Merchants led by Kobe. I think it’s
about time to expand our population given how some have
expressed their interest in joining.
The Beastmen currently studying technology in the town would
eventually leave our country one day, so we have to find new
members to fill in the void. Furthermore, we have to improve the
efficiency of skill training to make individual training sessions more
worthwhile. We’ve also improved the efficiency of our food
production, so welcoming new citizens shouldn’t pose an issue.
However, the main issue here is that our labor force is lacking.
My head floods with countless potential ideas.
But there just aren’t enough people at hand; that’s an issue. We
must seize this opportunity to promote the town and encourage
people to come and live here.
When people come to visit me, we should also use that moment to
show them around town. Some monsters may even consider
migrating.
Killing two birds with one stone, actually, not only two——
「Besides, we’ve been very stressed as of late, so shouldn’t we
take a break once in a while? That’s why I propose we should hold a
festival as well!」
We can decide on the date of the festival later.
We will welcome the visitors during the time when the whole town
is celebrating.
And since Milim has already requested me to do so, we will have to
pull off a huge festival.
By restricting the festival to a certain time frame, we can limit the
visitors to one specific time period and avoid having them
sporadically visit us.

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 We can use our vacation time to simultaneously advertise the
town.
In other words, taking care of everything in one go.
「A festival…….」
「Amazing, that’s a wonderful idea!」
「Let’s do it! We will make it a grand festival!」
Everyone’s eyes are lit up after hearing my explanation. It seems
that fighting spirits are burning high in everyone’s heart.
Since we’ve held feasts every couple of months, we have much
experience with festivals and celebrations. And as it turns out,
everyone’s getting better and better at holding festivals, with each
festival grander than the one before. It would be great if for this
festival we could have everyone contribute.
「We are announcing my presence to the world anyway, so we
should make it worthwhile!」
「「「Yes sir!」」」
No one objects.
What do you mean by budget? Pfft, why should I care about
budget at this point.
Rigurdo can figure that one out. Right now our treasury is loaded,
so being extravagant once in a while won’t hurt.
Thanks to my words of encouragement, we got everything to
progress rather quickly. We were able to quickly conclude the
meeting and by the time I got back, even the plans for the invitations
to national leaders were already sorted out.
Isn’t now a bit too early to send out invitations?
I suppose it’s fine to invite monsters, but is it really ok to invite
leaders of human nations too? Though I guess we do have hot
springs, as well as hotels for guest reception. There are even
guesthouses to satisfy the needs of royals and nobles.

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In fact, even prominent figures such as Duke Elalude and King Gazel
are are extremely satisfied with the service Haruna and the others
provide.
Hmm, there shouldn’t be any problem.
We could shift the dates of visits of the heads of states away from
the main event and change the venues. As long as we keep the
security intact, it would be a great opportunity for the leaders of the
world to learn about us.
Their master—— well, that would be me—— a proper Demon Lord.
I can very well relate to everyone’s sentiments of wanting to
celebrate. I was originally a Japanese man who loved festivals as
well. And if I’m getting serious this time, I shall show them the true
meaning of a festival. Moreover, I’ll show the world that I am a not a
bad Demon Lord.
And with that, the huge Tempest festival will soon be underway.

◇◇◇

My report ends with the details of the festival pending future

discussion.
Next, I listen to everyone’s report of their recent activities.
I have a rough idea of what they’ve been up to, but not everyone
knows what the other lieutenants are working on. I might even be
able to glean some new information from the discussion. Especially
Diablo, I simply cannot fathom his train of thought. Should I call him
lacking in common sense, or…….
The things he deem trival always turn out to be important news to
me. This discrepancy in judgement continues day after day.
There are many times that I alone won’t be able to make the best
call. For this reason, it is important for everyone to share their
thoughts with each other during regular meetings such as these.

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From Rigurdo’s report, merchants who have traded with us once are
likely to return for more.. Fuze has spread the news about the safety
of our town to more people and, as a result, this town has seen more
visitors than ever before..
There hasn’t been too much of a reaction from all the other nations.
While they all seem cautious of the fact that I’ve become a Ddemon
Lord, they are mostly just observing the diplomatic relations
between us and the kingdoms of Blumund and Dwargon. With how
things have progressed, the Emperor (Empress) Elmesia Erlu Sarion
has decided to reach out and form diplomatic relations with Tempest
Federation. She seems to be implying 「Get the roads done fast」 to
us. But it also carries the confirmation that they are willing to
provide us their powerful backing as support.
Their declaration seems to have been broadcasted with magic to the
heads of other nations as well, which apparently has given many of
them headaches. I seem to have heard of something similar when I
was discussing it with Fuze and King Gazel.
「Haha, amazing! It seems that everyone has kept their word and
is in turn pressuring the other nations around the world!」
Rigurdo delightfully concludes his report.
After Rigurdo, it is Souei’s turn to speak.
Given that much of the investigation work has been handed to Souei,
the content of his report must be quite enlightening. Souei even has
had his hand in the preparation of the road construction to
Sorcerers’ Dynasty Sarion. He didn’t help with the construction, of
course. Instead, I told him to do some reconnaissance.
I’ll determine the specific route of the road later.So I basically had
Souei investigate things such as whether or not there are monster
tribes nearby that would interfere with the construction. We’ve
conducted similar investigations during the construction of roads
between Dwargon and Brumund, which is why it is so important. We
can’t overlook such things; otherwise, there may be potential

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conflicts in the future.
While most monsters in our sphere of influence so far have been
cooperative, some may express opposition when they are forced to
move due the construction of the road.
Nowadays, since I’ve become a Demon Lord, any monster with just
half a brain wouldn’t want to stand against me. But that doesn’t
mean I can just do whatever I want, which I will keep in mind.
I do want to prevent violent suppression, but that’s low hanging
fruit. My end goal is coexistence between men and monsters and to
achieve racial equality at birth.
Hopefully this time we won’t have any issues.
I’ve already asked so much from the monsters within my domain.
We gave shelter for people who came to us in order to prevent
unnecessary—— Oh yeah, we have to tell the residents who live in
the path of the new road to move. I want to avoid unnecessary
conflict, and it will be best for me to have them come negotiate with
us nicely.
It won’t matter even if there are tribes on the planned construction
route, I’ll just prepare some decent lodgings for them to move into. I
hope to make such locations into the likes of travelling waypoints
with many hotels to service both humans and monsters alike. There
may be some issues along the way, but at the end of the day, life will
be more prosperous.
Just like last time, and the time before that, I hope this one would go
smoothly as well…….
Such thoughts wandered in my head while I waited for Souei’s
report.
「There weren’t any hostile monsters spotted on the planned
construction route or the neighbouring areas. They all approved of
Rimuru-sama’s plan as soon as I explained it.」
Oh oh, that’s wonderful.

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 Our goal isn’t to drive them away from their homes, so we are very
fortunate to have their understanding.
「Is that so? Great then. Since Geld is available now, I’ll have him
do the measurements as well as handling some other issues.」
The investigative work is concluded since we finished the
exploration of the construction site. After some security checks to
ensure safety, we can send in the technical crew to do the work.
「Another moment if you may, there is still one more issue. Since
the Great Jura Forest is now under Rimuru-sama’s control, it will
include the Coscia Mountains near the border zone. It is an area with
dangerous rapids and steep hills, and, in addition, the hidden village
of the Tengu tribes resides at the mountain top. This is a secret
gleaned from the local residents that cannot be overlooked.」
On the southwest side of the capital of Tempest Federation,
Rimuru, there is a mountainous region connected to Sith Lake. The
region is named the Coscia Mountains, where the orcs have also
moved to.
It is said that the city of Demon Lord Frey is located on land
extending from the Southern Coscia Mountains.
It is a beautiful mountain range filled with steep peaks overlooking
the clouds. But it is an extremely mysterious land that would pose
quite the ordeal to anyone wishing to visit. According to the
construction plan this time, the roads we are building would extend
all the way to inside the territory of Sarion. There seems to be some
middlingly-sized cities in the mountains’ vale, and they would likely
be the destination of our construction.
It seems that we aren’t involved with the Coscia Mountains
directly, so what is Souei worrying about?
「What do you mean that we cannot overlook it?」
「The Tengu tribe may seem to be a peaceful bunch, but they are
actually innately aggressive fighters. Even Demon Lord Frey has

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avoided directly confronting them, so it would be best if we inform
them too before proceeding——」
According to Souei’s report, the Coscia Mountains are strictly
outside of the Great Jura Forest and hence outside my field of
administration. It is an independent land that isn’t included in Frey’s
territory either.
Even though I may proceed without informing the Tengus, given my
authority as a Demon Lord, it is best if we are to explain the situation
and prevent potential conflicts in the future.
Otherwise, they may suspect that the road is some devious act by an
ambitious Demon Lord aiming to expand.
Souei seems almost apologetic reporting this to me; however, it is
a marked improvement in my book. The fact that he didn’t act
recklessly on his own reach out to the Tengu is commendable. How
cautious indeed Souei is in his acts, his report of the situation now
would contribute a lot.
「Very well, then I shall——」
「Please hold on. If that’s the case, I shall visit there.」
I was just about to propose to talk to the Tengu tribe myself when
Benimaru interrupted me.
He claims that a Demon Lord just strolling by without any proper
announcements would raise some red flags. I immediately come to
that same conclusion thanks to him pointing it out, so I decide to
leave that matter in Benimaru’s hands.
「Nii sama, you’ve been quite close to Alvis-san lately, are you
trying to sneak on a date with her?」
What? Benimaru’s been hitting on Alvis?
「What’s this all about, Benimaru-kun~?」
If what she said is true, this would be quite the shocking
development.

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 「That’s just a misunderstanding, Rimuru-sama. Shuna, please
don’t spread such rumors.」
Benimaru calmly denies Shuna’s words.
He doesn’t seem to be lying given his frank attitude…...
But given his handsome looks, there’s no doubt he is popular
amongst the ladies.
「Please be rest assured, Rimuru-sama. It won’t matter if
Benimaru is gone, Rimuru-sama still has me after all!」
「Huh? What nonsense are you talking about?」
「Hehe, have you been seduced by Alvis into trying to leave this
country behind? Gone with the wind have you!」
「I mean, Shion, seriously. What has gone through your brain to
have twisted your understanding of the situation like that?」
Shion begins to say some bizzare things only to have provoked
Benimaru’s retorts.
No way. although I’m a bit jealous not having a girlfriend and all, I
don’t think Benimaru would run and leave us behind.
Shion’s delusions are truly baffling.
「Oi, Shion, that’s just impossible.」
「Right, Shion. Rimuru-sama, you believe me, right!?」
「You are my trusted right hand man, there is no way I will doubt
you.」
I may have said so given how long he has followed me, but I’ve not
once doubted Benimaru or feared his betrayal. But he is probably
getting a girlfriend soon like Tamura.
We’ll see about that then.
I get the feeling that this whole conversation is quite silly, so I
should just hand the real work to Benimaru.

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 「Right. If we continue discussing this Shion will get the wrong idea
and act like an idiot again, so this task will be handled by Benimaru!
」
「Yes sir, understood!」
Benimaru nods with a tired expression and accepts the mission.
Good grief.
But honestly, Benimaru is the most suitable candidate to be sent in
my place. His position is just under mine and is high enough to not
invite scorn. I didn’t expect there to be such a hidden village near our
border with Sarion, so it would be best to inform them from a long-
term perspective.
Benimaru would probably do a better job at it than me.
I think so while concluding the issue.

◇◇◇

The only report I haven’t heard is——

「Souei, has there been any significant change in the ecology of
the neighbouring monsters?」
I ask about the movement of the monsters around the town and
the roads.
Magicule concentration is rather high in this area due to many
large individual magicule counts.
Areas of high magicule concentration would result in the
spontaneous genesis of Monsters and naturally, the birth rate of
harmful monsters would also increase. Even monsters below Rank D
can be harmful to humans, which is why we have to stay alert and
eliminate them.
If dangerous monsters above Rank B suddenly appear, then all the

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more reason to eliminate them faster.It is due to such circumstances
that security work is necessary for everyday life.
The head of the security department Rigur needs to deal with that
area of things. His subordinates are all veterans, and even if they
were replaced by new recruits, it would only take a few weeks for
them to be trained and deliver decent results. Police patrol every
street to ensure the safety of human caravans.The security has been
made watertight and everything seems fine as of the moment. But
they have not explored the entire forest, leaving the possibility of
stronger monsters to exist somewhere in there.
But Souei did tell me 「Don’t worry about it」.......
What does that mean?
Does it mean we can coexist with those monsters?
As long as those monsters don’t harm us and the travelers, they
shouldn’t pose a problem. There is no need to eliminate them if they
possess intelligence and can be negotiated with.
With that being said, just like the Armored Spider (Knight Spider)
that Gobta encountered before, there is no guarantee whether such
Rank A local monster lords would appear or not. This is why I’m very
concerned about the security of areas far away from towns and
streets. Locations where we have limited control are the breeding
grounds for dangerous monsters. But we should have information
about such locations since Souei has sent out his [Clones].
Let’s hear about the reports then.
「There is no big trouble. If anything, there were some White Fang
Bears29 roaming in the North-west of the forest. I’ve already dealt
with them.」
Souei casually adds.
Hmm, there doesn’t seem to be an issue.
《Warning. White Fang Bear is equal to a Knight Spider, with both
being Rank A.》

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 What!
「Oi, that monster you mentioned, isn’t that a high-rank monster
that any normal adventure would have difficulty fighting?」
His nonchalant attitude makes me panic a little.
There is no way for merchants to safely travel when such dangerous
monsters are roaming the area. Moreover, it would also put the
security force led by Gobta in danger as well.
「Eh? Souei-san, is this true? It would be quite dangerous to send
our new recruit out when those types of monsters exist.」
「That shouldn’t be an issue. Aren’t you spoiling them too much?
」
「Hold on a second! While those monsters may not be much for
Souei-san, they are no easy foes for us.」
Naturally, Gobta starts to complain.
Yet Souei still looks quite apathetic——
「Then why don’t you just go ask for Hakurou’s help and have him
train you harder?」
He replies with such scary words looking all serious.
Hakurou nods in agreement. Poor Gobta.
Although I’m more interested in Gobta’s reaction as he doesn’t
seem to fear the White Fang Bear itself.
Gobta has indeed undergone significant magicule growth. He is
now a Rank B veteran. With that being said, he still has a long way to
go before reaching Rank A.
Wisdom King Raphael-san, did you misjudg Gobta’s ability?
《Answer. His power after 「Assimilation」 with a Star Wolf
would increase. However, the change in power cannot be accurately
measured.》
Oh oh, I see.

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 His power should increase to around Rank A- after 「Assimilation
」 with a Star Wolf. Gobta is the captain of the Goblin Riders after
all, so it’s no wonder he doesn’t take monsters like the White Fang
Bear seriously.
Speaking of which, I’ve heard rumors of Gobta taking an attack head
on from one of Clayman’s generals. His experience training with
Hakurou has made him stronger. I almost got deceived by his
unchanged appearance; could it be that Gobta is actually very
strong?
Feeling reassured by Gobta’s growth, I decide to move on to the
next order of business and mediate the discussion.
「Calm down everyone. Gobta has a point too. Although you
yourself may be able to handle it without a sweat, don’t expect
everyone to be like you, Souei.」
I interject. It would be bad to spread the idea that everyone has to
rely on their own power to resolve problems. verage people will find
it difficult to keep up when comparing their strength to the more
powerful individuals which in turn would lead to reduced
productivity. Forcing them to shoulder all that responsibility may
discourage them and in turn cause negative effects
I raised several specific examples regarding that point to explain it
to everyone.
「——My sincerest apologies, I was being inconsiderate.」
Souei apologizes upon listening to my explanation.
Everyone is different. Although Souei’s subordinates are strong
enough to meet his high expectations, not everyone else has the
ability to meet those demands.. Hopefully he will keep that in mind.
Not only Souei, it should also be the same case for Benimaru and
Hakurou. I hope they will train our companions properly with an
open mind.
In that regard, both Geld and Gabil are very considerate of their

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subordinates, so I don’t have to worry too much about them. I hope
Souei can improve his relationship with his subordinates by learning
from those two.
But I have something more to say.
「However, training for Gobta and his men is a good thing as well.
They can learn to keep their cool when facing unexpected
emergency!」
I add.
Hakurou grins at my remark while Gobta hangs his head dejectedly.
The extent of growth that everyone can achieve may all be
different, so it is always good to have more training. It’s just like
reading books! You might acquire knowledge that will eventually
become useful one day.
That’s why I can only request Gobta to work harder in the future.
Well anyways, it’s time to cut to the chase.
The issue surrounding the birth of monsters.
My worries weren’t unfounded as the forest really did spawn some
dangerous monsters.
I shouldn’t worry too much about the security force as they’ve all
prepared healing potions just in case, and with how fast the Star
Wolves can travel, they shouldn’t have a problem escaping from such
situations.
However, that same logic cannot be applied to the visitors to our
nation.
「With the high magicule concentration within our forest, it’s no
wonder that abnormal monsters will be born. We have to draft a
plan to deal with this before we end up with any casualties.」
While strengthening our security net is one way to do it, it won’t fix
the issue in the long run,. Maintaining such a large scale operation
would only increase our burden. The place where monsters gather
would naturally have an increased magicule concentration, if we

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can’t get rid of the root cause, we will always have to remain on
guard.
Then, what should we do……
As I was worrying about this, an unexpected proposal comes along
to save the day.
「If that’s the case, how about we apply an anti-monster barrier to
the street?」
Vesta suggests.
Kaijin also stands up to speak, almost as if saying 「I’ve just been
waiting for that line.」
「Master, I’ve already built the device——A prototype of a fully
automatic magic motor that can activate the barrier.」
Kaijin finishes his words with a confident smile.

◇◇◇

I am aware that Kaijin has been developing things behind my back,

but did he just mention a fully automatic magic motor?
It is said to be an epoch-making magic machine that can
automatically maintain the magic detected within. It is like an
advanced version of a magic item that has specific magic imbued
within it, however, the capacity and efficiency of this version is
completely on a different level.
They seem to be quite troubled for not being of much help during
the previous incident involving a barrier (Farmus Invasion). That is
why Kaijin and Vesta apparently led the initiative in researching
these technologies.
Aren’t you two too overpowered? (in brain power) To come up
with a prototype in such short amount of time, could they be actual
geniuses?

136
 That was my initial impression, but it turns out that I may have
been overthinking things.
Gabil also participated in the development during his spare time.
They also borrowed help from Kurobee, who is not present now, and
even Shuna had contributed to it. It is the grand result backed by all
of our magic technologies.
It is quite moving.
Kaijin seems to have adapted a life of grinding research 24/7 after
having handed over his job in blacksmithing to Kurobee. But since he
is the head of the manufacturing department in Tempest Federation,
there is no way that he would drown himself in research……
Kaijin explains the mechanism to me in detail.
The automatic magic motor seems to have been set to collect spare
magicules floating in the air. And to be honest, this area possesses a
high concentration of magicules. He came up with such a contraption
knowing that it didn’t make sense to leave these spare magicules
unused.
The 「Barrier of Aerial Magic Silence」 from that time also
cleansed the magicules within it.
Let’s see by examining some examples around us—— like these
monsters for instance.
The Monsters will absorb (breathe in) the surrounding magicules in
the atmosphere and produce 「Magic Crystal」. Kaijin and the rest
seemed to have taken some inspiration from this and set about
researching the principles behind these examples.
In addition, as previously emphasized, this kingdom constitutes of a
very high concentration of magicules. Even though everyone believes
that they are suppressing themselves, part of their Youki (demonic
aura) is still leaking out into the atmosphere in large quantities. If
you consider an average cave where a horde of Rank B+ monsters
reside, the magicule concentration of that location would be very

137
high indeed. By that logic,, the magicule concentration would most
definitely be abnormally high in this kingdom.
So what should we do to face this challenge? It appears that Kaijin
and the others have also been troubled by this problem for some
time.
「Can we apply an anti-monster barrier with this automatic magic
motor?」
「Of course. And there is more benefits to it than just that!」
Vesta adds confidently.
He and Kaijin looks at eachother and laugh. The two seem to be
getting along really well, making their quarrel in the past almost
dream-like. Ah, let’s put that aside for now and hear their
explanation.
「But isn’t anti-monster barrier used to prevent a monster
invasion? What benefits are there besides that?」
「Hehehe, don’t get scared when you hear it, master! This
automatic magic motor is equipped with a device to collect
magicules. We can lower the magicule concentration in the
atmosphere by effectively using this feature!」
Are you serious! I almost gasped at his answer.
Now we have found a solution to our pressing problem!
「Indeed, Rimuru-sama. But, there is one problem with this device.
If the concentration of magicules is not high enough, the low
efficiency would render the device useless.」
「But, master, will this really be a problem in this town?」
After hearing the end of Vesta and Kaijin’s explanation, I nod to
them in response.
Such concern is completely unnecessary since we are after all,
worrying about magicule concentration being too high at the
moment.

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 「Does the device activate and maintain the barrier automatically
as long as it is collecting magicules in the air?」
「Not exactly, though it can be used like that too. The magic would
disappear if the magicules that it uses as fuel run out. That’s why we
made it so that you can replenish it with fuel directly.」
Here is Kaijin’s explanation: There is no need to worry about
magicule depletion for the device near the vicinity of Tempest
Federation, but the closer it is to the Western Nations, the less
concentrated magicule is. It will be an issue if the barrier deactivates
without notice. That’s why their design uses replenishable fuel to run
the motor. Its fuel comes from the crystallization of magicule in the
atmosphere——the so called 「Magic Crystal」.
Normally, we wouldn’t consider using 「Magic Crystal」 as fuel
directly due to its low efficiency. Unlike the 「Magic Stone」 crafted
by the Freedom Association with unique technology, 「Magic Crystal
」 is very unstable. If directly converted to mana, ninety percent of
its content would dissipate and be wasted.
That’s why people would prefer 「Magic Stone」 as fuel……
However, we had 「Great Sage」 who was able to find the most
effective spell from 「Engraving Magic」. As long as the energy
output is greater than energy input of the fuel, it won’t matter even
if it isn’t Magic Stone. We were able to benefit greatly before by
researching such technology since we didn’t have the fund to
purchase the expansive Magic Stones.
We can still activate the magic barrier even when the energy loss is
pushed to the maximum, good enough performance can be achieved
with a mere ten percent of its input power. The lost magicule would
not disappear completely either, but dissipate to the atmosphere.
And of course, that is also recyclable.
From this, we can see that it will be no fantasy to allow machines
to function perpetually with high enough concentration of magicule.

139
We have even come up with another way to use it. For instance, we
can produce 「Magic Crystal」 in large quantity and deliver them to
be processed into 「Magic Stone」 at Freedom Association. In this
way, we will have a much more effective use of the material.
With that being said, the most important thing here——is that the
motor will be able to lower the concentration of magicule in the
atmosphere. With the magicule concentration lowered, the rate of
monster or demon spawns will also decrease.
What a truly extraordinary invention.
It will become an indispensable contraption that will make up for
the nature of our kingdom.
「We in fact also have discovered the method to extract Magic
Stone from the energy source. But, we will still require special
devices for such extraction. It is quite challenging to do so with our
available devices, but we are still trying to figure out a way to directly
use 『Magic Crystal』.」
Kaijin makes such confident claim.
He has found ways to collect magicule from the atmosphere and
crystallize it into 「Magic Crystal」. And so the next step of his
research became finding out the principle behind the production of
「Magic Process」.
The large quantity of Magic Stones I purchased from Ingracia
Kingdom apparently proved to be useful, yet the conclusion of his
research was that there are still difficulties in producing them by
ourselves.
I suppose that would be the case. I seem to recall hearing about
the need of a factory installed with large-scale devices required to
process and produce Magic Stones. In fact, the production of them
seem to be extremely difficult. Even though we may know the
method, putting it to practice is not going to be easy.
Don’t worry, we don’t have to be worry ourselves over it.

140
 Since we can also just directly utilize 「Magic Crystal」, we don’t
have to address the said issue so urgently.
On the other hand, the use of 「Magic Crystal」 as a fuel seems
surprisingly simple.
The stones would use their magicule (mana) to cast the spells of 「
Engraving Magic」 to form magic circles.
「Moreover, this motor device can produce more than just a
barrier!」
Vesta shouts excitedly.
How surprisingly, there may be a limit to how much magic it can
use, yet it can cast more than just a barrier alone.
They have carved the magic spells into a magic disc made of magic
steel.
It is said that by switch these magic discs, it will execute different
kinds of magic effects.
For example, it is like a record disc. The automatic magic motor is the
equivalent of a music player. They consume 「Magic Crystal」
instead of batteries.
Although I told them about media such as record disc and such, I
didn’t expect them to craft such magic items by stretching their
creativity.
It may develop in the future to become smaller version of the device
similar to the size of a CD player and may even be carried around as
an equipment, or perhaps upsize and use it to cast tactical magic?
Ahhh, so many possibilities.
As for the current size of the automatic magic motor, it is a
cuboidal device with length of one meter. It has a thickness of
around fifty centimeters and can take up quite the space.
Transportation of the device will not be easy due to its heavy weight.
With that being said, if we can replace the loaded 「Magic Crystal」
directly, we will not need to move the device itself.

141
Vesta plans to place them alongside the stone tablets on the streets
in order to activate for the anti-monster barriers.
By documenting the expiration of the fuel, we can maintain the
barrier by recharging them during the patrolling hour of the day.
They also mention that there is no need to recharge if the magicule
concentration is high enough. So in reality, we only need to send
patrol to examine whether there is any issue with the barrier.
They’ve really thought about everything.
It is indeed a convenient magical device with versatility.
With one device installed every ten kilometers, we can ensure the
complete safety of the neighbouring area. And we will also build an
outpost every twenty kilometers so that patrolling will be less
troublesome.
「Right, about the spell engraving of that barrier——」
「Hehehe, Dord would handle that. The mass production of the
motor will be handled by Kurobee-san, we are just waiting for master
to approve.」
「The people being trained by me have also grown quite a lot, and
so we are not giving them lectures as frequently as before. Right now
I am free of duty, so please entrust this mission to me!」
Vesta must also want to confirm the initiation process of the
project besides the researching.
His eyes are glowing with expectations.
Once the motors are successfully installed, the problem with
magicule concentration will also be swiftly resolved. Moreover, the
safety of the streets will also increase exponentially.
I need to quickly approve this and launch plans to the install the
motors on the streets.
「Alright, Vesta, let’s get to work starting tomorrow!」
「Yes sir, leave it to me!」
Vesta agrees with a joyful smile.

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 What a capable guy.
As for the installation of the motors, he has decided to give the
work to the orc engineers. The heavy weights of these devices to the
humans only pose a minor burden to monsters. Their difference in
efficiency is night and day. In comparison, adjusting the range of the
barriers for them to cover the streets is actually the hardest work—
—Vesta says so while laughing.
However, the harmonious atmosphere is completely ruined in the
next instant.
「GA——HAHAHA! When that thing is installed, I can release my
aura however I wish!」
As such, it is Veldora who announced these words without shame.
「It may be true——Idiot! If you do that, won’t half of the people
in this country die!」
I rebuke back with my genuine thoughts after hearing his shocking
declaration .
Even Vesta’s smile faded as his face turned pale.
「That’s not a good idea indeed. We may still hold up, but it won’t
be the same for the citizens in the town.」
「Veldora-sama’s immense natural power would inevitably cause
damage even if the situation changes.」
Even Benimaru and Shuna’s expressions changed after hearing
Veldora’s words.
Which is only natural.
Most people were not even able to approach him due to the
magicule leakage when he was still sealed. Corpses would probably
pile up in this nation if Veldora releases his aura without a care.
「No, but…… I’m already tired holding in my aura all this time…….
」
「Then endure more.」

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 Veldora begins to find excuses, which I straight up denied.
「......By the way, Rimuru, how are you fine about it (holding back
aura)?」
Ah? That’s without question.
「Me? I have stored everything in my 『Stomach』.」
A long time ago, after being inspired by Rigurdo, I put all my
suppressed aura into my 「Stomach」. Nowadays I have reached a
state of perfection with its usage and is able to store the aura
without any leakage at all.
After my evolution to a Demon Lord, my magicule storage greatly
increased, while my 「Predator」 also evolved to 「Gluttony King
Beelzebub」, the capacity of my 「Stomach」 also increased
beyond measurement.
That is why I don’t have such a need for unleashing my aura.
「But Rimuru-sama, it is extremely difficult for someone like
Veldora-sama to completely suppress his aura. Even Benimaru-sama
and the others have some of their aura leaking out.」
Said Diablo.
「Very nice, Diablo. You know your stuff. Talk more to Rimuru now
and tell him that I’ve been working very hard!」
Veldora adds on happily while nodding. And so Diablo begins to
explain things to me.
Apparently demon race is extremely skillful at controlling their aura
and magic, that’s why they are able to contain their aura perfectly.
Assessed by the master of aura suppression Diablo, Veldora’s act is
of a perfect score.
Veldora indeed possesses extraordinary immense amount of
magicule, so maintaining a state with his aura suppressed must be
exhausting.
「Is that really the case, Veldora?」

144
 「Hmm! I’ve been suppressing my aura ever since you taught me
the method. I figure it is about time for me to find and place and
release it for good.」
This problem does seem quite severe from the sound of it.
Veldora still seems to be able to suppress his aura, but it will
probably lead to grave consequences if I don’t deal with it. Wherever
he finds to release his aura would probably turn its surrounding to a
land of death. He may even cause a bunch of dangerous monsters to
be spawned. It may even give birth to monsters at the same level as
Charybdis.
If a real Disaster level threat is spawned, even if harmless, will still be
treated as a dangerous creature by other nations.
「I understand. I’ll come up with a way somehow, just endure a
little longer.」
「Alright. I can still manage for now, but you gotta find a way as
soon as possible!」
All in all, I’ll have Veldora endure for a while. I’ll think of an idea
during this time.
Speaking of this——
Now that the problem with magicule concentration is resolved, I
didn’t expect to encounter a bigger task like this……
Life can’t be smooth-sailing all the time.
I sigh in secret as these thoughts go by my mind.

◇◇◇

With the conclusion of Souei’s report, the rest of the executives

state their reports as well. There doesn’t seem to be any major issue,
and just as when I was about to end the meeting——
「Could I say something, Rimuru-sama?」

145
 Geld raised his hand and spoke up.
He seemed quite troubled from just now, perhaps it has to do with
what he wants to say.
「What is it, Geld? Speak your mind up. Could it be that you
encountered any trouble?」
I didn’t think there would be any huge problem considering how he
looked last night.
Geld’s worries probably have to do with the treatment of the
captives.
But if possible, I wish to offer my help.
「I wish to inform my tribesman that Rimuru-sama has become
Demon Lord. I want to go patrol the villages that I haven’t visited in a
while and practice 『Dimensional Transportation』 by the way. Is it
okay? I’ve received message that my tribesmen have settled down,
some of them may even want to follow Rimuru-sama.」
Geld opened up after my urges.
Now that he brought it up, he’s been busy with the road
construction and hasn’t had the time to visit all the orc villages. I had
also caught news that their diet has been improved among other
things, but I laid it off my mind afterward.
That is why I approved his proposal.
However——
「Geld, if anyone wish to follow me, bring them for a tour of the
town first.」
「——Why is that the case?」
「Hmm. I can understand that your eagerness to recruit them into
your team, but I think some training for them before that is
necessary.」
But this is merely an excuse.

146
 Geld can contact his tribesmen through 「Telepathy Net」 and
quickly mobilize them to form a team. It is an undeniable advantage
and one of Geld’s outstanding skill.
「But, I can immediately…….Right now the construction projects at
my hand have been arranged full. I need to construct roads to
different nations as well as building resident castle for Demon Lord
Milim-sama, I’ll need the most efficient labour force to be my
manpower——」
Geld is implying that a lot more labour are required for the future,
and so he needs to quickly gather some tribesmen here. Yet I am still
not willing to green-light it.
「No way. If you want labour, aren’t there captives available? Go
instruct them and give them a good training.」
「But……」
「Geld, I understand your feeling. I won’t deny that it is only
natural for us to pursue efficiency. But, I hope you can have more
long-term foresights.」
「Long-term…….foresights?」
「That’s right. 『Telepathy Net』 is indeed convenient. It is
practical and can reduce lapses. But, what about the captives if you
only give preferential treatments to your own kin that you can reach
out to? Did you plan to give these captives simple chores that
anyone can do?」
「That, that is…….」
Geld seems to come to some revelation having been advised by
me.
We indeed require labour force in the future, but while we still
have time and energy now, we should also train those captives.
Personnel training can only be successfully carried out given
sufficient time.

147
Moreover, if Geld only treats his own tribesmen well today, it may
lead to unnecessary hierarchy of treatment in the future. I will not
permit such a thing to happen when my goal is to build a paradise for
different species to coexist.
That is why we are at a crucial moment now.
「Besides, Geld. You are also an outstanding commander. Should
you be able to control those mixed bunch of Majins today, you will
no doubt further develop your leadership skill.」
「——OHH!」
「Even though there are a series of projects lining up behind you,
don’t be nervous about them. Effectively use your past experience
and have everyone listen to your command. Also——」
I take out a piece of paper and hand it over to Geld.
「T-this is——!」
「I’ll let you handle this project. It is only a basic draft of design,
but I believe you will handle it well. So, do you wish to accept it?」
「Rimuru-sama…...」
The design graph handed to Geld——was the graph of a giant
building that I slowly drafted over my spare time.
I of course also showed it to Milim and the others.
Those skyscraping height made Frey very satisfied and left Karion
shocked by its magnificence.
As for Milim, she was simply delighted by it.
Considering this, the satisfaction of our customers will be
guaranteed——But although it may seem like an investment to the
future, it would be more similar to doing a free service, so I would be
quite troubled if they do have a strong opinion about it.
After seeing the streets of Ingracia, I designed this building that may
be less grand in size but just as competent in design.

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 My initial goal was building a skyscraper but I changed the idea
believing it was too boring. Instead I redesigned it to infuse the
building with the features of this world. So I hope Geld would help to
build it. And of course there is more to it——I also wish (have an
excuse) to find reinforcement for Geld to prevent him from being
crashed by the heavy burdens of all these important responsibilities.
My eyes turn to Kaijin.
「Leave it to me, master. I’ll go assist Geld-san. I’ll also bring that
Midley guy along as well. Allow us to take on the task of building the
city that master has envisioned.」
It seems that he noticed that I was peeking at him, Kaijin returns
my look with a smile.
How impressive! He recognized the sight of a slime. But not
everyone is as good as Kaijin, so perhaps it will be better for me to
turn back to human shape during meetings.
Putting that aside, I’m reassured that Kaijin is willing to assist.
「Are you fine with your work at hand?」
「No problem. Don’t worry about it, my research has concluded
for a while, moreover my apprentices are getting more and more
competent as they train. So it will be fine for me to leave town
temporarily.」
Kaijin takes on the mission with a smile.
This is great.
A person’s worries over trivial matters will quickly be erased once
he is given a bigger challenge or something worth working towards.
If this is Geld we are talking about, then there is no way that he will
be set back by such matter.
「You can do it. I hope you can overcome all the challenges and
allow me to help you develop in a more mature you. And of course,

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you can find me to discuss if you ever encounter any difficulties. Why
don’t you try to do it with a relaxed and joyful mood?」
「B-but! If I accidentally fail such important task…...」
Geld’s body is frozen uptight at his spot, likely due to him being too
nervous.
This man is very serious, hard-working and has a strong sense of
responsibility.
That’s why I add on.
「It’s alright, alright. Even if you fail, you can learn from it as well.
It is not human life we are discussing here, so even if there are any
losses, won’t it at most be a city? We’ll build another if we might
gather enough money again.」
These words will probably cause the opposite effect on lazy bones,
but not so for Geld.
「Indeed! In the past, I was also——」
「Hold on, Gobta, what were you in the past? I need a more
detailed explanation, come to my office later.」
「Eh! Is this actually an elaborate trap?」
Seriously, this Gobta. Don’t get ahead of yourself like that.
But, his words do seem to have relaxed Geld.
「Hehehehehe. Thank you, Rimuru-sama. I, Geld, was too afraid of
failure and was overwhelmed by worries over trivial matters in life.
In order not to let down Rimuru-sama’s expectation, please allow me
to carry out this significant task!」
「Hmm, I’ll be relying on you!」
Great.
Geld’s worries seem to have gone away as he gives off a delightful
smile.
That should do it.

150
 Shion on the other hand is looking at Geld with jealousy while
muttering「That’s not fair to only discuss it with Geld」. I answer in
response 「This is called assigning role according to each’s talent.
You have very amazing talent too.」
「It must be cooking!」
Not at all you idiot!
「I-I guess. There are many different types of talent. But
yours…….should…….not be cooking.」
I replied out of reflex and found a way to make it through the
conversation.
If we are being honest here, her talent is probably being my
bodyguard and protecting the city. Anyhow, Shion has her own
strengths.
There is no need to be hasty since everyone have things that they
are good at and things that they are not.
「Right, Shion. You are so incredibly strong that even I may lose to
you under some condition. That’s why you have to protect Rimuru-
sama well when I’m absent.」
With Benimaru saying this at last, our discussion of the topic ends.

◇◇◇

The executive meeting updating situations with reports has finally

been concluded.
The meeting could just end at this point of time, but I suddenly
thought——
I should ask about Diablo’s war plan.
「Well then, allow me to explain.」

151
 Diablo salutes respectfully to me as he said so and begins his
explanation.
The movement of every nation——The situations he described
regarding the neighbouring nations are just as what Rigurdo and
Souei had reported. Diablo seems to have gotten hold of this
information as both of them frequently nod in agreement to Diablo’s
report. The movements of the nations have to do with the plan to
help Youmu rise to power.
As for the status of Youmu, I was informed of it among other things
from Diablo’s report.
Putting aside becoming a king, Youmu hasn’t even had any noble
education. He probably can’t even properly engage with any nobles
or royalties. Right now, the previous King of Farmus Edmalis has
been acting as Youmu’s mentor under Diablo’s instruction.
He probably won’t attempt anything devious under Diablo’s
surveillance. So I can leave the teaching to him being reassured.
Depending on how things progress, it may be quite interesting to
recruit and use him in the future. It will definitely be of help to
Youmu if that’s the case.
Diablo mentions about his plan again and explains it altogether to
the executives.
I listen while keeping a note in mind——I should go meet this
man——Edmalis.
And the new king on the other hand, of course, is plotting some
schemes behind the scene.
「But, are we not taking actions until a long time from now?」
From reformatting the army to actually moving out, it will likely
take a few months’ time.
At least that’s how I originally thought, yet Diablo has given a
different answer, one that’s completely different from my idea I
should add.

152
 「Kufufufufu. I wish to resolve the matter as soon as possible, so
I’ve stepped up the preparations.」
He says so with a delightful smile.
「Ah? Eh, then our preparation——」
「No problem. I’ve already requested Benimaru-sama to work on
the troop formation by the time of dispatching them.」
「Indeed. I’ve prepared fully for that part. Both the troop that will
be infiltrating the public to operate under the sun and the troops
carrying out covert missions in the dark have been properly
arranged. I in fact spent more time selecting candidates since
everyone wanted to participate.」
Diablo and Benimaru put on a smooth duet with how casually both
explained the preparations.
They’ve skipped reporting these things to me in the past, almost as
if the matter is only as important as telling me the time of their
hiking trip.
I personally consider this whole thing to be quite significant, you
know…….
「However, though not posing a problem, something is indeed
troubling me. I haven’t bought this up before since it wasn’t worthy
of a report, but Rayhim has yet to return.」
Erasing his smile, Diablo adds on.
Oh yeah.
I’ve been wondering what I forgot and now I finally recall.
The message we sent to Hinata has not been replied.
「Is he the Archbishop that you sent out to respond the
summoning of the Western Saints Church? Did he not bring my
message? Or could it be that the message did not safely arrive?」

153
 「No, I had Rayhim carry the crystal ball and sent him to the
capital of Ingracia Kingdom with my men protecting him. A 『
Teleportation Gate』 was set up there for his transportation, so
theoretically he should have directly reached the headquarter of
Western Saints Church in Holy Empire Ruberios……」
It will take two weeks of carriage ride for someone to travel from
Farmus Kingdom to Ingracia Kingdom by the coast. Transporting
from there to Holy Empire Ruberios would take three weeks more of
time.
With that being said, magic does exist in this world.
There is a special hallway set in between Ingracia and Ruberios called
「Teleportation Gate」. You can travel between the two nations
instantly by passing special dimension through the gate.
Only extremely high-ranked officials are aware of this gateway, but it
probably won’t come as a surprise to Rayhim who was the
Archbishop of a strong nation. He must then also possess the status
to use that gateway. It is said that he went straight for the capital as
soon as he had entered Ingracia Kingdom.
The Greater Demon servants summoned by Diablo confirmed that
Rayhim had arrived at the capital. That city is however deployed with
barriers which would cause commotions if Greater Demons invade.
That’s why they reported back to Diablo after Rayhim entered the
city.
「After which, he has not left the capital at all?」
「Indeed. I told my servants to continue their surveillance of the
capital and they are supposed to report to me as soon as Rayhim
exits.」
Yet he says that his servants still have not reported back.
If that’s the case, has Rayhim remained at the Western Saints
Church?

154
 「Could it be that someone tried to silent him by murdering him?
」
I couldn’t help but comment when the worst case scenario crosses
my mind.
But, Diablo rejects my theory.
「No, right now I haven’t sensed it. My Unique Skill 『Tempter』
would deprive my dominated subjects of their souls when they die.
」
In other words, as long as his soul hasn’t been deprived, the person
is still alive.
That’s quite a scary skill, but I’ll put that aside for now.
There were also several Templar Knights guarding him, so he
probably thinks the capital there is safe without any hazard. Yet
Rayhim still hasn’t returned.
It may be that the inquiry meeting from within the Western Saints
Church has been taking too much time, so it is perhaps not the time
to worry. But this is indeed worrying. But it’s fine as long as he is still
alive.
Hopefully he won’t be silenced and cause us to be labeled as the
culprit.
「In other words, right now we have no idea what Western Saints
Church plan to do.」
「Yes. They may interfere with my plan, but under the
circumstances right now, it is hard to make a judgement. We can
only maximize our guards in order to take precaution against
whatever is to come.」
「Hmm. How problematic if that’s really the case. We really can’t
get a clear read on the situation with this limited information.」
If we have sufficient information, I can just leave it to be fully
handled by Wisdom King Raphael-san.

155
 「I am most ashamed. The risk is simply too high to infiltrate
Ruberios——」
「No no no, it’s alright! No good will come out of forced actions.」
Seeing Souei’s regretful expression, I quickly comfort him.
It will take Souei himself to investigate the domain of Western
Saints Church, who are nemesis to us monsters. Moreover, with
Hinata as their leader, I have reservations to send Souei out.
Such a task can’t at all be dealt with by Souka and the rest. They will
definitely be executed if found. That’s why I have ordered them to
act cautiously and never overplay their cards.
But, even if that’s the case……
「Will they be hostile to us or not?」
We implied in the message I sent that I can forget about the things
that happened in the past.
Although I also provoked them a bit in the message, I hope they
can just overlook that part.
——No, this is not good at all. But since I’ve sent out the message,
there is no use crying over spilled milk.
I basically expressed my willingness to engage with them
peacefully, so I hope they will understand my intention.
Hinata is smart, and I believe she will make the right call.
It will be most ideal if they choose to coexist rather than
antagonizing us.
Now apart from the Eight-Star Demon Lords, the only faction to be
alerted is the Western Saints Church.
Our relation with the Eastern Empire is tense as well, but there is no
sign of them taking any action yet. So as long as the Western Saints
Church does not interfere, Diablo’s plan should not fail.
「That’s quite a challenging issue. I personally think that we should
just resolve things by fighting a war with them once and for all.」

156
 Rather than leaving a potential threat, Benimaru prefers a clear
result through war.
But we will be done if we are defeated, so I still hope for a peaceful
resolution.
Shuna suddenly opens up, looking rather intrigued:
「We were under attack when Rimuru-sama battled against Hinata
the Saint. The two incidents must have some connections and
someone probably orchestrated all these behind the scene.
Moreover, there is evidence to back this up, since Clayman also
implied that there is someone else behind him——」
Reminded by Shuna’s words, I recall the puppet master behind the
scene that cannot be overlooked.
「Is it not 『That Lord』?」
「Most likely. Right now we are aware that someone is trying to
sabotage us, so we need to put his moves into consideration as well.
We cannot get careless.」
I mumble the answer before Hakurou nods in agreement with
tension in his expression.
「This enemy, we absolutely cannot spare him.」
The crowds express agreement to Shuna’s words.
「Right…… If that guy intervenes this time as well, Hinata may
move out herself——」
But, something doesn’t seem right.
I feel like that I’ve missed something.
I suddenly realize what I have been puzzled about.
「——Could it be possible that Hinata only got her eyes on me
because she was told so by others or intentionally manipulated, but
not out of her intention?」
I express my doubts to everyone, asking for opinion.

157
 「What do you mean?」
「Judging from the time she jumped Rimuru-sama, isn’t Hinata
clearly an acquaintance to 『That Lord』?」
While everyone is puzzled as well, Shuna’s thought aligned with me
as she spoke up.
With that being said, my feeling of something amiss intensifies.
To me, the strangest thing is no other than——
「I’ll be straight with you all then, even though I don’t think she is
likely taking order from others, what does everyone else think?
Assuming she is already acquainted with 『That Lord』, do you guys
think it is possible for her to be ordered by this person.」
「「「——OHH!」」」
That is what puzzles me the most.
That woman wasn’t even willing to hear my words, how could she
accept others’ request or moreover, obey orders from others.
「Master makes a good point. Hinata is the commander of the
Holy Knight Order, so it’s unlikely she will follow anyone else’s order.
That hot chick only listens to the will of the god Ruminas. It is
famously rumored that even the pope is not able to change her
mind!」
Kaijin’s words confirm my thoughts.
Hinata is clearly of the highest authority if she can refuse all order
than that of god’s.
Then the theory that she is sent on order of others is clearly false.
「I see, so it really is the case? After all, this Hinata would
completely ignore other people’s words. It would be quite
astonishing if she is willing to listen to other people’s order.」
By the reverse of that logic, we won’t have a need to stand against
the Western Saints Church if I can persuade Hinata.

158
 「So there is no one who can order Hinata around…….」
「Then, was the overlap of time only a coincidence?」
Benimaru mutters while Shuna seems puzzled.
「Through clever use of words——That may be the reason.」
Diablo mutters while pondering.
That seems like something a demon would say, but he has a point.
There is very little chance that such cautious person as Hinata
would fall for manipulation, but, it is nonetheless a possibility.
「Just as what Diablo said, Hinata may have been instigated. And
of course it may have something to do with 『That Lord』. But——
」
「You wish to say that person is unlikely to manipulate Hinata so
easily.」
「That’s indeed what I meant.」
I nod at Diablo.
「『That Lord』 was able to instigate Farmus Kingdom to march
on us and manipulate Demon Lord Clayman to destroy our kingdom,
yet is unable to manipulate Hinata with ease……」
Benimaru seems to be examining my view and begins to ponder
with his eyes closed.
「Then what does Rimuru-sama think, about whether the Western
Saints Church will take action this time or not?」
「About that……」
I couldn’t immediately give an answer being suddenly asked by
Diablo like this. But considering calmly from our opponents’
perspective, even Hinata would probably wish to avoid direct conflict
with us right now.
The message I sent to them also made clear that I don’t wish to be
hostile against them.

159
With my good intention shown, Hinata wouldn’t be so stupid as to
still stand against Tempest Federation consisting of me, a Disaster-
ranked creature and Catastrophe-ranked Veldora.
By assessing the potential loss alone would show that she stands to
gain no benefit from doing so. Even if she triumphs, all she will get is
reputation, which obviously would not be enough to make up for the
loss that will be sustained by the Western Saints Church. It won’t
make sense to start such a war without any profit to gain. Hinata
may not listen to people’s words, but she is not that ignorant as to
not see the cost and benefit of things.
With that being said, I still have some concerns reserved.
「——God Ruminas……Ruminas? Where have I heard that name
before…….」
A certain someone (Veldora) has been muttering nonsense since
just now, causing me to lose focus. But he seems to be quite
interested in something.
「Hinata mentioned that we are obstacles. That is because of the
doctrines of Western Saints Church——The Ruminas Sect does not
tolerate monsters. However, there may be more reason to it——」
Why would Hinata consider us as obstacles?
It is because the doctrines of Ruminas do not approve of monsters’
existence.
But, if that’s the only reason, it doesn’t seem to be reasonable at all.
Or rather——It doesn’t seem like anything Hinata would do.
If that’s the case, then there must be some other factors behind
this…….
Although this may contradict the theory just now, what would it
make of the person manipulating behind the scene. Assuming that
there is indeed someone other than Hinata trying to meddle with our
business.
What would be this person’s goal?

160
 《Report. It is most likely that several persons are involved in the
matter. The series of events are all connected. But, it is speculated
that these events were not all carried out by the same person.》
If that’s the case, would it mean……?
《Answer. It involves several countries, individuals, dynamics and
other factors. A number of intents have been pinpointed after
analysis. The intents may seem to have common goals, there are
contradictions among them. Thus attributing all occurred events to
one mastermind is unreasonable.》
In other words, there is more than one person behind the scene.
It does make a lot of sense this way and easier to see.
It means that Clayman was but one of the people being manipulated.
Oh I see, it makes a lot more sense thinking in this direction.
These may jump at each others’ aid when their goals align, but in
reality they are not moving according to each others’ order.
These masterminds may also only have instigated them. It may be
that Hinata has nothing to do with the people behind the scene in
the first place.
Indeed, things are more clear when considering there to be multiple
people involved in the grand scheme of things. Moreover, once
situation changes, there may no longer be a need to be hostile
against certain party. That is how international affairs work without
the involvement of personal emotions.
Then——
Clayman saw us as an eyesore and he also tried to manipulate
us.That’s why he was rejoiced to see that I and Hinata had our fight
to the death.
Farmus Kingdom thought that me becoming the leader of the
federation is an obstacle. They didn’t wish to eliminate Tempest
Federation, but to take over the kingdom. That’s why they also
wanted to see that Hinata would take care of me.

161
So what was Hinata herself thinking?
Of course, she couldn’t spare a monster like me on the ground of the
doctrines she upheld.
Things began to unfold when all three parties’ goal aligned. The
results were my escape from Hinata’s pursuit, defeat of Farmus in
battle and the demise of Clayman.
The time forwards to the present.
The situations have changed for every one of the mastermind.
With Clayman’s death, 「That Lord」 behind him is likely focusing on
replenishing the lost troops due to the conflict.
If that’s the case, will he still confront me directly?
《Answer. The likelihood of which is extremely low. If the
individual possess more force than Clayman, he will have intervened
already. Even if he had preserved forces, his attack plan has failed
miserably. It is thus meaningless for him to intervene again now.》
So basically he doesn’t have any motive to attack me now. Is that
the case?
That person has been hidden behind the scene this entire time, so
it shouldn’t be the time for him yet to come out under the sun to
operate. Even if he tries to strike back, he would know that directly
confronting us would be simply foolish.
Based on this deduction, what would the other factions do?
King Edmalis’ ambition is all gone after stepping down.
The new king seems to be on the go. His faction is probably not short
of people who wants to harm us. To him our nation is an obstacle,
and so it’s likely that they haven’t given up on eliminating us with
schemes. But, these people are being watched by Diablo. It is too
late for them to pose a threat now even if they add in on the list of
the masterminds behind the scene.
However I still can’t overlook them that easily.

162
There may be people with concealed identity among them.
That’s why humans are hard to deal with.
There hasn’t been any news from the Western Saints Church.
Rayhim has yet to return, which is probably implication that the
church is in a chaotic state internally as well.
Maybe Hinata is lost as well?
Since antagonizing us requires a clear justification, and there is no
necessity to strike us without a motive. But, what if Hinata continues
wish to be hostile even without a motive?
It would mean that she was forced to actions under some
circumstances.
《Warning. Reminder that there may be several hidden
masterminds behind the scene.》
Indeed, that is the case.
If there are indeed several people behind the scene, how things
develop will not be able to be controlled by Hinata.
The situation now cannot be treated with optimism, I will have to
be mentally prepared.
「We should think in the direction that there are too many
interests involved in the matter that Hinata’s will alone will not be
able to determine how the overall circumstance develop. Am I right?
」
As I came up with a conclusion, Diablo seems to arrive at the same
view.
「Very impressive indeed, Diablo. Those are precisely my thoughts
too.」
But it is not worth mentioning since it depended on the help of
Wisdom King Raphael-san.
By the way, Diablo seems super intelligent, could he be even
smarter than me?

163
 Right now I’ve activated millions times more of 「Thought
Acceleration」, yet Diablo was able to reach at the same conclusion
against that type of processing speed. He has an amazingly intelligent
brain even without Wisdom King Raphael——It seems I’ve been
totally defeated it.
「Considering the involvement of Western Saints Church on the
matter, I shall be more vigilant.」
Diablo says so with his Kufufufufu laughter.
It appears that he has put on all his guards from the start, so
perhaps my advice was unnecessary.
But even if that’s the case, I still wish to alert everyone.
「Perhaps we have been thinking it in the wrong way all this time.
」
「What do you mean?」
Benimaru asks in everyone’s place.
All of the executives focus their eyes on me.
Given this is the circumstance, I should inform them all here
prudently.
「As Diablo just said, there may be more than one mastermind
behind the scene. I guess that there has been different factions that
got involved in the matter to have led things develop the ways they
are. And this time, they are acting on their own for their interests are
no long in alignment.」
My executives soon show expressions of revelation as I explain.
Everyone seems to have very outstanding insights having realized
the mystery with what I’ve explained so far.
Gobta expresses that he didn’t get it because he had been
sleeping. I’m reassured that he brought it up, but I’ll also punish him
hard later as well.

164
 「Does it mean that, these people are also connected to 『That
Lord』 mentioned by Clayman?」
「We are not sure. But it wouldn’t be wise to assume anything just
yet. With insufficient information, it will be dangerous to act on our
own speculations.」
I shrug in response to Benimaru’s doubts.
Right now in my slime form, I do so by popping up a tiny wave on
my body.
「But, if Hinata isn’t doing things under order, but is forced to take
actions, things will start to make sense.」
Kaijin also shows an expression of realization.
「Kufufufufu. Then I should inquire more about the matter. I learnt
that it was some merchants who gave wind to Edmalis and the rest,
now that I think about it, there are many suspicious points about
that.」
Diablo’s words remind me.
「Wait? You mentioned merchant……」
「What is it, Rimuru-sama?」
「Nothing. The reason why Farmus Kingdom wished to attack our
town was due to their belief that there is profit to gain from doing
so. Since war is money-consuming, there are people everywhere
who wants to find army to fight in their place. It is very likely that
these merchants have secretly been involved in pursuit of profits
from the war.」
「I see——」
This is another big blind spot, since our enemy may not necessarily
be someone with military power.
Historically, it has always been human desire that led to devious
intents. Military force can be purchased by money——Considering
this, merchants are suspects worthy of our guards as well.

165
 I jump off the chair while turning into human form.
Glancing around the crowds, I give order to them one by one.
「Shuna, go investigate the ledger retrieved from Clayman’s castle
and single out the records of his transactions with merchants.」
「Understood.」
「Diablo, go and pressure the civil servants in Farmus to speak the
truth and investigate thoroughly the merchants that have traded
with them.」
「I understand, my liege.」
「Benimaru, reselect the members that will be reinforcing
Youmu’s army. Make sure these new candidates are able to deal
with emergency situations.」
「Yes sir, leave it to me.」
「Rigurdo, I’ll leave the town to your care. Please do sufficient
preparations for the grand festival that we are holding.」
「Most certainly!」
「Geld, don’t worry about the issues here and go ahead to focus
on your own work. If you truly encounter any difficulties, I shall help
you find help. Please have faith in me and work hard!」
「Geld should do just that. There is not a single person in this
nation who will hold doubt against Rimuru-sama.」
「Hakurou, go assist Benimaru; Gabil to assist Rigurdo; And in light
of the many tribes that will be visiting us, Rigur needs to reassess the
security system installed in the town.」
「Understood.」
「Yes sir!」
「Leave it to me!」
「As for Shion, let me think, uhhhhh. You will be my bodyguard,
right!」

166
 「Yes sir!」
I finish assigning duties for everyone.
I nod in satisfaction while Patting Ranga’s head.
Done and done, now all I need is to let them go and attend to their
duties.
「What about me?」
「Oh Veldora, for you, be careful not to get in anyone’s way.」
「Hmm. Rest assured since it’s me you are talking about here!」
I am not assured at all.
That’s why I have a close look at him.
Oh yeah, there’s also——
「Gobta-kun. You seem awfully tired, report to my office later.」
「AHH!」
I wake up sleepyhead Gobta and says so to him with a “smile”.
And as such, it’s business as usual even when I am a Demon Lord
with the meetings. Now that all the issues have been addressed, the
meeting with my executes is dismissed.

167
168
Chapter 3
A Saint's Goal
On this day, the world is shadowed in fear once more.
「Storm Dragon」 Veldora has been revived.
The Western Saints Church has announced the fact to the public.
And just before their announcement, they received information from
the Freedom Association with regards to a message from the Demon
Lords.
With the news of the Ten Great Demon Lords becoming 「Eight-Star
Demon Lord」, nations around the world have plunged into chaos.
Every ruler of the nations has been troubled over the drastic change
of situation and are all concerned about what to do in response.
The whole world has been shaken.
The Western Saints Church is of no exception. They have detected
an unusual aura of danger.
It’s been several days since the duel between Hinata Sakaguchi and
Rimuru. The Church has been unable to reach Archbishop Rayhim
since his march alongside the Farmus Army. It is an established rule
to always send regular reports back, yet he has not responded,
meaning something has gone wrong with their march on Tempest
Federation. When she received the news, Hinata decided to head to
Tempest Federation herself. Yet, before she could leave, she
received the divine order to stand guard at the Holy Church.
The reason was: the revival of「Storm Dragon」 Veldora. She was
barred from marching as she was left to wait for the gathering of the
Holy Knight Order to rain destruction on the Tempest Federation in
her stead.
It’s hard to tell who’s luckier in this situation......
Hinata most certainly would be defeated if confronting Veldora
directly without preparation. But now that Hinata is aware of

169
Veldora’s revival, she can strategize a direct invasion of the Tempest
Federation. A Tempest Federation without Rimuru would have long
been annihilated. Hinata’s goal is Tempest Federation alone, not
Veldora. She could have easily achieve this using her powers.
She was the one with the upper hand.
——But that is not considering Veldora’s recent activities and the
reaction of Rimuru.
In other words, she was able to avoid the worst ending for both
sides.

◇◇◇

Protected within the gentle light of the domed holy barrier lies the
Holy Capital.
This barrier is the product of countless years of research and
improvement, the highest level of protective barrier. It is able to
prevent all forms of enemy invasion and has defended this city for
thousands of years——The prayers of the denizens turned into
reality.
The barrier even blocks out sunlight and can automatically adjust the
brightness of the interior space. There will be more brightness in the
morning and less at night. This created a thermostatic environment
within the interior so the temperature is maintained throughout the
year.
The city’s farm lands are divided into districts where crops from
whichever season can be collected at anytime.
It is like an idealized arcadia where the citizens will never suffer
famine. Every citizen has a job and all the children receive an
appropriate level of education. It is an heaven in the mortal realm
where everything is appropriately arranged and managed by the law.

170
 This is the capital of Holy Empire Ruberios ——Holy Capital 「Ruen
」.
On the day of the Walpurgis Banquet,
Hinata is on her way to the holy church.
The solemn atmosphere is neutralized by the gentle warmth of the
sun.
This is a prosperous kingdom.
Here, no one suffers from starvation, nor are there any beggars on
the street. Everyone is given an appropriate job or duty, and they
fulfill their assigned purpose to the best of their abilities. They rise as
the bell rings and rest as the sun falls. The more capable people
would guide the less capable ones, and as such, with proper
regulation, the citizens are able to enjoy a prosperous life. In the
name of God, they have been granted the ideal, equitable society.
This holy city is the greatest representation of that.
Hinata observes the expression of passersby.
Everyone wears a gentle and kind smile.
However, there is something that concerns her.
She always has some doubts whenever she spends time in this city.
In Hinata’s eyes, this holy land is no doubt the ideal heaven on
earth.
Turning the Western Nations as well as the whole world into a
peaceful society without conflict——-That is Hinata’s ambitious
dream.
Hinata hopes for a society where the strong do not prey on the
weak.
However, the reality of this world is simply too cruel.
The Ingracia Kingdom and Holy Empire Ruberios have differences
of night and day, which often troubles her. By nature, Ingracia, the
kingdom of freedom, and Ruberios, who preaches no conflict, are the
polar opposites from political structure to ideology; Every aspect of
either society contrasts each other greatly.

171
 The biggest difference perhaps is——The expressions on the
children.
She can hear the sound of children coming from the educational
facility next to the holy church. Several children who seem to be
running late for class are heading down the hallway towards the
building. The faster child is holding onto the hand of the slower one.
This is a common sight that she has seen in this city. Yet even now,
she can tell the difference from this to that in Ingracia.
So what would happen if it was in Ingracia Kingdom?
She recalls the scene she witnessed there.
What would it be like?
It would happen in the morning, when the faster children would
sprint through the door just before the bell and have triumphant
smiles on their face. The slower ones would arrive late to be scolded
by the teachers by themselves. And when that happens, the children
who are not late would mock at the slower children.
What if they are to run like children in Ruberios with their hands
held by each others’?
They would probably all be late and get scolded by the teacher. But
of course, you can avoid being late by getting up a little earlier.
That’s not really enough to hold as a comparison. It’s a rather
unimportant incident.
She always ponder on that.
What is really different in that scenario?
Were the faster children not caring enough? No.
There is really nothing wrong with the children to mock their peers
who arrived late. They were not doing so to look down on them or
ridicule them as fools. After all, the children who arrived late were
laughing awkwardly as well. They seemed rather delightful even after
being scolded.

172
 So what is the case in Ruberios?
She looks towards the running children to see the same
expressions on everyone else.
A gentle smile——
The same expressions of satisfaction that is seen on every adult; the
same expression of someone who has lost their sense of
competitiveness and personal identity.
This society is built to create constant happiness, yet there is no
sense of freedom. Everyone is equal and given their own
responsibilities.
On top of that, equity is upheld for those who are able to help those
who are not. The people of this kingdom make the basis of their
nation.
「Creating a equal society without conflict」, that is Hinata’s pursuit
in life.
There will no longer be children abandoned by their parents.
Everyone will live a happy life in this world.
This is too idealistic to be practical——That’s what Hinata thought as
well. But when she almost gave up such dream, she saw that
Ruberios was the manifestation of the ideal.
Competitiveness will lead to conflict. Yet this society is so well
regulated that there is no form of competition at all, the equivalent
of Hinata’s ideal. And with regards to the form of government Holy
Empire Ruberios has adapted, it is strictly speaking, close to
communism. It’s the government that leaves the order of all things
to 「God」 in order to assure absolute equality.
God——as represented by the Pope of the Pope’s Ministry.
But if there is any weakness to communism, it would be the
existence of a ruling class. Its doctrine of equality is built on the
inevitable presence of an authority. And once the people high up in
the chain of command are corrupted, it becomes hard for the people
under their authority to get rid of their rulers. There would be unjust

173
in the distribution of wealth to widen the wealth gap.
In order to make up for such flaws, the government has handed their
authority to God. The Pope's Ministry thus acts as the ruling figure to
ensure the equality of their citizens. And of course, diplomacy with
other nations is also handled by them.
All are equal under God——That is a clever lie. Yet this has been
the reality in the Holy Empire Ruberios for thousands of years.
It is a truly ideal system, but it is only natural.
Since the true identity of the God Ruminas is——
Demon Lord——Ruminas Valentine.
Ruminas Valentine, overlord and authentic Demon Lord.
Her title「Queen of Nightmare」 shows her status as the queen of
the Kingdom of Darkness.
She is also the only person who has ever defeated Hinata.

◇◇◇

In the eyes of the Demon Lords, all humans are the same.
To Ruminas, having a comprehensive system of managing humans
is the same as having one for live stocks. Yet her system has
managed to create the ideal kingdom.
Vampires do not need to devour the flesh and bones of humans.
They only require a small amount of blood and the spirit stored
within it to maintain their lives. More advance vampires do not even
need to ingest blood to be immortal.
Whenever their human food stocks are happier, their blood tastes
more delicious. And it is for that reason, the humans living in this
kingdom are much more prosperous than other places. The only
possible issue is when a vampire might inhale too many spirits at
once, and as a result, Ruminas has prohibited such behaviour. The

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lesser vampires would not dare to disobey the Elder Ruminas, and so
they obey the rules of this kingdom wholeheartedly.
The equality in this society far outranks that of any of the Western
Nations.
And it’s for that reason Hinata believes in the fairness of the
Ruminism and first joined the Western Saints Church in pursuit of
justice. She has devoted herself to spreading this religion and has
since treated the doctrines as the words of God. She even became a
holy knight who would give a hand to whoever is in need of help to
thoroughly practice her justice.
The way of justice held her mentor, Shizue Izawa, was too slow and
gentle. Meanwhile, her fellow countryman, Yuuki Kagurazaka’s plan
seems too unrealistic to be practical in her eyes. He would only react
to events after they occurred, which lacks foresight.
People, by nature, want to overcome challenges through their own
efforts, so it’s commendable for the Freedom Association to
encourage cooperation among humans. Yet their contracts rely on
monetary payment to be extant, which cannot be truly fair in
Hinata's eyes.
That’s why she left her teacher Shizue.
——If you are ever in doubt, come see me for help.
Although Shizue once said so, Hinata has no intention to do so.
Shizue was just being clingy in saying that.
If Hinata is to continue relying on her soft teacher, she will never
achieve greatness——She thinks so to herself, apathetically.
…………
……
…
In this world, you can only rely on your own strength.
That’s why Hinata wants to become stronger to the point of
invincibility.

175
She no longer wants to lose anything important to her, so she
decides to stop valuing things in life. She ceased communicating with
others, being solely focused on becoming stronger.
It only took her one year to become a Holy Knight after joining the
Western Saints Church.
It took less than two years for her to take the seat of the commander
of the Holy Knight Order. She also started building what would be
called the strongest Holy Knight Order in history.
But the higher in rank she climbed within the Church, the clearer she
began to see. She was also able to see some truth behind the
Ruminism.
The Pope of Ruberios——His true identity was a vampire named
Louis.
More astoundingly, Pope Louis was the twin brother of Demon Lord
Roy Valentine.
It was an outrageous act of aggression for the Pope to ally himself
with the Demon Lords in order to ensure his authority. It is clearly
treating everyone else like fools.
Having learnt this fact and was infuriated.
She ventured alone to the 「Inner Sanctum」 to eliminate Demon
Lord Roy and Pope Louis. Yet she was struck with fatal blows as well
during the fight and could only lie there alone to await her death.
Her sense of justice became dim.
She could no longer save anyone as her power faded.
She realised that she couldn’t save everyone, that one must make a
choice to give or take in the acts of kindness.
Everything seemed almost comical and pointless at that point.
Hehehehe, is this how I end? The weak are weak even at their
deathbed. But, at least I was able to cleanse some evil——
But, even if that’s the case......
Hinata deeply believed that she had done nothing wrong.
There was nothing to be ashamed about the evil she had removed

176
from this world. She would carry out her belief even without glory or
praise.
That should suffice; Hinata was satisfied.
Hinata vision has already gone dark where she heard sharp
footsteps coming her way. Initially she thought it was an illusion, yet
then the sounds were accompanied by a cold voice.
「The noise you made have disturbed even my bedroom. What
have you all been doing?」
In front of her was a beautiful girl with dazzling silver hair.
The blue and red from her heterochromatic eyes gave off an eerie
and creepy shine. She glanced disdainfully at Hinata and the others
who were also lying on the ground.

177
178
 The powerful aura coming from her made the intense battle
between Hinata and Louis, Roy seemed like child’s play.
——!
Hinata at the brink of death was shocked by the sight.
Such abnormal beauty.
It seemed all too far-fetched from the reach of reality.
The young girl had the dominant majesty of a human ruler.
Good or evil all seemed all too insignificant in front of her.
The proof being——
「You two, I will not allow you to leave me and die.」
Logically speaking, both Demon Lord Roy and Pope Louis should
have been killed by Hinata already, yet they were both resurrected
by the young girl’s power. It appeared to be some sort of super
power beyond Hinata’s understanding.
It’s all over…… Everything I’ve done has been……
Filled with desperation, Hinata’s flame of life was about to burn
out——
「You too, human. How could you die with such selfish thoughts.
What is justice? Is it really justice to fight evil for the rest of your life?
I doubt it. Besides, what I am doing is no evil, so how could someone
as insignificant as you make such judgement so hastily? There is no
such justice in this world as to fulfill the free will of everyone. It is
simply arrogant for you to think you can achieve it on your own. Is it
not?」
As her words were caught by Hinata’s ears, a warming light fell on
her, saving her life.
Hinata was revived without a scar, and the young girl said to her
face:

179
 「I’ll give you one week. Defeat my trusted lieutenants and you
will pass the 『Trial of the Seven Celestials』. Only then, shall I fight
you seriously.」
And so she said.
Hinata accepted the trial and passed with flying colours.
She was also able to obtain incredible power from her mentors
beyond her expectations through her skill 「Usurper」.
What followed——
She gambled her life to challenge the young girl——Ruminas
Valentine, and as a result, surrendered to her after defeat.
…………
……
…
Hinata is like a sword that would not break even upon defeat, it
only becomes more tenacious and powerful——She
metamorphoses.
She has become the right hand of god, a holy sword to cut through
all obstacles.
To Hinata, Ruminas has become the most important thing to her.
With Ruminas, there will be a society with justice and fairness. And
without her, this order would be derailed. In order to protect her
ideal kingdom, a continuous effort and an unshakable resolve are
both necessary.
Hinata is also a double-edged sword.
If Ruminas is to become an enemy of mankind, Hinata will deliver her
judgement with her own hands. Although it is mostly unlikely, she
has still made such resolve.
That’s why even to this day, she continues training to improve
herself.

180
 ◇◇◇

Without her noticing, Hinata has reached her destination. Her now
comrade, Pope Louis awaits her.
At her arrival, she receives Louis’ shocking news.
「Last night, my brother died.」
The night before, Hinata defended the Cathedral from a mysterious
invader. She was supposed to meet someone that night, yet by
divine order her previous schedule was cancelled. And so Luckily that
night ended with the Holy Land undefiled.
At least, it was supposed to be.
「You must be joking, right? Didn’t Roy disguise himself as Demon
Lord to attend the Walpurgis Banquet?」
「It’s true, Hinata. That invader you didn’t kill ran into Roy when
he returned before Ruminas-sama.」
「How could this be. The invader ran away as soon as he saw me,
that’s why I lost him in the end......」
「Indeed, but we can assume it was preemptive. Ruminas-sama
ordered you to protect the holy land, not to exterminate the invader.
That duty was supposed to be carried out by my useless Imperial
Guards.」
「But I am supposed to be the head of knights among them….. But,
Roy sure is useless having been killed by a cheap-shot like that.」
Hinata smiles confidently.
In front of the pope of Ruberios——That is Roy’s elder brother.
Ruminas Valentine, she was once the real Demon Lord.
Her trusted twin lieutenants are Louis and Roy.
The elder brother acts in the public with the role of Pope while the
younger brother acts as the Demon Lord to dominate the

181
underworld.
And together with Ruminas, who rules over all as God.
That is their ideal world.
It is why Ruminas controls things behind the scenes, hidden from the
public within the 「Inner Sanctum」.
Roy possessed the power worthy of Demon Lord title and rightfully
became one as a proxy. Upon birth as a vampire, he already had
power up to Rank B. His body is highly efficient,with enhanced
muscle strength, endurance, reaction speed and other, all several
times stronger than an average human. In addition to this, over time
he has obtained powerful skills, such as the vampire racial skills: 「
Immense Strength」, 「Shadowstep」, 「Automatic Regeneration
」, 「Paralyze」, 「Seduce」, 「Menace」, 「Transformation」,
etc.
The members of his race are few in number, but their combat
capabilities are much higher than the average Greater Majin.
Vampires of noble origin that are Louis and Roy have been
following Ruminas since ancient times. The strength of the two are
no joking matter, which Hinata has had first-hand experience on.
Because of Hinata’s battle against them before, she knows that the
strength of the two is not to be underestimated.
In other words, the invader must have been very strong——At least,
that’s Hinata’s explanation of the incident.
「——But, as long as Ruminas-sama is well, there shouldn’t be any
problem.」
With that being said, Hinata adds quietly: 「But Ruminas-sama
doesn’t seem to require our concerns——」
Even Hinata knows that the power of Demon Lord Ruminas is
beyond measurement and unpredictable.
She may even has to confront her in the future. Ruminas is both the

182
most divine being and most wanted target to Hinata. So it is in fact
conceited of her to concern for the safety of Ruminas.
In comparison, to Hinata Roy is practically a worthless stone by the
road. Her words to Louis may seem harsh, but to her, it doesn't
matter if Roy was killed.
He was killed because he was not strong enough.
It was his mistake, Hinata thinks to herself.
「The problem may be more severe that you think. To this day
we’ve been having Roy running around to act as a threat in order to
convince everyone to convert to the Ruminism. With him dead, the
humans may become less faithful to our doctrines. In addition, the
Great Jura Forest has somehow become safer despite the revival of
the evil dragon Veldora.」
「You have a point——」
As she answers, Hinata thinks back to that slime she failed to kill.
Her failure is likely the reason for this change .
She has nothing to say about that. It was all due to Hinata’s
miscalculation, and she is aware of that the most. She may have
intentionally spared the invader from last night, but Hinata really did
plan to eliminate that slime called Rimuru.
How incredible. He was really able to escape under those
circumstances. I can tell he’s rather cautious in his planning, but this
is much more beyond my imagination, Rimuru——
Hinata gives her genuine praise to her enemy Rimuru.
「——I’m not sure about the evil dragon, but I think the forest
became safer because of the slime called Rimuru. The one I spared.
」
「Hmm. I did my own investigation too. The army from Farmus
Kingdom was indeed eliminated. Judging from the time of Veldora’s

183
revival, it is likely that was the doings of that Rimuru as well. He
seems to be quite the problematic foe.」
「I first encountered him when he was captured by the Holy
Purification Barrier. It was supposed to my best chance to eliminate
him.」
「Did you spare him because he claimed to come from the same
place as you?」
「No way. That slime’s goal does not align with that of Ruminas-
sama’s. I can understand his view, but sparing him would just disrupt
our plan. That’s why I ignored him and decided to destroy that
town......」
「The angels will probably strike them next.」
「Yeah. Things may be fine now, but at the rate their town is being
developed, the angels will definitely move out.」
「That’s troubling. We aren’t prepared yet. I hope we will be
absolutely victorious in the next 『Tenma Great War』.」
「Right. Those angels; you have to rip them apart to kill them. This
advance in schedule would be most troubling to deal with alone.」
Louis nods in agreement to Hinata’s explanation.
As soon as a city advances to some degree, it will be targeted by
the angels for invasion. Their motives are unclear, yet their actions
are always the same.
Once the great war takes place, countless innocent civilians will be
sacrificed. Hinata has been strengthening the army reservation to
prepare for such threat by aiming to decimate the angel army.
At the same time, she promotes the Ruminism to unite humanity.
Hinata believes this is the way of advocating the will of the God
Ruminas. And Rimuru’s actions are hindering Hinata’s plan.
In addition to her personal grudge against Rimuru after she caught
wind of his killing of Shizu Izawa, Hinata has no reason to spare him

184
any mercy. Hinata feels rather bad about involving conscientious,
reasonable and friendly monsters into such conflict, but the holy will
of Ruminas that declares monsters to be mankind’s enemies cannot
be defied.
Moreover, the most important thing now is to win the 「Tenma
Great War」. Hinata would do anything so long as it minimizes
human casualties.
This is——Hinata, the cruel rationalist.
「But you failed your assassination. However, this may turn out to
be quite useful.」
「What do you mean?」
「The Western Nations are likely to unite after hearing of a new
threat emerging in the Great Jura Forest. Since Roy is dead, haven’t
they become the suitable candidate as the nemesis of humanity?」
「...... Isn’t that still up for debate? I doubt things will work out
that easily.」
But——Hinata thinks to herself.
It may be a good after all to switch her perspective a little.
If she is able to make peace with the Great Jura Forest and have
them coexist with mankind, she’d call that a good outcome in her
book. But with that being said, if Rimuru really massacred the
Farmus army, he will definitely become an unignorable threat.
However——
「I was supposed to meet that eastern merchant last night. The
one who gave me the tip.. Had Ruminas-sama not ordered me
otherwise, I would have been absent last night.」
「Oh? Then I suppose it was good timing.」
「Indeed, it couldn’t been any better. Those merchants have been
trying to manipulate me. Now that I think about it, perhaps it was
the right choice to spare Rimuru.」

185
 Although it was quite upsetting to have not killed him, Hinata adds.
But, he is going to get his beating after sticking his neck out like
that lately.
They made it through the Farmus invasion, but the revived 「
Storm Dragon」 would definitely threaten Rimuru.
Moreover, it seems that Rimuru has declared himself a 「Demon
Lord」.As a result, the Ten Great Demon Lords are furious.
And because of that, he was summoned to the Walpurgis Banquet
last night.
「That’s right. Before we can prepare anything, we better let the
Forest buffer the east. That is, if that Rimuru can make through the
Walpurgis Banquet.」
「You have a point. But would he be able to make through?」
「Rest assured, since Ruminas-sama is returning soon. We will see
how things worked out then. 」
「It pains me to think we need to report Roy’s death to her.」
「She will probably be furious.」
「Unlike me, her grace has a very kind heart——」
「Hmm. But according to you, I am not nearly as kind either. I
don’t feel any sadness even after learning the death of my little
brother..」
Hinata can only shrug at Louis’ response.
The two fall silent, awaiting Ruminas’ return quietly.
Soon——
「Ruminas-sama is back! Quickly kneel!」
Someone rushes to report as the holy church becomes noisy once
more.
Soon Hinata and Louis would hear some most unexpected news.

186
 ◇◇◇

They gather in the 「Inner Sanctum」.

At the center of Holy Empire Ruberios, the Spirit Hill stands tall and
the headquarter of the Saints Church is built on this mountain.
The Holy Church is situated at the back near the Holy Temple, which
is also the entrance to the Spirit Hill.
Climbing up the mountain roads, one will arrive at the 「Inner
Sanctum」. It is the most sacred place in all of Holy Empire Ruberios
that cannot be blasphemed. Its supremacy exceeds even that of the
Hall of Pope.
Demon Lord Valentine——No, Ruminas takes residence there. She is
now resting while retelling what happened last night unpleasantly.
「——And all that happened last night, that annoying evil dragon
always gives me trouble. 」
Ruminas’ bad mood is quite apparent as she lies on the long bench
to tell the tale.
It only makes her angrier to hear Hinata’s report about the death
of Roy.
Silly child——
This is Ruminas’ only comment. As she mutters, there is no
emotion in it. She still isn’t changing her usual arrogant expression,
even in the 「Inner Sanctum」.
She has been calm all this time as she delivers the message about
the the Walpurgis Banquet. However, as soon as she mentions that
Veldora exposed her true identity, anger crawls its way onto her
beautiful face. And as soon as her anger breaks loose, it floods out
towards Hinata and Louis.

187
 「How could Roy do this! If he had died somewhere I could reach, I
could have revived him——」
「My brother lived a happy life being under the care of Ruminas-
sama.」
「Hold your tongue! Wouldn’t that make me the culprit for letting
him die in such way!?」
「That’s not the case. It was my brother’s fault. Roy failed and thus
has betrayed Ruminas-sama’s expectations.」
「But——」
If anything, it was due to his bad luck. It was no one’s fault and
everyone at the scene is aware of it.
「My apologies. It was my act of sparing the enemy that killed
Roy…...」
But even with Hinata’s admission, Ruminas still persists——
「Enough. You were just doing what I ordered. I should be the one
to bear the blame. However, we must not immerse ourselves in the
grief over Roy’s death.」
She finishes, switching to a more serious expression.
「Heed this. The evil dragon has been revived, and now there is
also the new Demon Lord Rimuru. These are all irrefutable facts and
we must plan ahead accordingly.」
「Yes ma’am.」
「Understood.」
Hinata and Louis obeys their orders.
This will soon determine the future of the Holy Empire Ruberios.
「I shall handle that Veldora in person.」
Hinata proposes.
Yet, Ruminas’ reaction is rather cold.

188
 「Hinata, you’ve grown stronger. You’ve come a long way since
last I fought against you. Right now, you have already surpassed the
『Seven Celestial Sages』 and are catching up to me. However——
」
While you may be able to take down Demon Lord Rimuru, but you
can’t win against Veldora——Ruminas asserts.
「That’s right, Hinata. That evil dragon is truly powerful. He is the
real Rank-Catastrophe threat.」
With his many years of experience, Louis agrees with Ruminas.
「Is he really that strong? Wasn’t he sealed by the 『Chosen Hero
』? 」
Since someone was able to seal him, Hinata believes she can do so
as well. Yet, Ruminas and Louis reject her this without hesitation.
「Heed this, Hinata. He is the summation of natural energy. You
can contain a frenzy storm using magic, but unlike natural
phenomenon, that evil dragon has a will of his own. You can’t kill him
with your sword or magic. In addition, that guy would go on a
rampage if you did so, sending shockwaves and highly destructive
magic to shatter the earth.」
As Ruminas speaks, one can easily see her hatred for him.
Louis nods as she continues, his face strained; seemingly recalling
some unpleasant memory.
「It was a nightmare. He turned the beautiful Night Palace of Rose
(Night Rose) into ruins too horrible to even look at……」
「Stop thinking about it, Louis. That city was the crystallization of
the wisdom and technologies of the vampiric race. Now only the
memory of it lingers. There is no use in being nostalgic over
something that no longer exists.」
「You are most right.」

189
 After seeing the two’s reactions, Hinata finally realizes how
dangerous Veldora is.
——But if things really do go out of control, I would still try.
Hinata makes up her mind internally.
She also comes to a realization.
The reason why this 「Inner Sanctum」 was built on the Spirit Hill
was to act as defense against Veldora.
——It’s a precaution so that the constant surveillance can see him
approaching if he does come.
And similarly, the reason why the real capital of Holy Empire
Ruberios——Night Garden——was built underground, it is also to
prevent the invasion of the evil dragon.
——It won’t sustain much damage even if fights break out.
The enemy Ruminas holds such vigilance against is none other than
the 「Storm Dragon」Veldora.
「Hinata, I don’t want to lose you as well. You better behave
yourself.」
Hinata can only agree given the extent Ruminas has gone to
convince her.
The thing is however, her miscalculation during the encounter with
Rimuru still troubles her like a bone in the throat even to this day.
It was her misstep to have ignored Rimuru’s power just because he
was a monster. She doesn’t think her actions were wrong judging
from the doctrines of the church, but it led to their current situation.
Moreover, if she considers that it was all a conspiracy set up by the
eastern merchants, Hinata would then have fallen right into their
trap.
Annoying. It’s almost like they’ve seen through us to have released
such information. Wait, could there actually be a traitor among us?

190
 Despite her reluctance to think there’s a traitor in their ranks,
nonetheless, there may very well be traitors within the Church who
have conspired with the eastern merchants. Then it is reasonable to
assume that the traitors have also learnt about out preparations to
strike against the angels. That’s why they’ve manipulated Hinata into
assassinating Rimuru.
This is a sensible theory and it makes it even more likely that there
are traitors in their ranks. But she will investigate the matter later.
Right now the issue at hand is——
「Right. But…… If that’s the case, wouldn’t the new Demon Lord
Rimuru——」
「Our best solution now is to leave the matter alone. But it’s worth
celebrating that we haven’t declared him as the 『Nemesis of God』
.」
「But......」
「Is there a problem?」
「.......Yes. Those monsters are developing their city and
constructing roads. These may lead to an earlier assault from the
angels.」
「Oh yeah, they are still out there. It would be quite annoying to
be harassed by a bunch of Phthiraptera (flying lices), but, it would be
even more troublesome to antagonize Demon Lord Rimuru and 『
Storm Dragon』 Veldora. Besides, the monsters are bigger threats to
them, so the angels will probably focus on attacking them. So there’s
no use in worrying over it now.」
Angels are nothing compared to Ruminas. Understanding her
thoughts, Hinata complies to her course of actions.
There is however another issue——

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 「——By the way, Ruminas-sama upholds the idea 『All monsters
are mankind’s enemies』——Yet the existence of their town has
completely subverted the doctrines of Ruminas......」
Ruminas looks troubled at that query.
She ponders for a while.
She won’t be able to easily eliminate them at this point of time, yef
if not, people may instead lose faith in the church’s doctrines for it
will lack justification and persuasiveness. And she can’t bear to lose
her followers now after spending thousands of years fostering her
religion.
「Why don’t we make him the evil Demon Lord and build a friendly
accomplice relationship on that basis?」
Louis suddenly speaks up.
It is the same idea as what he mentioned before to Hinata, about
having Roy as the Demon Lord and Louis as the political machine. But
just as Hinata has suspected, Ruminas rejects the idea.
「No way. That new Demon Lord called Rimuru seems to want to
build a kingdom where people can live comfortably. He mentioned
that human assistance is necessary for that effort, and so he would
protect them himself. He even declared that 『Whoever dares to get
in my way, whether it is human or Demon lord, will all be my
enemies』, right in front of all the Demon Lords.」
Ruminas sighs with melancholy after finishing.
「If only had he not reached out to the humans, we could have
just adopted Louis’ proposal——」
She adds on angrily.
Hearing so, Hinata suddenly realizes that what Rimuru said about
him being a reincarnated one was true.

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 But it is too late at this point. Hinata knows she has the problem of
being too stubborn to listen to others’ opinions. Now her flaws have
found the worst possible way to haunt her back.
He doesn’t seem to have realized that God Ruminas is Demon Lord
Valentine. In the worse case scenario, I will just have to sacrifice
myself. Hinata makes such resolves.
「In other words, we can only quietly observe.」
「Hmm, indeed. We should stay put and act natural to the public.
It would only make the situation worse if we try to find excuses. We
will have to tell the nations the truth that 『Storm Dragon』 Veldora
has been revived.」
「What do you plan to do with Demon Lord Rimuru then?」
Hinata begins to ponder while Ruminas and Louis also begin to
strategize.
「....... About that. Rimuru will probably respond to the so-called
political consultation, so we should try have the Western Nations
cover things up by giving a vague response. Would you agree to that,
Hinata?」
It may sound like a question, but Ruminas has already made up her
mind.
If that’s the case, Hinata has no objection.
「Alright.」
「You sound rather reluctant.」
「——A bit, because I still wish I killed him when I have the
chance.」
「You are right to put it that way. But, that Rimuru is not that
dumb as to take such a thing to heart and stand against me.」
What she implies is that it won’t matter even if Ruminas’ true
identity is exposed.

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 But Hinata thinks that this is not an appropriate response.
「——I shall take care of the matter.」
She hides her truthful response and bids farewell to Ruminas.

◇◇◇

——A month or so later.

Hinata has been working overtime forgoing sleeps.
Not only has she been building a defensive line with the Holy Knights
to defend against Veldora, she has also been dispatching members of
the Imperial Guards all around the world to collect intelligence.
Nowadays, the eastern merchants who once worked as her
informants are no longer reliable. Hinata believes that only
intelligence collected by her own subordinates have credibility.
The time forwards to the present day. They are about to attend the
monthly conference between the two wings serving the Pope.
The participants include the Holy Knight Order that Hinata
personally oversees and the Regiment of the Pope’s Imperial
Guards——the Imperial Knights that serve the Pope's Ministry.
They are the pride of Holy Empire Ruberios, two orders of Knights
led by Hinata Sakaguchi.
The meeting is being hosted by Hinata.
She is worthy of her status as the strongest knight being both the
Head of Knights among the Pope’s Imperial Guards and being the
commander of the Holy Knight Order.
The table they sit is of U-shape where Hinata takes the head seat.
On her right are the six representatives of the Holy Knight Order.

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 Vice-Commander of the order, Reynald Jesta.
This Holy Knight with a gentle expression is known as the Childe of 「
Light」.
Next to him is 「Air」, Arno Bauman.
This man is rumored to be the strongest knight behind to Hinata;
known for his outstanding skill as a captain in commanding troops,
and is the spiritual assault captain of the Holy Knight Order.
After Arno, there are four other captains:
「Earth」 Bacchus.
——A quiet and sturdy man who is skilled with a magic-infused holy
mace in decimating his enemies.
「Water」 Ritase.
——Not only is she a beautiful woman and skillful healer, she is also
a Spirit Tamor (Elementaler) who can summon the power of the Holy
Water Maiden, Undine.
「Fire」 Gerald.
——A tall knight and fire mage who wields the fire spear——Beastial
Spear of Flame 「Red Spear」. He is a serious man who always looks
out for his companions.
「Wind」 Fritz.
——A magic knight who is both skilled in wind magic and dual-
wielding swords. Among the many more serious knights within the
Holy Knight Order, Fritz is one of the rare informal individuals. He
was born with a wild and carefree personality, and is the only one
who wears his uniform casually within the order. Yet he is also the
man who looks up to Hinata the most.
They each lead twenty Holy Knights and form the Five Captains of
the Holy Knight Order with Arno as their leader. There are only
hundred or so members within the Holy Knight Order, and these
captains are the strongest among them with unquestionable
strength.

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 In comparison, the regiment on Hinata’s left favors individual
talents. They are the Pope’s Imperial Guards.
There are, in total, thirty-three members, each with different attire
and equipment. The reason they only few as thirty-three people is
due to the fact that each have strong combat capabilities .
Any of them alone possess enough strength to stand against an
entire army. The Pope has even praised them to be “Fortresses” in
battle. But it is only natural considering they all possess combat
abilities above Rank A. Not only that, several of them united can
even stand against a Calamity-Rank threat, making them on par with
heroes of this world.
Among them, a few are worthy of mention:
「Vault of Heaven」 Sare.
——He takes the appearance of an innocent young boy, yet in
reality, is older than everyone at the scene. He has been the head
knight in the Imperial Guards since before Hinata’s enrollment.
「Boulder」 Grigori.
——Sare’s right hand man who possesses the ability to harden his
body, also known as 「Immovable」. His torso is his weapon, whose
toughness exceeds that of most metals. He is the type to withstand
continuous attacks.
「Turbulent Sea」 Glenda.
——A newcomer who arrived even later than Hinata and only made
her name in the past few years. She is a wild beauty with eye-
catching bottom-curl red hair. She once dirtied her hands in
mercenary business and her combat tactics have always been veiled
in secrecy. The only person who has actually experienced her true
abilities is the ex-Knight Lamar, who she defeated.
The three people known as the 「Three Martial Sages」 are seated
on the opposite side of the six Holy Knights.

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 All nine people seated here are capable of abilities beyond mortals.
The world recognizes them as the opposing forces against 「Demon
Lords」—— 「Saints」
With Hinata, they make up for the Ten Great Saints.
Saints are a high rank species that human can evolve into through
many years of rigorous training. People who reach this level are
called 「Sage」. Their lifespan is greatly lengthened and have the
ability to transform into a semi-astral-lifeform. They would be rid of
the shackles of the human flesh. And that’s why people who reached
the level of Sage are able to utilize enormous power. Their immense
physical prowess and precision in magical usage has been
strengthened far beyond what an average man could foresee,
making them powerful beings, able to rival the 「Demon Lord Breed
」. They are the guardians of mankind and are slowly evolving into
the envoys of God.
With that being said however, they are all nonetheless judged by
standards of strength set by humans.......
They await for Hinata’s arrival silently.
Several Holy Knights awaits orders behind their respective captains.
The other members of the regiments have no seat and simply remain
standing, waiting for the joint conference to start.
Soon, the heavy gate opens——
「Sorry to keep you all waiting. Let’s begin the conference.」
As Hinata arrives, the united conference unfolds.
Right behind Hinata, Pope Louis sits behind the royal veil to
observe the progress of the united conference.
As soon as the conference begins, Sare immediately lashes out at
her:
「Oi oi oi, aren’t you rad coming in late. I’d let you slide for not
stopping the revival of Veldora, but now you allowed a new Demon

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Lord to be born. It must be a joke to have cheap-shot like this to
represent us, is it not?!」
Hinata may be the Head of Knights, but for many, the knights’
obedience don’t reflect their true opinions.
Sare is the number one among the anti-Hinata crowd since he lost
his prestigious status because of her.
For the past month, members of the regiment have been spread all
over the land under orders from Hinata. They brought back a lot of
information and confirmed the connections between the series of
major events that took place.
The birth of Demon Lord Rimuru;
The revival of 「Storm Dragon」 Veldora;
And the Walpurgis Banquet, including the recent unrest within
Farmus Kingdom.
And Sare is implying that all of this happened due to the fact that
Hinata antagonized Rimuru.
「That’s quite rude of you, Sare-dono.」
「Oi, brat. If you have a problem with our commander, how about
you go a few rounds with me first?」
Reynald retorts coldly with a smile and is backed up by Arno.
Someone wants to rebuke this——It’s Grigori sitting next to Sare.
「The noble sir knight wants to fight us? Considering your high
status, stop mocking opponents who only lose to you on purpose.
Don’t get so full of yourself.」
「What did you say?」
「I see you have a death wish.」
The united conference suddenly is a step away from becoming a
battlefield. But Hinata calms all of them down.

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 「How very uninteresting, there is no time for in-fights now. Sare,
if you wish to take my place, I can pass you my seat anytime. But
before I hand it to you, I’ll have to test your strength.」
Hinata’s words silence the conference room.
It is for the fact that her tone can no longer be described as
annoyed, but instead expressing killing intent much more intense
than annoyance.
Whoever continues to argue will be executed without question,
and that is the absolute judgement from Hinata. The knights are not
stupid enough to not realize the message behind her words.
Hinata is usually very calm, and so, in moments like this when she
displays her emotions, even Sare know that provoking her now
would be dangerous.
「Tsk! Don’t you forget about your own words.」
Sare glares at Hinata annoyed.
He was once defeated by Hinata.
Normally he wouldn’t lose. To Sare at least, there was no way Hinata
was better than him.
Yet the result of their fight was a huge flop.
Having experienced his last defeat, Sare won’t dare to make a move
now. He doesn’t have a chance in winning against her, as long as the
secret to her power remains unseen by him. It would be a battle he
has no chance to win——Which is why Sare obeys Hinata’s orders
without complaint for now.
After Sare settles down, the united conference can finally
commence.
「I have something to report.」
As she finishes, 「Saint of Water」 Ritase stands up and begins her
report. She was the one assigned to investigate the Great Jura
Forest.

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 「Great Jura Forest has been peaceful. It has not been affected by
the revival of Veldora which is confirmed by the merchants going in
and out of the town.」
The Tempest Federation is, in fact, often visited by merchants from
Brumund Kingdom.
The locally produced healing potions are very popular, and apart
from that, people also want to purchase their silk products; not to
mention their rare monster materials and equipments. That’s why
the merchants often queue up in the city to purchase the high
quality goods.
「How can that be? Why would they do business with a Demon
Lord?」
「And Veldora, it is recorded that he’s a warmonger who spreads
chaos wherever he goes, yet right now there seems to be no sign
that he’s up to such business......」
Some begin to raise doubts, only to be hushed as Hinata waves her
hand dismissively.
「Finish the report first.」
She tells Ritase to continue the report.
「Very well. I shall continue my report. I’ve learned that the
government of Brumund Kingdom has declared diplomatic relations
with the Tempest Federation from the merchants. They’ve also been
given safe passage for the civilians to travel to Tempest with ease. In
addition, the roads to the city has been dazzlingly clean, with not
even a trace of horse manure. There weren’t any sightings of
monsters on the road either, so it would seem the said guarantee of
personal safety wasn’t just for show.」
「Have you explored the location?」
「Yes. In order to confirm things myself, I disguised myself as a
merchant to visit the city. There were designated security personnel

200
to maintain order in the streets. The level of development the
monster town possesses has exceeded our expectations. And
although it had a slightly concentrated magicule content, it wasn’t
enough to affect human body. It would seem they really do intend to
be friendly to humans, just as Demon Lord Rimuru claims.」
「——Is that so? What about Veldora?」
「Y-yes, ma’am. About that......」
「What is it?」
「It is forbidden to enter『The Sealed Cave』. I wasn’t aware any
other location for that the evil dragon may prefer to be...... So I
wasn’t able to find him.」
「Hmm.」
Hinata hums thoughtfully and acknowledges the end of Ritase’s
report with a nod after she announced 「That concludes my report
」.
「There wasn’t any sign of Veldora. Perhaps the rumor of his
revival is fake news——」
As 「Saint of Wind」 Fritz opens his mouth to say something, he is
stopped by Hinata’s cold eyes. It shuts him up immediately.
Ignoring the now panicked and apologetic Fritz, Hinata opens up:
「The divine order is absolute. Anyway, we have now have
information on Demon Lord Rimuru’s current movements. Next
report please.」
As she finishes, Hinata wants everyone to report the results of their
own investigation as well. Before the conference, she had planned
out the necessary information she wishes to learn in this conference.
「——It would seem to be the case that the government of
Ingracia Kingdom has been relatively settled. When comparing to its
usual competitor, Farmus Kingdom, who has since fallen from grace,
the power of Ingracia Kingdom is expected to grow.」

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 The reports proceeds in order.
As the knights of the Pope’s Imperial Guards, they can freely enter
and exit any of the Western Nations.
They may even give orders to the Templar Knight Orders stationed in
different nations. In terms of ranking, the captions of the Templar
Order are still below them.
In fear of disrupting the chain of command, their home nation
(Ruberios) cannot give orders to them without permission from
higher authorities. But in case of emergency, the Pope’s Imperial
Guards can assume direct command the Templar Knight Order.
Given that’s the case, their missions did not encounter any obstacles
and were successful in gathering intelligence from the neighbouring
nations.
This is where the Imperial Guards differ from the Holy Knight
Order. The Holy Knight Order is also free to visit the nations given its
affiliation with the Western Saints Church. But they cannot give
orders to the Templar Knight Order. There are also cases of members
of the Templar Order joining the Holy Knight Order. One can only
explain this as the structural difference between their organizations.
This is why Hinata has decided to use the advantages of each
organization when assigning orders for the convenience of gaining
more information efficiently.
It is now the last person’s turn to report, which is Sare.
「Alright, after hearing everyone’s report, I have a rough idea of
what boss is trying to find. Isn’t my part the one you want to know
the most?」
「That’s right. Of course I was handed with the most important
mission to you. Now do your report.」
「I see. Regarding the current situation of Farmus Kingdom, King
Edmalis of Flamas has stepped down and it seems that the crown has
been transferred peacefully. But, the new king, Edward, seems to be

202
recruiting some powerful mercenaries. With him leading, the nobles
seem to be doing similar things on their own as well. I think it is likely
the precursor of a civil war——」
The news of the birth of Demon Lord Rimuru has spread
throughout of the Western Nations. But even if that was the case,
the Brumund Kingdom, who has been communicating with Tempest
Federation seems to continue grow more prosperous.
In comparison, the situation in Farmus Kingdom seems to be
getting chaotic and abnormal.
The nobles are like a plate of scattered sand, and many are acting to
preserve their own power. Some are even attempting to reach out to
the Western Saints Church and the elders within the Western
Council. A civil war seems imminent.
The people of Farmus also seem to have been affected greatly. The
price of goods has risen while the commodity flow stagnates (supply
doesn’t meet demand). Some have been conscripted into the army in
order to fill the void of the twenty-thousand soldiers they lost. These
newcomers have no combat experience, yet they’ve been pushed to
a desperate spot to have been conscripted.
In other words, these are all signs of civil unrest.
The the neighbouring small nations have all reacted differently, but
they have one thing in common: that is to keep vigilant against the
Farmus Kingdom. Sensing the change in situation, these nations have
been tightening security in order to prevent themselves from being
affected.
Sooner or later there will be a war——This thought must be on
everyone’s mind.
「——But this information alone won’t be enough to determine
Demon Lord Rimuru’s involvement.」
「I suppose that’s true. Anything else?」

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 「I’ve screened out the individuals to come into contact with the
new King Edward. There have been important figures from the
Council, high-ranked officers from the Freedom Association, as well
as eastern merchants. He has even attempted to reach out to my
subordinates.」
「What is his goal? Accumulating military strength?」
「Impressive; you are right with that guess, Miss Head Knight.」
「If that’s the case, we can conclude that the new king Edward
isn’t considering paying the war reparations. No Demon Lord would
tolerate such behavior, and I doubt Rimuru is dumb enough to not
realize this.」
「Oh——Then does this mean that boss thinks all of these are also
part of Demon Lord Rimuru’s plan?」
「I suppose.」
Hinata nods.
What a timing indeed. All of the intelligence leads to the same
conclusion...... There’s no other way around it, someone is
manipulating things behind the scenes.
Some of her doubts are confirmed as she listens to the report.
Who is behind all this?
There can only be one answer.
Since Demon Lord Clayman who was secretly active among the
Western Nations have died, it leaves only one person to be behind
such a scheme.
The newly-risen Demon Lord——Rimuru.
How troublesome. Whether it is his personality (that I can’t
overlook) or his wisdom in planning out such comprehensive plan.
He did mention he was originally Japanese, I suppose that’s indeed
true......
Hinata comments on Rimuru calmly.

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 Now that she recalls all these, all her problems have all been due to
her trust in the words of the eastern merchants. Their many years of
connection with her has earned them her trust, and she has taken all
of their information in, which has been proven to be a fatal mistake.
Hinata begins to reflect.
The worst thing is, most of their information was accurate. The
only thing they modified was the portion regarding Rimuru that led
to her misunderstanding. These small yet unverified lies have led
Hinata astray. Had she believed what Rimuru said then, there may
even be changes to how things would play out.
But there is no use saying such thing now.
Hinata then suddenly finds a part of Sare’s report to be concerning.
「Speaking of which, Sare, didn’t Edward have contact with the
eastern merchants? Do you know what they discussed?」
「Why are you suddenly interested in the merchants? Aren’t we
done with this? We know it was the Demon Lord who’s been behind
the scenes? Now it’s the time to discuss our future plans and how to
react to the situation.」
「That part of discussion is, of course, necessary, but I am also
curious about the merchants. So quit beating around the bush and
answer me.」
「Tsk. Weren’t those people only in it for the money?」
「No. They lure the unsuspecting into their scheme to profit
themselves. Even I was also deceived and manipulated by them
before. You all have to be careful in the future as well. So then, what
have you learnt?」
「Ho, I suppose they are really something to have manipulated a
schemer like you. But, about that....... There wasn’t something
extremely important they discussed. Ah, hold on. Glenda, weren’t
commercial cities included within your area of investigation? Those

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places are where the merchants from east and west get in contact;
have you got wind of anything interesting?」
Although Sare has a bone to pick with Hinata, he is still very
responsible for his work. Then again, Sare has to acknowledge
Hinata’s strength.
She was able to train knights with poor skills into members of the
Holy Knight Order. She had no mercy for monsters while also having
her heart devoted to protecting the people.
Somewhere in his heart, Sare does approve of her.That’s why he did
the investigation, just as she ordered and shared the information he
collected. He intends to take Hinata down from her seat, but he
doesn’t plan to pull the order back by any means.
Sare believes in strength, and for better or worse, his personality
reflects how he acts. Hinata is well aware of that as well.
Then, Glenda——
「Well, according to my knowledge, there hasn’t been anything
suspicious there.」
She lies in a thuggish tone.
Glenda has led the life of a mercenary in the underworld and she’s
seen everything. Her instincts tells her that there is money to make
out of the crisis brewing from these events. It is part of her principles
to put belief and business as two seperate matters.
The public may think that she is a faithful follower of the Ruminism,
but that’s not the case at all. Her real goal is the power wielded by
the collective members of the believers of Ruminas all over the
world.
That can be money, or information, or military force. There may be
hundreds of variations, but every one of which is essential to Glenda.
Her status now allows her to freely access all of these, so she can’t
lose her position. And it is for the same reason that Glenda didn’t tell
Hinata the truth.

206
 In fact, Glenda did indeed visit the commercial cities Sare
mentioned and got in contact with the eastern merchants.
In addition, she even attended a secret meeting with some
prominent figures who can be considered elders within the Council.
Her reward was money.
And the contract was to spread false information.
But right now there’s still no time for her to do that as she must wait
for the correct opportunity.
That’s why Glenda is thinking to herself 「It would be bad if Hinata
suspects me」.
Hinata is cruel and cold-blooded. She wouldn’t spare mercy to her
enemies. Glenda can’t get careless while trying to find a way to trick
her.
On the other hand, she’s quite nice to her comrades.
It would be a stretch to say comrades, it is more fitting to refer to the
followers of Ruminas. She probably treat people who believes in the
same God as her more like family than comrades.
Glenda has seen through Hinata’s personality.
It is for the fact that she is generous when treating her own
companions that she allows Sare to constantly confront her.
And it is why that she hasn’t discovered Glenda’s betrayal.
Because she treats her own men too good, Hinata will one day fall
from grace due to her own personality——Glenda thinks to herself.
Given this to be the case——
「Since Miss Head Knight cares so much about it, I can go for a
more detailed investigation.」
「Is that so? Then I’ll be relying on you. Please be careful and do
not fall for those merchants’ words. Understood?」
「Leave it to me. I have my ways. So I shall get more in-depth
information.」
Glenda takes on the mission without hesitation in front of Hinata.

207
 She is not self-aware at all, and her casual words have already
revealed much to the Hinata…..
She sighs internally after having observed Glenda’s every move.
Seriously, I got looked down on. Or could it be that she thinks I’m
kind to my companions?
If that’s the case, she will be sorely disappointed. Hinata thinks to
herself.
Hinata doesn’t see any value in companionship at all.
Glenda misjudged that point.
Hinata is only cautious because she considers them as useful pawns
to Ruminas. And she does so to prevent any damage to Ruminas’
property.
The Holy Knight Order who has been trained by Hinata to serve as
her left and right hands are all faithful followers of Hinata.
You may even call them Hinata’s exclusive Knight Order with their
absolute loyalty towards her.
In contrast, the members of the Imperial Guards often act on their
own. But since they also believe in Ruminas, Hinata is thus generous
enough to keep an eye closed on their behavior.
Sare is perhaps the best example. His conflict and constant provoking
of her are all just acts for everyone else. Sare and Hinata are both
aware of that. He may complain, but when it is all business as usual
when it comes to work——In some sense, Sare is very easily
manipulated.
Besides, Sare is not aware of Ruminas.
Not only Sare, everyone except Hinata is unaware of Ruminas’
existence.
——How pathetic. They are just as ignorant of the truth like I was
before......
Hinata suddenly thinks.
Glenda is very ambitious.

208
 With her level of beauty and strength combined, she is very
confident in herself. She must believe that she can take me down,
Hinata thinks to herself.
Perhaps she is even planning to win the affection of Louis. It is only
natural for her to go after Louis to win his heart not knowing his
identity as a vampire.
Whatever. She can do what she wants, but——
As soon as she betrays the Church, it would be a different matter.
Hinata won’t comment on anything the regiment does under one
condition——That they do not act to disadvantage her and Ruminas.
However, now that Hinata is suspecting the existence of traitors,
Glenda’s acts are becoming problematic. But she may have just been
manipulated by others, so Hinata doesn’t plan to eliminate her
immediately.
Anyhow, she can only keep an extra eye on her.
——Speaking of which, they seem less disciplined these days. I
need be more strict during drills to show them their place.
Hinata feels rather troubled thinking so. But there are more
important topics to discuss.
She changes up her mood and says:
「Alright, everyone has finished their report. I assume everyone
has been updated on the situation.」
「Yes. The impact of the revival of 『Storm Dragon』 Veldora has
been much less significant than we predicted. The only known
casualties are the Farmus army who engaged in the war. But I think
that it was probably a fake rumor released by Demon Lord Rimuru.
The actual casualty rate should be zero.」
「If that’s the case, we will have to question the survivor,
Archbishop Rayhim. We know that Veldora has been revived. So
what happened on that battlefield seems to be more concerning.」

209
 As Hinata’s adjutant Reynald says so, Sare follows him up with
agreement.
「That’s why we should call him in. He should be arriving anytime
now——」
Hinata ordered Nicholas to summon Rayhim. Not only did Rayhim
actually face defeat in battle, he also must have seen Rimuru himself.
And so he is summoned to share his story and thoughts.
In addition——
The dates of Veldora’s revival and the defeat of Farmus army seem
to only be several days apart from each other. Although all the
neighboring nations have been spreading the rumor that Veldora has
decimated Farmus army, but in reality the timeline doesn’t come
close to align. It is for this reason that the factual testimony from
survivor Rayhim is required.
Rayhim is scheduled to arrive early this morning, yet he is late.
「I’m looking forward to it. There is no way to tell what kind of
story we are going to hear. How exciting.」
「Perhaps it will be matters regarding Veldora’s revival, he might
have some insight into it.」
「There has also been rumor that 『Demon Lord Rimuru
negotiated with Veldora and successfully calmed him down』, but it
is difficult to verify its authenticity. Veldora has been behaving
himself since his revival. If that’s true, the credibility of such rumor
would also be higher.」
「Saint of Air」 Arno analyzes calmly.
Everyone nods in agreement.
Everyone has come to some level of understanding that Rimuru
and 「Storm Dragon」 Veldora are connected in some way.
Then there shouldn’t be any need to hide it. Hinata concludes.

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 She is referring to what Ruminas has mentioned——the fact that
Rimuru and Veldora are allies.
「——Indeed, that is true. I have to inform you all beforehand,
God Ruminas has given the divine order that Demon lord Rimuru is
capable of suppressing the 『Storm Dragon』. For that reason, God
said 『You shall not take on Demon Lord Rimuru no matter what』. I
hope everyone will keep that in mind. 」
「I-If that’s the case......」
「I’ll be straight with you all then. We are staying low on this
incident. We must not confront the Demon Lord directly.」
The crowds see Hinata rise up and firmly declare so.
It is to show that they’ve officially proclaimed to not interfere with
Demon Lord Rimuru.
And so everyone is shocked in response.
「Is it really okay?! Are you telling us to do nothing while Demon
Lord Rimuru continues his plotting in Farmus Kingdom?」
「Demon Lords are indeed difficult to take on, but aren’t those
words just for the public? We, the Ten Great Saints, will not lose to a
Demon Lord!」
There is truth to Sare’s words.
Humans are not completely helpless when confronting S-Rank
threat like Demon Lords.
They’ve long prepared the military force to face the Demon Lords.
People such as the Ten Great Saints, people who’ve reached the
level of 「Sage」.
Arno, Reynald and Grigori. The three would stand a chance against
a Special Rank A monster.
Among the Ten Saints, Sare is undoubtedly the strongest next to
Hinata. He wouldn’t do too bad if he fights against a Demon Lord.

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 A duel between a Saint and Demon Lord like the legends tell is
unlikely to occur. But if it really comes to that, we can have a good
fight with our enemies then——Hinata thinks.
They have a rather good chance to win against opponents such as
Demon Lord Clayman who’s been tempting to make a move in the
Western Nations.
However, such judgement can only be made towards the
(unawakened) 「Demon Lord Breed」.
Sare and the rest won’t be able to handle a True Demon Lord.
This is the most common of knowledge to Hinata, as she knows the
truth about Demon Lord Ruminas.
And even Rimuru has also——
It is rumored that large nations such as Farmus have summoned
many 「Otherworlders」 and trained them for battle. Although such
acts are largely criticized and prohibited by the public from a
humanitarian standpoint, the enemies they fight are still monsters
who pose threats to the whole of mankind. It renders such moral
judgement uncompelling in the long run.
The Farmus army consists of Head of Court Mages, Majin Larzen who
can repeatedly reincarnate and the now dead Knight Commander
Folgen. They were still defeated by Demon Lord Rimuru despite such
military might.
In addition to Ruminas’ account of Rimuru’s instant kill of Demon
Lord Clayman, it should be clear that the 「Ten Great Saints」 who
only possess the title (of Saint), would not stand a chance against
him unless they are truly able to achieve higher evolution to become
a real 「Saint」.
——Like Hinata.
If the opponent right now is Demon Lord Rimuru, any of the nine
Great Saints other than Hinata would not stand a chance. If that’s the
case, they should then prevent unnecessary casualties.

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 Besides——
「But...by the way...... This time, there’s also the 『Storm Dragon
』 on top of there being a Demon Lord. The situation may grow
more chaotic if we make a move without planning.」
Reynald’s calm analysis is straight to the point——The Tempest
Federation has the aid of Veldora.
There is little chance to win even if they throw in all of the military
reserves of Ruberios.
「We should just do it! We can’t allow our territories to just be
taken over by the Demon Lord!」
The conference room quiets down due to Grigori’s shout.
His words represent everyone’s thoughts at the scene. Their eyes
fall onto Hinata.
Yet with an uncaring expression, Hinata simply allows them to
gaze.
「The divine order of God cannot be defied. It is not within our
power to defy.」
「How can it be?! Are we to leave Farmus Kingdom to its own
demise?!」
「That’s not the case, Ritase. There may, at most, be an outbreak
of civil war in that kingdom. What we ought to protect are not the
royalty or nobles, but the people. We should focus more on
preventing the civil war from affecting the citizens of Farmus as well
as other states.」
「What do you mean?」
「That kingdom may change its leadership, but if we are to
intervene, it would be interfering in their internal affairs. Haven’t
they always been refuting our requests for them to stop summoning
『Otherworlders』 with the excuse of 『interference with internal
affairs』? This will probably play out the same way.」

213
 Hinata answers coldly with a smile.
「Then according to you, are we not approving the actions of
Demon Lord Rimuru?」
Grigori questions Hinata.
「That’s right. Since Demon Lord Rimuru stated that he doesn’t
wish to antagonize humans, there is no need to continue our hostile
approach. Not only did Archbishop Rayhim’s attempt to eliminate
Rimuru end in failure, but so did mine as well. There is a high chance
of them listing us as their enemies if we continue this way, so we can
only allow their actions in Farmus Kingdom.」
「But that’s the misstep of Western Saints Church——Or rather,
you. We here in Ruberios didn’t mess things up!」
Grigori shouts out.
But Hinata is not moved by it.
Her smile is replaced by a tone of indifference as she answers
Grigori:
「You are right. That’s why none of you are to make a move. In the
worst case scenario, I would push firmly the stance of Western Saints
Church——That is my own final verdict.」
She answers quite calmly.
「What!」
「Hinata-sama!」
Hinata gives her order to the Imperial Guards ignoring the
astounded Holy Knights. Even Sare seems to panic realizing her
resolve.
「Rest assured. In my view, he does not wish to start a war with
us.」
Hinata said so in hope of comforting the rest, but no one seems to
accept this.

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 「It can’t be, how could boss trust the enemy so much?」
「It would be strange for me to say such things before, when not
only did I not believe him, I tried to kill him off. But now, I think he is
trustworthy. He said to me in person that he was a 『Otherworlder
』 just like me. Although I ignored his words completely then, it
seems that he truly is trying to avoid conflict with us.」
「Is he really a 『Otherworlder』? Wouldn’t that make him the
same type of reincarnated Majin as Demon Lord Leon who turned
from human to a monster?」
「No, according to himself, he seems to have died in his original
world to be reincarnated as a slime in this world.」
「Are you kidding me?」
「Sare, shouldn’t you know that I hate jokes?」
「Tsk, that would be unprecedented if true. There are indeed
cases of reincarnation, but those would only retain the memories of
their past life. How can someone cross to another world and get
reincarnated at the same time.......」
「That would indeed be a first.」
Hearing Sare’s comment, Reynald also gives the same view after
recalling.
「But, what odds are we talking here, to have been reincarnated
as a slime? Right, what would you do if it happens to you?」
Arno asks Ritase next to him. He can only see that a shred of
annoyance is added to her already distressed face.
「I don’t even want to think about it. I wouldn’t be able to talk, so
human contact would be challenging. And considering the limited
vocabulary a slime would have, I wouldn’t even properly
communicate the message of 『I am harmless (not a bad slime)』 to
others I encounter. After all, most slimes cannot talk at all.」

215
 Ritase speaks up on her most sincere thoughts.
You cannot talk and do not have any limbs. Communication is only
made harder when you do not know the spoken language or written
words used by others.
Upon considering these, everyone begins to feel somewhat
sympathetic towards Rimuru.
「I suppose.」
「That’s true......」
The members of Holy Knight and Imperial Guards agrees with her
one by one.
「I originally thought that they were all lies from a monster, but
they may turn out to be real. To this day, I feel a little sorry to him.」
Hinata is no exception, moreover——
If Rimuru had indeed tried his best to express sincerity, he would
likely hold a grudge after Hinata completely ignored all of it, she
thinks to herself.
「Our opponent is a monster after all, so it cannot be helped.」
「And the doctrines also directly prohibits it......」
Sare and Reynald whispers.
Had they been in the same shoes as Hinata, they would likely have
done the same thing.
How can they listen to a monster when the doctrines are
unquestionable?
If Hinata really listened, it would probably lead to huge backlash
that renders her a public enemy of Ruberios.
「Moreover, I was secretly informed that Rimuru was an enemy of
my dear mentor…...」
「How is that the case?」

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 「Didn’t I mention it? I was also manipulated——by the eastern
merchants. At the time, they came with the news that a monster had
disguised himself as human in an attempt to invade other countries.
They said that he built a kingdom in order to deceive the
neighbouring nations. They also mentioned that the ruler of that
kingdom, this monster named Rimuru, was the fiend that murdered
my teacher. That’s why I went to execute him without hesitation.」
「And to cause him to escape later? I really can’t tell whether it is
a good or bad thing......」
Sare shakes his head helplessly after hearing Hinata’s explanation.
Sare is right however, since Rimuru has become a huge concern
today, which Hinata also agrees. Yet there would likely be a conflict
no matter how it went down.
「He was highly skillful during his escape. Now that he has become
Demon Lord, he must have undergone evolution, so opposing him is
not the wise move to take.」
No one objects Hinata’s view.
There is no use to refer to the doctrines now that the divine order
of God has been issued. If that’s the case, frankly they should just
accept that reality from now on and try and make peace with the
opposing party.
「Then, what is Hinata-sama planning to do?」
Reynald asks.
In response, Hinata replies calmly: 「We stay put.」
If the other side were human enemies, she would be willing to
gamble her life in a battle. Yet since Demon Lord Rimuru has
expressed hope to communicate with other nations, Hinata has
decided to approve his actions. Because she doesn’t wish to defy the
holy will of Ruminas.
That is however, unless Rimuru’s actions become malicious......

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 「What should we do if Demon Lord Rimuru considers Hinata-
sama as an enemy?」
「Right. It’s true that boss tried to kill him. Now this Rimuru has
become many times stronger after evolving into a Demon Lord, it
wouldn’t be strange for him to seek revenge against you.」
Hearing this, Hinata shuns their many concerns.
「Didn’t I just tell you all? Just consider all of these my own
judgement. I am actually planning to visit and talk to him in person
while our relation is still undetermined. if necessary, I wouldn’t mind
kneeling to apologize.」
Hinata answers rather uncaringly.
Now that Hinata has said words that everyone can’t just simply
overlook.
「That’s just reckless!」
「It is too dangerous!」
「Demon Lord Rimuru may be scheming to eliminate Hinata-sama,
you could be killed if you walk into his trap!」
「Even if Hinata-sama isn’t being plotted against, if that monster’s
underlings decide to attack in groups…...」
「Everyone calm down. I am not planning to take off just yet. The
most important thing now is to correctly interpret what Demon Lord
Rimuru wants——」
Hinata is only telling everyone to stay calm because she believes
there won’t be any issue.
There have been reports pointing out that Rimuru is very kind and
friendly to others.
She recalls how she felt during her encounter with Rimuru and
doesn’t find much reason to suspect this observation.

218
 I would be able to be forgiven if I go out of my way to show my
sincerity and talk with him——Although it is a one-sided view, Hinata
truly believes so.
Yet her wish would not come true.
Human greed intertwined with evil intents have tainted the
situation—— Manipulated it far beyond Hinata’s expectation.
Things are beginning to take a turn for the worst.

◇◇◇

A knock echoes on the conference room.

It must be Rayhim and Nicolas——Hinata thinks to herself. Everyone
has been expecting them. 「Please come in」she says. Upon issuing
this concise permission, the knights guarding outside obeys and open
the door.
The person entering is someone being expected by Hinata.
It is Hinata’s trusted subordinate, Nicolas Spertus.
He enters the room followed by Archbishop Rayhim who has a
nervous expression.
Until now, everything has been proceeding as expected.
But, Hinata frowns as she sees the people entering next.
These are completely unexpected visitors ——The 「Seven
Celestial Sages」.
「Long time no see, Hinata.」
「How have you been?」
「What is it, why do you look so surprised?」
Hinata is shocked to the point of speechlessness seeing this
unfolding before her.
「Why are you here......?」

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 She can’t help but ask.
Nicholas, who is almost always calm in conduct looks panicked as
well, alongside Rayhim, who seems terrified.
「Boss, who are these people?」
Sare asks. He gets an immediate response. Instead of from Hinata,
it is Nicholas who led them here.
「S-Sare, how rude or you! These are the masters of the 『Seven
Celestials』.」
Sare suddenly realizes as Nicholas words reach his ear.
「——『Seven Celestials』? The ones from the legend?」
「Yes, these are the sages.」
Even Hinata cuts in to introduce them. Hearing this, everyone on
site immediately rises up to salute——
——They are the great sages known as 「Seven Celestial Sages」.
Each one them have surpassed the average “Sage”. They are
legendary figures who have even trained Chosen Heroes in the past.
They have completely masked their presence from the public eye
and become legends that only live in fairy tales or folk lores. Even the
Holy Knights are unaware of their actual existence.
There are an extremely small group of people, including Hinata and
Nicolas who have actually laid eyes on them… Only a few high-
ranking officials within the Western Saints Church have had the
honor to see these people.
The 「Trials of Seven Celestials」 that Hinata once went through
was created by them. It was a trial used to select Heroes and Chosen
Hero. From knowing that they are responsible for the trial alone, you
can tell the magnitude of their authority.
But Hinata really dislikes them.
In reality, the so-called 「Seven Celestials」 are the highest
consultants of Western Saints Church and are responsible for

220
overseeing different organizations and training new knights. All of
these assignments are given by Ruminas. Yet before Hinata came
into her position, the Holy Knight Order was an organization with
only their name but nothing to back it up.
In Hinata’s view, the Seven Celestial Sages have already been derelict
in their duty.
Now that I think about it, I should have robbed them of their power
completely.
Hinata has such a thought crossing her mind.
Her ability——unique skill 「Usurper」has two main functions.
They are respectively,「Usurp」 that can rob power from her
opponent and 「Duplication」 which allows her to copy and learn
skills.
At the start of her trial, Hinata thought these people to be the
great figures from legend. That’s why in order to learn from them,
Hinata used 「Duplication」 to improve herself.
In some way, Hinata can be considered as a student of the 「Seven
Celestial Sages」.
But it caused much displeasure for the 「Seven Celestials」.
They were annoyed by Hinata because she was stronger than them.
And so they decided to bother and challenge her for countless days
and nights.
These cunning foxes hid behind the shield of Western Saints Church
and ran the show for too long. Yet these people are extremely
unproductive. If Hinata knew this when she initially partook the trial,
she would have labelled the 「Seven Celestials」 as old crooks
without hesitation and deprive them of their power permanently.
Nowadays, Hinata has used the skills she learnt from the seven sages
to pass on and train Arno and the rest of the captains the same skills.
Perhaps it is for this reason that Ruminas-sama wanted me to
undergo the 「Trials of Seven Celestials」——

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 As she thinks so, Hinata praises Ruminas for her keen eye for
talent.
In Hinata’s view, the 「Seven Celestials」 have already abandoned
their duty of fostering new generations of fighters. Ruminas must
have some other plan for them to have let them keep their position
of power despite their dereliction of duty for so long.
And it is for that reason Hinata acts as if she is obedient to them—
—
After saluting, the crowds wait quietly as the sages take their seats.
「Well then, what do we owe the honour to have your presence
today——?」
Hinata asks as everyone’s representative.
「Hehehe, don’t be so nervous.」
「Indeed. Didn’t Archbishop Rayhim here bring back information
regarding Demon Lord Rimuru?」
「We are interested in it too.」
The voices of the 「Seven Celestials」 are channelled directly to
their heads through 「Telepathy」, to give their answer.
「Now then——」, Hinata says while thinking calmly.
Only three of the 「Seven Celestials」 are present here.
Hinata personally thinks these three are the most corrupted of the
seven. Especially one of them——The fire-wielding 「Sage of Fire」
Azu, who can hardly even reach Shizue Izawa in terms of power.
There was nothing worth learning from him. Hinata didn’t even need
to use 「Usurper」 to pass his trial.
Despite being such a cheap-shot, he seems to have also
misunderstood Hinata, believing that she was simply unable to take
his power from him. That’s why he is rather annoying to Hinata for
his constant disdain for her.

222
 The other two are 「Sage of Moon」 Dana and 「Sage of Metal」
Vena. They most likely came to back Azu up.
This is bad. Ruminas has ordered me to take care of this matter
properly......
A shred of unease passes through Hinata’s mind at that thought.
Considering the situation as it is now, Rimuru’s impression of
Hinata is already pretty bad. Now that these three have come to
cause trouble, it may ruin the prospect of making peace. But while
their goal here is still not clear; it is most urgent however listen to
Rayhim’s account.
After being urged by the three, Rayhim begins his explanation.
Hinata puts away her feelings to listen to what Rayhim has to say.
「It was most foolish of me. We accidentally ran into a terrifying
foe. It was truly horrifying. He is undoubtedly a real Demon Lord. It is
us who allowed a new Demon Lord to be born!」
Rayhim shouts as his eyes begin to turn bloodshot during his
emotional recollection of what he experienced. He begins to retell
the course of events that birthed the terrifying new Demon Lord.
Rayhim even spills all the bad deeds done by his own army despite
no one ordering so. He flashes out everything he knows in a forceful
drive of will. He must have been trying to rid himself of the pain and
by doing so, is pleading forgiveness from God to atone for his sins.
Even the Holy Knights are shaken by the details of his account of
the birth of Demon Lord Rimuru.
The sheer combat ability of the enemy was shocking.
Even their Holy Barrier would not be able to stand up against those
light beam attacks, let alone the anti-magic barrier (or anti-monster)
or the more commonly applied, defensive barriers that defend
against wide-area magic attacks.
They’ve never heard of such magic before.

223
They themselves are probably unable to stand against an attack that
could penetrate their protective barriers.
But Hinata remains calm.
She deduces from Rayhim’s report that it is likely an attack beam
converted from gathered sunlight.
And soon her deduction is proven true——
「Hmm. That sounds a lot like Gran-sama’s sunlight magic.」
「Is it the kind of magic that bends light? If that’s the case, can’t it
be sealed by an anti-magic barrier?」
「Besides, its power is not that strong.」
The 「Seven Celestials」 begin to express their “brilliant” opinions.
「Sage of Sun」 Gran is the head of the「Seven Celestials」 and
controls the element of 「Light」. One of his skills can gather and
concentrate sunlight.
Although the magic that the 「Seven Celestials」 are talking about
should be different from this, Hinata thinks it sounds rather similar
so her guess is likely not far from the truth.
Idiots. There’s no way he used magic to directly bend sunlight. He
must have utilized some other means to reflect the sunlight before
converging them into beams. Perhaps he has borrowed the power of
wind and water spirits? But if he wants to actually do so, he would
need quite the calculative power......
Even if that is the case, Hinata is still not afraid.
If she knew the origin of his strength, countering it would then be a
piece of cake. She would be able to stop the enemy’s attack by
summoning a protective barrier that dissipates heat and sprays dust
particles into the air to disperse the light source. This attack is full of
flaws if only utilizing sunlight. To Hinata, such attack isn’t even worth
mentioning.

224
 It seems like that he is using the scientific knowledge from the
other world. In this way, he must think that it would be hard for the
uninformed people in this world to deal with it. For him to have
exploited the weakness of magic defenses... I see that he’s not only
cautious, but quite intelligent......
Thoughts are going through Hinata’s head.
Rimuru indeed possesses incredible calculative power and he is
only made more of a threat given his ability to wield multiple types
of magic at the same time. However, since Hinata has seen him in
person, she doesn’t feel the need to fear like the rest.
But, Hinata’s conclusion seems to have been made too early.
Rayhim isn’t finished yet.
There’s more story to tell…… or rather, what follows next is the
climax.
「Please hold on everyone. That mysterious attack was indeed
powerful. Folgen-sama was killed almost instantly. Even Larzen-sama
couldn’t do a thing about it. Near ten-thousand knights probably all
died due to that one attack. But——」
Rayhim pauses for a second.
There were people who either passed out or cried due to their
severe injuries. Even those without injury were scared to insanity
and hiding on the battlefield. These soldiers just incited a massive
commotion and all over the battlefield, you could hear the sounds of
despair.
He gulps loudly, as cold sweats drip profusely down his face when
he says, shivering——
「——It only got more terrifying from there. The battlefield
became silent the very next moment.」
All of these sounds disappeared——Rayhim says.
「What do you mean?」

225
 「Exactly what I said, Hinata-sama. The survivors of the twenty-
thousand army were killed instantly. The sole survivors are the three
of us: me, Larzen-sama and the Farmus King Edmalis. I completely
lost my mind after witnessing the scene and was scared
unconscious——」
Rayhim finishes up…...
There is silence in the sacred cathedral.
A single monster was able to massacre the entire twenty-thousand
army——The crowds are speechless before this fact presented
before them. The silence is accompanied by a nervous air as
everyone begins to recall a certain legend.
There was once a group of individuals who could single-handedly
destroy nations. They became Demon Lords, and so, legends——
Hinata also begins to recall.
She recalls what Ruminas said to her.
It is rumored that the early concept of the Western Saints Church
began to gain prominence around a thousand years ago. According
to the history of the nation (Ruberios), there are records of it tracing
back to around twelve hundred years ago.
It has been two thousand years since the old kingdom was destroyed
by Veldora and the people immigrated to this location.
Veldora’s stubbornness and immortal flesh were extraordinary and
fighting him seriously would only further the destruction.
Since the vampires could only obtain high-quality spirits from the
blood of humans, if Velodora’s reckless actions lead to humans’
extinction, it would also sabotage the food source of the vampires. It
may be a different case for more ancient vampires such as Ruminas,
but it is a life or death situation for lower vampires. That’s why
Ruminas had no choice but to come up with a system to coexist with
them and thus devoted herself to the protection of mankind. She
was raised to Godhood for her rescue and leadership of the humans
in the past.

226
 Everything about this nation was caused by a rampaging Veldora.
It was an existence far more persistent and difficult to deal with than
any kind of natural phenomenon.
That’s why he was called 「Catastrophe」.
Right now they are called Special Rank S, i.e. not suitable for humans
to handle. However...... He was not the only one that has caused
mass-destruction.
Right now, the only individuals labeled as Special Rank S are the
four 「True Dragons」. But that is merely a surface record for the
public....... According to historic texts, there are also two Demon
Lords who have also caused great destruction.
They are the 「Lord of Darkness」 Guy Crimson and 「Tyrant of
Destruction (Destroyer)」 Milim Nava.
All of the Demon Lords are listed as S Rank, but among themselves,
there is also a difference of strong and weak ones. These two for
instance, are Special Rank S whose ranking for some reason, cannot
be disclosed to the public.
Ruminas said——「Demon Lord Breed」 can be awakened.
By raining mass destruction and absorb large amount of human 「
Soul」, the 「Demon Lord Breed」 will awake and undergo an
incredibly powerful evolution. The Demon Lords truly worthy of their
titles are the awakened, 「True Demon Lord」. At the same time,
there are different stages to their evolution, and some Demon Lords
may even stand against a 「True Dragon」.
As for Guy and Milim, Ruminas seems to believe both have
exceeded the power scale of a 「True Dragon」.
Even Ruminas, who is also a 「True Demon Lord」, is no match for
the two.
「If the opponent is Milim, I should be able to pull a trick on her. It
would probably be a fun fight, but it’s one that I’ll definitely lose.」

227
 This is what Ruminas had to say about her.
So what if the opponent is Guy?
「Ha! Although I hate to admit it, but I am no match for him. He is
extremely powerful.」
To Hinata, Ruminas is already strong beyond belief, yet she easily
claims that Guy is stronger.
Guy must be ridiculously strong for someone as confident as
Ruminas to assert that she won’t be able to defeat him. Apart from
that, Milim also had her legendary battle with Guy, and so she must
also be a monster beyond Hinata’s imagination.
“Special Rank S” is the term used to describe these monsters.
In theory, it may be possible to stand against them by gathering
the strength of 「Humanity」, but that is but optimistic speculation.
The reason is being that the whole of humanity would also include
the Chosen Hero. Now that there is no active Chosen one however,
the reality is that humanity won’t stand a chance against them.
Moreover——
The new Demon Lords ——「Eight-Star Demon Lord」 cannot be
simply dismissed.
Demon Lord Rimuru is no exception.
From Ruminas’ understanding, Rimuru seems to have also
awakened.
Rayhim’s testimony just now is enough to prove that.
Following Hinata’s footsteps, the rest are beginning to recall as
well.
——They are reminded of the fearsome awakened Demon Lords.
This information has not be disclosed to public to prevent
unnecessary concerns over the existence of creature who threaten
mankind.

228
 The original 「True Dragon」 (Veldanava) has lost its power and
there hasn’t been any sign of its resurrection. One of the remaining
three was sealed until it was unfortunately revived recently. And it
has also allied with Demon Lord Rimuru who has become the focus
of discussion right now.
And speaking about this Demon Lord Rimuru, he was able to
decimate twenty-thousand men army by himself. This kind of
behaviour is quite similar to what the other two Demon Lords have
done. It wasn’t enough to amount to mass-destruction, but it is
highly likely he has absorbed a massive amount of human 「Soul」.
The solemn silence persists as no one wants to admit the fact that
a new True Demon Lord has been born to this world.
The difference between 「Demon Lord Breed」 and 「True
Demon Lord」 is night and day. Everyone at the scene is aware of
this.
No one is saying a thing, and the one to break the silence is——
「Is it now? Then we will have to assume Demon Lord Rimuru has
『Awakened』......」
Hinata states calmly.
Her words became a sharp blade that pierced the silence. And so,
the people who can no longer bear the silence found some
motivation to speak as well.
「I suppose we should. So what are wa going to do? If we leave
him like this, won’t he become a threat we can no long deal with in
the future?」
「Calm down. Demon Lord Rimuru was once human as well. If he
wishes for coexistence, then we don’t need to force ourselves to
oppose him.」
「Indeed. We will have to see how they act first.」

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 「But, it is also a fact that he murdered twenty thousand knights
without hesitation…… He is indeed dangerous. Can we really trust
Demon Lord Rimuru......?」
Reynald was the last one to express his opinion, and the one whose
opinion resonates with everyone’s heart.
In the end, all wars originate from suspicion and distrustful
guesswork. If it is the case, when it comes to humans, it will be just
as difficult for the Demon Lord to just take their word for it.
It may be easy to do so if the knights can march on him at anytime,
yet Rimuru’s strength is growing rapidly. To the Guardians of
Mankind, the Holy Knights and Sword of Pope, the Imperial Guards,
it makes a lot of sense to challenge him before he grows to the point
of being undefeatable.
However, Hinata is still not moved by it.
「Everyone, please stop. The divine order cannot be defied.」
Hinata declares with determination.
She won’t change her mind no matter what she hears.
Hinata is the head of knights within the Pope’s Imperial Guards and
the Commander of the Holy Knight Order. She must be a role model
and rule the Holy Knights with determination in order to lead the
Holy Empire Ruberios.
Unless it is to obey Ruminas’ will, Hinata will not change her mind.
That’s why Hinata is able to assert this without hesitation.
As such, the united conference soon comes to an end. Everyone is
supposedly going back to intelligence gathering as planned——
supposedly......
Yet malicious intents linger in the air.

◇◇◇

230
 「Oh oh, Rayhim. Is that all the 『Message』 you have?」
Before, the 「Seven Celestials」 were only observing on the side.
Yet now they’ve actively intervened, trying to stop Hinata from
ending the united conference.
Rayhim takes out a crystal ball after being urged by these words.
He hands it carefully to Hinata.
「R-right, and this. Demon Lord Rimuru has some words for
Hinata-sama——」
「He has words for me?」
Feeling suspicious, Hinata takes in the object.
If Rimuru has something to say, she has to listen to it.
The crystal ball handed by Rayhim as ordered by the 「Seven
Celestials」 is an expensive magic item that allows anyone to record
video footage with the device. It is one of the many communication
methods that work as better evidence compared to written letters,
and so it is often used in communication between nations as well.
Putting aside the origin of such expensive item, Hinata immediately
replays said message recorded by Rimuru himself. Since all of the
prominent figures of the nation are all gathered here, they may as
well get to learn about the Demon Lord Rimuru himself too.
However, things are not that simple.......
The crystal ball projects the image of a beautiful young girl.
No, not a young girl, it’s Demon Lord Rimuru himself.
His face is quite similar to Hinata’s teacher Shizue Izawa, extremely
grim and without any emotion. Although this is only a projection, his
imposing aura is very evident.
How surprising, he seems to have changed completely in just a few
months——

231
 Hinata stares at him with eyes wide.
Soon, her eyes meet with the ones of the Demon Lord in the
projection.
Could this be a coincidence......
Unknowingly, Hinata begins to find herself nervous.
This Rimuru came from the same place as her and appears to be
very friendly.
Due to how strong this first impression was, I may have
overestimated him too much——Hinata remarks to herself.
The very next moment, almost as if hes is trying to prove her
thoughts, he says——
「I shall be your opponent. Come, fight me in a duel.」
That is all.
It is a simple enough message and impossible to misunderstand.
——Rimuru has been angered. After taking out the Demon Lord
Clayman who was in his way, has it finally time for Hinata——?
These thoughts are on everyone’s mind.
「W-what should we do, Hinata-sama?」
Nicolas asks Hinata, panicked—— something highly unusual
compared to his normal conduct.
Yet, Hinata isn’t making any response——
「Hinata-sama, please give me the order! I shall lead the troops to
crush this ambition of the Demon Lord!」
Arno, who’s suddenly been filled with zeal, jumps out to volunteer
himself.
The crowd then restarts the discussion.
Sare looks at Arno, quite shocked while commenting jokingly:
「Arno, you may be good with a sword, but there seems to be
some issues with your head.」

232
 「——What did you say!?」
「Nothing really, but didn’t boss just tell us to stay out of this? If
we are to make a move, the other Demon Lords won’t just sit back
and watch. Besides, he may have awakened, so we can’t be reckless.
The best option now is to be cautious and accept his proposal.」
「That’s right, Arno. And there’s still Veldora, who we have no
chance to win against. In fact, we will suffer great losses even if we
win. If they wish for a duel, we should just leave the matter to
Hinata-sama.」
Ritase jumps in to support Sare.
If they and their troops are engage in an intense battle with their
enemies, there will definitely result in heavy losses. And whether
they can emerge victorious is also in question.
Since this is the case, it is not a bad idea to send out Hinata, the
strongest knight of Holy Empire Ruberios to fight alone.
Sare and Ritase both believe Hinata will be victorious, and for that
reason they remain optimistic and support her.
Hinata is also reflecting on the whole issue.
Naturally, Arno’s proposal to launch an assault is not an option.
It will drag the entire nation down with it, and in time, just as
Ritase said, it will lead to a total war.
With further consideration of their geographical position, it will
even endanger the Western Nations, turning this into a world war. If
that’s the case, Ruberios with much more subjects to protect will be
disadvantageous, nor is it what Ruminas has wished for.
Right now, the biggest threat is, no doubt, Veldora. On just
minimizing casualties alone, the invitation to duel with Demon Lord
Rimuru is more than Hinata could wish for. Yet she still has doubts.
Then, what should I do......
Hinata begins to ponder.

233
 Considering now, it was lucky that she didn’t assault the monster
kingdom when the situation had yet to clear up.
It is all thanks to Ruminas’ wise eyes.
There is no use sending any amount of troops when the opponent
has awakened to be 「True Demon Lord」. Even with elite soldiers
enlisted in the army, they won’t be of much use if they don’t reach a
certain level of strength. The miserable state of the Farmus army to
be left with only three survivors is sufficient enough to prove this
point.
——No, that’s still inaccurate.
Rimuru couldn’t have been awakened during his battle against the
Farmus army. He needed the 「Souls」of the defeated Farmus army
in order to achieve evolution.
He was able to take out the twenty-thousand men army when
unawakened.
What an absolute monster......
Thinking back to her battle with Rimuru, he didn’t seem that
capable back then. But there is also the possible explanation that he
intentionally made a concession because the opponent was Hinata.
Would such a person be planning to kill her even to this day?
Even if he does hate Hinata to the bone, it is still quite unnatural
for someone seeking revenge to invite her to a duel.
And even though his motives may be to remove the obstacles
posed by Hinata and the Western Saints Church, Rimuru shouldn’t
strike first. If he is dumb enough to not know this, how is it possible
for him to come up with the scheme against Farmus Kingdom?
With that being said, there may also be another reason.
It’s quite strange, no matter how I think about it. Has the situation
changed? Or perhaps, evolving to Demon Lord has deprived him of
humanity——?
A human’s mind can be easily corrupted by such immense power.

234
 For instance, Shizue put in much effort trying to suppress the
power of Ifrit, whose enormous power can easily destroy a person.
Moreover, the fact that Rimuru has awakened.......
——No, there shouldn’t be such thing. It wouldn’t make sense for
him to says that he is on the human’s side if that’s the case......
Ruminas mentioned that Rimuru announced his desire to protect
mankind. Had he lost his humanity, his talk of building an utopian
city would be nothing but claptrap.
There is still not enough information, Hinata thinks to herself. She
believes there’s still truth hidden behind all this, yet her 「
Mathematician」 cannot work out the right answer.
Moreover, the message recorded in this crystal ball also seems
weird.
It could have recorded a large amount of content, yet the actual
message only consists of a short line of words. No matter how she
puts it, she feels that there’s some other intent hidden behind the
message.
Apart from that——
Just now, 「Sage of Fire」Azu seemed to know that Rimuru had a
message for me; why is that the case?
Rayhim only mentioned the origin and development of the whole
ordeal, yet he didn’t once mention a message from Rimuru. Yet Azu
asked 「Is that all the 『Message』 you have?」. Hinata finds that
part to be abnormal.
Doubts begin to be raised in Hinata’s heart. Yet her expression
didn’t change at all as she decides to suppress her suspicions. She
needs to think about the matter and not ignore any small signs. It is
unfortunate however, considering the lack of information. Hinata is
simply doing her calculations as always, trying to find an answer, yet
she can’t find the correct solution.

235
 And so Hinata decides to no longer hesitate and choose the best
available solution.
「It can’t be helped then. Since they have demanded me by name,
I suppose I’ll have to explain things in person.」
Hinata sighs while giving her final conclusion.
If that’s what Rimuru wishes, she can accept the invitation to his
duel. But she wants to find out first whether there is still room for
negotiation or not. She will get to the answer as soon as they meet.
It would be much more meaningful than sitting and being troubled
here.
Regardless, since things have developed to this point, it is up to me
to conclude things——
Hinata makes up her mind.
「This is too dangerous! If we already know that Demon Lord
Rimuru bears no good intent, there will be no need for Hinata-sama
to go in person!」
Nicolas speaks up in a nervous tone, yet Hinata isn’t changing her
decision.
「Can we really find an answer without knowing what is on our
opponent’s mind? I still have to apologize to him anyway. Regardless
of the situation, I will have to see him one way or another. Shouldn’t
I, at least, go and try to negotiate with him?」
Hinata replies, trying to end the discussion on that note.
However, some decide to interject her.
It’s the three masters of the 「Seven Celestials」.
「Hehehe, what a wonderful decision!」
「May the blessings of Ruminas be upon you」
「Demon Lord Rimuru is indeed a threat.」
「It won’t matter if you can’t establish common ground.」

236
 「If it’s Hinata, you can definitely defeat him.」
「But Hinata, don’t you forget.」
「Indeed, there’s still that evil dragon.」
「Even you wouldn’t be able to take down that evil dragon!」
「Don’t overestimate your strength, Hinata.」
「Any form of attack wouldn’t harm that evil dragon.」
「But Hinata, rest assured.」
「We grant you this.」
「We grant you the Holy Dragon Slaying Sword (Dragon Buster)!」
The three begin to talk to Hinata among themselves.
I can’t stand this; how unsubtle can you be? I said I just wanted to
talk, yet you’ve concluded that I’m going to fight Rimuru. Your goal
must be for me to take out Veldora. Or perhaps, some other intent—
—
The 「Seven Celestials」 are ex-humans recognized by Ruminas.
So it’s somewhat understandable for them to attempt to eliminate
Veldora who is hated by Ruminas...... But Hinata has found out that
they have other reasons than that.
The 「Seven Celestial Sages」 are afraid.
They are afraid of new talents that may lower their prestigious
status by Ruminas.
That must be why they’ve been so unenthusiastic about training a
new generation of fighters and why they’re trying to eliminate
people in their way.
Fools. I shall inform Ruminas-sama that you are all a bunch of
good-for-nothing parasites——
But even so, Hinata remains unfringed in her expression.
The judgement call will be left for Ruminas to decide, so Hinata will
not make a move so easily.

237
 That’s why Hinata replies unfazed.
「I shall obey thy will; much obliged for the sword.」
Hinata finishes her words as she takes the Dragon Buster from 「
Sage of Metal」 Vena’s hand.
Seeing her acceptance, the three nod with satisfaction——
「We hope to receive news of your triumphant feat.」
「If you run into any emergency situation, that sword shall protect
you.」
「But if you fail, you shall take all the responsibility.」
Leaving these words, the 「Seven Celestials」 turn on their heels
and leave.
「Hinata-sama…...」
The Holy Knights try to say something, but are gestured to stop by
Hinata.
「Now then, you should all go back to your missions. The united
conference is now dismissed.」
She declares so while signalling her eyes to Pope Louis behind the
royal veil.
The 「Three Martial Sages」 remain silent, seemingly pondering
something.
The Holy Knights respect Hinata’s will and follow her order.
As such, this conference filled with twists and turns has finally
come to an end.

◇◇◇

After a momentary nap, Hinata starts to wake up.

238
 She fell asleep without knowing after immersing herself in
memories.
She smells the fragrance of coffee as soon as she woke up. The
sight that comes to her is that of Nicolas preparing breakfast in the
other room to take care of Hinata.

239
240
 「Ah, have you woken?」
He is Cardinal Nicolas Spertus.
Come to think of it, this man is an oddball.
Not only is he a trusted subordinate of the Pope and the highest
executive of the Holy Empire Ruberios, he is also the actual holder of
power within the Western Saints Church. Yet a man like him pledged
his loyalty only to Hinata and her alone like an obedient puppy.
「Come, breakfast is ready. Why don’t you have a bite?」
Hinata suddenly wants to laugh.
No one would have imagined that Nicolas Spertus would ever
prepare breakfast for anyone.
Anyone who has seen his normal self would have all commented
that Nicolas is a devil with the mask of a clergyman.
「Alright, I gratefully accept (いただく). Thanks a lot.」
Hinata didn’t think too much on her answer and is met with a
delighted nod from Nicolas.
The two begin to eat breakfast.
She has been longing for some delicious meal.
Moreover, she’s even been missing out on proper sleep due to the
pilling amount of work lately.
But, for a while all of these are going to come to an end——
「......Are you really going?」
「Yeah. I have to take responsibility.」
「But, it was me who summoned Rayhim——」
「And I’ve accepted it. You don’t have to worry over this issue.」
「Can’t you…… reconsider the idea…...」
「Annoying. Besides, you don’t have to worry. It is unlikely to lead
to war.」

241
 And moreover, if a fight really breaks out, she still has a chance to
win..
Hinata still an ace up her sleeve.
Not that garbage Dragon Buster, but something much greater——
In addition——Ruminas gave her the order of 「Do what you see
necessary」. So Hinata has no intention of getting herself killed.
If it really comes to that, and Demon Lord Rimuru really is 「
Awakened」, Hinata still has confidence in defeating him as of this
stage.
So there is nothing to worry about.
She isn’t fully confident in winning, but Hinata is good at fighting
opponents stronger than her.
Not only that, since she has more than one trump card.
But she should avoid discussing about such depressing topic on a
wonderful morning like this.
「There shouldn't be a problem this time either. So don’t worry,
Nicolas.」
That’s why Hinata says so to him with a smile, her tone is soft and
gentle and a rare smile without any reservation.
——And soon, Hinata will be on the move.

242
Intermission
The Secret Meeting
Adjacent to the territory of Ingracia Kingdom and Farmus Kingdom
sits a small kingdom facing towards the North Sea. This kingdom is
known as Siltorozzo.
A secret meeting is being held here - one that will shake the
foundations of history.
「And, what happened in the end?」
「Everything is proceeding as planned. Our scheme has yet to be
exposed.」
「Hehehe, and people say that devilish woman was smart. It turns
out she’s quite average.」
「However, we must not get careless. Even considering her
strength alone, she’s still the strongest person in the West.」
「Hmm. But I’d urge everyone here to keep in mind as a lesson
that we were able to make a fool of her just by pulling a few tricks on
that brawn-head General.」
Since the freezing wind from the sea keeps this nation bitterly cold
all year long, there is a large fireplace to keep the room warm.
The five elders have gathered here.
Their garb and accessories are all extremely luxurious.
Some of them are even wearing the silk finery made of the Tempest
Federation that is rarely seen in the market.
All of them are equipped with magic defense items as accessories to
completely shield themselves against magic.
That alone speaks of the wealth possessed by the elders.
And of course, this room is completely espionage-proof.
It is also strong enough to withstand Nuclear Strike Magic.

243
In addition to all that, the room is guarded by extremely strong Rank
A knights.
Alongside the elder sits a woman with her legs crossed. She is
Glenda, the wild beauty with eye-catching curly red hair.
「Turbulent Sea」 Glenda——member of the 「Three Martial
Sennin」and one of the Ten Saints.
Her real employers are the five elders, the so-called Five Great
Elders, the leaders of the Western Nations.
One of them wears a pure white, loose robe. His eyes are sharp
and resemble that of an eagle.
His dishevelled hair gives off an immense imposing pressure;
however……. a doll-like cute girl is also sitting on his lap.
She has smooth blonde hair and pink lips. It’s a gentle-looking young
girl around ten-years-old.
A formidable old man and a cute young girl; it’s only natural to
deduce their relationship of grandfather and granddaughter. Yet
something appears rather out of place in this scene. However, no
one questions this. It is simply deemed as natural as it is to the likings
of the old man.
Since after all, this elder sitting in the center is the head of the Five
Great Elders, leader of the Rosso Family——Granbell Rosso.
The Rosso Family.
The family that built its strong roots in the Western Nations and
owns all authority.
They also happen to be the royal family of Siltorozzo Kingdom.
The members of their family has a hand in every powerful nation,
including the likes of Farmus and Ingracia.
It was also their family’s contributions that led to the creation of the
Western States Council.
To the outside world, it appears that the Council elects its
members from every nation. But they are, in fact, mostly members
of the Rosso family. And their increased presence grants them

244
enough prestige to surpass powerful nations.
Yuuki Kagurazaka’s fund to found the Freedom Association also came
from the Rosso.
If anything, these elders could be considered the rulers of the
Western Nations.
And their leader is Granbell.
No one dares to object his actions.
Granbell pats the girl’s head as he speaks majestically:
「That would be good. But Damrada-dono, your lies seem to have
been exposed.」
He points out with a smile.
He is referring to the news Glenda has brought back that Hinata has
found out that she was manipulated.
The man who responds is called Damrada.
He is fully clad in black with the edge of his hat covering his face. His
clothes seems to possess a classy texture.
The type of clothes he is wearing are uncommon in the West; they
give off an exotic feeling. But that is hardly odd, considering
Damrada and his men are not from the Western Nations in the first
place.
「Hehehe, don’t worry. Hinata Sakaguchi may no longer trust us,
but we’ve gained more that we lost. That is your trust, Granbell-
sama.」
「Surely you jest. The goal of 『The East』 is to cause chaos in the
West, so you can get better weapons sales. Are you not planning to
have the empire attack after we exhaust ourselves from in-fighting?
Your talk of trust is laughable.」
「Impressive, impressive. I’ve been exposed, as expected from
Granbell-sama.」
「Are you not going to deny it?」
「That won’t help anyway.」

245
 「Huh, you do talk the talk. Regardless, let’s get to the more
important matters.」
「Sure.」
「Am I right to say that it is our shared goal to eliminate Hinata?」
「Of course. The biggest obstacle that keeps the empire from
marching onto the West is no doubt the 『Storm Dragon』 Veldora.
Our sources have pointed out that the Demon Lord Rimuru has allied
with that evil dragon. We can’t be sure of the authenticity of these
rumors, but the situation confirms that the evil dragon can be
negotiated with. If that's the case, we’ll try to communicate with it.
The next obstacle that poses quite the threat would be the Western
Saints Church. As long as that organization exists, the Western
Nations will be united. If that’s the case, no matter how powerful the
empire is, it would be difficult to take all of the Western Nations
down…….」
「Oh? Are you suggesting that we don’t deserve your concern?」
「My, where’d that come from? The Five Great Elders are all
practical people. When the Empire takes hold of the Western
continent, I hope you will continue providing us with your assistance.
Let’s collaborate and manipulate the world economy in the dark.」
「Collaboration? Do you want us to the pave way for the empire?
Quit joking around.」
「Hehehe, but the Empire is quite strong! It may be hard to attack
the West, but there is still a chance we will succeed. Do you wanna
make yourself an enemy of us when that happens?」
「How dare a mere arms dealer be so rude to Granbell-sama?!」
Surprisingly, it was Glenda, not Granbell, who reacted furiously.
She takes out her otherworld weapon from her pocket——a pistol,
and points it at the eastern merchant Damrada.

246
247
 But Damrada remains calm. His calmness isn’t because he is
ignorant of the danger of the pistol. It is precisely because he knows
its power that he is able to remain calm.
「Hehehe, a pistol, then? Bless my eyes. These things can even be
found in the West now too.」
Damrada speaks without surprise or fear.
「Oh, so you know about it? But why are you so relaxed then?」
「Of course I’m relaxed. You really think that 『Otherworlders』
are only in the West? We arms dealers should naturally know all
sorts of weapons. Besides, the one you are holding is nothing but a
common piece that has been successfully mass-produced.」
Damrada answers uncaringly.
The Five Elders couldn’t help but express shock at this revelation.
「What did you just say? You are already mass-producing this?」
「As expected of merchants from 『The East』. That’s impressive.
」
「If that’s the case, the empire’s army would be strong beyond any
measure. It may not be effective against monsters, but it is an
invincible weapon against humans…...」
The Elders all express their surprise.
Granbell also begins to consider Damrada’s words.
This man called Damrada never lies.
To be more specific, he often creates misunderstanding when he
displays the opposite reactions to the magnitude of things he
discuss. This man cannot be underestimated.
To put it in another way, as soon as you scrutinize his words, you can
find the devious messages hidden within.
This time Damrada is warning them not to stand against the empire
and that there are still plenty of benefits in collaborating.

248
 「『Practical』 was a good compliment. You are right, it is in our
interest to play along and assist you.」
The rather imposing words of Granbell calms the Five Elders.
「Is it really okay, Granbell-sama?」
「Stand down, Glenda. We’ve shared a common goal from the
start anyway. It is not time yet for us to stand against them.」
One does not defy Granbell’s decision. Glenda stands down
obediently.
In view of the pros and cons, Damrada’s words do make sense.
Damrada’s men are arms dealers, they do not want conflict with the
Rosso who wish to control politics through economy. The two parties
may oppose each other in terms of interest if the situation changes,
but that’s an issue for another day.
「Hehehe, that’s some wisdom I’d expect from Granbell-sama.
Although we’ll inevitably become enemies one day, right now, we’re
comrades.」
「Indeed. We don’t wish to disturb the balance of relationship
between Farmus and Ingracia. As long as some forces are present,
the two sides can be on equal footing. We have no idea why Demon
Lord Rimuru took down Farmus, but it would be problematic if the
land is taken by the Demon Lord.」
「That’s right, I totally understand. We’re in the same boat. It’s so
damn annoying how the trade route from Dwargon to Farmus has
now been taken. And our previously ideal trade partner, Demon Lord
Clayman-sama was also taken out. Demon Lord Rimuru is a thorn in
both our sides. Please let us help. With that being said——」
「Right, that seems to be the case. Hinata has followed through
with Demon Lord Rimuru’s wish and has gone to the Monster
Kingdom herself. Now we only need to provoke the Demon Lord to
let him take revenge on Hinata.」

249
 「That’s a well thought-out plan. But speaking of which, why do
you want to eliminate Hinata Sakaguchi anyway? In my opinion, it’s
better if you just manipulate that saint…...」
Damrada looks towards Granbell as he finishes, likely trying to
guess his thoughts.
Yet Granbell did not flinch and laughs it off with a question.
「Huh, the reason is simple. It’s all because that woman is too
strong. Her title as the strongest knight of the west is not just for
show. Even when you compare her to heroes such as the Majin
Larzen, head of Freedom Association Yuuki or Shinning Yuusha
Masayuki, that woman is still somewhat stronger. Aren’t you trying
to use us because you thought the same way? Am I wrong, Damrada-
sama?」
「Hehehehe, ara, Your Grace is indeed fearsome. You must mean
to take out the pawn that cannot be dealt with or controlled. Makes
sense.」
Granbell and Damrada exchange looks and nod at each other. The
two have similar personalities. That’s why they can understand each
other just by doing that.
Then the two begin to discuss their duties as if nothing happened.
Damrada agrees to take care of the demon that’s been conspiring
within Farmus Kingdom.
On the other hand, Granbell orders Glenda to mobilize the Templar
Knight Order from the neighbouring nations around Farmus Kingdom
and assist the new King Edward to push Edmalis, who’s been
supported by the Demon Lord Rimuru, to a desperate spot.
They will then leak the rumor that Hinata has marched on a crusade
to eliminate Demon Lord Rimuru to curtail Rimuru’s actions.
Rimuru will be unable to send reinforcements to Farmus if they’re on
guard against the Holy Knight Commander Hinata. And once the
Demon General that’s been leading the scene has been taken care
of, the remaining party of Hero Youmu will be easy to deal with.

250
Then the troublesome Hinata herself will probably be taken care of
by Demon Lord Rimuru.
「But, what if Hinata Sakaguchi actually succeeds in slaying Demon
Lord Rimuru? What’ll we do then?」
「That would be nice too…….. But be reassured, that Demon Lord
called Rimuru is not like the others. We must take out this threat
while we still have the chance. But right now he has allied with
Veldora, so it won’t be easy. I’ll try to negotiate with them later.」
「Hehehe, I’m counting on you then.」
「Right. I’m in fact, counting on you with this one; don’t fail in
taking on that demon.」
「Certainly not. You’d think the Western Saints Church has experts
against demons, but 『The East』 has a far more effective special
department for that.」
「That’s good.」
「Then, we’ll head out first, do excuse us——」
Damrada bows after Granbell nods, and then he leaves the room.
Now only the Rosso Family and their guards remain.
After confirming it’s all their own in the room, Glenda smacks her
mouth with disdain.
「What the hell was that? That treacherous profiteer! How
enraging that he dared to look down on us!」
Glenda goes on a tantrum.
Granbell glances coldly in the direction of the door and calmly
comforts Glenda.
「Eh, don’t say that, Glenda. Those people may behave like that
but they are actually sparing their highest degree of courtesy to us.
」
「But, Granbell-sama…….」

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 「Glenda, you have no idea what their true identity is. Surely
Hinata has noticed as well: these are the grim reapers among the
arm-dealing black marketeers. She didn’t feel the need to look into
because they still had some use to her before, but as soon as she
learned their true identity, there was no way she would have let
them walk free.」
「What do you mean by 『their true identity』?」
「Well of course, they are from the secret organization 『Cerberus
』. And this Damrada is one of its leaders——Damrada of 『Wealth
』.」
The other elders nod in agreement.
In order to deal with them, all five elders have gathered. That in
itself is an indication of the type of people they are confronting.
Now Glenda finally realizes.
「Oh, I’ve heard of them too. I’ve heard about the big underworld
organization 『Cerberus』 that controls 『The East』. It’s indeed
truly troublesome dealing with those people. I’d love to see just how
effective their methods are in the near future.」
Glenda continues with quite the wild smile.
Granbell agrees with her view.
An evil smile emerges on his face as he lets the young girl sit on her
lap as he caresses her blonde hair.
「Hehehe, things may not go so smoothly. After all, the demon
that they are dealing with is no mere Greater Demon General.」
He laughs delightfully.
According to investigations, that Demon was so overpowered as to
look down on Majin Larzen. It would be a good chance to test out the
power of Damrada’s men, but the situation will also need a
reassessment if they are defeated.
「If anything goes south, you still have me.」

252
 「Hmm. It shouldn’t be a problem if you move out. Just in case,
you’d better bring the other two of the 『Three Martial Sages』
along.」
「I suppose. I’ll do just as Granbell-sama suggests.」
「It would also be beneficial to weaken Demon Lord Rimuru’s
forces. If we can’t take out a demon as dangerous as this, it would
remain a great concern.」
「Even if we don’t manage to kill him, it would still fortity the
chances of victory for the allied army.」
The Five Elders are on the same page as Granbell.
Glenda also agrees.
「However, that demon won’t be able to do anything big. If he is
to display his power in front of everyone, he will get a poor
reputation amongst the other nations. The more dangerous he
seems the more people will be calling for his demise. Glenda, do you
understand your duty? You will use 『Cerberus』 to shut down that
demon’s movement.」
Hypothetically, it would be alright if Damrada’s party eliminates
the demon.
But it won’t matter if they fail. As soon as the allied army surrounds
it, the demon won’t be able to do a thing.
With the strength of 「Three Martial Sennin」 Glenda and ex-「
Three Martial Sennin」 Lama, the two alone should be able to take
care of the demon with ease. However, it would be their victory even
if they only stop the demon’s movements.
Hero Youmu’s party won’t be able to stand against the Farmus
united army led by the new king.
Just to be extra cautious, they will have the other two 「Three
Martial Sennin」 Saray and Grigori to accompany and lead the
conquest against the demon.
Now they’ve deployed an indestructible array.

253
 「Understood, leave it to me. I, Glenda Adley shall take the job.」
Glenda cracks up a smile.
Glenda Adley——A woman who owns a surname despite not being
a noble.
In other words——
In Siltorozzo kingdom——Glenda Adley was a secret 「Otherworlder
」 summoned by the Rosso family.
In her original world, she was a mercenary that received military
training from a foreign legion of a certain nation. After traveling
around the world, her combat skill has become phenomenal.
She possesses the unique skill 「Sniper」 and is able to skillfully
utilize all types of firearms. She is also good at close-quarters
combat, has superb assassination techniques and is skilled with
hidden blades like a tantou (short sword).
Her beautiful leopard of a soul is bound to loyalty for Granbell
upon her summoning.
Glend ponders.
Hinata has only fought in this world for ten years. She is like a baby
compared to Glenda, who, since childhood, has been growing in the
dangerous warzones of another world.
A sixteen something young girl was able to reach the top by
acquiring power through their summoning. This world is a heaven for
someone such as Glenda who has gone through real hell——It is only
natural for her to think this way.
But in order for such idea to be true——everyone needs to be equal
in this world.
Yet this is simply not the reality and that’s why people pray to God.
The doctrines of Ruminas sect is none the wiser. Yet even Glenda, a
member of 「Three Martial Sennin」 couldn’t help but overlook
it…..

254
 「Then, in order to put Seray and Grigori into motion, you should
send out 『Blood Shadow』 first to do some preparations. You will
have to coordinate with them as well.」
「Blood Shadow」 is the shadow force of Rosso family.
They are a group of mad warriors who can do any mission due to
their exemplary combat abilities of their members. They all work
under Glenda, and among them are many summoned 「
Otherworlders」. This military organization is bound by a contract
(spell) to serve the Rosso family.
Hearing this, Glenda nods.
「Then I shall do that if you wish them to move out. Everything for
the Rosso. And for me to regain freedom.」
「Hmm, very well. Proceed.」
With Granbell’s order, Glenda leaves the room with fighting will
burning in her eyes.
The fire in the fireplace burns with crimson red.
With a sound of “pya-ji”, the firewood explodes and allows the
flames to burn even brighter.
「Is this alright, Mariabell?」
「Excellent, it’s amazing, grandpa! Both parties would be stuck
under such circumstances. Demon Lord Rimuru will be busy fighting
against the Saint Hinata. During which, the Western Nations can
interfere to settle the civil war within Farmus——all in the name of
the new King Edward. That way, Edward won’t be able to raise his
head in front of grandpa again.」
「That’s right, Mariabell. We won’t allow anyone to intrude on the
domain of the Rosso!」
If that Demon Lord didn’t secretly intervene in the civil war in
Farmus , they could have provided help to both sides to further
worsen the war for their own gain. But if they did that, it may have

255
made the Ingracia Kingdom too strong to be controlled.
The Rosso doesn’t want any country to become more powerful than
it should be.
That’s why, in order to reach the ideal state of balance, Granbell
Rosso secretly controls the scene.
「The world belongs to the Rosso!」
「「「The world belongs to the Rosso!」」」
The cute blonde girl Mariabell declares, followed by the others.
This is the center of the world.
Because the Rosso Family plans to dominate it.
This ambition, masked with the facade of the Western States
Council, continues to grow….

256
257
Chapter 4
The Second Confrontation
The road to Dwargon is completed alongside the official opening of
the road to Brumund Kingdom. Yet we are still getting busier by the
day. We still have to construct the new road that leads to Sorcerer’s
Dynasty Sarion and also plan out the new city construction project
for Milim’s group. There’s still tons of work to be done.
On top of all these, we are also planning a massive celebration
while quietly executing on our grand scheme to take over Farmus
Kingdom. I thought that there would probably be a lot of nuisances
to come after becoming a Demon Lord, yet my workload has reached
my limit before any problems even occur.
In the midst of these busy days, we received some disastrous news.
Souka has returned to bring the news that Hinata Sakaguchi is
heading to our kingdom. As she reported this to me half-out of
breath, I immediately started to get a headache.
I cancelled my original schedule of inspecting the blacksmith
workshop and returned to my office. There, Souka gave me a more
detailed explanation. Hinata seems to be heading here alone without
any subordinate.
「She is all by herself?」
「Yes. Nansou is currently conducting surveillance at the outskirt
of the barrier set up in Ruberios. He said that he didn’t see anyone
else leaving the Holy Capital. And the only person departing from
Ingracia Kingdom was that Hinata who Rimuru-sama told us to keep
an eye out for.」
Souka says so while looking straight at me.
It seems that our espionage operations is operating to almost
perfection under Souei’s guidance. Since Souka has made such
assertion, the report is likely to be true as well.

258
 Just as I am about to conclude——
「Please hold on for a second! There are some new observations!
」
Touka shouts as he suddenly emerges from Souka’s shadow.
「What happened?」
「Yes, Souka-sama! There are four Holy Knights following Hinata’s
trail!」
「Only four?」
「Indeed. But their abilities are not to be underestimated. They
likely used some kind magic and so we lost track of them right
away…….」
Touka reported to me with Souka looking rather frustrated.
Uh——What in the world is going on here?
Did they go after Hinata after learning she’s launching a secret
assault? But it sounds too improbable.
Or did they go in groups knowing they’ve been watched——If that’s
the case, they should have acted more cautiously.
I’m completely baffled, as expected from Hinata.
She seems to have us completely caught off guard here.
Is she attempting to remove hindrances like us by assaulting us with
their strongest forces?
She probably has predicted that less skilled individuals would only
get in the way.
In other words……
「Is Hinata trying to take us to war?」
I don’t really intend to fight Hinata, but on the other hand, it
completely depends on her actions. Nowadays I won’t be beaten by
her quite as easily, but still, I cannot let down my guard against her.
And I was hoping she would want to have a talk with me after
receiving my message…….

259
 「I’m not sure. But, she is carrying a suspicious looking sword on
her back. It doesn’t seem like they’ve come to negotiate.」
Hmm——She’s armed too.
But this still seems pretty reasonable in this world, considering she
is visiting a Demon Lord’s——in other words, my territory, there is
no way she would come bare handed. In this case, it seems too early
to conclude that Hinata is trying to wage war against us.
「With this information alone seems pretty hard to determine…...
」
「But those Holy Knights were all armed to the teeth——」
「Oh, is that so? Are you sure about it?」
「Yes! It’s a hundred percent true!」
A hundred percent true?
Touka replied quite energetically. According to her, the Holy
Knights meeting up with Hinata seem to be armed to the teeth.
It seems way too much like they are planning on waging war instead
of negotiating.
I don’t want to start a war——Regretfully, I think to myself .
Such action of trying to eliminate us monsters like some kind of evil
has completely removed any possibility of peaceful coexistence.
What is she searching for?
If we don’t try to understand each other, we can only eliminate each
other……
If that’s the case, it will lead to a massive war that jeopardizes the
life and death of both her and our species.
If Hinata refuses to negotiate with us, it would mean they are
trying to impose their ideologies onto us. Ignoring our circumstances
and are unwilling to hear our explanations.
I don’t think such actions constitute the true meaning of justice.
Is Hinata really oblivious to such a basic thing?

260
Even though during our first encounter, she attacked without
hearing me out first, yet she still doesn't appear to be that stupid…….
So could the reason actually be due to the doctrines of Ruminism?
Perhaps she feels like there is no need to listen to the opponents’
views since they are monsters.
Doctrines, to some extent, are beneficial and important, but by
blindly following their doctrines, it truly does no good for anyone.
There has been too much bloodshed in the name of religion, it
should be common sense to us Japanese people of this generation.
Isn’t it important to see things and hear things for yourself before
making judgement? Isn’t it foolish to do the equivalent of giving up
thinking by not doing either?
At the end of the day, whether or not the accumulated knowledge
can be used is up to the individual
After obtaining information, how should it be evaluated and acted
upon; whatever outcome results is the responsibility of decision
maker to bear. If Hinata chooses to stand against us, then we will
have to send out our troops to fend off the enemies.
Yet the stream of bad news has yet to end.
Shaking my head, I try to readjust my mindset.
「It can’t be helped. Let’s get together all the executives here and
discuss a solution——」
Having learnt that Hinata may launch an assault here, I can’t just sit
idly by and watch. Even though there are only five people, their
strength cannot be underestimated.
Anecdotally, it’s always the carefully chosen heroes and their
companions who manage to defeat a Demon Lord. This is the abiding
principle.
Becoming a Demon Lord is not my original intent, but I’m not that
kind to let them kill me without putting up a fight.
I will take on Hinata, and we’ll have to decide who is going to
handle the rest of the Holy Knights respectively. Bearing such

261
thoughts, I plan to hold a meeting in order to discuss a plan, but
then…….
「Rimuru-sama, I have something to report…….」
Diablo spoke to me seemingly with discomfort written all over his
face.
「What’s wrong? Is there a problem?」
The 「Is there 」 part is redundant, there are definitely problems.
Because, unlike his usual self, Diablo’s actions are lacking in his
usual confidence.
「Yes, there’s an issue.」
「What is it?」
「Rayhim is dead, cause of death unknown. But I suspect that he
was murdered.」
At the time of when Diablo last saw him, he seems to be in a fine
and healthy condition, which leaves only two possibilities to explain
his death, either there was some accident or he was murdered.
「Rimuru-sama even worried once about him getting silenced, it is
indeed my miscalculation that lead to this happening…….」
The tone of Diablo’s voice is filled with apology when he said so.
Speaking of, I do recall having mentioned it. Originally, it was just
some cursory thought, yet it really did come true…….
The event took place within Holy Empire Ruberios where
communication is blocked by barriers, thus making the details of the
incident unobtainable. But based on all the events that took place,
Diablo thinks the likelihood of murder is very high.
After hearing this information, it turns out that the situation seems
to be far more severe than I expected.
「The neighbouring kingdoms to Farmus have begun to spread the
rumor that 『the Archbishop’s death was caused by the demon’s

262
conspiracy』. This news has been broadcasted publicly through
magic communication, causing the Templar Knight Orders stationed
in many countries to mobilize. After several days of preparing, they
seem to be on their way to rendezvous with the new king
Edward…….」
Diablo explains with a troubled expression.
Things have been developing unexpectedly, which means that
Diablo’s plan of taking over Farmus Kingdom must also have been
disrupted.
Hinata just moved out, and now this happens.
The two must be——
《Answer. It can be deduced that the two incidents are connected.
》
Hmm, I can totally recognize such simple pattern as well.
Or is Raphael treating me like some trash who can’t even realize
such an obvious thing?
No no no, it shouldn’t be the case.
Hahaha, Geez Wisdom King Raphael-sama.
But in any case, all these things are really giving me a migraine.
The Western Saints Church haven’t declared us as the 「Nemesis of
God」 yet, but if this is to continue, it eventually will happen.
Once they officially announce it, it will undoubtedly lead to all out
war.
This is our fault——For thinking that they would give up so easily.
I simply wanted to focus our priorities on national development, but
that seems to be impossible now.
And with melancholic thoughts, I order Souka to summon all the
executives.

◇◇◇

263
 As such, we begin the emergency meeting.
Everyone except Geld has arrived.
「Rimuru-sama, is it alright to leave Geld out?」
「It’s alright. That he’s busy working on large projects right now.
This time, the conflict is between me and Hinata, so even if we break
out into a fight, there is no need for the main troops to mobilize.」
This isn’t a war where we defend for the sake of our nation’s
survival, it’s not right to dispatch a huge army against a small group
of people.
Besides, in this world, there is no use sending in a huge army, it is
useless in the face of an overwhelming difference of strength. The
Holy Knights heading here are all powerful individuals exceeding
Rank A. Without my lieutenants, this battle cannot be won.
Regardless, recalling all of Geld’s subordinates now won’t be easy
either. I could use my teleportation magic but having them gather at
a specified location at once will take too much time.
There are also the captives that need to be guarded, so I can’t just
suddenly give such reckless order.
Everyone expresses their agreement . In order to share the
information with everyone, I ask Souei to explain the situation.
「Yes, allow me to explain. First of all, the intruders approaching
Tempest Federation is a group of five including the commander of
the Holy Knight Order. All of them seem to be the figures of
leadership within the Holy Knight Order and each possess great
power to the point where they can even give my crew the slip——」
The crowds gasp in shock.
Souka and the her companions are at least above Rank A, so it is
quite apparent that their opponents must have been extraordinarily
powerful to be able to throw them off their trail. Perhaps they could

264
have kept up by flying, but that would likely have exposed their
cover. It’s still commendable that they chose the correct option of
restraining.
Moreover, a comprehensive security network has been established
around the town, so Souei has already gotten a hold of Hinata’s
party’s movements.
Control of information is the basis of strategizing.
It is very important to obtain intelligence beforehand so we can use
it when forging our battle plan so we won’t panic when it’s needed.
Speaking of which, Souei’s skill in intelligence gathering is really
something else. He uses techniques such as hiring an information
dealer or engaging in infiltration using his 「Clone」 etc.
I taught Souei the techniques of being a ninja, yet he has developed
his unique style now. Even I am surprised despite having personally
appointed him into the role of 「Secret Inspector」. I suppose he is
just born for it.
Moreover, he has gained fieldwork experian from Fuze and become
an expert in espionage operation.
Everyone could have had a much easier time if they can all get to
his level with my (bad) teachings of random bizarre knowledge.
Looking at it this way, it does make sense.
Souka’s party was trained by Souei, and they did train their own
subordinates. They’re also utilizing the locals to gather intelligences.
Nowadays, even without my directives, they would collect
information that they deemed important by themselves.
Even now Souei is explaining calmly.
He has grown to be quite reliable.
「Regarding the movement of the Templar Knights near Farmus,
they seem to be gathering around Farmus. Due to them moving in
small groups, they are travelling quite fast. There are estimates of
over thirty-thousand men. And it seems that they do not intend to

265
meddle in the internal civil unrest given their goal is 『Demon
Extermination』. At this rate, we can’t be expecting any assistance
from other nations nor the local nobles to reach Youmu-san.」
A ghastly expression emerges on Diablo’s face as he listens to all of
this.
He seems to be aware of this information as well so he doesn’t
seem surprised. However, if the demon they are referring to is
Diablo, then he is probably concerned about where such information
leaked from.
But, that’s thirty-thousand people…….
On the surface, each neighbouring country only dispatched a force
of a couple hundred to a couple thousand soldiers, yet their scale
after they gather is likely massive. It will become a force to be
reckoned with, one in which we cannot simply overlook.
Their logistics team could also transfer supplies in from the
countrysides infinitely, so a war of attrition would probably be
disadvantageous for Youmu’s party.
We are in trouble.
「——But the kings of the various nations are on the same page
with the Western Saints Church and didn’t send any of their own
troops. After all, the church seems to have several internal factions
that complicates the chain of command. If we can get more
information on their interior, it will be easier for us to make
decisions…….」
Souei says while slightly shaking his head, seemingly ashamed of
the imperfection in his report.
Uh——This is one complicated organization.
Even Yuuki couldn’t clearly explain its detailed structure, and most
would just assume that the Templar Knight Orders are under the
command of the Holy Knight Order.

266
 「Had I known about this, I should have gotten clarifications from
Rayhim first…….」
Diablo is troubled as well.
He mostly acts on his own deductions and won’t ask for opinions
from people who he deem lowly and unworthy. And this time he
shot himself in the foot.
「That’s right! It’s all your fault, Diablo. it should've been a senior
officer like me in commanding seat!」
Shion immediately interjects after sensing the opportunity. She
seems to be quite jealous of her junior Diablo who was given such an
important task.
Normally Diablo would rebuke her, yet he seems to have
concluded it to be his own miscalculation and stayed quiet.
It can’t be helped. I shall question Shion in his stead.
「——Say, Shion. If I assigned you to take down Farmus, what
would you do?」
Just maybe——Yes, there may be one in ten thousand chance that
Shion will actually demonstrate some outstanding ability of planning
things through——
「Yes sir! I’ll of course bring my troops to slaughter all those greasy
nobles——」
——my ass.
「You big baka! Rejected, not in a million years!」
If she destroyed the the current system of rulership then a massive
civil war resulting from the power struggle would undoubtedly take
place.
In the absence of a ruler, the people would go after the throne one
after another. By preserving the kingdom’s ruling system and only
replacing the leader, you can minimize damage as you slowly

267
promote new policies. It is for this reason that such delicate work is
best handled by Diablo who is both flexible and intelligent.
Shion is a no go.
「I see, so it won’t work after all…….」
At least she’s self aware enough about it to stay behind me quietly
with her mouth shut after answering 「Yes」.
「Don’t mention it if you know it won’t work.」 I thought to
myself. But I suppose it’s probably more like she never intended to
take Diablo’s task away from him.
Or perhaps, I should say, this is Shion’s way of giving Diablo’s an
out after his misstep, it is her own way of caring for him.
In any case, I will leave Diablo to continue his work on the mission.
「Diablo, everyone will experience failure. I didn’t expect Rayhim
to die either. Moreover, is it really that big of a deal that your real
identity has been exposed?」
「Eh! But, Rimuru-sama……..? Having relations with a demon will
surely cause unrest, the mission will only……..」
Diablo looks at me in surprise.
It seems he is frustrated by the fact that I might replace him. But I
really would like him to continue his mission.
「You know, after you fail, how you make amendments is what
really matters. Anyone can take the easy route by resigning after
taking on the responsibility! Besides, Youmu’s relationship with me
has long been known to the public. Diablo, you may be a Demon, but
you are my subordinate too. I don’t care one bit about what they are
uproaring about, rather, shouldn’t we be discussing about who is the
culprit behind Rayhim’s murder is? As long as we can prove that you
didn’t murder him, everything will be alright, so there is no need to
complicate things.」
I am a Demon Lord after all.

268
 Isn’t it quite normal to have one or two demons as subordinate?
「Indeed. Shion is thinking the same thing, she knows she can’t
take your place.」
「No, Shuna-sama. If it is me, I shall burn the Farmus Kingdom to
ashes right away——」
Shuna stares at her with one eye slanted as Shion was halfway
through her sentences. It was such a sharp stare that even Shion
wouldn’t dare to defy.
「——Which she is not planning at all. Shion may be clumsy, but
this is her way of encouraging you. You are one of us serving Rimuru-
sama after all, so you shouldn’t get frustrated over such minor
misstep.」
Shuna’s words are both gentle and strict at the same time.
Yet Shion still decides to rebut this. It seems that she has a point
that she has to respond with.
「Shuna-dono, you are speaking too highly of me. I as the first
secretary, am only giving this newbie and junior a demonstration of
authority.」
She spoke with a smug look, but I can tell there’s also a bit of
fluster mixed in.
I see, it was indeed Shion trying to be encouraging. Although it is
hard to tell, it does seem like something Shion would do. And Shuna
indeed saw through that.
Normally Shion is always spouting brainless things, but she also
shows her understanding side occasionally.
「Regardless, that’s how things are now. We will have to wait till
after observing further developments before deciding on whether
we are dispatching reinforcement or not. I will go on the frontline to
battle, and if things don’t go well, we will call back Geld.」
Benimaru is also very attentive.

269
 He doesn’t mind the lack of numbers of his troops since he believes
the tactics being employed are more important.
He proclaims with an aura of absolute confidence; as if it will not
be a problem at all to take on the Templar Knight Orders altogether.
How reliable.
「——Then, it’s ok for me to resume command over the take-over
plan…...?」
「Of course. I would now be busy with handling Hinata, which is
why your job is still to take down Farmus Kingdom. Besides, it was I
who allowed you to send out Rayhim, so I am partially to blame too.
That’s why you should spearhead this plan to conclusion. Or perhaps,
are you suggesting you are incapable of finishing? Then——」
「No, that’s absurd! This is the duty granted by Rimuru-sama after
all, please allow me to fully carry it out till the end.」
「Will you be able to handle it?」
「Kufufufufu, of course!」
「Very well then. Go make up for your previous defeat!」
Diablo, now with his usual confidence and composure, replies with
a nod.
It seems everything is settled.
Seeing that Diablo has been reinvigorated, Shuna replies with a
smile:
「Rimuru-sama, I have a proposal.」
「How rare, speak your mind then.」
Shuna seldom raises any proposal.
So I ask about it without hesitation.
「It’s about Adalman whom I defeated before. Shouldn’t we
inquire from him? It may have been hundreds of years ago, but he
has, after all, spent much time in the Western Saints Church.」

270
 Speaking of which, this Adalman is…….
《Answer. He is the one guarding Clayman’s castle——》
Oh oh! He was the undead monster who became Shuna’s
companion.
I recall that he became a Wight after losing his life.
I met him once before where he went on a tangent about his
gratitudes towards god. I suspected that he’s the type with a severe
case of delusional disorder.
Indeed, since Adalman was once a member of the Western Saints
Church, he may indeed know something about the organization.
There are probably many differences comparing between then and
now, but, we don’t stand to lose anything by just talking to him.
「That’s a good idea. Let’s have a chat with him.」
As such, we should call him over immediately.
Currently Adalman is assisting Gabil with conducting research in
the sealed cave as well as standing in for guard duty. To summon
him, Gabil used 「Telepathy Net」 to contact and informed him to
come here immediately.
Adalman immediately showed up, seemingly with the use of
teleportation magic directly transporting him from inside the cave to
town. Even though he has devolved into a wight, he is still proficient
with magic he mastered in his past life, some of which seem to be
very high level spells as well. In other words, his magicule reserves
may have dropped to around Rank B, but his overall power still
cannot be underestimated. With his intelligence and powerful magic
based techniques combined, we may have to find a better job to
offer him.
But, he still just looks like a skeleton from the outside…..
Moreover, Adalman’s subordinates cannot be exposed to sunlight,
nor can they talk. It may be ok to try and communicate with them,
but it would be difficult for them to work in the town.

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272
 We’ll think about that later.
Anyways, right now we need to chat with him.
「——My most sincere gratitude to your grace for having granted
me an audience——」
「Too lengthy!」
While I was planning out Adalman’s future, he had been expressing
his appreciation of me the entire time.
He doesn’t seem to stop even when ignoring all of his
complements. So I have to raise my voice to shut him up.
It seems we have another fanatic on our hands.
「You are an alright fellow!」
The rest of the executives seem pretty scared at how satisfied
Shion looks when she nods to Adalman as well as how Diablo is
looking at him with a gentle smile.
「Let’s stop that for now, Adalman. I know you are elated about
the fortunate opportunity to have an audience with Rimuru-sama.
But we are running short on time, so let’s get to the point.」
Had Shuna, who’s also quite baffled, not stopped him, Adalman
would probably have continued with more of my praises.
His strong will has all been applied to his faith, no wonder he’s so
earnest. I feel strangely impressed within all this weirdness.
Next, according to Adalman’s explanation——
It turns out this Adalman used to be one of the cardinals within the
Western Saints Church, the highest position in the organization. At
the time, the Western Saints Church was in a weaker state and
wasn’t as prominent within the Holy Empire Ruberios as it is now.
But we still learnt some detailed information on the organization.
First we learnt about the Holy Empire Ruberios as a nation. They are
a theocracy that holds the God Ruminas as their deity.

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The pope acts as the spokesman of god, whose real identity is
unknown. Perhaps the position is passed down over years, but there
doesn’t seem to be any rumors of such.
There is an organization named the Pope’s Ministry that runs the
country. This organization serves as the highest executive body
within the Holy Empire Ruberios. Adalman recalls during his time, the
Western Saints Church is but a lowly sub-group under the Pope’s
Ministry.
「The Western Saints Church was formed to promote the
Ruminism. It is an organization that is specifically used to promote
the religion. However——」
This alone was not able to ensure the personal safety of the
missionaries. That’s why the Pope’s Ministry made demands to the
nations under their protection and formed the Templar Knight Order.
The nations welcomed the idea of a Ministry funded knight order,
and so they agreed to assist.
It is a guarantee of the safety for citizens among these nations
since now, the believers are protected from the threat of monsters.
And since the funding comes from other people, anyone would
normally agree to such terms. After establishing the foundations,
disputes began to emerge between Ruberios and other nations. And
it was then that the Pope’s Imperial Guards entered the scene.
「In name, it’s a military division, yet the members of the regiment
only consist of a couple of people. They are all extraordinarily
powerful individuals who have the authority to directly command
the Templar Knight Order. These people only pledge their loyalty to
their god and the pope, and so even the Archon, who possesses the
highest executive authority within the Pope’s Ministry has to be very
respectful when dealing with them.」
The archon seems to be the one in charge of political affairs. If the
Imperial Guards wields such enormous authority to the point that

274
power holders like the archon can’t even order them around, then it
is apparent that they are a force to be reckoned with.
「About that, my friend Albert also received the honor of being
allowed to join the Imperial Guards, yet he declined to become my
adjutant in the Western Saints Church instead. Later the pope
granted him the title of Knight Paladin.」
Adalman smiles proudly as his skeletal jaws bump into each other,
making *spooky skeleton sound*.
I see, so that was the Undead Knight who even gave Hakurou a
tough time——Now he has become a skeleton swordsman, it is no
wonder that he has become so strong as he has received a monster’s
body on top of his masterful swordsmanship.
「——But, the situation now seems to have taken a complete one
eighty.」
Oh, Adalman isn’t finished yet.
The changes do seem drastic according to his explanation.
The biggest difference lies in the fact that the Church has become
much more powerful. Its authority has increased with the addition of
the Holy Knight Order.
Moreover, the role of archon in the ministry is now given to a
selected cardinal from the Western Saints Church, resulting in their
greatly increased authority. The reason for which must have been
the 「Seven Celestial Sages」.
When Adalman was around, the 「Seven Celestial Sages」 are
powerful figures rivaling the Pope, who also act as the archons. The
「Seven Celestials」 initiated the changes of selecting the archon
from the cardinals after receiving orders to revive the Western Saints
Church. But the 「Seven Celestials」 don’t seem to be a group that
can be easily dealt with. It seems that they are the ones who had set
up the traps that eliminated Adalman’s party.

275
 He seems to dislike the 「Seven Celestials」 a lot.
The Holy Knight Order wasn’t anything impressive while under the
supervision of 「Seven Celestials」. They’ve only become an
organization worthy of the name strongest knight order after
undergoing Hinata’s training. It is for that reason, the Holy Empire
Ruberios came to have the two pillars of the Pope’s Imperial Guards
and the Holy Knight Order.
「That was quite detailed, Adalman. I see that you have a very
good source of information despite staying with Clayman’s this
whole time…….」
「Demon Lord Clayman sees an enemy in the Western Saints
Church. He has been cautious of their forces and been diligently
collecting information. I was a lieutenant under him after all, though
he does not ask for my opinions, he would still give me information.
」
I asked out of doubt yet Adalman answered while giggling.
So that’s why, I get it now. It is quite unexpected, but Clayman’s
manipulative and calculative side actually helped us.
「 Rimuru-sama, my God, please be extra cautious. Now that the
Holy Empire Ruberios has the 『Ten Great Saints』, they are all
individuals at the level of 『Sage』. Even Demon Lord Clayman has
treated those people with caution, please do not be careless.」
As such, Adalman’s explanation concludes.
We were not informed of the details, but the Imperial Guards have
members are called the 「Three Martial Sages」, they are all
masterfully skilled fighters who reached the level of 「Sage」. Apart
from them, there are in total ten people including the the six Holy
Knights and their commander Hinata. They are known as the 「Ten
Great Saints」.

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 Rumor has it that a「Saint」can rival the likes of 「Demon Lord
Breed」. It is then no wonder why Clayman wouldn’t dare act
carelessly in the presence of these ten people.
It is likely that other than Hinata who is heading straight to our
nation, the other four are also members of the 「Ten Great Saints」.
That’s why sending out normal troops would only cause unnecessary
casualty meaning it’s more appropriate to directly have myself and
my lieutenants to deal with them. Moreover, judging from the
movements of the Templar Knight Order, the Imperial Guards are
likely on the move as well. This can be explained if we consider the
「Three Martial Sages」 to be acting independently.
「My God, I, Adalman, was once a Cardinal. Allow me to go
persuade this Hinata! I shall convert her into believing in Rimuru-
sama as well……..」
「Oh ah, hold on. That wouldn’t be necessary, you may leave now.
」
The topic has gone down a weird path so I began to hurry Adalman
out. This guy seems to be even worse than Hinata in holding onto
beliefs without listening to how other people think. With these two
as stubborn as they are, it will definitely wouldn’t be productive to
have them talk to each other.
Then…….
「I see, what a wonderful idea.」
「Kufufufufu, I didn’t even think of something like this!」
My secretary Shion and butler Diablo is quickly moved by his
proposal.
「What nonsense are you two spouting! Things will only get worse
if you try to convince her with idiotic arguments!」
These two are really tacit in a way.
Can I even describe them as being on good terms or not…….

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 It almost seems that Diablo’s frustrated look from before was
merely an illusion.
I decide to bring the topic back on track after cutting short the idiot
duo.

◇◇◇

We are starting over again now that Adalman has left.

Since we have gathered sufficient information, we can now begin
our planning in ernest.
Although I wish to find some brave souls to test out our opponents’
ability, yet finding someone seems too convenient…….Err, Veldora
has been glancing at me for awhile now, but there is no way I can
allow that. He’ll no doubt overdo things by accident.
「Veldora, you——」
「Hmph! It is finally my turn to shine. I’ve got it covered!」
「No. I would like Veldora to be our last line of defense.」
「What?」
「Doesn’t that sound really cool, being the FINAL DEFENSE. I think
it is the great duty that only you can fulfill——」
「Of course. Great minds think alike!」
Veldora nods delightfully.
Okie doke, now we can prevent him from going berserk.
There is also no way we’d lose if we send Veldora out to battle, but
it feels rather overkill. After all, how can I then send out Veldora
without warning when there’s still a chance of negotiating with
Hinata,. But it would be different to have him as our backup instead.
After Veldora settled down, Benimaru begins to talk:

278
 「First of all, we will have to decide on the reinforcements to send
to Youmu-san.」
Hmm, Benimaru is acting more and more like a commander now.
He’s gained much experience from his previous battles, he no
longer displays his arrogance unlike Shion.
He is now able to examine and evaluate the difference in strength
cautiously and intelligently.
You should be the Generalissimo instead!——I recall him saying
that to me in the past, but now, he’s become far more capable for
the role than me.
But I would definitely be getting headaches if he had given me that
responsibility. That’s why, I hope Benimaru would continue to keep
up the effort.
Benimaru is now assigning roles to the lieutenants.
Captain Gobta will command the one hundred soldiers of the
Goblin Riders.
In addition, the remaining four thousand soldiers of Benimaru’s
Green Corps and the couple hundred soldiers from the 「Kurenai」.
The remaining two hundred members of the 「Kurenai」 would be
tasked with defending town.
Lastly, Gabil will lead the one hundred soldiers of 「Hiryuu」 .
There are in total four thousand three hundred soldiers who will be
dispatched as reinforcements for Youmu.
「——As such. The defensive reserves of this town would
decrease, but since there are the Beastman warriors and Veldora-
sama, it shouldn’t be an issue. Any objection?」
「Eh, are you really sending me!?」
「Is there a problem?」
「Ah, no. There’s no problem…...」

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 Gobta was going to say something before he was silenced by
Benimaru’s strict glance.
What an idiot.
「Hakurou would be the commanding officer of the reinforcement
troops. But rest assured, if anything happens, I will be at your aid
immediately by using 『Dimensional Transportation』. But, it is very
likely that we will be engaging in combat with the commander of
Holy Knight Order Hinata Sakaguchi. By that time, our
communication may be cut, so everyone should listen to Hakurou’s
directions and do not overdo things on your own.」
「Please leave it to me.」
「Okay…….」
「This time I’m definitely gonna show off a bit!」
Hakurou and Gabil seem very motivated. Gobta on the other hand
is the only one that seems unsettled. But he’s got quick reflexes, so
he should be able to find a way to overcome adversaries…….
「I’m still a little concerned. Ranga, are you awake?」
I speak to Ranga who is sleeping in my shadow.
As my bodyguard, he mostly hides in it. For some odd reason, his
magicules reserves increased dramatically, I suppose it’s because
he’s been lacking in exercise lately.
「My lord, am I summoned to battle?」
「Indeed. Isn’t it time for you to work out your body a bit? Follow
Gobta and protect him!」
「Yes, now I’m feeling much lighter. I am looking forward to
exercising after getting waking up.」
What’s that?
Things are going to go horribly wrong if I let him out! ——I
suddenly get this dangerous feeling.

280
 Nevermind, since it’s not me who will suffer the consequences.
Things are probably going to go horribly wrong for the enemies.
「It’s very reassuring now that Ranga-san is with me!」
And so Gobta is truly motivated this time. What a practical guy.
「Ranga, don’t overdo things and accidentally kill your
opponents…....」
「No problem! I’ve mastered the techniques of holding back I
learnt from Shion-san!」
「I-I see……...」
I’m even more concerned now.
I thought he has just been sleeping in my shadow this whole time,
but as it turns out he’s up to no good when I wasn’t paying attention.
The fact that he mentioned he has learnt something from Shion
makes me feel uneasy. But there shouldn’t be a problem as long as
we have healing potions.
At that moment, Ranga howls delightfully and lied down next to
Gobta.
I can only pray for the safety of their opponents.
I couldn’t help but cheer for the enemies who I’ve never met. 「
Good luck!」But I’ll keep it a secret.
Benimaru doesn’t seem to be objecting my decision.
You are spoiling Gobta in this way——That seems to be what the
smile in Benimaru’s eyes entailed.
As such, I approved Benimaru’s plan and the troops to be sent has
been decided.
Now then, the problem is about the reinforcement of the new king.
「Then Diablo, how do you plan to deal with your attack plan?」
「Indeed. I’ve expected there to be reinforcement troops, but
thirty-thousand is a truly surprising number. According to the original

281
plan, I only estimated the new king’s total force to consist around ten
thousand soldiers——」
Diablo continues to explain——
First, he ordered Edmalis to press on the question with mails in
order find out the reason behind why the new king is gathering
soldiers. Since he has assumed that the new king is only doing so as
precaution since he wanted to push the responsibility of the
reparations onto Edmalis.
This way, the new king can argue that he has no need to fulfill out
the treaty signed by Edmalis. This method, although futile when
dealing with the Council, lands on a grey area for dealing with us. He
is going to execute Edmalis and claim the treaty to be invalid. And in
doing so, when we are provoked to send out our troops, he will (then
be justified in) gather the Western Nations to stand against us.
In order to prevent such things from happening, Youmu’s party has
to go and rescue Edmalis, who has been trapped in this difficult
position.
Right now Edmalis is under Youmu’s protection and they are hiding
in Nedler’s territory. Everything seems to be going according to plan
up to this point. Youmu is using Nedler’s territory as his base and has
gathered a force of around five thousand men. In addition, I will be
sending four thousand three hundred men all at once with
teleportation magic. Not only are they almost equal in number, the
sudden appearance of this huge army would also strike confusion
into the enemies——We intended to crush the enemies using
psychological warfare.
Now that the new king has gathered reinforcement, this tactic is no
longer viable.
We waited quietly for our opponent to reorganize and now the
situation has turned into forty-thousand versus ten-thousand——
Our opponents’ forces have grown to be four times as ours. It seems
we will need to hurry things up.

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 「——That’s why the new king Edward has established his camp in
Edmalis’ domain in order to wait for the reinforcement.」
Diablo’s explanation concludes there.
The plan was supposed to be for us to defeat Edward in this fight
and for Edmalis to announce his decision to continue abstaining the
throne so the Hero Youmu will be crowned.
「Right now Edward has gathered around twenty-thousand
soldiers. In three weeks’ time, he will have gathered forty-thousand.
If that’s the case, the lackluster defenses of Nedler’s territory
wouldn’t stand a chance——」
Souei added on.
The situation would only get worse if we continue to wait.
If we send out our troops, it will become a real bloodbath. They’ve
already lost twenty-thousand people before, and now with a battle
like this, Farmus Kingdom would likely take a fatal blow.
Then, what should we do…….
「——This is horrendous. Perhaps we should just give up this time.
If I just forgo rest of the reparations, then there would be no more
war right? They won’t be able to continue the fight if they lose their
justification.」
「No way! They will look down on Rimuru-sama if we do that.」
「It is indeed unsettling to be looked down on, but we have
already profited from this whole ordeal. Shouldn’t we aim to resolve
the issue with Hinata first before rehashing our plans?」
In fact, we’ve already obtained parts of the astronomical
reparations.
If we stopped right now it would still benefit us as the risks of
continuing combat would be too high.
A Demon Lord is supposed to be the boogeyman after all——Even
though what Shion said does make sense…....

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 「Kufufufufu, how can we abandon the operation now. Rimuru-
sama, didn’t you tell me to handle it?」
「Yes. But, I wished there to be no more innocent bloodshed……..
」
「No problem. If that is what the master wishes, your subject shall
obey accordingly. I shall do just as what Rimuru-sama wishes, easy-
peasy.」
The interruption of the take-over plan is due to circumstances after
all, but Diablo doesn’t seem to be deterred.
「What do you plan on doing?」
「I’ll find the culprit——The person who wanted to pin all of these
on me.」
Diablo replied calmly.
Ah, he is furious.
「『Demon Extermination』? If you intend to exterminate me, I
shall play alone to the end. The thirty-thousand men arriving soon is
likely to contain people who are connect to the suspect. I shall
personally question them “nicely”.」
Diablo continues with a smile on his face even.
Oh no, that doesn’t sound nice at all.
Moreover, Diablo seems to be planning to take on the thirty-
thousand Templar Knights by himself.
Maybe I should tell him to hold back——
「I see, then there shouldn’t be an issue if it’s you. But, please try
to not kill any innocent people!」
「Of course. I would never defy the divine will of Rimuru-sama.」
Benimaru and Diablo got onto the same page before I could even
make up my mind.
Not only that——

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 「That’s good. Oh right, Hakurou, will you be able to suppress the
new king’s army without killing a person?」
「It should be doable. Although it would be much easier to kill
them out right, but it won’t give our soldiers a chance to train
themselves.」
「Right. Gabil, go prepare a large quantity of healing potions first.
」
「Understood! Leave it to me.」
Eh? Eh eh!
I was tossed aside while the discussion continues.
「Rimuru-sama, it seems that the plan to take over Farmus
Kingdom is flawless.」
「I-I see. Indeed. Good luck everyone…….」
Shion started with a smile while I couldn’t help but to just nod in
agreement and give my approval.
「「「Yes sir!」」」
The motivated replies of everyone resonated in my ears.
Just like that they cleared away my hesitation. It is settled then.

◇◇◇

Although there are still many areas of suspicion, our discussion

moves onto a different issue.
That is who will be confronting on Hinata’s party.
「Next, regarding the five individuals approaching our nation——
」
Benimaru turns to me while speaking.
Yes, I shall lead the meeting this time!

285
 As I plan to speak with confidence——Yet at that moment, Souei
suddenly got up.
「Rimuru-sama, emergency report. The Holy Knight Order seems
to be on the move——」
He explains nervously.
Everyone is panicking, or, maybe just me.
「What did Hinata’s party do?」
「No, Nansou who was surveillancing Ingracia Kingdom just
reported that a hundred some soldiers just departed…….」
「What did you say!」
「They are around half a day away from Hinata’s party and will
likely catch up to them at this speed. Their direction of traveling is
the same, so we can deduce that they are heading towards our
nation.」
Hinata seems to be moving at normal speed without rushing. The
four knights chasing after her seem to have travelled at full speed
with magic applied even. But as soon as they rendezvoused with
Hinata, they slowed to normal speed as well. The two parties
seemed to have argued over something, but they ended up moving
together anyways. The five are making their approach to our town as
one groupy. AS of now, they are making their way from the Kingdom
of Ingracia to the Kingdom of Brumund, however, they are moving
rather slowly, meaning that the hundred knights behind them will
eventually catch up.
Yet the troops behind Hinata’s party seem to be avoiding open
roads, and it would appear they are abandoning their rides to take
old forest paths.
「Sound like they are not planning on meeting up with Hinata.」

286
 「Their goal is unknown to us. We predict that Hinata would not
be arriving in at least two weeks’ time, and the troops behind her will
be arriving around the same time as her.」
Souei didn’t forget to have someone to shadow them in midst of all
this confusion.
I can only wait for follow-up reports on that.
Just as we’ve overcome one problem another emerged. No, I
should say that one problem is followed by another.
How annoying, truly.
All in all, the situation has changed.
Sighing won’t do us any good.
My executives begin to discuss again.
I listened to how they plan on dealing with the situation.
There are five individuals who are at the level of Sage including
Hinata. There’s also the hundred or so Holy Knights trailing them.
This regiment of around a hundred knights are far more dangerous
than the Farmus army of twenty-thousand. Or rather, Hinata, in
particular, is extremely dangerous.
This is the unchanging rule of this world.
The quantity of military force cannot rival the quality of individual
strength. No matter how many thugs and lackeys you gather, you
cannot win against the overlords of this world.
I don’t intend to engage them alone this time, such act would
undoubtedly be suicidal.
So what should I do?
「Let’s just stop thinking and kill them all!」
I’ll leave the speaker of this statement unspecified, but really,
whoever is the most airheaded is also the strongest.
Without considering practicality and going straight to the result;

287
 It is because of this level of recklessness that her unique skill was
awakened.
「If only Geld is here at time like this…….」
「That guy has his own work to worry over. Unless things get really
dire, we should just deal with it by ourselves.」
Hakurou and Benimaru’s exchange is very ear-catching.
Could you stop being so stubborn and just ask Geld for help?
But there are only one hundred and so opponents. So it is
meaningless to dispatch a huge army. And honestly speaking, my
lieutenants will have to engage in battle anyway.
I will take care of Hinata while the remaining four would have to be
dealt with by the others.
If Hinata is willing to fight me one-on-one then it won't be a
problem, but for me to take on all five at once definitely would be a
bit too reckless on my part.
《Answer. There is no problem. The only opponent requiring
caution is individual 「Hinata Sakaguchi」.》
Oi…....
No no no, that is the biggest problem of them all!
Are you okay? I feel like you are less reliable than the times of
when you were still「Great Sage」.
《.......》
Essentially, the reason for my concern is that I don’t wish for any
casualty to occur. We are guaranteed victory if we attack the Holy
Knights with sheer numbers to tire them out. However it will be at
the cost of heavy casualties.
It took everyone so much effort to survive till this day, it would just
be dreadful to have a pile of casualties at this point in time.
However, our opponent is Hinata.
That woman is extremely dangerous.

288
During our last encounter, I focused entirely on escaping since taking
her on seriously would surely lead to my demise. Besides, she wasn’t
even using her true strength at the time.
Right now the only person who can deal with Hinata is me. I don’t
think I would lose if we are to duel each other one-on-one, but it’s a
different story with all the Sage level Holy Knights attack at the same
time.
I would probably get myself killed if I pretend to be a guru and
became too overconfident about my skill. Moreover, the other
hundred or so Holy Knights are also a problem as well. I have no idea
how to deal with them……
If Hinata came to negotiate, there’s no need for her to bring so many
troops. There is no way these suspicious events occurring would not
cause others to be on alert
「Alright——I’ve come up with an idea! How about you let me try
my dragon breath sometimes? I can make it looks just an accident by
pretending no one was there!」
「Could you shut up for a moment? Last line of defense means you
only get to fight at the last moment!」
Veldora’s suggestion sounds like a child’s prank, and so I reject the
idea immediately.
If HInata indeed came to negotiate with me, it would ruin any
opportunity for us to talk. Moreover, there is no way of knowing
what sort of damage his dragon breath would cause, how horrifying.
It would be fortunate for us just to not give Veldora any chance to
fight. But if we intend to strike first and eliminate them, it would be a
viable proposal. But it will still depend on what our opponents would
do. Yet it is also not ok to just ignore them. Since there are more
than one Holy Knight ,there’s a risk of them casting 「Holy
Purification Barrier」 around us.

289
 I can’t simply ignore them, and killing them would also be a
problem.
The Holy Knights——They are equivalent to the guardian of
mankind. They are knights blessed with the protection of the spirits.
In this world, the damages caused monsters cannot be overstated
and not everyone has the spare money to hire adventurers. which is
why everyone lives in fear on a daily basis. The knights who protect
these villages and towns on the fringes are those trained by Hinata’s
herself. There are many who were saved from the monster attacks
by them.
These survivors relies spiritually on the Ruminism, and physically on
these members of the Holy Knight Order whose strength are also
top-notched. Many of them are powerful individuals who exceeded
Rank A. We will suffer serious losses if we directly confront these
knights.
But that’s not the main issue.
There will be consequence in the future if we were to straight up kill
these knights who carry the prayer, hope and expectation of the
weak. That is the main issue. We may still have room for negotiations
if the doctrines of 「Monsters are the common enemy of mankind」
isn’t a thing…...
But I’m not giving up hope despite the difficulty of achieving it this
time.
To them, we are evil creatures who cannot be reasoned with.
But these thoughts are not hard to understand.
After all, some of them are survivors from villages that were wiped
out by monsters, or orphans whose parents were murdered by
monsters. Being deceived would lead to their deaths and it wouldn’t
simply mean their death, but also the death of those who rely on
them for protection.
Moreover, it is also a fact that there are still maniac monsters out
there causing mayhem. The incidents of monsters causing harm near

290
our nation has indeed decreased.
But there are still monsters being born in other locations and causing
destructions.
If we are to kill all the Holy Knights here, who will be protecting those
fringe districts? Upon thinking over it, I feel there’s a need to avoid
killing them so casually.
Perhaps we could have avoided this misunderstanding if I could have
reach Hinata back then. It is regrettable that she wasn’t willing to
listen to me because I am a monster.
Since Hinata is a stubborn blackhead too.
She even went so far as to dispatch combatants after seeing my
message.
《Suspicion detected. Certain events do not seem like a natural
outcome regarding the matter. It can be deduced that the Likelihood
of this not being Hinata Sakaguchi’s intent is extremely high.》
Eh?
Could this mean that, we still have chance at negotiating?
There should be many ways for us to defeat them if they are truly
considering us to be enemies. But right now we are concerned about
what’s the right thing to do is since it is unclear how our opponents
are perceiving us.
All in all, these are all excuses that I’ve been pondering over…… But it
is main reason for that is I don’t wish to kill Hinata myself.
Shizue-san was also worrying about Hinata’s later development.
Since I’ve inherited her will, I don’t wish to fight Hinata to the death
without even talking to her.
How troubling, but I’m only so troubled because Hinata is too
stubborn.
What am I worrying about, sheesh.
Regardless, if we can’t negotiate, then a clash would become
inevitable……

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It will be disadvantageous for us if it comes to that.
Our opponents are expert in monster extermination. So we can’t just
bash our way through.
There is one thing that’s for sure though, I hope to minimize
casualties on both sides. It doesn’t matter what our opponent want,
we will just have to prepare for the worst.
If the negotiation fails, I will have to fight Hinata once and for all.
I also mentioned this in my message, so there shouldn’t be an issue
with that part. Our opponents may be planning to have a grand
confrontation with everyone they have, but this is our territory. If we
are to set up a trap beforehand, we may be able to buy some time
during my confrontation with Hinata.
Even though it is troublesome, it still has to be that way.
「Right, I’ve made up my mind! Let’s set our goals on something
further, we should do our best to prevent casualties in our fight with
the Holy Knights.」
If the negotiations fails——That’s how I explained it to everyone.
Since the outline has been settled, everyone resumes discussion
once more.
It would be meaningless to reduce casualties of our opponents at
the cost of our own.
With that being the condition, everyone begins discussing our best
approach.
The most effective way would be for me to reduce their morale by
defeating Hinata. That’s why I suggest for everyone to focus on
buying time for me.
「In conclusion, we just need to cut them all down right??」
「.......」
「Just kidding.」
Shion clears her throat after saying that.

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 Are you alright Shion. Your actions impose a level of unease on
everyone that is rivalled only by Veldora.
「All in all, we can’t kill any Holy Knight, nor are we allowed to
sustain any casualty on our side. That’s how we should maintain the
state of the battle. Rimuru-sama would take that time to take out
the enemy general, that our battle plan right?」
「Hmm, you’re right. I’m so glad you understand.」
She understood.
My concern was for naught, I was almost going to ask 「Do you
have holes in your head?」
If Shion can understand, then everyone else should also be fine
with it as well.
「If that’s the case, I have an idea!」
Just as I was feeling reassured, Shion suddenly turns to me with a
confident expression.
Unease, an unspokable unease starts to drown my heart.
「........Let’s hear about it.」
「Yes sir! My 『Yomigaeri』 also has around a hundred members.
They wouldn’t be outdone by their opponents, so allow us to take on
those knights!」
Shion says with confidence.
「You idiot! The 『Yomigaeri』 only have strength of Rank C, the
opponents would definitely think little of your skills!」
I really want to ask Shion where is she getting such confidence.
Even if their number matches up, the difference in strength is night
and day……..
「——No, there’s definitely a problem Shion’s claims, but it should
still be an effective strategy.」
To my surprise, Benimaru interjected to defend Shion.

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 Here is how Benimaru sees it.
The 「Yomigaeri」 have the Extra Skill 「Perfect Memory」 and
「Automatic Regeneration」, so average attack can’t easily kill
them. And considering how weak they seem, their enemies would
not immediately unleash upon them attacks that are strong enough
to damage souls.
「The Holy Knights may get careless at the fact of how weak their
opponents are. If we can use that……. It may be surprisingly effective
in buying time.」
He then gave this explanation seemingly pondering.
With Benimaru’s explanation, it does make some sense.
If the Holy Knights are not directly attacking the soul, the 「
Yomigaeri」 are at an advantage. They may have a better chance of
settling things safely compared to other troops.
「Benimaru is most correct! Moreover, Rimuru-sama, they have all
undergone my special training. 『Pain Nullification』 is a
prerequisite, and besides that they have even acquired『Poison
Resistance』, 『Paralysis Resistance』, 『Sleep Resistance』.
Everyone was successful in acquiring these skills! Just recently even
Hakurou praised them as having invincible endurance.」
With Benimaru’s support, Shion actively made her proposal.
Hakurou is nodding in agreement too, so her words don’t seem to
be made up.
「By the way, how did they acquire those resistance?」
「Oh, that’s——」
Although I don’t think they were lies, it is best for me to double
check by asking. And the result of the answer is quite surprising.
She requested Kurobee to craft weapons that can induce abnormal
status. They naturally learnt these skills after training with these
weapons. She didn’t spare any sympathy since her subordinates are

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not easily killed. And since it’s difficult to arrive at a definitive result
by attacking each other till they’re completely immobile, that’s why
the winner of their unique simulated battle is whoever remains
standing in the end…...
「Rimuru-sama, if we find that the 『Yomigaeri』 are in danger,
I’ll send my 『Kurenai』 to assist then. Will there be an issue,
Gobuya?」
The tall Ogre beauty who is guarding the door and is summoned by
Benimaru. She kneels to bow to me and Benimaru.
It is said that this beauty named Gobya is the captain of 「Kurenai
」.
She should have be a goblin named by me, yet right now she looks
completely different as she’s now an elite dressed in dark red
military uniform.
After Benimaru’s urge, she looks at me full of spirit.
「Yes sir! I will not lose to Shion-sama and strictended the training
of my subordinates. Please allow use to demonstrate our prowess on
the battlefield.」
She has a pair of sharp eyes and a powerful stance.
Her power is also above Rank A.
Her power rivals that of Souka, perhaps even above her. It seems
that Benimaru has also trained some subordinates not to be
underestimated.
「They may not be as strong as the Holy Knights, but my
subordinates are nonetheless skillful. By having the two of them to
take on one enemy each, we may even be able to buy some time for
the 『Yomigaeri』 to escape.」
「Nonsense! My subordinates and I alone are enough to take
down those Holy Knights!」
Next it’s quarrel time between Benimaru and Shion.

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 Both of them are very motivated.
I think it would be alright to leave things to her care.
「Good, the I’ll leave things to Shion. You are Gobya, right? I’ll be
relying on you for cover!」
「Y-yes sir! Leave it to me, Rimuru-sama!」
Gobya replies blushing, seemingly excited.
It’s great to see how motivated she looks. But honestly, I hope they
won’t have a chance to fight.
「Shion, unless our negotiation fails, do not engage with our men
no matter what!」
「No problem! But, if the enemies tries to pull any dangerous
stunt——」
Indeed, that would be a different case.
I almost forgot, my original intent is to stop them from building the
「Holy Purification Barrier」.
「Just do whatever you have to when the time comes. You guys
should move out as soon as I confirm via 『Telepathy Net』.」
「I understand.」
Shion nods in satisfaction.
Benimaru then orders Gobya to go back to guarding the gate.
Alright, now the only question remained is——Who’s going to take
on the 「Sage」 level knights.

◇◇◇

We’ve decided to have Shion’s 「Yomigaeri」 to deal with the Holy

Knight Order. Benimaru’s 「Kurenai」 would be on standby just in
case of emergency. These three hundred soldiers would be engage

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the one hundred Holy Knights.
I’ll have to have faith in them, and now it’s time to decide who will
be taking on the other four travelling alongside Hinata.
That is under the precondition that we even have enough candidates
to take on 「Sages」——
There’s me, Veldora, Ranga, Benimaru, Shion, Souei, Geld, Gabil
and Diablo.
Hakurou’s might not have sufficient magicule reserves to match
them, but he can still put up a fight with his sword skill.
Shuna…… Is hard to say. It may be different if it’s a magic battle, but
the enemies are knights who are skilled at melee combat, so it will
be challenging for her. The sages of the 「Ten Great Saints」 seem
to have power to rival the likes of 「Demon Lord Breed」. They
would have power to at least rival the Orc Disaster. It would be quite
the heavy burden to place on Shuna.
——Based on the previous assessment, there are in total ten
people including Hakurou.
I will be Hinata’s opponent.
Veldora is a no go. I would like him to defend the town, besides it
will be dangerous if he starts rampaging. And to be honest, it is
necessary for us to tighten our defenses considering that the enemy
force may have others operating without us knowing.
Geld has been reserved only to be summoned in emergency
situation. So we should avoid calling him back.
I hope Diablo, Ranga, Hakurou and Gabil will focus on resolving the
issue at Farmus Kingdom.
The rest would be——
「Are the only three free to be deployed Benimaru, Shion and
Souei?」
There don’t seem to be enough people to set up a one-to-one
combat scenario.

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 Alright, what should I do now…….
「That’s without saying, I’ll also be joining the fray.」
It is for this reason that Benimaru has handed the commanding
position of Youmu’s reinforcement to Hakurou, so we will have to
include him.
「I’ll stay as well. I can leave intelligence gathering work to my 『
Clones』. Besides, right now, Souka and the rest are quite useful in
this regard as well.」
Souei should be fine too.
He is very capable, so keeping up with information collection would
unlikely pose a problem.
「I want in too! As Rimuru-sama’s secretary, I should be serving at
his side——」
Shion jumps in to stake her claim just as someone suddenly
interjects with a voice within my body.
《Warning. If the other party also contain members at the level of
「Sage」, It is likely that the goal of buying time would not be
achievable. The group to engage them should be arranged properly
as well just in case.》
Oh no, so there is that to be concerned about as well.
Thank you for your pretinent opinion!
Wisdom King Raphael-san is indeed reliable.
I have to confirm with Souei first anyhow.
「Hold on, Shion. I have something to ask souei. Are there any 『
Saint』 level knights among the Holy Knights operating separately
from HInata?」
As I ask, Souei momentarily closes his eyes.

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 He then answers somewhat upsetly: 「My apologies, every
member is indeed above Rank A, but there isn’t any individual
emitting any particularly stronger aura——」
As soon as a monster release its aura, it becomes very obvious to
tell.
Yet more skillful individuals can hide their auras cleverly.
For instance, Hinata only gives off the aura of an average person. I
wasn’t able to see through her disguise and even got scared by her
tremendous strength.
Right now there is no way I can tell unless they engage in battle.
「But shouldn’t we still act with caution, I hope Shion would
oversee her troops. Apart from 『Yomigaeri』, how about we allow
Shion to command the 『Kurenai』 as well. Is that okay with you,
Benimaru?」
「If it is how Rimuru judges it, I am fine with it. As for the four
knights coming alongside Hinata, it will be fine for Souei and i to each
take on two at once.」
How confident.
Souei seems to also agree with his calm and non-caring look.
「Hold on a second, Rimuru-sama. You should send me, Rigurdo,
this time. I don’t intend to remain in the town to lead everyone this
time. I hope to lay some mayhem at times!」
Rigurdo proposes as he shows off his muscle.
「If that’s the case, there is still me.」
Shuna smiles as she says.
Didn’t I just say that you are not suitable for melee combat?
It may be dangerous.
「And me as well, how could I let Gobta take all the spotlight!」
Rigur (II) also wishes to join.

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 Rigurdo and Rigur are indeed now stronger than the point of Rank
A, yet they are still a long ways off from 「Demon Lord Breed」. It
would be too reckless.
「Ah ah, hold on. It would be too dangerous to send you guys out.
」
「But, are there anymore suitable candidate?」
「We alone are sufficient.」
「Benimaru-sama, I know you are both very strong, but, should
you look down so much on your opponents? It would be better to
have me and Rigur——」
And so the discussion grows more and more intense.
It may lessen my worry to grant them their wish, but I still want to
resolve the issue cautiously. In order to reduce the risk to zero, it will
probably be better for me to have Geld come back when the day
comes——
I ignored the the unresolved querrel in the meeting and started to
ponder, but I was interrupted by the noise outside the gate.
「I’ve told you that there is an important meeting going on——」
「Hush, we want to join as well!」
「It’s fine, Sophia, but don’t be so rude to others. Young lady, we
only wish to express our gratitude by offering our assistance.」
The voices just now came from Gobya as well as the Beastketeers
Sophia and Alvis.
The two entered the room as the gate opened.
「Hey, sorry to interrupt. Just now I saw that skeleton dude come
by, so what is happening here? Please allow us to contribute as well,
Rimuru-sama.」

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 「Demon Lord Rimuru, we apologize for our sudden visit. Sophia
may be quite rude in tone, but she truly wishes to help. I hope you
would grant us two the opportunity to repay you.」
Sophia and Alvis says while approaching me——more accurately
kneeling down next to me.
Gobya intended to stop them but was halted when Benimaru raises
one of his hand. Then he left his seat and came to stand in front of
me as well. Without me noticing, Diablo is also standing between
them to prevent the two Beastketeers from getting closer to me.
Benimaru should already trust them, yet he still isn’t permitting them
to approach me.
As for Diablo, he has no trust in the two at all. He seems prepared
to eliminate Sophia and Alvis as soon as I give the order.
The two contrast each other, yet they are on the same pace.
Sophia and Alvis seem to also be aware of how rude their requests
seem, so they are not complaining about their treatment.
「Benimaru, Diablo, stand down.」
「Yes sir.」
「Understood, Rimuru-sama.」
Taking advantage of the time when the two are returning to their
seat, I pull out seats for Sophia and Alvis. I again started the meeting
once everyone has calmed down once more.
「Just now you mentioned about assisting us……..」
「Yes, Rimuru-sama. Aren’t the 「Ten Great Saints」 approaching
this nation? You seem to be short on people that can hold them
back, so we wish you would allow us to assist in this task.」
「Yes! I am only of much use in battle. It is times like this that I
may repay my gratitude. Please give us the order!」
I begin to examine the two’s proposal.

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 The two are powerful enough, but, if my order led to their harm, it
would be an embarrassing to face Demon Lord——ex-Demon Lord
Karion.
「But, you shouldn’t be acting on your own without Karion’s
permission.」
「That’s okay! Karion-sama is very generous in that regard.」
「Besides, Karion-sama is also troubled by how to repay Rimuru-
sama. We will get scolded for not intervening at time like this.」
Hmm——Honestly, their proposal came at the right time. With
these two present, I can also be reassured with our fighting force.
「I agree. These people are trustworthy.」
Benimaru doesn’t seem to object.
「Will you be helping to take out people who interfere with
Rimuru-sama when I’m not present?」
「Yes, please leave it to me.」
Shion and Sophia seem to be on good terms as the two reach
common ground quite quickly.
It seems there is no objection.
「Can I rely on you guys?」
「Leave it to us!」
「Thank you for your understanding!」
I still can’t get over how motivated Rigurdo seems, but I do hope
for him to stay back in the town and lead everyone.
After all, I’m worried about sending him out to battle too.
And as such, we’ve gained the powerful assistants in the from of
Sophia and Alvis, now then our plan to take on Hinata’s party is
settled. The outline of this plan that isn’t even worthy of being called
a battle plan.

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All of my executives are now brainstorming to check for any
oversites of this operation.
I on the other hand, close my eyes to predict Hinata’s movement
once more.
The calculation of Wisdom King Raphael-san has also predicted that
this plan would minimize casualties, so I don’t think it warrants
anymore concern. But there is something I am still worried about. It
would make a better battle plan if I abandon the operation to take
over Farmus or by calling Geld back. But I didn’t do either and
adopted the current plan out of my own selfish thoughts.
That’s why I need to ensure it is a perfect plan that guarantees our
victory. It will be no problem if Hinata is willing to negotiate. If not,
we will duel each other until one of us falls.
This plan may seem to be waterproof with our arrangement, yet it
has one fatal flaw.
If I am defeated by Hinata, all of these discussions would be
worthless.
However, Wisdom King Raphael-san thinks I will be the winner.
With that being said, if I am defeated this time, our operation
would be a complete be blown.
Would the calculation of 「Wisdom King Raphael」 be truly
reliable?
I always have the feeling that it is too confident……
Rather, it has too much faith in me.
Raphael-san, are you overestimating me too much? ——I always
have such uneasy feeling. However, I will have to force myself to
charge onward.
Just like I did until this point, and how I will in the future as well.
Even if do not have one hundred percent confident in myself, my
companions still believe me.
If that’s the case, I will no longer hesitate and keep on moving.

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 「I’ll say this one more time. If the battle plan is hard to maintain
once we actually start fighting then you should eliminate your
opponent immediately. The lives of our companions are the most
important. Know that you are done for it if you get killed. So I hope
everyone would be able to make it through this ordeal safely as well!
」
「「「Yes sir!」」」
It would be counterproductive if we get any of our companions
killed trying to avoid harming the Holy Knight.
I have to get this point across.
Seeing that everyone has responded, I nod satisfiedly.
Next.
We wait for Hinata’s next move——

◇◇◇

Hinata has successfully arrived at Tempest Federation.

The journey has been just average travelling after teleporting from
Ruberios to Ingracia through the「Teleportation Gate」. Since there
is no replacement for her horse, she had to stop to rest frequently.
She packed only the bare minimum in terms of luggage as she is used
to military marching.
She only brought her horse, and a sleeping bag that also contains
convenient tools such as emergency ration or pots.
It is winter at this time of year.
Although the snow isn’t heavy enough to block the road, it is still not
a good time to travel.
Soon after Hinata set off for the journey, and ran into four of her
subordinates.
She heard the sound of running horses behind her and turn to see

304
some familiar faces.
They are the four captains, Arno, Bacchus, Ritase and Fritz.
Vice-commander Reynald needs to stand on guard while Hinata is
out. Meanwhile, it will also be problematic to deploy all of the
captains to chase after her, and so the five decided over a lottery
draw and Gerald was determined to be the one who stays with
Reynald on guard.
Leaving behind the two who seemed to be frustrated by their duty.
Arno and the rest set out to catch up with Hinata.
「——You guys, what is the meaning of this?」
「That should be our line, Hinata-sama. Are you trying to take all
the glory for yourself?」
「What kind of dumb talk is that? I’m heading to negotiate, there
is no glory to be claimed anywhere.」
「Here we go again. You are not particularly persuasive when
dressed up as if you are heading for a final battle.」
「That’s right. We wouldn’t want to gain anything at the expense
of Hinata-sama’s life. Our true honor would be in you leading us.」
「That’s right. The Demon Lord’s message never mentioned that
you have to go alone after all.」
Her subordinates bombard her with arguments.
Hinata instead looked shocked then replied to them helplessly:
「Are you all aware of the situation here? My opponent is a
Demon Lord. It was I who provoked him in the first place, so this is
my problem. It is neither your responsibility nor does it have any
relation concerning any of you. Return to the kingdom immediately.
」
But, even with Hinata’s order, Arno and the rest would still not
obey. Hinata eventually gave up and said 「Whatever you wish then

305
」 to allow them to accompany her.
Now Hinata’s party has increased to five people.
They continue to tread slowly on the renovated yet still rugged
road.
In this time of the year, most inns are fully booked, so there isn’t any
place for them to rest. As a result, they are forced to camp out in the
wilderness.
Although they didn’t run into any monster, the piercing cold of
winter on top of their meals being emergency rations made this
journey a harsh one. Hinata’s party are all exhausted in both body
and mind. By the tenth days of their journey, they enter the
Brumund Kingdom, their staminas were tolled more than expected.
At this point, Hinata’s party could only look forward to finding a inn
to have a good night’s rest.

◇◇◇

「By the way, this town seems to be developing pretty well.」

They each reserved a room for themselves before they meet up in
the restaurant.
Arno broke the silence immediately saying so.
「Indeed.」
Hinata agrees as well.
Ritase did report about this, yet it has become obvious how drastic
the difference is when seen with your own eyes.
As they were getting dressed and settling down in the inn, they
started to observe the demeanor of the streets. The whole market is
full of energy despite it being winter.
There are even items unfamiliar to them on the market. The rural

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atmosphere Brumund gave off in their past missions have long
disappeared.
「Have you all seen this? There are even more varieties of clothes.
They look like brands I’ve only seen in the Ingracia Kingdom, there
are even some passer-bys wearing those luxurious clothes!」
「Speaking of that, it’s the same case for weaponeries. All of the
gear here seem to be crafted with monster materials, making them
of very fine quality.」
Arno and Bacchus both found such sights to be astounding.
Indeed, although these gears are not comparable with the ones
used by the Holy Knights, the commodities of this town have
exceeded both the quantity and quality of those in other small
nation. There are also plenty of trading posts around.
Normally they would shut down during the winter days, making the
scene here particularly strange.
They are operating because there are customers.
In other words, there are still many merchants and adventurers
passing through this rural town despite the winter days.
「It must have been the effect of the Tempest Federation……..?」
Fritz asks while observing Hinata’s expression.
It must have been because this kingdom is trading with the
Tempest Federation that such a town was able to develop. He
couldn’t think of another reason besides that.
But it would mean that their actions are completely ignoring the
doctrines of Ruminism.
「They took a gamble to trade with Demon Lord in pursuit of
development——」
Ritase also mumbles with confusion in her eyes.
But to be honest, Hinata also agrees with her view.
Normally it would be impossible.
But it is different for him.

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If it was Rimuru, her fellow countryman, he might have made such
things a reality.
The evidence is——the menu hanging on the restaurant wall.
「Can I take your order?」
As soon as the waitress of the inn asked, Hinata replies without
hesitation.
「I want ramen.」
「So you would like to order ramen! It has been really popular
lately. We have three different flavours of miso (fermented bean),
shoyo (soy sauce) and tonkotsu (pork bone). Each of them also have
the two choices of heavy and light broths, how would you like your
ramen made?」
There are in total six variations.
It would seem that Hinata wasn’t overthinking, the ramen here is
exactly what it should be.
「I want thick-broth pork bone ramen with dumplings and rice.」
「Alright! You are quite the expert for a first-timer. What would
the other guests order?」
The rest all look at Hinata impressively after she made her order
without any hesitation.
「Ah, I will……. have the same thing.」
「M-me too…….」
「Hmm.」
「Same here.」
Arno and the rest have no idea what any of these are, so they’d
rather follow along and order like Hinata.
「Hinata-sama, what is this thing called ramen?」
「Surely you would know what that is, right?」
「Yes. But, about that…… You guys may not be used to eating it.」

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 「「「Ehhh!」」」
Hinata’s words made the crowds feel unease.
「Oh, don’t worry. I’m just trying to say you probably are not used
to it, so the method of eating may be quite hard.」
Hinata is only concerned that Arno and the rest would not be used
to using chopsticks. Yet they began to worry about whether the
cuisines are terrible or not.
And soon the dishes are served.
Hinata felt a sense of nostalgia, while for the rest, it is their first time
seeing authentic ramen.
Hinata pulls her hair up to prevent it from falling into the broth and
splits up the disposable chopsticks.
They are even using disposable chopsticks.
What level of extravagance are they up to——Hinata thought to
herself.
How did they manage to promote disposable chopsticks to the
restaurants of neighbouring country in such a short time? Hinata
couldn’t help but to doubt. Yet the bowl of warm ramen is right in
front of her.
「Thanks for the meal.」
She puts her palm together while whispering. Then she slowly lift
some hot broth up using the soup spoon and drinks it.
It’s the thick broth pork bone broth. She has no idea how it was
cooked to recreate the thickness of the taste.
It is then that the noodle she intended to put in her mouth touched
her lips, making Hinata gasp with a sound of 「Tsk」.
Arno and the rest immediately react after seeing this.
「Is it poisoned?」
「Are you okay, Hinata-sama?」
They all rise up to express their care.

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 「Hush. Shut up and eat your food.」
She scolded her subordinates before putting the noodle on the
soup spoon and slowly blowing her breath on it.
Hinata doesn’t want to get a tongue burn.
Such action is somewhat cute considering how it contrasts her cruel
appearance. Although she herself didn’t notice since she’s been
focused on tasting the noodle.
The noodle is both tasty and chewy. The delicacy of the thick pork-
bone broth has all been imbued onto the noodle.
It is a most exquisite and delicious cuisine.
A sensation that Hinata thought she would never experience again is
beautifully recreated.
She falls silent and only concentrates on eating her ramen.
Arno and the rest, rather terrified, observes Hinata dining.
Then they begin to try out ramen by imitating her.
「——that’s hot!」
「It’s delicious! What is this really?」
「The broth tastes great too!」
「Eh, is this some trickery?! How could food like this exist…….」
The four clumsily used the chopsticks to start challenge this food
named ramen fearfully, yet have given unexpected reactions.
To them, whose main diets mainly consisted of stale bread, salted
soups or raw vegetable salads, this unknown dish called ramen has
brought them an astronomical amount of shock.
The most appropriate words to describe this sensation would be——
Taste revolution.
Then again feeling confused, they turn to the rice Hinata ordered.
It also accompanies ramen quite well. The more you chew on it, the
better it tastes, slowly filling them up.
There are also dumplings.
As soon as they take a bite out of the dumplings the fragrance of the

310
ingredients immediately assail their nostrils.
The rich variety of ingredients in the dumpling transforms eating into
a concert of taste, which forms a perfect duet duo with the rice.
「Amazing! This is so tasty!」
Arno praises.
It is no wonder the food taste so good considering the party has
been eating field rations until yesterday.
Eventually, there is only one more dumpling remaining on the
plate.
Piya! A crisp sound goes off.
Fritz was casually reaching out his chopsticks before they were
blocked by the ones in Hinata’s hands.
「Fritz. That (dumpling) is mine, I left it there so I can eat it later.
Don’t you even think about taking my love.」
Fritz shivers as a paralyzing aura of murderous intent surrounds
him.

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312
 「S-sorry, I accidentally did that because it’s too delicious…….」
「Just order another plate if you didn’t have enough.」
Hinata, rather baffled, replies at the sights of the four all putting
down another order at the same time.
Yet their wishes can not be granted.
「Ah, we are sorry, dear customer. That was our last serving.」
The waitress replied with the cruel truth.
Ignoring the couple bystanders who were forced to learn this the
hard truth, she approached Hinata’s table and continued:
「In fact, this is a new item that only started being sold last week.
To let you in on a secret, it was generously promoted by a certain
Demon Lord-sama. Rumor says that Myourmiles-sama who is in
charge of this region has been directly getting supplies from this
Demon Lord. The sales however hasn’t been too good since it is both
inconvenient and expensive to eat……. But anyone who has tried it
claims that once is all you need to get addicted to it!」
The waitress informs them on the supposed secret. Yet given how
loud she spoke, everyone in the restaurant would have heard the
conversation.
Hinata suddenly realizes that this whole conversation was probably
planned from the start in order to promote this dish.
By doing so, the number of recurring customers will increase along
with the total number of customers. In this way, they can mass-
produce dumplings to make it a lasting item on the menu.
Now everyone in the restaurant is looking rather intrigued at
Hinata’s party. They are all observing the food Hinata is eating just
like how Arno and the rest initially reacted. Perhaps they are
planning to order those food items for themselves next time.
Hearing the waitress’ words, Hinata finishes drinking up the soup.

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 「Thank you for the service. It was delicious.」
She then pays the tab and rises up from her seat.
She does so while seeing her subordinates downing the soup in a
panic.
「Oh, don’t be so nervous. I’m only going back to my room. And by
the way, you will get fat if you drink all of the soup as well.」
Someone suddenly pauses upon hearing that. It’s Ritase.
「Ehh, but…… Hinata-sama also…….」
「My body type makes getting fat difficult.」
You have my warning——Hinata leaves after saying that.
Ritase glares at her back with an angry looks, but Hinata, who
wishes to sleep now after a full meal doesn’t even want to look back.

◇◇◇

The next morning, the party embarks on their journey once again.
They are all in excellent condition after getting sufficient rest.
Now that they’ve restored their energy, the harsh roads leading to
the Great Jura Forest would not pose an issue.
「Let’s go.」
At Hinata’s order, everyone resumes their journey. Yet their spirit
(to confront hardship) soon disappeared.
「What on earth is this.」
「This is so comfortable to the point of becoming stale.」
「That’s not true, the point is this road! It is paved so beautifully
that it can rival the roads in Ingracia, this doesn’t make sense no
matter how you think about it.」
There is no wonder why they are so surprised.

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 The roads have been covered with stone pavements, there aren’t
even any puddles. The road is designed with a slight curvature where
drainage side ditches are installed below.
The journey has been very pleasant since the road is not blocked
by snow.
「Speaking of which, there isn’t any monster aura at all. There are
also few monsters in the forest…….」
Said Ritase recalling the investigation of the area she did and her
findings.
Just as she mentioned, the barrier around these roads are indeed a
wonder to behold.
There is magic device installed every ten kilometers or so which is
used to connect a magic barrier that prevents nearby monster from
intruding.
The safety of travelling has thus been elevated, leading more
merchants to travel in and out. The reason for the prosperity of
Brumund Kingdom must have been due to the gathering of all these
merchants.
「I wonder, given how much work does it take to pave all these
roads, and what would the monster kingdom look like.」
No one can give an answer to Arno’s question.
Everyone held a similar view to his, all eager to find out the
answer.
「I was told by merchant that you can travel there by horse. It
seems to be true then.」
「Indeed. And I thought it would only be a hindrance to travel into
the forest by horse. It turns out to be an unnecessary concern.」
Hinata couldn’t help but feel astounded after seeing it for herself
even though she was already informed of the mega projects
commissioned by Demon Lord Rimuru. After all, the Great Jura

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Forest that has once been hard to access for outsiders has now
become such a convenient travel destination; as if it was just a
simple hike. There is no wonder that she feels astonished.
The party continues to move on their horses.
Soon they spotted some hobgoblins riding wolves approaching in
front of them.
「Have we been revealed!」
「Hold on, it doesn’t seem to be the case.」
Seeing that her subordinates being alarmed, Hinata calmly corrects
them.
It turns out she is right.
These hobgoblins seem to be chatting very casually. You can even
hear laughter coming from them. They also seem to have spotted
Hinata’s party due to a good field of view. The hobgoblins raise one
of their hands and approached in a friendly manner.
「Howdy, I’ve never seen you before. You don’t look like
merchants, are you all adventurers?」
「Yes, that’s right.」
「I see, if that’s the case, good luck on your job. By the way, I’d
assumed you will be fine on your own, but I should still give you a bit
of info.」
This hobgoblin switches his tone as he continued.
He then begins his debriefing about the things to be noted on this
road.
Littering is not allowed.
Brawling on the road is not permitted.
If you need to set up camp, there are water fountains for drinking
every ten kilometers apart.
There are also outposts every twenty kilometers apart, it will be safer
to camp there.

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If you have the budget, there are inns every forty kilometers apart.
If you see anyone in trouble, you need to contact the nearest
outpost.
etc, etc.
「By the way, please do not touch the glowing stone tablets set
every ten kilometers. Please keep in mind that you will be punished
severely if damaging those things.」
Those glowing tablets are magic devices used to maintain the
barrier. They glitter when mixed alongside the stone-paved road and
can act as waypoint at night.
Are you really monsters? The level of detail in the briefing would
truly make that hard to believe.
「Alright, we understand. Thank you for your caring inform.」
「You’re welcome, it’s no big deal. People like us are patrolling
around the area, so ask away if you run into any trouble.」
These Hobgoblins are the members of the security force in charge
of patrolling. They promptly left after saying those words.
Hinata’s party stayed on the spot to see them off with bewildered
looks.
「Eh, Hinata-sama…....」
「Wait, please don’t be agitated yet. I need to think this over,
could you stop talking to me for a while?」
Hinata silenced the rest and to started pondering.
Afterward, they quietly traveled onwards for an hour to see the
water fountain. It was mentioned by that Hobgoblin and also just as
sign post by the road indicated.
In order to showcase the current location, there are sign post set
every kilometers to display the travelling distance starting from zero
at the west gate to the capital city Rimuru. It becomes very clear how
many more miles you would need to travel in order to reach a water

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source, outpost or inn.
Hinata knows she can ensure the party’s safety by relying on these
signs after seeing how the road (Highway) is constructed. She can
immediately tell from the signs where to retreat when she needs to
back up.
It just goes to show that Rimuru genuinely cares for the travelers’
and has already done much in ensuring their personal safety.
By the way, the units of measurement in this world is different
from his original world. Yet Rimuru has ignored that in order to mark
the road in ways easily understood by himself.
Kilometer is set by pegging the average travel distance with the
estimate of an hour’s walking to cover five kilometers. Thus the
reason why the inns are prepared one every forty kilometers due to
the assumption that travelers can move eight hours a day on foot.
Since horse carriages move at around the same speed as those on on
foot, they would also be able to rest at inns if they slow down a little.
The whole trip was thoroughly planned out and thought through
with very clear intent.
It has become quite the obvious fact that Rimuru hopes to coexist
with humans. There really isn’t anything left to doubt. The journey
after their arrival at Brumund Kingdom has all been very
comfortable.
The drinking area contains a directly drinkable water source that
seems to be free for the public’s consumption.
Hinata almost fainted after seeing this.
Free water——Applying such Japanese ideal in a dangerous place
like this, it is a bold and crazy enough move that even Hinata wants
to make fun of (roast).
There are also cooking spots for campers and even squares for the
convenience of setting up tents. Some locations have set of long
bench made of log wood with roof to provide cover during rainfall.
All of these resemble a campsite.

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 The divine realm of Great Jura Forest once inaccessible to humans,
is now a harmonious venue easily accessible to everyone.
There are many different monsters residing in the Great Jura
Forest. It is a dangerous place where adventurers below Rank B may
easily lose their lives if they are not careful. It is not supposed to be a
place for human residence, but a paradise for the monsters.
I can’t believe he has developed this forbidden land so it’s
accessible by everyone…….Hinata didn’t even once consider the idea.
It is not a matter of whether she can achieve it or not, but something
which is beyond her imagination.
Not only for her, but it must have been the same for her fellow
countryman Yuuki Kagurazaka.
When they are striving hard to protect mankind by distancing them
from the threat of monsters, yet someone just suddenly come along
and——What kind of joke is this. It’s normal for Hinata to think this
way.
——But, at least now I understand what he meant by his words.
Hinata’s thought wonders to to the past.
It was at a cafe in Ingracia that Hinata likes a lot. There she was
doing the regular intelligence exchange with Yuuki. It was then that
she heard the rumors about Rimuru.
Rimuru seemed to be serious about developing the monster
kingdom. Not only that, he wished to find the best way to create
friendly relations with the Western Nations. An example of his
method is the recently introduced Brandy Cake. This dessert is only
made possible thanks to the alcohol that Rimuru made easily
commissionable.
「Anyhow, that person is really different. Should I call him having
his cards hidden or not. He seems to have a much grander vision in
the long terms than us. That’s why including acts such as making
delicacy like this, he has been doing all of them very seriously.」

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 Yuuki said to her with a wry smile as Hinata was enjoying the
delightful taste of the cake slowly eating it bit by bit.
He then advised her that making an enemy of Rimuru would not a
wise move. It was implying that the Freedom Association would be
on Rimuru’s side. Back then Hinata didn’t take his words seriously
nor did she imply it, but up to this point——
——Indeed, if he doesn’t have energy to spare in spades, there is
no way he could have had the energy to plan such things.
Hinata thought to herself as she observes the merchants using the
water source with thanksgiving.
Two hours passed after they left the drinking area.
They encountered their first inn. It is said that there are seven inns
in total on this road, this one being the seventh.
Hinata and the rest decided to rest there for the night.
The party gathered at the restaurant.
「Alright, everyone. Let’s hear what you all think.」
HInata begins her inquiry.
Arno spoke up first while also representing everyone.
「I want to give my genuine opinion here, is it okay?」
「That’s the type of view I’m looking for. Speak then.」
Hurried by Arno answers:
「Just from seeing these roads alone, I think that Demon Lord
Rimuru is a wise ruler. These roads guarded on patrols makes this
path feel safe so it’s no wonder why so many have gathered here.
The trade routes through the Farmus Kingdom will no doubt start to
fall out of favor (when competing with these).」
Next is Bacchus, he answers solemnly:
「Hmm, the monsters are not only things to be afraid of. There are
also bandits who would attack caravans, incidents when people get
injured or sick or when the carriage breaks down to immobilized

320
travellers etcetera. Such issues would never cease to occur. But with
more people flowing in, there would probably be less concern for
such things.」
「The fact alone that you are in an environment where you can
expect help during these hardship is already very reassuring.」
「It’s the same logic when it comes to monetary expenses, there is
no longer a need to hire a large mercenary band. That’s all…….」
As Bacchus finishes, Ritase and Fritz both nods in agreement.
Most of these have been complements of Rimuru.
「He spent more time managing the country than most trashy
vassal lords. Rather than Demon Lord, it’d be more suitable to call
him a wise king.」
「Indeed, there’s a lot that can be learnt from him. Our nation of
Ruberios should also make use of these designs.」
「Thank goodness that we have yet to labeled him as the 『
Nemesis of God』.」
「Next, we can only hope that Demon Lord Rimuru is willing to
accept Hinata-sama’s apology…….」
Hinata nods to them, showing her agreement.
「I can only try to apologize with sincerity. But if my apology alone
is not sufficient and that Demon Lord Rimuru still wish to duel me, I
will have no choice but to accept——」
However, Hinata is still rather confused.
Why would Rimuru wish to duel her at this point in time? Even if he
cannot forgive her for what she has done, there is no need to start a
fight solely on that basis.
Perhaps he hoped to demonstrate to her his power after
awakening as a Demon Lord——Or something along those lines. But
Hinata doesn’t think Rimuru is someone with such vulgar thoughts.

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 With scepticism in their hearts, Hinata’s party continues to journey
on without much challenge.
They found residence in another inn on the seventh night of their
journey again. The level of luxury there has come to rival the top-
grade inns in the Ingracia Kingdom.
There is even bathhouse to wash away the tiredness of travelling.
Yet the inn staffs always contains a number of Brumund citizens. The
monster staffs seem to be be learning techniques related to
monetary transactions and they are often seen being instructed
around the human staffs. It is a reflection of the ideal coexisting
relationship between humans and monsters.
It is a sight that it alone could cause Hinata to re-evaluate the
doctrine of Ruminism.
They will be arriving at the capital city Rimuru tomorrow. Surely
she will be reuniting with Rimuru there once more.
I hope we can avoid conflict and have a good talk together.
Although it is but an one-sided thoughts, it is her sincere wish.
However——
Being tangled in a web of malice, Her wishes will not come true.

◇◇◇

Hinata will be arriving tonight as planned.

In a span around two weeks, she has only used normal means of
travelling to come here without using magic to shorten the trip.
Souei’s subordinates quickly returned with this information.
「Impressive, it is most important to get hold of information early.
I’ll be relying you folks in the future as well.」

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 「No, such feeble matter is not worthy of your praise. We will be
striving to improve our skills.」
Souei calmly accepts my praise.
He is truly worthy of the name 「Shadow」.
Handsome people (Bishounen) simply can’t faulted in doing
anything for being so darn cool. (Muggy: I can already hear all the
shippers)
But speaking of that, Souei also made the horrifying proposal: 「
How about we eliminate Hinata now by poisoning?」
What sort of stupid idea is that! I said and immediately rejected it.
Hinata doesn’t seem to be coming for a fight, meaning there is still
room for negotiation.
However, I cannot get careless.
She’s been checking in at every inn she ran into and didn’t rush
through any part of her journey. Everything she done thus far seems
too conscientious.
「Could it be that she is trying to divert our attention?」
Benimaru asks.
Has she made herself the open bait while having the other troops
to launch an assault?
That is indeed a possibility.
She is Hinata after all. From the cruel appearance she gives off, she
seems to be the type who would do anything in pursuit of victory.
「What are the movement of the rest of her troops?」
「Yes sir, they are still on the old path in order to hide their
movements. Had we not noticed them from the start, we may have
never discovered them.」
This other troop seems to be planning some kind of military
operation.

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 Thinking along that line, Hinata is likely acting as a bait indeed.
Regardless, I can’t get careless. Shion has already deployed her
troops, if they are to strike, the situation will probably go downhill
very quickly.
「There’s nothing strange about using Hinata as bait considering
her strength. Even Benimaru at this stage will have a hard time
confronting her, so only I can be her opponent. I guess she probably
thinks that we still don’t stand a chance, even when engaging her
together.」
「Huh, how arrogant. To bear such ignorant thoughts after having
already encountered Rimuru-sama once, the only thing you can only
call them is foolish.」
Says Souei with a slight smile and emitting a dangerous aura.
It’s ok, the only one who knows how strong Hinata is would be me
prior to my evolution.
Looking back, I can clearly see that Hinata wasn’t going all out at
the time.
「If a fight really breaks out, it will be really bad if their other
group spreads out. The situation will deteriorate even faster if they
manage to erect the 『Holy Purification Barrier』.」
「Indeed. Then we will contact Shion to have her eliminate the
enemies as soon as possible——」
Souei agrees with Benimaru’s views, but he pauses midway
through his sentence. Then——
「Rimuru-sama, they seem to be on the move and spreading out
around the town. Shion has gone to intercept them and have
engaged in battle.」
——That’s the worst possible news. I had hoped I would not have
to hear that reported to me.
Has it come to this? Hinata has chosen to fight after all.

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 It can’t be helped then. If you wish to antagonize us, we will have
to proceed as planned.

◇◇◇

Hinata’s party left the inn to prepare for their continued journey.
Everyone shares a tense expression as they are about to reach the
capital Rimuru at night.
「We are finally arriving. I don’t know whether we can see him
today, but everyone calm their minds. Please refrain from engaging
in battle even if we ended up fighting.」
「But…….」
「This is an order. There is no need to continue being hostile
towards Demon Lord Rimuru. Wait until we finish our duel, and then
we will engage in a friendly negotiation——」
As Hinata tries to remind everyone of the plan, she was quickly cut
short.
Someone is trying to reach her urgently through magic.
「——finally reached you——nata-sama, can…… hear me? 『
Three Martial Sages』........engaged in battle——」
The transmission is intermittent and barely managed to even link
up.
The person who making the call is one of Hinata’s trusted
subordinates, Nicolas Spertus.
His tone sounds urgent, yet the constant interruption and pauses
make his message hard to interpret, almost as if the transmission is
being disturbed.
「What is it? What’s going on?」

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 The transmission is cut before Hinata is able to send her messages
through.
「Beware of the 『Seven Celestials』——」
With this one final sentence warning from his side, signals from
Nicolas soon ends.
Hinata is shocked at the realization that there must have been an
issue.
Has he tried several times in informing me of something and was
only successful in the last transmission? If that’s the case, the actual
incident must have occurred earlier. The 「Three Martial Sages」
has engaged in battle…….. Could it be that they were partaking in the
civil war in Farmus——!
Hinata’s face turned pale as she quickly attempted to contacts
Pope Louis through 「Magic Communication」.
「What is it? Your mana is disoriented, are you in a rush?」
Louis responds with his normal casual tone.
Aside from feeling reassured about that, Hinata answers:
「Yes, I’m running out of time. So I’ll be straight with you. Did you
send out the 『Three Martial Sages』?」
「What? I’ve not given such an order. Do you mean that they have
been on the move?」
「Yes. Since you have no interest in human society, with Ruminas-
sama’s orders and my reminder telling them to stand down, they
shouldn’t be moving about on their own. There must have been
some change in the situation.」
Louis and Ruminas are only interested in managing the Night
Garden, leaving Hinata to hold all the actual authority (in human
world).
Although the 「Three Martial Sages」 oppose her at times, they
do not dare to defy Hinata’s orders. So they shouldn’t be acting on

326
their own once they received the instruction not to. It would then
mean, something has gone wrong. Perhaps someone has bewitched
the 「Three Martial Sages」
Is it the 「Seven Celestials」——
Her ominous prediction has turned into reality, Hinata makes up
her mind on the spot to return to Ruberios.
Using teleportation magic is much more efficient. Although she
planned to preserve her stamina before the battle with Rimuru, but
now’s not time for such thing.
Hinata concludes, yet it’s already too late.
「That’s probably the case. Then I’ll be——」
With a sound of crack, Hinata felt a blunt pain crossing her mind as
she discovers that her communication with Louis has been forcefully
severed.
A form of force field has enveloped the surrounding to prevent
usage of magic.
At the same time, an enormous amount of fighting aura bursts out
to shake up even the air.
「How the——? This aura, is it Reynald?」
Arno, who has been observing Hinata this whole time suddenly
exclaims in astonishment
Hinata couldn’t care less about it. As the commander of the Holy
Knight Order, she immediately restored her spirit.
「Let’s move!」
Something is happening.
And it’s definitely not something good, things have taken a turn for
the worst just as she was going to get in contact with Rimuru.
Feeling anxious, Hinata rides forth to the battlefield at full speed.

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 ◇◇◇

After noticing that Hinata has established contact with someone,

we decided to intercept her before anything else. And soon Hinata
began to ride at full speed to the battlefield. It seems that I am
successful in crashing her conspiracy before they were able to
succeed.
But, now we can confirm.
「It seems that this has indeed been Hinata’s scheme all along.」
「That’s about right. I can only praise her as an expert, seeing how
quickly she changed her plan after the original scheme was exposed.
」
Benimaru nods in agreement to my view.
「Then we shall proceed as planned. I shall duel Hinata until one of
us is the last man standing.」
「Understood! We will not allow anyone to interfere.」
「Alright, please hold back the enemies. Move out!」
「「「Yes sir!」」」
I nod to reassure Benimaru and transform into my human form.
The team consists of myself, Benimaru, Souei, Alvis, and Sophia.
「I wish your triumph in your conquest!」
Shuna says to send us off, and so we move out as planned. I steel
myself before activating 「Dimensional Domination」 to reach
Shion’s whereabouts before Hinata. Although Shion has guaranteed
victory, it must have been quite difficult to fend off the Holy Knight
Order with 「Yomigaeri」 alone.
——Or so I thought.
I can’t understand the sight before my eyes.
My brain is not processing fast enough.

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How in the world did this happen!
I’m speechless at the sight before me.
So what is in fact happening here——
Shion is fucking dead again.
Shion has taken charge and is commanding the Yomigaeri.
This is good, since it’s going according to our battle plan. Yet it is the
state of their battle that is causing my shock.
It has gone so well that it has far exceeded my expectation.
「H-how is it possible! Why are our attacks useless against them!
」
「But they are not undead, what is going on?」
The Holy Knights exclaim.
In place of a verbal response, the members of Yomigaeri scratch
the Holy Knight with the small knives in their hands.
They used their body as bait to sneak in their attack on the stronger
Holy Knights. It is an impressive move, possible only by using their
undead characters.
But, that is probably as far as they can go. What follows should be
the overwhelming one-sided victory of the Holy Knights who will
finally get serious…… yet my prediction has been completely toppled.
The Holy Knights are beginning to fall apart in less than three
minutes.
As I have predicted, the Holy Knights who are no longer careless
began to chase down members of Yomigaeri one-sidedly. Yet
situation is quickly changed. Due to the difference of their strength, I
thought that they couldn’t possibly win through being unkillable.
That’s why I designed the plan for them to hold back the enemies.
But as it turns out, the Yomigaeri completely recover from even
severe injuries while the Holy Knights begin to fall to the ground one
by one.

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 The fallen Holy Knights are quickly restrained of their actions by 「
Kurenai」.
「Ehehe, Holy Knight-san. My knife here is applied with strong
hypnotic, a lot of them! Even a single scratch would guarantee our
victory!」
The eyes of the petit child-like soldier meet with those of the Holy
Knight as she explains to him. Shouldn’t you refrain from explaining
this type of things to the enemies? But it can’t be helped since she’s
still a child.
《Announcement. Individual 「Gobye」 is older than individual 「
Gobta」. 》
Are you kidding me!
I see, the biology of monster is truly difficult to understand. Gobta
didn’t have much change in his appearance despite his evolution.
Perhaps he will turn out to have some drastic changes in the future.
Regardless, let’s put that aside first.
Right now the hilarious sight of a little girl lecturing a Holy Knight is
unfolding before my eyes. It would seem the Yomigaeri are in fact,
not struggling in battle, but mastering it.
Unless the knights were cautious enough to have prepared antidotes
or possess 「Poison Resistance」, they will always be defeated by
such assault. Even though it may only be used once, it’s still a very
effective method.
However, we can’t just stop here.
The other knights arriving wouldn’t dare to be careless and charge in
with their full force. Such trickery will no longer be easily pulled
when confronted with such an overwhelming difference in strength.
It has already become useless after being witnessed by others.
Our soldiers only managed to land a scratch when they struck while
their opponents were tricked into believing that they’ve struck a fatal
blow. However, I would give them the highest commemoration for

330
having retired half of the enemies with just a scratch. They truly did a
great job.
Next according to the plan, we are supposed to engage in a
protracted battle—— Yet my idea is completely turned around again.
Shion suddenly points with her chin.
In front of her are Gobjay and Gobya; The two look confused and
turn their eyes to Shion.
「Are we supposed to join as well?」
「Eh! Are you not going? We few alone would not be enough to
beat all those strong looking guys…….」
「No, that’s why, we don’t have to win the fight, all we need to do
is to win some time——」
「Eh eh? But I remember the order she received was to win no
matter what?」
Gobya knew the content of the meeting.
Even though she was only guarding the gate, the voices of our
meeting must have crossed through. Gobjay seems to be hearing
about this for the first time as he looks at Gobya with his eyes wide
open in shock——Are the two at cross purposes?
「Eh, aren’t we told to be on hold after the meeting…….?」
Perhaps fearing that Gobjay would go on and on about the
meeting, Gobya asks Shion.
That’s true. I thought it was strange too, but thankfully I didn’t seem
to be wrong.
Yet Shion suddenly raised her volume to scold:
「Are you two idiots? Can’t you see that victory is close at hand? You
can only exceed your limits by challenging and triumphing against
the strong. You should be grateful for this opportunity I’ve granted
you.」

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 That’s a weird expression from Shion…….
The victory is close at hand despite the fact that the enemies are
stronger than us. That sounds quite contradictory.
Yet Gobya is moved by her words. Her eyes switch to a different light
with a maniacal smile across her face.
「You are most correct, this is indeed the case. Such great
opportunity shall be taken by us 『Kurenai』!」
And so she quickly accepts Shion’s proposal.
Gobjay on the other hand…….
「A-about that……. Aren’t we defying orders that way?」
He asks Shion while shivering.
「Why are you still here? Or perhaps, do you wish to choose your
prefered path between doing as I said and becoming my new test
subject (to eat my food)? 」
How awful, poor Gobjay is forced to comply under Shion’s
intimidation.
But it is not up to him at this point, and so Gobjay rushes panicky
into battle.
…….No, you did nothing wrong.
But, how strange. For some reason, it almost seems as though the
fault is on Gobjay.
Gobya is very aggressive in battle and easily instigated as expected
from being Benimaru’s subordinate. While Gobjay may look dumb,
he always does his job very seriously.
He should just keep the things he wishes to ask to himself. Spilling
them out will always land him in hot water. But he hasn’t discovered
that he has brought this upon himself. I suppose that’s a form of joy
in itself, so I don’t intend to interrupt.
「....... Is this okay, Benimaru?」

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 「It’s not really okay, but I’ll consider it training in dealing with
unexpected things. Especially since Shion has a keen instinct. She
would only gave such an order when she knows there is a chance to
win.」
I couldn’t help but ask while Benimaru answers me with a shrug.
Indeed.
It is out of fear of losing that I ordered them to buy time as much
as possible. But there wouldn’t be any need to hold back if they can
paralyze the enemies without getting hurt at all.
Since I’m now on the same page with them, I focus myself on the
battlefield.
Next comes an authentic exchange of offense and defense.
The Yomigaeri members pair up to confront the remaining fifty Holy
Knights directly with a member of Kurenai supporting each pair. If
they are to fight with all they have, the Kurenai would be defeated
by the Holy Knights. But, the difference in their strength is not so
desperately different.
While the Holy Knights may have achieved Rank A, they are only at
baseline for the Rank. In contrast, the strengths of Kurenai are
approaching Rank A. They can probably make it with some
assistance.
Moreover, the members of Kurenai are taking turns. The members
who are taking care of the injured are be exchanging shifts with the
tired members. And since we have healing potions, this cycle of
switching would continue infinitely.
「By the way, their combat abilities are really impressive. I didn’t
expect such individuals to exist in this country.」
These words came from Alvis.
She is commenting not on the Kurenai, but the Yomigaeri.
They all possess powerful undead bodies on top of having good
combat endurance.

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 「Indeed, they are hard to deal with. It seems decapitation alone
won’t be able to stop them, that would make them hard to take on
even for me.」
Sophia shares the same sentiment.
They both seem to think the Yomigaeri are difficult to deal with.
Even I was surprised.
The Holy Knights are not taking turns in fight. Our victory is not a
dream if things continue like this.
「It’s just that it isn’t according to the original plan…….」
I tacitly agree.
And looking at Shion——
She is observing the battlefield with a satisfied look while licking
her lips with her tongue.
The watery tip of her pink tongue exposed momentarily gives off a
seductive luster.
Shion turns around to look at our location. She seems to have
spotted us as she gives off a smiley face. She was just looking at
Gobjay with a devilish expression, which is far fetched for anyone to
imagine she could put up a smile on her face right now.
「Rimuru-sama, everything is going according to plan!」
「No way! We never planned these stunts in our meeting!」
「Thanks for your praise!」
「I wasn’t praising you…….」
「Then, it’s about time for me to go!」
Shion finishes her sentence before thrusting her feet against the
ground to launch herself out like a bullet.
「Eh, where are you going…….?」
She ran off without answering my question……..

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 ◇◇◇

She is sprinting at full speed.

Hinata is sprinting at full speed across the narrow lanes of the forest,
with her perception enhanced by the spiritual force hosting within
her.
At an empty space with few vegetation, she spots five Greater
Majins. They seem to know that Hinata is approaching, yet they are
fixing their eyes afar. Hinata also turns herself to the direction of
their eyes. The things Hinata sees are the sights of her proud knights
being beaten to a pulp.
She really wants to smack her mouth out loud, but Hinata endures.
She is not angry at the fact that they are being defeated, but that her
opponents have chosen to completely antagonize her men.
Since the battle has already started, there is no more chance for
negotiation. It would be irrelevant to Rimuru now even if Hinata tells
him that they have reason for doing so.
Rimuru isn’t averting his eyes from the battlefield. And Hinata
naturally remains stationary at her location as well. She is analyzing
the strength of her opponents while planning ahead.
There are in total four powerful Greater Majins. In addition, a
woman in suit that is giving off a abnormal aura.
The two women at the front seem to be Beastmen. The relationship
between Demon Lord Rimuru and ex-Demon Lord Karion was
mentioned in the report before. Deducing from this, the two should
be from the famous Order of Beast King’s Warrior, the Three
Beastketeer. They give off a style of the strong and power that
average Majins could only dream to reach.
However, the two persons standing next to them are not by any
chance inferior than the Beastketeers. Moreover——
One of them is a handsome red-haired man with a pair of dark horns.

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The other majin stood in contrast to him is a blue-haired youth with
a single while horn grown on his forehead.
「The Three Beastketeers! And Orges——No, are those Kijins?」
Arno caught up to Hinata and lower his volume to ask her.
Hinata continues to quietly observing the Majins without giving a
response.
「——No. They are Youki (Fair Oni).」
「Are you saying they are Youki?」
「I’ve heard of them. Those are monsters possessing mighty
strength to rival that of the god of earth. Some heretics seem to even
worship Youki as god…….」
「In fact, they seem to be an evolved version of Kijin. It’s rumored
that only few were able to reach that realm. But, they are right here
before our eyes. We should assess their threat as Special Rank A.」
This is the domain of Demon Lord.
Hinata and her men are unwelcome guests Arno is and the rest are
well aware of that as well, and they are all experiencing nerve-
wrecking stress.
Back to Hinata.
Threat level of Special Rank A——We may in fact be underestimating
their strength by that ranking.
Especially that red-haired Majin, he seems to possess strength to
surpass 「Demon Lord Breed」. It’s best to send out three captains
including Arno in order to stand against him. Yet right now there are
four Majins in total with only four captains on her side. It couldn’t
have been a coincidence, and so she interprets this as Rimuru has
intentionally paired up the fighters.
And last but not the least——Demon Lord Rimuru.
The overwhelming presence of him is nothing like the feeling he gave
to her in the past.

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 「I shall be your opponent. Come and duel me.」
Hinata recalls the line.
Yes, that is the case. You hope to duel me alone and not be
intervened, was it what you mean?
Then she will take this as the worst possible scenario and hope that
her own life can be sacrificed for Demon Lord Rimuru to spare her
subordinates.
No, that’s not right.
She is going to triumph, and then ask Rimuru to accept her
apology.
Hinata makes up her mind.
At this moment, the female Majin in a suit begins to move out.
While giving off an powerful oppressive aura, she targets Reynald far
away by launching herself out with a jump. As she launches out,
Rimuru’s eyes slowly fall on Hinata.
It it at this moment, Rimuru and Hinata’s eyes meet——

◇◇◇

Seriously.
I really want to say this, since everything within my prediction.
There is no issue at all.
So I turn my head to the back.
Hinata is standing right there.
She has a calm look with her breathing smooth as well. Both of us
are observing the battlefield.
Our eyes soon meet.
We stood there staring at each other with silence for a while.
Then I speak up first:

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 「You really had the audacity to do such thing, Hinata. There’s not
much more to be said since this is my territory. If you are to send
your troops in so casually, I will have to consider that you bear
harmful intents to us. I’m not that generous as to allow you to strike
first.」
It doesn’t really matter who struck first. Once they open the 「Holy
Purification Barrier」, we will definitely have been defeated, that’s
why Shion had to take the first chance to strike. It is putting the cart
before the horse for me to accuse her of this, but I have to warn her
beforehand.
「Yes, of course that’s the case. I was wondering as well why
Reynald defied my order.」
Hinata answers without hesitation or shame.
How obvious.
「How dare you say such thing. Didn’t you plan to frame us for
killing Rayhim? Now the new king in Farmus is all fired up over the
whole ordeal.」
「Killing Rayhim……..?」
「Yes. The Archbishop Rayhim that you summoned. Just to be
clear, I only told Rayhim to carry a message for me and nothing
more.」
A confused expression flashed through Hinata’s face, but soon,
almost as if she could put on a mask instantly, her face turns to
emotionless. Her cruel eyes slanted my way, seemingly trying to test
my strength.
It is indeed beautiful, yet moreover, it makes her look even more
ruthless.
「Is that so? I see now.」
Hinata mumbles to herself.
「Did you receive my message?」

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 「Yes. I did receive it.」
「Is this your answer then?」
「Yes, I suppose…….. But I was thinking there could be another
way around, but would you really believe if I say so?」
What other way around?
「It’s possible for me to believe, but it comes with one condition,
that is to halt your regiment and send them back to your nation.」
I finish my sentence while pointing the enemies that Shion is
engaging.
Hinata follows to the direction of my hand, but her head shake
slightly.
「It’s too late. Before I could stop them, their fight would have
already come to a conclusion.」
That’s indeed true.
Is he called Reynald? It seems that the strongest knight is fighting
against Shion at the moment.
There is another one there. Although he is not as strong as Reynald,
he is still a force to be reckoned with.
Both of them are probably part of the 「Ten Great Saints」. Shion is
displaying her fighting prowess having them both as her opponent.
I can’t stand it, but since the situation has developed to this point, I
can only leave them to find out who’s stronger. It makes me
somewhat upset to admit that Hinata is right, but now the demand I
gave seems pretty hard to achieve.
Then, a young knight suddenly interrupts:
「How dare you say such a thing! How can we return of troops back
at this point of time, do you have any idea what would happen to
Hinata-sama? You are the one who called Hinata here, who can
guarantee that you will not harm her!」
He shouts angrily after hearing my words.

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 The way you put it sounds to me like that you didn’t intend to
negotiate peace with us in the first place……
「Shut your mouth. The only ones allowed to speak here are
Rimuru-sama and Hinata Sakaguchi. We never called for you to
come. Be a bit self-aware and behave yourself over there.」
「What did you say?」
Benimaru came forth to stop the young knight, yet he doesn’t
seem to be complying.
The next second, two flashes of slashes suddenly cross in front of
Benimaru.
Benimaru easily blocked the hit as this knight called Arno struck
out.
「You attack didn’t bear any killing intent. That was the right call.
Had you intended to kill me just now, you would have already been
dead.」
「That’s because I don’t wish to interfere Hinata-sama’s
negotiation. I didn’t expect such reaction from your considering that
was supposed to intimidate you only. But then again, it really doesn’t
feel good to be misunderstood continuously.」
「You are the one who is misunderstanding.」
「Hehe, how about we sort things out on the side.」
「Very well.」
His smile seems rather delighted despite the veins bursting on his
forehead.
This Arno guy can probably be easily provoked.
As such, Benimaru and Arno soon go on away.
This Arno is the strongest among the four apart from Hinata. That’s
why Benimaru acted out. He would probably be going as planned to
only hold Arno back by sparing his life.

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Hinata only observe the scene in shock without intervening. She can
tell that Arno is weaker than Benimaru, yet she didn’t stop him.
「Alright then, aren’t you guys available as well? In order to not
get in the way of Rimuru-sama, we can have a little fun with you all.
」
「Yeah. I want to find out how strong the 『Ten Great Saints』 are
as well.」
Alvis and Sophia move out.
Perhaps this is what they intended to do in the first place.
If I recall correctly, Sophia seems to be the warmonger among
warmongers.
「Then, I shall take you on.」
「It can’t be helped, we will play a few rounds with you then.」
They respond, and soon the two pairs of people depart.
There are only the eye-catching Holy Knight and Souei at the scene.
「Shall we go as well?」
「Yes, you have a point.」
The two both seem to be aware of the situation and quickly leave
the scene.
Everything has been departing from our original plan.
Indeed, it won’t matter if you guys stay back. But apart from
Benimaru’s pair, the rest of the three almost seem to have gone on
dates.
Why do you have to fight it out…. I really can’t stand them.
But speaking of which, my opponent is female as well.
And the most beautiful one.
But I don’t feel any joy at all……
——Jokes aside, there indeed won’t be any interference now.
At this end of the day, these are probably all destined to happen.

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And so, I confront Hinata once more.

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343
Chapter 5
Fierce battle between Saints and Monsters
And so, the battle begins in a flash.
The Holy Knight Order commenced into action behind Hinata, their
commander being the adjutant of Hinata, Reynald.
Reynald did not start as a Holy Knight. Instead, he was a genius in
the art of arcane magic——A Holy Magister.
The Holy Magister is a special job assigned only to individuals who
have mastered 「Spirit Magic」, 「Elemental Magic」 and 「Holy
Magic」.To master the laws of this world, that is what qualifies a
Holy Magister.
Yet Reynald became a swordsman who fought in battlefields
wielding the holy sword. He has concealed his identity as a Holy
Magister while at the same time, his reputation as a member of the
Holy Knight Order grew day by day. Later, after some time, he had
already become the vice-commander of the Holy Knight Order.
All these accomplishments were the result of his skills. He has
mastered a magnificent set of sword skills. If you were to describe
Arno’s skill as the sword of steel, then Reynald would be
representing the swiftness of swordsmanship. The two are on par
with each other in terms of strength with Arno slightly excelling with
the sword. It is Arno’s hard-earned skill from his countless struggles
on the battlefield.
When confronting strong and enduring monsters, a
swordsmanship of tenacity and strength is more important than one
that is fancy. That’s why Arno is worthy of the title of the strongest
Holy Knight.
However, a swordceror who possesses both the skills of a mage
and a swordsman——that is the way Reynald fights. His
swordsmanship may be inferior to Arno, yet he will not lose to

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anyone when fighting in the style of a proper swordceror. No, not
only not falling behind to anyone, Reynald would even claim that his
power is far greater than anyone else’s.
However, to the Holy Knights, the power of 「Elemental Magic」 is
not within the assessment of their strength. Some Holy Knights can
instill elemental magic with the elven spirit of the same element that
reside inside them so they may cast powerful magic without time
consumed in chanting the spells.
「Elemental Magic」 requires chanting, so its casting speed is
longer than 「Spirit Magic」. Although its power may be greater
than 「Spirit Magic」, 「Speed」 is the essence of melee combat.
It is something even Reynald would not be able to overcome, and
so he needed to master his sword techniques.
A knight’s true strength stems from his mastery of sword art. By
instilling the sword travelling and incredible speed with holy-
element, you can generate the power to slash through any object in
this world. That is what Reynald believes.
A very vivid memory was left with him when Reynald was still an
apprentice.
The small nation he studied abroad at was trampled by Demon
Lord Valentine. Someone rushed to that nation——Hinata who just
became a Holy Knight at the time.
She was strong, truly strong.
When surrounded by a horde of monsters, it only took a swing of
her thin sword to wipe them all out. Even monsters that were several
times larger than an average human were decimated in one shot by
her sword.
Hinata’s visit saved the locals who had fallen to despair.
From that day onward, Reynald was attracted by the charm of
swordsmanship.

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 While researching Spirit Magic on one hand, he could not forget
the sights of Hinata’s sword, and so he practiced repeatedly using a
wooden sword while imitating her. He soon mastered the art of
arcane magic and returned to his academy in Ingracia Kingdom.
There he studied Elemental Magic and waited patiently for the
chance of moving to the Holy Empire Ruberios.
It was not easy for foreigners to immigrate to Holy Empire
Ruberios, but if it was a believer of Ruminas with outstanding
achievement, he may be granted permission. However, it would
come at the price of severing ties with his family. Reynald chose to
migrate without any hesitation. His mastery of both Elemental and
Spirit Magic got him the permission to immigrate.
Later he studied Holy Magic in Ruberios and was able to earn a
place as an apprentice Knight in the Order.
There Reynald formed a pact with the spirit of「Light」.
He was the Holy Knight of light, just as reflected from his pure and
noble soul. It didn’t take Reynald too long after becoming a Holy
Knight to become an adjutant of the person he looks up to——
Hinata.
This is the result of his active initiatives in partaking challenging tasks
and achieving impressive feats from them.
Many contenders of his have considered Hinata as a target (an role
model to reach). These for instance included his colleagues Arno and
Fritz, or more famously, the cruel and wise Nicolas Spertus who was
on par with Hinata.
And that is leaving out the countless unbeknownst followers of hers.
Reynald was very proud to have become the adjutant of Hinata, until
however…….
「Reynald, there is something that you must know.」
After the occurence of the heinous crime that was the murder of
Archbishop Rayhim, the great 「Seven Celestial Sages」 summoned
Reynald. There, he learnt about the horrifying truth.

346
 「The thing is, Hinata has been colluding with Demon Lord
Valentine——」
「When we eliminated Valentine, he begged us for his life and
revealed this information.」
Reynald’s head went blank upon hearing this news.
His idol Hinata has been colluding with Demon Lord Valentine. In
other words, she had been orchestrating a lie to deceive Reynald this
whole time.
If that is true, it would be a betrayal to someone as upright as
Reynald, it cannot be forgiven.
He believes there is no way these great heroes (Seven Celestials)
would ever lie. But even if that’s the case, he doesn’t think that
Hinata has been deceiving the knights either.
But, if I recall……. There hasn’t been any changes to Demon Lord
Valentine’s activities for sometime. Hinata-sama should have
successfully eliminated Demon Lord Valentine, yet she hasn’t shown
any sign to take any actions——
Given the strength of Hinata, she must be able to take on Demon
Lord Valentine on her own——That must be the case, Reynald
deeply believed so. He got the same impression from the combat
report of the 「Three Martial Sages」 that Hinata would most
definitely win if she moves out to take on Demon Lord Valentine.
Did she have something else on her mind…….
Reynald felt confused.
Yet it was then that Reynald’s doubt was reinforced when the 「
Seven Celestials」continued:
「Of course, she must have lied to prevent Valentine from dying.
But, that’s not where things end.」
「Although quite astonishing, she appears to be attempting to
collude with Demon Lord Rimuru this time.」

347
 「Shouldn’t it normally be impossible for Archbishop Rayhim to be
murdered on this holy land?」
As they bombarded Reynald with information, he was completely
baffled.
「B-but Hinata-sama is a follower of Ruminas, more faithful than
anyone else. How could she betray her god and us…….」
As he responds, the 「Seven Celestials」 continued to add on their
arguments.
「That’s the point, Reynald. We are confused at the situation as
well.」
「But, the reality may be the contrary. Since Hinata may have
cleverly tricked both us and our God Ruminas.」
「There is however, one way to find out about it…….」
The words of 「Seven Celestials」 were tempting, and so Reynald
completely fell for it.
「A-and the way you mean is?」
The 「Seven Celestials」 paused for a moment.
Then they open up solemnly:
「You won’t have a chance to regret after hearing it.」
「This is information that cannot be disclosed to the public——」
「Until Hinata is proved to be innocent.」
Even being told so, Reynald made his choice without hesitation.
He has completely been deceived by the wordplay of 「Seven
Celestials」.
Reynald was lured to give the answer that the 「Seven Celestials」
wished to hear.
「That is not a problem at all. I will prove the innocence of Hinata-
sama!」

348
 「Hmm, that’s the way to go…….」
「Are you willing to lend a hand, Reynald?」
「But, this task will be dangerous.」
Reynald had made up his mind and waited patiently for the
instructions of the 「Seven Celestials」.
The 「Seven Celestials」 looked down on Reynald satisfyingly and
proclaimed:
「Eliminate that Demon Lord Rimuru!」
「That way, you will get your answer.」
「If Hinata was truly colluding with the Demon Lord, she will
definitely try to obstruct you with all her might.」
Upon hearing this, Reynald couldn’t help but feel rattled.
「B-but There’s also that evil dragon Veldora…….」
The 「Seven Celestials」 had expected Reynald to have this
reaction.
「Afraid not.」
「Please calm down and consider this.」
「Has the evil dragon truly been revived? Don’t you think all of
those testimonies have been lies?」
Reynald suddenly realized after it was pointed out to him.
The only people who verified the issue of the revival of evil dragon
are the Pope and Hinata herself.
「Then, do you propose that Veldora has not been revived?」
「Very likely.」
「Rayhim also didn’t seem to have seen Veldora.」
「Perhaps his excellency the Pope was just abetted by Hinata.」
After hearing such assertions, Reynald begins to doubt his beliefs,
as proposed by the「Seven Celestials」.

349
 「I heard that Hinata has met with Demon Lord Rimuru before.」
「We believe that she was indoctrinated then.」
「If she is really being controlled by Demon Lord Rimuru…...」
After hearing this, Reynald’s stance also begins to tilt.
I am the only one who can save Hinata——Naturally Reynald began
to think that way.
「You are right, that must be the case! There is no way that
Hinata-sama will betray us. If we think in the direction of someone
manipulating Hinata-sama, would it able to clear your suspicions of
Hinata-sama?」
The 「Seven Celestials」 noded heavily after hearing Reynald’s
words.
「Indeed. If we can find out the person behind this, her suspicions
would be cleared——」
「But, it will be a dangerous mission!」
The 「Seven Celestials」 said so seemingly to test Reynald’s
resolve, and Reynald responded without any hesitation:
「Then please leave this mission for me to handle!」
Reynald volunteered himself.
With the sole determination to rescue Hinata.
If everyone is truly being deceived by Hinata……. Reynald would kill
Hinata with his own hands. And so he made his resolve.
「Very well, it will be handed to you.」
「We indeed feel your determination.」
「We will be relying on you, Reynald.」
And so, Reynald defied Hinata’s order to commence in battle.

◇◇◇

350
 Reynald isn’t doubting any more as soon as he entered the Great
Jura Forest.
He can tell that Veldora’s revival is a lie given how low the
concentration of magicule is there. Considering this, the possibility of
Hinata having betrayed Ruminism is very high, to which Reynald is
having a hard time to accept. He journeys on to his destination as he
ponders on the issue.
Soon the troops would spread out since they are considering to set
up a wide-range of 「Holy Purification Barrier」, yet his
subordinates were ambushed by the enemies hiding around the
area.
「Could it be that Hinata-sama has sold us out……..」
Reynald’s companion, Gerald of 「Fire」 opens up to say this.
Could it be that somehow she has obtained the information of the
movement of Reynald’s party and informed Demon Lord Rimuru of
it?
——If Hinata was colluding with the Demon Lord, she will definitely
try to obstruct you with all she has——
The words of 「Seven Celestial」 began to ring in Reynald’s head.
But there is no time for him to consider it now. He immediately
orders his men to engaged in battle. The situation quickly turns into
a chaotic battle.
The enemies are surprisingly strong. Moreover, things did not end
there.
Things are not going well in this way, Reynald was thinking so——
when a nightmarish devil descends from the sky.
A giant crater is carved onto the ground with smoke engulfing its
surroundings.
「This one’s not that simple.」

351
 Gerald nervously tightens the grip on his spear.
Reynald nods in agreement and gives off the instructions calmly.
There are four other knights at the scene apart from Reynald and
Gerald, while the rest are all busy fighting the engaging monsters.
The squad reacted quickly.
Light begins to surround them to form an armor to protect their
body.
「Spirit Armament」——It is the ultimate defensive gear that
gives a Holy Knight the enhancement to overcome their limits.
Not only will it reduce the weight you feel, it would make you feel
as if your body is as thin as a feather. With modifications, this holy
armor allows the residing spirits of knights are better reflected. With
the armor equipped, the Holy Knights would gain more control over
the power of their spirit.
Moreover, the weapons they wield are infused with the power to
break evil force that would paralyze all forms of resistance to deliver
proper damage to the opponent.
Its weakness lies in the fact that its large consumption of mana
makes it hard to sustain for long. But now, thanks to this armor,
these Holy Knights have become the fiercest opponents for these
monsters. The four spreads out with the targeted individual being in
the center.
They are applying a simplified version of the Holy Purification
Barrier as ordered.
Their opponent has an incredibly powerful presence. This Majin in
front of Reynald possesses unprecedented amount of magicule. It is
even higher than a Rank A monster.
It isn’t Demon Lord Rimuru, but it must be his top lieutenant.
This would be the skirmish battle before taking on Demon Lord
Rimuru.
They must quickly defeat this Majin in order to eliminate the primary

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target——Reynald has made up his mind to not hold back at all and
to fight with everything he has from the very start.
「Take aim of the target and activate the Holy Purification Barrier!
」
They will lose their lives if they demonstrate even the slightest bit
of carelessness.
He doesn’t think that it is necessary to test out their opponent’s
strength and directly issued the order.
The Holy Knights spread around quickly to establish the Holy
Barrier.
It was casted perfectly.
There is no way that this enemy would be able to break through the
barrier from within. However, this is still not enough. After all, a
simplified version of the barrier also only has a simplified endurance.
It has less range and weaker effects on weakening the monster. It
may be able to block the enemy’s movement, yet whether it can
block every attack from within is still a mystery. They are afraid that
the enemy would cast a powerful magic using its remaining magicule
from inside the pyramid-shaped barrier extending around five
meters long that they’ve activated. If that is the case, the barrier is
likely going to be shattered.
Moreover, such an attack may also affect the surrounding. Since
normally a barrier would cover a much larger area, this is a situation
that should be accounted for with caution. However, it is definitely
capable of severing the passage of magicules. It is one of the trump
cards of the Holy Knights that an average Greater Majin would have
no chance of breaking.
Reynald couldn’t dare to get careless as he orders everyone to
activate another defensive barrier. If the purification barrier is
unable to kill their foe, they will have come up with a viable
defensive plan during their available time.
They still can attack the interior from outside the barrier, but first

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they will need to confirm their safety before doing so. If it is a rare
monster that possesses an attribute of damage-reflection, attacking
without caution would only cause larger casualties among
themselves. It is a misstep he cannot afford to take.
As Reynald’s party prepares at hand, the dust caused by the
explosion also begin to settle.
A monster appears at the center.
It is a purple-haired tall female with slim and fit body.
Her long tied hair runs behind her back.
She has a beautiful face with a mighty stern. But she has an
additional black horn on her forehead.
The strange and exotic clothing (suit) compels one to take a few
more glances before coming to any conclusion.
The woman speaks up as her purple eyes gaze at Reynald.
「My name is Shion. I am Rimuru-sama’s No.1 secretary. Now
listen up you humans, Rimuru-sama has spoken. You either 『
Surrender』 or 『Die』, pick an option. You gentlemen should be
smart enough to understand what that means. So do quickly, disarm
yourself and surrender to us!」
How arrogant this monster called Shion is as she proclaimed.
It is unknown why she emphasized very proudly on the word 「
No.1」 as she gave her speech casually.
Reynald begins to observe his opponent in order to find out how
strong this monster called Shion really is. She is clearly different from
an average monster.
Her large pool of magicule leads Reynald to categorize her at the
higher end of Rank A, but it does not end there.
「Impressive. She is at Special Rank A, possibly even a candidate
for Demon Lord.」
Judging from the horn on her forehead, the enemy is a advanced
species of the Kijin race.

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 Kijin, or even stronger——Reynald concludes that Shion’s is a 「
Youki」 (Fair Oni) that can rival even the 「Demon Lord Breed」.
A named 「Youki」——That is definitely beyond Calamity rank. If
she becomes a Demon Lord, her threat level would increase to
Disaster rank.
There has been extraordinarily powerful individual that possessed
the psychic power to alter heaven and earth. Rather than monster,
those are more akin to the God of Earth.
It seems that Reynald has made the right choice to have remained
on the highest alert with the rest.
「Huh! Unfortunately you’ve guessed it wrong. Well, close enough.
I am an Oni. But I’m probably not as gentle as you imagine!」
Shion rebukes Reynald calmly.
No one at the scene probably thought that Shion is a gentle lady.
Regardless of where she got the idea, it was the warning that Shion
gave them.
「Oni? They are about the same anyway. Whatever you are is
irrelevant to us. Even if you are the same as the God of Earth, you
are nothing more but an evil monster to us. We only believe in the
one and only true God, Ruminas.」
The Holy Empire Ruberios only recognized the true God Ruminas. It
is the absolute only truth.
They wouldn’t acknowledge her even if she is indeed the God of
Earth guarding some part of the land.
They may let it slide if their opponent doesn’t start proclaiming itself
as a God, and if not, it must be eliminated.
Moreover, their opponent right now is a monster.
No matter how powerful she is, they will not spare any mercy for the
minions of a Demon Lord. That is why Reynald was able to proclaim
his faith.

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 Yet Shion responded with the unspeakable to Reynald’s words.
「I’m not interested in your God. Give an answer to my question,
quick!」
Surrender or die, which path do you choose? That’s what Shion
intended to ask.
Her words has infuriated Reynald.
「Silence, evil monster. Begone from this world, you filthy
creature!」
Reynald now furiously shouts with his lungs full, then he orders the
Holy Knights to cast the Holy Magic 「Holy Cannon」 at the same
time.
The 「Holy Cannon」 is one of the few offensive spells in the art of
Holy Magic. It breaks down the body of a monster through
disintegrating its magicule. If it is casted at humans, it at most would
knock them down unconscious due to the shockwave, yet in the case
of monsters, they would be completely decimated.
It is a useless skill against opponent with the holy-element, but a
deadly deterrence against monsters. Unlike the four natural
elements of 「Earth」, 「Water」, 「Fire」 and 「Wind」, both 「
Holy」 and 「Dark」 elements cannot be 「Nullified」. Except the
angel race and the monsters who possess the holy-element, any
other monster would not stand a chance against the Holy Cannon.
As they received Reynald’s order, the Holy Knights launched the
attack simultaneously. The missiles from the Holy Cannon thrusts
from all four sides towards Shion.
However——
Confronted with such attacks, Shion stood still without a care. She
then deflected all of the energy missiles with the odachi in her hand.
「Is this your answer? If you don’t obey nicely, then you should
beware of my blood fest!」

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 Immediately after, as if scolding how disobedient Reynald is, Shion
presses her question to him again. Even Reynald is astounded at this.
However, he is not going to succumb to such a threat.
Even if his enemy is monster at the level of a God of Earth, she was
already trapped by the Holy Purification Barrier.
Reynald’s party waited for the enemy to weaken by maintaining the
barrier in order to deliver her with a fatal blow.
He ponders while praising the skillful swordsmanship Shion
demonstrated. Reasonably speaking, his opponent would have been
weakened to some extent, yet the speed of her swing can rival even
that of Reynald’s. This surprises him a lot. Moreover, that odachi was
capable of deflecting energy of the holy-element, which is beyond
abnormal. Since the Holy Cannon has the character of disintegrating
magicules, normal magic swords would be destroyed after deflecting
a few rounds.
Yet there is no sign of that odachi being damaged.
Suddenly, one of the Holy Knight began to moan in pain.
It is the Holy Knight on one side of the pyramid-shaped barrier who
has been hit by the Holy Cannon deflected by Shion.
How is this possible! Why is such thing possible!
Reynald is astounded.
If blocking the holy-element alone is not enough, she even
absorbed the energy with her odachi and quickly deflected the
missile to turn it into a way to attack……..
It is completely impossible by common sense.
Yet such psychic power was displayed by Shion so easily in the blink
of an eye. Reynald quickly orders everyone to stop attacking.
The injured knight did not lose consciousness, he’s at most surprised
at the sudden attack. Now it’s the time to calm down and find out a
different way of attacking. Yet still, this has really been astounding.
The fact that she was able to attack from the inside of the Holy

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Purification Barrier to the outside is beyond surprising. Even the Holy
Knights are astounded at the sight.
Reynald suppresses his emotion of shock to reconsider his strategy.
Right now Shion is furious due to her act being less effective as she
intended.
She didn’t cause much damage despite hitting the opponent. She
discovered that the skill they used was effective against monsters,
but ineffective against humans. She has paid the price for looking
down on her opponents to have been locked in the barrier, a critical
miscalculation.
However, she knew from the start that things will end up this way.
She has considered beforehand that the situation she is currently in
is what she had hoped for. This barrier——It’s an extension of the
Holy Purification Barrier Rimuru warned her of. It is similar in nature
to reduce the magicule concentration from within the barrier. At this
rate, it wouldn’t take long before Shion’s skill will be affected.
Just now she secretly tried to find out that 「Dimensional
Transportation」 has also been blocked. With that being said, this is
also within her range of expectations.
「Oi…… OI, you there. You better surrender to us fast while I still
have the patience to advise you to do that.」
Shion suppresses her anger desperately and shouts at her
opponents with a forced smile.
Although she gives off an arrogant tone that completely disregards
the Holy Knight, she couldn’t get more serious personally. (it’s Shion
after all)
But it is obvious that Reynald and the Holy Knights wouldn’t listen
to her.
「You fool! You are helpless now that you’ve been trapped by the
barrier, stop acting all smug over there!」
This time, it’s Gerald who shouted out furiously.

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 It only angers Shion more.
Now that her fury is reaching her limit, she is at the brink of an
outburst. Shion already has very low tolerance for things, and now
she is at her limit of enduring.
There will be a huge outburst sooner or later.
「Listen now, I am really under the order of Rimuru-sama that I
should try not to kill you all if possible. Surrender now and I won’t
beat all your teeth out, moreover, I shall treat you to my handmade
cooking!
How about that, isn’t it a great proposal? This is my last warning to
you, what would you choose?」
Even under such circumstance, Shion endures and continues to
negotiate.
Although she comes out as too arrogant that no one is willing to
accept these terms.
Moreover, with every second passing, the monster captured inside
the Holy Purification Barrier will grow weaker.
The reason behind it is simple, the barrier would purify all magicule
inside it.
With the magicule concentration reduced, it would mean that any
magic casted using mana or monster power, as well as law-
manipulating skills such as psychic power and magic manipulation
would all become unavailable. That is with the exception of special
(unique/ultimate) skills.
The Holy Knights believed that they will emerge victorious and so
there is no need to listen to Shion. Yet they have to recognize one
point, that the Holy Purification Barrier is no defensive barrier. Even
though it may completely block passage of magicule, pure physical
objects or energy can still pass through. For instance, if an explosion
takes place inside the 「Barrier」, the wind pressure and shreds of
explosion would be carried on the outside.

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Reynald and the rest are all well aware of this, and so their nerves
are still tightened. Their maximum alert is of course warranted too.
But being on high alert is still not enough to wipe away the unease in
his heart, yet still Reynald decides to answer Shion.
「Us, the Holy Knights, do not negotiate with monsters. Whatever
more you say would be futile.」
He says so.
Shion couldn’t bear it any longer after hearing this.
「Very well, you talk the talk alright! I’m afraid I will have to terrify
you to submission!」
As Shion shouts, she smashes her odachi on the ground.
The shockwave explodes the ground to send countless fragments
of small stones flying in the air. Shion grabs onto one of them and
throws it head-on towards the knight facing her.
「——Uh!」
In an instant.
A loud sound is produced as a mini explosion occurs in front of the
Holy Knight that Shion faces. The piece of stone thrown at him
collided with the shield over the knight’s hand and got shredded to
pieces.
What incredible POWER! ゴゴゴゴゴゴ
She possesses such power even after being weakened. She must be
capable of causing much more damage had the Holy Purification
Barrier.
「Don’t get careless! Infuse more power into your spirit armor!」
「Understood, everyone, it’s time to get serious! Consider your
opponent a Demon Lord!」
Reynald and Gerald encourage their squadmates.
The knight who had his shield smashed, quickly reconstructs the
shield of light.

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 Shion stumps her feet out of regret seeing how Reynald’s party
reacted. She probably thought that her attack just now would be
able to take down at least one opponent. Yet she’s furious now that
she’s suffered a waterloo. Her actions really draw a contrast to how
much of a sensible beauty she appears.
With that being said, Shion seems to have realize this is going
nowhere. She again suppresses her anger trying her best to remain
calm and opens up to Reynald again.
「I have a proposal.」
「We don’t negotiate with monsters. I’ve already told you so.」
「You should try to listen first. Just as I mentioned, my order was
to not kill you. But with that being said, I also need to demonstrate
to you just how much of a difference there is between our strengths.
」
「.......」
「Just now I had to control my power when throwing those stones,
it is not easy. Had I been more serious I would probably have killed
one or two of you——」
「Y-you are bluffing!」
「Don’t listen to her! This is the monster’s trick to disrupt our
strategy!」
A couple of Holy Knight couldn’t help but respond to Shion’s words.
Shion chuckles in secret after seeing how they reacted.
「Hmm hmm. You guys seem to be willing to listen. That is great.
So my proposal is——」
「Don’t be fooled by her! The madness of this woman cannot be—
—」
Shion’s words are interrupted by Gerald.

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 At that instant, he suddenly feels a burning sensation on his right
ear. Gerald still feels the delayed shockwave slashing through the air
with bombarding sound, destroying his eardrum.
The reason why he didn’t get a concussion is probably due to his
daily training……
「W-what happened?」
As Reynald turns back to check on Gerald, he witness the sights of
the large tree behind him falling apart due to its root being cut in
half.
「——Uh!」
Reynald is speechless.
Gerald, as blood pours out of his ear, also realizes what just
happened.
It was the stone that Shion threw out.
That was just how she demonstrated her strength.
The fist-sized stone Shion threw flitted at supersonic speed next to
Gerald’s head and directly hit the large tree behind his head,
smashing it into pieces in the process.
Of course, Shion didn’t miss her shot.
She aimed and threw precisely to make sure it passes just by Gerald’s
ear.
And so she follows up with the line——
「What’s the use of ears if you are not willing to be persuaded?
Now behave yourself and listen to me well.」
The other knights immediately became more obedient.
「You monster…….」
Gerald mumbles as well, though he does not dare to make a move
without caution.
So is Reynald, realizing that he will have to listen to what Shion has
to say. Judging from the power of that throw, it will instantly kill one

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of his teammate if collided head-on. Even 「Spirit Armament」
would not be able to resist the shockwave of that impact.
Since it has been proven that Shion has such power when she’s
serious, they can only deduce that her words just now were anything
but lies. It was a projectile thrown so fast that even one of the 「Ten
Great Saints」, Gerald of 「Fire」 couldn’t react to, any ordinary
Holy Knight would not be able to evade it.
In other words, the right answer here is to listen to her words
nicely.
But as long as they can buy time, their opponent would also be
weakened during the process.
「Then we will hear what you have to say.」
This is why Reynald can only reply with this.
Hearing so, Shion nods satisfyingly.
A maniacal smile emerges on her face as she gives them the
shocker.
「Listen now, I want you all to attack me with everything you have.
I’ll take everything head-on, and it would be my victory if I endure in
the end. When that time comes, you would all surrender to me
obediently. How about that?」
Shion says so confidently, leaving Reynald eyeing her baffled. In
that moment, a small doubt raises in his heart.
——-Could this mean that she doesn’t intend to kill us?
Shion has acted and spoken in such way as to lead to this
conclusion from the very start.
But, her reason for doing so……
Unfortunately, there is no time for Reynald to figure it out the
details.
Gerald whose eardrum was just destroyed accepted Shion’s offer
out of spike.

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 「Fine, I’ll accept you proposal. You there, align your spirit powers
with mine. Reynald, I’ll leave the suppressing work to you! This
woman is dangerous, way too dangerous to be kept alive!」
Reynald is brought back to reality after being mentioned.
「W-wait! We should talk about——」
「Cut the crap! Everyone, get in formation!」
At the urges of Gerald, the teammates start to concentrate their
power.
The Holy power begins to flow and gather on top of the Holy
Purification Barrier. This is all being converted to mana that gives
Gerald a boost in magic. If Reynald allowed them to do so without
suppressing, the four squadmates’ mana pool would go out of
control.
Indeed, now it’s time of battle, not hesitation. Since this is what
she volunteered to, then don’t blame us if we do so.
Their opponent asked them to attack with everything they have,
and so Gerald would gamble on his pride as a Holy Knight to spare no
mercy.
Six to one is way too despicable——He bears no such naive
thoughts. Since his enemy is monster, their victory would be justice.
「Understood, Gerald. Leave the suppressing to me.」
「Roger that! Take this, 『Inferno Flame』——!」
Gerald wields an extreme power of flame that illustrates his fire
like passionate personality.
It is the ultimate spirit magic that can be casted when the King of
Fire Spirit lends its power to the caster. It is an immense amount of
power that Gerald alone cannot control, and this power is being
bombarded on Shion.
The heat energy produced by it even exceeds that of the Nuclear
Strike Magic 「Heat Cannon」.

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 It is a pure flow of destructive power using the spirit energy
particles that magicule is made up of.
Yet Shion——
「Hehehe, very impactful! It is not the attack I expected, but it
doesn’t matter. This will be the fastest way to stir fear among you all!
」
Shion raises her odachi with a delightful smile.
In the blink of an eye, the approaching heat wave of the 「Inferno
Flame」 is slashed in half.
It is Shion’s unique skill 「Chef」 in the work.
It may seem that she isn’t thinking a lot, but in reality she has been
combining a variety of skills.
First she applies Extra Skill 「Multiple Barriers」 for defense and
utilizes 「Heavenly Gaze」 and 「Magic Perception」 to detect her
enemies’ weakness.
She then activates 「Chef」 and 「Optimal Action」 so she can
sense the flow of heat wave naturally. By doing so, she can avoid
being directly hit by the attack.
With that being said, the heat wave still scorched Shion’s skins,
making her appear to be quite miserable. However, it poses no
problem to Shion who has Ultra Regeneration」. Her skin quickly
regenerates to its previous state.
It would appear to be reckless, but in fact, all of these are
reasonable actions.
「Alright, we’ve had our promise. Surrender to me now and undo
the barrier.」
Shion says so very justifiedly, leaving everyone speechless. The
Holy Knights can only peek at Reynald and Gerald.

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 After witnessing those supernatural sights, their minds have been
paralyzed. At that moment, the dignity of the Holy Knights were
decimated.
Yet there is only one man, Gerald, who will not accept this.
「Quit joking around, you monster. You can’t do anything within
that barrier! You can keep acting smug like you are now, but we’ll
fight the long battle with you then!」
「W-wait a second, Gerald!」
Reynald is shocked.
Even though Gerald may be bad at holding his temper, he is a
straightforward man. Yet right now he is being stubborn and refusing
to admit defeat.
It may seem to be the appropriate response from the eyes of the
Holy Knights, but to Reynald, this is not like Gerald.
With that being said, it is no time to ponder over such thing.
「Huh, are you still not admitting defeat even to this point? I will
have no choice but to kill you…….」
Shion gives off an increasingly more dangerous outlook as her
monster aura begins to flow around her body.
Reynald shivers at the sight.
H-how powerful………! We will all be killed if such monster gets
serious. Even if we have Holy Purification Barrier, it would be bad if
we piss her off——
「This is bad, stop provoking her! We can retreat for now——」
「You fool! The Holy Knight cannot be defeated! Have you
forgotten even about that!」
Reynald intended to calm Gerald down, yet he begins to shake as
Gerald shouted him back.

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 It is hard to imagine that Gerald would ever say such thing under
normal circumstance. Or rather, he almost seems to have developed
a new personality——
「You, you——」
Reynald didn’t have to raise any decisive doubts towards Gerald
before the incident happens.
「HUUUUU!」
Someone shouts.
A clear bell-ring sound is made.
It is the sound of Shion’s odachi breaking through the 「Barrier」.
The Holy Purification Barrier——The source of confidence of the
Holy Knights have now been completely shattered by Shion.
「H-how could this be…….」
「But that is the Holy Barrier!」
「Is this a dream? This must be a dream!」
「Holy Purification Barrier can sever magicule, so how could it be
destroyed by monster——!!」
The Holy Knights shout with fear in their hearts.
However, they received their answers from Shion, who seems
relaxed and justified with her actions.
「——That’s true indeed. But this is not a 『Special Barrier』 with
high density,a 『Special Barrier』 that manipulates the world’s law.
Law manipulation is however, my specialty. After all, I, am very good
at cooking!」
Reynald is completely baffled with what she said.
But he understands what Shion has done. She has brought about
this result by using her Unique Skill 「Chef」 to tamper with the
Holy Purification Barrier.
Overwriting phenomenon and laws. This skill is capable of

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overwriting objects with the ideal 「Outcome」 of the user——the
so called 「Affirmative Outcome」.
This is the true power of Shion’s skill 「Chef」. The reason why
Shion’s cooking became tasty is all due to the effect of this skill.
Sadly, such extraordinary power has been used in very pitiful things.
What would be the result of applying it in combat?
The answer is the desperate situation that Reynald’s party is facing
right now.
The skill is able to overwrite and impose one hundred percent of the
ideal outcome she wishes, and so no matter how strong a defense is,
it won’t stand a chance against her.
The only way to fight it would be to possess stronger will to
overwrite the result she wishes. In other words, unless you possess
similar ability to overwrite laws, you have no way of dealing with it.
Since Reynald is a genius, he was able to correctly analyze the
mystery of her skill.
How horrifying.
As Shion just declared, Reynald’s heart is now filled with fear. But
as captain, he cannot give up hope until the very last moment. They
are doomed if they engage in combat, so he need to surrender for
now to try out the chance to survive.
「This is bullshit…….How could this be…….. Such monster, how…...
」
Ignoring Gerald, who is mumbling and almost daydreaming,
Reynald makes the decision.
「——I surrender. I hope you may treat my subordinates with
leniency…...」
He proclaims with a shivering voice as if he has woken from a
dream.
Shion finally gives off a satisfying smile hearing Reynald’s
declaration of surrender.

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 It is then that Reynald is able to look at Shion in the eyes.
He sees her genuine smile that’s both consistent externally and
internally.
He calmly recalls while pondering on her words.
This monster called Shion really doesn’t seem to intend to kill
them. If not Shion’s will, then it is the order of Demon Lord Rimuru.
With that being said, something also seems out of the loop with
the rumor that Demon Lord Rimuru has ordered a Demon to murder
Archbishop Rayhim.
Now that he thinks about it carefully, Hinata only went to meet
with Demon Lord Rimuru in order to build a friendly relationship
from the very start. In contrast, there shouldn’t be any reason why
the Demon Lord would want to obstruct that. That is if he doesn’t
intend to incite conflicts and rain chaos. But from the reaction of this
monster, Shion, even Reynald has realized that Demon Lord Rimuru
wouldn’t do such a thing.
That would mean——
Have I been manipulated…….
When he heard that his enemy Demon Lord Valentine who harmed
his friends in the past was colluding with Hinata, he lost the ability to
make a calm judgement. While he was emotional, he was taken
advantage of and was deceived……..
By whom?
It is obvious now, the 「Seven Celestial Sages」.
Upon thinking so, Reynald’s face immediately turns pale. He is
shocked to realize that his dispatchment of troops have hindered
Hinata’s plan.
As he turns to look, Hinata is confronting Demon Lord Rimuru
alone.
They don’t seem to be talking. It is the calmness before battle.

369
 I-it’s all over. Hinata-sama, I’m sorry! It’s all my fault that the
negotiation——
Reynald has finally realized everything, yet now he can only
observe their confrontation from the side.
Things have developed to the point beyond Reynald’s control.
——And soon, the flame of battle is ignited.
Reynald nervously locks his eyes in front as Hinata and Rimuru
cross swords——

◇◇◇

Hinata Sakaguchi was truly lucky to have met Shizue Izawa.

For a short but genuine period of time, Hinata has indeed opened to
heart to Shizue and her alone
The duration of which is one mouth.
In that short span of time, Hinata learnt all of Shizue’s techniques
and bid her farewell. That is because she was afraid of being
rejected. In the end, she was afraid to lose the warmth she had
regained once more.
Hinata knew she was clumsy.
She killed her father for her mother. Yet it only made her mother
gone insane. Her mother was still in love with her husband even to
that point.
The reason why her mother was a fanatic about religion must have
been because she needed prayers to support herself.
In this world, misfortune will never disappear.
It is the most natural course of things.
She hoped that there will be no more misfortune in this world, yet
such thing would never come true.
That was the reality Hinata didn’t want to accept.

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A world where everyone can live with joy——she sighs at the
misfortune in real life while bearing such dream.
——The reason why her mother prays is to repent for the sins of her
daughter.
If that is true, does mother hate me very much?
Hinata was deeply frightened even at the thought of it being the
case.
She thought of herself as very lucky for coming to this (new) world.
Her mother would be able to escape the sea of pain now that she
had travelled to this world, so was her conclusion.
Hinata has also decided to not be madder than before.
She would become just as perfect (emotionless/rational) as a
machine so that she no longer have to worry about anything.
Hinata lived on with such a fantasy. And it was for this reason, she
wasn’t able to accept accept Shizue.
If she had accepted to stay and somehow grew to be disliked by
Shizue too——Hinata would have wanted to kill her.
It is due to her self-awareness of this, that she parted ways with
Shizue.
Perhaps I was the one who’s mad after all——Hinata thought to
herself.
This is what this world is about, full of despair and fragile people
susceptible to death. Hinata was granted with power for her to
survive.
She learnt a shocking lesson when she visited a kingdom during her
journey.
There, many were dead due to the rampage of Calamity Rank
monsters. Yet there were some people fighting to protect the
children. Those adults acted as the meat shield for the children with
no intention of escaping.
Hinata had always thought that everyone only cares about

371
themselves in order to survive. Their figures moved Hinata.
Those people who devoted themselves to battle called the Holy
Knights. They had little care for their own lives, and were willing to
sacrifice themselves to save the lives of others. They regularly
patrolled the surroundings of that town as the symbols of justice.
Hinata resonated with their way of living and was determined to
become a Holy Knight. To use her skills to the fullest and devote
herself to battle, so she will no longer need to worry about anything
else. And so, Hinata found her opportunity to atone.
A decade of time have passed since——
Hinata has now become the Guardian Angel of mankind.

◇◇◇

She fought against monsters day and night during those days.
After some time, she began to feel bored of dealing with the same
situations again and again.
Ever since Hinata installed some policies after becoming the
commander of the Holy Knight Order, the damage sustained by the
nations had been reduced by a drastic amount. For instance, the
prediction of the birthplace of the monsters or which areas would be
harmed. This way, she was able to decide on how to initiate
collaborative efforts and when to patrol in certain areas. This system
had been optimized to achieve a significant effect in reducing
casualties.
That was why everyone in the Holy Knights placed great trust in
Hinata. It is simply too ironic that she was in fact colluding with
Demon Lord Valentine behind everyone’s back. She mocks herself
internally. But even so, it was still the best way to maintain a
peaceful and fair nation.

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 That’s why Hinata has never felt any doubt or regret. Under their
God Ruminas, everything is equal——This is the only system that will
grant people the taste of happiness.
Moving forward to the present.
She is in a bad spot, to the point of being laughable. But thanks to
that, Hinata is finally willing to go all out.
The situation at hand is not suitable for her to negotiate. She will not
even have a chance to defend herself if she loses this battle.
It must have been karma for not listening to Rimuru the last time
they faced each other, that she fails to request her opponent to
listen to her this time for the bad circumstance.
The situation is the complete opposite of last time——
Hinata mocks herself while thinking so.
The table has been turned. It even makes her reminisce of the
“boring” days she used to complain so much about.
This world is indeed ruthless when you hit the wall…….
But apart from lamenting, Hinata has also made up her mind.
Troubling thoughts and worries are all meaningless at this point of
time.
Victory is the only way of withdrawing herself from this situation.
Whether her faith in herself is right or wrong.
All these thoughts were tossed behind her, for Hinata has focused
her heart on winning——
She begins to observe Rimuru. Now only Rimuru and herself
remain there as Arno and the rest have gone somewhere else with
their own opponents.
Hinata starts to quietly analyze Rimuru using her Unique Skill 「
Mathematician」.
However, he is completely different from before. Rimuru’s power
after becoming a Demon Lord has become hard to measure.

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 His potential growth is truly huge. I’ll get chills down my spine at
even the thought of him becoming enemies with humans.
Rimuru’s power is immeasurable by Hinata’s 「Mathematician」,
meaning that he should either have a similar power cap as her, or
greater. Upon thinking so, Hinata activates her unique skill 「
Usurper」. This skill gives her the absolute advantage against an
opponent who is stronger than her.
That is the property of Hinata’s trump card——「Usurper」.
It is a power that can rob the enemy of their skills and talents
whenever they are understood by the user. Regardless of whether
Hinata can use these skills or not, from only its effect of robbing her
enemies of their skills alone shows that it is itself a fierce and brutal
skill.
If the opponent is weaker than Hinata, the result of the analysis will
show it as 「Unavailable Target」. In that case, Hinata will not be
able to rob the enemy of their skill, however, she will also have a
much better chance to win. Even if the opponent is stronger than
Hinata, the results of her analysis will either be 「Failure」 or 「
Success」.
It is the evidence whenever such results are shown that whether she
is confronting a powerful foe or not. With that being said, 「Success
」 analysis will reveal the opponent’s skills and talents and 「Failure
」 will not cause her defeat either. She can try analyzing as many
times as she wishes.
That’s why no matter how strong her enemy is, the result will always
be 「Success」with enough repetitions. She only needs to cautiously
buy time and calmly wait for the the correct moment. In this way,
Hinata is guaranteed to win.
During her last duel with Rimuru, the result of her analysis stated
「Target Unavailable」. This was why Hinata did not take any
precaution against Rimuru and looked down on him during their

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fight.
She was a bit surprised when he summoned the Flame Giant Ifrit, but
she still didn’t take it very seriously. That’s because Hinata has
achieved expert mastery of her skill to reach the level of 「Forced
Usurp」. It is a cheat-like skill that can even apply to lower-level
opponent……
It was commendable that Rimuru made her use this skill, but that
was as far as her view went for Rimuru. Just like that, Hinata’s 「
Usurper」also serve as the measurement tool to evaluate the
difference in power between her and her opponent.
Back to the present day.
Even with this power, she still cannot assess Rimuru.
The result of her analysis turned out to be 「Interfered」.
This is the second time it happened. He is the second person to cause
this result after Hinata’s confrontation with Demon Lord Ruminas
Valentine.
In other words, you are already as powerful as Ruminas-sama…….
Hinata gasps at how much he has grown during such a short period
of time.
If that’s the case, there is no use to try any cheap tricks.
Hinata throws away the giant sword in her hand——Dragon Buster.
She knows that she can’t win by relying on that.
Then she unsheathes the Moonlight Rapier (Moonlight) ——A
legendary weapon of hers gifted by Ruminas.
She puts on the 「Gears of Holy Spirit」——
These are the original pieces that the「Spirit Armament」 worn by
the Holy Knights was copied from. It is rumored to be once worn by a
Yuusha, and a secret weapon of the Western Saints Church to battle
against monsters. It is a gear specialized against monsters and
dragons, only usable by those favoured by the Holy Spirit.
A beam of bright light descends to surround Hinata and gradually

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forms the shape of a glowing armor. From that point onwards,
Hinata has broken free of all forms of limits in her body to excel to
the level of 「Sage」 and truly reaching the realm of 「Saint」.
Next, it will be the pure collision of force.
She is willing to gamble everything she has to partake in this
challenge.
Her ordinary daily life without anything refreshing——has now come
to an end.
Fighting a battle with little chance to win is for the foolish. Yet
Hinata’s heart right now is filled with joy.
She gives off a subtle grin.
Rimuru asked me whether I received his message or not. It means
that he is inviting me to a one-to-one duel.
I must win, and so, I will earn the chance to make up for my
mistake——
She is filled with determination and fighting spirit.
Hinata points her sword at Rimuru.

◇◇◇

Hinata is pointing her sword at me.

Is she choosing to duel me even after receiving my message?
I seem to have misunderstood when she threw away her weapon
that she would have wanted to talk. She has taken out a more
intimidating weapon and her eyes are now absolutely serious.
It can’t be helped. I’ll defeat her first before trying to talk.
My new confrontation against Hinata has made me realize
something.
This woman has no flaw in her stance.

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 The power of that sword is among the top of all of the weapons
I’ve encountered so far. In order to stand a chance against it, I also
pull out my uchigatana to prepare for battle.
Now that I know how powerful that sword of hers is, I should have
had Kurobee crafted a special blade for this occasion. This sword I
am currently wielding has been submerged in the magicules inside
my 「Stomach」, and as a result its blade is now dyed with a fitting
color of black.
Speaking of this, I didn’t thought that there would be an
emergency, so I didn’t ask for any new sword from Kurobee for a
while.
Confronting with Hinata’s weapon with this replacement weapon
makes me feel uneasy. I should protect my uchigatana with my Youki
(monster aura) and prevent any direct clashes of swords with her.
That’s why I activated the 「Magic Aura Control」 from my 「
Covenant King Uriel」 and covered the the blade with「Black
Thunder Flame」.
Now that I am properly prepared, I wait for Hinata to make her
move.
And so the battle of high-speed swordplay begins.
I gave all I had as soon as it started.
Hinata’s attack speed is incredible, to the point that I can barely
react even with「Thought Acceleration」, enhancing my senses to a
millions of times of my original.
A much easier metaphor to understand this would be to say that it is
just like fighting Milim, surely now you can tell how fast it is.
However, I am not losing either.
I block, and return every hit.
Now we’ve crossed swords directly several times, yet none of us
could land a hit on the other.
I’m not bragging but I haven’t even got a scratch.

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And that’s what’s happening, both of us are attacking and are
waiting for the opponent to show an opening, yet such an
opportunity is still yet to arrive for either of us. I was only able to
make it so far due to my awakening as a Demon Lord and with the
help of 「Wisdom King Raphael」, and that alone simply reflects
what a monster Hinata is.
But honestly, I believe I’m only a few inches away from taking her
down.
Hinata is indeed strong, but I am now a 「True Demon Lord」, so I
should be able to suppress her with my body function alone. Yet the
result is that we are on par in strength.
Hinata seems to have completely seen through my sword
technique, and so she begins to attack without hesitation. Her
attacks are swift while still blocking every counterattack I deliver. On
top of that, she has even sacrificed her fierce continuous attacks to
instead deliver a surprise attack.
If it was me from the past, I would not have stood a chance. This
simply means that Hinata didn’t displayed her true ability at all
during our last confrontation.
Should I consider myself lucky?
It seems that I cannot hold anything back if I wish to defeat her.

◇◇◇

You’ve got to be kidding me, Hinata thinks to herself.

She wanted to force Rimuru to admit defeat by bombarding him
with her sword techniques. Yet Rimuru was able to catch up with her
at ease. These are the techniques Hinata spent ten years to master,
yet her opponent——completely countered them in an instant.

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 There is a limit to the human body. Only by using magic, abilities,
skills and talents can humans obtain the strength to stand against
monsters. In contrast however, Rimuru doesn’t even need to
breathe.
No stamina consumption means there is no need to restore mana,
nor will his muscle tire out.
Hehe, I only get to realize how cruel reality is when standing on the
battlefield against him…….
Hinata thinks to herself, sighing at her disadvantage.
She knew very well of the fact that her opponent is a monster.
Since this world follows the principle of “survival of the fittest”, the
important thing for her to do now is to gather all the factors that
may ensure her victory.
Hinata utilized her 「Mathematician」 to enhance the speed of her
senses a thousands times more than usual. Her perception of the
surrounding area has also exceeded the human limit. Her brain is
functioning at its maximum capacity, causing the microvessels in her
body to have bursted a few times. She took care of the wounds by
using automatic regenerative spell to hide these injuries from her
opponent’s detection.
Under this state, Hinata feels as though the world has become
stationary. Yet it is still not enough. Hinata activates 「Prediction
Simulation」 of 「Mathematician」 to predict the path of Rimuru’s
attack. Hinata has to strike without holding anything back.
However, her opponent Rimuru still seems to be holding back.
Hinata wiped her bleeding nose so that her opponent didn’t notice
before adjusting her disordered breathing. Holding like this for too
long alone would already mark Hinata’s defeat.
Even though she has reached the level of 「Saint」, Hinata is still
bounded by the limits of a human body. She has to overcome a
higher wall in order to become a semi-astral life form.

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Her trusted 「Usurper」 is rendered useless due to the 「
Interference」. It has absolute advantage over the strong——But
now, it is no longer useful. Then, she will have to defeat Rimuru with
only the skills she has trained during all those years…….
The sword gifted by Ruminas possesses immense power. If it is
installed with Hinata’s mana and enchanted with her fighting aura, it
can cause lethal wounds that can’t be treated by any average
regenerative ability. Even against enemies possessing 「Ultra
Regeneration」, this sword can cut them in half.
That’s why all I need to do is to cut off one of his arms. Hinata
thinks to herself.
She won’t kill Rimuru. The duel will be over if Rimuru is willing to
admit Hinata as the victor.
Yet Hinata has not been able to execute this plan.
Through his extraordinary control of dimension and body
functions, Rimuru has seen through the pattern of Hinata’s attack.
What an incredible growth. But, these all have to do with body
functions. You can’t follow up with my level of skill.
His evolution is indeed astounding, yet in terms of techniques, he is
just about the same as what she has experienced before. Even for a
skill such as Hinata’s 「Usurper」 that can rob the opponent’s skills,
it can only make the user’s body memorize the movements of the
skill. In order to master the principles of these skills, the amount of
repetitive training required would be so much as to cause one to
faint.
It seems to be the same case for Rimuru.
Hinata sees a chance to win. For there is a difference in their
experience on the battlefield.
Rimuru is clearly lacking in that regard.
Hinata decides to change her tactics as she realizes this in order to

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give her opponent the false sense of her attacks being random in
speed.
This is the so called feinting.
She decides to toy Rimuru in the palm of her hands with the skill
she accumulated through her rich experience——

◇◇◇

The speed of Hinata’s sword suddenly increases.

That flexible sword technique——even with the speed of my
senses boosted to millions of times faster, I still have a feeling of
uneasiness when Hinata suddenly changes the path of her sword.
「Are you kidding me!」 I think to myself as I desperately try to
catch up to her.
This is Hinata Sakaguchi.
Although I knows this already, but her title of the Guardian of
Mankind is truly not for show.
As we continue our intense battle, I am also observing Hinata.
There is a subtle grin on her face as she looks at me with the
confidence to win. I can’t catch Hinata’s movement with my eyes
alone.
Her eyes are fixated on me almost as if they are a sensor working
to perceive every subtle movement of the surrounding. She must
have been attacking based on such perception. While maintaining
her natural stance, the center of gravity in her body is not shifting
outside of her base, making her capable of reacting to every offense
of her opponent. She isn’t applying any force on her movement and
is always in a relaxed state without the need to show any
preparational act while she launches a variety of attacks.

381
 I have no idea how Hinata is predicting my attacks, perhaps my
pattern has been completely seen through by her.
Regardless, I can only desperately evade Hinata’s attack by
maneuvering around, purely relying on my body functions. It
becomes quite clear that my movements are less agile due to that
reason.
I will definitely face defeat if I continue to be tricked by her in this
way.
My body functions are supposed to be stronger than hers, yet the
strange thing is that my attack pattern has completely been seen
through by her. Hinata’s skills are way beyond me. But even if that
was the case, the Hinata in front of me is not getting any careless for
that reason.
In contrast to our last encounter, not only the feeling she gives off
is very different, but everything about her seems to be different. Her
sword skills were enchanted with her fighting aura, so being hit by it
would likely result in critical injury.
《Answer. It is unlikely going to result in lethal wound, however,
the magicule storage is speculated to decrease dramatically.》
See.
Thankfully it won’t cause a lethal wound, but I would definitely
sustain damage if I fail to block her attack. It would be dangerous for
me to get hit by her multiple times in a row.
According to the analysis of Raphael-sama, that sword also
possesses a special ability. Not only does it have the special
wavelength to overwrite the natural laws, but it can even break
through my 「Multiple Barriers」.
Is this real? I couldn’t help but ask this in my mind, but it must be
the case since it’s stated by Wisdom King Raphael-san.
《.......》
Eh? What’s going on?

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 《Warning. Next wave of attack is arriving——》
That was close, it seems that it is no time for me to ponder.
Hinata’s sword is sharp and fierce beyond belief.
She is able to control her rapier at will, turning spurring to slashes
fluently at ease. Moreover, Hinata’s swordsmanship is very sound.
She is not relying on any fancy techniques or magic, but is relying on
her mastery of sword alone.
In fact, only Hakurou would qualify to be able to confront me with a
sword other than Hinata. But unfortunately, Hakurou probably won’t
be able to win. Their basic strengths are too different.
Considering all these, Hinata is almost a battle genius.
Any average attack can’t possibly defeat her. For instance, 「Clone」
will be completely useless against an opponent like Hinata. Only the
main body is capable of using the Ultimate Skills. In other words, the
「Clone」 that serves as the projection of yourself would at most be
able to utilize Unique Skills. It will likely be instantly destroyed by
Hinata.
Even if I copy Souei’s 「Clones」 to equip them with essential skills,
they would not be able to react to every one of these changes
without being harmed. If that’s the case, they would not be able to
stand against Hinata.
I should stay away from using any trick to avoid revealing any
openings to her. Although it would turn this into a protracted battle,
it is better to wait until Hinata exhausts her stamina. After all, I don’t
really get tired.
Even though this is how I plan, Hinata’s attack speed suddenly
increased once more.
In fact, that’s not accurate.
I couldn’t even see its movement clearly.
I always evade based on the path of the sword I see, yet she launches
her pursuing attacks almost as if she has seen through the mode of
my movements. It would mean, eh, it doesn’t seem to be the case……

383
 《Answer. She is luring you to a predetermined location in order to
attack.》
I see, so that’s why——
No matter where I escape to, Hinata would be waiting there with
her attacks prepared.
In other words, is Hinata manipulating my movements?
Rip, I hear the sound of my clothes being slashed open by her.
Since just now, the amount of scratches on me started to increase.
It is not enough to amount to critical injuries, but it feels like I will
be killed by her if this continues.
This is bad. Horrible!
Master, Master Raphael-san——!
I could only go to Raphael for enlightenment.
Is there any good way out?
No, think of a solution fast!
——My wish seems to have been delivered as Wisdom King
Raphael starts to respond.
《Report. Skill 「Predict Future Attack」has been learnt. Apply
skill? YES/NO 》
……
As expected of Master Raphael. It is really not for show.
This is the response I’d expect from Raphael-san.
I wasn’t able to react in time when it first spoke of the matter, but
now I know that I have acquired some incredible skill——
《Answer. Not acquired, learnt.》
Ah, okie.
Either is fine, I complain in heart.
So Raphael explains as follows:

384
 It speaks of its observation of Hinata’s movements and that it has
discovered that my opponent was able to handle my attack because
she relied on a skill that predicted my attacks. And so, during my
confrontation with Hinata, it has helped me to learn this skill through
analyzing Hinata’s attacks.
——Eh, is this really possible?
《Answer. True.》
It seems to be viable.
Well, since I’ve learnt the skill, such an explanation should not have
been a bluff.
I need to apply it right away.
Suddenly a few trails of light appear before my eyes. It is a sort of
sensation, or rather they are physically emerging in my mind?
One of the light trail suddenly starts to glow.
I swing my sword to hit that light, and interestingly, I was able to
successfully block Hinata’s sword.
It seems that these light trails indicate all the possible paths of
attacks that the enemy can go for under the circumstance with the
attacks following the direction of the trails. I tried it for several more
times and discovered that sometimes the light trails would not glow.
This indicates that it is unable to predict the incoming attack path,
meaning that it will be a complex attack from the enemy. In simpler
terms, low level attacks such as a feint can all be predicted.
But since Hinata has mastered the art of sword, she was also able to
strike out unpredictable attacks. The terrifying property of this skill is
not its ability to predict, but that whatever it predicts is destined to
happen.
It is not a prediction of an attack that is most likely to occur, instead,
once successfully predicted, the attack will definitely land on the
predicted path.

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 In other words——Hinata can no longer defeat me.
Her feints are no longer feints, or rather, it is a trick that would bring
her own demise upon her.
I’m going to win——!
With swift movements and without any delay or hesitation, I try to
evade Hinata’s sword through the passage instructed by 「Predict
Future Attack」——

◇◇◇

It was a hunch.
That it would be a fatal misstep to continue her current pattern of
attack——An unknown sixth sense is tempting in Hinata’s mind.
Hinata has always enjoyed doing things in orderly fashion. She
doesn’t act without a basis or rationale, yet right now she has chosen
to put faith in her instinct.
And so she was saved. It was fortunate that Hinata forcefully
changed her path of attack as soon as she launched a feint. More
precisely, she was able to successfully attack by charging her body
into Rimuru directly.
Rimuru also showed a surprised expression, but then raises his
sword uncaringly at Hinata again.
Hinata also points her rapier at Rimuru.
However, something is not right.
The feeling that Rimuru is giving her is completely different now.
Hinata tries to launch a feint. It was an attack that can be easily
blocked, yet Rimuru ignores it and slash directly at Hinata. The way
he acted without hesitation raises doubts for Hinata that he has seen
through her pattern.

386
 ——Coincidence? No, it can’t be……. That was more accurate than
my 「Prediction Simulation」——
Indeed, it’s almost predicting the future.
All in all, Hinata’s thoughts seem to have been seen through by
him.
That’s an incredible speed of growth. Although my sword skill is
above him, he however has superior abilities to make up for his
flaws. Now any average attack would not be of use. If that’s the
case——
Hinata is very calmly comparing herself to Rimuru.
Right now her chance of victory is surprisingly low.
Stalling for any longer would prove to be beneficial for the her
enemy——It was precisely because of this reason that she tried to
resolve the fight sooner, yet this is how things have turned out to be.
She must abandon naive thoughts such as holding herself back to
prevent taking lives in order to defeat such an opponent. Hinata has
come to realize this.
Then, there is only one way left——
She must sacrifice her ultimate move that she is not supposed to
use, in order to achieve victory.
She starts things over by distancing herself from Rimuru.
As time progresses, the people fighting in the surroundings are also
in stalemate.
Suddenly, time seems to have been frozen as everyone drops their
work at hand and soon begin to observe the battle between Hinata
and Rimuru.
Neither of them can strike at their opponent.
For both of their predictions are extremely accurate that their
opponent’s next move would be predicted before they even try to
execute it. The only thing in motion is time as every second passes.
Under such circumstance, Hinata speaks up.

387
 「——Rimuru, I have a proposal.」
「What is it?」
「Let us decide the outcome of our battle with my next strike. I’ll
use my ultimate ability to attack with my full power. If you can
endure that, I’ll accept your victory. And if not——」
「Will it mean my defeat?」
「Yes, that is right.」——Hinata nods her head while saying so.
「But, just to make it clear to you. This skill is extremely
dangerous. Will you still accept my proposal if that’s the case?」
If it’s Rimuru, he will probably accept.
Besides, now that Hinata has just warned him beforehand, Rimuru
shouldn’t get killed by the skill then.
Now Hinata can be rest assured to give everything she has.
If she kills Rimuru, the Greater Majins following Rimuru would
probably turn into devilish monstrosities who will become nemesis
to mankind.
Hinata, depleted with strength would be likely killed by them, and
so will her subordinates, who are weaker than them, be slaughtered.
She doesn’t want such a situation to become real, so she has to
keep Rimuru alive.
This skill is supposed to be her instant kill technique against
opponents who aren’t prepared upon realizing its activation.
It is the ultra strong skill of the holy sword——Melt Slash.
It is an original skill created by Hinata that combines both magic
and swordsmanship.
Its power is tremendous. That is why normally there is no way that
she can alter her strength output to avoid killing her opponents, and
that’s why Hinata has avoided using it before.
——Moreover, if I showed this to you, you might be able to learn it
with ease. I don’t like that either——

388
 This ultimate technique is only intended to be used against
individual that Hinata wishes to kill.
Yet it is quite concerning for Hinata to use it on Rimuru, who seems
to be able to learn whatever skill he sees. But since there is no other
way around, Hinata is forced to comply.
——It is for this reason that I’ll have to settle the fight with this!
In order to have Rimuru admit his defeat, Hinata has to show him
that he stands no chance against her.

◇◇◇

「But, just to make it clear to you. This skill is extremely

dangerous. Will you still accept my proposal if that’s the case?」
Hinata says so.
She seems to be quite confident with the skill she is about to
unleash.
But, I don’t get it.
Why is she informing me beforehand?
《Answer. Hinata Sakaguchi seems to have no intention of killing
you. Speculated reason of her warning being that the next wave of
attack will be extremely dangerous. 》
I see.
So Raphael said that she doesn’t intend to kill me.
Eh? How strange?
Didn’t Hinata came here to kill me?
In fact, I’ve been feeling odd about this from the very start.
——But, it is too late to say all these.
I’ll think about it later.

389
 I can ask her in detail after winning this duel.
「Very well. I accept your challenge.」
「Hehe, I knew you would say so.」
Hinata replies with a smile after hearing my words.
Her eyes look so innocent that they seem to portray a much
younger age than in reality. No, her appearance alone seems to have
been stuck in the high school period.
The Hinata right now seems far more natural than the seasoned
soldier that I encountered before.
That smile is not a mean or cruel mockery.
This may be the real Hinata.
「But, we will be even in that case! If you lose, you should just be
straightforward and swear not to ever lay your hand on this nation
again!」
As soon as I spoke my words out loud, Hinata begins to twist her
head out of confusion. But she immediately tosses away her doubts
and nods in agreement:
「.......? I see, I’ll promise you that. I only came to duel with you
since it was your wish. I would like to discuss that with you in the
future as well.」
I should feel happy that Hinata has accepted my proposal, but hold
on a second, something about her reply sounded odd.
Eh?
「Did you just say that you only came to duel me because I wanted
to do so…….?」
「That’s right. I’ve indeed received your message.」
Hinata confirms my doubts.

390
 The message I left were supposed to start with some cut-and-dried
words to resolve the issues with Shizue-san and the children, then I
expressed hope to negotiate with her.
In the end I summarized myself as follows——
「——I hope that you can talk to me, and if you do not accept, I’ll
fight the fight with you. To avoid burdening others, I shall be your
opponent in a one-to-one duel. But if possible, I hope we may
resolve things through peaceful negotiation. Please consider this. I
await for your reply. That’s all, Goodbye.」
This is basically the tone I gave off. I definitely didn’t intend to duel
her.
It was because of Hinata’s stubbornness that I had to add in those
words…….
「Then, here I come.」
「Hold on——!」
How terrible, as I was recalling my message, Hinata has begun her
attack.
There still seems to be some form of misunderstanding. But I don’t
think Hinata would listen with how everything has developed now.
Or rather, she has now imposed powerful concentration on herself
and can no longer hear the surrounding sounds.
Nevermind.
The victory can be easily achieved if I survive this attack.
Let’s talk about the results of the battle between people
surrounding us. Benimaru and the rest seem to have won.
There are people collapsed on the ground, seemingly rendered
immobile due to depletion of strength…
Benimaru and Souei are still standing around with might.

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 It seems that the Beastketeers didn’t activate 「Beastilization」
during battle, but their level of exhaustion is no less than the Holy
Knights’.
And Souei…… What play is he putting on there?
The female knight who was his opponent is fine, but for some
reason, she is gazing at Souei with a blushing face.
She is acting all shy and petite, making me wonder what exactly
happened?
She totally looks like a girl in love who has fallen for Souei.
I mean, aren’t you fighting a battle here?
It seems that I need to inquire him about the details later as well.
Next is Shion.
She seems to have achieved complete victory and has brought the
Holy Knights here. Although there seems to be some injuries, no one
has died. The same is the case for the Holy Knights, who should be
fine by applying some healing potions later. I should praise her for
the good work. (and not losing her temper)
The issue remaining here is my duel with Hinata, and the next wave
of attack will determine the result.
「Benimaru.」
「Yes sir.」
「If I am beaten, I’ll leave the rest to you.」
「Hehe, surely you jest. Everyone here believes that Rimuru-sama
would emerge victorious.」
Benimaru replies heartily which I could only shrug in response.
I suppose he’s right. Unlike the computer I left in the other world, I
can’t just abandon my comrades in this world to their own devices.
I’m not that irresponsible.
「I see. Then you just wait here for my victorious return!」
「Yes sir! We wish you achieve great victory——」

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 I nod in response and turn my eyes to Hinata——

◇◇◇

It seems that everything has ended——Hinata thinks to herself

while observing the surrounding.
The sights of her exhausted subordinates enter her eyes, who are
surprisingly well treated with much politeness. It must have been the
strict order from Rimuru to prohibit the monsters from abusing the
captives.
Right, if only had I believed in your moral compass from the start….
It is too late to think about this, but Hinata still believes so.
But, it is still not too late.
She will build a new relationship by achieving victory here.
Hinata infuses her exalted mood into her prayer as she chants with
a clear voice.
There is no need for this, but she wishes to show it to Rimuru.
Since he may copy it in secret, she will show him the full version.
She casts 「Disintegration」. This power begins to gather on the
empty left hand of Hinata, giving off a bright shine.
The sparkling particles intertwine to create a fantasy-like scenery.
Then Hinata imbues that light onto the body of her Moonlight
Rapier.
——Her left hand slowly caresses the body of her sword.
The preparation is done.
She has infused her strongest magic with her sword art.
This is the technique that shall slash through all things in the world.
「Come now, have you made your resolve?」

393
 「Bring it on!」
「Then take this——Melt Slash!」
Hinata finishes her words and turns into a beam of light, quickly
approaching Rimuru.

◇◇◇

What a bright light.

Not only her sword, but Hinata’s entire body is glowing.
She is approaching me at superhuman speed with sparkling particles
enchanted on herself. That is a speed beyond my imagination.

394
395
 That sword possesses the properties of eliminating evil, meaning it
is effective against any monster.
《Warning. Defense impossible, Evasion impossible——!》
This is the first time I have heard such alarming report sounds from
Wisdom King Raphael.
Even though my senses have been accelerated to millions of times
faster, this light approaching me is still not slowing down.
Its speed is abnormally fast.
I have to act according to its distance and angle.
Hinata is aiming at my lower body, probably thinking that I won’t
die as long as my head is intact.
Speaking of which, this skill is still way too dangerous even if Hinata
doesn’t intend to kill me. There is no way to evade this, against this
skill my 「Multiple Barriers」 are like thin veils of paper. Those lights
are unleashing energy to destroy the spirit particles of any matters—
—The Beam of Evil Dispel. My body would probably burn to ashes as
soon as I get in contact with it.
《Report. Attack can be counteracted by sacrificing Ultimate Skill
「Gluttony King Beelzebub」, suggest to adapt said strategy.》
Even at this point, Wisdom King Raphael-sama is still reliable.
But honestly, it will be a huge loss to sacrifice 「Gluttony King
Beelzebub」, but right now I can only follow this instruction. Since it
is the solution suggested by Raphael that has the highest rate of
success, I should not have any hesitation.
It seems to be easier to lock onto her attack despite such high speed.
Since it is so fast, there is no way for her to change her trajectory.
Wisdom King Raphael-sama has locked onto Hinata’s location using
「Predict Future Attack」 and activated 「Gluttony King Beelzebub
」.

396
The battle plan is to have 「Gluttony King Beelzebub」 consume
everything as soon as Hinata’s sword comes in contact with me.
Straightforward and simple, I have no need to hesitate.
Next——
Hinata’s attack collides with 「Gluttony King Beelzebub」.
………………
…………
……
As it turns out, I am alive.
I thought I was going to die, yet I didn’t.
「Hehehe, AHAHAHAHAHA!」
I collapse to the ground as Hinata’s laughter travels to my ear. The
magicule in the surrounding area has been cleansed completely, my
「Universal Perception」 seems to be malfunctioning as well.
It’s been a while since I’ve used my eardrum to receive any sort of
voice. I feel more confused than reminiscent.
My body cannot move.
The moment I cancelled out Hianat’s skill, I consumed a massive
amount of magicule. Converting to damage, I’ve lost more than
seventy percent of it in a go.
Nevermind, as long as I’m alive…… I couldn’t have imagined that she
had hidden such a terrifying attack. Had she used this without issuing
a warning……. cold sweat drops begin to flow down my back as I
think this to myself.
「You are good. Did you take my attack intentionally?」
Eh? What is Hinata talking about?
Who would be dumb enough as to intentionally take on such a
dangerous attack?
《.......》
Eh, hmm, could it be…..

397
 Wisdom King Raphael-sama seems to feel somewhat unnatural,
which I continue to press on. However, Raphael has kept silent.
That’s definitely the case, it must have been hiding something.
「Since you’ve made it through my attack in one piece, as
promised, I accept my defeat. I won’t be able to continue this fight
anyway——」
Hinata says so while disarming herself.
In a tone that seems to indicate the depletion of her strength.
Her powerful sword also disappeared after being consumed by my
「Gluttony King Beelzebub」. Right now Hinata probably does not
possess any combat ability anymore. With that being said, Hinata still
straightens her back energetically and awaits my answer.
「Right. It is my victory——」
I announce the result to Hinata.
Although this does not resolve our problem.
As I plan to make my declaration of victory to Hinata, I catch on to a
certain glowing object at the corner of my eye. Hinata also seems to
have noticed as she turns her eyes to it as well.
In front of my eyes is a giant sword.
《Warning. Target object has been measured to experience
emitted telepathic interference and its magicule is out of control——
object will explode imminently.》
The object it is referring to is that giant sword. Someone is
interfering with it, could it be that this giant sword is a means to
harm us?
「Damn it! Have you really gone this far, 『Seven Celestials』——!
」
Hinata shouts out and rushes in front to protect the immobilized
me.

398
 And soon, the shockwave and bright light of explosion arrive
simultaneously.
The next moment——
Hinata’s body slowly collapses.

399
400
Sketch of Arno, Ritase, Reynald (Left to Right).

401
402
Chapter 6
God and Demon Lord
This is the kingdom of darkness. In this nation, there is a crypt
hidden deep underground unknown to anyone.
There, a beautiful black-haired girl without clothes sealed inside a
frozen coffin is in front of someone’s eyes. The person before the girl
carries herself without etiquette as she lies directly on the coffin.
Revelling in the moment, an enchanting smile hangs on her face.
There is a faint blush on her pure and smooth white skin. This young
lady sighs with overwhelmed emotion.
Ah, how beautiful. Ah…….
Privately, it is a personal hobby for her to enjoy watching and
caressing the girl in the frozen coffin.
This petite silver-haired young lady.
She has a pair of heterochromatic eyes——One blue, one red, each
glows with seductive shine.
They are eye-catching even when contrasting to her incredibly
beautiful face, making the young lady’s beauty even more
outstanding.
However, her most eye-catching features are none other than——
The two white fangs slightly emerging from the young lady’s cute
lips. When she opens up her petite lips, the crimson blood-like
tongue would appear alongside her white fangs.
She is the ruler of dark nights, 「Queen of Nightmares」——Demon
Lord Ruminas Valentine.
Every time she touches this frozen coffin, a burn-like scar appears on
Ruminas’ beautiful body.
For this is a holy ark. It is a container for pure energy of the Holy
Spirit, and so Ruminas would naturally sustain injuries. As a Vampiric
Demon Lord, this coffin is undoubtedly poisonous to her.

403
 And yet, Ruminas doesn’t mind it at all.
These injuries are the utmost joy to her.
Even with the immense power Ruminas possesses as a Demon Lord,
she would not be able to destroy this coffin.
Since Ruminas dreams of liberating the slumbering young girl within
one day, she has come to tease with her at the frozen coffin
again…….
It was then that her trusted subordinate brings the news.
「My most sincere apologies for interrupting you, but there is
something I need to report.」
The one reporting is Louis.
He was granted the position of 「Pope」 in Holy Empire Ruberios
under Ruminas’ rule.
Ruminas suppresses her displeasure——Since Louis seldom comes
looking for her, so it must have been something extremely urgent.
「I see it is Louis who’s caused all the fuss. What is it?」
Louis explains briefly to Ruminas’ question.
「Hinata wished to resolve things with Rimuru, which I permitted.
However, the situation seems to have complicated.」
「——What do you mean?」
「As I mentioned——」
Louis begins to recount the findings of his investigation.
「Is that so…….How troublesome.」
Ruminas says so with a gloomy tone as she withdraws from the
frozen coffin.
She summons her servant after leaving the crypt.
「Gunther!」
「Yes, I am here——」
An elderly butler emerges from the dark. He is the ancient vampire
servant of Ruminas who attended the Walpurgis Banquet with her.

404
 Alongside Louis with similar status, he is one of the 「Three Counts
」 under Ruminas’ reign.
There is Louis who is in charge of the Pope’s Ministry. While Gunther
governs the Night Garden. As well as the now deceased Roy who
disguised himself as the enemy to act as the Demon Lord’s double.
Among their other duties, the three work as Ruminas’ bodyguard in
shifts.
Given that Ruminas is staying in the crypt of Night Garden, it is
Gunther who is guarding by her side. He dresses Ruminas. You can
tell the formality of their dress code given that they are not using
magic to dress instantly.
As he is helping Ruminas, Gunther heatedly scolds Louis.
「How bold of you to interrupt Ruminas-sama with such trivial
matters—」
「My sincerest apologies. However, if let unattended, Ruminas-sama
would bear the misfortune of losing her beloved pet.」
「It is precisely it that makes it trivial. However, we should indeed be
cautious to have her fight against that Demon Lord Rimuru…...」
「I came to inform my lord to prevent that. If Hinata is killed,
Ruminas-sama would——」
At the end of her patience, Ruminas comes between the two to stop
the quarrel.
「Louis, cut your words short, and you too Gunther. Won’t it be fine
if I move out myself? In case there’s any trouble.」
The 「Three Counts」 all dislike when they interfere each other’s
field of duty, and this character of them is also one of the reason why
Rumins gets headache in life.
Aware of this, Louis decides to make a concession for Gunther.
「Yes, I am most ashamed of my behaviour.」
「My most sincere apologies——」
The two both bow in apology after being scolded by Ruminas.

405
 She groaned in exasperation, and gives her orders to the two.
「Without Roy is gone, we will have to reassign duties. But there is
no time for that now. You two should both come with me for now.」
Ruminas commands with majesty and begins to move out.
「Understood,」
「I shall pledge my service.」
The two Majin obey happily as she leads them away.
Ruminas suddenly pauses in her tracks. She turns back to the holy
cabinet containing her slumbering beloved.
Just you wait——
Ruminas whispers the name of her dear young girl.
With her words said, she caresses the crypt gate with pity and seals it
down tightly. Being sealed by Ruminas’ powerful magical barrier, the
crypt sinks into the pitch-black void…….

◇◇◇

A leader of the secret organization 「Cerberus」——Damrada of

「Wealth」 has arrived in Farmus Kingdom following his secret
meeting with the five elders.
He is travelling to the Nedler territory located at the border.
He is on good terms with Earl Nedler Mcmunn thanks to the frequent
gifts he sent. These efforts gained the trust of the covetous Earl. And
Damarade was able to sneak his men into the city through bribing
alone.
Now that he has learned where Edmalis is hiding in the city, it
won’t be long before this land becomes the ground zero of chaos.
It’s also been confirmed that the new king Edward has led an army of
twenty-thousand men to form camp near the domain of Edmalis. The
Hero Youmu is sheltering King Edmalis——They will have himthe

406
new king Edward spread this as a public announcement of a collusion
between the two. He will also emphasize on the claim that Edmalis
has signed the treaty of ceasefire without authorization. And now
that the new king has gained control, Edward will not carry out the
accord.
However, he will have to demonstrate his “good faith”——through
claiming to the public that Edmalis and Youmu have embezzled the
reparations.
To the people living in cities, a hero who can only fight wars is of no
use for them. Since they live much safer lives than those by the
border, they do not understand the necessity of a defensive force.
Some are even bitter over their taxes being wasted on these heroes
who do nothing. Considering the amount spent on the citizens’
personal safety, their lack of such common sense is truly laughable.
Now, with the news out that the Hero Youmu and old king Edmalis
have seized the reparations, the upper echelons of the Farmus
Kingdom are infuriated. There are increasingly more people
volunteering themselves to aid the new king in their capture.
Everyone now believes that Edward is the justified one, and so he
has exploited this public opinion to lead the army.
If this continues, Youmu and Edmalis would be defamed and
executed. It’s obvious that the two would not stand for this.
The threat of war is looming over this place.
And it’s all according to Damrada’s plan.
This land originally only had Youmu’s five thousand soldiers, yet
three days ago, more reinforcements started arriving.
Hmm, of course Demon Lord Rimuru would not allow Youmu to
meet his demise like this. Naive, how terribly naive. In that case,
Hinata the Saint’s odds are looking good. Then, it may be time for me
to withdraw……
To Damrada however, this is also within his expectations.

407
 It was only his personal wish to take care of Hinata. Since the lies
he told to Hinata may have been revealed, he wants to get rid of her
before she becomes a problem. She won’t let Damarada walk free.
And if he is to continue to act among the Western Nations, he has to
keep that in mind.
With that being said, the issue concerning Hinata will have to depend
on the Five Elders. This opponent is perhaps too dangerous for
Damrada to take on directly.
Never mind. As long as our plan doesn’t fail……
The head of 「Cerberus」only ordered him to stir war in this land.
In other words, his mission has been completed. It is best for him to
withdraw before Hinata returns.
But his work is not done yet - Though Damrada is doesn’t care
whether the new king or the hero triumph, he will need to carry out
the promised made with the Five Elders.
That is to eliminate the demon……
The plan has already changed as things have developed.
According to the investigation of the meetings by Earl Nedler, it
seems that the demon also wants to resolve the war in short period
of time.
What should he do now——Damarada begins to ponder.
The new king’s goal, the demon’s motive.
The two are in direct opposition.
The new king does not wish to antagonize Demon Lord Rimuru. Their
difference in military strength is night and day. He will not be able to
win even with his whole country on the march.
Yet Demon Lord Rimuru is reinforcing the Hero Youmu, meaning he
doesn't mind a war. The new king’s claim of upholding justice
became meaningless the moment that the Demon Lord decided to
help the old king.
The situation has changed.
Moreover, something else has been on Damrada’s mind.

408
While investigating for the demon elimination task, he discovered
that the Majin Larzen has not been serving the old king, but is under
the order of this demon that Damrade is to kill.
It means——
——could it be that the Majin Larzen was not defeated by Demon
Lord Rimuru, but by the demon under Rimuru’s command? Then it
can’t possibly be the incarnation of any contemporary or modern
breed of Archdemon. It must be some more ancient demon…….
Damrada’s face stiffens upon thinking so.
There isn’t enough information. Even the information received
from his boss doesn’t have anything about this type of demon.
He should consider it as modern breed that has lived at least
hundreds of years……. Damrada concludes.
Among Archdemons, their power varies depending on the years
and age they were born. The breeds that were born in recent years
may be fine to deal with, but the modern breeds that have lived for
two or three hundred years would make a fierce foe to rival the
power of a Calamity Rank threat. Moreover, if it is the medieval
breed of demon that has lived for nearly a thousand years, its power
would be similar to that of a Demon Lord’s lieutenant. Even if it is
evolved from Lesser Demon, its power is still not to be
underestimated.
Once such a demon is born, it will pose very challenging threat to
mankind.
By the way, the most powerful breed of demon that would even
acknowledge a human contract is the medieval breed. Summoning
any demon higher than that would only bring destruction. A
successful summoner would be out of luck and can only wait to be
deprived of their souls by the demon.
According to the latest research of the Eastern Empire, it has become
common sense to set a limit during summoning. However, the only

409
people who are capable of summoning Archdemons the few “Hero”
class masters…..
「With that being said, if it is Majin Larzen…….」
Damrada couldn’t help but mutter.
Indeed, the name of Majin Larzen is quite well-known even in the
Empire side. His power should not lose to any medieval breed
demon. If a demon who is able to defeat the powerful Larzen does
exist——
Besides, the Five Elders seem to be plotting something as well.
Damrada is interested in their plan, but his instincts tell him that
getting any more involved would be dangerous.
I’d better get away before I get caught up in anything——
He plans as such.
「Damrada-sama, what is going on?」
Damrada’s subordinate notices him talking to himself and asks.
Damrada slants his eye at the subordinate and grins.
「Hehehehe, how dangerous. I can’t continue this charade. I’ve
already messaged them to stay put, now we will really have to be
cautious.」
「——?」
「Let’s withdraw. Leave two men behind to observe the situation
and clear everyone else out of the country.」
「Understood, sir. But what about you?」
「I’m going to say hi to the new king and check out Tempest
Federation.」
「But weren’t we going to act cautiously?」
「Hmm? Hehehe, of course we will. But I’m not doing anything
shady, but to use my disguise identity as a merchant to request a

410
meeting with Demon Lord Rimuru-sama. I’d love to have the
privilege of making him a new business partner.」
「I see, I understand now. Then, what should we do with the six
contractors from the Contact Association (Contractor) hired from the
empire?」
「It is because of them that I am paying a visit to the new king.
They are my greeting gift to him.」
「I see, so are we pushing the rest of the duties all to Edward?」
「What a bad way to put it. I’m simply doing the new king a favour
while carrying out the deal I made with the Five Elders.」
The so called Contract Association is an organization similar to the
Freedom Association in the Western Nations. They commission
professionals, some of whom are demon slayers that make their
living hunting demons. They are specialists in battling demons who
only earned their license for being the toughest among monster
fighters.
Damrada has spent a fortune hiring them from his home country to
have them demonstrate their strength on this land. But he has
revised the original plan after sensing danger.
「But, is there really a need to be so alerted? We won’t make back
our investment this way…….」
「Hell if I know. Maybe I’m just overthinking it, but I trust my
instincts. I’m not stupid enough to to lose my life over a maybe.」
「I apologize if I’ve offended you just now. I shall go prepare for
our evacuation.」
「Alright, I will go pack another gift for the new king.」
With nothing else to be said, his subordinate exits the room.
Now that they’ve properly prepared, it is time for Damrada to
leave Nedler’s territory.
It is the right call.

411
 At this crucial point of time, Damrada has escaped this dangerous
land that’s been locked on by the raging eyes of one very angry
demon.

◇◇◇

New king Edward can’t hold in his excitement.

With the unstopping aid arriving from nobles around the kingdom,
his military power is gradually increasing.
He didn’t expect the Hero Youmu’s decision to support his elder
brother Edmalis, and when Demon Lord Rimuru reinforced Youmu
with troops, he prepared himself for the plan to fail.
Yet even so, God has not abandoned Edward.
The situation changed when Archbishop Rayhim was murdered. He
didn’t expect that Saint Hinata would move to confront Demon Lord
Rimuru. It’s rumored that she is marching alongside the Holy Knight
Order.
Moreover, the heroes of Holy Empire Ruberios have volunteered to
assist Edward. They are the Pope’s Imperial Guards——Including the
legendary 「Three Martial Sages」 who are surpassed only by
Hinata. These people have mobilized the Templar Knight Order to
join in his battle.
Although they have yet to proclaim their enemy as the 「Nemesis
of God」, it sees that it is only a matter of time before it becomes
official. The group’s main goal is to hunt down the demon that
murdered Archbishop Rayhim, however, that is merely an excuse—
—Edward deduces that their true intention is to form a grand
alliance, the so called United Army of Western Nations in order to
battle against Demon Lord Rimuru.

412
 For this reason, Edward has given them permission to conduct
whatever they wish in Farmus Kingdom, even military operations. He
personally does not wish to fight against Demon Lord Rimuru, but it
hardly matters at this point of time.
Hinata can’t possibly lose to the Demon Lord, and with such a
mighty army, even the Demon Lord’s army will be defeated——This
is Edward’s conclusion. The problem is Veldora……. If it really is that
carefree and temperamental evil dragon, the Western Saints Church
should be moving all its force to seal it again.
The only thing left is justification, but that question is resolved as
well. Some powerful 「Eastern」 Merchant has visited Edward and
provided him a letter from Earl Nedler.
The letter states a request for Edward to “rescue” him.
Now that all the problems have been resolved, Edward is confident
of his victory.
With the reinforcement arriving at the border of the kingdom and
the excuse of rescuing Nedler, he should move now.
He made the decision without hesitation.
He is not actually going to war, but the deployment of the army in
the streets and around the city will pose quite the menacing effect.
It is Edward’s misfortune that no one was there to advise him.
He gives the order to march.

◇◇◇

The plan has been drastically altered, Glenda thinks to herself.

But this is quite common on the battlefield. It is important to
quickly adapt and turn the situation for the better.
Thinking in that direction, things are in fact not too bad.

413
 Every Kingdom is very concerned about the development of this
incident, and many reporters have gathered.
The situation is prepared according to the plan. Although they never
expected that Rimuru would split his army while dealing with Hinata,
it only helped Glenda as he diverted his military force. He has made
the wrong move, Glenda concludes.
In essence, there shouldn’t be any issue.
Damrada seems to have escaped, but he has left a team specialized
for demon slaying to King Edward as a token of friendship. She is
looking forward to the performances of these fierce warriors above
Rank A.
Good, I’ll just use them as disposable pawns then.
Glenda awaits her order casually like that.
Her confidence in defeating the demon has kept Glenda optimistic.
However, said confidence will not last long……

◇◇◇

Kufufufufu
Diablo, the demon——laughs evilly.
His wide-spread wings are like those of a bat, demonstrating a
wicked sight.
He is searching the battlefield from the sky to find the person who
framed him. Diablo would not permit such embarrassment of himself
in front of his dear Rimuru. He has never experienced the taste of
fear since his birth, yet the thought of losing his job sends a shiver
down his spine.
If Rimuru-sama says 「You can go back now」 again——He shivers
at the thought. Imagining it alone is already painful, more painful
than having his body torn apart.

414
 Those people who caused him such fear will know his true colors.
Diablo’s laughter intensifies upon thinking so.
And soon Diablo discovers Edward, the new king, at the back of the
formation.
There are also several individuals who stand out from the rest. But
to Diablo, they are no more than street trash.
However, they seem to be worthy of standing before Diablo——
Then they must be the 「Ten Great Saints」 or something.
Had it not been for Rimuru’s hope that his force would 「avoid
harming the innocent」, this would be much easier……. Diablo is not
alone in thinking this - even Hakurou who is supposed to monitor
him, agrees.
Of course, Diablo wouldn’t harm the soldiers who don’t intend to
resist, but it’s different for those who attack him. Moreover, he has
no mercy for fools who launch an attack without considering their
comrades.
Suppressing his eager mood to “greet” them, Diablo informs
Hakurou through 「Telepathy Net」.
「Hakurou-san, there is someone quite unusual heading towards
your direction. He should help Ranga-san to kill some time.」
「Oh, understood. Will it be a problem if we don’t kill him?」
「Not at all. That man must be related to the rumor from Ruberios.
I wish to take him alive as a bargaining chip.」
「I understand. I shall relay the message to Ranga-san.」
「Also……. That guy is leading five thousand soldiers. By the
standard of Freedom Association , the group contains members who
exceed Rank A.」
「Hmm. Perfect timing. I am going to send Gobta and Gabil to
there.」

415
 「Great, that’s a wonderful idea. The chances of their defeat are
minimal——」
「Mmm, rest assured. With me overseeing everything, you can do
as you wish.」
「I’m most reassured by your words. Then, excuse me for a while.
」
「Don’t overplay your hand.」
Diablo informs Hakurou of the information he has gathered from
investigation.
He can’t hold himself back anymore and decides to abandon his
concerns. He launches himself towards his prey.
KNew king Edward freezes as Diablo appears in front of him.
Sare - who he was tasting red tea with - is no exception, the
sudden occurrence catching him off guard.
「Greetings everyone, I don’t believe we’ve been acquainted.
Though, King Edward, I should say it’s been a while. My name is
Diablo.」
Diablo descended from the sky, not forgetting to greet the two by
bowing afterward.
「Everyone spread out! Raise your guard and protect King Edward!
」
The knight commander commands out loud, not allowing Diablo
finish his greeting.
On the order, the Imperial Knights quickly carry Edward to the
back. A wall of men is formed to protect them.
The knights of the Pope’s Imperial Guards put up their guard and
entered formation as soon as they saw Diablo. They push themselves
forward before Edward and the rest.
Diablo remains silent and relaxed while waiting for these panicked

416
bunch to finish their preparation. Now that he’s knows his target, the
rest is simple. That’s why there is no need for him to rush.
The campsite is set up with military tent.
Diablo now stands before the luxurious-looking tent reserved for the
king as Sare and his subordinates quickly surround him. Yet Diablo
still seems to have a delighted expression as no one notices the fury
burning in his eyes.
The reporters are all scared out of their wits, wanting to know what
is going on. Diablo’s smile to them doesn’t weaken.
「I have no intention of harming you. Just stay there and be a doll.
」
With that, Diablo puts his fingers together with a crisp snap.
Upon making the sound, the reporters are all surrounded by 「
Barrier」. This is Diablo’s attempt to prevent them from being
affected. The intention behind his words are 「Don’t call me ruthless
if you dare step out of that barrier」. But the reporters are happier
not realizing so.
The preparation is done, and Edward has come back to his senses.
「Isn’t this the envoy-sama sent by Demon Lord Rimuru? To what
do we owe the pleasure?」
Even without majesty, Edward still displays an arrogant attitude
while questioning Diablo.
Diablo soon answers.
「Kufufufufu, just one simple matter. I came here to warn you.」
「Warning? What sort of warning?」
「Retreat your army now and make peace with Youmu-san. By
doing so, you shall all be exempted from the torment of fear you
can’t possibly imagine.」
With formality in mind, he starts off the conversation negotiating
for peace.

417
 However, this is not Diablo’s real intention. It will be more
troublesome if they are willing to make peace.
「Hahaha, what a strange way to phrase things. When it comes
down to it, this began when my brother embezzled your reparations.
I’ve only marched my army here to demonstrate our sincerity to your
nation and retrieve that money. You have no right to meddle with
this! 」
「I see. Do you then suggest that everything will be going
according to our peace treaty?」
「Of course. However, it doesn’t seem to be necessary now, since
I’ve been deceived as well!」
「How is that the case?」
「Oh, quit your lies! You and my brother——No, you’ve colluded
with Edmalis and those liars in hopes of extorting twice the
reparations from our kingdom. I’ve already seen through your
despicable goal.」
「.......」
「Do you have nothing to say? That Rimuru guy is not much of a
Demon Lord. Aren’t you trying to plant the seed of war only to extort
money from it?」
「...............」
「How unfortunate however, you murdered Archbishop Rayhim-
sama in order to silence him, but all of his words have been recorded
here loud and clear!」
Diablo’s silence encouraged Edward’s put forth more arrogant
speech.
He then raises the crystal ball in his hand high for the reporters to
see clearly. The film displays what seems to be Rayhim under
interrogation. He shouts in the film: 「I’ve not betrayed you! Please
forgive me, forgive me!」

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 Anyone would believe that it is the footage before his death.
「Which proves?」
Edward laughs and answers with disdain at Diablo’s question:
「Don’t you understand? Glenda-san brought this to us. Did you
not infiltra Ruberios and murder Rayhim-sama? You thought you
could get your way by threatening him, but his faith in God has
triumphed the fear you imposed! You must have killed him fearing
that he will expose this to the public!」
Edward puts on an imposing expression as he looks at Diablo.
Yet Diablo’s face is still covered with smile.
「How wonderful. You claim that a mere 『human』 could
overcome their fear of me? What an amusing joke.」
「Quit playing dumb! We have enough evidence, so don’t think
you can talk your way——」
「Enough. Shut your mouth.」
Edward wanted to show off his authority to the reporters before
he was interrupted by Diablo’s calm voice.
The smile on Diablo’s face suddenly disappears.
In its place, it is replaced with a hollow and terrifying expression.

419
420
 「This charade ends now. I intended to enjoy a mind game with
you, yet you don’t even possess a worthy intellect.」
Edward becomes frozen in place at Diablo’s assertion.
「I was going to find out the truth and prove my innocence. But it
seems to be unnecessary. Since you humans only believe what you
wish to believe, there should be a easier way to prove it——」
「W-what do you mean…….?」
Fear emerges in Edward’s heart as the aura emitted by Diablo
changes. He finally comes to a terrifying question - Did I do
something wrong?
Then, Diablo declares:
「Don’t you wish to prove it? It would be my defeat if any one of
you can overcome this fear. But, just a heads-up for you, I’m yet to
see anyone achieve that to this day. So you’d better find your resolve
when standing against me.」
His gentle words contrast with the raging fire that is burning inside
the red pupils of his golden eyes.
Diablo could have endured it were Edward’s comments directed at
him alone, but he dragged Rimuru into this claiming that he is some
sort of evil being.
With those words, Edward’s life was forfeit.
Edward, terrified, begins to shout:
「All of you, move out and kill this guy! Kill this dangerous
demon——」
The demon slayers among Edward’s bodyguards have been waiting
for this order.
They drop out one by one and launch their attacks on Diablo.
「Overcoming fear? I’m laughing my ass of here! Don’t get so
arrogant just because you are the highest ranked demon species of

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Archdemon, demons with your ranking are no rarity in our
hometown.」
「Your demon race can’t maintain their form without their flesh! It
is no different for Archdemons!」
「We’ve been studying the techniques to fight Demons all our
lives, don’t underestimate humans!」
The demon slayers shout out one by one as they collaborate in
forming their killing formation.
But in contrary to their words, they are not being careless at all.
Since Diablo has just stated his name.
A 「Named」 Archdemon is far more dangerous.
「What is it now, are you incapable of even giving a response?」
「You’re all talk in the end after all.」
The demon slayers tied Diablo up tightly with chains made of
special holy-element alloys.
Due to the ease of this attack, they lowered their guard against
Diablo.
Unlike in the Western Nations, demons have caused many
problems in the Eastern Empire. It is rumored that this is due to the
existence of a base set up by a powerful demon there. But because
of this, they were able to develop special tactics against demons.
Even the Archdemons - considered a mythical existence in the west -
will not survive. The people of the east have categorized the power
of demons into different ranks in order to study methods to subdue
them.
The leader of the demon slayers has recognized Diablo as a
medieval breed. But with the additional consideration of it being 「
Named」, he has changed his judgement to recognize this demon as
a threat to rival the ancient breed.
These are demons who bear the rank of Noble, possessing immense

422
power and a wealth of knowledge. This type of threat has been
known to even lead a number of vassals, so it cannot be
underestimated.
With that being said however, the leader still believes there is a
chance for the demon slayers to win. He has in fact had the
experience of fighting several Archdemons in the past. This
confidence made him to arrive at this conclusion without a doubt.
「Are you ready now?」
The leader is shocked by Diablo’s rhetorical question.
「W-what?」
「Nothing, please give me a signal to fight when you are properly
prepared.」
The leader couldn’t understand what Diablo meant for a while
seeing he still seemed to be very energetic.
「.......Oh? Does it mean that you won’t interfere no matter what
we do?」
The leader hides his panic and provokes Diablo with words.
「Why would I do that? It’s rare to see people working so hard, so I
won’t interfere. After all, I can inspire the greatest amount of fear
this way.」
「Hehehehe, don’t look down on us, demon. You will know how
arrogant you are when we turn you into ashes!」
Diablo answered jokingly, sending chills up the demon slayers’
spine.
Most demons are indeed overconfident and despise humans.
Hence, Diablo’s speech alone is nothing remarkable. Yet this is
coming from someone whose entire body has been tied up. Even
these veterans in demon slaying feel unease in the face of such
overwhelming confidence.
With that being said, they are professionals. They have been

423
rigorously trained to act without hesitation and quickly complete
their jobs.
「——Then, repent for your arrogance in the next world! Eliminate
him, Sextuple Thunder Strike (Thunderbolt)——!」
King Edward, reporters from different nations, Sare, and the
Imperial Knights from Ruberios are all watching.
A blinding bolt of lightning strikes to incinerate Diablo.
「How about that! How does it feel being struck by a natural
thunderbolt instead of a magical one?」
「Aren’t you Demons protected by 『Multiple』 Defensive
Barriers? Too bad! The empire has researched the spell to break right
through them!」
「In order for Demons to affect the physical world, you require a
body! With your flesh destroyed, you’re at the end of the road!」
The demon slayers say so with great confidence.
Attacks launched using magicules are easily blocked by the 「
Barriers」 that directly interfere with them. For this reason, they
decided to develop weapons that don’t make use of magicules. This
Thunderbolt is one of the new weapons designed to be used against
demons.
Hearing their words, the fear in Edward’s heart evaporated.
「Wonderful! As expected of warriors from the 『East』. I’ll have
to reward that merchant.」
Edward says so delightfully, smirking at Diablo with a twisted
expression.
The lightning is incinerating Diablo.
Incinerating…… but is it really burning him?
Even enveloped in that lightning, a smile still hangs on Diablo’s lips.

424
 The only two people who notice something amiss are Sare and
Glenda.
The leader of the demon slayers also begins to realize something is
wrong.
——How strange. Too strange! Why is his clothes not burning
along with him?
Feeling doubts, he soon discovers something - His opponent is
wearing an evil grin.
「Y-you——!」
「Kufufufufu, how weak. You are all too weak. You wish to
challenge me with such pathetic power? How disappointing is it that
you’ve wasted all of that effort.」
As he says this, Diablo slightly raises his arm.
With his arm lifted, the chains bound around Diablo are deflected.
「UHH!」
「WUHH!」
Diablo displays an incredibly immense force that breaks the special
alloy chains around him.
「M-monster!」
The leader unintentionally spat in astonishment.
Diablo cracks a smile, continuing nonchalantly.
「Well, next stop, we have some other tests to do.」
「H-hold on! Isn’t this too abnormal! How could the Thunderbolt
be ineffective?」
The leader suddenly demands, either rejecting reality or trying to
calm himself.
Hearing this, Diablo gives him the answer gently.
「You wish to know why? It’s very simple. I have high resistance
against all natural attacks, including lightning. If you’re curious, I

425
didn’t even need to deploy a defensive barrier for your attack just
now, it was like a weak sting to me.」
Are you satisfied now? He adds.
The leader begins to quiver.
But, his reaction is considerably better than the others.
Seemingly realizing the meaning of Diablo’s words——
「WA-WOAH————! Get away from me, stop, stay away!」
「KYAAA——————! Help, HELP ME!」
The rest of the teammates have all wet themselves and began to
yowl incomprehensibly.
These are the reactions of the fierce, first-class demon slayers who
have seen it all on the battlefield.
But it’s not over yet.
Apart from the reporters who are being protected, the observers at
the scene felt a shiver run down their spines. As for Edward, he
fainted and has foam drooling out of his mouth.
It is the same for his bodyguards.
What happened?
The leader finally understands.
This…… Intense sense of dread——It’s the oppressive aura of this
demon before him. All Diablo did was release the demonic aura he
had been suppressing.
Yet this aura is already strong enough to kill humans.
「Ara? Only three of you passed my test? That’s fine, you have my
applause. Even though I’m being generous, you still all managed to
endure my 『Demon Lord Haki (Imposing Aura)』. I shall allow you
to face me in a fight.」
Fear is almost suffocating the leader at this point, upon hearing
Diablo’s words, he turns his head back.

426
 He can see only two people standing. They are the qualified
individuals Diablo mentioned.
A young boy and a wild beauty——Sare and Glenda.
Seeing that the two have remained calm, the leader resolves
himself with some confidence retrieved.
It’s alright, I can still turn the table around. As the top heroes of the
west, it is expected from the 「Three Martial Sages」. Even if
subordinates fell, we have a chance with these two around……
Having received some back up, the leader is filled with fighting
spirit once more and turns to Diablo.
「Hehehehe, impressive, as expected from a demon under the
Demon Lord. But you are also quite the poser.」
「Are you implying that I am bluffing?」
「Yes, bluffing indeed. Didn’t you just mention 『Demon Lord Haki
』? That is a skill only available to monsters of the 『Demon Lord
Breed』. A demon’s final stage of evolution is Archdemon, there is
no way you can become a 『Demon Lord Breed』! Your words are
nothing but bluffs!」
This is a top secret found from research in the East.
There is a limit to the amount of magicules a demon can store. This
amount does not differ greatly between demons, while their
strength does. In other words, the strength of ancient demons comes
from their experience making them more efficient in utilising this
power.
It has also become something of a proof that shows there is no need
for humans to fear demons.
If you know their limits, you can react to whatever a demon does.
Knowledge is power - a demon’s bluffs cannot affect someone who
can see through them.

427
 「I see. Half of what you say is true. Us demons indeed have a
maximum magicule capacity, but, we can still evolve under the right
conditions.」
「Huh?」
「For example - 『Rouge』- isn’t he quite famous from where you
came?」
「——『Rouge』? What are you talking…….」
As the leader spoke, the image of a certain demon’s came to his
mind. That demon is too famous, too reputable, he is considered an
exception…….
「Moreover, it is actually quite easy to meet the criteria of
becoming a Demon Lord. You simply have to raise your power to that
limit and endure for over two thousand years. That’s it.」
Despite how casual Diablo put it, such transformation is in fact
extremely difficult.
The Demons are astral lifeforms and a war-loving species. They
would fight each other day and night in the spirit world even without
being summoned. Not only will defeat lead to a decrease in their
total magicule storage, they may even end up devolving.
To raise your power to maximum and endure for two thousand
years——It means that there is no room for defeat after the demon
evolves to a Archdemon, which is no mean feat.
The leader of the demon slayers have yet to realized this message
from Diablo’s words, but he can tell that he is talking about
something supernatural.
What concerns him more is the fact that——Diablo directly spoke
of the name 「Rouge」 .
He dared call the name of that prominent demon overlord.
No, there can’t be such a thing——

428
 The relationship between demon ranks is absolute——This theory
was proposed by the great magister of the Eastern Empire, Master
Gedora.
This strict rank hierarchy is clear when facing a clan’s primordial king,
and it applies for all of those with high rank.
For a demon of lower authority to directly address his superior in
name is as impossible as the sun rising in the west.
「If you are born in the east, the name 『Blanc』 is probably more
significant. I sensed her 『Demon Lord Haki』 in the east a while
back——」
The leader freezes in astonishment at what Diablo’s words bring to
mind.
Several years ago, 「Blanc」——That horrifying Primordial White
appeared in this world and was nearly incarnated.
The 「Lake shore dyed in scarlet incident」.
It could have very well given birth to a second Guy Crimson.
It was that close to destroying the balance between the Demon
Lords and plunging the world into chaos.
They gambled on the prestige of the empire to bury the incident
The leader’s face tenses as he comes back to senses.
「Rouge」 and 「Blanc」——This demon before him addressed
them so casually, implying a similar status to them.
H-how could…… how could this be————!
He begins to wail silently.
C-can’t… can’t win against him! This is madness. How is this
happening——!
And so, he yields. He surrenders immediately.
Demon slaying is but an occupation, he is not going to bet his life
on something beyond his pay grade.

429
 He may do it to protect his friends and family, but dying like this in
a foreign land... Moreover, the difference between the parties is
large enough to make one despair. Knowing that resistance is futile,
of course he chose to give up.
「Please have mercy! Spare my pitiful life, I beg you, I beg you!」
With no concern for honor, the leader fell to his knees to plead
with Diablo.
Diablo shows a very gentle smile at this sight.
「Ara, what’s wrong? Don’t you want to have some fun after
passing my test? Don’t you want to find out? You will know whether I
was bluffing or not when you experience it for yourself.」
The leader continues to plead in response. He understands Diablo’s
true identity is extremely dangerous and doesn’t doubt any of his
words. There is no way on earth that it was a bluff.
「Please forgive me and spare my life! I’m just doing this for the
money. I won’t dare to stand against you in the future, I swear! I
won’t get in the way of your business. I’d even kill the fainted king
over there if you so demand! So please, spare me!」
Without caring about the looks he is getting, the leader continues
his unseemly begging. And so his efforts are rewarded.
「Sure, get lost then. Go to that barrier set up for the reporters.
Get everyone in my way in there as well.」
Diablo has lost interest in the leader and announces so.
The leader obeys and complies without hesitation.
He wakes up his subordinates and makes them carry the fainted
knights away as he takes the king and escapes into the 「Barrier」
himself.
Not one of the reporters say a word.
Under such abnormal circumstances, they can only watch
nervously…….

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 ◇◇◇

In the now empty camp, Sare stands in front of Diablo with an

uncaring smile.
「Oh, you are pretty impressive. You look nothing like a Calamity-
ranked Archdemon.」
「——? Are you not going to run away?」
「Run away? That’s funny. I am Sare, member of the Pope’s
Imperial Guards under the rule of Ruberios. I am one of the 『Three
Martial Sages』 within the 『Ten Great Saints』, enemies of the
Demon Lords. So, who are you really?」
「I just announced my name, it is Diablo. It is my 『Name』
granted by his majesty and my liege Rimuru-sama.」
「....... Do you not plan to reveal your true identity?」
Sare is playing it off, but this humiliation is causing his heart to
pump furiously.
“Whether you can overcome this fear” - or whatever - Diablo’s
words were complete insults to Sare’s ears.
Only his rationality is keeping him calm. Although he wouldn’t lose
himself over some trivial anger, he doesn’t like Diablo’s scornful look
at him.
The demon slayers from the 「East」 were laughable. They
labeled themselves experts in battling demons. Yet as if begging on
their knees is not embarrassing enough, they all ran away in the end.
A bunch of cowards.
Sare had played along as Glenda thought they could be useful pawns,
but he hadn’t thought the result could be so disappointing…

431
 They are but average people in the end. In comparison, us
vanguards of his excellence the pope and even the God Ruminas
carry far greater responsibility, and so our resolve in battle is nothing
like theirs..
Upon thinking so, Sare disparages those demon slayers.
With that being said, he wouldn’t lower his guard against Diablo.
Grigori wanted to fight as well, but this is my prey. And so, I’ll make
you regret looking down on me.
The name Diablo is not found in any historical document. With an
unknown name, he can’t have the kind of power that will pose a
threat. All he did was addressing 「Rouge」 and 「Blanc」 directly.
What’s so scary about such a bluff?
It may be different if he is an unnamed 「Primordial」——Sare
thinks to himself.
He is aware that his opponent is no mere Archdemon, but Sare has
concluded that there is no threat to himself.
The tragedy of ignorance——His knowledge of demons is not
extensive enough.
Sare begins to ponder.
Since his opponent doesn’t intend to reveal his true identity, he
will force the demon to show his true color. After all, Sare alone
possesses the strength to battle a Demon Lord.
Even if Demon Lord Valentine unfortunately escaped during Sare’s
pursuit, he was able to push the Demon Lord one foot into hell.
There is no reason to be afraid of a mere Archdemon
That’s why Sare cannot stand Diablo’s attitude…… But he soon
begins to wonder if he is hearing things as he listens to Diablo.
「——True identity, is it? Right, I forgot about it since I’m not
interested in power ranking. As you said, I am no Archdemon as you
claimed. I’ve evolved to Demon Noble. It is not much different, but I
still hope you won’t mistake it.」

432
 The demon explains in a calm tone.
To Diablo, his 「Name」 matters far more than his rank, but while
he may have no interest in such a thing, it is a huge deal in Sare’s
eyes.
Sare is panicking.
He can’t nor wishes to believe.
What did this demon in front of him just say?
Did he just mention 「Demon Noble」?
「Demon Noble」——A legendary existence, designated as a
Disaster-ranked threat undisclosed to the public.
And their power is greater than the average Demon Lord.
It is hard to imagine even Greater Spirits standing against it. Only
several Spirit Kings attacking at the same time could deal with one.
The only records of their actions in this world are in ancient texts.
Though… they have been confirmed to exist.
The proof is the existence of the strongest Demon Lord——
Sare quickly considers what this means.
He didn’t take those tales seriously, that Archdemons who have
become 「Demon Lord Breed」 would, under the right conditions
and surviving after thousands of years, would evolve to 「Demon
Noble」. If that is the case, it is only natural for such a being to have
extraordinary power.
At the very least, it would have magicule storage several times larger
than an Archdemon’s and the experience gained through many years
of survival.
——His power would be limitless.
The leader of the demon lord slayers observing the battle from afar
fainted on the spot after hearing the phrase 「Demon Noble」.
It is an impulse from his heart. Fear arose after he imagining himself
against Diablo and the ending that would have awaited him. He
passed out in sheer gratitude for his good luck in escaping such

433
danger.
However, no one who noticed accused him for his state.
Sare also wishes to flee now.
The more horrifying fact however, it’s that someone would be stupid
enough to name such rare Archdemon so casually.
Demon Lord Rimuru, what the hell were you thinking——!
Sare realizes that every pore on his body is in cold sweat.
This is bad——His instincts are screaming in his head.
The fighting spirit he had held onto has all dissipated.
He knows he can’t win this fight.
Normally, as a 「Named Monster」 with no master is easily
controlled by others, he would not announce his name right away.
Considering this demon announced his name without hesitation,
Demon Lord Rimuru has indeed given it to him.
——But, naming an Archdemon, is this Rimuru really able to do
that right after becoming a Demon Lord?
It is irrelevant now, but Sare still couldn’t help but worry about the
matter. He is merely trying to escape reality.
And it is in that moment that Sare hears someone’s voice.
「What are you waiting for, Sare! Let’s hurry up and take care of
this sexy demon!」
Glenda shouts.
「You idiot! Stop it, Glenda!」
Sare tries to stop her, but it’s already too late.
Glenda was like the wind as she snuck up to Diablo without making
a sound. Then, without faltering, she then plunged a black dagger
into the demon.
The dagger heads directly towards Diablo’s heart.
「Huh! You are not so impressive after all!」
Glenda laughs as she feels the knife collides.

434
 However——
Unfortunately, Diablo didn’t intend to evade in the first place.
「Kufufufufu, what an extraordinary body functions. But
unfortunately you won’t be able to harm me with physical attacks.」
Diablo announces light-heartedly.
In fact, he has also acquired the skill 「Physical Attack Nullification
」.
「Tsk, how annoying!」
Glenda quickly draws away.
Ignoring Sare’s advice, she continues to launch attacks without
pause.
She is now aware that Diablo is a strong enemy, and she is no longer
underestimating her opponent as before, but fighting this demon as
if he is a Demon Lord.
However, it amounts to child’s play in Diablo’s eyes. The difference in
power is simply too great, and all of Glenda’s actions have been in
vain.
She begins to realize this——or rather has known it from the start.
And so Glenda’s actual goal is——
Being left with no choice now, Sare can only make his resolve.
He doesn’t want to leave Glenda to fight all by herself.
First, he releases his spirit power, pushing his body to its limit. Then
he launches his expensive special-grade weapon 「Evil Slayer
(Demon Slayer)」 at Diablo.
However, these attacks are no different.
「Dammit, the sword really is useless! Glenda, buy me a little time!
I’ll cast 『Holy Magic』——」
Right now he can only rely on using the strongest magic to defeat
his foe——Sare judges, hoping that Glenda would buy him some
time.

435
 Yet Glenda is not responding.
A cruel line is tossed at Sare.
「If that was meant for your female companion, she just ran away
at full speed.」
Sare couldn’t quite understand what the meaning of Diablo’s
words.
It can’t be!? He thinks to himself while looking back, yet Glenda is
nowhere to be seen. Just as Diablo said, she fled the scene.
「God dammit——!」
Sare bellows in order to rid himself of the frustration, but there’s
nothing he can do.
Sare has to clean up Glenda’s mess for having acted out on her
own.
Although he is furious, right now he is still confronted with this
grinning demon. Considering the circumstances, Sare should be more
concerned about his own well-being than Glenda’s desertion.
I’ll fight then, I’ll fight the damn fight! I just have to hold on until
Grigori gets back!
Hoping for his trusted ally to return, Sare lights his fighting spirit
once more.
Grigori only went to the town to lure out the demon, with his target
here, it won’t be long until he returns.
Sare is certain of this, and so he commences his own desperate
battle, albeit with almost no hope of victory.

◇◇◇

While Sare is knee deep in battle, another member of the 「Three

Martial Sages」, Grigori has also gotten himself in a desperate spot.

436
 Galloping through the battlefield, he was nearly crushed by a
disaster falling from the sky in front of him.
The mercenaries hired by Youmu are fighting to defend the town
gate. They’re good enough to hold off the vanguard assault.
However, they are not Grigori’s prey. He didn’t consider the civil war
in Farmus any of his business. His only goal is to hunt down the
demon that is said to have murdered Archbishop Rayhim. He has
received reports that show that this demon is maneuvering in the
city, and so Grigori came in person to eliminate it.
There are people from the 「East」 under King Edward now. If I
don’t get out there to fight now, there won’t be any chance for me
to fight at all.
So did Grigori plan.
But now, instead of the demon, he is confronted by a terrifying
giant wolf. He rushes to dismount.
This giant wolf that appeared in front of Grigori is of course Ranga.
He is wagging his tail joyfully while sprinting in the air.
His body is light as feather. He couldn’t feel his feet stomping on the
ground and has already unknowingly flown into the sky. This is the
skill 「Shuttle Fly」 only acquired by few beastial monsters, yet he
has picked up the skill naturally.
But to Ranga, none of this is important. He has no interest in
anything but enjoying this liberating power. He is hopping around
the sky with ferocity, displaying the depth of his magicule storage.
His dark, furry limbs are covered with sparkling golden lightning.
Ranga is not lessening his leaking aura, and is electrifying the air
around him.
The horn on his forehead shines with a golden light like a crown as
he uses it to control the lightning.
His imposing presence is exaggerated by his charged dark furs, like a
cape sewn with darkness, displaying Ranga's status of the Wolven
King.

437
He was running at supersonic speed in the air and quickly spotted
the group as mentioned by Diablo. It didn’t take long for him to
descend next to Grigori.
Grigori is accompanied by several knights of the Pope’s Imperial
Guards. The second battalion made up of five thousand soldiers are
all Farmus Knights sent as reinforcement by King Edward.
「Uh, Grigori-sama, what should we do?」
The noble general leading the Farmus Knights asks Grigori.
How should I know. Grigori thinks to himself.
The relatively more skillful knights were all eliminated during the
last march, and now all that is left are these crooked soldiers with
inferior knowledge who can’t even qualify as second class. Expecting
them to be capable of thinking is already asking too much. This guy is
asking for a foreigner, Grigori’s opinion without feeling the slightest
bit of shame.
「General Caston, you go handle the troops that are about to
arrive. Aren’t they both ground and airborne?」
Caston understands now that it has been explained by Grigor.
「I see. But what about Grigori-sama…….?」
「Me? What do you think? I’ll of course be having some fun with
that guy over there. Paisen, Carusia, protect General Cas——」
As he was about to give his order, a black whirlwind blows by
Grigori.
「——UHH!」
Since Grigori only just noticed, Ranga continued to assault the
troops led by General Caston at the same speed.
「Shit, you filthy dog!」
Grigori is furious.
He violently stabs his Halberd towards Ranga, but it is evaded with
ease.

438
Ranga then begins goes on a rampage, bouncing around like a puppy
who has just discovered snow.
As he continues, the casualties pile up - Paisen, Carucia and some of
the Imperial Guards have all become Ranga’s prey and been
trampled to the ground.
(T: Sorry about the rest of this chapter. Blame Das)
In the end, Ranga finally decides to launch himself at Grigori——
Gobta and Gabil are desperately chasing behind Ranga.
「Ranga-san, you are running too fast…...」
「Right! We won’t have a chance to fight if you continue like this.
」
「Brother, stop complaining and catch up to him already.」
Gabil and Souka quarrel back and forth.
They are enjoy arguing with each other like always, but everyone
knows that they have good relationship. The only ones who don’t see
it are themselves.
「Let’s get going then!」
「Alright, copy that!」
Gobta moves out first using his 「Shadow Step」.
With him are the hundred members of the Goblin Rider troop.
Gabil begins to fly alongside the hundred members of the Hiryuu.
Next, Souka leaves to report to Hakurou, who is in charge of
commanding the troops.
Gobta is the first to arrive at the battlefield. He witnesses the huge
amount of corpses of soldiers lying around at the same location.
The rest of the knights are distancing themselves from Ranga while
surrounding him, praying that Grigori would emerge victorious
against Ranga.
The fallen soldiers are all skillful veterans. They charged at Ranga in
order to cover Grigori, yet were easily defeated in only a couple of

439
hits.
Ranga steps on the defeated knights without killing them and sends
them flying away with his front legs. That’s why a bunch of knights
are all lying in the same spot. As for the knights praying on the side,
they all look desperate. At first, there were still people energetically
cheering, but right now they have all fallen silent.
That is because……
Grigori is covered in wounds.
Hoping to win at this point is delusional.
Grigori possesses the ideal skill of 「Immovable」 that gives him an
indestructible body. Yet to Ranga, he is just a tougher toy to break.
Moreover, Grigori cannot faint, and so he is tormented by pain for a
long period of time.
「Hold on! This doesn’t look good, Ranga-san! You’ll kill him if you
continue!」
「Right! We have to treat his wounds now——」
Gabil and Gobta arrive to stop Ranga.
Having been informed, Ranga pauses his movement. He finally
starts to notice the terrible sights around him. His tail starts to hang
down out of frustration, he even begins to shrink in size.
「——Uh, hmm. But, could I at least play a bit more with this
guy……?」
Still holding onto his broken Halberd, Grigori is exhausted. Ranga
pokes at him with his front feet while saying so reluctantly. Feeling
too much pity for Grigori, Gobta and Gabil begin to persuade Ranga.
They couldn’t leave the matter alone after imagining themselves in
the enemies’ shoes.
「No, no no no no, you shouldn’t do it!」
「T-that’s right! If you don’t stop, Rimuru-sama would be pissed!
」

440
 Ranga finally complies after the two mentioned Rimuru’s name.
「That’d be bad. I’ll get scolded if I continue——」
Ranga looks at Gabil and Gobta with a sad expression before
choosing give up.

441
442
 Grigori is released.
Ranga’s sticky drool is all over his body and his limbs are also bent
at weird angles. It’s only to a small degree, but the angles of these
bends have exceeded the limit of humans, making it obvious that
Grigori has sustained severe injuries.
It’s a miracle that he is still alive after sustaining such critical
injuries.
But Grigori managed to survive. No sequelae was caused by the
injuries as the healing potions that Gobta and the rest prepared
instantly restored him.
However, the same can’t be said about his mental health——
Grigori would later be known famously as the 「Dog-hating
Immovable Fortress」, and no one would know the reason behind
it…...
If you retreat right now, we will not pursue any longer——
Regarding these words from Gabil, General Caston complies without
hesitation. He even ordered the troops charging the town gate to
retreat as well.
「How can we win this! We don’t have a chance——!」
With this final line, this battle will go down as a (in)famous incident
in history.
And as such, the battle in the Nedler region concluded without
even officially starting.

◇◇◇

Come on, come back sooner, Grigori! Sare prays desperately.

Right now Grigori is being transported on Ranga’s back.

443
 He should be arriving soon as Sare wished.
——But it may not be as he expects. Sare is lucky that he is
oblivious to the fact.
Now that I think about it——Sare thinks to himself.
This demon called Diablo is powerful beyond belief. Even Sare, as
one of the very few powerful individuals in the human world, cannot
clearly see the limit of Diablo’s power.
Sare would no longer question Diablo’s words.
He is a monster even stronger than Demon Lord Valentine, so he
didn’t need to kill Archbishop Rayhim. As he said himself, no one
would possibly dare to defy him after the slightest intimidation.
If that’s the case, how did I end up here……?
Right now Sare is defending himself against Diablo’s attack with all
he has, but he is reaching his limit both in terms of his stamina and
psyche.
「Kufufufufu, you should put in more effort now to show me some
interesting skill.」
Sare wants to cry hearing how delighted Diablo sounds.
He wants to go home.
Everyone called him a genius.
Due to his elven bloodline, he was granted the gift of longevity.
Moreover, he has obtained the unique skill 「Omnipotent One」
through intense training.
He can understand the opponent's techniques with just one look, in
addition, this amazing skill also gives him the opportunity to learn
from the opponent’s techniques. It is a similar mechanism to Hinata’s
unique skill 「Usurper」, both serve to strengthen the users’ power.
In order to master the learnt techniques, he naturally requires
rigorous training to improve body functions. Sare is deeply aware of
the principle behind his skill and has mastered many different
abilities using it.

444
He has even learnt combined techniques of magic and skills, which
are the hardest to learn. It is a technique that allows him to imbue a
magic effect into his own fighting spirit in order to produce powerful
sword slashes.
This 「Qi Slash」 is a basic skill from the 「Qi Fighting Techniques」,
but at the same time, an ultimate art. On its basis, it gives the user
the magic attributes to counter the enemies’ weakness. In this way,
it makes up for the ultimate instant-kill techniques used to cut down
all monsters.
——Sare brags about the skill in his heart.
But it was useless.
Diablo immediately analyzed the structure of Sare’s magic and
decomposed it as soon as it was about to activate. If Sare can’t
interfere with the truth of the world, he cannot overwrite laws, and
no miracle would occur.
Sare has given up using magic and is strictly relying on 「Qi
Fighting Techniques」 and 「Qi Sword Art」 to fight.
「Dammit…….」
He mutters regretfully.
What is angering Sare the most is that he realizes that Diablo has
not been fighting him seriously at all.
In terms of magic techniques, the difference between the two is
similar to the difference between an adult and infant child. The same
can be said about their physical ability, the only thing unlike this
however——The abundant training of their techniques, in which
Sare is on par with Diablo. Yet just now within a span of few minutes,
Diablo demonstrated incredible growth speed. If it is the present
Diablo, had he wanted to, he could kill Sare without a sweat.
He’s not doing so, so he indeed……
It means——Diablo indeed doesn’t wish to take Sare’s life.

445
Then, the culprit of the murder of Archbishop Rayhim is someone
else, as for who——
Right. Boss’s plan was never related to the civil war in Farmus. It
only happened after she went on the expedition, almost as if it has
happened for that timing. In other words, it would be——
Very suspicious, actually, no.
It must be the case——The 「Seven Celestial Sages」 are the true
culprits.
Sare is convinced of this.
And at that very moment——
「Sare, we’ve come at your aid.」
「Be grateful and let us eliminate this demon together!」
「Continue to suppress the demon until we take care of him with
magic.」
The space behind Sare begins to distort as some powerful figures
emerge.
Three sages appear——The masters of the 「Seven Celestials」.
The 「Seven Celestials」 are not doing as they’ve said, instead they
are preparing to cast magic that will bring great danger to this entire
area.
The culprits are attempting to destroy the evidence.
And the so called evidence would be the people here who have
discovered that Diablo was not responsible for killing Archbishop
Rayhim.
The reporters of the other nations are no fools. Just like how Sare
has pieced together the clues, a few also have realized the truth.
It is the reasonable course of things considering it is also part of
Diablo’s plan.
In other words however, the target of 「Seven Celestial Sages」 is
not Diablo——

446
 「Dammit, all of you, run away now——!」
Sare sends his warning to the reporters as a giant fireball appears,
devouring everything at the scene.
◇◇◇
Hinata’s chest is pierced by a heat ray.
I immediately hold up Hinata.
「Oi, are you alright?」
「Gu, huh——」
Hinata begins to vomit blood.
She painfully presses her hand against her chest while trying to cast
magic but couldn’t manage to do it. She can’t even make a sound to
use magic. Hinata has lost all her strength, and collapsed onto my
body.
My clothes are being dyed red as she continues to bleed. If this
continues, Hinata will die without an explanation……
I’ll investigate later about what just happened.
I take out some healing potion from 「Stomach」 and spray it onto
her chest. Normally the body would immediately starts to
regenerate, yet it isn’t working this time.
《Answer. Subject 「Hinata Sakaguchi」 seems to possess high
resistance against magic. Her body will automatically disintegrate
magicules to nullify the effect.》
Magic nullification, is that what you mean?
「M-magic doesn’t work on Hinata-sama. It’s the same for healing
magic, any non-holy magic system would all be nullified…...」
Hinata’s subordinate——Arno hurried over, shaking his head as he
said so.
If that’s the case, will 「Holy Magic」 without magicule
constituent work?
Regardless, my healing potion doesn’t seem to work here.

447
 If that’s the case——
「Right, don’t just stand there now, come and cast healing magic
on her!」
Let’s apply the most effective method.
Hinata is still alive. She still has a chance to recover with the
healing of 「Holy Magic」.
After being scolded by me, Arno and the rest begin to take action.
However, they are suddenly prevented from doing so.
Glowing circles appear that bind Arno and the rest.
Several powerful individuals have arrived by dimension leaping using
advanced teleportation magic to tie Arno and the rest up.
The two mysterious figures suddenly appear and kneel before me.
Then——
「Demon Lord Rimuru, we’ve not met before. We are the 『Seven
Celestial Sages』. We’ve come to take care of Hinata Sakaguchi who
has defied our orders——」
They say so without a shred of shame.
Hinata lies on the ground, her consciousness fading.
Arno and the rest are tied up.
The mysterious duo suddenly emerged out of nowhere.
Speaking of the 「Seven Celestial Sages」, I recall hearing about
them, that they are the people Adalman hates the most.
How very suspicious.
But since I’m interested in investigating the situation, I can’t really
say it out loud under the current circumstance.
「I have no idea of your quarrel, but do not interfere me saving
Hinata. We’ve made amends, so I won’t let Hinata die.」
When I finished my words, the 「Seven Celestials」 reject my
request with dramatic gestures.

448
 「Unfortunately, that cannot be allowed. This person——Hianata,
she has ignored the holy will of the god Ruminas. That is an
unforgivable outrage and she needs to face the god’s judgement.」
They put on an imposing outlook and start talking nonsense in
other people’s territory.
「B-but!」
「Please forgive Hinata-sama! She has her reason——」
The Holy Knights jump in to defend Hinata, but the sages don’t
seem to be listening to their words.
But then, one of the Holy Knights shouts emotionally.
「A-are you kidding! You are the ones that deceived me! You were
planning to kill Hinata-sama——」
This man was Shion’s opponent, the captain that led the hundred
Knights.
However, the situation continues to escalate in its mystery.
The colleague next to him suddenly draws his sword and stabs the
captain.
「——Wha——Gerald, w-what are you……..」
「How rude of you, Reynald, to speak those malicious words about
the masters of the 『Seven Celestials』, I can’t just sit and watch as
you do. You must have conspired with that traitor Hinata to deceive
us all!」
As Gerald shouts out his words, the tied up Holy Knights also feel
shaken.
Whose words here are real? They must also be confused.
Does this alone indicate the immense authority held by the 「
Seven Celestials」?
No, things shouldn’t be that simple.

449
 The heat ray that pierced through Hinata seemed to have came
from the direction of Gerald, which means——
By the way, this is really giving me headache.
Things have gotten so chaotic and out of control.
I want to save the dying Hinata, yet the 「Seven Celestials」
appeared to stop me, and now this Reynald was conspired against
and is now having his life taken hostage.
Moreover, these 「Seven Celestials」 mentioned that they came
here to deal with Hinata who has defied orders. At the very least,
these people don’t seem to be antagonizing me.
What should I do next then…….
The foremost thing I want to do is to save Hinata.
On one hand, it was one of the requests from Shizue-san, and
secondly I felt that our misunderstanding was so close to being
resolved. If I can make peace with Hinata, it would seem that I may
be able to build a friendly relationship with the Western Saints
Church and even the Holy Empire Ruberios. Me sitting here and let
Hinata die on her own is not an option.
「I’ll listen to your justification later. This is my kingdom, and you
shall all obey the 『Law』 of my nation. That’s why you, the one
called Arno, right? Quickly cast healing magic on Hinata——」
My kingdom don’t actually have laws, but I want to use this excuse
to force them into compliance.
However, the 「Seven Celestials」 refuse to back down.
「That simply cannot be. Us believers of the Ruminas Sect have
pledged our loyalty to the god Ruminas. We will not deviate from our
belief. Even if it is a request from the Demon Lord Rimuru, we will
not comply either.」
They also brought up a bunch of things concerning doctrines in
order to hold back the Holy Knights.
How annoying.

450
 There is no time to waste with them, I’ll have to force my will on
them——Just as the thought crossed my mind, Diablo sends back a
message through 「Telepathy Net」.
「Rimuru-sama. I have urgent matters to report——」
「What is it? We are busy here as well so make it quick.」
「Excuse me, but we’ve found out the real culprits behind the
murder of Archbishop Rayhim. There seems to be a group of people
pulling strings from behind the scenes, called the 『Seven Celestials
』.」
「Oh…...」
「In addition, there are three of them in front me right now,
allowing them to live will only lead to future grievances——」
「Can you gather evidence to prove that they are the culprits?」
「Many foreign reporters here are all witnesses——」
「——I’ll permit it. Go banish them.」
「Understood!」
Nice timing.
Diablo did a great job at passing the news in time. I have no idea
how things worked out so perfectly to this point, but handing them
for Diablo to deal with seemed to be the right call.
Now all the mysteries are resolved.
So, the real culprits are the 「Seven Celestials」. I have no clue
what their goal is, but it would seem they’ve not come for me, but
Hinata. Perhaps it won’t work in their favour if Hinata is still alive.
They decided to use a scheme like this as beating her by pure force is
not at all easy.
The guy who just backstabbed the Holy Knight called Reynald must
have secretly colluded with the 「Seven Celestials」. He may even
be one of its member.
The culprit that shot at Hinata must have been this Gerald. He

451
probably did that in an attempt to assassinate Hinata, but doing so in
front of me was his biggest mistake.
To commit a crime within the range of my 「Universal Perception」
is no different from confessing your crime.
My message for Hinata seemed to have been distorted as well,
probably by the same group of people. This was their plan to disrupt
Diablo.
All in all, now that I know these people are the culprits, I have no
need to show any concern over our relation with Holy Empire
Ruberios and be generous to them.
You are in my kingdom.
I did consider about keeping them alive, but they’ve also given me
a lot of trouble as well. I’d say there is no need to show mercy, rather
than letting them run away, we might as well take care of them now.
I’ve already given Diablo green light to what he wants, so here I shall
do things my way.
Well then, let’s relieve some of the negative emotions I had to
endure today.
「Benimaru, Souei!」
「「Yes sir!」」
「Detain those two. If they dare to resist, I permit you both to fight
violence with violence.」
「I was just waiting for your order!」
「Leave it to me. I shall obey Rimuru-sama’s order.」
Benimaru and Souei approaches the 「Seven Celetisals」.
The 「Seven Celestials」 start to look at me with a hateful
expressions before they could get to them.
I ignore them and continued to give out instruction.
「Shion!」
「Yes!」

452
 「I’ll leave that Gerald to you.」
「!」
「Don’t get careless, he may be disguised by one of the 『Seven
Celestial』.」
「I see! I’ll just have to rip off their masks and show them hell!」
Shion unsheathes her Odachi with joy written all over her face.
I won’t stop her this time. And honestly, I’m looking forward to
what she will do.
「Ku, kukuku, oh my, this is bad….」
「Is this really okay? Now that we are waging total war against
each other!」
The two members of the 「Seven Celestial」 spill out their lunatic
ravings.
If I leave you all alive, will it not lead to future trouble?
Since we are fighting now, we will have to be thorough.
「You guys overplayed your card. I’ve seen through the fact that
you murdered Archbishop Rayhim and tried to frame it on us. It was
you who came knocking on our door for a fight, so have you made
your resolve?」
With my words out, the Holy Knights begin to look at each other
with confusion. But some show expressions of realization.
As for Arno, he is infuriated to the extent of pointing his sword at
the 「Seven Celestials」.
The 「Seven Celestials」 however are not moved by how the
situation has developed.
On top of which, they begin to howl with laughter.
「Kukuku, I can’t believe we’ve been exposed.」
「WHAHAHA! But the 『Saint』 is already dead! Demon Lord
Rimuru, aren’t you also exhausted by your fight with Hinata?」

453
 「How does it make sense for us to not use such wonderful
opportunity!」
「Since you’ve all learnt the truth, we might as well take care of
you alongside the Demon Lord!」
No longer concealing their intents, the 「Seven Celestials」 reveal
their true natures.
And so, laughters filled with devious intent start to echo at the
scene.
Their acts are so low that they make me want to vomit. There is no
need to show mercy to these kind of people.
Benimaru, Souei as well as Shion all move out. They’ve begun to
launch their attacks on their respective prey.
However, the cunningness of the 「Seven Celestials」 may have
exceeded my expectation.
「You fools! It’s commendable that you’ve seen through our
intent, but we’ve already prepared for this situation, just in case.」
「We planned to kill everyone from the start!」
「Hehehe, then let us begin——」
The two members of the 「Seven Celestials」 declare as they
quickly distant themselves by floating to midair. Shion was about to
attack Gerald when he too float into air as his true self.
Soon after, a wide magic circle began to be constructed with the
three as vertices. Indeed, it does look like an incredibly dangerous
attack that cannot have been done without preparation. Its range
naturally didn’t cover just us, but including the two Beastketeers and
the Holy Knights.
It seems that they are going to kill everyone in order to completely
erase all evidence.
「Black Flame Prison (Hellflare)——!」
「Web Slash of Monsters.」

454
 The black flame fireball that bears hellflare and the 「Sticky Steel
Web」 that can cut through even steel overflow and cover the
targets. Yet it is only met with a wave of maniacal laughter.
「Futile, you are wasting your effort. This circle will dispel
everything except the holy-element! That’s why the attacks from you
evil monsters will not work at all.」
「Kuhahahah, you fools. Human wisdom has accumulated over the
millennium. And you monsters have been arrogant and full of
yourselves for your power, we will definitely not lose you animals!」
I can’t withdraw myself in midst of their high-pitched laughter as I
am desperately trying to sustain Hinata’s life.
I am using my body as her substitute heart, yet she really does
reject magicule. I seldom do such a thing with the addition of low
compatibility, I’m not doing a good job just like the time I tried to
save Myuran.
However, my worries are lifted when Shion charges head onto
them.
「Shut up! That thing won’t work against my 『Hercules’ Edge · Ex
』!」
She seems feel quite confident with those bizarre words she just
shouted, probably without going through her head, Shion swings her
sword at the 「Seven Celestials」 at full force. Normally it would
seem that she is no different from any blockhead, but it is Shion after
all.
「HAHAHAHAH! Idiot, what do you think that sword can——?」
The 「Seven Celestials」 were busy mocking her before they
notice crisp sound of the space in front of them cracking.
「T-this is bad!」
「Not good, the magic circle may collapse at this rate.」
「We’ve already come so far, so let’s just cast immediately!」

455
 Shion’s almost impossible attack had nothing to do with any
attribute, it was purely relied on her brute force, in addition with
that something——
《Answer. Concluded that she has utilized Unique Skill 「Chef」
and 「Affirmative Outcome」 to overwrite the phenomenon——》
Shion is truly reckless.
She is the only person I don’t wish to make an enemy of.
《Warning. Although improbable, attacks from individual 「Shion
」may cause damage to master. 》
Are you serious?
I’d better stay on Shion’s good side.
Once again I’ve come to realize how strong Shion really is. But
unfortunately even this was not enough to stop the attacks of the 「
Seven Celestials」.
《Warning. Incoming attack.》
Construction of the large-scale extermination magic seems to have
been finished.
Dammit, what should I do——
《Report. There is no problem. Analysis of the magic circle has
been completed.》
A calm and reliable voice comforts me seeing how worried I am.
Eh, ah, okay.
It sounds like there is no problem, but that magic circle seems to
be pretty complex…… No, it must have been only a tiny problem for
Wisdom King Raphael-san to solve.
It is quite indecent to interrupt when the 「Seven Celestial Sages」
are all so confident about themselves, but all of you won’t stand a
chance when Raphael-san gets serious.
「「「Die! Trinity Break——!」」」

456
 The three’s voices overlap as they activate the magic.
But, it is meaningless at this point.
「Report. Reactivating Ultimate Skill 「Gluttony King Beelzebub」.
」
As Raphael announces, the killing beams starts pouring from the
sky are consumed clean by my 「Gluttony King beelzebub」.
Wow, what an incredible power when optimized.
As the killing beams vanish before their eyes, the Holy Knights all
stare with their eyes wide open.
But speaking of which, how strange? Hold on a second?
Didn’t I just sacrifice 「Gluttony King Beelzebub」 in order to deal
with Hinata’s attack…...
《Answer. It indeed sacrificed Ultimate Skill 「Gluttony King
beelzebub」, but it won’t pose an issue since a copy of the skill has
been made.》
What did you say? A copy?
Eh, why did you say as if it’s a trivial matter. Couldn’t you have just
told me so from the start?
And I thought I couldn’t use it again.
It is already past tense for Raphael-san, but I still seem to hold a
grudge for it.
《Warning. Reactions from Spirit Particles have intensified. Main
attack incoming.》
Oh yeah, so that was not the main attack.
「「「We shall end you now, Demon Lord! Trinity Disintegration!
」」」
Damn! I don’t think 「Gluttony King Beelzebub」 will make
through this one.

457
 《Answer. No problem. Activate 「Absolute Defense」 of Ultimate
Skill 「Covenant King Uriel」? YES/NO》
Oh, as expected from Raphael!
Of course I would choose YES, eh?
I suddenly have a strange feeling.
As I was concerned over it, the 「Absolute Defense」 of 「
Covenant King Uriel」 were activated for the first time. I feel as
though my skin is being covered by a thin layer of transparent
membrane.
With this layer of membrane——「Absolute Defense」 as
blockade, 「Trinity Disintegration」 is completely countered.

◇◇◇

Speaking of this, I now recall.

That was the first time I activated it.
Before that I’ve only relied on 「Multi-Barrier」 instead of 「
Absolute Defense」. With my 「Thought Acceleration」 raised to
the maximum overdrive, I raised a question to Wisdom King Raphael.
Oi, why didn’t you just activate this before? Against Hinata’s attack
as well, shouldn’t this be able to block it as well?
To my question, Wisdom King Raphael-san gives me a jaw-dropping
answer.
I am completely baffled. Because——
《Answer. Even if activated 「Absolute Defense」 of 「Covenant
King Uriel」, 「Spirit Particle」 may still penetrate. Hence, activating
said skill prior is meaningless.》
——Just like that, it makes it sound very justified.

458
 Even the biggest perfectionist would have a limit to things, Wisdom
King Raphael-san……
「Spirit Particle」 is the special particle that makes up magicule,
its motion is extremely hard to predict. The spirit particles can move
through the barrier of space and time. The principle that governs
these random phase changes——The law of natural motion in 「
Spirit Particle」——If not decoded, even my 「Absolute Defense」
would be penetrated.
But right now, my 「Absolute Defense」 has perfectly defended
against 「Trinity Disintegration」.
So how did Raphael-san so perfectly predict the movement of 「
Spirit Particles」?
《Answer. The attack just now——「Melt Slash」 was canceled by
「Gluttony King Beelzebub」 and engaged by 「Prey」 at the same
time. The information gathered then was successful in analyzing the
random motion of 「Spirit Particles」. That is why defense
mechanism was able to predict the attack of holy-element. In
addition, you’ve obtained Holy Sword technique 「Melt Slash」. 》
Right——……
Hmm? Wait, hold on a second————
Eh? It would mean that, you let me intentionally get hit by Hinata’s
sword……..?
《.......》
Oi! How dare you remain silent now!
Its reaction is almost saying 「Oh shit!」
In other words, its silence was its acquiescence.
Eh? But…...
Hold on? Wisdom King Raphael-san wouldn’t make such dangerous
gambit, so could it be…….

459
 ——that even if I didn’t use 「Gluttony King Beelzebub」 to cancel
the attack, I wouldn’t be killed even when hit by 「Melt Slash」
head on?
《Answer. Of course not. Speculate to consume massive amount of
magicule, however, the physical body can be instantly revived
through 「Endless Regeneration」.》
……
Then what were you nervous about?
Or perhaps, did you want to analyze 「Melt Slash」 by consuming
it?
《.......》
My my, are you at it again?
This guy is getting smoother in answering questions. Should I say
that it has become more human-like or calculative.
I would believe without a doubt if it says that it has already
possessed consciousness.
——But then again——
It is one of my wish. It apparently wanted to learn the attack after
surviving it.
Will you always put yourself out to fulfill a wish that may disappear
in a blink of an eye?
If that’s the case, then this super duper invincible skill (Wisdom King
Raphael) is simply too amazing. It is truly a waste to give me such
power.
《False. I was born only for my master.》
It immediately denies.
Oh, thanks.
I’ll be relying on you in the future as well, partner!
——But, try your best not to hide anything from me in the future.

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 And so during this stretched out time, I had this conversation with
Wisdom King Raphael, which converting to normal speed of time
would only have lasted for an instant.

◇◇◇

「Impossible, how could it be——!」

「This can’t be real, how can something like this even happen!」
「There is no one in the world who can survive a direct hit of 『
Disintegration』——」
Etc. Etc.
The three sages are in extreme panic.
I suppose they should be.
Even I who took the hit felt that I was a little too over the top.
Their attack not only was the strongest in Holy Magic, it was also
stacked with three layers, granting it with absolute destructive
power. Yet I blocked it with ease. It is only natural for them to be
astounded and refusing to accept reality.
But unfortunately, this indeed is the reality.
The only reason why you’ve failed is that you’ve pissed me——
actually, that you’ve stood against Wisdom King Raphael.
「Alright, it’s our turn now.」
With my words out, Benimaru, Souei and Shion nod along.
「Now that your proud magic circle is gone, can you endure it this
time?」
Benimaru says so while toying the black flame in his hand.
The 「Seven Celestials」 turn cowardice as soon as they see this.
They seem to be very anxious after using their trump card.

461
 「Don’t even think about running, trash. You better start praying!
」
Shion comments on her prey as she gives off a terrifying smile.
Souei remains silent, but he is closely observing the every move of
the 「Seven Celestials」.
The Beastketeers Alvis and Sophia also join in, overlooking all of
the Holy Knights from the sky to pressurize them. I think there
shouldn’t be any dangerous individual among them, but keeping an
eye out wouldn’t cost anything. If there is anyone suspicious in the
mix, he will not have a chance to cause any trouble.
「Uh…....」
The 「Seven Celestials」 have been cornered. Yet they still don’t
intend to give up even facing such a circumstance.
「Think about it for a second! We are the guardians of mankind! If
you kill us, the believers of Ruminas will not just sit and watch!」
「Indeed! The fury of the God Ruminas will consume you!」
「We shall retreat for now. Now that we know you are no evil
being, we shall say a few words of praise for you in the Western
Nations. Let us just be good neighbours in the future——」
They interchange threatening and conciliating frequently to
continue to negotiate arrogantly.
How truly annoying, it’s about time to shut them up——And just
when I have the thought…...
「——Demon Lord Rimuru, sorry for the trouble.」
A piercing sound is suddenly made.
A slit is slashed across the space, followed by the appearance of a
giant gate.
The gate opens to reveal a beautiful young girl behind.

462
 One with unique silver hair and heterochromatic eyes——It is none
other than Demon Lord Valentine herself that came for a visit.
Why are you here? I would seem pretty silly asking this.
「Gu... Ahhh!」
「You….. Aren’t you——!」
「Why have your grace visited such a place——」
The 「Seven Celestials」 are shocked, moreover, their arrogance
disappeared in an instant.
They drop on their knees in fear.
If that is the case.
The God Ruminas’ true identity is actually Demon Lord Valentine.
Learning this fact, I am speechless out of astonishment.

◇◇◇

Diablo is so joyful to the point of shaking as he puts on a evil smile.

「——I’ll permit it. Go banish them.」
With this one line from Rimuru, he is now permitted to any violent
behaviours.
He really wishes to banish these fools as soon as possible, but
before that, there is one other thing to do.
「By the way, everyone, are you all alright?」
Diablo asks the reporters delightfully.
The fireball was intercepted by Diablo’s 「Barrier」, and so no
reporter was hurt. That also included the demon slayers and Edward
along with his Imperial Knights that entered the 「Barrier」.
Everyone is unharmed.

463
 「Elemental Magic」 or 「Spirit Magic」 requires magicule, and
so they are unable to break through Diablo’s 「Barrier」.
「Tsk, abominable demon. I can’t believe he possesses such
power——」
「What a horrifying guy. But if that’s the case, let’s demonstrate
the holy power as well——」
「Here we go, everyone gets ready!」
The 「Seven Celestials」 thought they could easily get rid of
everyone, yet the situation at hand is truly out of their expectation.
No matter how strong the demon is, as soon as its flesh used in its
incarnation is destroyed, it will lose its influence on the world.
Unable to sustain its demonic body, it will be instantly returned to
the spiritual world.
Based on this, the members of the 「Seven Celestials」 came up
with the ultimate magic.
A gigantic fireball——Nuclear Strike Magic「Flame of destruction
(Nuclear Flame)」.
This ultimate elemental magic isn’t even possible to be wielded by
one person, it requires three people’s cooperation to execute. It is
the evil flame of hell that will incinerate everything. Yet, with Diablo
on the defense, it didn’t work at all.
The shocked 「Seven Celestials」 decided to pull out their final
solution without hesitation. They can only rely on the Holy Power in
order to beat someone as dangerous as Diablo——Based on this
consideration, they’ve decided to utilize their supposedly reserved
trump card 「Trinity Break」.
It is the same ultimate technique used by the other sages in the fight
against Rimuru. It will take some time to prepare, but they can be
rest assured as the casting process is protected by 「Barrier」.
Moreover, this skill will unleash 「Trinity Disintegration」 in the end,
a Holy Magic spell that can decimate all beings.」

464
Monster or Majin, no matter how strong——Even a Demon Lord,
should not be able to defend against that spell. The 「Seven
Celestials」 casted it with such confidence——
「If that’s the case——」 Diablo thinks to himself and turns to talk
to the other people. He has completely ignored the 「Seven
Celestials」 and focused his attention on the press.
「Did you all just witness that attack? They are clearly trying to kill
you, aren’t they?」
He asks gently.
Even Sare who was just fighting him couldn’t deny it.
And naturally none of the reporter made a sound to object.
Everyone is aware of what is going on and nod unanimously.
The guardian of mankind, the great heroes——Some of the reporters
know these people, they are the legendary 「Seven Celestial Sages
」.
The reporters have all realized that there were no lies in Diablo’s
words and that they were all supposed to be sacrificed. The 「Seven
Celestials」 planned to eliminate them along with Diablo in order to
then claim to the public that it is all Diablo’s doing.
「But, you may all be rest assured. For I will protect you.」
In the reporters’ eyes, Diablo is giving off a kind and gentle smile
like Buddha.
They are confident in Diablo’s promise. He was strong enough to
take on「Three Martial Sage」 Sare with ease, then he definitely can
defeat the legendary 「Seven Celestial Sages」.
「W-what should we give in return——」
「Money?」
Some people are questioning Diablo’s intent.
Since demons never do things for free, they will always seek
payment.

465
 And it should be the same for Diablo. He wouldn’t lend his aid for
free except for Rimuru.
「Kufufufufu, how wonderful it is that you are all so reasonable. I
only wish for one thing——」
He raises his demand with a smile.
He demands that reporters would prove his innocence.
Hearing this, the reporters are greatly relieved, believing this is a
reasonable price.
It wasn’t at all like this when they initially learnt that Diablo was a
vicious demon, yet it turned out to be not be the case. After the high
lieutenant Sare of Holy Empire Ruberios was affected as well, the
reporters realized that it was the highest executives, the 「Seven
Celestials」 that were behind this whole ordeal. They don’t have a
reason to turn down Diablo’s demand, for they themselves were
manipulated as well.
「Of course! Please allow me to spread the news of this whole
thing more to the public more!」
「Right, I’ll document all of it! Including your incredible skills!」
「No problem. And that’s why we’ll be relying on you! Please lend
us your aid!」
Near a hundred of reporters all agreed to assisting Diablo.
And it means that they are now under the influence of Unique Skill
「Tempter」.
They have signed the contract that forbids them from betraying.
「Kufufufufu, very well. I shall agree to rescuing all of you. All
except you.」
Diablo points at a certain person while saying so, it is Edward who
has just awakened from his coma.
「W-why? What have I do——」

466
 「Silence! You tried to deceive the great Rimuru-sama. And that
crime alone cannot simply be repaid with death. Let me be very clear
now, you are not worthy of salvation.」
Diablo says so arrogantly.
Edward desperately tries to use his knotted brain to think, yet he
can’t come up with a good idea. He knows but one thing, that he is
going to die if this continues.
He turns to his knights, yet they all avert their eyes immediately. It
can’t be helped really. Their opponent are either that monsters led
by a Demon Lord or the legendary heroes, they can’t win against
either of them.
「I’m begging you, please, truly please, save me……. No, please
save me as well!」
All Edward can do is to beg with a desperate expression. But it is
not able to move Diablo’s heart.
「Kufufufufu, then you can bring the regret for your stupidity to
the next world.」
Neither the reporters or anyone else are planning to help Edward.
They can’t possibly do such a thing. No one wants to be the
mediator when it was Edward who orchestrated this whole thing in
the first place. It is only karma for such thing to backfire on himself.
Noticing that no one has the intention to help, Edward begins to
cry out loud.
「I’ll give you everything. Money or power. I-I’ll even give you the
throne. I’ll step down to give you everything——」
Hearing this, Dialo begins to ponder a bit.
「Right, the Hero Youmu was responsible for looking after Edmalis-
dono. I believe that man is qualified enough to lead your nation of
Farmus Kingdom. What do you think?」
Diablo’s tone becomes slightly more gentle as he asks Edward this.

467
 He quickly catches on the meaning. With Edward’s brain running at
the fastest speed in his life, he understands everything said to him
clearly.
「I-I think so too! He is a man of talent. I shall announce to the
public that he has been appointed as my successor——」
Edward’s answer seems to satisfy Diablo a lot.
The reporters also sense his intent.
「Hahahaha. A new Hero King is about to be born???」
「We must spread and promote this news wide around the
world——」
They are all very practical as to catch on to what Diablo meant and
agree with their words.
Diablo nods joyfully.
Now everything is properly arranged. Although the plan has slightly
deviated, the result nonetheless seems satisfying.
Now he will only have to take care of the trash——
The moment then arrives.
「Huh, have you made your resolve?」
「For not much longer shall our beam of evil cleansing shall be
sent on your way.」
「Enjoy while your numbered life lasts——」
The 「Seven Celestials」 seem to be quite confident with their
spell as they sit around observing the situation energetically. Yet they
are all about to fall in despair.
「Resolve? Quit joking around, you trash. Hindering my mission
and embarrassing me in front of Rimuru-sama——That crime is too
severe.
I shall repay you with the fear and despair that I have felt in folds—
—」

468
 Diablo stares at the 「Seven Celestials」 without a smile. His face
is of no emotion while the handsome look of his only deepen
people’s fear.
「W-what——?」
「What nonsense are you on about?」
「Are you mad? With our spell——」
At that instant, the sound of Diablo’s snap of finger interrupts the
words of 「Seven Celestials」.
Then, the whole world is doomed with fear.
「May the world be destroyed slowly so you will have a taste of
helpless despair! Activate——『Despair Time』——」
This is Diablo’s power.
It is one of the ability under his Unique Skill 「Tempter」——「
World of Temptation」. It originally would have a direct impact on
the targets’ consciousness and affect their psyche. Yet Diablo has
made this ability even more powerful.
He is able to materialize the imaginary world where he holds the
absolute authority. Once sent to that world, even the life and death
of the targets would be in Diablo’s grip. He may even intertwine the
things happening in his imaginary world with what happens in the
real world through 「Reality Exchange」.
To have the illusion imposed by Diablo materialize to their realities—
—This is how horrifying and beyond common sense this ability is.
The only way to overcome its effect is through training of spiritual
body so one can break through by sheer willpower.
Yet there are very few people who can best Diablo who was a
spiritual life form to begin with, the 「Seven Celestial Sages」 are no
exception.
「W-what is this!」
「Magic, our magic disappeared——!」

469
 「How can this be…….」
They shout in astonishment, yet amounting to no change.
They can only allow time to pass as they remain in despair.
In the end, their world begins to collapse.
「Reflect on your stupidity at the depths of hell——」
With this said, Diablo wraps up the final act.
「Collapsing World (End of World)」——As 「World of
Temptation」 collapses, it will suck in those affected by it.
The world comes to an end, devouring the despair of the 「Seven
Celestials」 along with it.
——Soon after, the promise made at this place will be successfully
carried out.

◇◇◇

Demon Lord Valentine——No, Ruminas’ presence here alone is

shocking enough, yet someone else emerged from the gate. I recall
this man seemed to be Demon Lord Valentine (fake), now that I think
about it, he must have been Ruminas’ body double this whole time.
The three members of the 「Seven Celestials」 become pale as
they remain on their knees in front of Ruminas. It seems that they’ve
become fearful like lambs to be slaughtered and aren’t planning to
fight us any longer.
Then, what would Ruminas do?
She said that she was sorry for the trouble, which would mean that
they have no intention to fight us……
Just as I thought so, the man who acted as body double opens up:
「Kneel at this instant. I am Pope Louis. And this lord here is our
God——Ruminas-sama!」

470
 He announces sonorously.
Hearing this, the Holy Knights all quickly kneel down. It is almost as
if they’ve suddenly met a certain famous retired vice-shogun (Mito
Komon), but I should keep such a thought to myself.
Although feeling confused, we still decide to observe quietly on the
side.
But…… the Demon Lord is the God, what kind of joke is this?
And the Demon Lord’s double is the pope? Goodness me, this type
of disguise is so out of this world that I’m having trouble digesting.
But considering it carefully, it must be a very efficient way——
《Affirmative. Speculate to be able to create effective
circumstance for this species’ domination over 「Human」. 》
Ah, hmm.
Does it mean that I should copy it as well? But don’t get me wrong.
If I don’t clarify that, Wisdom King Raphael may go out of control
(to try imitating). Anyhow, I’ll put that thought aside for now.
「——Hinata. Didn’t I tell you to not overdo things for yourself?
How dare you be so reckless.」
As she speaks, Ruminas reach her hand out to Hinata hugged by
me.
「Let the heart be alive once more! (Resurrection)」
This is the Holy Miracle 「Resurrection」——
In front of my eyes, the wound that pierced through Hinata’s back
to her left chest begin to heal.
It seems to be more effective than my healing potion, but hold on
for a second.
How can a Demon Lord cast Holy Miracle?
《Answer. Holy Miracle refers to a type of magic that effectively
utilizes 「Spirit Particles」. Normal means cannot interfere with 「

471
Spirit Particles」, however, said method has been identified.
Remaining task is analysis——》
Although I still don’t get it, Wisdom King Raphael-san seems to be
eager to try.
I should be reassured with whatever that is handed to Raphael-san,
so I’ll leave things as they are.
「Uh, uh——Hmm……..s-sensei——?」
Oh, Hinata seems to have regained consciousness.
Is she mistaking me for Shizue-san?
「Oh, you’re finally awake. What teacher? You were trying to cross
the border, right——」
Since it’s quite intriguing, I decide to joke around a bit with her.
Without her usual tough appearance, Hinata looks very innocent.
I recall she came here during her high school years, and it has been
around a decade or so? Meaning her age is around——
Just as I thought so, Hinata’s eyes suddenly become sharp.
She is looking at me with a cruel expression.
「——Oi.」
「Yes m’lady.」
「Were you thinking about something rude?」
「No, no way.」
「Is that so? I suppose I’ll let it slide. By the way, how much longer
do you plan to hug me?」
What hugging, how rude. I made an effort to take care of you only
to be met with such rude words.
Although I wish to complain, for some reason, the atmosphere has
prevented me from speaking. I should just apologize now nicely. You
are getting a favour by suffering a loss, that is the mature way of
considering life.

472
 「Sorry! Thanks for the view though!」
I immediately jump away from Hinata after saying so.
Hearing my words, Hinata turn to look at her chest.
There is a hole on her clothes that display her tender white
bosoms.
「——Oh?」
Shit, Hinata’s murderous aura is abnormally high.
Did I accidentally trip the landmine?
「Has no one ever called you a blockhead?」
「N-no you, quit staring at me with those sharp looks. You are so
stubborn and never listen to others’ words!」
I couldn’t help but retort, which turns out to be a big mistake.
A sense of anger suddenly emerges on Hinata’s beautiful face as
she smacks her mouth. However, Hinata takes in a deep breath and
suppresses this anger to then turn to me with a smile.
This is way more scarier……
「——let me tell you something. I am myopic. Do you see now
how much of a blockhead you are? With that sort of behaviour, I bet
you’ve never been popular with girls in the past.」
Hinata’s words stabbed right through my heart and caused fatal
damage
Annoying! She’s reminding of my long forgotten past.
「T-there is no such thing! I was very caring and reliable in the
past!」
「Oh——Alright then.」
Hinata looks at me with a sympathetic expression and gives a
disdainful chuckle.
Unwillingly, I have lost.

473
 Why do I feel such sense of defeat when I was supposed to be the
victor of the fight.
Speaking of which, I haven’t even declared my victory…….
Leaving me destroyed with the above sayings, Hinata goes on to
treat Reynald with healing magic.
She’s an expert in that field as well.
She probably thought that if anything urgent had happened, there
is no way that Ruminas would not lend an aiding hand, so she simply
ignored everything else. It seems like that Ruminas is the type who
will ignore people if they are not to her interest.
Reynald, good luck. You are a even sadder fellow than me.
Seeing that Ruminas has healed Hinata, the Holy Knights seem to
have erased their doubts for her as well. After all, there is no reason
to question it when some of them seem to know Pope Louis as well.
When Reynald regains consciousness, everyone begins to share
this joy.
They begin to surrender to Hinata with tears while shouting her
name. 「Hinata-sama!」
Ah, someone got punched for staring at her chest.
As expected of Hinata, how terrifying.
Does it matter that she is short-sighted? She seems to have 「
Magic Perception」 on for most of the times.
Ah, the chance of exposure for man peeking at the ladies is almost
one hundred percent. I have to be careful.
Even though it is too late to say so.
As such, everyone regains their calmness before Ruminas opens up
with majesty:
「——Then, 『Seven Celestials』, what excuse do you have for
this incident?」

474
 Everyone is curious of how Ruminas would tie up the loose ends,
and so we remain to watch it unfold.
It is then that Diablo reports back to me.
「——Rimuru-sama, it is done.」
「Good. Then, how did things go?」
「Kufufufufu. All according to the original plan——」
This Diablo, seems to be in a pretty good mood.
It must mean that all the problems have been resolved.
「Alright, report back to me after the whole things settle for a
while.」
「Understood. I look forward to when that chance arises.」
As he finishes, Diablo withdraws from 「Telepathy Net」 and goes
back to his mission.
It probably means that he was also able to get rid of the false
accusation and clear his name for the murdering charge.
If that’s the case, I won’t interfere with how the 「Seven Celestials
」 are trialed.
It is true that I got a lot of trouble for this, but I’ve accepted
Ruminas’ apology just now. Further interference would only make
things more troublesome. We should focus on how to improve our
relationship in the future instead.
As I was thinking this, the result of the trial seems to be out.
It is quick and ruthless.
「The punishment is death. As a parting gift, I shall send you on
your way myself——」
「H-have mercy!」
「We only did these for Ruminas-sama——」
「Please, f-for all the years we’ve pledged our loyalty, we beg
you——」

475
 The 「Seven Celestials」 are begging for Ruminas’ forgiveness
desperately. However, their wish did not come true.
「——I gift thou the blessing of the dead (Death Blessing)!」
Ruminate open her arms as the invisible hands of god gently
surround the members of the 「Seven Celestials」.

476
477
 It is a hug of compassion and love——or so it appears, but it seems
to be a cruel skill that transform its target from life to death. It is
sufficient to see how immense just part of Demon Lord Ruminas’
power is.
The 「Seven Celestials」that attempted to frame and sabotage us
came to their painless demise in an instant.
What a waste of all my mental preparation for possibly going to war
with Holy Empire Ruberios now that things are so casually resolved.
And so, we change our venue to a location more suited for
negotiation to discuss the future of our relation.

◇◇◇

Since it’s not good to negotiate while standing, we decided to

switch a venue.
I returned triumphantly alongside Ruminas, Louis, Hinata and the
rest to the town.
Then, I suddenly recall something as I am welcomed by Veldora.
「Ah, sorry. The final defense didn’t have a chance to show up.」
「What! And I had my hope high while waiting here…...」
Veldora seems to have some complaints, but I can only ask him to
accept it.
All in all, things are resolved smoothly——or so I thought. But
there is no such good deal in the world.
As soon as he lays his eyes on Ruminas, Veldora suddenly drops the
shocking statement:
「——! Oh oh, you are that someone! Finally, now I remember!
Ruminas, aren’t you Demon Lord Ruminas! You are the female

478
vampire who were at that castle I trashed. Haha, now I finally
remember. Feels good, feels——」
Veldora dared to expose such information. Ruminas then suddenly
creates a sword to plunge at him in order to shut him up.
But, it is already too late.
The truth that the God Ruminas is Demon Lord Ruminas Valentine
has been completely revealed.
The Holy Knights are all silent.
They must all be very confused about what they just heard.
Hinata seems to be aware of the fact and begins to sigh with her
palm on the face. Louis on the other hand has decided to stay away
from the whole thing.
I can’t stand it.
I have a new understanding of how much of a trouble maker
Veldora is.
And then——
Ruminas cusses out loud: 「This fucking lizard is back at it again to
ruin my business——」 She become out of control due to fury and
everyone begins desperately trying to calm her down.
But——
That is a story for another day.

479
480
Epilogue
New Bonds
The location is the holy land—— 「Inner Sanctum」.
The head of the 「Seven Celestial Sages」, 「Master of Sun」
Gran, is done with his work for now and has been bitterly waiting for
his companions to return.
There seemed to be changes to the plan for eliminating Hinata. The
Master of Fire sent out an urgent call for help. There was no room
for failure regarding this particular matter. That’s why he sent out
the Master of Moon and Gold together to fight.
That woman is too smart. She would continue to be an obstacle for
my plans if I don’t manage to eliminate her today. The Goddess
Ruminas——No, I’ll manipulate that Demon Lord to become the true
ruler——
The Master of Sun has hidden his ambitions and served Ruminas
for thousands of years.
He eliminated dangerous newcomers who were overly talented
before they could make a name for themselves.
He has also manipulated his colleagues and subordinates, who are
the members of the 「Seven Celestials」, through cunning words.
The Master of Sun continued to play the role as a devoted believer.
It is very easy to motivate them.
Some of them desires Ruminas’ love. So as long as he invoked
jealousy among the other members, they would dance to the tune of
Master of Sun.
This time was no different. They still followed the will of the
Master of Sun….
The Master of Fire has disguised himself as the Holy Knight Gerald,
who was secretly disposed of. He has set off to assassinate Hinata.
Everything has been perfectly planned out.

481
The Master of Moon has disguised him with illusional magic so he
won’t be exposed.
The Dragon Buster that was handed to Hinata has been tampered
with and can be destroyed at any point of time. Combining the attack
of Demon Lord Rimuru and the destruction of the holy sword, Hinata
would most definitely be defeated.
Yet Hinata didn’t use the Dragon Buster, and she even prevailed in
her duel with the Demon Lord.
Gran has decided to change the specifics of his plan upon hearing
these news.
It would be best if Demon Lord Rimuru takes care of Hinata. But if he
fails, the Master of Fire would then make sure Hinata is eliminated.
They would then eliminate all the witnesses in the name of the 「
Seven Celestials」 to appease Demon Lord Rimuru.
They would change their plan to win the trust of Rimuru instead in
order to get on good terms with him.
But then, more problems kept emerging.
There was also a situation in the Nedler territory within Farmus
Kingdom. The demon there was both powerful and cunning beyond
measure.
He flaunted his power——Such a reckless tactic was successful in
raising doubts among the journalists of the surrounding nations that
they had gathered.
When Gran heard the report sent back by the Master of Earth, he
immediately sent the Master of Water and Master of Wood as
backup.
Considering how things had developed, they had to take out all the
witnesses and frame the crime on that Demon.
We shall march in the name of God on the Demon who has
committed such heinous crimes——With this saying, the actions of
the 「Seven Celestial Sages」 would be justified.

482
 In other words, they would hold the Demon accountable for his
reckless actions instead of holding Demon Lord Rimuru responsible.
That’s the direction they planned to head towards.
If there is any difficulty in negotiation, they would use the name of
goddess Ruminas as justification. Demon Lord Rimuru wants to build
his foundation among the Western Nations, so surely it will be
troublesome if he’s labeled as the「Nemesis of God」. Then there
will be more space for negotiation.
The Master of Sun believed the plan would no doubt be successful
with such reasoning.
But if there is any problem, it would be that Demon——Diablo is
absurdly powerful…….
But with the aid of the Master of Wood, whose power is only next to
himself——The Master of Sun has no doubt that they will emerge
victorious.
Yet his colleagues still have not returned.
「What have those guys been up to——」
Such a complaint came out of his mouth unconsciously.
There shouldn’t be anyone present to respond to him, and yet he
heard someone respond back.
「What is wrong? You seem rather impetuous.」
「You….. What are you doing here——?」
The Master of Sun asked while hiding his surprise.
The uninvited guest is Hinata’s trusted subordinate——Cardinal
Nicolas Spertus.
「Well, I found something very interesting.」
「You found something?」
「Indeed. Here it is.」
As he finished, Nicolas took out the crystal ball containing the
memos from Rimuru.

483
 「How is that interesting——?」
「I found out that someone has tampered with it.」
Nicolas added on while interrupting Gran.
It was quite rude, especially when done towards a legendary heroic
figure, such as himself. Yet Nicolas doesn’t seem to care one bit.
Even though he was displeased, Gran looks towards the crystal ball.
The deleted content suddenly reappeared, showing the real
message.
「——Ah!」
Nicolas continues to sense Gran’s distress:
「I have no interest in your goals, whether you want to be pets of
God Ruminas or you wish to manipulate the power of God……..」
「What are you saying!? God is a concept that lives in people’s
heart.」
「There is no need to hide it any longer. I realized a long time ago
that God Ruminas indeed exists. I simply followed in Hinata-sama’s
footsteps and concealed that fact. Apart from that, I have no interest
on the matter——」
Master of Sun can almost hear Nicolas adding the line 「Including
the fact that you wanted to use the name of god——」
He opens his eyes wide at Nicolas.
Nicolas on the other hand, looks back at the Master of Sun with his
face of wisdom, staring closely at him. His eyes are like a bottomless
swamp, filled with schemes but not a sense of emotion.
「You——」
Gran wants to say something, yet Nicolas wouldn’t allow him to
finish.
「Go to hell, you old crooks. 『Disintegration』!」
「How——!」

484
 How could you——Those are the words he probably wished to
utter. The frame of his shocked face is printed as the Master of Sun is
devoured by light particles and annihilated.
「Foul pest. Did you expect me to let you walk free after trying to
do harm to Hinata-sama?」
Leaving these words, Nicolas returns to his office as if nothing has
happened.
Cardinal Nicolas Spertus——Hinata’s trusted subordinate and her
fanatic follower.
To him, religion is but his way of tagging himself alongside Hinata.
Nicolas is a heretic.
He stands at the top position of the Pope’s Ministry, yet he does not
believe in god.
He only believes in one person, Hinata.

◇◇◇

The heat of the fireplace has kept this room warm.

Sitting on a thick and soft chair, Granbell Rosso is meditating.
「Nicolas…… you little shit…....」
He mumbles to himself as he opens his eyes.
The bright lights of 「Disintegration」 is still branded in his brain.
Indeed, the true identity of Granbell Rosso is the head of 「Seven
Celestial Sages」—— 「Master of Sun」 Gran.
Granbell possesses the ability to separate his astral body in order to
possess others, His heart is filled with anger now that his recently
renewed body has been destroyed by Nicolas.
Moreover, had it been him there in person——He can’t deny that it
would have been a really close call.
This furthers Granbell’s anger.

485
 It is time to withdraw now.
When he opened up his eyes, he sensed that Glenda was
approaching the mansion as well.
That should indicate something has occurred outside of their plan, in
other words, the mission has failed.
Glenda bashes into the room and starts shouting upon seeing
Granbell.
「Granbell-sama, I can’t win against that. I can’t handle that insane
monster that showed up!」
He can tell that she has given everything she had to escape as she
has exhaustion written all over her face. Her words are no doubt
truthful.
「What happened to the rest of the 『Three Martial Sages』? If
you three all move in together——」
「No way, our enemy isn’t that weak. I have a keen sense to the
aura of death on the battlefield. I realized things weren’t good for us,
so I escaped after leaving the fighting to Saray. The enemy could rival
Demon Lord——No, he was probably even stronger…….」
These are Glenda’s testimonies.
You are overreacting——Granbell thinks to himself, yet the rest of
his colleagues within the 「Seven Celestial Sages」 has yet to reach
out to him as well.
Granbell, unease at the thought begins to detect their presence,
yet he is not receiving any reaction.
「Could it be…….」
This is the reality that cannot be averted even with Granbell’s
shocking realization.
A few days later——
As spies across the nations report back to Granbell, he was
informed of the defeat of King Edward.

486
The reporters from all over the nations were safe and sound. They’ve
spread out and made the headlines to notify every member of the
public about the whole thing.
What follows is rumor from Brumund Kingdom that the Tempest
Federation is planning to host a grand celebration.
Assessing all the information, Granbell finally determines his
operation to be a failure.
Including himself, the 「Seven Celestial Sages」 have been
completely annihilated.
Now he can’t keep acting with the false name of the god Ruminas.
Later, his beloved Mariabell also made a prediction——
「Dangerous, Dangerous indeed. That town is very dangerous!」
Not knowing what she meant, Granbell asked:
「——do you mean that the angels are attacking?」
「No, that’s not the case, grandpa. That Demon Lord is planning to
dominate the world through economy.」
The manipulation of human world through economy——That is the
ardent hope of the Rosso.
It is also the plan that Granbell has been working on.
「How could this be…...」
「It’s true. And it will become a reality eventually. That’s why——
We have to defeat him before that.」
Mariabell wouldn’t lie.
——She hasn’t lied to this day.
That’s why he needed to refer to her words as part of the
assessment as well.
「I see, if you say so, it must really be the case.」
After all, Mariabell is from Granbell’s direct lineage——

487
 「Indeed. Next time, we will be able to do it next time. I shall
gamble on my name, Mariabell the 『Greed』!」
——She is also a reincarnated one.
Having possessed extraordinary power and knowledge from the 「
Otherworld」, she is the hope of the Rosso.
With Mariabell, the Rosso will always have the upper edge——With
that thought beared in mind, Granbell’s ambition is ignited once
more……..

◇◇◇

After all the fuss that had gone done, I was able to reach to a
peaceful resolution with Ruminas.
I was also able to resolve the misunderstanding between me and
Hinata.
In return as apology, they promised me that they would announce to
the world under the name of Western Saints Church that we are
harmless monsters.
And the previous conflicts have been due to challenges in
communication.
There may be similar problems like this in the future, but I will learn
from this incident to overcome any future challenges.
As such, our diplomatic relation with the Holy Empire Ruberios has
also been revised.
We’ve signed on a treaty of non-aggression and has reached
common ground to permit each others’ actions.
But someone (Veldora) has caused other trouble, which would be
accounted for as a separate case.
I am very firm on my position that the problem with that person
(Veldora) has nothing to do with our country.

488
Ruminas seemed unpleased, but she had to agree after I promised to
not intervene with anything related to the treatment of that person.
——But it won’t really matter, since with the ultimate skill 「Storm
King Veldora」, Veldora, to some extent has become immortal.
There shouldn’t be a problem if anything bad happens to him.
《Answer. There wouldn’t be a problem.》
Hmm
I seem to feel a sense of guilt for selling out my friend, but with that
being said, we still need to sacrifice brother Veldora to contain
Ruminas’ wrath.
「UHHH, are you leaving me to die now——?」
Someone seems to be shouting at the top of his lung, but I must be
hearing things.
At the end of the day, he had it coming, so I can’t really help with
that.
It may be saddening, but that’s how you mature in leading a life.
Just like that, on the bedrock of a tiny sacrifice, we embrace the time
of peace.
I’m not sure what happened in between to have things come to
this point, but Youmu’s seat as king has also been settled.
Now all we have to do is to wait for inauguration, how wonderful it is
that things have worked out fine.
With all that being said, our problems have been resolved altogether.
From today onward——
The Western Nations have officially accepted us.

489
490
Sketch of Fritz, Gerald, Bacchus (Left to right)

491
492
Sketch of Glenda, Grigori, Sare (Left to right)

493
494
Extra Manga Panel: Gobta being an idiot again

495
Side Story
Roads of Delicacy

Garde Myourmiles is a famous merchant.

Not only that, he also happens to be the head of the Brumund
Kingdom’s underworld..
He’s an arrogant man; strict with his money and refuses to reduce
himself to flattery, even with the most prominent nobles——These
kinds of comments about him are common across Brumund
Kingdom, and are even known to the people of Ingracia.
However, in reality, Myourmiles is hardly a cruel and ruthless man.
He has a surprisingly loyal and caring personality.

496
 He allocates work to those in poverty and to orphans to ensure
their basic welfare. To allow loan borrowers to work for what they
cannot pay back——Myourmiles explains. Speaking of which, it is
Myourmiles who’s been organizing extra work for those who can’t
work for the Freedom Association.
It is because of Myourmiles’ real identity that puts him in good
terms with many influential people, including the royals of Brumund
Kingdom.
Since it would be more convenient for him to accept work
contracts, he has made favors and ways in many places. It is with
these, it’s a piece of cake for him to earn favors from the nobles
through debt collecting.
Because of this, Myourmiles has been able to firmly accumulate
power and strengthen his territory. Through this, he was able to earn
his place and voice in Brumund Kingdom.
I’ve come to Brumund Kingdom to meet this prominent
businessman Myourmiles.
For two goals this time:
To get more manpower in order to officially set off the hotel
operation, and additionally, letting him help me collect food
ingredients.
In terms of manpower, the Goblins under my rule are well trained
in customer service with Besta’s guidance. The quality of their
service could probably satisfy high-class visitors such as Duke Galabia
or King Gazel.
However, the money-managing staff fall short due to their lack of
talent.
It will take at least a couple of months to even teach them
elementary arithmetic. It’s a time-consuming process for these guys,
so they can’t just pick up skills by studying in their free time during

497
work. But it’s only natural, considering that these Mamono have
never needed to study before in their life.
They’re a bunch who have good muscle memory but lacking in
brain-power.
The capable ones can simply obtain skills by feeling like doing so.
Those who aren’t as capable have to learn through doing hard work
themselves, and gaining experience manually.
As the latter method would undoubtedly be met with failure, we
realized we would need to find backup personnel.
And so I decided to pay a visit to Myourmiles since he’s well-known
among merchants to be good at accounting.
However, the real goal of my visit is to get him help me gather new
ingredients to develop new cuisines to market. For instance, the
ramen from our last meeting. Not the instant noodle type——but
the real deal.
If I’m thorough enough, I can find somewhere. Cake also exists in
this world as well. I’m hoping Myourmiles can find out about this
type of stuff for me.
If all attempts fail, then it would be time for Raphael sensei to do
her thing.
《Answer. Food name: Ramen; Analysis completed. Necessary
ingredients are—》
Fufufufu, sasuga, SASUGA RAPHAEL-SAN.
The ingredient needed for ramen start to show up in my head non-
stop.
All of the necessary ingredients have been marked with their places
of origin with perfect accuracy.The only thing that remains is
collecting them.
But that’s the problem.
Residents in my country do not have permits to enter other
countries.

498
Although I’m fine being an adventurer, no one else can go and
import foods to my country.
This is another significant challenge.
So I’ve come to discuss with Myourmiles about it.
I quickly head to his shop in Bulmund.
「Myourmiles-kun, I’ve come to play~!」
I greet rather casually, lifting the curtain and enter the rather
luxurious entrance.
But at that instant——
「Oi brat, where do you think you are running into?」
My greeting only attracts a yakuza (mafia) looking clerk. A few
others like him show up from the back of the shop after hearing
noises outside.
「Ehh, isn’t this strange? I came in casually because Myourmiles
said, “You can drop by anytime you want, Rimuru-sama!”」
「Myourmiles——kun??? My ass! You goddamn brat, how dare
you address Myourmiles-san in that manner!」
「Oi, don’t you know you’ll get your ass kicked with that kind of
attitude?」
「We won’t let it slide even if ya start cry, ya bastard!」
They all show the same expression and shouting rude things to me.
Are they all some chinpira (thug) from the same street? I kind of
want to complain.
「Aiya, I’m truly sorry. I was told to drop by anytime so——」
「You piece of shit! Myourmiles-san won’t ever give a brat like you
a second look!!」
「Hehehe, mah, she looks pretty cute though; are you planning on
tricking Myourmiles-san?」

499
 「Sorry kid, that guy likes women who’s busted and tight in the
right places! He won’t ever take you with just a pretty face.」
「You really shouldn’t go tricking people. But, we wouldn’t mind
having some fun with you.」
My words are being overlapped by the clerks’. And I’m getting
angry with some of the thugs giving me disturbing looks at the wrong
places.
「Fellows, I’m Myourmiles-kun’s friend, you know?! Also, I’m a
man, not woman. And I’m not planning to trick him in the first place!
」
I straighten my chest and announced this to stand my ground.
Mah, though I was going to borrow some money from him this
time……
However, this would be a great deal for him as well.
Myourmiles seems to have earned great profit through the healing
potions trades, which was an idea I came up for him in making
money.
Through the sale of healing potion in the country he got to develop
new industry in local area. And through these new industries he
came up with new merchandise.
To put it nicely I’m here to persuade him into financing me, in
other words, to try and trick his funds. I’d be happy, Myourmiles’d be
happy. And so we may make a lot of money with this idea and
maintain a win-win relationship in mind.
Normally, “chance to make some money” would probably make on
suspicious.
I would definitely say no to that. “Absolute money maker!” If
anyone ever say that, they are 100% considered con-artists instantly.
HOW-EVER!
This time, it’s truly profitable. It will definitely make money since
even Raphael sensei also agree it will profitable.

500
 This time, I will definitely convince Myourmiles and let him accept
it.
This is absolutely not fraud, my conscious does not hurt at all.
And it is for that reason I could respond feeling justified——
「Shut up! Who are you trying to fool here?」
「Talking apparently won’t work, ya want me use my buddy here
to sort things out for you?」
These people won’t even listen at all, and there stands a guy trying
to intimidate me with sword sheathed around his belt.
Ah ah, this is really… I sigh internally.
It really can’t be helped since I’m not familiar with Myourmiles’
underlings. It would seem I could only communicate with brute
force——as I was going to give up, someone familiar entered from
the back of the shop.
「Oi, what the hell are you all fighting over in front the shop!」
I turn to the direction of the voice, there stands a man I miss——
It’s Bydd. The man Cabal met in Blumund, the man who once was a
con-man.
After he was hired as Myourmiles’ bodyguard I met him again in
Ingracia kingdom…. Looks like our fate intertwines again, it would
seem he has been formally employed by Myourmiles after that.
「Yo, isn’t this Bydd, how are you doing lately?」
「Ah? I-Isn’t this Rimuru-sama! Yes! Thanks to you I, no, I[1] have
been doing great! It only matters that Rimuru-sama looks so
energetic! !」
Bydd straightens himself upon seeing me and saluted me with a
90-degree bow with great respect.
What a dramatic guy.

501
 「That’s great to know. Speaking of which, these guys won’t let me
into the shop and it’s been a pain. Can you convince them that I’m
actually Myourmiles’ friend?」
Bydd should be a D+ adventure, I heard afterward that he got
levelled up to Rank C. So I suppose he’s more sensible than these
guys here. I was asking him to help with that in mind and it turned
out even smoother than I had imagined.
「Y-you guys, do you wish to ruin this store!? That is THE Rimuru-
sama!!」
These fellows who were just upset with me all started to tremble
on the spot hearing Bydd’s shout.
Everyone starts to line up like Bydd and plead guilty to me.
「「「We are t-truly sorry!! Please forgive us——」」」
As they shout out the line, they all bow deeply to me.
There were tears in everyone’s eyes. A bunch of grown ass men all
trembling out of fear. I initially thought they were just afraid of Bydd,
but it would seem they have realized who I am. I didn’t expect to
scare them like that but I’m after all, a demon lord these days.
Myourmiles must have learnt that and told these guys. Then it
wouldn’t be strange to tremble upon hearing my name alone.
If I have known that, I should have just told them my name. With
this crowd, they will probably just let me pass after hearing my
name.
「I’ll give these assholes a good lesson afterward but do forgive
them for now.」
People lowers his head as he says so, so I had to agree with him
immediately.
Yet still, with my pardon, those guys look their heads are about to
be served on a plate as they are taken away.

502
 「Th-that person was the demon lord——」
「That’s completely different from what Myourmiles-san’s drawing,
no?!」
「You’re kidding, right? Tell me it’s all a lie….」
「A-are we getting killed…...?」
——etc.
I seem to have overheard some bizarre thing from their crying, but
I would ignore it for now.

◇◇◇

「Hey, hey! Rimuru-sama! It’s an honor that you have visited us!」
「Don’t be so formal with me, Myourmiles-kun! We go way back
after all!」
Myourmiles laughs along hearing that happily. His enormous,
obese body, a symbol of his wealth, jiggles with his laughter.
But, he is truly an ace merchant.
「Hahaha, it truly makes me happy to have you say such a thing.
So what have Rimuru-sama come for this time?」
As he said so, he immediately switched to a more nervous look and
ask me. So I also enter negotiation mode with a grin.
「As a matter of fact, I’ve brought something highly profitable for
you this time.」
「Oh? And what could that be?」
「So basically——」
I explain to him in detail while sipping the red tea served by the
female clerk from his shop. Myourmiles shows an awkward
expression and fell silent after hearing about the development of
new merchandise.

503
 「Given it is orders from Rimuru-sama who’s taken much care of
me in the past, whether if it’s selecting credible talents or purchasing
food materials I would happily take the jobs. However, to find
personal for R&D of new merchandise, that would be….」
Myourmiles is a merchant so having him innovating on new food
ideas would probably be hard.
Even if he’s good at channeling the new products to existing
merchandise, to develop new merchandise seems far beyond his
abilities.
However, my goal is only to get the ingredients for the food. After
which, we will be taking over.
「No, no. We’ll cover that part. Myourmiles-kun. I only hope you
can transport the ingredients to my town. After the new
merchandise are complete, I’m planning to supply them to hotels on
the road to Blumund. So I’ll have to rely on you again for the supply
of the ingredients by that time.」
「I see….. In other words, if Rimuru-sama’s plan works out, I would
be get to add new merchandise in my trade. Is that so?」
「That is exactly the case. If the new merchandise gets popularized,
you can also sell them in other stores owned by you.」
「What! But, wouldn’t that cut Rimuru-sama from the monopoly…」
「About that, didn’t I just mention about getting financing. Since
you’ve contributed monetarily already, it is only reasonable to share
the profits when it returns.」
I’m not done just after I return the money when the business
become successful.
I made sure to elaborate on that point. Myourmiles also seems to
gradually gain more interest, listening and nodding as I go.
「I understand now. Very interesting! Then allow me to assist
you!!」

504
 Myourmiles then promised me with a plan of financing. He’s easier
than I imagined
Kukuku~
Myourmiles-kun, you are too easy.
Since the necessary task is done, I have to ask about something
「Speaking of which, I’ve been noticing from just now….」
「Myourmiles stopped and turned to me as Myourmiles was
handing over the contract to confirm with me.」
「Is there something wrong?」
「Yeah, about that. There’s a painting over there on the wall, is that
a painting of me?」
In that reception room filled with expensive yet tasteless furnitures
just to show off his wealth, only that painting decorating on the wall
seems unique and out of place.
The painting depicts a beautiful female confronting a dragon,
whose appearance seem way too mature and doesn’t match me at
all.
「Kufufufu, it’s exactly that! It is painted by a famous artist
according to the scene where you saved me in Ingracia.」
Myourmiles seems to have his switch ticked and started to give
speeches
It would seem he has utilized magic to extract his actual feeling
during the time in order to never forget the moving feeling during
the time. But seriously, this exaggeration is a bit over the top.
Ehh, but my appearance originally belonged to Shizu-san. So I can’t
really deny when being called a beauty, but being drawn like this——
it makes me look like a goddess glowing with holiness.
「Oh well, isn’t this a little too exaggerated?」
「Not at all! I think this is hardly sufficient still!」

505
 So I got in a bad spot upon pointing out it, having been refuted by
Myourmiles and had him recalling details of his situation at the time
enthusiastically.
The female clerk seems rather accustomed to the situation as she
came to refill the red tea, it would seem this type of activity is rather
mundae.
On second thought, even if I gave my name to those thugs looking
after the shop, they probably won’t be able to tell I am Rimuru from
the painting.
After all, if they are used to looking at the adult version of me on
the painting, there probably can’t imagine the real Rimuru is
someone who looks like a kid. Never mind, there’s no use concerning
myself with that.
I should try to show others my current appearance more from now
on so they won’t mistaken me again.
Myourmiles followed the contract and purchased massive amount
of food ingredients from different countries. But, should I say as
expected? I couldn’t find cuisine resembling ramen anywhere.
So let’s proceed as our deal states and develop some new cuisines.
。
More and more precious and unique ingredients are being
transferred.
My most loyal and efficient chefs will be expecting them at the
brand new kitchen.
Among them it’s Gobchi, who’s been training under Shuna from
the start.
He was extremely upset when his kitchen was wrecked by Shion, and
I was able to bait him into my scheme under the condition of
building him a new kitchen.
These cuisines can be easily recreated if I ask Shuna for help.
But if that’s we choose to rely on shuna’s cooking, there will be too

506
much burden on her at the end of the day.
So this time I decided to bring in my own development team.
Definitely not hoping to earn some extra cash for myself.
「So, what type of cuisine are we making, Rimuru-sama?」
I grin and hand over the product to Gobchi after he asked.
It is a bowl of Ramen completed within my 「stomach」.
「I-is this !?」
Gobchi swallows his saliva as he stares at the ramen.
「Try it out.」
「Yes sir, here I go then…」.
Gobchi started to taste the ramen upon finishing the sentence.
He’s rather handy with chopsticks likely due to observation of my
usage.
Gobchi nodded to me hard as he takes each bite of the ramen and
let its taste sink in.
「This is amazing, Rimuru-sama! This thing will definitely take
everyone’s heart!」
He started exclaiming with joy on his face.
「Right? Isn’t it delicious?」
「This is beyond delicious! So, how in the world do you make this?」
「Ha~Ha~Ha, that would be your job to find that out!」
「——Aiii?」
Gobchi’s face freezes with confusion hearing my laughing answer.
He didn’t seem to have catch what I mean and kept on blinking as he
thinks
That is precisely my intent after thinking through.
It would be meaningless to just produce it with my ability. We have
to find out the recipe step-by-step. This is precisely why I’ve
summoned you. But your surprised look is really giving me headache
now.

507
 「Listen Gobchi, you can use this kitchen to your heart’s content.
You get to use everyone of the ten disciples here. And so I hope you
are able to find out a recipe of ramen available for everyone with this
bowl as reference.」
I told him so while teaching him all I know about ramen making.
How to make the noodles, how to cook the broth as well as other
general information regarding ramen making.
But I’m completely ignorant on details of its making, so I’ll have to
rely on Gobchi and his crews’ efforts.
「……in other words, there are things that even Rimuru-sama
doesn’t know——no… I get to do whatever I want right?」
「That’s right. I’ve given you a completed version, you just go ahead
and research it as a reference to whatever end you wish.」
Although I feel conflicted in heart given how reckless this is, I still
feel justified saying so.
After all, this is the most crucial part of the plan, I’d have to go
regardless of how much of a mess it may lead to.
I plan to recreate even more cuisines from my original world. And
I’ve chosen Ramen as step one of my keikaku. I can’t just give up
now!
Gobchi seems to have read the air and answered to my hope.
「I understand. If it’s Rimuru-sama’s request, I shall attempt it with
all my efforts!」
「Oh oh, you are truly reliable. Good luck, I have faith in you!」
And so Gobchi agreed easily.
He has obtained a new kitchen built by Geld and helped facilitating
both my interests and business——no, new commercial endeavour,
he seems rather overjoyed by it.
Thank you Gobchi. From now on he will probably work very hard as
well, and I only need to wait for results.

508
 After which, things went smoother than I had imagined. I was able
to push the responsibilities entirely onto other people——ingredient
purchasing to Myourmiles and the specific cuisine details to Gobchi.
Myourmiles doesn’t seem to care about the budget while Gobchi
doesn’t seem to care for sleeping.
What about me?
My job is to be everyone’s back-up (cheerleader).
Play cute and poke at Myourmiles’ fat tummy for more money,
singing a song to support an exhausted Gobchi.
As soon as the two show a smile, one would spit out the money
while the other would jump up and continue working.
At last, the three flavours of ramen including Soy sauce, Miso and
Pork bone were successfully recreated, alongside with the choice of
thick or light broth.
Other merchandise such as dry-fish broth and white chicken broth
was able successfully developed.
「Amazing! As expected from Gobchi!」
「Hmm, this is indeed delicious. As expected of Rimuru-sama’s food
suggestion.」
I’m very satisfied and giving out the passing comment. Now this
will definitely work well as a merchandise for trading.
Myourmiles who’s been called to test taste the food also seems
satisfied, commemorating its deliciousness.
「Thank you gentlemen! I’m now very confident in making ramen.
」
「Hmmhmm, with that spirit I’ll rely on you with the remainder of
the plan.」
「Yes si——ah, ARE? Hasn't the development of Ramen ended
already?」

509
 「That’s true, Rimuru-sama. We already have so many varieties, it
would be more than sufficient to open shops with these, right?」
The two express doubts as they both thought the plan is over.
Too naïve~
How could my ambition be ended with just ramen.
「Ku~ku~ku, you guys are way too naïve. Who ever said that this is
the end of my plan?」
「AH?」
「But——」
I interrupted the two with my next ambitious product. The king of
home-cooking restaurant, cuisine well known around the world——
Hamburger meat desu!
「Th-This is!」
Gobchi seems highly motivated again upon seeing the new dish.
「Huhuhu, Gobchi, the recipe to this cuisine is not challenging at
all. However, it is extremely difficult if you want everyone to make
the same flavor of it.」
「And what do you mean by that?」
「For now figure out some way to train your men in making it with
the same flavor! From there, let them develop hamburger meat
unique to their own shops.」
「I see! You wish to have my disciples own their own shops and
allow them to compete among each other, right?」
I give him a smile after hearing Gobchi’s response.
「It would seem that you have noticed Gobchi. The more people
capable of making the cuisine, the more widespread the relevant
food chain would spread across the world.」
「I understand! Allow me, Gobchi to do it——！！」

510
 Very well, I nodded in response. With Gobchi’s correct
interpretation, he may have also sparked ambition in creating his
own shop.
However, Myourmiles who overheard our conversation….
「Does this mean, I have to invest more money….」
His face turns pale as he realizes he’s going to increase his budget
again
But, you don’t need to worry.
「Kukuku, Myourmiles-kun, please be reassured! Those fully-
developed ramen has already been on sale! Not only within my
nation, it has been gaining popularity across the travelling hotels
along the roads. I think it’s also about time to promote it in Brumund
Kingdom.」
「S-So!?」
「That’s right, it means is about payback time.」
「Ohohohoh, Sasuga, Sasuga Rimuru-sama!」
「Indeed, indeed!」
「Kufufufu, so it will all be fine under Rimuru-sama’s care? I
understand, please allow me, Myourmiles to handle the preparation
for the next round of opening of the Hamburger meat shops.」
I was able to sweep away his concerns with one smooth talk. In this
way, I am able to gain the next deal with Myourmiles as I return the
initial fundings. After which, we poured in Myourmiles’ funds like
flowing water and developed new products one by one.
We’ve also encountered crisis mid-way——our information was
leaked to Veldora and we were forced to teach him how to make
Takoyaki. But that’s another interesting story to tell.
Even if there are losses, they are expenditure on Myourmiles’ tab.
And I still continued pushing forward plans without any fear of
failure…
At long last, we were able to develop a diverse menu of cuisines.

511
 With different hotels adding to the competitions, the sales kept on
growing higher and higher. The initial losses sustained by
Myourmiles were also compensated with these numbers.
「Kufufufu, I can’t seem to stop. The money we can make just
never seem to go away!」
「Am I right, Myourmiles? Everything is according to plan!」
「Please allow me to remain in your care in the future as well,
Rimuru-sama!」
「Most certainly. But in return…. I hope you would understand
right?」
「Of course, of course. I won’t slip a word out, whatever you wish
just come and ask me.」
「Hmm, aren’t you the obedient type? I’ll take good care of you in
the future.」
「Yes! Yes! Do come to me if you ever need to discuss any more
deal!」
I take the little bag handed over from Myourmiles into my pockets
and nodded. There’s no need to confirm the content, it’s definitely
the usual stuff.
「Ha! Ha! Ha!」
「Ku! Ku! Ku!」
I laugh along with Myourmiles And Gobchi on the other side is
happily examining the cooking machines he received.
It’s a reward I told Myourmiles to prepare for him.
Not only did I eat delicious food, but it also got my wallet full.
Myourmiles was able to take over this new rising trades and profit
through the prospering business.
Even Gobchi seems overjoyed surrounded by all the precious food
ingredients and cooking machines collected around the world.
As planned, everyone got joy out of it.

512
 All the new cuisines born from the incident were all supplied to the
hotels along the roads to Alumount and Ingracia kingdoms.
Apart from that, the road to Dwargon also had similar
development. At some point of time and onward, travelers started
showing up in the hotels just to taste the food.
Then on these roads, chefs and food-enthusiasts from different
nations gather due to their reputation, causing the streets to be
occupied fully by different cuisine vendors.
——in the future, these roads were named “Roads of delicacy”.
Such is the origin of the naming, but I, at the time, would have no
idea about that.

513
Side Story
Defeat of the Holy Knights
Upon arriving the capital city Rimuru of Tempest Federation, there
has been a drastic change in the situation.
There’s a sudden surge of fighting spirit indicating a huge battle.
One of the parties gives off a rather familiar aura. It belongs to the
Holy Knight Order vice-commander Reynald[1], who are supposed to
defend the nation (Ruberios) while they were out.
This is quite shocking to the holy knights who have just recently
gained hope in resolving the conflict with Rimuru peacefully after
weeks of travelling.
But regardless of the situation, they need to go confirm the
situation first.
「Let’s go!」
Hinata shouts and is followed by the rest of the holy knights to the
battlefield at full speed.
There, they witnessed a one-sided crash on the so-called
battlefield.
There were five higher Majins with overwhelming power next to her.
The one that stands out with unparalleled power, it’s the Majin
that resembles a young girl with moon white hair.
That Majin is the target of this mission.
The leader of the Tempest Federation, newly appointed Demon
Lord——Rimuru, that’s it alright.
The proof being that Hinata, who the knights trust, has since fixed
her sights on the Majin without moving. It’s definitely warranting
that it would be an opponent to be on full alert against, even
ignoring all the fierce combats occurring on their back.

514
 Regarding that incident, the holy knights got a good strong taste of
reality.

◇◇◇

Rimuru was the first one to speak.

「You sure are bald, Hinata. Regardless of whatever reason you
may have, this is still my territory. We could confirm your hostility by
this unannounced military activity alone. So I won’t be naïve enough
to sit around and for you to strike first. 」
That’s——a misunderstanding! Arno, one of the holy knights,
thought. But there’s no way he can prove it here.
Although Hinata has also already realized that, she still wanted to
resolve the misunderstanding through negotiation.
But… it wasn’t going well as expected.
Reynald and the rest are still fighting behind them, if this is how it
would go on,, combat is the only way out.
Then, what could we do?
Arno tried his hardest thinking about a solution while listening to
Hinata’s negotiation.
We shouldn’t just be alerted by Demon lord Rimuru, Arno thought
to himself.
The other four Majins.
Every one of them gives off a fierce aura unique to the strong.
Although Hinata mentioned that those are threats of A+ level, her
phrasings were likely wrong. Since the only things more dangerous
than that are the demon lords and true dragons.
To be specific, even catastrophe-level monster——Charybdis,
which can rival, even exceed the strength of demon lords, is only

515
categorized as Special Rank A. It is simply a rank made for there is a
lack of more dangerous existences.
Besides, his comrade Ritase is able to summon a Special Rank A
higher Holy Water Maiden Undine (Water Spirit)[2]. Even so, if you
ask her whether she could put up a fight against Charybdis, the
answer would be impossible.
Even if the ranking is the same, there is still presence of absolute
power gap.
And then, the Majins in front of them….
They aren’t joking around with their strength written on their
faces.
Even though they don’t stand tall as something like demon lords or
Charybdis, these are still difficult opponents
Two of the Three Beastketeers, who were trusted aides of ex-
Demon Lord Beast King Karion.
Those two are the strongest individuals within the ranks of the
famous Beast King Battalion. Their strengths are no small feet.
And the other two Majins who have been identified as Kjins by
Hinata.
Those are powerful Manomo worshiped by primitive tribes.
Between them, especially the red hair seems most unusual. It gives
off a special aura among the four.
Even with Arno’s eyes he can’t see through its strength.
——This is gonna be trouble. How are we supposed to beat Majins
with such power? No way we can do it…
The number matches up as well.
There’s no better way to be sure of their strength than confront
them directly. If they are lucky enough, the may even win.
These are resolved hold by every one of the holy knights, so there’s
no need to make up their mind at this point.

516
 But this time, victory is not a necessity.
「There’s no need for further confrontations other than against
Demon Lord Rimuru.」 Hinata said so.
Right now the situation is rather hard to resolve, but if it’s Hinata……
She definitely would be able to convince demon lord Rimuru——
Arno decides to place his absolute faith in Hinata.
Then, what would be his duty? It will be buying time.
Arno is in a party of four.
Same number as the Majins they are against.
They would more or less be able to buy some time if they take on
one each.
Arno decides to take action and interjected Rimuru and Hinata’s
conversation.
「What are you talking about! Do you even know what would
happen if Hinata-sama is to take back her stance right now? Why
wouldn't we take precaution when you are the one who called
Hinata here?」
Whatever excuse would suffice now. Arno shouted while thinking
that to himself one-sidedly. As expected, one of Rimuru’s
subordinate made a move.
It happens to be the red-hair that Arno thought is the most
dangerous.
What a timing. Please be my opponent now!
It is a Majin worthy to battle Arno, who’s only next to Hinata in
terms of strength within the order.
Come on, if it comes after anyone else, they probably won’t even
be able to buy any time.
Arno pulled out his sword and prepare to swing towards the red-
hair.

517
 「No killing intent, I see? Good call. Just now if you intended to kill
me, you would be lying on the ground by now. 」
Of course. To Arno he has no intention to kill the red-hair in the
first place. He only wanted to distract the Majin away from Hinata.
But what he said has upsetting Arno.
Sure, the red-hair is strong. Arno approves that, but he is upset
that he dares to treat him as some lower existence and made such
arrogant speech.
But I wouldn’t know what would happen without a fight.
「I wouldn’t want to get in the way of Hinata-sama’s negotiation.
So I decided to make some threat and got the reaction. But it would
be rather boring if I’m just misunderstood like this.」
He observes the red-hair as he argues back. But the red-hair really
isn’t taking Arno seriously.
「You are the one who’s misunderstanding.」
He seems to have little interest for Arno while saying so.
Now Arno is getting pisse by his attitude.
If our strength is similar, victor would be depended on luck——
Arno thought to himself.
He won’t go down without a fight against arrogant opponent such
as this, even if they are strong.
「Huhu, then let’s have a little chat somewhere further away.」
「Very well.」
Since we are going to spar one on one, the outcome would be the
same even if our intents differ.
Arno thought so and decided to get a little more serious with the
red-hair.

◇◇◇

518
 Arno has left.
Seeing so, the next to act were the two Beastketeer.
「Aren’t you guys feeling bored as well? If you don’t want to get
into Rimuru-sama’s way, we can go for a little spar for now. 」
「Ah, ah. The power of the “Ten Great Saints”, that’s what I
happen to want to get a taste of」.
They propose towards Fritz and the others, showing their beastly
teeth with a provoking smirk.
Good grief, I understand what Arno is planning now. He’s trying to
distract the Majins to battle in order to let Hinata to focus on dealing
with demon lord Rimuru——
“Saint of Earth” Bacchus has correctly interpreted Arno’s thought.
So was his companion Fritz, who arrived at the same conclusion.
「Well then, allow me to oblige.」
Bacchus responded that.
「Well it can’t be helped, I’ll join you then.」
Fritz also walked forward as well saying so.
As expected of Fritz. Even if he likes to make nonsense talk most of
the time, he’s definitely reliable under these circumstances.
Bacchus thought to himself. But he became speechless as soon as
hearing what Fritz spoke out the very next instance.
「Neh neh, big sis, aren’t you a lovely lady? Lucky day for me! Ah,
my name is Fritz, what about you? You have one, right? Won’t you
tell me now?」
He can’t believe Fritz said that to the Beastketeers as if he’s flirting
with some girls on the street.
I-idiot! How could he do something… Actually, hold on a moment?

519
 Bacchus who’s been rather confused by his colleague's frivolous
attitude suddenly realizes something.
Although he has believed that the opponents are the who he thinks,
they’ve not announced their names yet.
He is trying to get the identities of the opponents, I see now. You
are a clever man too, Fritz.
But that was probably just misinterpretation on Bacchus’ side.
Bacchus decides to go along after recognizing Fritz’s “wit”.
「Ladies, I apologize for my colleague's intrusion. We are sort of
running late but my name is Bacchus. As you may figure, I am one of
the “Ten Great Saints”, and the captain of the Holy Knight order. I
would be looking forward to our duel, but before which could you
share your names with us?」
Bacchus ask for the opponents name following Firtz’s words subtly.
The one who responded to his words was the beauty with devilish
straight white hair and cat-like eyes.
「Fufu, interesting. My name is Sophia. “White Tiger Fang” Sophia!
As you may have figured out, I am one of the three Beasteekeer. Let
me have some fun with you now, “Ten Saint” Bacchus!」
Sophia announces herself while moving in front her Bacchus with
her extravagant limbs.
The tiger has chosen her opponent.
Bacchus realizes that too and holds tight onto his holy battle pole
infused with magical power.
「It would be great if I could meet your expectation.」
「He, he, no need to be modest now. I’ll even spare your life if you
could satisfy me. So how about show me all your strength? 」
「Cease your howling. I’ll have you taste the our strength of the
guardian of humanity.」
Bacchus shouted.

520
 At the same time——
Of course it’s just as Hinata-sama has expected. It would seem
demon lord Rimuru’s party has no intent in confronting us.
As such he understands it.
While he was reassured with a strange sensation, his resolve as a
holy knight also bursts out of his heart. Since the objective is to buy
time, there’s no need to fight to the death.
However, it is precisely for that reason. This moment, now, he
should fight with all his strength, Bacchus thought.
「Servant of the Western Saints Church, the Holy Knight Order——
“Saint of Earth” Bacchus, here to receive you!!」
「Come at me!!」
Bacchus begins combat against Sophia the Beastketeer——

◇◇◇

Fritz is trying to confront the fear that has arised in his heart.
This is bad. Bad, bad, horribly bad. It’s Really bad. This is really
overwhelmingly horribly bad!!
He had to move out camp since Bacchus took action, but should he
leave Hinata or not? So thought Fritz.
His feeling upon seeing demon lord Rimuru——Fear.
Impossible, he realizes he can be casually be categorized among
the strong.
Arno must have faith strong as steel in believing Hinata’s victory.
But of course, Fritz also has faith in her. But even so, there’s no
way things can be easily resolved if Hinata has to fight that demon
lord. Fritz’s instinct told him.

521
 Without much proof, Fritz’s sixth sense often comes to be useful in
situation like this.
He can understand Arno’s thoughts. But now since Bacchus has got
involved, it’s then decided what Fritz has to do. To fight one the
beasteeker and buy time.
Arno has confronted the red-hair whose threat is only next to
demon lord Rimuru.
Then……
The rest of the Majins should be on equal terms against Fritz and
the others who are all members of the “Ten Great Saints”.
Although the Gray-hair Majin who has little presence among the
rest has caught Fritz’s attention for a while, he has the least amount
of Magicule among them.
So it’ll be fine. If it’s Ritase who can summon spirits, she would
have an advantage fighting by summoning Water Maiden. At least
she won’t lose.
And with Fritz and Bacchus, it would at least be a draw against the
beasteekeers. The problem is with whether Arno——
No, it’s no use to think this hard right now. Arno is stronger than
me so It won’t of help even if I worry. Instead I should think of a way
to deal with the situation……
Fritz is thinking really hard. He has faith in his companions, so he
would instead prioritize how to achieve victory himself right now.
At that moment, Fritz had an epiphany. This is no place to hesitate.
Fritz made up his mind and spoke to one of the beasteekeers with
a sarcastic tone.
「Neh neh, big sis, aren’t you a lovely lady? Lucky day for me! Ah,
my name is Fritz, what about you? You have one, right? won’t you
tell me now?」

522
 The offense that Fritz came up with——It’s to confuse his
opponents. Then he would be able to distract them and make his
first strike count.
Even if he is called despicable, as long as he wins it counts. Fritz has
his own inner working besides considering his strength and is
cautiously attempting to turn the tide for himself.
But he wasn’t attempting to identify the opponents like what
Bacchus thought. It may seem frivolous, but Fritz has no time to
consider that.
Because of that, Bacchus, who is unaware of it, decided to lead the
conversation as if he’s taking care after Fritz.
Sorry for the trouble, old man. But does this make me more like an
idiot in this way?
Fritz’s chances of victory increase despite it not being his intent.
Bacchus then began to fight fairly as a holy knight of the church.
The opponent must be expecting the same from Fritz because of
that.
「The name is Alvis. “Golden Snake Horn”[3] Alvis. Sadly you’re not
my type.」
「Ayyy, that’s a real shame. Then, what happens now? Should we
begin?」
Fritz looks at Alvis as he says so. A seductive beauty with golden
and black hair floating around her head.
Although her eyes are beautiful like jewels, deep down that snake’s
pupils seem to hide a bottomless abyss.
Fritz observed and was disappointed that Alvis has not let down
her guard one bits. The air surrounding her is cruel and cold, and she
didn’t make a single move upon hearing Fritz’s words.
But it’s only natural, this is after all monster who commands the
Beast King’s army, no way that it will become careless just like
this……

523
 But there’s no problem even if she disrupted one of his strategy.
The scheme to distract opponent is not singular, but a consecutive
set of tricks that Fritz has prepared —— But as he thought so, he
experienced a sudden burst of incredible magicule.
He turned his eyes wide towards its source. An earth-shaking shock
wave was also sent as soon as he did that.
「Ara ara, that’s Shion-sama. She’s so reckless as always…」
Even hearing Alvis’ words, Fritz did not feel it’s any time to be
concerning such issue.
「Y-you’ve got to be kidding!? T-that’s Gerald’s “Inferno Spirit
Flame”」
Fritz’s “Magic Detection” senses the casting of the most powerful
magical attack of his collegue. And more to his surprise, the Majin
named Shion was able endure It completely.
Or rather, she straight up cut it in half.
Fritz freezes in shock at the abnormal sights.
That was a tactical nuclear strike magic: something more powerful
to even Heat disintegration, that’s likely one of the most powerful
magic doable by human, and even stronger than ultimates of elven
magic…
However, such an act seems to be done with ease by Majin who’s
not even a demon lord.
That’s something Fritz’s common sense cannot process, a abnormal
situation. Yet, such unrealistic sights continue.
The sounds of fierce clashes between weapons travel in the air.
The strong wind invoked by the battles struck down the nearby
vegetations.
Right now, Arno of the Holy Knight Order, whose strength is only
next to Hinata, has been dominating the red-hair Majin with his
swordsmanship. And he very much should be.

524
 「Ah, Benimaru-sama is truly magnificent. He’s so eager to study,
even about that person’s sword art.」
「Huh?」
Fritz heard the whisper of the seductive woman Alvis in front of
him. He couldn’t understand the meaning of her words.
The red-hair Majin——Benimaru could only defend against the
barrage of elegant yet furious sword attacks. Yet Alvis is only
watching Benimaru without worrying about his chances of triumph.
「What are you talking about? It’s obvious that it has been Arno’s
one-sided attack no matter how you look at it.」
Learning about sword art? There’s no way he has that time to
spare.
He won’t come out in one piece if he looks down to a genius such as
Arno like that.
It should be like that.
But the problem for Fritz was Alvis’ silence. She only responded
with a cold look at him. The sword and Tachi comes in contact
without pausing.
As the weapons dance front and forth, sparks flew as the two
blades clashes.
Alvis simply watch in silent at the such sight.
Before Alvis turn back her eyes, Fritz couldn’t move, with his hands
holding tight onto his sword.
In hindsight, she is full of openings. But it’s obviously a dangerous
temptation, so did Fritz’s six sense announce to him.
But as long as he can buy some time, there’s no need to rush to
attack.
So thought Fritz, he decides to simply accompany Alvis in this way.

525
 Moments later, Alvis who’s been staring at Benimaru’s battle
suddenly seemed to have lost interest and turned her eyes back on
Fritz.
「The battle is over. Of course that man couldn’t rival Benimaru-
sama.」
「No, that would mean Arno’s strength in——」
Arno should have had the advantage in winning. Yet even so Alvis
announced Benimaru’s victory by herself.
Fritz who has been upset about this through and through
contained the anger in his heart and responded to Alvis. Yet he was
stopped by Alvis with a raised hand.
「You are wrong, that’s simply how it looks look. The battle won’t
last any longer, and surely you won’t be contented with just arguing.
How about you and I just spend the time together to see Benimaru-
sama’s battle to the end.」
Even though Fritz still couldn’t accept what she said, but it was his
intent to request that. He only said that partially out of anger and
partially to provoke his opponent.
「Well, it won’t matter since Arno will definitely come out on top.
Is it alright if tide turns on onee-chan like that?」
Yet Alvis laughed at Fritz’s provoking words,
Then——
「Benimaru-sama, as a matter of fact, is someone who wields flame
to consume all. Right now he’s only sparing you all for the
convenience of his sword practice. If he is to fight seriously, your
friend Arno-kun is likely vaporized from this world already.」
That’s no mocking words towards a fool, but words out of pity for
Fritz. It all sounded very convincing to Fritz.
He had the illusion of having cold sweat flowing down his back. His
heart seems to have been grasped by fear.

526
 That’s just fear-mongering, my usual tactic. To make me lose my
cool and fight without my full strength... I’ve heard rumors of
“Golden Snake” Alvis being an intelligent strategist. It wouldn’t
surprise me if she is to use psychological tactic to shake me…
Even though if it was a lie, Fritz must convince himself to believe it.
There’s no way he could admit that someone would go easy to avoid
casualty when confronting them, the strongest existence among
men, the holy knight order. Fritz thought to himself.
Yet the ruthless moment of truth finally arrives——
Fritz doesn’t know whether this Majin named Benimaru is actually
good at using flam or not, but his swordsmanship is definitely on par
with Arno.
He was able to evade every fierce attack by Arno’s sword using his
giant tachi.
「Fu, fufu, it surprises me you are able to evade my attacks to this
extent, neh. And deflecting all of them, it’s almost as if you are
slashing down water.」
「That is only natural. My master in sword art taught me the
ultimate realm in sword fight is detecting the “flow”. If you listen to
your sword’s sound carefully and become one with the sword, you
can see that flow as clear as day. I’ve yet to reach that realm, but I’ve
seen through your sword style.」
「Horrifying, horrifying indeed. It doesn’t seem that you are
bragging either. If that’s the case, I’ve also made up my mind too.
Behold, I shall demonstrate why I am called the strongest among the
Holy Knight——」
The fight between Arno and Benimaru has entered its climax under
Fritz’s and Alvis’ observation. Fritz has only heard of Arno’s secret
technique. Yet he never had the chance to witness in real life.
The invisible sword technique that is said to be able to cut down
any monster in one slash. It is the strongest sword technique wielded

527
only by Arno, the one adored by five elemental spirits, and whose
strength is only next to Hinata.
「Behold the magic purifying shine and brand it onto your body.
Take this, Five-elemental spirit sword——!!」
Arno’s beloved sword shines out five beams of light.
Earth, water, fire, wind and air, the spiritual lights of five different
elements. All of these beams contract and releases a killing blow
which cannot be shielded by any type of defense.
The shining blade plunges towards Benimaru.
Is this Arno’s ultimate… Mah, I thought he would never show that
in front of others. Can’t believe he’s been pushed to this point…
Fritz thought so while confirming his friend’s victory.
However!
「Naïve——Pulse · Slash of Flowing Water!!」
The Majin Benimaru raises his Tachi and swings out without
panicking.
As a result, Arno’s shining blow was received gently by Benimaru’s
tchi.
His sword blown into the air with the echo of a clear sound.
Fritz wasn’t able to see a thing, but it was possible to infer what
happened.
To put it simply, Benimaru’s technique was able to destroy the
power of Arno’s attack. The shock wave of it propagated towards
Arno. Having realized that, Arno released his sword out of fear for
the wave harming his sword-holding hand.
Fritz couldn’t imagine anything else and had to believe that
In other words, this bastard called Benimaru even master better
sword art than Arno!?
He can’t laugh at it even if it’s a joke. This is all nightmarish
experience to Fritz…… Yet it’s all reality.

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 「I told you, your technique has been seen through. Your sword
art is still amateurish. But it’s possible in terms of its power. But it is
pointless if you can’t hit your target with it. I’d advise you to
understand that point.」
Benimaru announces these to Arno and sheathed his tachi.
「I-I’ve… lost….」
Arno fell to his knees on the spot after admitting his defeat.
After witnessing the result, Alvis turns towards Fritz.
「Well, I told you so, didn’t I? There is no need to ever question
about Benimaru-sama’s victory. But your friend did try his best.
Then, what do you plan to do now?」
Alvis’ seductive eyes shed a light of curiosity and interest. She
asked while observing how Fritz would react.
In response, Fritz——
I can’t believe Arno has lost…… This is way worse than I imagined. It
still depends on how Hinata-sama and demon lord Rimuru would
resolve everything, but I’d better make up my mind here. These
people are not planning to kill us. But since the fight was started by
Reynald, there’s no way we could just resume a friendly negotiation.
But even so it doesn’t seem to matter much if I begin to fight as
well……
He observes his surrounding with “Magic detection” while being
wavered in heart. Arno’s defeat is just as what he witnessed.
Reynald’s side also seems to be concluding as more and more Holy
Knights have fallen. A complete defeat.
Bacchus on the other hand is putting up a equal fight against
Beastketeer Sophia.
And Ritase——
She’s been tied up by some unknown things, and her face looks all
flastured.

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 The grey-haired Majin next to her seems to be protecting her
protecting Ritase in midst of some battle. The ones combating are,
grey-haired Majin and water maiden
Could that be, “Clone Technique”? If that’s the case, it would make
sense why his presence is barely felt.
What’s more to his surprise it’s the dominance expressed by the
Majin’s clone over water maiden. Its blows dealt by the hands of
Clone, which should have been constructed using magicule, were
effective even against higher spirits that has resistance against
physical attack.
Which means its summoner must be even stronger.
It would seem that Fritz has underestimated the threat of this gray
hair Majin purely based on the Magicule of its clone.
In other words, it’s a misjudgement of the Majin’s strength from the
start, a true mistake on Fritz’s part.
Has Ritase also been defeated as well? Uncle Bacchus seems to be
barely managing a draw. And who remains is only Hinata-sama——
—
Her battle with demon lord Rimuru is something beyond Fritz’s
understanding. Those are speeds unknown to commoner——Even
“Magic Detection” is meaningless in interpreting the ongoing battle,
whose speed has exceeded the processing power of human brain.
Fritz’s concern would be meaningless regardless.
I seem absolutely outmatched by sheer strength.
He would probably only hinder Hinata rather than giving her a
hand.
If that’s the case, there’s only one thing Fritz could do.
He spoke to Alvis who’s been awaiting an answer.
「Although I don’t think there’s much more use trying to combat,
do you mind spending some time with me? I would be ashamed to
see my friends again if that’s not the case, wouldn’t I now?」

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 Fritz has dignity too.
Even if victory or failure poses no purpose, the battle itself may
hold some meaning. So thought Fritz.
——You just have to act like an idiot at places like that, Fritz——
Hinata would probably tease him with such line.
Yeah, yeah——Yeah, Fritz thought to himself.
But he doesn’t dislike that part of himself at all.
「Fufufu, alright then. You are beginning to impress me, Holy
Knight Fritz-dono.」
「I’m most grateful. We have much to learn from each now,
Beasteekeer——“Golden Snake Horn” Alvis-dono——」
A tiny smile emerged on Fritz’s lips before he dived into the battle
against Alvis.

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Afterword
Sorry for having kept everyone waiting, now I present 《That time I
got reincarnated as a slime》 Volume seven.
This time the content has also increased quite a bit.
「I’ll write it shorter this time!」
「Really? Are you only saying this now, but will eventually prolong
the whole thing in the end?」
「No way, I’ve cut a lot of the web version content out this time, it
will be shorter!」
「I’ve given up at this point, you don’t have to force yourself to
write less.」
I recall such conversation. As a result I was reassured to expand on
the content.
「Ehh, in the end the length was increased a little bit…...」
「That line, don’t you always so it? I am mentally prepared
already.」
Is this so the relationship of trust that everyone talks about?
Editor I-san has already seen through me.
Eh? Could he have known from the start that I would increase the
content?
No, it’s your defeat if you get too serious on such matter.
That’s how that went. Now I’ll comment on the content of this
volume.
If it’s readers who made it through this volume should already
know that there is a high chance of spoiler in the afterwords.
But with that being said, it can’t really be helped if you have read
to this part.

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 There’s probably no one who reading the series at volume seven,
so it won’t be any different if I tell everyone to read the actual book
first.

◇◇◇

To the readers of the web version, you may think this volume is
something completely different.
And honestly the content is completely overhauled.
The promise of 「same story outline」 is gradually become a
fantasy.
There has been many changes to the plot development, this would
result the old plot very hard to connect up——that’s the reason for
all the changes.
I would like to clarify that I was going to turn the outline around
and change a lot of things.
But the biggest reason of the change is probably due to the
revision of design of a certain character.
I won’t mention who that is, this person’s personality remains the
same, but his motivation and abilities are different.
The character influenced by this character the most would be
Hinata-san. Perhaps Hinata-san looks completely different from her
counterpart in the web version.
But, this should be the original (canonical) Hinata.
Due to the plot heading in complete different direction, this feeling
becomes like this.
You only have to compare the stories in the two versions to
know——That’s how I think. But, it may even be more fun for the
readers who have not read the web version to read the light novel

533
directly. In that aspect I hope everyone would choose the preferred
way of reading it!
At the prologue, there are people discussing suspicious stuffs, how
could we have not yet seen their appearances in the main storyline?
There’s a reason to account for people’s doubts regarding this.
It’s definitely not because the author has forgotten to write about
them, so please look forward to it in the next volume!
But people would probably have a general idea of how the story
would develop at this point.
Are this author thinking anything at all?——That’s not the case. It’s
almost as if the author doesn’t plan to transfer the web version
directly to the light novel.
That’s indeed the case, so i feel it would be a hard task to even
trying to continue the story like the original story. But there is finally
some signs of returning the story to the original plot since volume
7…… probably.
When I was writing this afterwords, I was thinking volume 8 would
probably feel more akin to its web version counterpart.
That would also depend on how I feel when I begin writing it——
Although the writer always likes to say this. I hope everyone would
continue to accompany alongside me as we move forward in this
journey…
Then, I’ll see you in the next volume!

534
535
Translator's Afterword
Welcome back, it took longer than expected but here we are again,
back with more bootlegging. Hope you enjoyed this volume as well,
or perhaps, more, considering the additional help our team received
by many competent new members.
It’s a first for me as well as most of my team to translate and edit
at this magnitude, so it is still a learning process. We will hopefully
improve with each release and along with the readers’ support and
feedback.
Some quick housekeeping, you will notice that we’ve made a lot of
changes and compromises on previously unsettled terms, but also
some reservations. I’ve received question before with regards to
when I don’t align my translation with the official release, so a couple
of response to that:
1) Personal preference, this is probably the most fundamental to
the question. Although I would put accuracy over this, when the
former is fulfilled, it all comes down to personal preference. I like
“Gluttony King Beelzebub” better than “Lord of Gluttony Beelzebub”
just like I prefer “Rimuru-san” to “Sir Rimuru”. When accuracy of
translation is not involved, I’ll stick to what I prefer.
2) Accuracy, Yenpress has a pretty inconsistent track record with
this one. For instance, the reason I use the name “Larzen” instead of
“Razen” is because the Razen /’Reizen/ is just not what the name is
spelt or pronounced. It is ラーゼン (La-long vowel-Ze-N). While I’m
willing to compromise on name such as “Alvis” (Which I previously
made the mistake of confusing the “Ru” with “Nu”), I won’t change
name such as “Karion” to “Carillon” (how high were you when you
came up with this……). Interesting fact, if you put in ラーゼン in
google translate you get Razen, makes you think huh…

536
 3) We are ahead of schedule. I couldn’t have predicted what name
Yenpress would give to the volume 5 characters, so I can only use my
bootleg moonrunes skill to make up names for characters. Trust me,
it will only get worse in time.
With that being said, I’m always open to change things when a well
translated term is made by Yenpress, however rare that is.
Next, about release schedule. I’ve learnt a lot about organizing
these stuffs after translating the two volumes, and I’ve learnt the
best way to do things is to finish the damn translation and take a
seat back.
For volume 8 and 9, my editors will take as much time as they need
to polish the work before releasing, so it may take more time. I’d
wager we would go quiet for 2 months or so before releasing
anything again. (Double release may be possible, but don’t count on
it). I will go quiet for a couple months after August, and so volume 9
is likely the last volume I will be producing before returning at the
end of this year to work on volume 10. And that’s about the rough
schedule our team has in mind.
With the new editors and English proofreaders we recruited, our
team has expanded greatly. We’ve had some wonderful people on
board that worked their ass off for the volume, so props my fellow
colleagues, you are all wonderful.
(I’m looking for JP proofreader though, you know how to reach me)
My sincerest appreciation goes out to my collogues for not
including a editor corner this time (since time zone reason everyone
is sleeping except me kek)
See you all next time.
DasRay & Editor team

537
Credits
That time I got Reincarnated as a slime 07 By 伏濑

Author: Fuse (伏濑)

Illustration: Mitz Vah
Translation: DasRay_1911
Editors: Squishy, Censored, OmnipotentEntity, MoreThanTom,
Muggy, ThelastCube
Proofreader: greygnome, sushi, Sierra, Dath
Chinese source (By: 轻之国度)
This translation is fan made and free to access by the public. This is
not to be used in any commercial means. The translator or editors
are not liable to any action of the readers. Please respect the fair use
of our translation as well as Fuse’s work.
All rights reserved - 伏濑 and MICRO MAGAZINE
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We welcome all constructive feedback and suggestion on our work

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